English Upgrade for English Users

Past Participles Used As Adjectives

2010-04-10T02:35:00.000-07:00

Many past participles can be used as adjectives. Some past participles commonly used as adjectives are bored, excited, shattered, broken, torn, surprised, disoriented, intoxicated, drunk, written, classified.

bored is formed from the verb bore
The children feel very bored when they have no new games to play.

excited is formed from the verb excite
Sheila was very excited when her parents told her they would bring her with them on their vacation trip to Japan.

shattered is formed from the verb shatter
The housekeeper was extremely alarmed when she saw the shattered glass on the floor.

broken is formed from the verb break
Tommy knew his parents would get furious when they saw the broken porcelain vase.

torn is formed from the verb tear
The beggar I saw this morning wore torn clothes.

surprised is formed from the verb surprise
Sharon was very surprised to see a 3-tier birthday cake on the dining table.

disoriented is formed from the verb disorient
The new students were disoriented and could not find their way back to the classroom.

intoxicated is formed from the verb intoxicate
Some people tend to drink and get themselves intoxicated, so they can forget their sorrow.

drunk is formed from the verb drink (drunk is the same in meaning as intoxicated)
People who are drunk should not drive.

written is formed from the verb write
The level one students must be given written explanation as verbal explanation is too brief for them.

classified is formed from the verb classify
If you would like to look for a job or rent a house, read the classified pages of the newspaper.

Using Phrasal Prepositions

2010-03-11T06:50:00.000-08:00

Phrasal prepositions are very commonly used in English sentences. The following phrases can be used as prepositions.

instead of
We usually drink tea for breakfast, but this morning we drank coffee instead of tea because there wasn't even one teabag left!

because of
The football match was cancelled because of the heavy rain.

on behalf of
Mr Peterson was away on a vacation, so his assistant attended the meeting on behalf of him.

on top of
Can you put the files on top of the bookcase?

according to
According to our personnel officer, a worker who comes in late will have to give a very good reason.

in favor of
Henry is always in favor of his best friend, Tony.

in common with
Laura and Cecilia are on very good terms. Both girls have a lot in common with each other.

apart from
Apart from being helpful, Kelvin is also very kind and generous.

in case of
In case of fire, do not use the elevator.

Using Prepositions

2010-03-09T06:22:00.000-08:00

Prepositions are words that specify time, place and direction. There are three types of prepositions.

Prepositions of time
A few common prepositions of time are in / at / on / for / during / since

Using in
Please don't leave this room. I'll be right back in 5 minutes.
They usually entertain their new clients in the afternoon.

Using at
I've arranged for Mr Peterson to see his new client at 10 tomorrow morning.
We shall have our lunch break at noon.
Some flowers bloom at midnight.

Using on
The witness swore in court that he saw the murder on the morning of 16th December.
The students attend classes on weekdays.
We received the new products on the 18th of February.

Using for
They have been waiting for 2 hours.
We were extremely busy for the whole of last week.

Using during
Our school football team was in the lead during the first 20 minutes.
Nancy was very nervous during the driving test.

Using since
They have been watching TV since this morning.
Henry and his friends have been trying to fix the jigsaw puzzle since 9 am.

Prepositions of place
A few common prepositions of place are in / on / at / inside / outside / beside / across

Using in
Where's Henry? He's in the washroom.
Many young children like to play in the new playground.
The kids are enjoying themselves in the swimming pool.
The Hardy family lives in Chicago.

Using on
Where are the reference books? They're on the shelves.

Using at
Where do you live? I live at No. 88 Boulevard Park.
She bumped into her old friend, Hilda, when she was doing shopping at the supermarket.

Using inside
I put all your History notes inside the A4-sized folder.
The children love to play chess inside the cute tree-house they built last summer.

Using outside
He usually leaves his raincoat and umbrella outside the house.

Using beside
The young lady standing beside the couch is Mr Peterson's new secretary.

Using across
Pauline's house is just across the street.

Prepositions of direction
A few common prepositions of direction are to / toward / through / past

Using to
The rain came suddenly and Laura quickly ran to the corridor.

Using toward (also spelt as towards)
She almost fainted when she saw the huge dark shadow walking toward her!

Using through
Walk through the narrow passage and turn left.

Using past
I drive past the town library on my way to the office every morning.

Click on grammar Articles to view other kinds of grammar.

Using Conjunctions

2010-03-04T06:11:00.000-08:00

Definition of conjunctions
Conjunctions are one of the eight parts of speech in the English language. They link or join words, phrases and clauses. There are three kinds of conjunctions.

Coordinating Conjunctions (first kind of conjunctions)
A few common coordinating conjunctions are and, but, or, so, yet.

Using and
to join the subjects of sentences
My brother is going to the national zoo tomorrow.
His friends are also going to the national zoo tomorrow.
My brother and his friends are going to the national zoo tomorrow.

to join the objects of sentences
Sharon likes cookies. Sharon also likes cakes.
Sharon likes cookies and cakes.

to join phrases in sentences
We don't know where she lives. We also don't know what her name is.
We don't know where she lives and what her name is.

to join two different actions that happen one after another
The clerk unlocked the letterbox. The clerk took out all the letters.
The clerk unlocked the letterbox and took out all the letters.
I opened the door. I saw the morning paper on the doorstep.
I opened the door and saw the morning paper on the doorstep.

to join "that" clauses in sentences, especially sentences used in formal/business letter-writing
We regret to say that the prices you quoted are too high.
We regret to say that we are unable to accept your proposal.
We regret to say that the prices you quoted are too high and that we are unable to accept your proposal.

Using but
to join words, phrases or sentences which have opposite meanings
Henry talks a lot. He does nothing.
Henry talks a lot but does nothing.

Peter is tall and thin. His assistant is short and stout.
Peter is tall and thin but his assistant is short and stout.

Sandra is good at English. She is poor at Geography.
Sandra is good at English but poor at Geography.

to join phrases which indicate two different actions or conflicting ideas
Mr Hardy promised to attend the meeting. He never turned up.
Mr Hardy promised to attend the meeting but he never turned up.

Mr Smith was getting very angry. He did not scold any of his staff.
Mr Smith was getting very angry but he did not scold any of his staff.

Our customers just viewed the new products. They did not place an order.
Our customers just viewed the new products but they did not place an order.

We called Mr Peterson several times. Nobody answered the phone.
We called Mr Peterson several times but nobody answered the phone.

He thought we didn't know he was lying. We knew.
He thought we didn't know he was lying but we knew.

Using or
to link the objects of sentences
Do you prefer tea or coffee?

to link words which indicate options
You can attend the class on Wednesday or Thursday.

to link phrases which indicate options
You can write the answers in complete sentences or give brief answers.
Nancy can stay back after 5 pm today or get the job done tomorrow.
You can take the job or leave it.

Using so
to link phrases which indicate results
Laura was very tired, so she went to bed early.
Most of the students were shivering, so the lecturer switched off one of the air-conditioners.

Using yet
to link phrases which indicate conflicting ideas
Paul is rather good at History, yet his favorite subject is Mathematics.
(It means if Paul is good at History, his favorite subject should be History, but no, his favorite subject is Mathematics.)

The personnel officer has always advised all the staff not to be late for work, yet he himself has been late these few days!

Correlative Conjunctions (second kind of conjunctions)
A few common correlative conjunctions are "both....and" / "either....or" / "neither....nor" / "not only....but also".

Using "both....and"
Both Jason and his brother have a Masters Degree in Architecture.

Using "either....or"
Either Nancy or Jane will arrange for a taxi to bring the boss to the airport.

Using "neither....nor"
Neither Florence nor her sister has a car.

Using "not only....but also"
Not only can Sharon speak Spanish, but she can also speak Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin and Vietnamese.
Not only is Cecilia pretty, but she is also smart.
Tommy is not only playful, but also naughty.

Subordinating conjunctions (third kind of conjunctions)
A subordinating conjunction comes at the beginning of a subordinate or dependent clause. A subordinating conjunction joins/links the subordinate clause to the main clause of a sentence.

A few common subordinating conjunctions are although / because / after / before / until / when / while / unless / if / whether / since

Using although
Although it was raining heavily, the football match went on as scheduled.
(note: the punctuation mark comma (,) is needed in this sentence construction)
The football match went on as scheduled although it was raining heavily.
(note: the punctuation mark comma (,) is not needed)

Using because
Paul felt sick and vomited because he had drunk too much beer.
She didn't attend class because she was not feeling well.

Using after
The children watched their favorite cartoon show after they had finished doing their English exercises. OR
After the children had finished doing their English exercises, the children watched their favorite cartoon show.
(note: comma (,) is needed in this sentence construction)

Using before
Mrs Hardy had locked all the doors and windows before she left the house. OR
Before Mrs Hardy left the house, she had locked all the doors and windows.
(note: comma (,) is needed in this sentence construction)

Using until
I shall wait for Mr Peterson until he gets back to the office.

Using when
Joanne almost fainted when she saw a huge dark shadow outside her window. OR
When Joanne saw a huge dark shadow outside her window, she almost fainted.
(note: comma (,) is needed in this sentence construction)

Using while
Henry dropped his fountain pen while he was tying his shoelace. OR
While Henry was tying his shoelace, he dropped his fountain pen.
(note: comma (,) is needed in this sentence construction)

Using unless
You are not allowed to watch TV unless you complete all your exercises. OR
Unless you complete all your exercises, you are not allowed to watch TV.
(note: comma (,) is needed in this sentence construction)

Using if
If you don't submit your assignment by next Friday, marks will be deducted from your semester exam papers. OR
Marks will be deducted from your semester exam papers if you don't submit your assignment by next Friday.
(note: comma (,) is not needed in this sentence construction)

Using whether
She has to cope with all the subjects whether she likes it or not.

Using since
The roof has been leaking since we moved into the house.

Note that in the above example sentences that show the usage of subordinating conjunctions, the phrases in italics are the subordinate or dependent clauses.

The following phrases can also be used as subordinating conjunctions.
as long as
I'm sure we'll be able to get the job done on time as long as we co-operate with one another. OR
As long as we co-operate with one another, I'm sure we'll be able to get the job done on time. (note: comma (,) is needed in this sentence construction)

as soon as
Please reply to my email as soon as you can.
I'll inform all our customers as soon as the new products arrive.

or else (same meaning as otherwise)
You must attend the briefing, or else you'll be scolded by the personnel officer.

provided that
You can use whatever way to answer these questions, provided that you make sure your answers are relevant.

as if
The sky looks dark. It looks as if it's going to rain soon.
Margaret's face looked so pale. She looked as if she had seen a ghost!

even if
Mrs Hardy has no choice but to put up with her complaining mother-in-law even if she keeps complaining non-stop all day!

even though
They went jogging even though it was raining very heavily.

so that
Henry bought lots of snack food so that he and his friends would have enough to eat while watching TV.

Click on "grammar Articles" and view "Main Clauses and Subordinate Clauses" to find out how they are used in English sentences.

Using Similes

2010-02-28T00:30:00.000-08:00

There are many similes in the English language. Some very common similes that can be applied in both spoken and written English are:

Note: similes is pronounced "si-mi-lis NOT "si-miles"

as black as charcoal (to show emphasis on something that looks black in color)
The smoke caught his face and made it look as black as charcoal!

as white as snow (to show emphasis on something that looks very white)
In her dream, Laura saw a beautiful fairy who had a complexion that was as white as snow.

as blind as a bat (to show emphasis on somebody who can't notice or see something even when that something is right before him)
The notes were right under his nose, but he just didn't see them. He was as blind as a bat!

as busy as a bee / as busy as bees (to show emphasis on someone who is very busy)
I don't think I can accompany you as I'll be as busy as a bee,
The girls will have to submit their assignment tomorrow. They'll be as busy as bees the whole day today.

as clumsy as a bear (to show emphasis on someone who is clumsy)
Look out! Here comes Fatty! He's as clumsy as a bear. If you don't make way for him, he'll knock you over!

as cunning as a fox (to show emphasis on someone who is always up to tricks)
If you want to close a business deal with Wilson, just mind the tricks up his sleeve. He's as cunning as a fox.

as easy as ABC (to show emphasis on something that is easy)
Give the students something harder. These exercises are as easy as ABC for them.

as hungry as a wolf (to show emphasis on someone who is very hungry)
Is there anything to eat? I'm as hungry as a wolf. I can eat everything you have in your fridge!

as light as a feather (to show how light something is)
My bag contains only a few books. It is as light as a feather and I can bring it with me wherever I go.

as quick as lightning (to show how quick an action is)
Luckily I was as quick as lightning and managed to grab at the porcelain vase before it hit the ground.

as wise as an owl (to show how wise someone is)
They usually ask the professor for advice because they think that he is as wise as an owl.

as stupid as an ass/a donkey (note! this simile can actually insult people)
The new student was very upset when his classmates said he was as stupid as an ass.

as talkative as a magpie (to show how talkative somebody is)
Felicia is the most talkative girl in class. That's why her classmates often say: "Felicia, you're as talkative as a magpie!"

as sharp as a razor (to show how sharp something is)
Be careful! That penknife is as sharp as a razor!

as sweet as honey (to show how sweet something is)
Let's eat these strawberries. They're as sweet as honey.

as pretty as a fairy (to show emphasis on someone who is pretty)
Wow! Look at Cecilia! She's wearing a her new evening gown. Oh! She looks very pretty, as pretty as a fairy!

as bald as an egg (to show emphasis on somebody who has zero hair on his head)
My 80-year-old grandfather has no hair. In fact, he's as bald as an egg!

as dry as a bone/dust (to show emphasis on something that is extremely dry)
That well is as dry as a bone/dust. There's not even a drop of water in it!
It has not rained for months and the ground is as dry as a bone/dust.

as cool as a cucumber (to show that a person remains calm even when he/she is in a difficult or frustrating or embarrassing or exciting situation)
Everyone was very excited, but Kelvin was as cool as a cucumber.

as clear as crystal (to show how clear something is)
The water that comes out from the water filter appears as clear as crystal.

as slow as a snail (to show how slow somebody does something/how slow something is moving)
Sharon takes a few days to complete just one assignment. She's as slow as a snail.
The vehicles move as slow as snails at peak/rush hours.

as proud as a peacock (to show somebody is very proud)
Felicia's parents are very wealthy, and that's what makes her so proud. No wonder her classmates say: Felicia, you're as proud as a peacock!
Pauline is the top student in class and because of that, she always gives her classmates the impression she's proud. Her classmates often say: You're as proud as a peacock.

as dead as a doornail (to show that something is really lifeless/dead)
"That beetle is not moving. Is it still alive?" Lionel asked his brother.
"No, it's dead, as dead as a doornail," answered Lionel's brother.

Click on "Vocabulary Articles" for more vocabulary.

Present Participles Used as Adjectives

2010-02-26T06:04:00.000-08:00

Present participles are verb+ing such as annoying, blaring, caring, dancing, etc and they are often used as adjectives in English sentences.

How do you use annoying as an adjective in your sentences?
The infinitive (present tense verb) is annoy. Annoy means to make somebody angry.
We can add "ing" to the verb annoy to make it annoying and use it as an adjective to describe somebody/something who makes people angry.
Tony annoys people. He is such an annoying person.
That annoying sound really makes me lose my concentration!

How do you use blaring as an adjective in your sentences?
The infinitive (present tense verb) is blare. Blare means to cause a very loud unpleasant sound. When you add "ing" to "blare", drop the "e" first like this: blaring (used to describe very loud sound/noise)
The blaring music coming from that supermarket really deafens my ears!
Sharon was startled by the sudden blaring horns of somebody's car outside her house.

How do you use caring as an adjective in your sentences?
The infinitive (present tense verb) is care. When you add "ing" to "care", drop the "e" first like this: caring (used to describe people who show concern for others)
The late Mother Teresa always showed concern for others. She was an extremely caring person.

How do you use dancing as an adjective in your sentences?
The infinitive (present tense verb) is dance. Drop the "e" first when you add "ing" like this: dancing
One of ABBA songs is "Dancing Queen".
They won the trophy because they had the best dancing skills.
More present participles used as adjectives
bulging (infinitive - bulge)
Frogs have bulging eyes.

understanding (infinitive - understand)
Our boss is a rather understanding person.

complaining (infinitive - complain)
A few old folks in this old-aged home are rather complaining. The nurses really have a hard time looking after them!

bullying (infinitive - bully)
During the meeting, we discussed how to eradicate the bullying methods targeted on the students by the head prefects of the school.

gabbling (infinitive - gabble)
We don't like talking to Ben because of his gabbling speeches!

tapping (infinitive - tap)
Pauline's hair stood on end when she heard the tapping sound on her window pane.

boring (infinitive - bore)
It was a very boring movie. Everyone left before it ended!

Click on "Adjectives Articles" for other kinds of adjectives.

Countable Singular/Plural Nouns Table

2010-02-24T22:03:00.000-08:00

Most countable nouns are made plural by adding the letter "s".
one boy / two or more boys
one cup / two or more cups
one building / two or more buildings
one book / two or more books
one dog / two or more dogs
one house / two or more houses
one hour / two or more hours
one horse / two or more horses
one sweet / two or more sweets

Some countable nouns are made plural differently. Nouns that end in a "hissing" or "sh" or "ch" sound are made plural by adding "es".
one brush / two or more brushes
one box / two or more boxes
one church / two or more churches
one inch / two or more inches
one match / two or more matches

*Note that "stomach" is made plural by adding "s" NOT "es" though it ends in "ch" because "ch" is pronounced a "k" sound. Therefore, the plural form of "stomach" is "stomachs" NOT "stomaches".

