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How to use Passives in English Compare these two English sentences: Active = "The doctor gave me a prescription" Passive = "I was given a prescription" In the first sentence, the focus is on 'the doctor'. In the second sentence, the focus is on 'I'.

When to use the passive To change the focus of a sentence. In the passive sentence above, we can make the object and action ('me' and 'gave a prescription') more important than the subject ('the doctor'). If we don't know who does an action. "My bicycle has been stolen" – I don't know who has stolen it. If we don't want to say who did something. "The lights were left on all night." (I don't want to say that you left the lights on.) If it is obvious who does something. "I was given a prescription" – I know that only doctors give prescriptions, so I don't need to add "by the doctor". "He was arrested" I know that the police arrest people, so I don't need to add "by the police".

Forming a passive sentence in English Firstly, you need to make the object into the new subject. me – I you – You him / her – He / She us – We them – They Then you make the verb passive. Put the verb "to be" into the same tense as the verb in the active subject. For example "gave" is the past simple tense. The past simple form of "to be" is "was" or "were". Present simple – is /are Present continuous – is / are being Present perfect – has / have been Simple past – was / were Past continuous – was / were being Modals will, can etc – will be, can be etc.

Then add the past participle of the verb. For example "gave" – "given".

Q: I need to know how to change has been +ing into passive voice A: We don't change the present perfect continuous tense into the passive voice, as there would be too many auxiliary verbs and it would be confusing. Q: Which one in the two sentences is correct: 1. The amount offered by him is very less. 2. The amount has been offered by him is very less. A: The amount offered by him is very low. Q: I have question about the word update. Do we say "The data updates everyday. The data is updated everyday?" A: "The data is updated every day." Q& A: Which is the correct sentences: 1. The document was not completed. Correct - means that someone didn't complete the document. 2. The document was not complete. Correct - not a passive sentence, but means that the document was unfinished. 3. The document didn't complete. Not correct. Q: When can we use "get" with passive meaning instead of "be"? A: Yes, you can in some tenses (present simple, past simple), although using "get" instead of "be" is more informal. For example: He got punished for breaking the window (informal) He was punished for breaking the window (more formal) He gets told off every day (informal) He is told off every day (more formal) Q: Is my sentence grammatically correct? The government is believed to be considering to pass a law making it a crime to import any kind of weapon. A: yes, it's correct. The only thing is that it should be "...considering passing a law..." Q: what is the meaning of this sentence? he is told off every day A: It means that he is criticized for something every day. Q: How many tenses We can use with passive ?and give us Examples, Please!. A: We can use the passive form with most tenses (excepting some continuous tenses) and with modal forms: Present Simple The machine is tested every day. Present Continuous The machine Is being tested at the moment Past Simple The machine was tested yesterday Past Continuous The machine was being tested when the electricity went off Present Perfect The machine has been tested recently Past Perfect The machine had been tested before it was activated Simple Future The machine will be tested tomorrow Future Perfect The machine will have been tested before next week's inspection With modal verbs The machine should be tested more often The machine would have been tested by trained engineers Q: In sentence, sometimes we can see the present participle have a passive meaning. Like this *I want the goods SENDING off by the first train. Can we change this sentence into the object+passive infinitive sentence? Like this * I want the goods sending off by the first train. = I want the goods to be sent off by the first train. * I want a button sewing. = I want a button to be sewed. Do these sentences have same meanings? Which sentence is more used? A: You can use the verbs want and need in a passive form: I want a button sewing / I want a button to be sewed I need a button sewing / I need a button to be sewed But when you make the context more business-like, it sounds strange to use the present participle, and I'd use the more common passive form "to be sent off". Q: '"put the verb to be in the same tense as the verb in the passive"".please explain this statement more eloborately.Could you explain ""what is to be form means""

A: You need to use the verb "to be" to make a passive: The man was bitten by the snake. The tense of the verb "to be" is the same as the tense in the active sentence: "The snake bit the man" (bit is the simple past), so the tense of the verb "to be" in the passive must also be the simple past (= bit). Q: it is said that put the present perfect continuous tense into the passive voice,would be confusing because there would be too many auxiliary verbs....so if i want to say the operation has been being done...what is the passive to replace it... (that has the same meaning with this)? why? please give me the reason A: The operation has been done (now finished) the operation is being done (still in progress) Or: Surgeons have been doing the operation for three hours. Q: hi clare , i want to ask from u about has been / have been means what are the different kind of possibilities where we use these? A: It depends on what time it is when you're talking. If it's well into the next day, use "were left on..." (simple past). If it's still the early morning use "have been left on..." (present perfect). Q: Is there a passive form of following sentence plz tell me. I have a pen. A: This sentence is possessive. Q: please write about quistion form of passive how we can makw quistion? A: You invert the verb to be and the subject: He was arrested. Was he arrested? He has been given a prize. Has he been given a prize? Q: I have some confusion about usage of 'to be' please give some examples of usage of ' to be' in simple present active tense and simple present passive tense A: She is French. (active) The mail is sent every week. (passive) Q: 1* The letter is sent. ( i know who sends a letter ex, my brother) 2* some bananas were eaten this morning.( i know my sisters ate them but I don’t want to say that to my mom) 3* our garden has been expanded. i have a quesition? do we always focus on the object & the action that are in the active tense to form the passive tense by using the pronouns she * he* we* ..........etc as a subject in the passive tense? A: 2 and 3 are fine. 1 sounds strange - why would you use this sentence in a passive form? I don't understand your final question. What was the object in the active form becomes the new subject in the passive form. But we don't need to use pronouns. Q: what are the differences between these two sentences? "I get confused" and "I become confused" can we replace "get" with "become" 2. Which one do native speakers mostly use. with get or become? A: Both are correct, but "become" is more formal than "get". Native speakers would most often use "get" when speaking. Q: "Get/Gets+third form"but i think its not passive.Many times we can see the use of it.. eg.1..she gets confused everytime.2..building gets damaged by the creation of nuisance..pls reply A: We often use "get" to talk about developments or processes. If a change occurs in a person ("she gets confused") you could say that she becomes confused by something else - not all on her own. The same with your example of a building which gets damaged by an external factor. If the reason for a change is external, then get / gets is a sort of passive. Q: Our A/C with you already been debited with >>>>>> or Our a/c with you has already been debited > A: "Our account with you has already been debited."

Prepositions and adjectives In English grammar, it's sometimes hard to remember which preposition is used with which adjective. The list below is a handy reference for the more common adjectives. afraid of "I'm afraid of heights."

also scared of, frightened of

angry about something "She was angry about the new rules at work." angry with someone "He was angry with his son for coming home late." bad at something "The student was bad at Geography." also good at crazy about something "She was crazy about the Spice Girls and had all their CD's." different from or to something / someone "The English are different from the Americans." happy to do something "She was happy to help." also glad to and pleased to happy for someone "I was happy for him when he passed his exam." also pleased for happy with someone / something "The boss was happy with his work." also pleased with and satisfied with ill with something "She's ill with the flu."

nice to someone "Be nice to him – he's had a bad day."

polite to someone "The policeman was very polite to me." ready to do something "I'm ready to start work now." ready for something / someone "It takes me an hour to get the children ready for school." responsible for something / someone "She felt responsible for her children."

tired from doing something (physically tired) "I'm tired from all this hard work." also exhausted from tired with or of something (fed up, bored with) "She was tired of taking the train to work every day and decided to drive instead." typical of someone "It's typical of her to do that for you – she always offers to help."

English Grammar Tip The secret of remembering the right preposition in English grammar is through practice. Try to use them as much as possible and you'll soon be saying them without having to think. Q: "CHRIS IS POINTING AT SHE",will it be right? No, A: it should be "Chris is pointing at her". Q: How should I say this, Like I said or As I said. A: To be grammatically correct, you should say "As I said". However, you will hear a lot of people say "Like I said". Q: Is it correct to use ( to ) in this sentence : Don't be late to your music lesson . A: Yes, it's correct. (You can also use "for".) Q: What’s the right preposition? There's no advantage ________ getting another account with us. A: "in" Q: She's going to sleep at my home. How do I say it? my friend is staying ---- me. In French: ell reste -chez- moi is there any preposition to use that have the same meaning of "chez" in French? A: She is staying with me / She is staying at my house. Q: It's very kind of you or it's very kind from you? A: It's very kind of you. Q: Is it correct if I say: Please draw your attention "at" this point ? A: No. Say "I'd like to draw your attention to this point." Q: I agree WITH my parent's opinion about politics. or I agree ON my parent's opinion about politics.( Because the sentence is about the OPINION of the parents not the PARENTS itself) Am I right? Thanks..(",) A: You can say: "I agree with my parents about politics" or "We agree on politics". Q: is it ok to say I am angry/mad at him for coming home late? A: Yes. Q: Which one is correct? He is gentleman.. or He is gentlemanly.. Thanks. A: Either "he is a gentleman" or "he is gentlemanly" - both are fine. Q: which one is correct? In the mean time or At the mean time and In the end of the day or At the end of the day... A: The correct phrases are: In the meantime At the end of the day Q: which one is correct. may i know who am i speakin with or may i know who am i speaking to.? A: Both are fine. Q: I will be 15 minutes late is a correct sentense; but if I say, "I will be late by 15 minutes." Is it correct or what preposition can be use after late, for or by?

A: Yes, the sentence is fine. Q: I refer to English article "Illnesses don't have an article", but you say [a] cold and [a] headache. Above mentioned sentence, "She's ill with the flu. Why you use [the] flu, I thought you don't use [the] for illnesses. Thanks and looking forward to your answer. A: You can use an article with some illnesses: a cold / a headache / the flu; but not with others: cancer / hepatitis / measles etc. Q: please give me the correct preposition that goes with the word "APPROVAL" A: "for": "He gave his approval for the project". (noun) "of": "He didn't approve of the idea." (verb) Q: I wonder why they say:- He was in the taxi at 2:30. He was in his car at 2:30. He was on the subway at 2:30. He was on the bus at 2:30. He was on the airplane at 2:30. what is the difference between car or taxi than bus or airplane or subway?. A: You can't always use logic to explain English rules! I think that in this case, it helps to think of cars and taxis as small, closed spaces that you have to get into, while buses, trains, planes etc are much bigger and you need to step on to them. Q: Is it correct to say "You are late from class?" A: You are late for class. Q: are the following sentences correct: 1- Im addicted on/in talking with/to u.. 2- he was anxious ahead of the interview. 3- he was relaxed during/ in/ on the interview. 4- following the interview he was completely happy 5-he said that he was always free for/to me. 6- what the most preposition are u confused about/in/on? 7- Im happy to see u again. 8- I met her in/on the chatroom yesterday. 9- I was busy in/on/ at work today morning. 10-he calls me for persistence. can u pls show the differences between whole and all.. I always get confused to use them with some nouns such as body,day,matters...etc thanks in advance... A: 1- Im addicted to talking with/to u.. 2- he was anxious ahead of the interview. 3he was relaxed during the interview. 4- following the interview he was completely happy 5-he said that he was always free for me. 6- what prepositions are u confused about? 7- Im happy to see u again. 8- I met her in the chatroom yesterday. 9- I was busy at work today morning. 10-he calls me for persistence.?? I don't understand this one. The whole day (= 100% of the day); all day (same meaning) This shop is open all day / This shop is open the whole day Q: what about if I use "addicted" with the word "drugs" can I say:" He is addicted to drugs" or " addicted on" in my tenth example I meant that " he encouraged me to be persistent to learn english quickly" is it correct to use " call me for" instead of encourage " he called me for persistence if I want to learn english quickly" A: Addicted to drugs He encouraged me not to give up / to be persistent in learning English He called for persistence in learning... Q: I want to ask that if some one asks me that where are u so ,my answer will be i m at home or i m in home..... thanks A: I'm at home. Q: Is it right "hopeless IN chess" or it "hopeless AT chess”, as it is "bad AT Geography"? A: Hopeless at / bad at (chess). Q: In the following sentence, what part of speech is the word embellish? Rule? Eli tends to embellis the truth. A: It's a verb. Specifically, it's part of the infinitive form "to embellish". Q: What do you say when some one says, "Goodmorning! How are you today?" Do you say "I'm Good." or "I'm well."

A: "Fine, thank you." In the US you might here "good". It sounds a bit formal to say "I'm well". Q: which one is correct? My father gave the toy car to me or for me. To me, i like English or For me, I like English. A: My father gave the toy car to me. My father gave me the toy car. My friend Tony doesn't like English. As for me, I think it's a useful language to learn. Q: which one is correct: "They are American" or "They are Americans"?? A: "They are American" is better. Q: "There are some snow on the roof of the post office". Is it correct?? Could I also say: "There are some snow on the post office?" A: Yes, but it should be "there is some snow..." Q: please, tell me the different between " in the end" and " at the end". A: "In the end" = finally, consequently. "We wanted to go to Alton Towers for the day, but the weather was terrible. In the end, we decided to stay at home." "At the end" = the final thing that happened. "The film is about two people who go on a world trip. They visit many different countries and meet lots of new people. At the end of the film, they get married." Q: "Look! There is somebody ON the train!!!" (I mean on the roof of the train). Is the preposition of the sentence correct (in this situation)?? A: Because "on the train" also means "sitting in the train", you could say in this situation "sitting on top of the train". Q: "At the restaurant" or "in the restaurant". Which is correct or are both fine? A: Both are fine. "In" the restaurant suggests a person is actually sitting inside the restaurant. Q: "I go there BY bike" or "I go there ON bike"??? A: by bike / on my bike. Q: Which one is correct between "My father works in the hospital." or "My father works at the hospital." A: They are both fine. Q: "Where is John?" "He is IN (AT?) the swimming pool." Which preposition is correct, please? A: At Q: which one is better to say..i am suffering from fever or I am suffering with fever? A: "I'm suffering from..." is better. Q: Which one the preposition in the below sentence. "Please pass it on to the boys" A: To is the preposition. On is the particle in the phrasal verb "pass on".

Prepositions of time Using the right preposition in English can be a problem. Here are the most common ones used to talk about time, place and transport.

Time in a century "There were many inventions in the twentieth century." in a year "She left school in 1987."

in a month "He's leaving in January." in a season "We usually go on holiday in summer." in a part of the day "I'm leaving in the morning, not in the evening." during or in – when something happens "Muslims fast during / in Ramadan." "It rained during / in the night." for – how long something takes "She played tennis for an hour." at Christmas or at Easter "Christians celebrate at Christmas and at Easter." at the weekend "I play tennis at the weekend." at night "I go to sleep at night." at a time "The appointment is at four o'clock in the afternoon." on a day "The appointment is on Monday." on a date "I'm leaving on 12 December."

Place on or on top of "The remote control is on the table." above (higher than) "Look at the clock above the mantelpiece." under or underneath "The keys are under the mat." beneath (old fashioned word to mean under) below (lower than) "The chart below shows the annual figures." "It was below freezing last night."

next to "A is next to B in the alphabet." between "B is between A and C in the alphabet." opposite "The bank is opposite the supermarket. If you walk outside the bank, you can see the supermarket in front of you, on the other side of the road." across "Walk across the road, to the other side." round / around "It's round the corner – you can't see it from here."

Transport on a train, a bus, a plane, a bicycle get on / off a train / a bus / a plane / a bike in a car get in / out of a car go by car / train / plane / bus go on foot Q: can't i say i play tennis during weekends A: You can say "During the weekend I played tennis", but if you are talking about a regular activity, say "At the weekend I play tennis". Q: you mention "at" the weekends. how about weekdays, what preposition to use? can I use "at" to other holidays too? except Christmas and Easter A: Yes - especially for religious holidays. Q: Someone told me that "ON" should not be used when referring to days of the week, such as: "I have an appointment on Monday" should be "I have an appointment Monday." I thought the former is correct. Which one is? A: British English speakers would probably always use "on", while you might not hear "on" from American English speakers. Q: If I'd like to express" at the weekend evening" \ "in the weekend evening" or "on the weekend evening" which is true? "at the weekend evening is the same as on the weekend " right? And I'd like to say "on Monday morning"or "in Monday morning" which is correct? "I happened to pick up 5 grand RMB AT 3 P.M Monday 12th Dec" This clause is true or false THE TRANSPORT PREPOSITION get on/off a boat/ship? "on a boat/ship" or "in a boat/ship" I am confused... Appreciate for your help A: "At the weekend" is British English, and "on the weekend" is American English. To talk about an evening at the weekend, say which day it is: "On Sunday evening", "On Saturday evening". Use "on" for days, so "on Monday morning". You get on or off a boat or ship, but in a small boat such as a canoe or dinghy.