Some nouns that end in "o" are made plural by adding "es".
one potato / two or more potatoes
one cargo / two or more cargoes
one tomato / two or more tomatoes
one hero / two or more heroes
one mosquito / two or more mosquitoes

Some nouns that end in "o", however, are made plural by adding "s" not "es".
one radio / two or more radios
one photo / two or more photos
one piano / two or more pianos
one dynamo / two or more dynamos

Some nouns that end in "f" or "fe" are generally made plural by changing the "f" or "fe" to "ves".
one leaf / two or more leaves
one half / two or more halves
one knife / two or more knives
one wolf / two or more wolves
one loaf / two or more loaves
one thief / two or more thieves
one wife / two or more wives
one calf / two or more calves

Some nouns that end in "f" are made plural by adding "s", NOT changing "f" to "ves".
one roof / two or more roofs
one curry puff / two or more curry puffs
one chef / two or more chefs
one handcuff / two or more handcuffs

Some nouns that end in "f" are made plural by either adding "s" or changing ''f" to "ves".
one handkerchief / two or more handkerchiefs or handkerchieves
one hoof / two or more hoofs or hooves
one scarf / two or more scarfs or scarves

Some nouns that end in "y" are made plural by changing the "y" to "ies".
one baby / two or more babies
one army / two or more armies
one lady / two or more ladies
one city / two or more cities
one salary / two or more salaries
one university / two or more universities
one copy / two or more copies
one butterfly / two or more butterflies
one photocopy / two or more photocopies
one gallery / two or more galleries
one company / two or more companies
one country / two or more countries

*Note that the rule of changing "y" to "ies" is only applicable to nouns having a consonant before the letter "y". For nouns like monkey, key, donkey, day, we do not change "y" to "ies" because the letter before "y" is a vowel. Simply add the letter "s" to make them plural.
one monkey / two or more monkeys
one day / two or more days
one donkey / two or more donkeys
one key / two or more keys
one guy / two or more guys
one jockey / two or more jockeys

Many countable nouns do not follow any of the above rules, and we come across them very often. Here are some of the most common nouns that either change in spelling or do not change in spelling when they are written in the plural form.

change in spelling
one man / two or more men
one woman / two or more women
one foot / two or more feet
one ox / two or more oxen
one larva / two or more larvae
one bacterium / two or more bacteria
one oasis / two or more oases
one child / two or more children
one tooth / two or more teeth
one mouse / two or more mice
one radius / two or more radii
one goose / two or more geese
one criterion / two or more criteria

*Note that there are two nouns that do not change in spelling, but are added with the letter "s" to get their plural form, though they have "man" in them.
one talisman / two or more talismans (talismen X)
one walkman / two or more walkmans (walkmen X)

do not change in spelling
one sheep / two or more sheep
one fish / two or more fish
one salmon / two or more salmon
one offspring / two or more offspring
one deer / two or more deer
one TV series / two or more series
one species / two or more species

Some nouns are hyphenated. They consist of two or more words separated by a hyphen (-). To make a hyphenated noun plural, add "s" to its first word.
one passer-by / two or more passers-by
one sister-in-law / two or more sisters-in-law
one brother-in-law / two or more brothers-in-law
one looker-on / two or more lookers-on

*Note that when you make "in-law" plural, you add "s" to the word "law" like this:
They always visit their in-laws on the first day of the Chinese New Year.

There is a noun whose last letter has to be repeated before adding "es" for its plural form. This noun is quiz.
one Science quiz / two or more Science quizzes

Click on grammar Articles for other kinds of grammar.

Using Interjections

2010-02-24T03:54:00.000-08:00

Definition of an interjection
An interjection describes a noun or a situation without a grammatical connection with the rest of the sentence. It can stand alone to express emotion or reaction. Interjections are one of the eight parts of speech in the English language. A few common interjections are wow, oh, alas, phew, ouch, aha, hey, hmm, eh, oops. Most interjections are followed with an exclamation mark (!).

Wow is used to express surprise, pleasure, alarm.
Wow! You managed to finish reading the whole book in only 35 minutes?!
(expressing surprise)

Wow! It was such a nice trip. We really enjoyed it. (expressing pleasure)

When you realized that nobody was at home, you actually tried to get into the house through the kitchen window?! Wow! You were really very foolish to do that. Anyone who saw you would jump to conclusion that you were a burglar! (expressing alarm)

Oh is used to express surprise, fright, delight.
Oh! I'm really surprised that our new boss can speak very good Japanese.
(expressing surprise)

Oh! I've spilled ink on Henry's notes. I think he's going to get very angry.
(expressing fright)

"Oh! We're going to the zoo," the children shouted happily.
(expressing delight)

Alas is used to express grief, pity, regret.
Alas! Her parents are dead and she has to go to an orphanage. (expressing grief)

Alas! She didn't catch the last and also the most interesting part of the drama. (expressing pity)

Alas! He should have listened to his elders' advice, but he didn't in the first place. (expressing regret)

phew is used to express relief.
Phew! What a relief to have convinced that fastidious customer of ours!
(expressing relief)

Ouch is used to express pain.
Ouch! My foot! I think I've stepped on something sharp!

Aha is used to express realization
Aha! So it was you who played this dirty trick on me, right?

Hey is used to attract somebody's attention.
Hey! You're not supposed to go into that room.
Hey! Look at that no-smoking sign! You're not allowed to smoke here!

Hmm is used to show hesitation. (followed with ... not exclamation mark)
Hmm....I think we'll take the back seats.

Eh is used to request the listener to confirm or agree with what you say, and is usually used as a tag at the end of the sentence.
My idea is really good, eh?

You will hang up some nice lanterns here, eh?

Oops is used to show that you've made a mistake or forgotten to do something.
Oops! I've added salt instead of sugar to the cake mixture!

Oops! I forgot to turn on the oven before I started whisking the eggs!

Interjections may appear in phrases such as Oh dear / Oh my goodness / Thank heaven / Thank God

Oh dear! I've lost my gold earrings. (showing the speaker is alarm and upset)

Oh my goodness! The goats have eaten all the young vegetables!
(showing the speaker is surprised and upset)

Thank heaven! or Thank God! Nobody was injured.
(showing the speaker is glad that something bad did not happen)

Click on "grammar Articles" to view other kinds of grammar.

Adverbs of Time

2010-02-22T05:49:00.000-08:00

Adverbs of time tell us when an action happened. Some common adverbs of time are today, yesterday, tomorrow, afterwards, now, soon, later, still.
Most adverbs of time can be placed at the end or beginning of the sentence.

Henry is seeing his client today.
Today Henry is seeing his client.

She bought some potatoes and fish at the market yesterday.
Yesterday she bought some potatoes and fish at the market.

They will be going to Canada tomorrow.
Tomorrow they will be going to Canada.

Mr Hardy will entertain the guests afterwards.
Afterwards Mr Hardy will entertain the guests.
(note that afterwards is the same as afterward)

The children are frolicking in the swimming pool now.
Now the children are frolicking in the swimming pool.

They will establish another new outlet soon.
Soon they will establish another new outlet.

Note that "later" is used at the end of some sentences like this:.
I'll see you later. (correct)
Never say "Later I'll see you." (sounds awkward and incorrect)
However, later can be used at the beginning of some sentences like this:
When they reached the beach, they jumped into the water and swam. Later, they played beach ball.

still is used to express continuity and is placed after am, is, are
I am still tired. (after linking verb "am")
She is still very beautiful. (after linking verb "is")
The kittens are still small and weak. (after linking verb "are")

still is placed before the main action verb
Sandra still works at the laundry shop. (after main action verb "works")

Some adverbs of time appear in phrases. A few examples of such adverbs of time are all day, for a while, since last week/month/year, next week/month/year, last night, last Sunday.

The children have been playing with their soft toys all day.
Never say All day the children have been .............

I met Sandra at the supermarket and we chatted for a while.
Never say I met Sandra at the supermarket and for a while we chatted.

Florence has not seen her classmates since last week/month/year.
Never say Since last week Florence has not..............

We shall be moving into our new house next week/month/year.
You can also say Next week/month/year we shall be moving into our new house.

We watched a "James Bond 007" movie last night/Sunday.
You can also say Last night/Sunday we watched a "James Bond 007" movie.

Click on "adverbs Articles" to view other kinds of adverbs.

Adverbs of Frequency - Always, Often, Seldom

2010-02-21T05:39:00.000-08:00

Six common adverbs of frequency are always, often, sometimes, seldom, never and ever.

How do you use them correctly in your sentences?

Adverbs of frequency must be placed after linking verbs that immediately follow after the subject of the sentence. When the sentence involves a main action verb, the adverb of frequency must be placed before the main action verb.

I am always very busy. (after linking verb "am") (subject - "I")
I always remember to lock all the doors and windows before I leave.
( before main action verb "remember")

Peter is often busy. ( after linking verb "is") (subject - "Peter")
Peter often visits his relatives. (before main action verb "visits")

The students are sometimes late for school.
(after linking verb "are") (subject - "The students")
The students sometimes disobey their teachers.
(before main action verb "disobey")

Paul is seldom at home because he travels a lot.
(after linking verb "is") (subject - "Paul")
Paul seldom watches TV. (before main action verb "watches")

Teresa is never late for work. (after linking verb "is") (subject - "Teresa")
Teresa never complains about her heavy workload.
(before main action verb "complains")

Note that "never" and "ever" comes before the auxiliaries has and have like this:
I never have any trouble with my car.
("never" comes before "have")

She never has any problem answering her teacher's questions.
("never" comes before "has")

Note: "never" and "seldom" can be used to cause an inversion like this:
Never have I seen such disgrace!
(same as "I never see such disgrace")
Seldom have I seen her looking so sad and miserable!
(same as "I seldom see her looking so sad and miserable")

Do you ever have serious problems with your students?
("ever" comes before "have")

Click on "adverbs Articles" to view other kinds of adverbs.

Adverbs of Degree Not Ending in ly

2010-02-19T16:57:00.000-08:00

Adverbs of degree tell us the strength or intensity of an action or adjective or adverb.
A few common adverbs of degree that do not end in ly are words like almost, just, quite, enough, very, so, rather, pretty and too.

How do you use them in your English sentences?

"almost" can be used before action verbs
The truck almost crashed into the lamppost. (before the action verb "crashed")
("almost" can be replaced with "nearly")

"just" can be used before action verbs
We have just started to write our compositions. (before the action verb "started")

"quite" can be used before adjectives and adverbs
Sharon is quite good at Mathematics. (before the adjective "good")
The new clerk works quite efficiently. (before the adverb "efficiently")

"enough" must come after adjectives and adverbs to be used as an adverb of degree
The food was delicious enough for all the guests. (after the adjective "delicious")
The students did not work hard enough. Many of them failed the test. (after the adverb "hard")

Note that "enough" used before nouns is not an adverb of degree.
He doesn't have enough money. (same as He doesn't have sufficient money.)
"enough" comes before the noun "money" and is NOT an adverb of degree, but an adjective of quantity or a determiner.

"very" can be used before adjectives and adverbs
She is a very kind person. (before the adjective "kind")
She donates very generously. (before the adverb "generously")
Henry completed the test very quickly because it was easy. (before the adverb "quickly")

"so" can be used before adjectives and adverbs
The baby was so cute and adorable. (before the adjectives "cute" and "adorable")
They ran so fast to catch up with their friends. (before the adverb "fast")

"rather" can be used before adjectives and adverbs
The new student is rather ill-mannered. (before the adjective "ill-mannered")
Florence is a rather friendly girl. (before the adjective "friendly")
Sharon can run rather fast. That is why her friends call her "Miss Cheetah"! (before the adverb "fast")
They did their work rather quickly and managed to get their job done earlier. (before the adverb "quickly")

Note that the word "pretty" can be used as an adverb of degree like this:
Her English is pretty good. (before the adjective "good")
(same as Her English is rather good.)
She is pretty good at English.
(same as She is rather good at English.)

"too" can be used as an adverb of degree before adjectives and adverbs
The coffee was too hot! ( before the adjective "hot")
Michelle is only 15 years old. She is too young to get married. (before the adjective "young")
"Chew your food thoroughly and don't swallow it too quickly!" Mrs Lee advised her little girl. (before the adverb "quickly")
They did their job too carelessly and got reprimanded by their boss.
(before the adverb "carelessly")

Click on "adverbs articles" for other kinds of adverbs.

Indefinite Pronouns

2010-02-13T07:13:00.000-08:00

Indefinite pronouns are words like somebody/someone, everyone, nobody, anyone, something, anything, any, all, another. Indefinite pronouns refer to somebody or something that is not specific or exact.

How do you use indefinite pronouns in your English sentences?

Somebody/someone, everybody/everyone, nobody, anyone are used to refer to people.
Somebody/Someone is watching us.
You don't know who this "somebody/someone" is. Therefore, this is why "somebody/someone" is an indefinite pronoun.

When I reached the canteen, I found that everyone had left.

I have been trying to call Peter on the phone, but each time I called, nobody answered the phone. I think nobody is at home.

"Did you see anyone before you entered the building?" asked the police officer.

anything, something are used to refer to things.
"Did you buy anything at the supermarket?" Mrs Lee asked her son, Ted.

Sharon's hair stood on end when she saw something huge and dark approaching her.

all, another are used to refer to both people and things.
All are welcome.
All are going for a picnic next Sunday.
You can't eat the cookies. All have gone stale.

Many customers are coming to my shop today. Another is walking towards the counter to pay for the products.

There have been many stray dogs in this neighborhood recently. There's another digging into the garbage bin now.

Gerunds/Verbal Nouns

2010-02-07T17:54:00.000-08:00

Gerunds are also known as verbal nouns. Gerunds are formed from verbs. A few examples of very common gerunds are:

dancing - formed from the verb dance
jogging - formed from the verb jog
singing - formed from the verb sing
reading - formed from the verb read
swimming - formed from the verb swim

How do you use gerunds/verbal nouns in your English sentences?
Gerunds/verbal nouns can be used as:

the subject of the sentence
the object of verbs
the object of prepositions

If someone asks you this question: What is your hobby?
Most probably you'll answer:
Reading is my hobby. ("Reading" is used as the subject of the sentence)
I like reading. ("reading" is used as the object of the verb "like")
I am not very good at reading. (''reading" is used at the object of the preposition "at")

Some gerunds/verbal nouns are formed from transitive verbs. An example of a gerund formed from a transitive verb is "collecting". Though "collecting" is a gerund, it cannot stand alone. A group of words or a noun must follow after it to make the sentence complete.

Collecting stamps is my hobby. (as subject of the sentence)
I like collecting stamps. (as object of the verb "like")
("stamps" is the noun after "collecting")
I am very interested in collecting stamps. (as object of the preposition "in")

Now read this sentence. I like collecting.
Does this sentence sound incomplete? Your listeners will say "collecting what"?! Therefore, when a gerund/verbal noun is formed from a transitive verb such as "collect", a noun or a group of words must follow after it as shown in the above example sentences.

"making" is another gerund formed from the transitive verb "make".
Does "I like making" sound like a complete sentence? No, it is incomplete. A noun or some words must follow after it like this:
I like making cookies and cakes.

Gerunds/verbal nouns can also be used in phrases that look like this:
the + gerund + of + the (noun)

the ticking of the clock
The ticking of the clock sounds rather loud, especially at night when everything is very quiet.

the yapping of the puppies
The yapping of my neighbor's puppies kept me awake throughout the night.

the howling of the wolves
The howling of the wolves made the hunters' hair stand on end.

It is important to note that gerunds/verbal nouns look exactly the same as present participles (verb+ing). Therefore, as English users, you must not get confused with gerunds and present participles. Read these two sentences and say in which sentence "reading"is a gerund and in which sentence "reading" is not a gerund.

Florence likes reading romantic novels.
Florence was reading her favorite novel when her friend called on her.

"reading" in sentence 1 is a gerund as it shows Florence likes something, and that something is "reading romantic novels".

"reading" in sentence 2 is a present participle (verb+ing) as "reading" follows immediately after the past tense linking verb "was", thus forming the past continuous tense "was reading". Therefore, in this case, "reading" is not a gerund.

How do you differentiate between gerunds and present participles?
Read these two sentences and try to replace "reading" with "it".

Reading is one of my hobbies.
It is an effective way to improve my English.
("It" can be used to replace the subject of the sentence )

Peter is reading the newspaper.
Can you replace "reading" with "it"?
Can you say Peter is it the newspaper?!
No, you can never do that as replacing "reading" with "it" makes the sentence sound awkward and meaningless! Therefore, in this case, "reading" is not a gerund.

Gerunds/verbal nouns are also used after certain common phrases like "look forward to" / "used to" like this:

We look forward to hearing from our friends and relatives.
Nancy is used to waking up very early in the morning.

Click on "Common Errors" for "Using Look Forward To".

Possessive Determiners/Adjectives

2010-02-07T06:09:00.002-08:00

Possessive determiners are also known as possessive adjectives, and are used to show something that belongs to somebody. Possessive determiners/adjectives are words like my, your, our, his, her, their, its.

Possessive determiners/adjectives are easy to use in sentences.

Those are my reference books.
(It means you own the reference books.)

These are your pencils.
(It means you own the pencils.)

This is our car.
(It means we own the car.)

That is his ruler.
(It means he owns the ruler.)

Those are her discs.
(It means she owns the discs.)

That is their house.
(It means they own the house.)

This is its food.
[It means it (e.g. the cat) owns the food.]

Click here for other kinds of grammar

Possessive and Reflexive Pronouns

2010-02-05T23:56:00.000-08:00

Possessive pronouns are words like mine, yours, ours, his, hers, theirs. Possessive pronouns attribute ownership to somebody.

How do you use possessive pronouns in your sentences?

mine
These new dresses are mine. (It means I am the owner of the dresses)

yours
Is this umbrella yours? (It means Are you the owner of this umbrella?)

ours
All the furniture in the house is ours. (It means We are the owner of the furniture)

his
This valuable fountain pen is his. (It means He is the owner of the fountain pen)

hers
The high-heeled shoes are hers. ( It means She is the owner of the shoes)

theirs
The tools are theirs. (It means They are the owner of the tools)

Reflexive pronouns are words like myself, yourself/yourselves, ourselves, himself, herself, themselves, itself. Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object of the sentence are the same person. The reflexive pronoun "itself" is used with animals.

Reflexive pronouns can be used in three ways.

as objects of verbs
as objects of prepositions
to emphasize the subject of the sentence

Example sentences
I bought myself some new clothes. (as object of the verb "bought")

I bought some new clothes for myself. (as object of the preposition "for")

I myself paid for the new clothes. (used to emphasize the subject "I")

If I don't buy some new clothes, I'll have to make the clothes by myself. (It means I don't have anyone to help me make the clothes.)

Be careful not to cut yourself. (as object of the verb "cut")

You can cut a piece of cake for yourself. (as object of the preposition "for")

You yourself should have informed the staff to attend the meeting.
(used to emphasize the subject "You")

You must write down the outcome of the meeting yourself. (It means your are not allowed to ask your colleague to help you write down the outcome of the meeting.)

"You should remind yourselves to bring some food and drinks," the teacher told the students. (as object of the verb "remind")

You have to bring some food and drinks for yourselves. (as object of the preposition "for")

You yourselves have to bring some food and drinks. (used to emphasize the subject "You")

You have to prepare the food and drinks yourselves. (It means you must not ask anyone to help you prepare the food and drinks.)

Last evening we treated ourselves to a delicious meal. (as object of the verb "treated")

We ordered a large plate of scallops and two dishes of fried vegetables for ourselves. (as object of the preposition "for")

We ourselves paid for the meal. (used to emphasize the subject "We")

We are sure we can also cook such delicious scallops and vegetables by ourselves.
(It means we don't need anyone to show us how to cook the scallops and vegetables.)

Last summer Henry made himself a large kite. (as object of the verb "made")

Last summer Henry made a large kite for himself. (as object of the preposition "for")

Last summer Henry himself made a large kite. (used to emphasize the subject "Henry")

Henry made the kite by himself. (It means Henry didn't get help from anyone.)

Sharon baked herself a large fruit cake yesterday. (as object of the verb "baked")

Sharon baked a large fruit cake for herself yesterday. (as object of the preposition "for")

Sharon herself baked the fruit cake. (used to emphasize the subject "Sharon")

Sharon baked the fruit cake by herself. (It means Sharon didn't get help from anyone.)

The children helped themselves to lots of cakes and biscuits. (as object of the verb "helped")

The children forgot to bring some drinks for themselves. (as object of the preposition "for")

The children themselves went to a nearby shop to buy some drinks. (used to emphasize the subject "The children")

The children managed to eat all the cakes and biscuits by themselves.
(It means the children didn't give or offer the cakes and biscuits to anyone. They ate up everything.)

The hyena pounced itself on the rabbit. (as object of the verb "pounced)")

The hyena caught the rabbit for itself. (as object of the preposition "for")

The hyena itself caught the rabbit. (used to emphasize the subject "The hyena")

The hyena caught the rabbit by itself. (It means the hyena didn't get help from the other hyenas.)

About English Upgrade

2010-02-05T06:09:00.000-08:00

Welcome to English Upgrade! Hi, I'm Susan. This is my blog. The main objective of this blog is to help English users improve their usage of the English language, especially grammar and vocabulary.

This blog contains:

Notes - The notes talk about English grammar such as usage of different tenses, various kinds of sentence construction, vocabulary such as idioms, proverbs, phrasal verbs, example sentences, etc. The notes are written in simple English so that they are easier for English learners to understand.

Language games - There are flash games such as hangman, solingo, grammar ninja and idea workshop. These language games can help learners improve their vocabulary and spelling.

Exercises - There are several evaluation exercises and grammar worksheets for English learners. In some of the grammar notes, you can see a short evaluation exercise after the notes. The evaluation exercises enable learners to find out for themselves how much they have picked up from the notes.

As English is a worldwide and an international language, it is important to speak and write correct and precise English. Therefore, I hope the notes will effectively help learners improve their speaking and writing skills.

Personal Pronouns

2010-02-04T06:36:00.000-08:00

Personal pronouns are words like I, you, we, he, she, they, it. They are used to replace proper and common nouns, and are used as the subjects of sentences.

Example sentences
"I go to the market every morning," said Mrs Lee.

"You must obey the school rules," the teacher told the students.
("You" is the personal pronoun used as a plural subject)

"You should be alert while crossing the busy streets," Mrs Harley reminded her daughter.
("You" is the personal pronoun used as a singular subject)

My brother and I will be having a vacation in Japan next month.
We will be staying at a well-known hotel in Tokyo.
("We" is the personal pronoun used to replace "my brother and I")

Tommy is the tallest boy in class.
He is also the most intelligent.
("He" is the personal pronoun and is used to replace the proper noun "Tommy")

Sharon likes listening to rock music.
She likes dancing and singing too.
("She" is the personal pronoun used to replace the proper noun "Sharon")

The children are always very noisy.
They shout and laugh loudly while they are playing.
("They" is the personal pronoun used to replace "The children")

Note that the personal pronoun "they" is also used for animals and things.
The kittens have not been fed yet.
They are mewing for food.
("They" is the personal pronoun used to replace "The kittens"/animals)

The new chairs and tables will be delivered to our office this afternoon.
They are very nice but rather expensive.
("They" is the personal pronoun used to replace "The chairs and tables"/things)

The personal pronoun "it" is generally used for animals and things.
My pet dog likes to chew slippers and socks!
It has very sharp canines!
("It" is the personal pronoun used to replace "My pet dog")

"It" can be used as the subject of the sentence and it actually refers to a person.
"It is a baby boy," the obstetrician told Mrs Hardy who had just given birth to her first child.
("It" refers to the baby boy)

"It is your boss on the phone, and he wants to speak to you urgently," Laura told her brother, Peter.
("It" refers to Peter's boss)

"It" can be used as the subject of the sentence and it actually refers to a weather condition.
It hasn't rained for almost two months.
("It" refers to the weather)

Another type of personal pronouns such as me, you, us, him, her, them, it are used as objects of verbs and prepositions.

Example sentences
Please send (verb) me a postcard when you reach Costa Rica.
"me" is the personal pronoun used as the object of the verb "send")

My children buy lots of carnations for ( preposition) me on Mother's Day.
("me" is the personal pronoun used as the object of the preposition "for")

Did anyone inform (verb) you about the meeting?
("you" is the personal pronoun used as the object of the verb "inform")

The pizza will be delivered to you in 20 minutes.
("you"is the personal pronoun used as the object of the preposition "to")

Can you contact (verb) us next week?
("us" is the personal pronoun used as the object of the verb "contact")

The sausages are for us.
("us" is the personal pronoun used as the object of the preposition "for")

Henry is rather forgetful.
Please remind (verb) him to bring along his mackintosh.
("him" is the personal pronoun used as the object of the verb "remind")

Lionel needs to do his revision.
Remember to bring the reference books to him tomorrow.
("him" is the personal pronoun used as the object of the preposition "to")

Sharon doesn't know where Henry is going to next week.
Tell (verb) her that Henry is going to London.
"her" is the personal pronoun used as the object of the verb "tell")

Olivia loves roses.
All the sweet-smelling roses are for her.
("her" is the personal pronoun used as the object of the preposition "for")

The children are very noisy.
Tell (verb) them to keep quiet.
"them" is the personal pronoun used as the object of the verb "tell")

The puppies are very hungry.
Buy some puppy food for them.
("them" is the personal pronoun used as the object of the preposition "for")

The house is too old. You need to renovate it.
("it" is the personal pronoun used as the object of the verb "renovate")

Your pet cat is too skinny.
Buy some nutritious cat food for it.
("it" is the personal pronoun used as the object of the preposition "for")

"Such.......That........" Sentences

2010-02-03T17:57:00.000-08:00

"such......that....." clauses indicate the result of something. They are also known as adverbial clauses of result.

How do you use "such.....that....." in your English sentences?

Example of a "such....that...." sentence
He is such a lazy person that he never likes doing chores.
("a lazy person" is the noun phrase)
note that the structure is "such + noun phrase + that....."
such + a lazy person (noun phrase) + that......

More example sentences
It is such an expensive porcelain vase that I take special care of it.
("an expensive porcelain vase" is the noun phrase)

Our neighbors are such hardworking people that they work non-stop every day.
(note that when the subject of the sentence is plural such as "Our neighbors", the article "a" must be dropped)
("hardworking people" is the noun phrase)

Kenneth and his brothers and sisters are such noisy children that they just can't keep quiet for a minute!
("noisy children" is the noun phrase)

It is such a big heavy box that even the strongest man in the world can't lift it!
("a big heavy box" is the noun phrase)

"It was such a frightening experience that I shuddered each time I told it to my friends!
("a frightening experience" is the noun phrase)

Click here for other kinds of grammar

"So ..... That ......" Sentences

2010-02-03T05:43:00.000-08:00

"so..... that......" clauses in sentences indicate the result of something. They are known as adverbial clauses of result.

How do you use "so......that......" in your English sentences?
Read on and find out.

The snow is extremely thick. As a result, all the vehicles on the roads have come to a standstill.
"thick" is the adjective

When a "so.....that......" clause is used to reconstruct the above two sentences into one sentence, the phrase "As a result" is no longer needed.

The snow is so thick that all the vehicles on the roads have come to a standstill. (present tense sentence)

Mrs Harley's fruit pie is so delicious that her children always finish eating it in minutes! (present tense sentence)
("delicious" is the adjective)

More example sentences (past tense sentences)
The weather was so hot that many people went swimming.
("hot" is the adjective)

The scenery was so beautiful that I just couldn't take my eyes off it.
("beautiful" is the adjective)

The rubbish was so smelly that we had to hold our breath.
("smelly" is the adjective)

It was raining so heavily that I was drenched from head to foot even though I was wearing my mackintosh.
("heavily" is the adverb describing "raining")

Last evening, my neighbor's two dogs were barking so loudly that I just couldn't concentrate on my revision.
("loudly" is the adverb describing "barking")

Click here for other kinds of grammar

"So That" Sentences

2010-02-02T06:11:00.000-08:00

"so that" sentences show the reason why something is done. The "so that" clause in the sentence is actually known as an adverbial clause of reason. How do you use "so that" in your English sentences?

Pay attention to the "so that" clauses in bold print as you read these example sentences.

Every evening Sharon does her revision thoroughly so that she can pass all her tests.
If someone asks "Why does Sharon do her revision thoroughly every evening?", you can take the above example sentence as the answer. Therefore, "so that she can pass all her tests" is known as an adverbial clause of reason.

Mrs Harley bought lots of cookies and biscuits yesterday so that she wouldn't have to keep buying them for at least two weeks.

Mrs Harley keeps all the cookies and biscuits in air-tight containers so that they can stay fresh and crisp longer.

Our maid always remembers to take in all the clothes before she goes shopping so that they won't get soaked through if it rains.

Click here for other kinds of grammar.

Uncountable Singular Group Nouns

2010-02-01T05:42:00.000-08:00

Uncountable singular group nouns are nouns to which "s"/ "ies" cannot be added to get their plural form. They have no plural form and stay singular all the time.

Here is a list of some common uncountable singular group nouns. Never add "s" to them. Uncountable singular group nouns agree with singular verbs such as is/has. However, when words like "piece" / "loaf" / "item" / "bag" are used to indicate their quantity, plural verbs such as are/have must be used.

Example sentences:
The bread is stale. Don't eat it.
To "count" bread you can use the word "loaf" like this:
Five loaves of bread have gone stale.

There is a lot of furniture in the living room. Can you move a few pieces of the furniture to the lobby upstairs?
The new furniture has arrived.
(Never write The furnitures........)

The information given to the tourists is incorrect.
The tourists asked for a piece/bit of information about some places of interest.
(Never write The tourists asked for informations ...............)

The small shop in this neighborhood sells a lot of stationery.
(Never write "a lot of stationeries")
Many items of the stationery are suitable for students.

The new machinery has been transported to the factory.
(Never write The machineries .............)
The factory supervisor complained that four items of machinery were faulty.

advice (a piece of advice) (you say "Can you give me some advice?" OR
"Can you give me a piece of advice?")
(you don't say "Can you give me some advices?")

accommodation (you say "I'm looking for accommodation NOT accommodations")

bread (a loaf/two or more loaves of bread)

equipment (a piece/two or more pieces of equipment)

furniture (a piece/two or more pieces of furniture)

garbage (a piece of garbage)

information (a piece/bit of information)

knowledge ( a piece/bit of knowledge)

luggage (a piece/two or more pieces of luggage)

money (a bag of money)

homework ( a piece/bit of homework)

news (a piece/two or more pieces of news)

machinery (not machineries) ( an item/two or more items of machinery)

stationery (not stationeries) ( an item/two or more items of stationery)
(stationery means things for writing such as pens, pencils, writing paper, etc)
(do not get confused with "stationary" which means not moving)
(e.g. The van bumped into a stationary bus.)

cutlery (not cutleries) (an item/two or more items of cutlery)
(cutlery means spoons, forks, knives)

Click here for other kinds of grammar.

Most Widely-Used Language on the Internet is English

2010-02-01T01:50:00.000-08:00

According to a research carried out by Miniwatts Marketing Group on the different languages used by millions of users on the Internet, English is ranked number 1. The research data is up to September 2009. The research data showing the languages used on the Internet are as follows:

English - 478 million users
Chinese - 384 million users
Spanish - 137 million users
Japanese - 96 million users
French - 79 million users
Portuguese - 73 million users
German - 65 million users
Arabic - 50 million users
Russian - 45 million users
Korean - 37 million users
Other Languages - 290 million users

As you can see, English still tops the rest. This is because the Internet usage share coming from North America is pretty enormous, resulting in a head start. Besides the North Americans, Internet users from other non-English-speaking countries also use English when working on the Internet. As a result, English dominates the list.

Therefore, to be able to efficiently use the Internet and get the most out of it, English knowledge is an absolute must!

English Usage in Instant Messaging

2010-01-31T20:09:00.000-08:00

Internet Chatting via Instant Messaging has become a daily routine of almost all Internet-savvy people all around the globe, in many different countries. They chat through Instant Messenger Software like Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo IM and AOL Instant Messenger. Although it is possible to chat using almost any language, the most widely-used languaged in Instant Messaging is still English.

When communicating via Instant Messaging in English, there is a tendancy to use contraction forms. For example, the letter "U" is used to replace "You" since "U" is easier and faster to type. However, the English proficiency seen in Instant Messaging and online chatting is also very much reduced, especially in countries where the people are non-native English Users. Examples of such countries include most Asian countries and certain European countries where English is not the mother tongue.

For instance, the chatters often find the easy way to get the message across without constructing proper English sentences. This is done by direct-translating from their own mother tongue. "Where are you going?" in this case, would result in "You go where?" if directly translated from Chinese.

Although understandable at most times, non-standard and poorly-formed English sentences, with grammatical errors, even in casual usage such as in Instant Messaging, is bad practice, in my opinion. This is because if one frequently uses poor English to chat online, they would get used to it over time and when it comes to official work where a good command of English is required, they would get into trouble. This is why, in this world where the English language is dominant in many fields, it is critical to improve your command of English by learning to correctly form understandable sentences and at the same time reducing the common mistakes in your written and spoken English.

Rare Irregular Verbs Table

2010-01-31T17:42:00.000-08:00

When a verb's simple past and past participle forms are not formed by just adding "ed" or "d" at the back of it, that verb is known as an irregular verb. Therefore, we need to memorize the verb's simple past and past participle forms. A table containing a list of rare irregular verbs can be found below.

Note:
The list is not purely arranged in alphabetical order. To quickly search for a word, press Control + F on your keyboard and then type the word you would like to search for. If you hit a word that is not what you want to find, click Next near the search box.

Format:
Base / Simple Past / Past Participle

A
Awake / Awoke / Awaken

B
Bet / Bet / Bet
Beat / Beat / Beaten
Bite / Bit / Bitten
Build / Built / Built
Buy / Bought / Bought
bring / brought / brought
breed / bred / bred
broadcast / broadcast or broadcasted / broadcast or broadcasted
build / built / built
burn / burned or burnt / burned or burnt
burst / burst / burst

C
Come / Came / Come
Cost / Cost / Cost
Choose / Chose / Chosen
Cut / Cut / Cut

D
Dig / Dug / Dug
Draw / Drew / Drawn
Do / Did / Done
Drink / Drank / Drunk

E
Eat / Ate / Eaten
Engrave / Engraved / Engraven

F
fall / fell / fallen
feed / fed / fed
forbid / forbade / forbidden
forget / forgot / forgotten or forgot
forgive / forgave / forgiven
fling / flung / flung
fly / flew / flown
fight / fought / fought
forsake / forsook / forsaken
feel / felt / felt
flee / fled / fled
find / found / found
fit / fitted or fit / fitted or fit
fraught / fraught / fraught
freeze / froze / frozen

G
grind / ground / ground
grow / grew / grown
get / got / gotten (American) or got
gild / gilded or gilt / gilded or gilt
give / gave / given
go / went / gone

H
hang / hung / hung
Note: When referring to killing by hanging, the past and past participle of hang is "hanged" instead of hung
have / had / had
hear / heard / heard
hit / hit / hit
hold / held / held
heave / heaved or hove / heaved or hove
hurt / hurt / hurt
hew / hewed / hewn or hewed
hide / hid / hidden

I
input / input or inputted / input or inputted
inset / inset / inset

K
know / knew / known
keep / kept / kept
knit / knitted or knit / knitted or knit
kneel / knelt or kneeled / knelt or kneeled

L
lay / laid / laid
lead / led / led
lean / leaned or leant / leaned or leant
leap / leaped or leapt / leaped or leapt
learn / learned or learnt / learned or learnt
leave / left / left
lend / lent / lent
let / let / let
lie (on the bed) / lay / lain
lie (to bluff) REGULAR VERB / lied / lied
light / lit or lighted / lit or lighted
lose / lost / lost

M
make / made / made
mean / meant / meant
meet / met / met
mow / mowed / mowed or mown

O
offset / offset / offset

P
partake / partook / partaken
pay / paid / paid
plead / pleaded or pled / pleaded or pled
prove / proved / proven or proved
put / put / put

Q
quit / quit or quitted / quit or quitted

R
read / read (pronounced as "red") / read (pronounced as "red")
rid / rid / rid
ride / rode / ridden
ring / rang / rung
rise / rose / risen
rive / rived / riven or rived
roughcast / roughcast / roughcast
run / ran / run