Q: I will stay in office upto 8 Pm so How I would say it - I am here upto 8 pm. I will stay in office for an hour. Are these two sentences correct? A: I will stay here until 8 pm. I will stay in the office for an hour. Q: How is date and day written is correct english: 1) Monday, the 2nd March, 2009 2) Monday, 2nd March, 2009 3) Monday, 2nd March 2009 ( ie without comma) 4) Monday, March 2, 2009 Pl reply A: There are many ways you can write the date. Here are some of them: March 2 2nd March March 2, 2009 2 March 2009 Monday, 2nd March Q: Which preposition do you use in this sentence on or in? On December 2006 I arrived to the U.S.A In December 2006 I arrived to the U.S.A I do not want to say which day in December, and I know that when you say the month and the day you use on, but when you say the year only you say in. Thanks for your help A: With months you use "in", so your second sentence is correct. Make sure you say "I arrived in the USA" (not "on"). Q: Is it proper to use "on tonight" instead of just simply "tonight"? For example," On tonight, we honor the Class of 2009." or... "We are happy to have a very distinguished speaker here on tonight." A: Just say "tonight" unless your sentence needs "on" for another reason: "We've got a great speaker on tonight" ( = on television) Q: Is 'May 2nd' correct? A: Yes! Q: 1-Im puzzled about the usage of prepositions especially with naval transportations.. is it correct to say : " Im going to London by ship" " the boarding time is at 3:30 exactly" " the ship was carrying 330 people onboard" " I'll be getting on the ship at 3:20" 2-and can u please explain when to use some prepositions such as "onto,into,upon,upto".... and is there any difference between them when they come connected " onto,into...." and when they are separated by space " on to, in to" 3- " it rained during the night" does during here means " 100% of the night" it was raining the whole night. A: 1. Yes, all correct. 2. You'll need to learn which verbs use these prepositions, rather than learning what the prepositions themselves mean. But "upto" as one word isn't correct. 3. During - not the same as "the whole". It rained during the night = at some point during the night. Q: I just want to make sure if the following phrases are correct: 1- "I often chat with friends during/at/in the night." 2-"Im leaving at this weekend" or "im leaving this weekend" 3- " it is rare to have a windy day in spring" 4-"I was born on 14 October in 1989" 5- " her aunt usually plays Bowling on Thursady and on Friday" or " on Thursday and Friday" 6- " My private teacher always comes at 3:00 in the afternoon on Sunday at the weekend" and to ask about " around" "surround" and wether if I used them corrrectly in the following sentences" * " people surrounding/around/round me love me too much" * " the thief can't escape anymore, the cops have already rounded/surrounded his house" *" most of the company staff gather around thier new director to congratulate him" thanks in advance A: 1. ok 2. either "at the weekend" or "this weekend" 3. ok 4. delete "in" before 1989 5. .. usually goes bowling on Thursday and Friday 6 ... on Sunday afternoon (delete "at the weekend") 1. ok 2. surrounded 3. ok Q: which is correct? 1) I always go there at 6pm on Mondays. 2) i always go there on MOndays at 6pm. A: Both are fine.

Q: Do the following sentences convey different meanings? - She spoke to him till late in the night. - She spoke to him till late at night. Thanks. A: Maybe there's a slight difference. In the first, she spoke until the early hours of the morning (till 2 or 3 am perhaps) whereas in the second she spoke until late in the evening (until 11 or 12). Q: which one is correct between the two sentences? 1. The office opened 20 days back. 2. The office opened 20 days before. A: The office opened twenty days ago. The office opened twenty days before we had our first customer. Q: what is the mean of get in and get on? A: We don't use get in / get on in prepositions of time, except for in this example "It's getting on for six o'clock". There are lots of different meanings for the phrasal verbs get in / get on and impossible to list here. Take a look in a dictionary to see how they can be used. Q: I am sitting on the branch and she is watching me at half an hour. tell le this is right or wrong thanks A: "At" is wrong. Do you mean "she has been watching me for half an hour"?

Learn English Prepositions and Verbs This list will help you remember English verbs and prepositions. Practise using them as much as possible to feel more confident. accuse someone of something "He accused her of stealing." agree with someone / something "I agree with you – you are absolutely right." agree to do something "She agreed to wait for him." agree on something "We've agreed on all the major points." apply for "I'm going to apply for a new job." apologise for something "She apologised for being late." ask someone to do something "She asked him to do the shopping for her." ask someone for something "She asked her boss for a day off." believe in "I believe in hard work."

belong to "This pen belongs to me." blame someone for doing something "He blamed her for driving too fast." blame something on someone "He blamed the accident on her." borrow something from someone "He borrowed some money from the bank." care about something "I don't care about money." care for someone "She really cares for her grandmother." take care of something / someone "Please take care of yourself on holiday." complain to someone (about something) "He complained to her about the food." concentrate on something "The student concentrated on her homework." congratulate someone on doing something "He congratulated her on passing her exam." consist of something "The department consists of five people." depend on someone "She depended on her friends for support." explain something to someone "She explained the new system to them." listen to someone "The students listened to their teacher." look at something "Look at that view – it's wonderful." look for something / someone "Will you help me look for my book?" look after someone "I need to look after my mother – she's ill."

pay someone for something "Can you pay me for the shopping later?" prefer someone / something to someone "I prefer coffee to tea." protect someone from something "A scarf will protect you from the cold." provide someone with something "They provide families with housing." regard someone as "She regarded her sister as her best friend." rely on someone / something "Can I rely on you to get the shopping?" search for someone / something "The police searched the building for bombs." spend money / time on "I spent all my money on books as a student." think about someone / something "I think about you all the time." think about / of doing something "I'm thinking about / of buying a new car." think of something "I've just thought of a new idea." "What do you think of the new magazine?" translate from something into something else "Don't translate from English into French." wait for someone "I waited an hour for him, then went home." warn someone about "The doctor warned her about smoking." Q: "You are not going to blame me for your being on debt." The prepositions "for" and "on" in the above phrase are correct or not ? I'm confused with verbs and prepositions. A: "for" is correct, but you need to say "in debt". "I hate being in debt". Q: Is it right to use draw your attention without "to" as in 1 or it should be as in 2? "I'd like to draw your attention that according to this rule it is not convincing to go there." Or " I'd like to draw your attention to the fact that according to this rule it is not convincing to go there."

A: "I'd like to draw your attention to ...." "I'd like to draw your attention to the fact that..." Q: Is it right to use what is due for us? She didn't give what is due to us. A: "She didn't give us what was due to us." Q: Prefer someone / something to someone "I prefer coffee to tea" Pls explain about this example...why it is different from structure. A: You can prefer something to something: I prefer coffee to tea. You can also prefer someone to someone: I prefer John to David. Q: Hello, Please advice which one of the following is correct: "we are sleeping IN the couch/bed" or "we are sleeping ON the couch/bed" or "we are sleeping AT the couch/bed. A: We are sleeping in the bed / on the couch. Q: To invest in? or to invest on? A: "Invest in" is correct. Q: congratulations for the engagement? or: on the engagement? A: Congratulations on (your / the) engagement. Q: She won Nobel prize ( for , in ) literature. Which is correct? (For or in) A: "For" is correct. Q: I apologize to her for being rude. I want to ensure whether "to" is necessary. A: Yes, you need "to" in your sentence. Q: why do we need"to" in the sentence: I apologize to her for being rude. i think we needn't use"to" because apologize is a verb and can be followed by an object"her". A: No, with "apologise" you can have either: for + ing (He apologised for being rude) or to + person (He apologised to her / He apologised to her for being rude) Q: what are the prepositions which follow the verb:to be jealous.thanks for you. A: She is jealous of... Q: What do we do with forms? Should we: fill up/fill out/fill in forms? Do we focus on/in something? A: You can fill in or fill out a form. You focus on something. Q: I want to know if I have to add the preposition "to" at the end of this question: "what are you listening?" thanks A: Yes, you need "to" at the end. Q: What is the difference between think about and think of? A: Think about = to have an opinion about something "What do you think about the new shopping centre?" Think of = the activity of thinking "What do you think of before you go to sleep?" Q: is this sentence correct? " i want u to listen TO something" Is it ok to omit TO? thanks a lot A: It's correct - don't omit "to". Q: I have a question, I had learned the usage of "spend" in a grammar book, it said that "spend money on somthing" and "spend time (in,can omit) Ving(doing something), but this site said"spend money/time on..". I am confused. A: You can spend time on something: I've spent a lot of time on this exercise. I've spent a lot of time doing this exercise. Q: accuse of .please make it sentence A: He accused her of murder. She accused him of stealing her bag. Q: Shall I say: As shown ON or IN or AT drawing?? Regards A: As shown in the drawing. Q: Which is correct? "Congratualtions FOR completing your course." OR "Congratulations ON completing your course." (I know that when you use this verb

the other way, it's always "on," as in "He congrautlated her on..." but I am unsure about the use of "Congrautlations." A: I think that "on" is more correct than "for", but I've heard people use both. Q: what is the proper preposition to use in these phrases: 1-she suffers from/of depression. 2- they laugh off his long hair. 3- I am in/on a bad mood. 4- she hates him and always pray on/against him 5- she called me last night or called me up.... 6she got angry at/with me. 7- I love everything in/on her. 8- it is my turn to pay/pay up the telephone bill. 9-please call me in/on my other phone number. 10- his habit is to mull over before making decision. correct????? 11- what is your impression towards/on/to/ about the new teacher? 12- good luck in/on your trip. A: 1-she suffers from depression. 2- they laugh at / about his long hair. 3- in a bad mood. 4- she hates him and always pray on/against him ?? Don't understand what you want to say here 5- she called me last night or called me up…. Both OK 6- she got angry at/with me. Both OK 7- I love everything about her. 8- it is my turn to pay the telephone bill. 9-please call me on my other phone number. 10- his habit is to mull everything over before making decision. correct????? Yes 11- what is your impression of/ about the new teacher? 12- good luck on your trip. Q: can you please clarify how to use " laugh off"? and does it has the same meaning and usage of "mock" - in my forth example I meant she hates him too much and always wishes bad things for him such as to fall sick, fail in exams, ....etc I used it as opposite of " pray for" but I dont know what preposition can come with it ON or against.. and finally Is the following expression correct: " she is going to reply him on/to all the messages he sent her" A: 1. If you laugh something off, you make it sound unimportant to you. "Mock" means you try to show that another person's ideas or beliefs are stupid. 2. She wishes him ill 3. reply to Q: I just want to know what is grammatically correct: It will help our life gets better; or It will help our life to get better? A: Either "it will help our life to get better" or "it will help our life get better". Q: Can you tell me list of verbs which will not followed by preposition, like request, discussed..etc. eg1. i discussed the matter with him. eg2. i requested his help. A: There'd probably be too many to list! It's better to try and learn the prepositions which go with the verbs, rather than learning a list of verbs that don't need prepositions. Q: (on when, or just when?) to use "result to" and "result in"? Thanks a lot! A: I can't think of any situations where I'd use "result to". Use "result in": "The pay freeze has resulted in a lot more employee dissatisfaction." Q: I congratulated her for the brilliant success in the examination. is this correct? A: I congratulated her on her brilliant success.... Q: can u explain me when to use: -at and with - in, into and to -agreed to, agreed on and agreed with A: You agree with a person: "You're right. I agree with you." You agree on something: "So we've agreed on two points..." Q: "I have been IN the Sonoran Desert" or "I have been TO the Sonoran Desert"? A: Both are correct, depending on what you want to say. If you want to say you have had this experience, use "to". If you have just returned and want to say where you have been, say "in". Q: Do all words go after preposition is add ing if it's something? A: Yes, you need either a noun or a gerund (ing form) after a preposition.

Q: what is true and what is false in the following sentences? and why? : 1- who is behind you? 2- who is back you? 3- what can you see in the picture? 4- what can you see on the picture? A: Sentences 1 and 3 are correct. Q: "Behind the corner" or "around the corner"?? A: Round / around the corner. Q: "He smiled like crazy." Is this correct or should I say only: "He laughed like crazy"? A: It's fine to say that.

Direct and Indirect Questions in English Direct questions – yes / no questions in English. 1. He likes swimming. 2. He can swim long distances. 3. He is a good swimmer. To make sentence 1 into a question, you need to add does. The does goes before he. Does is only used if the subject is he, she or it – in all other cases, use do. The verb like goes after the subject, but it doesn't have an 's' on the end. Remember: after auxiliary verbs (like do, does, have, can, etc.) the verb is in the infinitive, without 'to'. "Does he like swimming?" Not "Does he likes swimming?" or "Do he like swimming?" If the sentence is in the past tense (he liked swimming), we use the past form of 'do' or 'does', which is did. The verb 'like' is still in the infinitive without 'to'. For example, "Did he like swimming?" Not "Did he liked swimming?" To make sentence 2 into a question, you don't need to use 'does' because you already have an auxiliary verb – can. So you put the can before he. "Can he swim long distances?" Not "Can swim he long distances?" or "Does he can swim long distances?" To make sentence 3 into a question, use is as the auxiliary. "Is he a good swimmer?" Not "Does he is a good swimmer?" or "Does he be a good swimmer?"

Direct questions – "wh" questions

What is your name? Why do you want this job? How much do you earn? How soon can you start? When did you see the advertisement? Where do you live? Which newspaper did you see the advertisement in? Who gave you my name? After the "wh word" (what, why, how, when, etc) comes the auxiliary (do, does, did or can), then the subject (you) , then the rest of the question. Note: if 'who', 'which' or 'what' are the subject of the question, you don’t need an auxiliary. For example, "What happened?" Not "What did happen?" The thing that happened is what – the subject of the question. "Who saw you?" Someone saw you – who was it? Compare with "Who did you see?" You saw someone – who was it?) "Which company made a profit?" A company made a profit – which company was it? Compare with "Which company did you work for?" You worked for a company – which one was it?

Indirect questions in English If you want to ask a question that is quite sensitive, try using one of the indirect phrases below: Can you tell me… Could you tell me… I'd be interested to hear… I'd like to know… Would you mind telling me… These questions are followed by either about, a "wh word" or if. Then you add the subject, then the sentence. You don't need an 'auxiliary', such as 'do', 'does', 'did', or 'can'. "Can you tell me what you like most about your present job?" Not "Can you tell me what do you like?" "I'd be interested to hear about your experiences." "Would you mind telling me if you have applied for a similar position before?"

Q: Tell me in which situation what type of question should be asked? For example: 1) Did you see the movie? 2) Have you seen the movie? 3) You saw the movie? Are they all right questions, if yes, which one is right for which situation. A: Question 1 and 2 ask much the same thing. Question 1 refers to a past event, whereas question 2 asks whether you have had the experience of seeing the movie. Question 3 is not really a question, but if you had rising intonation (on the movie?) it sounds like a question. We would use this if we were surprised: I saw Departed. You saw the movie? Q: Which one is correct? "Do you know who is this?" or "Do you know who this is?". A: "Do you know who this is?" is correct. Q: When we ask a negative question, where do we place "not"? for example: 1) haven't you seen the movie? 2) Have you not seen the movie? A: The first one is more common, as we tend to abbreviate the auxiliary form "haven't". Q: I just want to know that when we ask a negative question, where do we place "not"? for example: why you did not come last night? why did you not come last night? A: The first one is correct. (After the auxiliary.) Q: for indirect questions shall I place the verb to be at the end? what is the rule. A: The verb goes at the end: What is your name? (Direct question) Can you tell me what your name is? (Indirect question) The word order of indirect questions looks like a positive statement, with noun + verb. Q: When do we use "do" in questions vs. when do we use "be" in questions? Is there a hard and fast rule? A: Use "be" in questions where the verb is the verb "to be": She is French. Is she French? Use "do" in questions when there is a "lexical" verb, such as live, work, eat etc She eats vegetables and fruit. Does she eat meat? Q: how to make this sentence indirect: A child asked in wonder,"who created the heavens and all the beautiful things around us?" A: A child asked who had created the heavens and all the beautiful things around us. *: We use "be" when the verb is "to be", so "Are you free?" and not "Do you be free". We use the "do" for most verbs: "Do you like pizza?" or "Do you know him?" Q: what is the structure for this question. Do you know where the cat is? A: A direct question is "Where is the cat?" But in indirect questions, we have an introductory phrase like "Do you know" or "I'd like to know". Then you have the question word (where / what / why etc), plus noun and verb. An important thing to remember is that in indirect questions, the word order of the question looks more like a statement (noun - verb). In direct questions (Where is the cat?) you have an inversion, with question word - verb - noun. Q: What's the time? Do/know? Do you know what time it is? Why do we put "it" in the indirect form? Why not: Do you what the time is? Hmm A: You can say "Do you know what the time is?" as well as "Do you know what time is it?" The direct question is either "What time is it?" (indirect "Do you know what time it is?") and "What's the time?" (indirect "Do you know what the time is?") Hope that helps. Q: what would be the indirect question. he asked what is your name? A: He asked me what my name was. Q: how to make this sentence indirect: would you accept a cash settlement?

A: she / they would accept a cash settlement. Q: How do I change this question to an Indirect question. "How many stars are on the flag of Singapore?" A: He / she asked how many stars there were on the flag of Singapore. Q: what is correct? The little girl wants to know what is at the end of the rainbow. or The little girl wants to know what at the end of the rainbow is. A: The first one is correct. Q: how to change the sentence, " The sun's heat in the morning is a good source of vitamin D." in question using What does? would it be possible? A: What does the sun's heat provide in the morning? Q: when we use the word of "if" for example "do you know if he lives around there" how can we make it direct question thanks.. A: Does he live around here? Q: what is an information question? Is the following question an information question or a yes or no question? Have you got any idea who invented the first washing machine? A: I think it's a yes/no question, as the answer to "Have you got any idea...." is either yes or no. Q: If I say "What's wrong?"... Is there an indirect question??? A: She asked me what was wrong. Q: I am wondering why the direct question: -Could you help me? can be written indirectly: -Do you know if you could help me? but there is no "if" when we say: -Do you think you could help me? A: The first one sounds strange, as we'd use it when we weren't sure if the other person knew the answer: Do you know if the Number 20 bus stops here? You don't need "if" in the second question, as it's a direct request (not asking for information). The answer is either yes or no! Q: can if be used instead of that like he asked me that I know about him. or he asked me if i know about him. A: No, because it's a question you need to use "if" and not "that". Q: what is your problem? convert above question in indirect question A: He asked me what my problem was. Q: Is it correct "can you tell me who Don quixote wrote" and do you know where located the golden bridge?" A: Can you tell me who wrote DQ? Do you know where the golden bridge is located? Q: could you tell me the indirect sentence of : who was the last person you talked to? A: Can you tell me who the last person you talked to was? Q: Which one is correct? Guess who I am looking at? or Guess who am I looking at? Thanks A: The first one is correct. Q: Is this correct? 1)"Did you finished eating?" 2)"I just finished eating." A: 2 is fine. You might also hear "I've just finished eating". 1 should be "Have you finished eating?" or "Did you finish eating?" Q: I want to know that in the following sentences which one is correct? how much do you serious for your work? How much you are serious for your work? A: How serious about work are you? How serious are you about work?