S
saw / sawed / sawed or sawn
say / said / said
see / saw / seen
shed / shed / shed
shine / shined or shone / shined or shone
shit / shit or shat or shitted / shit or shat or shitted
set / set / set
sew / sewed / sewn or sewed
shake / shook / shaken
shave / shaved / shaved or shaven
shear / sheared / sheared or shorn
shoe / shoed or shod / shoed or shod
shoot / shot / shot
show / showed / shown or showed
seek / sought / sought
sell / sold / sold
send / sent / sent
shrink / shrank or shrunk / shrunk
shrive / shrived or shrove / shriven
shut / shut / shut
sing / sang / sung
sink / sank or sunk / sunk
sit / sat / sat
skywrite / skywrote / skywritten
slay / slew or slayed / slain or slayed
sleep / slept / slept
slide / slid / slid
sling / slung / slung
slink / slinked or slunk / slinked or slunk
slit / slit / slit
smell / smelled or smelt / smelled or smelt
smite / smote / smitten or smote
sneak / sneaked or snuck / sneaked or snuck
sow / sowed / sown or sowed
speak / spoke / spoken
speed / sped or speeded / sped or speeded
sting / stung / stung
stink / stunk or stank / stunk
strew / strewed / strewn or strewed
sweat / sweat or sweated / sweat or sweated
sweep / swept / swept
swell / swelled / swollen or swelled
swim / swam / swum
swing / swung / swung
stride / strode / stridden
spell / spelled or spelt / spelled or spelt
spend / spent / spent
spill / spilled or spilt / spilled or spilt
spin / spun / spun
spit / spit or spat / spit or spat
split / split / split
spoil / spoiled or spoilt / spoiled or spoilt
spread / spread / spread
spring / sprang or sprung / sprung
stand / stood / stood
stave / staved or stove / staved or stove
steal / stole / stolen
stick / stuck / stuck
strike / struck / struck or stricken
string / strung / strung
strive / strove or strived / striven or strived
sunburn / sunburned or sunburnt / sunburned or sunburnt
swear / swore / sworn

T
take / took / taken
teach / taught / taught
tear / tore / torn
tell / told / told
think / thought / thought
thrive / thrived or throve / thrived or thriven
throw / threw / thrown
thrust / thrust / thrust
tread / trod / trodden or trod
troubleshoot / troubleshot / troubleshot
typewrite / typewrote / typewritten

U
understand / understood / understood
undertake / undertook / undertaken
uphold / upheld / upheld
upset / upset / upset
V
vex / vexed or vext / vexed or vext

W
wear / wore / worn
weave / wove / woven (make mats/cloth)
weave / weaved / weaved (move in a winding/zig-zagging direction)
withhold / withheld / withheld
withstand / withstood / withstood
wring / wrung / wrung
wed / wed or wedded / wed or wedded
weep / wept / wept
wet / wet or wetted / wet or wetted
win / won / won
wind / wound / wound
wake / woke or waked / woken or waked
waylay / waylaid / waylaid
withdraw / withdrew / withdrawn
write / wrote / written

Using Common Proverbs

2010-01-29T17:43:00.000-08:00

Definition of a proverb
A proverb is a short statement or saying that expresses a basic or general truth or practical precept. Proverbs are different from idioms. They appear in complete sentences whereas idioms are actually phrases, not complete sentences.

"Prevention is better than cure." is a complete sentence and not a phrase. Therefore, it is a proverb. It means it is better to prevent something bad from happening than let that something bad happen, and then remedy it.

"a wolf in sheep's clothing" is a phrase, not a complete sentence. Therefore, it is an idiom. It doesn't actually mean the wolf is wearing the sheep's thick fur! It means a person having bad intentions, but is pretending to be kind and friendly like the sheep!

Some common proverbs that can be used in both spoken and written English are:

Two heads are better than one.
It means the task/job will be done faster and more efficiently if there are two people instead of one.

People living in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
It means people shouldn't criticize others when they themselves have faults.

Empty vessels make the most noise.
It means people who have the least intelligence often talk a lot but do very little or nothing at all.

One man's meat is another man's poison.
It means what a person likes to do or eat may not be liked by another person.

One man's trash is another man's treasure.
It means what is useless to a person may be useful and valuable to another.

The early bird catches the worm.
It means you will get what you want if you make an effort to get to the place first or earlier than the others.

A bad workman blames his tools.
It means a person who is lack of skills often puts the blame on his tools.

A bird in hand is worth two in a bush.
It means it's better to keep what you have than to risk losing it by searching for something else.

A friend in need is a friend indeed.
It means someone who helps you when you are in trouble is a real friend.

Beauty is only skin deep.
It means a person's character is more important than his/her appearance.

All that glitters is not gold.
It means what looks good on the outside may not be so in reality.

Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.
It means you must not be too confident about what you're planning to do will turn out to be successful. Your plan may turn out to be a failure.

Half a loaf is better than none.
It means having what you already have is better than having nothing at all.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
It means it's difficult to ask a person to change after he/she has got used to his/her ways of doing things.

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names/insulting remarks will never hurt me.
It means physical attacks can hurt me, but bad or cruel words will not.

Click on "vocabulary articles" for "Using Common Idioms".

Using Common Idioms

2010-01-29T06:30:00.000-08:00

Definition of an idiom
An idiom is a phrase which means something different from what it says. It does not appear in a complete sentence.

There are numerous idioms in the English language. Some common idioms that can be used in both spoken and written English are:

see red (get/become angry) (past tense - saw/past participle - seen)
Mrs Harley really saw red when she noticed a big heap of stinking rubbish right in front of the gate.
It means Mrs Harley got angry....
It doesn't mean Mrs Harley saw something red in color!

rain cats and dogs (rain very heavily)
It has been raining cats and dogs since last night and all the roads are wet and slippery.
It means the rain was heavy. It doesn't mean cats and dogs falling from the sky!

a wolf in sheep's clothing (an enemy/spy pretending to be a friend)
In one of the James Bond 007 movies, Bond nearly walked into the trap of a very pretty woman who was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing.
It means the pretty woman was like the wolf, but was pretending to be friendly like the sheep!
It doesn't mean the wolf was wearing the sheep's fur!

crocodile tears (pretend to cry)
When Ted was told that his stepmother had passed away, he cried his heart out. However, everyone knew that it was only crocodile tears. They all knew Ted was never on good terms with his late stepmother.
It means false tears! It doesn't mean crocodiles tears coming from Ted's eyes!

make a mountain out of a molehill (make a small/an unimportant matter look like a big/serious matter)
Tommy accidentally stepped lightly on Jane's foot. Jane was not hurt at all. However, Jane reported this to the disciplinary teacher and told everyone how painful and bruised her foot was! Jane was actually making a mountain out of a molehill.
It doesn't mean keep on stacking up soil on a small molehill until it becomes a mountain!

at the eleventh hour (at the time just before a test/meeting/an exam)
Linda always does her revision at the eleventh hour and very surprisingly, she often gets at least 80%!
It doesn't mean at 11 am or 11 pm!

The sales representatives have been warned not to get their sales reports done at the eleventh hour.

a cat on hot bricks (nervous)
Hilda was like a cat on hot bricks during the driving test, but fortunately, she passed the test.
It doesn't mean a real cat walking on bricks that have been heated up till they are hot!

let the cat out of the bag (disclose a secret)
We wanted to give Sharon a birthday surprise, but Linda let the cat out of the bag and it wasn't a surprise anymore!
It doesn't mean there was a cat in the bag and you opened the bag and let the cat get out of it!

turn a deaf ear (pretend not to hear)
Old Mrs Lee always complains unnecessarily. Her daughter-in-law often turns a deaf ear to her complaints.
It doesn't mean the ear becoming deaf!

turn a blind eye (pretend not to see)
Some school prefects turn a blind eye when the students are littering!
It doesn't mean the eye becoming blind!

turn over a new leaf (become a better person)
Jason has turned over a new leaf. He doesn't mix around with bad company anymore.
It doesn't mean turning a leaf over!

a piece of cake (something very easy to do)
The Maths test was really a piece of cake. Everyone in class got at least 95%!
It doesn't mean the Maths test has become a piece of cake!

a needle in a haystack (something very hard to find or locate)
When my friend told me she wanted to look for the 20-cent coin she had lost, I told her to forget about it as looking for the coin was just like looking for a needle in a haystack.
It doesn't mean there's actually a needle hidden in the haystack, and you're trying to look for that needle!

kill two birds with one stone (accomplish two different tasks at the same time)
When I was on my business trip in Paris, I killed two birds with one stone. I had the opportunity to pick up some French phrases, and met with a few well-known business professionals.
It doesn't mean you're throwing a stone at two birds, trying to kill them!

leave no stone unturned (look everywhere to find something/somebody or try everything possible to achieve something or try every way possible to solve a problem)
The rescue team vowed to leave no stone unturned. They will search everywhere for the missing children.
It doesn't mean you're turning the stones one after another!

Click on "vocabulary" for "Using Common Proverbs".

Writing Ordinal Numbers

2010-01-28T16:54:00.001-08:00

Ordinal numbers are numbers that have the "th"/"st"/"nd"/"rd" written with them.

Pay attention to the ordinal numbers as you read these example sentences.

Belinda lives on the 6th floor. (6th written in words looks like this: sixth)

The students must return the books to the library the latest by the 21st of February. (21st written in words looks like this: twenty-first)
(take note that you must take the last two letters st)

We lived on the ground floor last year, but now we live on the 12th floor.
(12th written in words looks like this: twelfth)
(take note that when you see 2 in 12th, you must not write 12nd, because in words, 12th is twelfth. Therefore, you must take the last two letters th.)

Our office is on the 3rd floor. (3rd written in words looks like this: third)
(take note that you must take the last two letters rd)

Some people do not like to live on the 13th floor as they think 13 is an unlucky number. (13th written in words looks like this: thirteenth)
(take note that when you see 3 in 13th, you must not write 13rd, because in words, 13th is thirteenth. Therefore, you must take the last two letters th.

Here's a list of ordinal numbers in figures and words.
1st - first
2nd - second
3rd - third
4th - fourth
5th - fifth
9th - ninth (do not write nineth) (it's a common spelling error)
19th - nineteenth (correct spelling) ninteenth (incorrect spelling)
90th - ninetieth (replace "y" with "ieth")
10th - tenth
11th - eleventh (incorrect to write 11st)
20th - twentieth (replace "y" with "ieth")
23rd - twenty-third
31st - thirty-first
35th - thirty-fifth
39th - thirty-ninth
40th - fortieth (replace "y" with "ieth")
41st - forty-first
100th - one hundredth
181st - one hundred and eighty-first
222nd - two hundred and twenty-second
533rd - five hundred and thirty-third

Click on "Cardinal Numbers" for "Cardinal numbers in words".

Cardinal numbers in words

2010-01-28T03:38:00.000-08:00

Cardinal numbers are numbers like 21, 22,23,24,25,etc.
When they are written in words, they should be hyphenated. If the hyphen is omitted, the numbers will convey a different meaning.
For example: 23 written in words should be twenty-three. It is important to include the hyphen (-). Without the hyphen (-), it means twenty three, which is actually sixty! It's just like when you say your mathematical tables.
two five is ten/two four is eight/five six is thirty. Therefore, isn't twenty three sixty?!

Here's a list of cardinal numbers in figures and words.
3943 - three thousand nine hundred and forty-three
456 - four hundred and fifty-six
7891 - seven thousand eight hundred and ninety-one
60019 - sixty thousand and nineteen
18227 - eighteen thousand two hundred and twenty-seven

Click on "Ordinal Numbers" for "Writing Ordinal Numbers".

"If" Conditional Sentences

2010-01-26T06:34:00.000-08:00

Generally, there are three types of "If" sentences. They are:

First Conditionals
First conditionals show possibilities and real situations that will most probably happen in the present or future.

First conditionals involve the simple future tense (shall/will + infinitives/present tense verbs and the simple present tense) Note that the simple future tense must not be used in the "If" part of the sentence. Use the simple future tense in the other part of the sentence and the simple present tense in the "If" part of the sentence like this:

If we place an order in large quantity, our supplier will give us a bigger discount. ("place" - simple present tense)
("will + give" - simple future tense) (note that the comma (,) is needed)

The "If" part of the sentence can come after the other part of the sentence like this:

Our supplier will give us a bigger discount if we place an order in large quantity. (note that the comma is not needed)
If we shall (X) place an order in large quantity, our supplier will give us a bigger discount. (incorrect to use the simple future tense in the "If" part of the sentence)

More example sentences
If you sign the application form, I will do the rest for you.

If Sharon doesn't turn up for the meeting tomorrow, she will be reprimanded by the personnel officer.

If you save one thousand dollars a month, you will get a total amount of twelve thousand dollars by the end of the year.

Second Conditionals
Second conditionals show unreal situations and they are not likely to come true. Use the simple past tense in the "if" part of the sentence and would/would not + infinitive/present tense verbs in the other part of the sentence like this:

If I had a lot of money, I would travel round the world. OR
I would travel round the world if I had a lot of money.
("had" - simple past tense)
(It means I don't have a lot of money. I can't travel round the world.)

The past tense verb "were" can be used in second conditionals like this:

If I were a millionaire, I would buy a big house. OR
I would buy a big house if I were a millionaire.
(It means I am not a millionaire. I can't buy a big house.)

If I were you, I would obey the school rules. (would obey - positive)
If I were you, I would not disobey the school rules. (would not disobey - negative)

Third Conditionals
Third conditionals show situations that did or did not happen. The past perfect tense is used in the "If" part of the sentence. would/would not + have + past participles is used in the other part of the sentence. A comma (,) is needed when the sentence begins with the "If" part. Comma (,) is not needed when the "If" part comes later.

Example sentences:
If you had informed me about the meeting, I would have attended it. ("had informed" - past perfect tense) (comma (,) is needed)

I would have attended the meeting if you had informed me about it.
("If" part comes later/comma (,) is not needed)
(It means you did not inform me about the meeting. Therefore, I did not know about the meeting and did not attend it.)

If Mrs Hardy had kept an eye on her baby boy, he would not have fallen off the chair. ("had kept" - past perfect tense)

Mrs Hardy's baby boy would not have fallen off the chair if she had kept an eye on him.
(It means Mrs Hardy did not keep an eye on her baby boy. Her baby boy fell off the chair.)

Note that third conditionals may show possibilities not in the "If" part but in the other part of the sentence. Note that "could + have + been + past participles" is used in the other part of the sentence.

Example sentences:
If the canteen roof had collapsed during lunch break, many people could have been injured.
(It means the canteen roof really did collapse but it did not collapse during lunch break, and not many people were injured.)

If the truck had gained speed, the little boy could have been run over by it.
(It means the truck did not gain speed and the little boy was safe.)

Note that first, second and third conditionals involve the simple future tense, simple present tense, simple past tense, past perfect tense.

Click on "References" to view the different tenses.

Using Appositives

2010-01-25T05:53:00.000-08:00

Definition of an appositive
An appositive is a noun phrase or a noun that gives information about the main subject/noun right beside it or describes the main subject of the sentence.

Read this example sentence and pay attention to the phrase in bold.
The late Agatha Christie, a well-known writer of detective novels, wrote about 75 novels before she passed away at the age of 85.
The phrase in bold in an appositive which is actually inserted into the complete sentence "The late Agatha Christie wrote about 75 novels before she passed away at the age of 85". Note that inserting an appositive somewhere in the middle of a complete sentence requires two commas. One comma before the appositive and one after it.

Another example sentence
In the story "Beauty and the Beast", the merchant promised the Beast that he would let his youngest daughter, Beauty, keep house for him.
"Beauty" is the appositive and it tells us the name of the youngest daughter. Without "Beauty", you won't know the youngest daughter's name, right? Therefore, it is useful and informative to include an appositive in a sentence.

More example sentences. The appositive in each sentence is in bold and italics.
Cindy, an eleven-year-old girl with auburn hair, lives in Los Angeles.
(The complete sentence is "Cindy lives in Los Angeles")

Many rock music lovers can still remember the late Alvis Presley, the King of Rock.
(The complete sentence is "Many rock music lovers can still remember the late Alvis Presley")
(Only one comma (,) is needed as the appositive is inserted at the end of the complete sentence.)

The Harley family has lived in this neighborhood for many years, almost 30 years.
(The complete sentence is "The Harley family has lived in this neighborhood for many years")
("almost 30 years" is the informative appositive that tells you how many years)

Most customers prefer to buy the concentrated liquid detergent, "Dynamo".
(The complete sentence is "Most customers prefer to buy the concentrated liquid detergent"/ "Dynamo" is the appositive)

The gecko, commonly known as the house lizard, eats insects and spiders. OR
Commonly known as the house lizard, the gecko eats insects and spiders.
(The complete sentence is "The gecko eats insects and spiders")

An important point to remember: When using an appositive in a complete sentence, you must punctuate it correctly. You must make sure you place the comma/commas correctly. Without the commas, your sentences will be grammatically incorrect.

Read these example sentences and pay attention to the position of the commas (,).
Hilda often gets scolded by her teacher because she keeps chatting with Felicia, the most talkative girl in class.
(appositive inserted at the end of the sentence) (one comma is needed)

Hilda keeps chatting with Felicia, the most talkative girl in class, and often gets scolded by her teacher.
(appositive inserted in the middle of the sentence) ( two commas are needed)

My best friend, Lionel, is a very kind and helpful person. He is always ready to help unfortunate people, especially the handicapped and the needy.

Click here for other kinds of grammar

Kinds of Adjectives Part 3

2010-01-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

hyphenated compound adjectives of specified ages
These adjectives are formed from the combination of numerals and words like day/week/month/year and the word old. They are hyphenated only before nouns. When they come after nouns, they are not hyphenated.