Question Tags Question tags are used in English to encourage someone to carry on talking. We use these question tags when we want to ask a question, or if we want someone to agree with us. She doesn't like swimming, does she? (No, she doesn't.) He can't cook, can he? (No he can't.) He's interesting, isn't he? (Yes, he is.) We've been here before, haven't we?

How to make question tags To make a question tag in English, use the auxiliary verb (if there is one) in the sentence. She doesn't like… (doesn't is the auxiliary) He can't cook… (can't is the auxiliary) He's interesting… (is is the auxiliary) We've been here… (have is the auxiliary)

Negative and positive tags If the auxiliary is negative, the tag is positive. NEGATIVE She doesn't like… …does she? POSITIVE If the auxiliary is positive, the tag is negative. POSITIVE He's interesting… …isn't he? NEGATIVE

No auxiliary? If there isn't an auxiliary in the verb, use the right form of 'do' instead.

He likes tennis, doesn't he? You saw her last week, didn't you? We don't know that for a fact, do we?

Pronunciation If your voice goes up on the tag, you make a question. If your voice drops on the tag, then you aren't making a question, but you are asking someone to agree with you. Q: I am confused when to use does and do. What’s the difference? A: We use "does" for third person singular, but "do" for I, you, we and they. You don't know him, do you? He likes music, doesn't he? Q: What about sentences like this: -Let's play tennis,...............? -I'm not late today,.............? A: Let's play tennis, shall we? I'm not late today, am I? Q: How can we make question tags of the sentences like this: I have a car. She has a flat. And, how can we agree with these question(tag)s? I have a car, don't I? She has a flat, doesn't she? (Yes, you do / Yes, she does.) A: I have a car haven't I ? she has a flat hasn't she ? No! I have a car, don't I? She has a flat, doesn't she? I am a teacher.arent I? Q: Please, somebody can help me out? what's the question tag in this sentence: That wouldn't do, ....? A:.. would it? Q: How to make question tags of sentences like this: every boy brings their own bags,....? I needn't have gone,...? A: Everybody brings their own bags, don't they? I needn't have gone, need I? Q: Let us go dancing to night,..........? Shall you? or Won't we? I thought ," Won't we" is correct. But someone advise to "Shall you". Please give the explanation. Thks & rgds A: Let's go dancing tonight, shall we?" Q: I ain't going to the party,.........? What should I write here ? A:... am I? Q: This won't solve the question , .... ? There is no need to debate this issue, ... ? what can i write here Her room always looks Clean , doesn't she ???? Am 1 right? A: This won't solve the question , will it? There is no need to debate this issue, is there? Her room always looks Clean , doesn't it? You need to find the auxiliary in the sentence to make the tag question. Q: Make a question, Lal bahadur shastri was 2nd prime minister of India. question should be such that , "2nd" should be its answer... A: I often get questions like this! Any question you make with something like 2nd, 5th, 100th etc in the question sounds very strange in English. It would perhaps be better to ask "LBS was the first, second, or third prime minister of India?" Or, "Was LBS the first, second, or third....?" Q: thanks for your reply But what if the one who is asking the question doesnt know abt LBS prime ministry ranking.... I need to translate my regional language to english....and it is getting difficult to translate this type of questions to english.... i

got translation like this ,but it seems to be sumwhat incorrect, what u think? of what rank was LBS , in Indian prime ministry ? A: In the chronological history of India's prime ministers, where does LBS fit in? Q: Let us go dancing tonight , ................? I think it will be ( Will you or won't you ?) I think so as it is a kind of order or request . Am I right ? A: Let's go dancing tonight, shall we? For suggestions, use "shall" in the question tag. Q: hi! about this sentence:" too violent for you,was it?"why "was" is not in the nagative form? thanks A: You can have question tags where both the tag and the sentence are affirmative or negative. We often use this pattern to show interest (as in your example). When you leave out part of the sentence (such as a pronoun "it" and verb "was") it is called ellipsis, also as in your example: Too violent for you, was it? (omitting "it was") Q: first,i didnt underestand a main point in your reply you said,we often use this pattern to show interest.you know I did not feel it in that sentence.could you analyze that sentence a bit so that i get what you meant by interest?please...please!thats a very nice point! A: So, you're Fatima, are you? (I've finally met you!) Too violent for you, was it? (Tell me more about this violent film) Q: which sentence is the correct one among these two "how many clothes does she has?" or 'how many clothes does she have" please reply cause this has confused me a lot A: The second is correct. Q: How can make question tags like sentance Let me help you? A: If it's a request or order, you can use "will" in the tag: Let me help you, will you? Q: In question tag, how I express myself correctly if I do not agree the speaker ? I.E. they danced in wabble, didn't they? No, I don't think so. Very good, question tag used to open a dialog or ask someone to agree the opinion. It is raining, isn't it? Yes, it is. She is not fat, is she ? No, she is not. I doubt your statment, she is overweight at all. Looking foward to applying. Great thanks! A: What you've said is fine, except the last, where you could say "I don't really agree - she's quite overweight in my opinion." Q: May I ask a question. Man is mortal.........? What should I write A: .. isn't he? Q: You don't like curry, right? Can I know how to answer the question above? No I don't or..? A: "No, I don't" or "Actually, yes, I do!" Q: is this correct? Ana looks beautiful, doesn't she? or, it should be -ana looks beautiful, isn't she? since looks is a linking verb... A: Ana looks beautiful, doesn't she? Q: Let us go out..........? What would be the question tag,please? A: ... shall we? Q: I have difficulty with the following sentence: It was very kind of Peter to cook spaghetti the other night, isn't it? Should I reply with: "Yes, it was". Or: "Yes, it is". Or even, " Yes indeed." Which one is correct? A: It should be: It was very kind...... wasn't it. You reply: Yes, it was. / Yes indeed. Q: How can we write question tag for these sentences: People think that only the rich are happy,.........? I don't think this idea would help you,..............? Nothing had

to be said,..............? My hair needed to be cut,.........? The news that the armed forces were nearly alarmed the citizens,........? A: People think that only the rich are happy, don't they. I don't think this idea would help you, would it. Nothing had to be said, did it. My hair needed to be cut, didn't it. The news that the armed forces were nearly alarmed the citizens, didn't it. Q: Could we have more explanation from you about when do we know the tag is referred to the main sentence and when does it [tag] refer to the subordinate clause as the two sentence above? Many thanks! Have a nice weekend! Cheer! A: This is a very good question. The only way I can explain it is that it's more a question of sense, than whether it's a main or subordinate clause. In the first, you're not asking for confirmation whether the rich are happy or not, but whether people think that. You're questioning the assumption (people think) rather than an idea (rich are happy.) But in the second, you're not questioning your own opinion (I don't think) but whether the specific advise you're giving is helpful or not (this idea would help you). We often use question tags not as real questions, but to get the other person to agree or disagree with us. Q: "There is a strong wind today, ISN´T THERE? Is this correct, please? A: Yes. Q: how to make a question tags in this sentence he will help me tomorrow,...? A: He will help me tomorrow, won't he?

Reported Speech Sometimes you need to tell people about your conversations and change direct speech into indirect speech. When you do this, you need to make sure that the tenses are correct. For example, Karen says to Peter: "My job is very interesting." Peter then wants to report this conversation to Sarah a week later. He says: "Karen said that her job was interesting." When you report a conversation, the tense changes: "My job is very interesting" becomes: She said that her job was very interesting.

Tense changes "I'm going swimming" – She said she was going swimming. "I haven't seen the film" – She said she hadn't seen the film. "I have been working all morning" – She said she had been working all morning. "I was working all week" – She said she had been working all week. "He went on holiday to Greece" – She said he had gone on holiday to Greece. Sentences that are already in the "had done" form remain the same: "I hadn't seen him before" – She said she hadn't seen him before.

Reporting modal verbs Modal verbs also go back one tense. Will becomes would. For example: "I will see him later" – She said she would see him later. Can becomes could. For example: "I can swim" – She said she could swim. May becomes might. For example: "It may become colder over night" – He said it might become colder over night. Direct speech using would, could, might and should all stay the same in reported speech. "You should speak more" – He said I should speak more.

Reporting questions When you report questions, the word order changes to look like a normal statement. For example: "Can you help me?" – She asked me if I could help her. "What's the time?" – He asked her what the time was.

Other changes Time expressions also change in reported speech. today – that day tomorrow – the day after / the next day yesterday – the day before / the previous day now – then next week – the week after last week – the week before / the previous week Other expressions that change: here – there this – that

Q: I do not know how to change "Come in!" into indirect speech. A: He asked her to come in. He invited her in. Q: "What did you see in the distance?" she asked me. How it is indirect speech ? A: She asked me what I could see in the distance. She asked me what I saw in the distance. Q: Mother: " i'm going to the mall to buy you new shoes." ( a minute later ...) My sister: where's mom. what should i answer to my sister? Should i say, " she said she was going to the mall to buy me new shoes." ? A: Yes, this is correct. Q: were you working last week? indirect: she asked me if I had been working the previous week is it correct? do I have to put "if"? A: Yes, to both questions. Q: how do you translate to the reported speech:"sorry,i couldn't help you"?..Thanks A: He said that he was sorry he couldn't help. Q: can you change this phrase into reported speech: When will you come? This man will come tomorrow. I have worked her for a long time. Thank you A: He asked me when I would come. He said that the man would come the next day. He said that he had worked for her for a long time. Q: Most times when people report the direct words of another speaker, instead of using "He said" for instance, most times I have heard people saying "He says". Is this right? Please I would like you to clarify this point because am really not comfortable. A: In informal English, or when you are telling a story, you can use "he says" instead of "he said": So I say .... and then he says.... You might also hear "go" instead of "say". In informal English, or when people tell stories, they use "says" rather than "said". Q: How can I change the following question into reported speech? "Don't try to make any excuse to shirk your duties." My boss told to him. Is it "My boss told to him not to try to make any excuse to shirk your duties"? But it seems to be very strange. Does anyone help me to get the most appropriate answer? A: My boss told him not to try to make any excuse to shirk his duties. Q: How do we change "What did he steal Mum?"he asked to reported speech. Is it ......He asked his mother what he had stolen or He asked his mother what did he steal ? A: He asked his mother what he had stolen. Q: hello my teacher had given us an exercise I wanted to know the truth if the statement ( she told me (you are very kind ) can accept both(she told me that I was very kind ) and (she told me that Iam very kind ) or not so please help me A: Yes, your teacher is right! All three are fine: She told me you are very kind She told me that I was very kind She told me that I am very kind Firstly, after "told someone" you can either have "that" or not have "that". Secondly, if the person is still kind, you can keep the verb in the present tense. Alternatively, you can put the verb back one tense and make it (in this example) the past simple. Q: I think that (here) in direct speech would change to (there) in reported speech but when the reporting verb is in the present simple is it remained unchanged ? as in the statement he prohibits them"don't play here" is it false that here changed to there thank you A: He prohibited them from playing there. (Normally we change here to there in reported speech.)

Q: Where does James live? I have no idea where does james live. Do you want to go out tonight? I’m not sure if I want to go out tonight. Have I passed the exam? I’m sorry. I can’t tell you if you have passed you’re exam. How many languages are there in the word? I haven’t got a clue how many languages where there in the world. Who’s that woman over there? I can’t remember who was that woman. Did Ben buy some more sugar? I don’t know if Ben has bought more sugar. ‘Don’t forget to take all your belongings with you, said the driver to the passengers as they left the coach. As the passengers left the coach, the driver reminded them not to forget their belongings. If I were you, I wouldn’t visit that area late at night, said the travel agent to the young couple. ‘The travel agent advised young couple not to visit the area late at night. Would you like to stay at my house?’ said Peter to James. Peter asked James if he would like to stay in his house. ‘I won’t eat my vegetables!’ said Timmy. Timmy refused to eat his vegetables. ‘I’ll give you a lift into town,’ said Ray to Mary. Ray offered Mary to give her a lift into town. ‘Put that diamond necklace down?’ the police officer said to the burglar. The police officer ordered to a burglar to put the diamond necklace down. I’m going to work in Spain next year. Rachel said she was going to work in Spain next year. I work for a small publishing company. Rachel said that she was working in a small publishing company. I’m their marketing manager. Rachel said that she was their marketing manager. The company has opened an office in Barcelona. Rachel said that the company had opened an office in Barcelona. It’s been very successful. Rachel said that it had been very successful. I’ve been chosen to run a new office in Madrid. Rachel said that she has been chosen to run a new office in Madrid. I’m studying Spanish in the evenings. Rachel said that she was studying Spanish in the evenings. I don’t have much time to enjoy myself. Rachel said that she didn’t have much time to enjoy herself. I haven’t had lunch with a friend for ages. Rachel said that she hadn’t had lunch with a friend ages. is it correct? A: All are correct except the ones below (which I have corrected for you - see the words in bold.) Where does James live? I have no idea where James lives. Have I passed the exam? I’m sorry. I can’t tell you if you have passed your exam. How many languages are there in the word? I haven’t got a clue how many languages there are in the world. Who’s that woman over there? I can’t remember who that woman is. Did Ben buy some more sugar? I don’t know if Ben bought more sugar. If I were you, I wouldn’t visit that area late at night, said the travel agent to the young couple. ‘The travel agent advised the young couple not to visit the area late at night. ‘I’ll give you a lift into town,’ said Ray to Mary. Ray offered to give Mary a lift into town. ‘Put that diamond necklace down?’ the police officer said to the burglar. The police officer ordered the burglar to put the diamond necklace down. I’m going to work in Spain next year. Rachel said she was going to work in Spain the following year. I work for a small publishing company. Rachel said that she worked in a small publishing company. I’ve been chosen to run a new office in Madrid. Rachel said that she had been chosen to run a new office in Madrid. I haven’t had lunch with a friend for ages. Rachel said that she hadn’t had lunch with a friend for ages. Q: I could not able to make out when should we use "IF" in between the reporting speech. Please give few examples along with how to use and when to use. A: He asked me if I had seen the film. ("Have you seen the film?") He asked me if I knew the answer. ("Do you know the answer?") Q: help me with my doubts? 1 I know from the rule that the verbs could,must,should,etc. used in the direct speech don't have to change in the reported.But my teacher also said that could and must may become 'to be able to'

and 'have to' in the reported speech and that I have to use the past tenses of these verbs. but are they always interchangeable or there is a rule for the choice? so how should I write this sentence? Brian said to his friend '' I couldn't get my car to start'' Should I write -Brian said to his friend that he couldn't get his car to start- or -Brian said to his friend that he had not been able to get his car to start- ? 2 in the sentence I've been studying a lot recently is it correct to replace recently with 'at that time' in the reported speech? A: Yes, I agree with your teacher. But if you use "could" in direct speech as a request, you don't use "able to" in the reported speech: "Could I speak to Sarah please?" = She asked me if she could speak to Sarah. In your sentence, I think you can use both "couldn't" and "wasn't able to". You can't go one tense back from "couldn't" so it stays the same. Q: can you help me to turn this sentences into reported speech...? 1.Fetch the lady's shawl,please. 2.Let's go and have supper at the lovely restaurant over there. 3.I didn't expect to be given such information. Can I get the answers till tomorrow before 1 o'clock pm cuz i need them urgent, please.... Thank you. A: 1. He told him / her to fetch the lady's shawl. 2. He suggested supper at the restaurant over there. 3. She said that she didn't expect to be given... Q: Nasty girls say to Christy, "Have you seen our new car today." Five minutes later Christy tells Samantha: "The nasty girls asked whether I had seen their new car today". A day later Christy tells Jane: "The nasty girls asked whether I had seen their new car yesterday." A week later Christy tells Monica: "The nasty girls asked whether I had seen their new car a week ago." My question is: if we use backshift, should the time expression MUST be changed too or it has to follow WHEN we reported it. I'm so confused about time expression. Please help, thanks. A: Time expressions also change in reported speech: yesterday - the day before last week - a week ago But I think you need to decide if the time expression refers to when the girls asked, or when you saw their car. If the first, you can say: The girls asked me today/ yesterday / a week ago whether I had seen their new car. Q: "when does the performance start" is it correct: he asked me when did the performance start? A: He asked me when the performance started. Q: how to report a statement like the following:1-"With the global market meltdown, many employees are being laid off "(this is a current situation) 2-The moon plays a vital role in the stability of the earth"(scientific truth) thx in advance. A: The newspaper reported that many people were being laid off in the global market meltdown. The newspaper reports that many people are being laid off.... (note that the reporting verb "reports" is in the present tense) He said that the moon plays / played... Of the two I prefer the first, as this is a scientific truth which is always true. Q: please help me to know the rules in reporting statement especially in reporting the general truths,facts and simple conversation/statements thanks A: If the thing you are reporting is still true (i.e. general truths and facts) then you don't need to go back one tense: He said that the earth is round. He said he's going to London tomorrow. Q: Are these sentences correct? I thought you have to change the verb back to past tense? if they are correct then when do we use present tense and when do we use past tense? From a blog that was created the same day as the football practice: After practice, coach Johnson said he's (he was) seeing good things from Robert. Specifically, Johnson said he sees (saw) Wilson correcting teammates after they make (made) errors.