Example sentences:
All the two-day-old babies are in Nursery A. (correct) (before "babies")
All the babies in Nursery A are two days old. (correct) (after "babies")
All the two days old babies are in Nursery A. (X)

The three-week-old lion cubs are fed three times a day. (correct)
The lion cubs that are fed three times a day are three weeks old. (correct)
The three weeks old lion cubs are fed three times a day. (X)

Henry has sold his three-year-old Toyota to his colleague. (correct)
The Toyota that Henry sold to his colleague is three years old. (correct)
Henry has sold his three years old Toyota to his colleague. (X)

The ten-year-old building was demolished last week. (correct)
The building that was demolished last week was ten years old. (correct)
The ten years old building was demolished last week. (X)

Note that when you talk about how old a person/an animal/a building is, you say:

My five-year-old brother is cute. (correct) (before "brother")
My cute brother is five years old. (correct) (after "brother")
My cute brother is five-year-old. (X)

The three-week-old kittens have been taken to the SPCA. (correct)
The kittens that have been taken to the SPCA are only three weeks old. (correct)
The kittens that have been taken to the SPCA are only three-week-old. (X)

The 20-year-old building is very dilapidated. (correct)
The dilapidated building is already 20 years old. (correct)
The dilapidated building is already 20-year-old. (X)

hyphenated adjectives of specified measurements

of weights
He is a 150-kg (correct) 150 kgs (X) wrestler.
A 600-pound (correct) 600 pounds (X) tiger escaped from the zoo and is still at large.
Many shoppers prefer to buy the 2-kg (correct) 2 kgs (X) pack powder detergent.

of heights
He is a 6-foot (correct) 6 feet (X) wrestler.
Can you jump over the 5-foot wall (correct) 5 feet wall (X)?
The new condominium is a ten-storey (correct) ten storeys (X) building.

of distances
We were all dead tired after the 22-mile (correct) 22 miles (X) journey by car.
It's a 6-km (correct) 6 kms (X) journey from the village to the main town.

of volumes
It's more economical to buy the 3-liter (correct) 3 liters (X) pack liquid detergent.
Many shoppers go for the 750-ml (correct) 750 mls (X) "Dettol" shower cream.

of lengths of time
It's just a 10-minute (correct) 10 minutes (X) drive from the housing estate to the town.
There is a 24-hour (correct) 24 hours (X) supermarket in this neighborhood.
The management has decided to hold a 2-week (correct) 2 weeks (X) seminar for the new students.
Peter will be coming home after his 4-year (correct) 4 years (X) engineering course in England.

of sizes/lengths/areas
They bought a 32-inch (correct) 32 inches (X) plasma TV last Saturday.
The 5-acre (correct) 5 acres (X) forest was on fire for almost one week.

Include the hyphen (-) and drop the "s".
a 4-door car not a 4 doors car
a 24-hour petrol station not a 24 hours petrol station

Note:
You can say: The new shopping complex is 15 storeys high. OR
It's a 15-storey shopping complex. OR It's a 15-storey-high shopping complex.
You don't say It's a 15 storeys shopping complex.

two common hyphenated compound adjectives are:
out-of-date
Margaret has given away all her out-of-date dresses. (correct)
Margaret's dresses are all out of date. (not hyphenated) (after "dresses")

up-to-date
The office clerk keeps all the up-to-date files in cabinet Z. (correct)
All the files in cabinet Z are up to date.(not hyphenated) (after "cabinet Z")

Note: This is "Kinds of Adjectives Part 3".
Click on "Adjectives Articles" for "Kinds of Adjectives Parts 1 and 2".

Kinds of Adjectives Part 2

2010-01-23T05:27:00.000-08:00

hyphenated compound adjectives with "self" as 1st element
A few common examples are:
self-addressed. self-sufficient, self-control, self-respect

Merged compound adjectives
These adjectives are formed from the combination of two different words that are merged. The hyphen is not needed.

merged with the word "some"
a few examples are:
handsome, lonesome, fearsome, wholesome, awesome, troublesome, gruesome

merged with the word "less"
a few examples are:
helpless, hopeless, endless, speechless, meaningless, lifeless, painless, careless, harmless, colorless, effortless, homeless, doubtless

merged with the word "able"
a few examples are:
changeable, noticeable, returnable, payable, reasonable, breakable, countable, replaceable, refundable, adjustable, washable, respectable, believable, enjoyable

merged with verbing form (present participle form) of verbs
a few examples are:
breathtaking, incoming, outgoing, heartbreaking, oncoming, outstanding

a few other common merged compound adjectives without the hyphen are:
ladylike, overgrown, overweight, underweight, upstairs, downstairs, upright, underdeveloped, outdated, underpaid

many adjectives are formed from verbs by adding the suffixes "ish" / "ive" /"al" / "ous" / "ious" / "ical" / "atic" / "ic"
foolish is formed from the noun fool
attractive is formed from the verb attract
additional is formed from the noun addition
dangerous is formed from the noun danger
envious is formed from the verb envy
alphabetical is formed from the noun alphabet
systematic is formed from the noun system
geometric is formed from the noun geometry

Click on "Adjectives Articles" for Kinds of Adjectives Part 3.

Kinds of Adjectives Part 1

2010-01-22T23:07:00.000-08:00

Adjectives are descriptive words that tell us something about people, animals, things, places, buildings, situations, etc. There are several kinds of adjectives.

Original adjectives
These adjectives appear in their root word form and are not formed from other words. A few examples of original adjectives are pretty, ugly, bad, good, fierce, afraid, timid, brave, gorgeous, kind, etc.

Adjectives formed from verbs
Many adjectives are formed from verbs. A few common adjectives formed from verbs are excited, exciting/interested, interesting/bored, boring/ surprised, surprising/frightened, frightening.

Example sentences:
Henry got very excited when he heard the good news.
Teresa told her friends that she liked all "Nancy Drew" stories because they were all very exciting.

Peter is very interested in astrology. He thinks astrology is a very interesting subject.

Most students often feel bored during the History lesson. They think that History is a very boring subject.

Florence was really surprised to see a gigantic 3-tier cake on the coffee table when she entered the kitchen. However, to her brother, Francis, seeing the cake was not surprising at all.

Linda was very frightened when she saw a tall dark shadow outside her bedroom window. She screamed as the frightening shadow advanced towards her.

Hyphenated compound adjectives
Hyphenated compound adjectives consist of at least two different words that are separated by a hyphen (-).

kind-hearted
Mrs Lee is always very kind. Therefore, you can say Mrs Lee is a kind-hearted person.

bad-tempered
Old Mr Harley often scolds people. He is a rather bad-tempered old man.

ill-mannered
Our neighbor's children are really ill-mannered. They keep throwing stones at our pet dog, and they often say filthy words!

warm-blooded/cold-blooded
Mammals are warm-blooded whereas reptiles are cold-blooded.
The police are investigating the case of the cold-blooded murder of the hotel maid who was found slain in one of the washrooms.

good-natured
Our new boss is a very good-natured man. He seldom reprimands the workers.

passport-sized
You are required to submit your application form together with two passport-sized photos.

time-consuming ( it means taking up a lot of time)
Some people think that meetings are very time-consuming.

bad-smelling
She threw away the bad-smelling vegetables.

sweet-smelling
Roses and lavenders are sweet-smelling flowers.

tight-fitting
Teresa complained that all her clothes are too tight-fitting and she could not even breathe when wearing them!

funny-looking
Bozo, the clown, is a very funny-looking clown. No wonder the children love to see his funny tricks.

non-alcoholic (it means containing no alcohol)
The doctor advised him to go for only non-alcoholic drinks.

non-smoking
Always make sure it is a non-smoking restaurant or cafeteria before you decide to have your meal there.

Click on "Adjectives Articles" for "Kinds of Adjectives Part 2".

Using "put on" and "put off"

2010-01-22T05:39:00.000-08:00

"switch on" is the opposite of "switch off"
Can you please switch on the light?
Please switch off all the lights before you leave the office.

Is "put on" the opposite of "put off"?
"put on" and "put off" are phrasal verbs and they are not the opposite of each other. They are used to convey different meanings.

"put on" used in the 1st meaning:
He puts on his best clothes when he goes to church every Sunday.
(It means he wears his best clothes)

2nd meaning:
The bus driver put on the brakes suddenly, scaring all the passengers.
(It means the bus driver applied the brakes)

3rd meaning:
Do you mind if I put on a record? (It means play some songs or music)

4th meaning:
Mrs Harley has put on weight after giving birth to her first child.
(It means Mrs Harley has gained weight)

5th meaning:
Do the new employees put on a foreign accent when they're talking to their American boss?
(It means pretend to have a particular quality to make their American boss think highly of them)

6th meaning:
Our branch showroom will be putting on an exhibition of the new arrivals.
(It means will be presenting an exhibition)

Note that in the sentence "My mum told me to put the forks and spoons on the table", "put on" is NOT used as a phrasal verb. "put" is used as an action verb and "on" is used as a preposition.

"put off" used in the 1st meaning
She told the taxi driver to put her off near the bus station.
(It means to stop and allow her to get off the taxi)

2nd meaning:
My little sister keeps putting off her appointment with the dentist.
(It means keeps on delaying)

3rd meaning:
Due to the heavy rain, the football match was put off until further notice.
(It means put to a later date/postponed)

4th meaning:
All the guests have arrived and it's too late to put off the party now.
(It means to cancel the party)

5th meaning:
That irritating noise really put me off when I was trying to concentrate on my studies.
(It means disturbed me/made me lose concentration)

Click on "vocabulary" for more words and phrasal verbs.

Using "see through" and "look through"

2010-01-21T17:30:00.000-08:00

"see through" and "look through" are phrasal verbs. Are they the same in meaning? Read on and find out.

"see through" can be used in two different meanings
(past tense - saw through/past participle - seen through)
1st meaning: realizing/knowing about something or not being deceived or tricked by someone
Example sentences:
We were able to see through those men even though their credentials showed that they were police officers. (i.e. We knew very well those men were not police officers and were just in their disguise.)
She saw through Henry's little game. (i.e. She knew for sure that Henry was trying to play a trick on her.
Fortunately, the young waitresses saw through their manager's plot of abducting them overseas for prostitution. (i.e.) The waitresses realized/knew their manager was planning to abduct them overseas for prostitution

Note that in the sentence "You can see through clear glass windows", "see through" is NOT used as a phrasal verb. "see" is used as an action verb and "through" is used as a preposition. It means you can see the scenery outside without opening the windows.

2nd meaning: not to abandon/leave a job or project or task until it is totally accomplished or finished
Note that the noun must come between "see" and "through" like this:
They were determined to see the project through. (i.e.They were determined to work on the project until it is complete.)

Note: Do not get confused with "see through" and "see-through". "See" and "through" separated by a hyphen is a hyphenated adjective and it means transparent or translucent or thin. It is usually used to describe clothes, glass and plastic things.
Example sentences:
All the lady teachers have been warned not to wear see-through clothes during schooling hours.(i.e. not to wear clothes made from very thin/flimsy material)
Most mothers prefer see-through feeding bottles for their infants. (i.e. transparent feeding bottles)

"look through" can be used in two different meanings
1st meaning: ignore somebody and pretend not to see/know him or her
Example sentences:
Pauline did see me, but she just looked through me. (i.e. Pauline pretended not to see me.)
Note that the word straight may be used after "look" to make the speech sound more emphatic.
We greeted our pompous director but he just looked straight through us.
(i.e. ignored us completely)

2nd meaning: examine or read something quickly
All the candidates looked through their notes just before the examination. (i.e. read their notes quickly)
Has the boss looked through the inventory yet? (i.e. examined the inventory)

Click on "vocabulary articles" for more words/phrasal verbs.

Using rather/ rather than

2010-01-19T06:49:00.000-08:00

"rather" can be used as an adverb of degree
Donald is rather good at Physics.
Some precious gems are rather expensive.

"rather" can be used in sentences to show preference
Francis would rather take the morning flight. (It means Francis likes the morning flight better than the afternoon or evening flight.
They would rather drink coffee.

"rather" can be used with the word "than" as a preposition
You should have consulted a mechanic, rather than trying to repair the car yourself.
They spent most of their money on expensive clothes rather than on food!

Click on "vocabulary" for more words/phrases.

Common Phrasal Verbs

2010-01-17T17:18:00.000-08:00

Phrasal verbs with "up"

pick up: bring somebody in one's car

Note: We say pick up somebody or pick somebody up, but we don't say pick up him/her!

Mrs Harley usually picks up her son at 1 pm. (correct)
Mrs Harley usually picks her son up at 1 pm. (correct)
Mrs Harley usually picks up him at 1 pm. (incorrect)
Mrs Harley usually picks him up at 1 pm. (correct)

Never use personal pronouns after the phrasal verb "pick up". Place the personal pronouns between "pick" and "up" like this:
pick her/him/us/you/them up

pick up also means learn
Sheila picked up Japanese fast while she was living in Tokyo.

pick up also means improve
Our business has picked up and we're planning to open a new branch.

pick up also means receive
Due to bad weather, we were unable to pick up the broadcast on Channel 8.

pick up also means give somebody a lift to a place
My car is at the garage. Can you please pick up my colleague on your way to the office?

pick up also means collect something
Can you please help me pick up my suit and jacket at the laundry shop?

spring up is a phrasal verb which means appear/develop/grow quickly or suddenly (past tense - sprang/past participle - sprung) (spring is an irregular verb)
Weeds have sprung up everywhere since I cleared the flower bed.
New houses, shops and high-rise buildings are springing up all over the town.

catch up is a phrasal verb which means reach somebody who is ahead (past tense - caught/past participle - caught) (catch is a irregular verb)
Henry quickly caught up with his friends who were running ahead of him.

catch up also means get one's work up to date
Although Kelvin didn't attend class for two weeks, he could easily catch up on the lessons he had missed.

turn up is a phrasal verb which means come
A few attendees did not turn up for the meeting.

turn up also means increase volume
I really can't hear anything. Can you please turn the radio up?

look up is a phrasal verb which means consult/search for information
I was not sure about the spelling, so I looked it up in the dictionary.

look up also means find or trace an old friend
I haven't seen my old friend, Tommy, since we left college, so I tried to look him up when I went back to my home town.

hang up is a phrasal verb which means end a phone call
(past tense - hung/past participle - hung) (hang is an irregular verb)
She realized she had called the wrong number and quickly hung up.

make up is a phrasal verb which means put on cosmetics
(past tense - made/past participle - made) (make is an irregular verb)
The stage performers made up their faces very heavily.

make up also means invent
Tony often makes up scary ghost stories to frighten his little sister.

take up is a phrasal verb which means consume/occupy
(past tense - took/past participle - taken) (take is an irregular verb)
This boring project is taking up too much of our time.
All this furniture takes up a lot of space in the living room.

take up also means start a new hobby/pastime
She decided to take up swimming to slim herself down.

give up is a phrasal verb which means stop doing something
(past tense -gave/past participle - given) (give is an irregular verb)
The search party gave up after they failed to find the missing boys.

give up also means abandon a job
Mrs Lee decided to give up her well-paid job.

give up also means surrender
My sister asked me to guess what she bought at the department store. I had no idea, so I gave up and let her tell me what she bought.

give up also means end a habit
He has given up smoking and drinking.

draw up is a phrasal verb which means prepare something such as a schedule/contract/itinerary/sales report/etc (past tense - drew/past participle - drawn) (draw is an irregular verb)
Have you drawn up the sales report yet?
The secretary has been told to draw up the minutes of meeting.

shut up is a phrasal verb which means stop talking or making noise
(past tense - shut/past participle - shut) (shut is an irregular verb)
It was extremely rude of Linda to tell the fastidious customer to shut up!

shut up also means close for a short while
The owner of the candy store shut his store up while he was having a 2-week vacation in Italy.

own up is a phrasal verb which means confess or admit
I know you broke my vase. Why don't you own up?
Felicia owned up that she did take the money from her mother's purse.
The boys finally owned up to stealing the DVD player.

pass up is a phrasal verb which means decline a chance or abandon an opportunity
Belinda was offered a rather well-paid job, but she simply passed it up.
(It means Belinda did not want to accept the job.)

screw up is a phrasal verb which means do badly or fail
Linda screwed up the English grammar test and got only 55%.

mess up is a phrasal verb which means spoil or ruin
Teresa and her friends were playing chess happily. Suddenly, Teresa's little sister came running in and messed up their game by jumping onto the table!

mess up also means make something untidy or dirty
I've just straightened the bedsheets and blankets. Don't mess them up again.
Be careful when you're making the cookies. Don't mess up my kitchen!

mess up also means cause mental or physical emotional problems
Poor Jenny got so messed up after she had been jilted by her boyfriend.

If you would like to view some more words/phrases, click on "vocabulary" articles".

Using off-day and day off/ "hold back"

2010-01-16T23:49:00.000-08:00

Is there any difference between "off-day" and "day off"?
"off-day" is a compound noun formed by hyphenating "off" and "day". "off-day" means the day when you are very unlucky and you dislike it!
"day off" is a phrase consisting of the words "day" and "off". It means the day you don't have to go to work!

Example sentences:
Monday is my off-day as I have lots of chores to do on this day!
Last Tuesday was my off-day. I missed the bus in the morning. Later, I was reprimanded by my boss!
Most people take their day off on Saturday.
I work from Monday to Friday. Saturday and Sunday are my days off.

"hold" is a very common verb. It means to have something in one hand or both hands.
Example sentence: Can you please help me hold the briefcase while I tie my shoelaces?

"hold" can also mean to press a key for a few seconds
Example sentence: Press any key on the keypad and hold for 5 seconds.

"hold" can be used with the word "back" to form the phrasal verb "hold back" It means not to disclose something you know.
Example sentence: The police officer warned the eye-witness to tell the truth and not to hold back any information which might help the police in the investigation.

"hold back" also means not to show
Example sentence: She tried hard to hold back her tears but no matter how hard she tried, she burst into tears!

"hold back" also means stop something such as a project from progressing
Example sentence: The resignation of the project manager has held the whole project back.

"hold" can be used with the phrase "the line". "hold the line" is used in telephone conversations. It means you're asking the caller to wait.
"Please hold the line. I'll put your call through to extension 889 now."
Some English users tend to say "Please hold on the line". It is incorrect to include "on". If you say 'hold on the line', you are asking the caller to hold the phone line with his/her hand!

Click on "vocabulary articles" for the meaning and usage of other words/phrases.

Main Clauses and Subordinate Clauses

2010-01-14T18:44:00.000-08:00

A main clause is the essential part of a sentence and it can stand alone without the subordinate clause. A subordinate clause gives information about the main clause and it cannot stand alone as it is not a complete sentence. Read this example sentence. The main clause is in bold. The subordinate clause is in italics.

Laura shut the back door to stop her neighbor's cat from coming into the kitchen.
"Laura shut the back door" is the main clause of the whole sentence, and when you put a full-stop after the word "door", you will see that it is actually a complete sentence.
The subordinate clause "to stop her neighbor's cat from coming into the kitchen", is not a complete sentence, but just a long phrase that tells why Laura shut the back door.

A sentence may begin with the main clause or subordinate clause. The above example sentence can be reconstructed like this:
To stop the neighbor's cat from coming into the kitchen, Laura shut the back door. Note that in this sentence construction, the punctuation mark comma (,) is needed after the subordinate clause.

More example sentences. The main clause is in bold. The subordinate clause is in italics.

The truck slowed down to let the pedestrians cross the road.
Sharon screamed at the top of her voice when she saw the dark shadow. OR
When Sharon saw the dark shadow, she screamed at the top of her voice.

Subordinate clauses are useful as they tell us more about the main clauses. Read this sentence. It is actually a main clause.
Mrs Lee bought some flowers. This sentence doesn't give much information. You don't really know what the flowers were for, right? See what happens when I add the subordinate clause "to decorate her sitting room" to the sentence. It becomes "Mrs Lee bought some flowers to decorate her sitting room". Therefore, if I asked you this question: "Why did Mrs Lee buy some flowers?", you'd be able to give an answer, right? Without the subordinate clause, you cannot give an answer.

Different kinds of subordinate clauses
"because" subordinate clauses

Mrs Lee scolded her children because they behaved badly.

We returned the lawnmowers because our customers complained that they were faulty.

"when" subordinate clauses
When Henry opened the door, he saw a white figure right before him!

Kelvin accidentally kicked against something hard and fell when he was jogging on the footpath.

"that" subordinate clauses
The workers complained to the supervisor that they had been underpaid.

The team leader told me that there was a briefing.

"before" subordinate clauses
Florence turned out all the lights before she went to bed.

Before you place an order for the new products, you must make sure the products are not imitations.

"after " subordinate clauses
After locking up the premises, all the staff left.

Tony watched TV after he had completed all his homework.

There are other kinds of subordinate clauses used with relative pronouns. Click on "grammar" for Relative Pronouns.

Evaluation Exercise 1
Answer each question using the word/words given in the brackets in the subordinate clause.
Example: Why did Peter throw away the biscuits? (stale and stinking)
Peter threw away the biscuits because they were stale and stinking.

Why did Jane jump out of her skin? (hear - a loud bang)

.................................................................................................

Why did we return the products? (faulty)

.................................................................................................

Evaluation Exercise 2
Complete the sentences using a subordinate clause. You may use the key words in the brackets.
Example: Terry was swimming in the pool when...................................
(someone - scream - help)
Terry was swimming in the pool when he heard someone screaming for help.

Laura went shopping after...............................................................
(make - jam tarts)

Nancy had her long hair cut and permed before....................................
(attend - friend's wedding party)

My colleague told me that...............................................................
(personnel manager - resign)

Click on "Show" for the answers only after you've completed these two evaluation exercises.

Answers [Show] [Hide]

Evaluation Exercise 1
Jane jumped out of her skin because she heard a loud bang.
We returned the products because they were faulty.

Evaluation Exercise 2
Laura went shopping after making the/some jam tarts. OR
Laura went shopping after she had made the/some jam starts.

Nancy had her long hair cut and permed before attending her friend's wedding party. OR
Nancy had her long hair cut and permed before she attended her friend's wedding party.
My colleague told me that the personnel manager had resigned. OR
My colleague told me that the personnel manager wanted to resign.

Relative Pronouns

2010-01-12T18:23:00.000-08:00

What are relative pronouns? Relative pronouns are words like where/who/which/whose and they are written with a group of words to form a clause which can be a connecting/defining clause or an inserted/a non-defining clause.

"where" clauses
"where" clauses are for places
This is the road. The accident happened here.
This is the road where the accident happened. (connecting clause/defining clause) ("the road" is the place)
(.....where the accident happened is known as the "where" clause which connects "This is the road" and "The accident happened here")
Once the "where" clause is used, the word "here" must be dropped and no comma is needed.

More example sentences:
The place is marked X. You must sign there. The place where you must sign is marked X. ("where you must sign" is a defining clause)

The playground has been demolished. We used to play hide-and-seek there when we were kids.
The playground where we used to play hide-and-seek when we were kids has been demolished. (defining clause)

"who" clauses
"who" clauses are for people only
This is Mr Peterson. He is our General Manager.
This is Mr Peterson who is our General Manager. (connecting/defining clause/"He" must be dropped)
(..."who is our General Manager" is the "who" clause that connects "This is Mr Peterson" and "He is our General Manager")

More example sentences:
The long-haired lady is Karen's aunt. She came for the interview yesterday.
The long-haired lady who came for the interview yesterday is Karen's aunt. (connecting/defining clause/"She" must be dropped)) OR
The long-haired lady, who is Karen's aunt, came for the interview yesterday. (non-defining clause that gives extra information about "The long-haired lady") (two commas are needed, one before the clause and one after it)

I saw a huge man. He was wearing a scary mask.
I saw a huge man who was wearing a scary mask. (connecting/defining clause/ "He" must be dropped))

"which" clauses
"which" clauses are for things and animals, never for people
Old Mrs Lee likes wearing her favorite dress. The dress looks old-fashioned.
Old Mrs Lee likes wearing her favorite dress which looks old-fashioned. (connecting/defining clause/"The dress" must be dropped)
"which looks old-fashioned" is called the "which" clause that connects "Old Mrs Lee likes wearing her favorite dress" and "The dress looks old-fashioned"

More example sentences:
Tommy keeps three cats. They look very cute.
Tommy keeps three cats which look very cute. (connecting/defining clause/"They" must be dropped)

Teresa's pet dog has been taken to the veterinary clinic. It was run over by a car.
Teresa's pet dog, which was run over by a car, has been taken to the veterinary clinic. ("It" must be dropped)
Note that this kind of "which" clause is actually an insertion into the sentence Teresa's pet dog has been taken to the veterinary clinic. This kind of "which"clause is called a non-defining clause and it gives more information about Teresa's pet dog such as why her dog has been taken to the veterinary clinic. When a clause is an insertion into a sentence, the two commas (,) must be included; one comma just before the clause and another comma just after the clause.

"whose" clauses
"whose" clauses are generally for people and animals
"whose" used as a relative pronoun indicates relationship/ownership
This is Florence. Her mother is a florist.
This is Florence whose mother is a florist. (connecting/defining clause/ "Her" must be dropped/no comma is needed) (indicating mother-and-daughter relationship)

Jenny has just given birth to a set of twin boys. Her husband is an engineer.
Jenny, whose husband is an engineer, has just given birth to a set of twin boys. (whose husband is an engineer is an inserted/non-defining clause in the sentence "Jenny has just given birth to a set of twin boys" and the two commas are needed)

That is our neighbor's mother cat. Her kitten was killed by a vicious stray dog.
That is our neighbor's mother cat whose kitten was killed by a vicious stray dog. (connecting/defining clause/"Her" must be dropped/no comma is needed)

The volunteers helped the landslide victims. Their houses had been buried deep in the ground.
The volunteers helped the landslide victims whose houses had been buried deep in the ground. (defining clause/indicating ownership - the houses belonged to the landslide victims)

"that" is also a relative pronoun and it is used in connecting/defining clauses only
Example sentences:
This is the book. I borrowed it from the town library.
This is the book that I borrowed from the town library.
In informal English usage, you can drop the relative pronoun "that" like this: This is the book I borrowed from the town library.

She is the young lady. I saw her last evening.
She is the young lady that I saw last evening. OR
She is the young lady I saw last evening. (informal)

This is the tree-house. The children built it last summer.
This is the tree-house that the children built last summer. OR
This is the tree-house the children built last summer. (informal)

"whom" can be used as a relative pronoun and is often used in formal clauses, especially after "to"

Example sentence:
He is our new boss. You passed the newsletter to him a while ago.
He is our new boss to whom you passed the newsletter a while ago.

Note that defining and non-defining clauses are actually subordinate clauses.
Click on "grammar" for the explanation on Main Clauses and Subordinate Clauses.

REMEMBER:
When where/who/which/whose/whom are used in clauses, they are called relative pronouns NOT question words. However, when they are used to begin questions such as Where do you live?/Who is that woman?/Which suitcase is yours?/Whose wallet is that on the couch?/Whom do you wish to speak to?, they are called question words.
"that" can never be used to begin questions, therefore it is never a question word.

AVOID THIS MISTAKE
Do not take relative pronouns as conjunctions! They are not conjunctions though they can be used to connect sentences.

Here's a short evaluation exercise. In each question, you see two sentences. Rewrite them into one sentence using the suitable relative pronoun. Read the given example.

Switzerland is a European country. You can see thick snow there during winter.
Switzerland, where you can see thick snow during winter, is a European country.

These are the new coffee cups. They are extremely breakable.

.................................................................................................

Laura is a high school student. Her sister is a famous actress.

.................................................................................................

The police have arrested the burglar. He broke into Mr Peterson's house last night.

.................................................................................................

Sally went to the old hut. She saw a few dead chickens in the old hut.

.................................................................................................

Click on "Show" for the answers after you've done this exercise.

Answers [Show] [Hide]

These are the new coffee cups which are extremely breakable.
Laura, whose sister is a famous actress, is a high school student.
The police have arrested the burglar who broke into Mr Peterson's house last night.
Sally went to the old hut where she saw a few dead chickens.

Using "in spite of" and "despite"

2010-01-09T23:25:00.000-08:00

Have you ever used "in spite of" or "despite" in your English sentences? "in spite of" is the same in meaning as "despite" and they convey the same idea as "although".

Let's say David is now 20 years of age and he is already in business. His designation is General Manager. "in spite of" or "despite" can be used to construct a sentence like this: In spite of his young age, David is already a General Manager. "in spite of" can be replaced with "despite" like this: Despite his young age, David is already a General Manager. As English users, you should take note of the word "of". When you use "despite", the word "of" must not be included. A very common error overlooked by English users is the addition of the word "of". Therefore, it is incorrect to say: Despite of his young age, David.............
Note that the punctuation mark comma (,) must be included after the word "age".

Note that we can also say: David is already a General Manager in spite of his young age. OR David is already a General Manager despite his young age. Note that the punctuation mark comma (,) is no longer needed.

Remember that "in spite of"/"despite" should be followed immediately by a noun phrase not a sentence, unless you use a "that" clause such as "the fact that".

Pay attention to the words in bold as you read these example sentences.

The old beggar managed to walk in spite of/despite the pain in his legs.
("the pain in his legs" is a noun phrase as "pain" is an abstract noun)
It means the old beggar's legs were painful.
It is incorrect to say: The old beggar managed to walk in spite of/despite his legs were painful. ("his legs were painful" is a complete sentence)
However, if "the fact that" is used, the sentence will be correct. Therefore, it is correct to say: The old beggar managed to walk in spite of/despite the fact that his legs were painful.

Sharon tried hard to concentrate on her Maths exercises in spite of/despite the loud noise. (correct)
Sharon tried hard to concentrate on her Maths exercises in spite of/despite the noise was loud. (incorrect)
Sharon tried hard to concentrate on her Maths exercises in spite of/despite the fact that the noise was loud. (correct)

If you come across a situation when you cannot use a noun phrase after in spite of/despite, then use "the fact that". Read on.

Imagine you visited your friend, Laura, last evening. You saw her 70-year-old grandma who looked rather healthy, but she had to use a walking-stick. How do you use "in spite of"/"despite" to construct your sentence? Your sentence should be: Laura's grandma looked healthy in spite of/despite the fact that she had to use a walking-stick.
(she had to use a walking-stick is a complete sentence)
It is incorrect to say: Laura's grandma looked healthy in spite of/despite her walking-stick!

More example sentences
Henry stayed up late last night in spite of/despite the fact that he had to wake up early the next morning.

The lumberjacks carried on with their work in spite of/despite the heavy rain. OR The lumberjacks carried on with their work in spite of/despite the fact that the rain was heavy.

We must complete all our projects in spite of/despite our heavy workload. OR In spite of/Despite our heavy workload, we must complete all our projects.

They went jungle-trekking in spite of/despite the stormy weather. OR In spite of/Despite the stormy weather, they went jungle-trekking.

Belinda likes eating sweet food in spite of/despite her obesity. OR
Belinda likes eating sweet food in spite of/despite the fact that she is obese.

in spite of/despite can be used with "being + noun phrase"

Example sentence:
In spite of/Despite being the best student in class, Tommy sometimes gets rather naughty and playful.
("the best student in class" is a noun phrase)

Click on "vocabulary articles" for more words/phrases.

Using Direct and Indirect/Reported Speeches

2010-01-07T05:53:00.000-08:00

Direct and indirect (reported) speeches involve tenses. When you change a direct speech to an indirect/reported speech, always pay attention to the change of tense.

Direct and indirect/reported speech in statements

from simple present tense to simple past tense

"I eat porridge for breakfast," Tony told David. (direct speech)
Tony told David (that) he ate porridge for breakfast. (indirect speech)

from present continuous tense to past continuous tense
(is/are + verbing in direct speech) (was/were + verbing in indirect speech)
(now in direct speech changed to then in indirect speech)

"Daisy is coloring the picture now," said Mrs Lee. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee said Daisy was coloring the picture then. (indirect speech)

from present perfect tense to past perfect tense
(has/have + past participles in direct speech) (had + past participles in indirect speech)

"Henry has done his homework," Tom told Mary. (direct speech)
Tom told Mary (that) Henry had done his homework. (indirect speech)

from present perfect continuous tense to past perfect continuous tense
(has/have + been + verbing in direct speech)
(had + been + verbing in indirect speech)

"The children have been frolicking in the pool for hours," Sandy told Mrs Lee. (direct speech)
Sandy told Mrs Lee (that) the children had been frolicking in the pool for hours.

from simple past tense to past perfect tense
(past tense verbs in direct speech)
(had + past participles in indirect speech)
(last night in direct speech changed to the night before in indirect speech)

"I took the necklace from the drawer last night," Nancy told her mum.
Nancy told her mum that she had taken the necklace from the drawer the night before.

simple future tense
(will + present verb in direct speech)
(would + present verb in indirect speech)
(tomorrow in direct speech changed to the next/following day in indirect speech)

"I will type the letter tomorrow," said the typist.
The typist said she would type the letter the next/following day.

future continuous tense
(will + be + verbing in direct speech)
(would + be + verbing in indirect speech)
(this evening in direct speech changed to that evening in indirect speech)

"I will be doing revision at home this evening," Florence told her friends.
Florence told her friends that she would be doing revision at home that evening.

Direct and indirect/reported speech in questions

Questions that begin with question words. Pay attention to the change of tense/ possessive pronouns as you read these example sentences.

"Where is the museum?" the tourist asked the passer-by. (direct speech)
The tourist asked the passer-by where the museum was. (indirect speech)
Note that "was" must come immediately after "the museum" in the indirect/reported speech. Incorrect to say: The tourist asked the passer-by where was the museum.

"Which bag is yours?" Mrs Lee asked her daughter. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee asked her daughter which bag hers was. (indirect speech)
Note that yours becomes hers in the indirect speech as "daughter" is a feminine gender.

"How did the thieves get past the alarm system?" the police officer wondered. (direct speech)
The police officer wondered how the thieves had got past the alarm system. (indirect speech)

For questions that begin with modal verbs like can/may and phrases such as Do you know/Do you want and verbs like Is/Are//Has/Have, use if/whether in the indirect/reported speech. Pay attention to the words in bold print and the change of tense as you read these example sentences.

"Can I use your computer?" Robert asked Sharon. (direct speech)
Robert asked Sharon if/whether he could use her computer. (indirect speech)

"May I borrow your van?" Jason asked his aunt. (direct speech)
Jason asked his aunt if/whether he might borrow her van. (indirect speech)

"Do you know how to drive?" Jenny asked her colleague. (direct speech)
Jenny asked her colleague if/whether he knew how to drive. (indirect speech)

"Do you want some biscuits?" Mrs Lee asked the kids. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee asked the kids if/whether they wanted some biscuits. (indirect speech)

"Is the new student from Norway?" asked the lecturer. (direct speech)
The lecturer asked if/whether the new student was from Norway. (indirect speech)

"Are there any potatoes in the basket?" Mary asked her mum. (direct speech)
Mary asked her mum if/whether there were any potatoes in the basket. (indirect speech)

"Has the bus arrived?" Peter asked David. (direct speech)
Peter asked David if/whether the bus had arrived. (indirect speech)

"Have the children gone to bed?" Mrs Lee asked her husband. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee asked her husband if/whether the children had gone to bed. (indirect speech)

Direct and indirect/reported speech in positive commands
(to + present tense verb/infinitive......)
Pay attention to the words in bold print.

"Come here at once!" Mr Lee shouted to the boys. (direct speech)
Mr Lee shouted to the boys to go there at once. (indirect speech)

"Stop crying!" Mrs Lee told her little girl. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee told her little girl to stop crying. (indirect speech)

Direct and indirect/reported speech in negative commands
(not to + present tense verb/infinitive.....)

"Don't play with sharp objects," Miss Lee advised the kids. (direct speech)
Miss Lee advised the kids not to play with sharp objects. (indirect speech)

NOTE: In some situations, the indirect/reported speech rules are not applicable.

When reporting a universal truth or a fact, the present tense is still used in the indirect/reported speech.

"The Earth is spherical in shape," the Geography teacher told the students. (direct speech)
The Geography teacher told the students that the Earth is spherical in shape. (indirect/reported speech)
Incorrect to report: The Geography told the students that the Earth was spherical in shape. It means the Earth was previously spherical; now it's no longer spherical!

When reporting something that is true at the time of speaking.

"Your sister's newborn is a girl," the obstetrician told me. (direct speech)
The obstetrician told me my sister's newborn is a girl. (indirect/reported speech)

When reporting a situation which has not happened and the person who is reporting is sure that the situation is very likely to happen in the near future, the tense and time do not change in the indirect/reported speech.