A: If you're reporting something that happened in the past, then use past tenses. After practice, coach Johnson said he was seeing good things from Robert. Specifically, Johnson said he had seen Wilson correcting teammates after they had made errors. Q: What is wrong here:"They claimed they hadn't braken the low"..Why we need to say"They claimed they were not breaking the low"? A: It's not wrong, but in the first sentence, "breaking the law" happened before the conversation. In the second, the people were told they were doing something wrong at the time of the conversation. Q: I don't understand how 'let' is changed into indirect speech in the following sentence: Vandana said to Rubina, "Let the boy come in." Should it be 'Vandana told Rubina that the boy might be allowed to come in.' OR 'Vandana told Rubina that the boy be allowed to come in.' Please help. A: We don't use "let" in the passive, which is why you use "allow". In the second example you have, the verb form is in the subjunctive (told... that be allowed..) as it suggests a future wish / command. In the first, "might be" is a suggestion. Q: In the following sentence, 'He said to his friends, "Let us go for a walk."', the indirect speech will be : 'He proposed to his friends that they should go for a walk.' Is it correct to write 'suggested' instead of 'proposed'? A: Yes, you can use "suggested" instead. You can also delete the "should" with both proposed / suggested. Q: The sentence " I had moved here a week before the flood", he said. -----> He said that he had moved there a week before the flood. Thanks, A: Correct! Q: please help me to change this into indirect speech. The visitor said to me," Thank You". I think it should be The visitor expressed thanks to me. Is it correct? kindly reply me??? A: Yes, that's fine. You could also say "The visitor thanked me". Q: Sir, please help me in making this sentence into indirect speech. I said to him," Don't interfere in my affairs". I think it should be I warned him not to interfere in my affairs. Is it correct? A: Yes, fine. You could also say "told" or "asked" instead of "warned". Q: She asked me, " Are you working at the Taj?" I said, "Yes". He said, "Do you play cricket Ramesh?" "No", said Ramesh. Kindly help me change the above sentences into indirect speech. A: She asked me if I was working at the Taj, and I said I was. He asked Ramesh if he played cricket, and Ramesh said he didn't. Q: could you correct my reported speech I was talking to my husband to tell him about my friend. 1.She called me today,she said she is not feeling well or she said she was'nt feeling well 2.She said she could not come over or She said She cant come over thank you A: 1. I was telling my husband about my friend. 2. She called me today and said she wasn't feeling well. 3. She said she couldn't come over. If the reporting verb (call, say) is in the past tense, it's best to keep the rest in the past tense as well. Q: How do you translate to the reported speech: stop doing that! A: He asked / told / ordered me to stop doing that. Q: Translate to reported speech: Joy: When is your aunt visiig you? Mary: She is planning to come in September. Joy: Wouldn't our exams have started by then? Mary: That's true. I have called her and requested her to come only after my exams. Joy asked Mary when her aunt was visiting her. Mary replied that she was planning to come in September. Joy enquired ______________ by then. Mary said that it was

true and added that she had called her aunt and requested her to come only after her exams. Plz help me fill the blank and make me aware if there are any mistakes in my paragraph. Thanks Isuel Via A: Joy enquired / wondered if their exams would have started by then. (or better) Joy thought that their exams would have started by then. In direct speech, I think Joy would say "Won't our exams..." The rest of your paragraph is excellent! Q: I want 2 know that isn't correct. Most of the time aunty asked about you. She asked 2 me was he called you daily. I replied no. A: She asked me if he called you daily and I replied 'no',

Using Wish English speakers use "wish" to show that they want a situation to be different. The verb after "wish" is one tense back, so that if you are wishing for a different present situation, the tense that follows "wish" is past simple or past continuous. If you are wishing that a past situation was different, the tense that comes after "wish" is past perfect. You can also use "wish" with modal verbs in English.

Wish and present situations Situation: My sister is untidy. (Verb "to be" in the present simple) Wish:I wish she was tidier. (Verb "to be" in past simple) Situation: I am going to London next week. (Verb "to go" in present continuous) Wish: "I wish I wasn't going to London next week." (Verb "to go" in past continuous) Situation: I haven't studied for the English test. (Verb "to study" in present perfect) Wish: "I wish I had studied for the English test." (Verb "to study" in past perfect)

Wish and past situations Situation: I didn't go on holiday this year. (Verb "to go" is in past simple) Wish: "I wish I had gone on holiday this year. (Verb "to go" is in past perfect.)

Wish with modal verbs With could to refer to ability Situation: I can't play a musical instrument. Wish: "I wish I could play a musical instrument." With would to refer to habits and free will Situation: He whistles in the office. Wish: I wish he wouldn't whistle in the office. (In this sentence you are stressing the fact he wants to whistle and makes a habit of it.)

You could also say: "I wish he didn't whistle in the office." (In this sentence you aren't stressing his desire to whistle, but you are just making a comment about a present situation.) Q: with the verb wish sometimes we use the sentence: i wish i were ...... not: i wish i was so is that correct? Yes. Strictly speaking, it's more grammatically correct to say "I wish I were". However, you will hear people saying "I wish I was." A: The first form : I wish I were, is a formal english. The second one is common. Incorrect, but very used i wish i stay longer in The Bahamas. it is so beautiful. I wish I could stay longer in The Bahamas. in english we usualy use wishs when some one want go to somewhere but it impossibe for him ,so in the same time or in the same way he say : i wish i was/were in london , Q: can we use WISH for future tense? like if i dont want something to happen in future eg."i wish i dont get any letter tomorrow from my principle" is it correct? No: "I hope I won't get a letter tomorrow..." or if i want something to happen in future eg."i wish it rains tomorrow" "I wish it would rain tomorrow." When we wish for something different in a present situation, we use the past: I wish I wasn't so tall. (But I am tall.) When we wish that someone else would change in the future, we use would: I wish you would listen to me! (But you don't) When we wish that the past had been different, we use the past perfect: I wish I had studied harder at school. (But I didn't) ** Can we formally or in everyday language use the present simple after wish in English grammar? See these examples: I wish to see the Manager. (I want to see...) I wish I could speak French. (But I can't) I wish I was by the sea. (But I'm not) We use wish to talk about situations that aren't real. For this reason, we don't use the present simple, but past tenses. How can i make a sentence about my wish for future? I mean my wish is that i want to be an engineer in future. Please make a sentence for it. I wish I could be an engineer. Q: this sentence correct? i wish i could see him....... he is far from me and i want to see him A: Yes, your sentence is correct. Q: the rule is wish+past tense (to change reality) why can't we say I wish I changed my appearance ( to mean I wish I could change my appearance)? Wish + past tense = to regret a present situation: I wish it wasn't raining. (It's raining now.) Wish + could = refer to ability I wish I could change my appearance. You can't say "I wish I changed" because that would refer to a present situation. In fact, you are talking about your hope for the future, which is why you need "could". A: If you wanted someone else to change their appearance, you could say "I wish you would change your appearance". Q: wish I could go to moon . I wish I could work from home.(As i was working earlier but now i left my job) I wish i could change my house. are these sentences correct? Yes, though it should be "go to the moon". A: use the verb wish,followed by a past,when we would like something to be true that is not true right now. ex: She wishes she could drive. in the above example she can't but she desires to drive. **: h + Past Tense Clause can be expressed in tow ways. 1. Sub+wish(es)+(that) +sub+Verb second form or (didn't+Verb first form)+ Rest of the sentence Ex: I wish (that )I had a car. 2.Sub+wish(es)+(that)+sub+were )+ Rest of the sentence Ex: He

wishes (that ) he were the president. Remember: If the clause after ''wish '' is positive it gives negative meaning. Ex: He wishe he were a singer. the above example means that he is not a singer,but he wants. we wish we were not party members. the above example means that we are the members,but we don't want. Q: someone tell me if this sentence is correct and why or why not. Please be advised that the beneficial owner of the above-stated company wish to have this company struck off the register. should it say wish or wishes? and why A: d say "wishes". Q: could it be argued that it could be both! or is it incorrect period? A: "Wishes" is correct as "owner" is singular. Because of this, "wish" is incorrect to me, as you'd use it for a plural noun: "the owners wish..." Q: I wished I had gone with them. Does this show regret? A:Yes, it shows a past regret. You could also say "I wish I had gone with them" to show you still regret not going with them. Q: Is this use of wish correct? "I'm glad you asked this question because others may wish similar clarification." Shouldn't there be a "for" in there? Or is it okay to drop as in "We wish you a merry Christmas?" A: Wish can be used in place of "want" in formal situations. For example, "I wish to see the manager". But in your example sentence, I prefer ".... others would perhaps like similar..." or "wish for" as you have said. Q: Please tell me that this sentence is correct or not. I wish i would have gone to party. A: I wish I had gone to the party. Q: please explain the difference in btw with for and wish to. for ex, if you are wishing for peace to somebody, it should be "wish peace to you" or "wish peace for you" ? many thanks! A: In your sentence, you can use "I wish you..." I wish you a happy and peaceful New Year! / I wish you peace and happiness in 2009. Q: I need 2 ask this that can I say I wish I go there. cause I want to go there. or I should say I wish I went there. and I wish could have met him. because I dint meet him in past. A: "I wish to go there" is more formal than "I want to go there." "I wish I went there" is not correct, as we use wish + past tense to talk about regrets for present situations, such as "I wish I was rich" = I am not rich now. "I wish I had met him" = I didn't meet him in the past. Q: Is the sentence below correct?pls help me understand between"wished and wish" 1."I wished I could afford to buy an apartment" 2. "I wish I could afford to buy an apartment" Thanks^^ A: Yes, both are correct. The first one talks about a wish you had in the past, while the second talks about a wish you have for now or the future. Q: Is it possible to use the present perfect tense with 'wish'? like this. I have wished he would finished his project. A: No. Either "I wish he would..." or "I wished he had..." Q: please: 1)what is different btw could and would in wish? 2)how can i wish for something that i did in the past and now i regret about that?eg" i whish we would stay in canada" now i am in other contry and i dont wish to stay in ca but it was good if we did in the past. A: I wish we could have stayed in Canada. Q: Is this correct, " Sheehan wishes it were already May". Or is it better " Sheehan wishes it was already May"?

A: Yes. Q: Can I say? "I wish I can go" A: It should be "I wish I could go". You can't use "can" here. Q: I wish I would have more free time to study speaking english A: I wish I had / I wish I could have... Q: I hope it will not rain tomorrow I hope it would not rain tomorrow Which one is correct? A: The first is correct. Q: from the above u corrected someone "i wish i would have gone to the party" into "i wish i had gone to the party" but can i say this one instead? " i wish i could have gone to the party" or still " i wish had gone to the party" is better? A: Yes, you can say "I wish I could have gone to the party" but you need "I" before "had" in "I wish I had gone to the party". Q: I wish i would be at the church tomorrow attending the necrological mass of the late philippine president corazon aquino. is this correct? A: I wish I could be at the church tomorrow to attend the mass for the late Philippine president, Corazon Aquino. Q: Clare, I know this question is off the topic but what does *'d* mean and how, when and why do we use it? e.g. We'd better hurry. I hope you can help explain the usage of this for me- thanks! A: The first is correct. The second: "I wish I hadn't told my secrets..." (because you have told them and now you regret it) The third is fine in UK English, but should be "I wish she were nice" in US English. We'd better = We had better. It's just a fixed phrase and we use it to urge action. Q: I noticed something in the examples above. I wish she was tidier and i wish i was not going to London next week. Why not "were"? I wish she were tidier? I wish i were not going to London next week. A: You can use "were" instead of "was". It's considered more correct, but in British English we'd tend to use "was". Q: In spanish, I have the sentence: "Piensa en algo que no desearías que cambiara." In english, this is: "Think of something you wouldn´t want to be changed" but I don´t understand why shlould I use "Would" and not "Wish" as in my original sentence: Think of something that you wish it wouldn´t have to be changed A: Think of something you wouldn't wish to be changed. Q: What is the difference between the sentenses: 1. I wish you would come tomorrow. 2. I wish you could come tomorrow. A: In the first, the other person doesn't want to come and you want to change his / her mind. In the second, the other person can't come tomorrow. Q: i wish it was 1800hr or i wish it is 1800hr ? A: I wish it was... Q: Please advise me if I'm wrong: I wish you had a prosperous year ahead. Is it correct? Thank you. A: No. You could write "Wishing you a prosperous year ahead" or "All my wishes for a prosperous year ahead". Q: hi, Mr Clare please correct my sentences: 1. suppose you are my teacher or suppose you were my teacher. 2. he acts as if he is a movie star or he acts as if he was/were a movie star thank you sir.GBU A: All your sentences are correct. The difference is that the second version is considered more correct, while the first version is more used in spoken English.

Q: which one is correct: "I wish i were wearing a coat" or "i wish i was wearing a coat". A: The first is considered more correct, although you will often hear British English speakers saying the second. Q: plz answer me .. is the following wish correct ?knowing that i'm in twenties ... " i wish i had still been a child " & can we use "if "with "wish" in the same sentence 4 example in the 1 i've just mentioned? A: When we use wish, we want a present (or past) situation to be different. We go one tense back: if we wish something different from a past situation we use the past perfect, and if we wish something different for a present situation, we use the simple past. Your wish now is that you were still a child. So the correct sentence is "I wish I was still a child" or "I wish I were still a child". Q: which one is correct: I wish she didn't make so many mistakes in her speech or I wish she wouldn't make...? A: Both are correct. Q: And what's the difference then? A: I wish she didn't make so many mistakes in her speech = you are making a comment about a present situation. She makes mistakes (present) and you wish she didn't do this. I wish she wouldn't make so many mistakes = would being the past tense of will, in this example you refer to a person's intention and you want them to stop. It's almost as if she deliberately makes mistakes, rather than the fact she doesn't know she's making mistakes. I wish you wouldn't smoke = you decide to smoke, I don't like it, and I would like you to stop doing it in the future. Q: how should i say in the following situation: i'm telling a story. I want to say that a year ago i had a drem or an ambition to do something. Can i say this using "wished"? A: Yes. Or use "wanted", which is less formal. Q: One of my students wants to know if this sentence is correct: "I wish you had been here since 3 o'clock" OR "I wish you were here since I arrived." . . . I told him these were wrong, because "since" is used with the Present Perfect ("have been here since 3 o'clock"). However, I'm not sure how to explain to him WHY this is wrong and what he should write instead. Could someone help me out? The main issue: How to use phrases with "Since" inside a conditional "Wish" structure. Thanks so much! A: I don't think you can have a structure of duration (i.e. since + present perfect) in a wish clause, as we use these to talk about our regrets about the present, or our regrets about the past - not our regrets of "duration". Regrets about past I wish you had got here at 3 pm. I wish you had been here at 3 pm. I wish you had been here for the beginning of the play. Regrets about present I wish you were here with me. Does this explanation sound about right to you?

How to choose your English tenses Using the correct tense and verb form is important in English grammar. Here's a simple rule to help you choose which tense to use – which tense you use depends on how you see the event or action.

Routine or permanent situations

- use the simple form. For example, "I live in London" tells you that "live" is true all the time – London is my home. "I lived in the countryside when I was a child" – this was a long-term situation in the past.

Temporary or continuing situations - use the continuous form. For example, "I'm working as a secretary at the moment" – the job isn't permanent and maybe I'm doing it for a while until I get another job. "House prices are rising" – they are continuing to rise and haven't stopped rising yet. "She was wearing a black dress" – she put it on before I saw her and she still wore it after I saw her – wearing the dress continued over a period of time.

Connecting different times - use the perfect form to show that one event was completed before another, or to show that one situation continues from one time to another. For example, "I have lived here for two years" – I started to live here two years ago and I still live here. "I will have finished the report before next week" – some time before next week, but I don't know exactly when. "He had studied law before he met her" – he studied law before he met her, but we don't know when. Q: what did you do last night?The answer is I read a book or I was reading a book. A: I'd say "I read a book" even if you didn't finish it. Q: I will go to the bank tomorrow. I am going to the bank tomorrow. The above sentenses are Future Simple Tense. Which one is the correct to use in what situation.? Please recommend. Thks & regs. A: The first is "will" future, and the second is present continuous. We use "will" for predictions, and the first continuous for fixed arrangements. See the page on future forms in the grammar section of the site for more information. Q: Can I ask you if we merged tow tenses together what will happen ? fror example , My car have been being repaired . what is the time for this sentence, and thank you. A: Your sentence isn't grammatically correct. I think you're trying to do a present perfect continuous passive (My car has been being repaired) but we just wouldn't say this in English. There are too many auxiliaries! Instead: My car is being repaired My car has been repaired It is clear and informative but is n't it too simple? Q: 1. Study the following examples of mistakes made by learners of English. Identify the error in each case. Why was the mistake made? What does the student not know? Example: ³I`ve seen that film two weeks ago². This should read ³ I saw that film two weeks ago². The student does not know that the Present Perfect form is not

used to talk about specific times in the past. In this case the simple past is needed. A. ³She`s getting up at seven o`clock every day. B. Maria: ³Why don`t you join us for dinner this evening? Ingrid: I`d love to do but I`ll see OHamlet at the National Theatre. A: a: For habits and routines we use the Present Simple (not Present Continuous). B: For planned future intentions we use the "going to" future or the Present Continuous, not "will". Q: when i say "i lost my wallet" could it mean that i lost the wallet last week and luckily someone returned it back to me? when i say "i have lost my wallet" does it mean that up to now i still dont have my wallet since the day i lost it? :) A: "I lost my wallet" = a past action, but there isn't any idea that someone has returned it to you. "I've lost my wallet" = a past action with a result in the present. You'd say it when you can't find your wallet now, or when someone asks you to pay for something, you look in your pocket, and realise that the wallet is no longer there. Q: I have read an article from a megazine of a prominent company in my country.The article says: "I remain firmly commited to continuing this policy and when a new building comes on-stream.............." My question is: Why the writer use "to continuing" instead of "to continue"?Is that sentence gramatically correct? As far as i'm concerned, the root verb should be used after the word of 'to'... Tq very much. A: After the verb "commit" you need "to" + gerund- "I am committed to continuing..." is correct. Q: Am I right to say, The prime minister, together with his advisers, is going to Australia. Is or are going? Thanks for your help. A: Yes - use "is". Q: What is correct tense: He says that she does not listen or He says that she is not listening? A: Both would be fine depending on what you mean. If she never listens, the first is fine. If she isn't listening at this particular moment, the second is fine. Q: Please tell the difference between following sentences . 1. I have gone to my native. I went to my native. 2.They have gone for lunch. They went for lunch. Thanks A: My native what?? Q: please tell me the difference between this two sentences. 1. My car is being repaired 2. My car has been repaired A: 1. This is happening now. 2. This has happened recently. Q: Is this sentence correct, please: "I WILL have a look at the timetable when our bus COMES." A: Yes. Q: "My friend told me that you like (or liked?) Physics." ?? A: Both are possible. Q: "the prime minister, together with the... Bla bla.. is going to australia" (previous comment), why "is"? Not "are"? I thought the subject is plural, not a single. A: The "together with..." part is additional to the sentence "the prime minister is going..." so the verb is still singular. Q: I found your website very useful. I am still very confused in how to use adverb of time like "this morning", "this afternoon" and "this evening". Which tense should be used? A: Which tense you use depends on whether you're still in that period of time. For example, if it's 11 am, you can say "This morning I'm clearing out my desk drawers." (What you're currently doing.) Or "This morning I've finished the report." (if you

completed the report at some point before now.) But if it's now 2pm, and the morning is finished, use the past tense: "This morning I booked my flights to the US." Q: Is this correct. She had learned cook before she met her. A: Yes, but it should be "she had learned TO cook before..." Q: "I have lived here for two years" – I started to live here two years ago and I still live here. The above sentence, where does it is signifying that the person is still living, according to me it is telling me that the person had lived there for 2 yrs but now he is not living there anymore. I'am confused plz clarify. A: The present perfect is a present tense, rather than a past tense. So in a sentence "I have lived here for two years" we understand that the situation is not past, but still present - i.e. the person moved here two years ago, and is still here. Q: it's correct i write like this: i had an experience as a chemistry lecturer for 1 year.Tq Claire A: Yes, or you could say "I worked as a chemistry lecturer for a year". If you are still working as a chemistry lecturer, you could say "I have worked as a chemistry lecturer for a year." Q: how do i know to use "to" + gerund"?when? A: We use this form in some expressions: look forward to doing something get used to doing something There's a page on using the gerund in the grammar section of the site if you'd like more information. Q: If I say , I will have finished my work by then" does that mean anytime or any specific time. A: No, it just means before a time in the future. In your sentence, we'd understand that time as "by then" . The speaker would already have indicated a time: We're closing the school at 5.30 OK. I'll have finished my work by then. (meaning, at some point before 5.30)

Present tenses in English This page will help you if you can't remember the difference between the Present Continuous tense ("I am doing"), and the Present Simple tense ("I do"). Which tense you use depends on how you see the state or action. If you use the Present Simple ("I do"), you think something is permanent. This means we often use the Present Simple to talk about general and scientific facts, our routines or habits, to give definitions and to describe things. The Present Continuous ("I am doing") means the action is happening now (or around now), is unfinished, or temporary. We use it to talk about trends and changes, or about situations happening now that are different from normal. "I live in London." (This is my home.) "I am living with my parents." (A temporary situation until I buy my own house.) "Hot air rises." (A scientific fact.) "House prices are rising." (A trend happening now.)

"I drive to work every day." (My routine or habit.) "I am walking to work this week." (My car is being repaired.) "At work I write letters to customers." (My job routine.) "I'm writing a difficult letter." (This is what I am doing right now and I haven't finished yet.) So the most important rule is that you use the Present Simple ("I do") for permanent states and the Present Continuous ("I am doing") for changes and trends. Some verbs cannot be used in the Present Continuous tense. This is because they already suggest permanence. These include: Verbs of possession – own, have, belong. (Although you can say "I am having a party", it doesn't mean you own the party, it means you are hosting a party.) Verbs of the mind – believe, know, think, forget. Verbs of emotion – love, hate, detest. Verbs of the senses – see, hear, smell, taste. ("I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow" means I am going to visit the doctor, but "I see the doctor" means "the doctor is standing in front of me".) Verbs of geographical location – lie. ("London lies on the River Thames".) *** I am confused by the list of verbs that cannot be used with the present continuous eg Where is Anna? She is seeing her son. You can use "see" in the continuous form, but it doesn't mean to physically see someone, but that you have an appointment. There's an example on the page: "I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow". I am thinking of going to visit her tomorrow. Yes, you can also use "think" in the continuous form, but it suggests a mental activity, rather than an opinion. I'm forgetting about the work I've still got to do. No: you either have forgotten, or you have remembered. You can't use "forget" in a continuous form. They are hating every minute of this interview. This is also OK, but quite a new use of the verb "hate". To me it seems that it's used to describe a continuous feeling, rather than a permanent opinion. A similar use is "I'm loving it", the McDonald slogan. While we are lying on the beach, we are smelling the sea and we are tasting the salt in the air. You can use smell / taste (and other sense verbs) if they are an activity. But in your example above, they seem more like abilities to me. When you are at the seaside, you can taste the salt in the air. It's not as if you go around with your tongue out trying to taste the salt. Q: I was reading a book and I came across the following structure. "I am hopping.You can hopping."The second sentence sounds strange,doesn't it ?Because I have heard that after modals like "can" we cannot use ing-forms directly. A: Correct. After modals, use the infinitive without "to".

Q: Is it correct to use: I am study English. I found this a little strange, but someone told me that it is grammatically right. A: No, it's incorrect. It should be either "I study" or "I'm studying". Q: please tell me about the exceptions of adding s of the third person singular and give me example of some verbs A: I can't think of any exceptions, except for when you add -es for verbs ending in a vowel, such as "go". Q: i usually hear a question like this" do you bring a camera?" is that right?? comparing with "are u bringing a camera?" which one is right?? and there's one more sentence "I come here to visit your mom" why we use simple present here, isn't the activities still happening at this moment of the speaking?? A: The first doesn't sound right, unless you are asking about someone's habits. "Do you bring a camera when you visit a different city?" Use the second if you are asking about someone's future plans: "Are you bringing a camera to the party?" (The party hasn't happened yet.) In the third, the sentence means that someone habitually comes here to visit - it's not happened at the time of speaking. Q: I've heard about another use of will for present tense. Tell me if the definition is right. A: Its used to talk about routines, sth that eventually happens.e.g . Rose invited me to her party, but I know that my father won't let me go ( my father is very strict). Q: Is this sentence correct "Now you have done it." My teacher said that sentence but I dont understand why did he use now? What is the meaning of "now" here. Thanks A: It means that you have done something (correctly) now - as he / she is talking to you. It can also be a sort of warning that you say to someone when they do something that is wrong or which will cause repercussions. Q: How about the verb "possess"? Is it a verb of possession or not? Thanks. A: Yes, it is, but we're more likely to use "own" instead of "possess". Q: I suppose a situation, two friends, A and B, come together to an attraction. Standing in front of it, A suddenly wants to know whether B has camera or not(maybe, he wants to get a photo of the amazing one and realised he doesn't take camera with him). So,in this case, how should A ask B to get appropriate information? A: Have you got your camera with you? Q: How can the verbs of senses suggest permenance? A: Because if you have a sense, the sense is permanent. When you open your eyes and see, you always see - it's not as if you see one second and not the next. ** I just would like you to know that there is other verbs that only suggest permenance: agree suppose realize contain consist and there are other verbs. Also, I want you to know that if you want to use this website effectively, use a book with it called "Grammar in Use Intermediate". They complement each other and can help you learn this beautiful organized language more quickly. And I would like you to know that if you would like to know whether a verb only suggests permenance or not, you have to keep in mind whether the verb you use is not an action or happening. If it is not, then that verb only suggest permanence (paraphrased from the book I mentioned above"). Q: I'm wandering which tense to use in such situation: There's a projects and I know that this project will last for 10 years. Should I say: I'm working on this project or I work on this project ? A: "I'm working on" would probably be better, but you can also say "I work for X company and for the next ten years I'll be working on..."

Q: If something is happening right now we use present continous: 'She is sleeping at the moment' but as far as I remember one can use 'She is asleep now' - is that correct? If it is then why present simple for current action? A: "Asleep" is an adjective, not a verb. Q: I confused with this word ...has/have and has/have been.what is situation it should be use. tq A: With the verb "have" in the present tense, you only use "has" for third person singular (he, she or it) I / you / we / they have He / she / it has For the present perfect tense of the verb "to be", we use "has been" for third person singular, and "have been" for I / you/ we / they. Q: From what I understand between present continuous and simple, e.g. I'm going to work in five minutes (continuous) and I go to work in five minutes (simple), which one is a proper usage to describe my action? Thanks for your help! A: If you're describing action happening now, then use the present continuous. If you're describing habitual action, use the present simple. But your sentence describes the first scenario, so present continuous is correct. Q: Little confuse here.. you mean whatever that I think someone will acheive something before that time in the future I should use "he will have won.." She will have got 3 kids next time i see her. He will became a manager 2 years from now. THANK YOU so much.. for your time!! I really appreciate it so much! I always wanted someone to help me imporve my english.. A: Yes. "She will have had three children the next time I see her" = she will give birth three times before a time in the future. Q: I have a question regarding the situations in which the verb "own" should be used instead of "Posses". Is there a particular grammar for this? Thanks a lot A: Own is more informal than possess, but otherwise the grammar of the two verbs is the same. Q: I have a question: we can not use 'love' in continuous, it's OK. But why can we say: ' I'm lovin' it.' McDonalds... Can you explain me what does it mean in this situation? Thanks A: This is a good question. Maybe they mean that you always love going there, but I don't really know! Q: i wanted to know if the verbs that cannot be used in the simple present,if these same verbs cannot be used in any continuous other times and forms. Thank you a lot A: As far as I know, they can't. Q: what's different between I fear Iam fear Iam fearing A: We don't generally use emotion verbs in the present continuous, so only your first sentence is correct. (2 is incorrect.) Q: In class, we are study about plants and animals to correct this sentence should say: we study or are studying A: It depends. If you always study this, you can say "we study plants and animals". But if your study about plants and animals is only one part of your class, and you're doing it now, you can say "We're studying plants and animals". Q: Are these tenses correct, please? "Are you smelling the roses?" - "Yes, they smell wonderful." A: Yes, but the sentence itself seems strange. Why would you ask someone if they are smelling the roses if you can see them doing it? Q: "Can you smell the roses? - Yes. They smell wonderful." Is this really English (and not Czenglish)? :-)

A: Yes, correct. I suppose there are situations when you'd ask someone if they could smell something - especially if the smell was unusually strong. Q: in the following sentence: I´M SORRY I CAN´T HEAR WHAT YOU ARE SAYING BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS TALKING SO LOUDLY. is it possible to use the simple present after: i´m sorry i can´t hear what you.......... instead of the present continuous? A: It's OK, but not 100% correct: I can't hear what you say because I'm deaf. (I can never hear what you say.) I can't hear what you're saying because people are talking loudly. (On this occasion.) Q: What is the difference between NAME and CALL as verbs and when to use them. Many thanks JOSE LUIS A: We normally say "her name is..." or "she is called..." People / animals are called something, while places are named something. Q: WHAT IS THE POSITION OF THE ADVERB "SOMETIMES" WITH THERE IS/ THERE ARE IN SENTENCES. MANY THANKS JOSE LUIS A: It's like other adverbs of frequency: it goes before the main verb, but after the verb "to be" and other modal verbs: I sometimes go to the cinema. I am sometimes angry with my boss. Q: DEAR CLARE IF I SAY: THE BOY'S HAT and I want to translate it to any language especially " spanish", the article THE refers to the hat or to the boy? A: The boy's hat = the hat of the boy. You'd need an article for both. Q: If someone has a baby.Could u please explain the sentence given below for "have".While discussing can she says like "I am having a baby". Is this correct? A: I'm having a baby = I'm expecting a baby (pregnant). Q: I often have problem when I describe the routine action for example, he does not write if you ask hime to stop doing that and pay attention on your writing he will want another pencil or will ask for something else he will not listen or he will do this or that. my question is if I start any sentence with present simple can I end it with simple future. A: In short, yes. We can use "will" to talk about people's habits, but we mean to say that this person insists on doing this. "If you ask him to stop writing, he'll always ask you 'why'". Here, you're showing exasperation that he always insists on asking you. If you just use the present simple to describe habit, then there's no extra meaning you're just describing habit. Q: "I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow" does this mean you've made an appointment with the doctor?? A: Yes.

Past tenses in English We use this tense in English to talk about events or situations that are finished. Normally we use a time reference. For example: "Last year I went to Spain." "In 1997, he changed his job." "She called an hour ago."

We also use the Past Simple tense in English to talk about long-lasting events or situations in the past. "When I was a child, I lived in the countryside." To talk about repeated activites in the past, we also use the Past Simple. "I often went to the beach as a child."

Past Continuous Tense ("I was doing") There are three main uses of this tense: 1. To talk about what was happening at a particular time in the past and to give descriptions and background information. 2. To talk about temporary situations in the past. 3. To make polite requests. 1. Talking about what was happening at a particular time in the past. "This time yesterday, I was reading a book." We often use the Past Continuous tense with the Past Simple tense. The Past Continuous gives the background to an event in the Past Simple: "When he got home, the children were playing in the garden." (The children started playing in the garden before he got home.) "I was eating dinner when there was a knock on the door." (The knock on the door came in the middle of my meal.) We can use the Past Continuous to give descriptions. "The girl was wearing a yellow dress. She was eating ice-cream and was watching television." 2. Talking about temporary situations in the past. "When I was living in London, I often went to the theatre." (Living in London was temporary – perhaps I only lived there for a short while.) Compare with: "When I was a child I lived in the countryside." Living in the countryside was a longer event – I was a child for more than a couple of years. For more permanent situations, we use the Past Simple tense. 3. Making polite requests. If we want to make polite requests, we can use the Past Continuous tense. This is because we put a distance between ourselves and the person we are asking.