"Please inform the staff that they have an important briefing this afternoon," the personnel manager told his secretary. (direct speech)
The personnel manager told his secretary to inform the staff that they have an important briefing this afternoon. (indirect speech)

When reporting a situation which is still going on at the time of speaking, the same tense and time are still used in the indirect/reported speech.

"My kids didn't attend class today," Mrs Lee told her neighbor. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee told her neighbor that her kids didn't attend class today. (indirect speech)
It will be inappropriate to report: Mrs Lee told her neighbor that her kids hadn't attended class that day.

Why is this so? Imagine you are Mrs Lee's neighbor and you just talked to Mrs Lee 15 minutes ago. After 15 minutes (on the same day), your sister asked you: "What did Mrs Lee tell you about her kids?" You'd most probably give your sister an answer like this: Mrs Lee told me her kids didn't attend class today. It will sound rather awkward to follow the reported speech rule and say: Mrs Lee told me her kids hadn't attended class that day! Therefore, you see, when constructing reported speeches, you should pay attention to the situation and the time/day mentioned in the direct speech.

Now imagine Mrs Lee told you about her kids not attending class quite some time ago. Now you're telling your sister about her kids. In this case, you must follow the reported speech rule. You must change the tense and time in the reported speech like this: Mrs Lee told me her kids hadn't attended class that day.

Direct and indirect/reported speeches involve different tenses. To view the tenses, click on "References" or "grammar".

Using Action Verbs as Linking Verbs

2010-01-04T18:11:00.001-08:00

Linking verbs are verbs that link the subject with the predicate of a sentence. The most common linking verbs are am, is, are.

Action verbs are verbs that indicate actions. Verbs like jump, walk, run, swim, jog, eat, etc are action verbs.

Some action verbs such as feel, look, grow can be used as linking verbs. How are they used as linking verbs? Let's begin with the action verb feel.

Using feel as a linking verb (past tense and past participle form - felt)
Imagine you're very sad because you've failed your driving test. How do you use the verb feel in your sentence? Of course you'd say: "I feel sad". The verb feel is used to link the subject "I" with the predicate "sad".
Similarly, you can say: "She feels happy"/ "He feels exhausted"/Jane feels weak after her illness.

When feel is used as a linking verb, it is no longer taken as an action verb. How can you tell whether feel is used as a linking verb? Just pay attention to the word that comes immediately after it. In the example sentence "I feel sad", the word that comes immediately after feel is "sad" which is an adjective. Therefore, if you see an adjective or an adjectival phrase immediately after feel, you can say feel is used as a linking verb.

What about the usage of feel in this example sentence?
Each time I enter the dark room, I can feel the presence of something scary watching me! Is feel still used as a linking verb? No, it is not. It's used as an action verb. Why? You may start to wonder. Well, look at the words that come immediately after feel. Do you see an adjective or an adjectival phrase? No, you don't. You see "the presence of something scary watching me", which is a noun phrase. Therefore, feel is used as a transitive action verb.

More example sentences showing usage of feel as a linking verb/action verb
The children felt delighted. (used as linking verb) (delighted - adjective)
Henry felt a sharp pain in his left foot. (used as an action verb) (sharp pain - noun phrase)
Doreen feels frustrated each time she combs her long tangled hair! (linking verb) (frustrated - adjective)

Some English users have the concept that an adverb must follow immediately after feel, and tend to use an adverb to describe feel. Is it correct to say "I feel sadly" when you want to convey the idea that you're sad? No, it's incorrect. If you say "I feel sadly", you mean there's some kind of problem with your fingers (perhaps they are numb) and can't feel something with your fingers!

Let's go on to talk about using look as a linking verb.
Example sentences
Sheila looks gorgeous in her new evening gown. (used a linking verb) (gorgeous - adjective)
Mrs Lee teaches her kids to look left and right before crossing the road. (used as an action verb) (left and right before crossing the road - adverbial phrase)

How is the verb grow used as a linking verb/an action verb? (past tense form - grew/past participle form - grown)
Example sentences:
The bushes in the compound of the house have grown thick. (used as a linking verb) (thick - adjective)
Jack's bean stalk grew bigger and taller till it reached up to the sky. (used as a linking verb) ( bigger and taller till it reached up to the sky - adjectival phrase)
The old farmer plans to grow a variety of vegetables in his vegetable farm. (used an action verb) (a variety of vegetables in his vegetable farm - noun phrase)

Remember:
When using an action verb as a linking verb, always remember not to use an adverb immediately after the verb, otherwise the verb will become an action verb, not a linking verb.
You say: "I feel bad about hurting my colleague's feelings" NOT "I feel badly about hurting my colleague's feelings".
"bad" is an adjective whereas "badly" is an adverb
You say: "I did badly in my English test". (badly - adverb describing the verb "did")

Using Adjectives ending in ly

2010-01-03T23:21:00.000-08:00

As English users, you must have come across words like cowardly, deadly, friendly, ghostly, gentlemanly and orderly. Which part of speech do these six words belong to? Are they adjectives or adverbs? Some English users may say they are adverbs as they end in "ly" and look like most adverbs which end in "ly" such as slowly, quickly, politely, loudly, etc.

These six words are adjectives NOT adverbs though they end in "ly". They are used to describe nouns or things. Read these example sentences and find out why they are adjectives.

Example sentence showing the usage of cowardly
Henry kept saying that the old vacant house wasn't haunted, but he became cowardly when his friends challenged him to spend a night in it.
Note that cowardly describes Henry. Just replace cowardly with frightened or afraid and you will understand why cowardly is an adjective.

It is incorrect to use cowardly like this:
The soldiers fought cowardly. Why is it incorrect? Some English users think it sounds correct, but it is incorrect as cowardly is an adjective not an adverb, and it has no adverb form. Therefore, it can never be used to describe the verb "fought". However, it can be used in a phrase to describe the verb "fought" like this: The soldiers fought in a cowardly manner and retreated within minutes.
We can say somebody is cowardly, but we can't say somebody behaves cowardly! We can say somebody behaves in a cowardly manner or in a cowardly way.

Example sentence showing the usage of deadly
The AK47 is a deadly weapon. Replace deadly with a common adjective such as dangerous and you will understand.

Example sentence showing the usage of friendly
My neighbors are friendly people.
From this sentence you can see that friendly describes the noun "people". Therefore, it is an adjective not an adverb. Replace friendly with adjectives like kind or generous and you will understand why friendly is an adjective.
Now read this sentence.
Mr Peterson's secretary talks to the visitors friendily. Is it correct to use friendily? No, there is no such word as friendily! To describe the verb "talks", friendly has to be used in a phrase such as "in a friendly manner". The correct version is: Mr Peterson's secretary talks to the visitors in a friendly manner.

Example sentence showing the usage of ghostly
The hunters discovered an old hut that looked rather ghostly.
"ghostly" describes the old hut, so it's an adjective not an adverb.

Example sentence showing the usage of gentlemanly
Mr Smith is very gentlemanly when he is talking to his lady colleagues.
Replace gentlemanly with polite and you will understand.

Example sentences showing the usage of orderly
This is an orderly room. (It means This is a tidy room.)
It was an orderly meeting. (It means It was a well-arranged meeting.)

Remember that the above six words are adjectives not adverbs. Do use them correctly in your English sentences.

Two other adjectives that also end in ly are:

lovely: Sharon looks lovely in her new evening gown.

elderly: The elderly man you talked to last night is my grandfather.

Using "as well as" and "except"

2010-01-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

Using "as well as" to indicate comparison

Kelvin scored 80% in his English test, and so did his brother, David.
From this sentence we get the idea that both Kelvin and David did equally well. Therefore, we can form a sentence using the phrase "as well as" like this: David did as well as Kelvin in the English test.

Using "as well as" as a connector
Mr Smith is tall. Mr Smith is corpulent.
Mr Smith is tall as well as corpulent.

Using "as well as" to introduce a phrase or a group words in sentences
China is an Asian country. Thailand, Burma and the Philippines are Asian countries too.
China, as well as Thailand, Burma and the Philippines, is an Asian country.
Note that the long phrase as well as Thailand, Burma and the Philippines is added to the space between "China" and the linking verb "is", and this long phrase does not cause any change to the linking verb "is". Many English users overlook that the linking verb "are" instead of "is" should be used because of the other three countries introduced by the phrase "as well as". The linking verb "is" agrees with the subject "China", irrespective of the other three countries. The list of the other three countries introduced by the phrase "as well as" is merely a long phrase or a group of words. They are not the subject of the sentence. The subject of the sentence is "China" which is singular and agrees with the linking verb "is". Note that the comma (,) after "China" and the comma (,) after Philippines are important and must not be omitted.

Example sentences:
Tony, as well as his two older brothers, is tall and handsome. (correct)
Tony, as well as his two older brothers, are tall and handsome. (incorrect)

Nancy, as well as Jane and Laura, has long hair. (correct)
Nancy, as well as Jane and Laura, have long hair. (incorrect)

Using "except" in English sentences
The word except can be used to introduce a word or phrase in sentences.

All the staff, except Philip, have agreed to turn up for the staff meeting.
Note that the verb "have" agrees with the subject "All the staff" NOT Philip. It is incorrect to use "has".

Example sentences:
Everyone, except Maggie and Doris, is going to attend the seminar. (correct)
Everyone, except Maggie and Doris, are going to attend the seminar. (incorrect)

All the workers, except Albert, do not like the new supervisor. (correct)
All the workers, except Albert, does not like the new supervisor. (incorrect)

Using Causative Form

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The causative form in English sentences looks like this:
have/had/get/got + something (noun/noun phrase) + past participles
Example sentences:
Jane wants to have/get her house repainted. (present tense sentence)
Morgan had/got all the fishing hooks sharpened before he went fishing. (past tense sentence)

The causative form is usually used when the speaker wants to convey the idea that he/she is not going to do the action, but someone else is.

Compare these two sentences. How do you infer from them?
Sentence 1: Laura wants to have/get her long hair cut.
Sentence 2: Laura wants to cut her long hair.

Sentence 1 conveys the idea that Laura is going to let the hairdresser cut her hair.
Sentence 2 conveys the idea that Laura is going to cut her hair herself.

Therefore, the causative form is usually used by English speakers who want to indicate that they are not going to do the action themselves.

More example sentences:
Peter wants to have/get his old car overhauled. (It means Peter is going to send his old car to the garage and let the mechanic do the job.)
Belinda had/got more than twenty new dresses made before her wedding. (It means Belinda asked a tailor or seamstress to make the dresses before her wedding.)

The causative form can also be used in polite requests.
"Could you please have your vehicle removed?" the security guard asked Mr Peterson politely.

The causative form can also be used in commands.
"Your clothes stink! Have/Get them washed at the laundry shop at once!" Kelvin reminded Henry.

Here is a short exercise for you. Use the causative form in your sentence reconstruction. Read the given example.
Example: Nancy wants somebody to clean her house.
Nancy wants to have/get her house cleaned.

1. Last summer, somebody repaired Joanne's electronic gate.
.................................................................................................

2. They asked someone to chop down the huge oak tree a few weeks ago.
.................................................................................................

3. Daisy wants someone to scrub the tiles in the bathroom.
.................................................................................................

4. Please move the furniture to the lobby.
.................................................................................................

Answers [Show][Hide]

Answers
1. Last summer, Joanne had/got her electronic gate repaired.
2. They had/got the huge oak tree chopped down a few weeks ago.
3. Daisy wants to have/get the tiles in the bathroom scrubbed.
4. Please have the furniture moved to the lobby.

You're excellent if you got all the four answers correct. If you got less than two correct, read the example sentences again.

English Grammar Reference: Different Tenses

2009-12-30T04:59:00.000-08:00

This page contains the common tenses in the English language. For each kind of tense, an example sentence is given. Click on the title to see the detailed explanation.

Simple Present Tense
Sharon goes jogging every morning.

Simple Past Tense
Sharon went jogging last evening.

Simple future Tense
Sharon will go jogging tomorrow morning.

Present Perfect Tense
Peter has done his assignment.

Past Perfect Tense
Peter had done his assignment before he watched his favorite TV programs.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense
David has been talking on the phone for almost two hours.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense
The truck had been speeding before it crashed into the lamppost.

Present Continuous Tense
The children are swimming in the pool now.

Past Continuous Tense
The children were swimming in the pool an hour ago.

Future Continuous Tense
They children will be swimming in the pool again tomorrow evening.

Future Perfect Tense
"The train will have gone by the time you reach the platform if you don't hurry," Mrs Lee warned her daughter, Jane.

Causative Form
The table is blocking the way. Please have it removed.

Sentences with either...or

2009-12-28T05:50:00.000-08:00

Subject-Verb agreement means the verb of the sentence should agree with the subject of the sentence. Generally a singular verb agrees with a singular subject, and a plural verb agrees with a plural subject. We say He/She/Peter is...... or He/She/Peter likes......
We say They/We/Peter and John are.... or They/We/Peter and John like.....

What about sentences that involve "Either.....or"? Such sentences have two subjects and it is the second subject that determines whether singular or plural verb is to be used.

Example situation
Imagine there are 40 students in Mr Davidson's class. Let's say if the 40 students are not going to clean the classroom, Mr Davidson himself is going to clean the classroom, and if Mr Davidson doesn't want to clean the classroom, the 40 students have to clean it. Therefore, in this situation, "Either...or" can be used in the sentence like this:

Either the students or Mr Davidson is going to clean the classroom.
the students is the first subject (plural subject)
Mr Davidson is the second subject (singular subject)
Note that the linking verb is comes immediately after the second subject "Mr Davidson". Therefore, the linking verb is agrees with the second subject, which is singular. We can switch places of the first and second subjects like this:
Either Mr Davidson or the students are going to clean the classroom. The plural verb are must be used as it agrees with the second subject "the students", which is plural.

Remember:
Always use the verb that agrees with the second subject when you write your sentences with "Either....or". When the second subject is singular, use a singular verb irrespective of the first plural subject. When the second subject is plural, use a plural verb irrespective of the first singular subject.

Pay attention to the verbs in bold as you read these example sentences.
Either you or I am going to do the chores. OR
Either I or you are going to do the chores.

Either Sharon or her twin brothers were watching TV a while ago. OR
Either Sharon's twin brothers or Sharon herself was watching TV a while ago.

Here is a piece of exercise for you. Pay attention to the second subject and fill in the correct verb.

Either Team A or Team B ............ (is/are) going to face their opponents in the next match.
Either the team members or their team leader.........(is/are) responsible for the Science project.
Either Margaret or her brother.........(have/has) taken the suitcase by mistake.
Either Laura or her friends.........(has/have) misplaced the golf sticks.
Either Jane or her colleagues........(has/have) informed the customers about the arrival of the new products.

Answers [Show][Hide]

Answers
1. is
2. is
3. has
4. have
5. have

Grammar Worksheet 2

2009-12-27T05:47:00.000-08:00

Instructions:
Use the kind of tense and the verb stated within the brackets to fill in each blank.
Example: The postman.....(simple present tense/deliver) letters every day.
Answer : delivers

She felt extremely exhausted because she ........(past perfect tense/do) too many chores.

The twin sisters..........(past perfect continuous tense/squabble) when their mum told them to shut up.

Alvin.......(simple present tense/practice) playing the piano every evening.

The farmer's wife.....(simple past tense/scream) at the top of her voice when she.....(simple past tense/see) a python squeezing one of her chickens.

Sharon......(simple future tense/bring) some cakes with her when she ......(simple present tense/visit) her grandmother next Sunday.

Henry......(present perfect continuous tense/try) to get her sister on the phone for the past two hours.

Tony........(past continuous tense/swim) in the pool when he heard someone scream for help.

Mr Peterson.......(future continuous tense/go) on a business trip to London next Monday. He hopes his secretary........(future perfect tense/finish) sorting out all the customers' letters by the time he gets back to the office.

The weather is nice and warm. Many people.........(present continuous tense/sunbathe) at the beach.

The boss.......(present perfect tense/warn) his workers many times not to procrastinate.

NOTE:
Only click on "Show" for the answers after you've filled in all the 13 blanks. If you got them all correct, you are excellent. You've understood these different tenses. However, if you got less than 6 blanks correct, refer to the notes on the tenses you're still weak at and revise.

Answers [Show] [Hide]

Answers
had done
had been squabbling
practices
screamed, saw
will bring, visits
has been trying
was swimming
will be going, will have finished
are sunbathing
has warned

Grammar Worksheet 1

2009-12-24T18:09:00.000-08:00

Are you familiar with the different tenses used in English sentences? Do this grammar exercise to find out for yourself.

Grammar Worksheet 1
Here is a list of eleven different tenses. Read each sentence and say which tense it involves. The tense in each sentence is in bold print.

simple present tense
simple past tense
simple future tense
present continuous tense
past continuous tense
future continuous tense
present perfect tense
past perfect tense
future perfect tense
present perfect continuous tense
past perfect continuous tense

If the canteen roof had collapsed during lunch break, many people could have been injured. (??? tense)
Sharon takes a bus to school every morning. (??? tense)
The limousine had been speeding before it crashed into the lamppost. (??? tense)
They sorted out all their old clothing yesterday. (??? tense)
All the staff in this firm have got their bonus. (??? tense)
Florence will be studying at one of the best universities next year. (??? tense)
"We shall write them a quotation letter tomorrow," the office manager said to his secretary. (??? tense)
"The train will have gone by the time you reach the platform if you don't hurry," warned David's mum. (??? tense)
Many people are waiting for the prices to drop. (??? tense)
Tom noticed an abandoned baby when he was waiting for the bus at the bus-stop. (??? tense)
"What has Peter been doing lately?" Jane asked Peter's mum. (??? tense)

Answers [Show] [Hide]

past perfect tense
simple present tense
past perfect continuous tense
simple past tense
present perfect tense
future continuous tense
simple future tense
future perfect tense
present continuous tense
past continuous tense
present perfect continuous tense

If you managed to get all the 11 correct, you are excellent. You know them well. However, if you got 5 or less than 5 correct, you really need to revise on the different tenses. Click on "References" and refer to the kind of tense you're still weak at.