"I was wondering if you had time to see me." "I was hoping we could discuss a pay raise." Q: I have a doubt about this sentence” I was wondering if you had a time to see me" so why we have to use HAD instead of HAVE.The meaning of this sentence is like you are hoping to see you by someone means you have not seen yet so why do we have to use HAD? please clear my concept. A: I think it would also be correct to use "have", but as "was wondering" is in the past continuous, using "had" helps to maintain the sense of distance that we use when we want to be very polite. Q: i didn't understand the 3rd point of using the past continuous tense to make a polite request. A: We just use this tense in polite, formal situations. We could also say "Could I..." or "Would you..." but the past continuous creates a distance between us and the other person, so is considered very polite. Q: Is this sentence correct... When I was a child, I used to live in the countryside. A: Yes, it's correct. Q: I just saw the following two sentences: I’m not sure either. I just wanted to point out that we need to be careful in sth Here, the past tense is used to be polite instead of past continuous tense. Is there any reason? A: Yes - it's more normal to use "want" in the simple rather than continuous form. Want is a state verb, and not generally used in continuous tenses. Q: help me clare! is this sentence correct " i had hoped that you would call me yesterday" or we use word "wish" instead of "had hope". A: Yes, "I had hoped..." is correct. Q: i have a question:coud you tell me in what ways these two sentences are different in their tenses?"1.I lived in Oxford for three years." and "I HAD BEEN LIVING in Oxford for three years" thanks, A: The first is just a statement about a past event. The second gives you the background of a story - it explains what had happened / what had been happening before another event in the past. Q: what is different between " I did sleep" and " I slept" some times i here peple insted of using past tens they use did+ present tense please explain for me thanks. A: We use "did" when we are emphasising. Normally we'd use the past simple to talk about events in the past. You didn't go to the shops for me. I did go! Q: please explain me why the words store and collect are not in past tense in this sentence.."..He helped the ants collect food and store them away for the winter.." A: Because it's part of the construction help + verb without "to": He helped them collect... Q: when we use did, the verb is not in past tense ..for eg: Did u have your dinner?, in this sentence we do not use "had" as did is already past tense of do. If this is a reason we do not use "had", then why do we say "Could you help me with this?", why dont we use helped here.... please explain thank you :) it would be helpful if u can email it to me as it was easier and faster to work on. thanks Clare A: We don't need the auxiliary "did" with some types of verbs, which are the verb to be, and auxiliary verbs. With these verbs we do an inversion, rather than use the auxiliary "did". "Could" is an auxiliary verb, so all we need to do is an inversion: You could help me = Could you help me? He was French = Was he French? Q: HELLOW IN INVERSION: DID YOU HAVE A DINNER? = HAVE YOU DID A DINNER. IS IT CORRECT SENTENCE

A: "Did you have dinner?" is correct. Q: can you tell me when we can use the past perfect continuousand what difference is between a following sentances I have been in pain all day I had had in pain all day thinks A: I have been in pain all day = the day hasn't finished yet. It's probably now the evening. I had been in pain all day = describing an evening in the past, just before something else happened. We use the past perfect continuous to talk about an ongoing event before something else happened in the past: "It had been raining all day when I finally left the office. The roads were wet and slippery, and there were large puddles at the side of the road." Q: Can we use "would" or " was going to" for the things we plan for the future but we are not going to be able to do it.. or do we just say " i am planning to.... but i am not going to be able to do it ...." ? A: To talk about things we are planning for the future now, we can use "I'm planning to / I'm going to". In the past, we can say "I was going to" or "I was planning to", but not "would". (Unless you use a 3rd conditional type - "I would have gone there yesterday, but then my cousin called me and I changed plan". Q: "He had been employed with us from January 2008 to January 2009."Is it right, is my tense correct, "had been"? The person is no loger connected with us. He ceased to work last January 2009. A: "He was employed from X to X". You don't need to use the past perfect to talk about an event in the past, unless you want to show it happened before another event in the past. Q: If I want to translate my friend´s sentence into English (in a conversation) to a native English speaker, should I say: "He just said..." or "he has said" or "he is saying" or "He says"... I really don´t know... :-( Plus: Is it necessary to use sequence of tenses or is it also possible use direct speech that is easier??? A: If you're translating a conversation, you could just do it in direct speech. Otherwise, "he says" is fine. Q: "I was studying grammar school for four years" or I studied grammar school for four years". Which is correct, please? A: " I studied at grammar school for four years" is correct. Q: i have a doubt about this sentence"I was wondering if you had a time to see me" so why we have to use HAD instead of HAVE.The meaning of this sentence is like you are hoping to see you by someone means you have not seen yet so why do we have to use HAD? please clear my concept A: Using the past tense "had" means you keep the tenses consistent, as you've also got the past form "I was wondering". Q: "I have cleaned the dishes and dried them." or "I have cleaned the dishes and HAVE dried them." ?? A: The first is better. Q: Can I use past continuous tense to make requests in the present time? From this sentence, "I was wondering if you had time to see me." If I say it in the present but why I need to put "had"[past tense] after "if". I'm really confused.. A: It's a way of creating distance between you and the person you're asking, so your question becomes very polite. Q: In the following excerpt: A) put the verbs in brackets into past continuous or past simple. Last night I 1) had ( have ) a wonderful dream. This is what I 2) dreamt ( dream ). We 3)_____( take ) a trip to Hawaii. I 4) was ( be ) with my family and two of my friends. We 5) were ( be ) on a ship and we 6) were travelling to honolulu. What past tense should I put in gap nº 3? past continuous or past simple? to me is

past simple as he says that he had a dream last night and he reports a short event then in gap 5 he states the scene of the dream( past continuous ) : we were travelling to honolulu. or maybe any of the two past tenses could be included in gap 3. does it depend on the point of view? many thanks! jose luis A: I'd use the past continuous in 3, because he's recounting the background to the event (taking a trip to Hawaii is the background to the dream). If you used the past simple, then you'd be giving the chronology of the event: We took a trip to Hawaii. Then we returned to the US... Q: Which of the following 2 sentences is correct ? He was carrying a gun and was very angry. He carried a gun and was very angry. many thanks JOSE LUIS A: I'd say that the first sentence is correct. "He was carrying..." is the background. It describes a continuous event (i.e. he carried the gun for more than a second or so.) Q: Yesterday a very strange thing happened or had happened. which is correct? it is used in a passage, and not a single sentence. thanks for your help. A: "Yesterday a very strange thing happened" is correct. When you talk about the past, use the simple past. Only use the past perfect if there are two events in the past and you want to show which one happened before the other.

How to use the present perfect tenses in English When do you use the Past Simple ("I did") and the Present Perfect ("I have done")? The tense you choose depends on how you consider the event. Is it finished, or is there still a connection to the present? If you use the Past Simple ("I did"), you consider the event or events as finished and in the past. This tense is often used with a time reference: last year, last week, in 1991, this morning (if it's now the afternoon) and so on. With the Present Perfect ("I have done"), there is a connection to the present. For example, "I have lived here for five years." (I still live here.)

Uses of the Present Perfect When the past affects the present "I've lost my wallet." This means that you have lost your wallet (sometime in the past, but we don't know when), but what is really important is that you don't have it now, at the time of speaking. If instead, you say "I lost my wallet", people understand that you lost it, but not that it affects the present. They expect you to tell them about the time that you lost the wallet. We use the Present Perfect tense to show that something has a result or a connection to now. This means that it's used to give news.

"The Euro slips!" (headline) "The Euro has slipped against the pound again." (news report) "My sister has had a baby." (announcing news) Experiences Your experiences make you the person you are now. We don't use dates and times to give information on what makes you this person. "I've been to New Zealand." (I know something about New Zealand.) We often ask questions about people's experiences with ever. For example, "Have you ever been white-water rafting?" States or activities that started in the past, which have continued up to now and will probably continue into the future. "I have worked here for five years." "I have lived here since 1994." Use since to give the date that an activity or state started and use for to give the period of time the activity or state has lasted. Recent past "Have you finished yet?" "I've already written the report." (Here it is.) In these type of examples, we often use yet, already still, just and recently. Note: American English uses the Past Simple instead of the Present Perfect in these examples. For instance, "Did you eat yet?"

Using both tenses in a conversation "Have you travelled much?" "Yes, I've been to the USA." "Oh really? When did you go?" The first question and the reply concern a person's experience, so they use the Present Perfect. But the second question asks for more information about the experience. Because it refers to a past time (when the person went to the USA), the Past Simple is used.

The conversation could continue: "Oh really? When did you go?" "Two years ago. I visited a friend in California, but I only stayed a week." "Did you like it?" "Yes, it was a fantastic trip."

How to use the Present Perfect Continuous. Temporary situations Like the Present Continuous and Past Continuous, the Present Perfect Continuous is used to talk about activities or states that are temporary, rather than permanent. Compare: "I have been the Marketing Manager for five years." (This is my job.) "I've been working on a new customer database." (This is a temporary project.) Unfinished situations "I've been writing letters all morning." (I still haven't finished them.) "This morning I've written three letters." (They are all finished.) Repeated and continuous actions "No wonder you're not hungry. You've been eating sweets for the last hour." (One sweet after another.) Q: what is difference between, This morning I've written three letters." and, This morning I wrote three letters." or, This morning I wrote the letters." A: In the first, you're still in the morning, so the morning hasn't finished yet. In the second, you're now in the afternoon, so the morning has finished. In the third, you're in the afternoon. Q: Someone has told me that present perfect is used for the action that happens before an action in the future. Is it correct? A: Do you mean the future perfect? "We will have finished the decoration before Christmas?" Q: What is the difference between these two sentences :"I'v been working on a new customer database" and " I'm working on a new customer database" .The two sentences are temporary present continuous. A: They both mean almost the same thing. I've been working (present perfect continuous) - I haven't finished the project yet. I started it in the past and I'm still doing it. I'm working... (present continuous) - this is my current, temporary project.

Q: Whatis the difference between:1-I have been busy all morning, I've painted the porch. 2- I have been busy all morning, A: I've been painting the porch. Q: What's the diffrence between these 2 sentences ( it has rained for a long time. Or it has been raining for a long time) I mean which one is true and why???? A: I prefer the second, because we often use a continuous form to emphasise the continuity of an action. Q: i have a problem with understanding the present perfect :( you sai that if we want to speak about travelling or trip ,visiting some place ,we shoul use present perfect but i saw in many letters that some body who wants to speak about his or her travel,they use past simple for example ,i visited london, and also i saw this sentence: i have visited london. and because u said travel,visit,...because these are still in our mind,we should use present perfect i want to knw which sentence is correct??in none of them we don`t use time which is corect? i visited london or i hav visited london thanks a lot A: Both are correct depending on the context. If you talk about your experience (without giving dates) you can say "I have visited London". But if you are talking about when you visited, what you saw when you visited etc, then you are talking about a specific time in the past, so you use the past simple. Q: Could you please let me know the difference between the following sentences My car has been repaired. My car is being repaired. Request you to give the exact meaning of each sentence and its usage. A: In the first, the mechanic has finished repairing the car. In the second, he is still repairing it. Q: Could you tell me in which situation(s) we say "Where have you been?". By the way, I've very appreciated your explaination about "How have you been?" A: You could use this question if you have been expecting a person to arrive, but they are late. Q: Some people say Present Perfect Tense is also used to describe an action that happens at an indefinite time in the past ( in other words, period is not mentioned). Is it right? A: There's always a connection with the present when you use the Present Perfect. You can't use a date or time with it either. So for that reason, you can say that you use this tense when a) you don't mention the time and b) there is still a connection with the present. Q: could you explaim these 2 sentences in simple words through which i could easil understand what is the meaning of that. a)I have had a good time with you. b)she has had a baby. A: a) = I have enjoyed myself in your company. You'd say this after you've spent some enjoyable time with a friend. We use the present perfect to show that this "enjoyment" started when you first met your friend, and continued up until now. b) = She has just given birth. We use the present perfect here to show news. We often announce news in the present perfect, as it's a recent event. Q: Have you been to Mexico in the last year? Thay have had three tests in the last week. Can I skip "in the" in these sentences? Would there be any difference? A: Yes, if you skip "the" and say "last year" or "last week" you refer to a time in the past, and the tense should change to the past simple. "In the last year" means "at any time" so you use the present perfect tense to focus on the event, not the time. Q: Surely the whole point of the present perfect is that it indicates you HAVE something NOW - i.e. a bought car in the utterance "I have bought a car"; finished work in "I have finished my work" or the 'been living in London for 12 years'

experience, in "I have been living in London for 12 years." We are talking about a present tense here -who said anything about the past? A: In my introduction, I write "With the Present Perfect ("I have done"), there is a connection to the present." The reason why I contrast it with the Simple Past is that many learners confuse the two. Q: Couldn't it be that learners often confuse the present perfect and the past because we teachers sometimes muddy the waters by suspecting (and even informing them) that they might? Shouldn't we be telling them that the present perfect is just another aspect of the present tense along with the simple and continuous? Sure, there is inteference from L1 with speakers of a lot of European languages, but Asians need never even suppose that there is any connection with the past. Sorry, this is a hobby horse of mine! A: Good points! I think it's the aspect, rather than the tense that can sometimes be difficult. Learners also frequently confuse present continuous with present perfect, and often showing differences between aspect can help. Q: PLEASE TELL ME IF THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES ARE CORRECT: LISTEN DONNA, I DON'T CARE IF YOU HAVE MISSED THE BUS THIS MORNING. yOU HAVE BEEN LATE TO WORK TOO MANY TIMES. YOU ARE FIRED! OR SHOULD I ONLY USE THE SIMPLE PAST AFTER THE WORD CARE? MANY THANKS JOSE LUIS A: I'd probably use the simple past, as it's a past event. Q: Please explain to me the sentences below, thanks! A 1. I've done my homework before I go to bed. 2. I've done my homework before I went to bed. (Does present perfect tense follow by present tense or past simple tense ?) B. 1. I've been living here for 5 years. (is this also temporary, just focus on the duration of staying by using present perfect continuous?) 2. I've lived here for 5 years. (Do B1 and B2 has the same meaning which both are temporary?) Thanks! Q: I remember my high school teacher used to tell us that : present perfect continuous means the action will be carried into future, but present perfect tense means the action works until now but maybe not in the future. For example: I have been living here for 5 years. (which means I started living here since 5 years ago, I am still living here, and I will be living here in the future.) I have lived here for 5 years (means I started living for since 5 years ago, I still live here, but I might not be here in the future.) Am I right? Or the other way round? A: We can use the present perfect comtinuous to show that a recent activity is not finished: "I've been reading an interesting book." Often, with the present perfect simple the action is finished: "I've read an interesting book." In your examples, it sounds more like the first situation is temporary (present perf cont) rather than finished / unfinishedIn A it should be either "I do my homework before I go to bed" or "I did my homework before I went to bed". You could even have "I've done my homework and now I'm gong to bed". B1 is temporary, whereas B2 is more permanent. It's been raining = when you don't mention when it rained, but only that it rained some time before It rained this morning = to emphasise that the rain started and stopped earlier today Q: When can present perfect and past tenses be interchanged? A: I'd go with the second. When we use superlative forms (the most exciting) we generally use the present perfect. If an action was in the past, but the time is not given, sometimes both forms can be used. But if you are focussing on when something happened, use the past simple. If you are focussing on why it is important now, use the present perfect.

Q: Which is correct, please: "Now we are practising what we HAVE DONE last lesson" or "now we are practising what we DID last lesson" A: The second is more correct, as "last lesson" is a time expression. Q: Could somebody spell out in follow two sentences why we used perfect form, because we indicated time when tis action happend: 1) He has written seven very creative short stories in the. last year. 2) Things have changed a great deal in the last hundred and fifty years A: In the first sentence, "in the last year" isn't a past time expression. It means in the last year up to now, so there is still time for him to write more stories. The same is true in the second sentence - you're talking about time up to now (so not finished time in the past). Q: in the example given by levan He has written seven creative short stories in the last year- is there any relevance to the present ? he has finished writing the seven stories last year .. how can present perfect be used here ? and can u tell me when to use present , present perfect , present continuous and the same tenses with past and future ..I need help .. its really confusing A: "In the last year" is a period of time referring to the twelve months running up to now, so you can use the present perfect. If you say "last year" the time is finished and you can't use the present perfect. Q: .i wana know the difference..1.I HAVE WAITED FOR TWO HOURS...2.I HAVE BEEN WAITING YOU FOR TWO HOURS and the reffered one is that..YOU HAVE BEEN EATING SWEETS FOR THE LAST ONE HOUR..if i use this ..YOU HAVE EATEN SWEETS FOR THE LAST ONE HOUR ..then what will be the difference?pls tell me i am really confused. A: There isn't much difference in the first two examples, although the second one (present perfect continuous) emphasises the continuity of the waiting more. In the second two examples, using the present perf. continuous gives you the idea of repetition - one sweet after another. If you just say "you have eaten sweets" it could mean that you have finished all the sweets (i.e. you have eaten tham all), but "you have been eating" just gives you the idea that it's one sweet after another - not necessarily that you have eaten ALL the sweets. Q: could u help me? i usually get confused "have" n "had".could u please tell me what is the different between "i have done" and "i had done" and when to use these tense?TQ A: I have done - present perfect I had done - past perfect We use the present perfect to link a past event or situation to the present. It is a present (not a past) tense. We use the past perfect to link a past event or situation to another past event or situation. It is a past tense. For more information on the past tense, see the page in the grammar section (how to use the "had done" tense.) ** Present perfect is a present tense in which we cannot use the time of the action that happened in the past. If you need to show the past time adverbs such as yesterday, last year, in 2005 etc you can use past tense. Sometimes we can use a sentence like " This is the first time I have eaten durian" even before you taste it for the first time. however, in a moment you are going to do it. The adverb of time in present perfect is the time of speaking whether it is mention it or not. Therefore, we cannot use past tense time adverbs with this tense. This will be helful to many readers who have made inquiries. Q: could you please explain where we can use "have,Had" togather in sentence.e.g. I have had my diner. what is the correct meaning of this sentence. please explain with examples.thank you.

A: "I have had my dinner" = something that happened in the past has a result in the present. Because I have already eaten (past event) I am no longer hungry (present result).

Using "had done" in English The "had done" form (or past perfect) is one of the least used tenses in English. We only really use it in the following situations. * When it's important to say which event happened first in the past * In reported speech * To show regret about the past * In conditional (if) sentences Normally, when we say what happened in the past in English, we use the simple past or past continuous form. For example, "He got up early to go to the beach. He spent all day there and went home as it was getting dark." We know which order things happened in, so we don't need the past perfect tense. Sometimes, we need to explain which events happened before other ones (especially if we "jump" around in our story). When we need to show that one thing happened before another, we can use the past perfect form. For example, "I was hungry, as I hadn't eaten all day." (Being hungry happened after not eating all day.) Compare these two sentences: "When he got to the airport, the plane took off." (The plane took off after he arrived at the airport.) "When he got to the airport, the plane had taken off." (The plane took off before he arrived at the airport.) Reported speech in English "I didn't see her," he said. Because his words are in the past, when we report them we need to go one tense back and use the past perfect. "He told me he hadn't seen her."

This is also the case if the words are in the present perfect. "I have never been to Scotland." She said that she had never been to Scotland. To show regret I wish I hadn't gone to the party. (But I went.) If only she hadn't bought that car. (But she did.) Conditional sentences (when we speculate about past events) If I had worked harder, I would have passed the exam. (But I didn't work harder, so I failed.) If you had told me, I could have helped. (But you didn't tell me, so I couldn't help.) If they had left earlier, they might have caught the plane. (But they didn't leave earlier, so they didn't get the plane.) Q: Is it possible to say " I have never been in Scotland" A: Yes! Q: When do we use past perfect? A: Let see the rule of one of the combination tenses. Past Perfect and Past Simple Function:To show first and second actions. I did my homework (first action). I slept(second action). After i had done my homework,i slept. Q: a question. When we make conditional sentences, could I use "would have" instead of "had"? for example: "If I would have worked harder. I would have passed the exam." A: No. After "if" you need the tense, such as the past perfect: If I had worked harder, I would have passed... Q: In my workbook I have the theory, which says: after WISH comes past simple tense, when we want to express that we really want the situation or position to be different. Does it connect with another tenses, like past perfect? A: Yes, we can use wish with the past perfect to talk about our regrets at something that happened / didn't happen in the past: I wish I had studied harder at school. (I didn't study hard at school and now I regret that.) I wish you hadn't spent all that money. (You spent a lot of money and now I regret that you did that.) ** We use "had done" to show that something happened before another time in the past. If you say "the rate had increased" then it increased before another time. "The rate of smoking had increased up to 1990, then it dropped." Q: if only you had given us as a call before 12pm we can do something about it (is it correct?) A: No. "If only you had given us a call before 12 we could have done something about it" is correct. See also the page on conditionals in the grammar section for more advice on 3rd conditions. Q: If an action happaned in the past, can I say " I had done my homwork on 7th of October 2001." or there is another way to say that. A: You don't need to use the past perfect "had done" if you are talking about one past event. When we talk about events in the past, we generally use the simple past "I did my homework on October 7". Use the past perfect to make clear which one of

two events happened first in the past, or to give a flashback to a story which is set in the past. Q: I came across a sentence that reads " I turned off the stove when I went out. Shouldn't it be "I had turned off the stove when I went out." since turning off the stove happens before going out. tnx. A: Which is correct and why? 1. Kate prepared the speech on the plane and delivered it at the conference. 2. Kate had prepared the speech on the plane and delivered it at the conference. No, because it is already clear which event happened first. You only need the past perfect to make the sequence of events clear. The first is correct. Generally, when we tell a story, we narrate the events in chronological order. Because the order is clear, you don't need the past perfect to show which event happened first. (See my other reply to your previous question.) Q: when do you use have and when do you use had in a sentence? which is right? i'm sorry i have disappointed you or i'm sorry i had disappointed you A: Your first sentence is correct. We only use the past perfect when we refer to an event before another event in the past. Q: is this sentence correct:(my teacher said NO but i do not know why!)I had been putting my sunglasses on until the guests left.(....and could you just tell me are appearance,appear and apparent from the same root, although they differ in their meanings? ) another question there is no"must have" to refer to the past,right? A: Putting on sunglasses is quite a quick activity, so you wouldn't use it in the continuous form. What about "I put on my sunglasses before the guests left"? We can use "must have + past participle" to refer to the past: He must have missed the train (= that is why he is late now). Have a look at the page on modals for more information on this. Q: i got you.but i want to say i had the sunglasses on my eyes soon after i took them as a gift untill the time the guests left. "had been wearing" might be correct...or again no? A: Yes - "I had been wearing my sunglasses until the guests left" or "I wore my sunglasses until the guests left" as you are talking about two consecutive actions. Q: Is the sentence below correct.? Thanks We would expect the quotation by this week if you had done the pricing earlier. A: We would have expected..... if you had done the pricing earlier. Q: i have a litlle problem with a preposition before. which sentence is correct? i grew up before i could realise it. or i had grown up before i could realise it. A: Both sentences would be fine, though in the second one you're emphasising that one action happened before another. I think the first sentence sounds more natural. Q: when we use a sentences like "May i know if you have placed teh order earlier" or "May i know if the driver has installed" will these sentences be followed by question mark. can you please give me an example where a sentence starts with "may i know" and does not end with the question mark if there is any. And please explain why? Thank you. A: I'd use a question mark, but I wouldn't ask "May I know". Instead, I'd ask: "Can you tell me if / when...?" Q: if i had known earlier about this site.i would have spoken english very well... is this correct sentences?? A: Yes! Q: Can we use "because" as a signal word in using past perfect? A: Yes. "He left early because he had promised to get home before 7pm."

Q: if i had known earlier,that you were in hospital,i would have seen you. is this correct? A: Yes. Q: "When I came home, the film had already started." Is this correct? And I have one question yet. Could I use "before" instead of "when" in this sentence?? A: Yes, correct. You could use "before". Q: Would you mind telling me what is the different between past simple ,past simple perfect ,and past continuous,past perfect continuous?Thank you A: Past Simple = I did Pas continuous = I was doing Past Perfect Simple = I had done Past Perfect Continuous = I had been doing Did you have questions about when to use these tenses?

Using future forms There are many ways of talking about the future in English. Which way you choose depends on how you see the future. Is the future event planned or unplanned, a schedule, or a prediction?

Making predictions in English You can use both will and going to to make predictions. For example, "I think the Labour party will lose the next election." Or "I think the Labour party are going to lose the next election." If you can make a prediction based on what you see now, we use going to. For example, "You're driving too fast, you're going to hit the car in front!"

Future plans and arrangements If something has already been planned, use going to with the verb, or the Present Continuous tense. "I'm going to take my exams next month." "He's visiting a client on Tuesday."

Unplanned future When we decide to do something at the moment of speaking, we use will. "The phone's ringing – I'll answer it." (You only answer the phone when it starts ringing.)

Future schedules When we want to talk about a schedule, we use the Present Simple tense. "The plane leaves in half an hour – we'd better hurry."

"Next week I fly to Italy, then on Tuesday, I'm in Spain."

Events in progress at a time in the future To talk about something that will be in progress at a time in the future, use will be doing. "For example, "This time next week, I'll be sitting on a plane." We can also use this form to make polite requests. "Will you be using the car tomorrow?" (If you won't, can I use it?)

Events that will be completed by a time in the future If you want to say that something will be completed by a time in the future, use will have done. "I'll have finished the report by this afternoon."

Final tip Many learners of English overuse will and going to. Try using all the different future forms so that you become more confident. Q: what is the future perfect A: The future perfect is the "I'll have done" form. (See above.) will have done means that there will be two future actins/events,that one of which will be completerd or finished before the other. example:i will have eaten an apple when he calls.(means that i will eat the apple and finish it before he calls.when he calls i am done eating the apple) Q: In the future perfect tense can we make the short form like that: example: I'll've done my homework.... A: No. You can only make the short form with "I will": I'll have done my homework... Q: nest week i fly to Italy, then on Tuesady i am in Spain. it's a schedule but we can also consider it as a plan and say: next week i'll fly to Italy, then on Tuesday i'll be in Spain. can't we? A: The problem with overusing "will" is that it sounds too much like a prediction. In the example above, we're more likely to talk about a schedule, or even a future arrangement: "I'm flying to Italy, then I'm going to Spain". *** In each of the following sentences one future form is possible I have problem in choosing correct form This time next week we'll just be arriving/we'll just arrive in America! The first one. (This will be happening at a specific time in the future.) As you can see from the satellite pictures,it will rain/it is raining in all parts of the country later this after noon. The first one: a prediction Ok,well if you're getting a pizza,I'll have/I'll be having one too. The first one: deciding at the moment of speaking

Q: Which tense is perfect for future arrangements? e.g. I am going to meet my boss tomorrow. or I am meeting my boss tomorrow. The present continuous (your second sentence) is better for future arrangements. As you can see from the satelite pictures, it will rain/it is raining in all parts of the country later this afternoo". You sey: ,,The first one: a prediction", but earlier you said: ,,If you can make a prediction based on what you see now, we use going to. For example, "You're driving too fast, you're going to hit the car in front!" In Nasrin sentence the satelite pictures show that is very possibile to be rainy in the afternoon, that means we could say ...it is going to rain.., or may be I am wrong, because weather forecast is never predictable. However,... please,comment! It should be "It will rain" or "It is going to rain" (not "It is raining"). Q: Should you use the present progressive or future progressive for present action continuing into future + followed by UNTIL: ex: What is your plan for today? We are studying until the end of the day. We will be studying until the end of the day. Also: The students will be taking exams throughout the month of December. The students are taking exams throughout the month of December. (it is December now) A: Daria » For both your examples, I'd use the future progressive, as you are talking about activities that will be progress in the future. If you want to focus on these events being fixed appointments (particularly for the second example) you can also use the present continuous. Q: "I'm going to take my exams next month." Shall we consider exams personal arrangements? So, we use "be going to", Or they're part of a schedule wherein we should use the continuous form? " I'm taking my exams next month" Would you please clarify this point? A: Which form you choose depends on how YOU see the future event: I'm going to take my exams next month = intention (already planned) about a future event I'm taking my exams next month = future arrangement, in my diary. Both are correct (and often the going to future and present continuous future are interchangeable) but there are slight differences in emphasis between the two. Q: "I am sending the report with this mail". Is this correct? Or have to use "I sent the report with this mail"? A: The first one is correct. Q: i am looking my freind on monday.is correct? A: It sounds a bit strange. Use present continuous to talk about future arrangements. "I'm meeting my sister on Monday" is a good example - you and your sister have already arranged to meet. Q: i have a question that in your example "the labour party are going to lose next election" tha labour party is singular . so, can't we use "are going " in that example,can? A: In British English, we can use a plural verb with collective nouns such as "Labour party" and "government". Q: "Be going to do sth" and "Be doing sth", both are used for future arrangements as mentioned above. Then, why using present continuous is better than the other as in explanation A: When we mention the time, we often use the present continuous. "What are you doing tomorrow at 3pm?" (Rather than "What are you going to do...." which would make it sound more like an intention than a planned future arrangement). Any of the following are fine: They will have two more schools built in the coming year. They are having two more schools built in the coming year. They are going to have two more schools built in the coming year.

Q: What are you doing tomorrow at 3pm? why did you not use future tense.What will you do tomorrow at 3pm? A: Because when we talk about future arrangements, we tend to use the present continuous. We use will to talk about predictions, or spontaneous decisions. another way to express future form , we use " about to " example :I am about to travel to Paris. (that means after few minutes, Iam going to travel to Paris ) . Q: WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES ARE MORE CORRECT? '' THE GIRL WAS DROWNING AND HER MOTHER CALLED FOR HELP' OR THE GIRL WAS DROWNING AND HER MOTHER WAS CALLING FOR HELP. A: Both are fine. In the first her mother called once, while in the second, she called many times. Q: HELLOW, I AM GOING TO MEET MY FRIEND ON MONDAY? IS IT CORRECT A: Yes. Q: how to decide whether to use will you or would you ? A: In what situation? Q: pls check this sentence. it's true or not thanx i'll process this project through tender, after we inform to BIDDER that the process will be changing through tender A: I'm afraid I don't understand your sentence, as it's not clear what the sequence of activities is. Can you give me the list of activities as they happen in chronological order? Q: 1) i am going to get back my baby from daycare. 2)i am going to bring back my baby from daycare. which sentences is correct? pls differ get back,bring back A: I'm going to pick up my baby from daycare. Q: i've got a problme with this statement and to find out which is the correct anwer. can you help me. here is the satements. "oh, dear. it's already 4 o'clock. we ___________late." a. will be b. have been c. are i chose b(have been) is it correct? somehow, i think all of the answers are right. am i right? what must i do. i am really confused. thanks for your help. A: a and c are correct. Q: should it be will?? or can??? .. enforceable consequenses can/will foster acdemic, social,and emotional well being A: It depends how stong your view is. If you think that they will happen, use "will". If you're talking about possible results, use "can". Q: why is ,"I am flying to Paris tomorrow", better than " I am going to fly to Paris tomorrow." ? Thanks you ! A: Because we use the present continuous for future arrangements, it's used to talk about the things we put iin our diary. We use "going to" to talk about intentions, rather than appointments. Q: "I WILL may have a new car tomorrow" or "I may have a new car tomorrow"?? A: You can't have two modal forms together, so the first sentence is wrong, while the second is fine. Q: "I WILL MUST go to London tomorrow" is obviously correct and MUST is a modal verb - and WILL is good here... A: No, the sentence is wrong, because you've got two modal verbs - must and will. Choose one or the other, but not two! (Will is a modal verb too, in case you didn't realise.) Q: question: "I WILL have to get up at 6 a.m. tomorrow" is correct, I hope... :-) If so, I have a problem with this sentence in the third person: "He WILL HAS to get up at 6 a.m. tomorrow..." It looks a little bit strange for me. Is this correct or should I use this sentence also without "will"?

A: He will have to... Modals are followed by infinitive without "to"! It doesn't matter if the subject is I, or you, he or they. Q: "When WILL be dinner?" Is this question gramatically correct? A: When will dinner be? Q: "WILL you go into town tomorrow with me?" or "SHALL you go into town tomorrow with me"? A: Not "shall". You could use "will" but not to express a future plan. For plans, you can use either the present continuous or the going to future. Q: What is the difference between the following sentences? I will be travelled on Monday. I will be travelling on Mondy. Goods will be delivered on time Goods will be delivering on time. A: The first is incorrect. The second describes an action which should happen. The third is an example of a correct passive form. The fourth is incorrect, as goods cannot be the subject of this sentence.

Using the imperative form You can use the imperative form to give an order, to give a warning or advice, and (if you use "please") to make a request. To make the imperative, use the infinitive of the verb without 'to': "Come here!" "Sit down!" To make a negative imperative, put "do not" or "don't" before the verb: "Don't go!" "Do not walk on the grass." The imperative can be used for all subjects (you, he, they and we), but you can also use "let's" before the verb if you are including yourself in the imperative: "Let's stop now." "Let's have some lunch." The negative of "let's" is "let's not": "Let's not argue! "Let's not tell her about it." Orders Adults do not usually give each other orders, unless they are in a position of authority. The intonation of an order is important: each word is stressed, and the tone falls at the end of the sentence: "Sit down now!" ('Sit', 'down' and 'now' are all stressed, and the tone falls on 'now'.) However, adults can give orders to children and to animals:

Here are some orders you could give your pet dog: "Come here!" "Sit!" "Heel!" "Fetch!" Warnings You can use the imperative to warn someone of danger. All the words in the warning are stressed, but the last word has a higher tone than the first word: "Watch out!" "Look out!" "Don't cross!" Advice When you give advice using the imperative, the words are stressed normally: "Eat an apple – it's much better for you than a biscuit!" "Don't tell him you're resigning now! Wait until Monday when he's in a better mood." You can often read articles in magazines that give advice on a subject. Sometimes, this advice is presented as "Dos and don'ts". For example: Travelling long-distance Do try to sleep well the night before Do drink plenty of water Do try to walk about the plane during the flight Don't drink alcohol Don't eat heavy meals Don't wear restrictive clothing Requests You can also use the imperative to make a request, but you should use a polite word before the verb: "Please "Please "Please "Please

take a seat." wait here." hold the line." don't smoke here."

In written English, you might also see "Kindly" used as a polite word:

"Kindly return the documents as soon as possible." "Kindly forward this to the Sales and Marketing department." "Kindly send me 2 copies of your brochure." Q: difference between let and let's thank you A: Let = allow He lets me use the internet (he allows me to use the internet) Let's = suggestion Let's go to the cinema! Let's = imperative. "Let's go to the cinema tonight." Lets = 3rd person singular of verb "to let": He lets his children stay up late. Q: I could not understand this sentence ; Do try to sleep well. How can they(two verbs:do and try) be used in a sentence? it looks strange to me.could u pls explain it? A: You can use "do" to add emphasis to the imperative. Q: I would like to know what is different let's go ...and let us go... ; what is the past of let? A: Let's go = short form of "let us go". The past of "let" is "let". Q: Which one is the correct way? Let her to talk OR Let her talk. A: "Let her talk" is correct. Q: Hi.. I am a English student and I'm gonna start to teach some students, one of my subjects is the imperative form.. Can you give me an specific order I can use to explain this subject? A: Open your books please! Turn to page 35. Let's start reading. Q: could u pls tell me the diff bw "don't" and "do not". A: Don't is the abbreviated form of Do not. In imperatives, if you say "Do not..." you'll emphasise the imperative. Q: would IS be an imperitive word. used in the sentence: " a new cinderella IS born" ? thanks A: No, it's a passive form. Q: What are the meanings of "Heel" and "Fetch"? A: They're commands you'd give your dog. "Heel!" means "Walk by me - not in front" and "Fetch!" means "Go and get the stick." Q: can we write the sentence listen to me carefully as listen me carefully A: No, you need "to". Q: when is the imperative form the best choice to use? 1.when u dont have all facts 2.when stressing immediately 3.when creating an inclusive tone 4.when giving an order A: 4 Q: What dose "imperative" mean? A: It means "an order". Q: we use let me do it or let them do it can we use let you do it A: We don't use "let" with "you". We always use "let" with "you" e.g. If I let you use my car, will you promise to drive slowly? Also with him / her / them: "I let him drive my car yesterday."

How to use "used to" in English There's a big difference between used to live – to talk about past habits or states and is used to doing – to talk about something that you are now familiar with.