Active And Passive Sentences Exercise

2009-12-23T21:45:00.001-08:00

The following exercise is based on Active and Passive Sentences Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Convert these active sentences to their passive form.
Example: Florence prepares breakfast every morning. (active)
Breakfast is prepared by Florence every morning. (passive)

1. Someone is following us.

.........................................................................................

2. The office boy locks up the office every evening.

..............................................................................................

3. They have taken our suitcase.

...............................................................................................

4. The student's parent will pay the school fee.

...............................................................................................

5. Linda was driving the van when the accident happened.

................................................................................................

6. They will have signed the job contract by tomorrow morning.

................................................................................................

7. The dog bit the old man's left leg.

................................................................................................

NOTE:
If you are not sure about active and passive sentences, do not attempt to do this piece of exercise.

SUGGESTIONS:
Read the notes/example sentences on Active And Passive Sentences Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4. Only start doing this piece of exercise after reading the example sentences.

Answers [Show] [Hide]

We are being followed.
The office is locked up by the office boy every evening.
Our suitcase has been taken.
The school fee will be paid by the student's parent.
The van was being driven by Linda when the accident happened.
The job contract will have been signed by tomorrow morning.
The old man's left leg was bitten by the dog.

Note: If you got all the answers correct, you are excellent. If you got less than 4 correct, click on "grammar" and read the example sentences of Active and Passive Sentences Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Active And Passive Sentences Part 4

2009-12-23T06:07:00.000-08:00

Future perfect tense active and passive sentences

The future perfect tense in active sentences looks like this:
shall/will + have + past participles

The future perfect tense in passive sentences looks like this:
will + have + been + past participles

Example sentences:
They will have completed all their tasks before the end of the week. (active)
All their tasks will have been completed before the end of the week. (passive)
Will they have completed all their tasks before the end of the week? (active - question form)
Will all their tasks have been completed before the end of the week? (passive - question form)

The children will have eaten all the biscuits by the time their mum gets back home. (active)
All the biscuits will have been eaten by the children by the time their mum gets back home. (passive)
Will the children have eaten all the biscuits by the time their mum gets back home? (active - question form)
Will all the biscuits have been eaten by the children by the time their mum gets back home? (passive - question form)

The future perfect tense indicates future actions which will be completed when/by the time/before another future action happens. If you would like to study this tense in detail, click on grammar.

Active And Passive Sentences Part 3

2009-12-22T18:29:00.000-08:00

Present perfect tense active and passive sentences

The present perfect tense in active sentences looks like this:
has/have + past participles

The present perfect tense in passive sentences looks like this:
has/have + been + past participles

Example sentences:
David has broken the ceramic vase. (active)
The ceramic vase has been broken by David. (passive)
Has David broken the ceramic vase? (active - question form)
Has the ceramic vase been broken by David? (passive - question form)

They have repainted the old house. (active)
The old house has been repainted. (passive)
Have they repainted the old house? (active - question form)
Has the old house been repainted? (passive - question form)

Somebody has stolen Mr Peterson's wallet. (active)
Mr Peterson's wallet has been stolen. (passive)
Has somebody stolen Mr Peterson's wallet? (active - question form)
Has Mr Peterson's wallet been stolen? (passive - question form)

Past perfect tense active and passive sentences

The past perfect tense in active sentences looks like this:
had + past participles

The past perfect tense in passive sentences looks like this:
had + been + past participles

Example sentences:
Somebody had broken into our house when we were not at home. (active)
Our house had been broken into when we were not at home. (passive)

Mrs Lee had inherited all the money after her husband died. (active)
All the money had been inherited by Mrs Lee after her husband died. (passive)

Well, English users, I'm sure you won't have any problem picking up active and passive sentences which involve the present perfect tense and the past perfect tense. If you would like to study these two perfect tenses in detail, please click on "grammar".

Active And Passive Sentences Part 2

2009-12-21T21:02:00.000-08:00

Active and passive sentences which involve the simple future tense

The following example sentences show how simple future tense active sentences are converted to their passive form.
In active sentences the simple future tense looks like this:
shall/will + verb
In passive sentences the simple future tense looks like this:
will + be+ past participles

Bob will lead the football team. (active)
The football team will be led by Bob. (passive)
Will Bob lead the football team? (active - question form)
Will the football team be led by Bob? (passive - question form)

Someone will prepare the schedule. (active)
The schedule will be prepared. (passive)
Will someone prepare the schedule? (active - question form)
Will the schedule be prepared? (passive - question form)

I shall arrange the flowers. (active)
The flowers will be arranged by me. (passive)
Shall I arrange the flowers? (active - question form)
Will the flowers be arranged by me? (passive - question form)

Active and passive sentences which involve the present continuous tense
In active sentences, the present continuous tense looks like this:
is/are + verbing
In passive sentences, the present continuous tense looks like this:
is/are + being + past participles

These example sentences show how present continuous tense active sentences are converted to their passive form.

The bank is now processing your housing loan. (active)
Your housing loan is now being processed by the bank. (passive)
Is the bank processing my housing loan now? (active - question form)
Is my housing loan being processed by the bank now? (passive - question form)

The factory supervisor is observing the new workers. (active)
The new workers are being observed by the factory supervisor. (passive)
Is the factory supervisor observing the new workers? (active - question form)
Are the new workers being observed by the factory supervisor? (passive - question form)

Someone is watching us. (active)
We are being watched. (passive)
Is someone watching us? (active - question form)
Are we being watched? (passive - question form)

When converting past continuous tense active sentences to their passive form, use past tense linking verbs such as was/were just before the word being like this: was/were + being + past participles

For examples:
The burglars were tampering with the padlock. (active)
The padlock was being tampered with by the burglars. (passive)
Were the burglars tampering with the padlock? (active - question form)
Was the padlock being tampered with by the burglars? (passive - question form)

Somebody was following Florence when she was on her way home last night. (active)
Florence was being followed when she was on her way home last night. (passive)
Was somebody following Florence when she was on her way home last night? (active - question form)
Was Florence being followed when she was on her way home last night? (passive - question form)

Note that this post talks about active and passive sentences which involve the simple future tense, the present continuous tense and the past continuous tense. Click on grammar and view Active and Passive Sentences Parts 3 and 4 for more active and passive sentences which involve other tenses.

Do this evaluation exercise. Write these three active sentences in their passive form. Read the given examples.
They will deliver the furniture to us next week.
The furniture will be delivered to us next week.

They are transferring your call.
Your call is being transferred.

The bad guys were bullying the little boy.
The little boy was being bullied by the bad guys.

The housekeeper is mopping the floor.
.................................................................................................

The new workers will sign the job contracts next Monday.
.................................................................................................

Kelvin was typing the itinerary.
.................................................................................................

Answers [Show] [Hide]

The floor is being mopped by the housekeeper.
The job contracts will be signed by the new workers next Monday.
The itinerary was being typed by Kelvin.

Active And Passive Sentences Part 1

2009-12-21T05:48:00.000-08:00

Active and passive sentences involve tenses. It is important not to change the kind of tense in the active sentences when converting them to their passive form. The sentence pattern of active sentences looks like this:

The subject (doer) +kind of tense (action verbs) + the object
Read this active sentence.
The poultry farmer feeds the chickens every day. This is a present tense active sentence. Note that the subject/doer is The poultry farmer, the present tense action verb is feeds and the object is the chickens. How would you convert this active sentence to its passive form? Study the sentence pattern of the following passive sentence.

The object + kind of tense + by + the doer
The above active sentence written in its passive form looks like:
The chickens are fed by the poultry farmer every day. Therefore, you can see that in passive sentence construction, the object becomes the subject of the sentence. Note that the phrase are fed is the passive form of the simple present tense, and are is used because the subject The chickens is plural and agrees with the plural linking verb are. The action verb is fed (the past participle of feed) and must be used after are. It will be grammatically incorrect to write The chickens are feed..........

Read these examples sentences showing how active sentences are converted to their passive form. Note that all these sentences involve only the simple present tense.
The house maid cleans the house every weekend. (active)
The house is cleaned by the house maid every weekend. (passive)

Mrs Lee sweeps the floor every morning. (active)
The floor is swept by Mrs Lee every morning. (passive)

The clerk types the letters into the computer. (active)
The letters are typed into the computer by the clerk. (passive)

Now, let's take a look at active and passive sentences which involve the simple past tense. Read this example sentence again and pay attention to the change in the tense. It is a simple past tense active sentence.

The poultry farmer fed the chickens yesterday. (active)
The chickens were fed by the poultry farmer yesterday. (passive)

Therefore, you can see that when you convert simple past tense active sentences into their passive form, you must pay attention to the past tense form of the linking verb. In this case, the linking verb is were which is the past tense of are.

Sometimes when active sentences indicate that the doer is an unknown person or it is not necessary or important to include the doer, the phrase by someone at the end of the passive sentences can be omitted.

For examples:
Someone broke into Mr Lee's house last night. (active)
Mr Lee's house was broken into last night. (passive)
(It's not necessary to say Mr Lee's house was broken into by someone last night.)

They gave the hungry beggars lots of food. (active)
The hungry beggars were given lots of food. (passive)
(It's not necessary to say The hungry beggars were given lots of food by them.)

In this post, you see active and passive sentences which involve only the simple present tense and the simple past tense. You will see some more active and passive sentences which involve other tenses if you click on grammar and view Active and Passive Sentences Parts 2, 3 and 4.

Here's a short evaluation exercise for you. Write these active sentences in their passive form. Read the given example.
Example: The nanny looks after the children. (active)
The children are looked after by the nanny. (passive)

Someone stole Mr Peterson's limousine last night.
.................................................................................................

The students did all the class exercises.
.................................................................................................

The burglars tampered with the padlocks.
.................................................................................................

The sales assistant welcomes the regular customers.
.................................................................................................

Answers [Show] [Hide]

Answers
Mr Peterson's limousine was stolen last night.
All the class exercises were done by the students.
The padlocks were tampered with by the burglars.
The regular customers are welcomed by the sales assistant.

Using Look Forward To with example sentences

2009-12-19T01:14:00.000-08:00

Do you really know how to use the phrase look forward to? Because of the word "to", some English users tend to use infinitives (present tense verbs) just after "to". The following example sentences show the incorrect usage of the phrase look forward to.
We look forward to hear from our business associate.
Mr Peterson looks forward to meet with his new customer.

Well, can you detect the error in each of these two example sentences?

When you use the phrase look forward to, you are indicating that you are anxious or eager to do something in the near future. When this phrase is used, the description that follows immediately after the word to must be a noun or a noun phrase. It must not be a verb. In the example sentences, you can see the verbs hear, meet after to. The correct version should be:
We look forward to hearing from our business associate.
Mr Peterson looks forward to meeting with his new customer.

Some English users think that it is correct to use verbs after the phrase look forward to, but it is not. The phrase look forward to must always be followed by a noun or a noun phrase. You can say you look forward to something.

For example: Imagine you are extremely hungry now, and you know your mum is roasting your favorite turkey. You can say this to your mum: I really look forward to the yummy turkey. Note that the phrase "the turkey" is a noun phrase as turkey is a noun.

You may want to include the verb "eat". In this case, you need to add "ing" to the verb "eat" to make it "eating" and use it as a gerund/verbal noun together with the phrase "the yummy turkey" like this:

I really look forward to eating the yummy turkey. Therefore, you can see that "I really look forward to the yummy turkey" has the same meaning as "I really look forward to eating the yummy turkey".

Just remember that when using the phrase look forward to, use the verbing form of verbs, such as offering, meeting, hearing, etc.

For examples:
We look forward to offering our best services to our new customers.
(incorrect to say look forward to offer................)
Sharon looks forward to meeting with her new friends.
(incorrect to say looks forward to meet..............)
The office manager told his secretary to conclude the business letter with the sentence "I look forward to hearing from you".
(incorrect to say look forward to hear.................) From the above three sentence examples, offering our best services to our new customers/meeting with her new friends/hearing from you are noun phrases.

If you are still doubtful, try to replace look forward to with "used to". Do you say you are used to wearing shoes or you are used to wear shoes? You'll surely say "used to wearing shoes", right? Therefore, the same goes for the phrase look forward to! You can say "I look forward to wearing my brand new shoes", but you don't say "I look forward to wear my brand new shoes!".

Well, English users, I hope you've understood my explanation on the usage of look forward to and will apply this phrase correctly in your English sentences.

If you would like to see more common errors, click on "Common Errors".

Using Prefer and Rather

2009-12-15T19:17:00.000-08:00

If you are asked: Do you know the usage of prefer and rather?, what would your answer be?
If you use prefer to indicate preference,you should say: I'd prefer to........ For example: I'd prefer to drink coffee for breakfast.
If you use rather to indicate preference, you should say: I'd rather ......... For example: I'd rather drink coffee for breakfast.
Therefore, if prefer is used, the word "to" must be included just before the action verb "drink". If rather is used, "to" must be dropped. It is incorrect to say: I'd rather to drink coffee for breakfast.
(note that I'd is the contraction form of I would)

Prefer may also be used to indicate a person's better choice. For example: You like coffee better than tea. You can say: I prefer coffee to tea. Note that in this kind of sentence construction, you must not begin with I'd (I would). Begin with I prefer then followed immediately by the noun. Take note that you can never replace prefer with rather.
It is incorrect to say: I rather coffee to tea.

More examples:
She prefers cakes to biscuits. They prefer fish to beef.

Now read this sentence.
Tom prefers swimming than jogging.
This sentence conveys the idea that Tom has two hobbies, but he likes to swim more than jog.
Some English users would say that this sentence sounds perfectly correct. However, there is an error in it. Can you tell where the error is?

Refer to this earlier example. I prefer coffee to tea. NOT I prefer coffee than tea. Therefore the error is the word "than". The correct version should be :"Tom prefers swimming to jogging."

Why must we not use "than"? It's because swimming and jogging are gerunds or verbal nouns, not adjectives. "than" can used in sentences that show comparison. For examples:

Henry is taller than his friend, Peter. Jane looks prettier than Lucy.
(taller - comparative form of tall) (prettier - comparative form of pretty)

Prefer and rather may also be used in negative sentences which have the word not in them. You must begin your sentences with "I'd". For examples:

I'd prefer to eat spicy food. (positive sentence)
I'd prefer not to eat spicy food. (negative sentence)

Fred would prefer to take the morning flight. (positive sentence)
Fred would prefer not to take the morning flight. (negative sentence)

Rather may also be used in both positive and negative sentences. Take note that the word "to" must be dropped. For examples:

I'd rather eat the biscuits. (positive sentence)
I'd rather not eat the biscuits. (negative sentence)

Sharon would rather go jogging with her friends. (positive sentence)
Sharon would rather not go jogging with her friends. (negative sentence)

Rather may also be used in sentences to indicate a person's better choice.
For example: You like to sing more than read when you are free. You can use I'd rather with the word "than" in your sentence like this:
I'd rather sing than read when I'm free.

For some English users who do not want to use prefer or rather in their English sentences, they may simply use the verb "like" to show preference or their better choice. When "like" is used, the phrase "better than" or "more than" can be used in the same sentence. For examples:

Instead of saying: "I prefer coffee to tea", some English users say:
I like coffee better than tea. OR I like coffee more than tea.

Read this sentence which was stated above earlier.
Tom prefers swimming to jogging. How would you reconstruct this sentence using the verb "like"? Try your reconstruction of the sentence without scrolling down for the answer.

Click on "vocabulary" for more words and phrases.

Tom likes swimming better than jogging/Tom likes swimming more than jogging/Tom likes to swim more than jog.

Using Idiomatic Expressions

2009-12-13T22:55:00.000-08:00

In the English language there are many idiomatic expressions. Some idiomatic expressions have prepositions in them. An idiomatic expression having the preposition in is:

to follow in somebody's footsteps means to have the same occupation as one's father or mother. For example:

Young Fred's father is an engineer. Fred wants to be an engineer too when he grows up. Therefore, Fred says: I want to follow in my father's footsteps. The common error usually overlooked by English users is the omission of the preposition in. It is incorrect to say follow my father's footsteps. "to follow my father's footsteps" means to look out for the sound of footsteps and follow the direction taken by my father! Therefore, you see, the omission of the preposition in makes a total change in meaning!

Another expression is on cloud nine which means feeling happy. Note that the preposition is "on" NOT "in". It is incorrect to say in cloud nine! For example: Laura was "on cloud nine" when she obtained very good marks in her tests.

Another expression is at the top of one's voice NOT on top of one's voice. at the top of one's voice means to shout/scream as loudly as you can because you are extremely happy/frightened/excited. Example:
They shouted excitedly at the top of their voices when they were talking; that was why I could hear them distinctly.
It is incorrect to say They shouted on top of their voice................ Use the preposition at and the article the and the plural form of "voice" when the sentence has a plural subject such as They/We/The boys/etc.

More examples:
She screamed at the top of her voice as if she had seen a ghost.
The children shouted at the top of their voices when they were playing in the swimming pool.

These three expressions are very common in contemporary English. I hope you can use them well in your English sentences.

Using Future Continuous Tense

2009-12-13T05:42:00.000-08:00

The future continuous tense looks like this: shall/will+be+verbing
The future continuous tense is used to indicate an action that will happen in the near future, and when that future time comes, that action will be in progress. Read this situation.

You will visit your friend, David, tomorrow morning. So you make an appointment with David that you will drop by at his house at 9 am tomorrow. Your friend, David, tells you he wants to wash his car tomorrow morning. Therefore, David can use the future continuous tense in his sentence like this: I shall be washing my car tomorrow morning when you come to my house. This sentence means when you reach David's house, you will see him washing his car.

Note that the future continuous tense is more or less the same as the simple future tense as both tenses indicate future actions. However, they do not really convey the same idea. Read these 2 examples.

They will move into their new house next month. (simple future tense)
They will be moving into their new house next month. (future continuous tense)

Both sentences 1 and 2 indicate future actions. However, sentence 1 sounds more like the informative type. It informs rather than indicates the "moving house" action. Sentence 2 conveys the idea that the "moving house" action will be in progress next month.

The future continuous tense in negative sentences looks like this: shall/will + not + be + verbing.
Example sentences:
We shall not be watching TV tonight.
Tony will not (won't) be using his computer for the whole of next week.
Mr Peterson will not be coming to the office next month.

Click on "References" to view other tenses.