For example, a common mistake is "I am used to study." Do you mean that you used to study, but you don't study any more, or do you mean that you know about studying? Avoid making mistakes by remembering the verb pattern. Used to + verb describes a past habit or state. For example: He used to smoke, but he doesn't now." To be used to + verb with ing describes something that you are now familiar with. For example, "Five years ago, I didn't know about the internet. Now I am used to working with it." Q: "When I moved to Italy, I got used to eating pasta". Does it mean now "I" don't eat pasta anymore(because it's used to express past habit but not now)? A: No, it means that before I didn't eat past. "Get used to" means "get the habit". Don't confuse it with "used to", which means "habit in the past". Q: Can we use: I am used to+v-ing, or I was used to+v.ing? what is the difference? and the same thing with (got) can we say (get) used to instead of (got) used to? what is he difference? A: I am used to (now), but I was used to (then). I get used to = I become used to something (now). I got used to = I became used to something (in the past). Q: suppose I am telling something about my past life to somebody like....I used to be very naughty when I was 10 years old. I used to trouble people, I didn't used to study, I used to disobey my teachers, I used to get punished. Now My question is do I need to say or mention "used to " again & again in my sentences or is there any other way to say these sentences. I'll be highly obliged if you could help me or rephrase my sentences if they are wrong. A: You can also use "would" to talk about past actions: I used to be very naughty.... and I would never study or obey my teachers. You can also use the simple past to talk about past habits and situations: My teachers often punished me because I disobeyed them. Q: Is it o.k if I say "I am new in this place, I should get used to everything here A.S.A.P" Right ? A: Yes! Q: I'm very confused over the matter of use/used and its been discussed among a number of peers and I. Used, in the sense that it is often used must be a special verb... "I use(d) to understand..." in that sentence (well part of it) 'understand' is the verb; and thus i would use 'use' as something other than a verb (im just not sure of what it is in my useage), rather than as a past tense verb. "I was use to the way in which we once voted." Voted is a past tense verb, why must use be? A: We say "used to" to show that something was a habit in the past, but isn't now: I used to play the piano = In the past playing the piano was a habit, but I don't play the piano now.

Q: I am still confused with 'used to'.. pls see below mentioned sentence : Earlier when we used to fight and we used to shout at each other, he used to resolve our matter. I am confused where should I use 'would' here and where can I use simple past. Please help. A: You can use "would" to refer to past events (not states) so could use it in all the places you use "used to" in your examples. You can also use the past simple in all the places you use "used to". Q: Is this sentence correct? The organic antifreeze is use to prevent the formation of cell bursting ice crystals. Shouls I use "used to"? Does it mean it's only in the past? A: No, use "used to" as a passive form of the verb "to use". Q: i used to live with my parents.. but i did not now... 2)i used to walk alone.. is the both sentences are correct ..? A: Yes, the sentences are correct, but in 1 it should be "but I don't now". Q: what i got from your lesson was: I used to studying english with Clare. I used to study math before this. correct me if its wrong. (even if my sentences!) =) A: The first should be "I am used to studying..." Q: I have a question. if i add ALREADY, does these sentence correct: I already get used to using this cellphone.... and if i add WAS, is this right?: I was used to played football... Thanx!!! Ps: are u using facebook? i wish yes, so we can talk to u more often about grammar problems.... :D A: I have already got used to using this cellphone. I was used to playing football. You can join our fanpage on facebook! Just go to the english-at-home.com site and click on the facebook button on the right hand side of the page. You can use "would" in different contexts. We can use it to describe past habits: "When I was young I would go to the beach in summer". We can also use it for requests: "Would you open the window please?" and for offers: "Would you like a hand?" Q: are my examples correct? 1**i used to write poems, but now i don't write them at all. 2**i'm used to watching English films & listening to English singers. A: Yes, correct! Q: can I use "use to " e.g : I use to go for walk. is that correct for present tense. which also means I m doing it in past also now also contuining. "use to " mean different and "used to" means different? basically how to use " used to " in present. A: You can't use it in the present. If you want to talk about your routines in the present, use the present simple: "I go for a walk every day." Q: i would like to know how to make negative and interogative sentence with ( used to ) and ( be/ get used to) A: I didn't use to swim as a child. Did you use to swim as a child? I'm not used to driving on the right. Are you used to driving on the right? Q: I have a big question. Which is the difference between "I used to study with Clare" and "I am used to studying with Clare". The first one is in past and the other one in present?. Other question can I say "I am used to play piano". "Used to" is for past and "Use to" for present? Sorry I am confused :(. A: The first one is a past habit, and the second is something you're accustomed to doing now. Your sentence should be "Ii am used to playing the piano" (now) or "I used to play the piano (in the past). Or even, "I was used to playing the piano" (to describe something that you were accustomed to doing in the past.) Q: Define the difference between to be used to and accustomed to A: They both mean the same, but "be accustomed to" is more formal than "be used to".

Q: what is the difference between (was/were used to),(is/are used to)and(used to)? (was/were used to)and (used to )is the same? A: Used to = habit in the past "I used to smoke, but now I don't." Is / are used to = be accustomed to something now: "I am used to driving on the right." Was / were used to = be accustomed tp something in the past: "I was used to driving on the left, then I left the UK and came to Europe." Was used to / used to aren't exactly the same. "Used to" refers to habitual action, while "was used to" refers to the process of getting accustomed to something. Q: "I used to play football." "I was used to playing football." What the diffence between this two sentences .The meaning is the same?And can you give me one more example for using (used to/was used to) A: I used to play football = I played in the past, but I don't now. I was used to playing football = it wasn't strange for me, as it was something I became accustomed to over time. I used to live in London. When I moved to Italy, I wasn't used to eating pasta every day. but gradually, I became used to it. Is it correct, 'the more I am using calculator the better i am being used to with all its features. Another question is get used and be used to are the same, can I say, ' once you get used to with new atmosphere then you won't feel bad. The more I use... the quicker I get used to all its features. Once you get used to the new atmosphere... (omit "with") be used to = already in the state of knowing about something get used to = still be in the process of knowing

How to use gerunds In English, the ing form, for example swimming or smoking, is both a noun and a verb. You can follow it by an object, smoking cigarettes, by a verb, swimming is good, or you can make it the object of a sentence, I like swimming.

After verbs You use the ing form after some verbs such as enjoy, admit, appreciate, can't stand / help / bear, deny, avoid, mind, understand. For example, "I can't stand doing nothing", or "she denied breaking the copier".

With 'from' and 'to' with some verbs Prevent / stop someone from doing: "He prevented her from leaving." Look forward to doing: "We look forward to hearing from you soon." Object to doing: "Does anyone object to me smoking?" Get used to doing: "It took him a long time to get used to living in a city." Prefer something to doing something else: "I prefer cooking to doing the dishes."

After prepositions "Before going out he turned off the heating."

"I'm tired of arguing." "These are used for cracking walnuts." "I passed the exam by remembering the equations."

In some fixed expressions "As well as doing…" "It's no good doing…" "It's no use doing…"

Some verbs can use either the 'to do' or the 'ing' form See / hear / watch someone do / doing With the verb form do, you see or hear the whole action. For example,"I heard him tell you about the letter." With the verb form ing you only see or hear part of the action. For example, "I saw her drinking a coffee in the bar." Remember / regret If you use ing after these verbs, you are talking about something that happened before. "I remember coming here as a child" – I'm not a child any more, but I remember the times when I came here before. "I regret not studying." (I didn't study in the past and I regret it now.) If you use the to do form after these verbs, then you are referring to something in the future. "Please remember to turn off the lights." (Please don't forget to do it later.) "I regret to inform you that…" (I'm just about to tell you some bad news.) Stop "I want to stop smoking." (I want to break my habit.) "She stopped to sit down." (She stopped walking so that she could sit down.) Try Try + ing = try out this experiment. Try reading something in English every day." (You may be surprised at the results!) Try to do = try hard to do something.

"Please try to be quiet when you come in." (Please make an effort.) Q: My question is...normally after "to" is root word right?...however, I did come across a sentence with something like this " ....to helping someone"... could you please explain why? A: There are some fixed expressions where we use the gerund, such as "There's no point in..." and "It's no use .....". We also use the gerund after prepositions, such as in the example "look forward to". So you could say "We look forward to helping people." Q: am I "prone to be sick" or "prone to being sick"? I think it is the latter, correct? I am also prone to sickness, right? What is a good English grammar book? A: You are right: "I am prone to sickness" or "I am prone to being sick" are correct. I use "Practical English Usage" by Michael Swan as my grammar reference book. Q: I don't understand the meaning of "object to", could you please explain it to me. A: let's say in this example: Does anyone object to me smoking? If you object to something, it means that you don't accept it. Q: Is it still correct to use a gerund form when a perfectly good noun already exists? Example: Your participating at the conference is appreciated. Your participation at the conference is appreciated. Is it a matter of personal preference or is one more correct? A: Both are correct, although in your example, the noun "participation" would probably be more popular. Q: is there any differences between verb form after "to be used to" and "used to"? A: Yes. "To be used to + gerund / noun": I am used to living in a foreign country "Used to + infinitive": I used to go to the seaside when I was a child. Q&A: " We regret to inform you that your application has been unsuccessful ." Why don't we use gerund in this case ?Is it a future action ? I think the action " inform " happened in the past . No. The "inform" is in the future. We haven't informed you yet. The same question with this sentence :" Did you remember to feed the cat " I remember feeding the cat = I still have the memory of giving food to the cat. I remembered to feed the cat = I knew I had to feed the cat, and so I didn't forget. Follow " need" is infinitive ? gerund ? to infinitive ? Infinitive: You need to contact the secretary. Q: As he`s very argumentative , he is ... a) hard to get on with or b): hard getting on with please let me know which one is correct. thanks A: He is hard to get on with. Q: in which condition is gerund used at the beginning of a sentence? A: You can use the gerund at the beginning of a sentence as a noun and the subject of the sentence. "Smoking is bad for you." "Eating too late at night is bad for your digestion." Q: before going out i always turned off the heating..is that right? A: Yes! Q: "desire for doing something" and "desire to do something", which is correct? A: A desire to do something. Q: I do believe that linguist will surely tell you that there is a difference between a mistake and an error. A: Mistake is a slip of tongue and an error is when you say something wrongly and could not correct yourself afterwards because you are not in fact aware of it.

Q: "Eventually they relented, assuming the pieces would soon wind up strewn around the kitchen." Is assuming in this sentence a gerund? If so, why don't I see this use of gerund listed above? A: It's a present participle, used as an adjective. (Not a gerund.) Q: I was asked to turn the following active voice sentence into passive voice and I could not do it. "I don't like people telling me what to do." Then someone came and told me the change would be as follow: " I don't like being told what to do." I desagree with that and would like your help. A: The passive is correct. Can you say which part of it confuses you? Q: I have a question, the verbs: regret /remember take after them verb+ing if they are referring to the past, but for example,refer to test your self , Did you remember (to feed) the cat. Here, did is an evidence to the past, so the answer should be (feeding) and not (to feed). This situation make me confused!! A: Did you remember to feed the cat? In this case, you're asking if the person knew they had to feed the cat, so it was a future action (even though it took place in the past). I will remember to feed the cat = I will not forget that I have to feed the cat in the future I remembered to feed the cat = I did not forget that I had to feed the cat (yesterday, or at another time in the past) Q: In case, I need to put some details on the bill after worked for clean the swimming pool. which one is correct :Swimming Pool cleaning or Cleaning Swimming Pool. Also, please kindly give some explanation. Thks & rgds A: You can write "Swimming pool cleaning". Q: help me with these words "i can't help falling in love with you". can we say "falling in love" is gerund form? can we say preposition is "verb-phrase"? A: After the verb "can't help", we need the gerund form. Q: Hello. I realy want to know the difference between " can't stand +infinitive " and "can't stand+ gerund" . please help me. Thank you . A: No difference and both are fine. You might hear the first more than the second. Q: Do I have to use a gerund, an infinitive or a 'that-clause' after the verb 'recommend'? A: You can use a noun or a gerund: "I recommend going to visit this museum" "I recommend this museum" Or you can use a "that clause": "I recommend that you visit this museum" As I know 'v+ing' can be gerund = noun, adjective or verb. For instance, I like watching movies. (a gerund) This is an interesting movie. (an adjective) I am watching a horror film at the moment. (a verb) Bye. Q: An employee was struck by a forklift, causing to bleed badly. I would like to ask how the sentence can be written in two separate sentences without using the word"causing." Does the word CAUSING modify the forklift or the employee. Thanks, joe A: causing him to bleed badly. An employee was struck by a forklift. As a result, the employee suffered serious bleeding and required hospital treatment. Q: Clare, I would like your help to know the perfect meaning of ' can't stand '. I also have one confusion that where the modal ' would ' is used. A: I can't stand = I can't bear / I hate. Have a look at the page on modals (grammar section) for more advice on using them. Q: can i use "would like" with another verb in gerund form? A: No. Would like + infinitive I would like to go out now. He would like to play a game of tennis.

Q: Which one is correct? 1) Mr Chimpanzee can do 3 things, these are, skate, ride a bicycle and ski. or, 2) Mr Chimpanzee can do 3 things, these are, skating, riding a bicycle and skiing. A: The second is correct, but you need a colon or a new sentence after "things", and not a comma. You should also delete the comma after "these are". Q: I know that gerund can be used as subject and noun, but I have a few doubts. Could you please help me? I was wondering if a verb is always in -ing form if there is no subject before it. Thanks. A: I'm not really sure what you mean. Sometimes a participle can start a sentence (this is a verb, not a gerund) "Sitting quietly, she could hear the conversation in the other room." The subject of this sentence is "she", not "sitting". Sometimes a gerund starts a sentence and is the subject of the sentence; "Sitting on the ground can be bad for you." Q: Are they any other cases that i can use gerund after "to"? I mean besides " looking forward to " and "I am used to " and " get use to " thank u A: I can't think of any. Don't forget we use gerunds after prepositions, so it's not only "to", but "for" and "in" for example. Q: please correct my sentences. 1. My mother bought some freezing vegetables at the supermarket or 2. My mother bought some frozen vegetables at the supermarket. which sentence is correct? can you tell me why? sometimes i'm confused to use present participle and past participle. is there any subject about present or past pasrticiple in this site? thank you very much sir for your help. A: 2 is correct. Frozen vegetables have already been frozen. If you say "freezing vegetables" then you would probably mean "vegetables for freezing", but I haven't heard this term before. Q: !why is this sentence correct:" the experiment conducting at the university was successful." actually i would say conducted instead of conducting.because i feel that sentence is the same as this one:"the money borrowed from my classmate should be returned." if they are not the same could u tell me the difference?(about the usage of conducting and borrowed)and give me another example like the first sentence? how can i differenciate these two? totally confused!!! A: You're right: it should be "conducted" and "borrowed". Q: but .. how about the other parts of gerunds.?? correct sample.. infinitives ?? how is it use?? A: I'm sorry - I don't really understand your question. Q: "I like going swimming." Is this correct?? A: Yes. Q: "What should we do to be healthy? 1) To do some sports. or 2) Do some sports. or 3) Doing some sports. Which is correct, please? A: 2. Q: I am waiting to eating a rice. wheter is correct? A: No. It should be "I am waiting to / about to eat rice."

Changing the mood of a sentence (modals) In English, you can show what you feel about a situation by using words such as may, will, would, might, can and could.

These words can change the meaning of a sentence and show that something is possible, necessary, uncertain, or intended. "For example, "I'll go shopping tomorrow" shows that you intend to go tomorrow. "I might go shopping tomorrow" shows that perhaps you will go tomorrow, but you don't know for sure. When you use these words, remember: * They are followed by the verb without to. * You don't need an 's' for the third person singular: "He might come to the party." (Not "he mights come to the party".) * You can make a question by putting the word before the person, not by using 'do' or 'have': "Could you help me?" (Not "do you could help me?") * You can make a negative form by adding a form of not to the word: can becomes can't will becomes won't might becomes might not (or mightn't) may becomes may not could becomes couldn't.

How possible something is "The company might relocate next year." "We may have to wait an hour for dinner in this restaurant." "It can get very cold here in winter." "We could all live to be 100 years old in theory."

How certain something is "She'll get promoted next year." "He won't agree to that idea." "You must be our new neighbour." "If you left now, you would get the train."

Offers and requests

"Shall I open the door for you?" "I'll cook dinner, if you like." "Could you help me?" "Can you pass me the salt, please?"

Permission "Can I open the window, please?" "You may now look at your exam papers." (This is formal.)

Ability "I can cook, but I can't drive." "I couldn't speak French very well when I was at school."

Using should, must and need These words help you to talk about rules, obligation and advice.

Should We use should to give advice. "If you want to learn English, you should practise as much as possible." We can also use should to talk about what we expect to happen. "He should be here by now – he left over an hour ago." The negative of should is shouldn't. "You shouldn't eat so much chocolate – it's bad for you."

Must We use must to talk about obligation. "I must call my grandmother today – it's her birthday." If you want to say the opposite – that there is no obligation to do something, use don't have to or don't need to. "You don't have to wash the car – I'll do it." "You don't need to put the rubbish out – I've already done it."

We can also use must to talk about what we think is logically certain. "You must be tired after all that travelling." If you want to say that something is logically impossible, use can't. "Who's that at the door? It can't be the postman – he's already been." Mustn't means that it is not allowed to do something. "You mustn't feed animals in the zoo – it's not allowed."

Should have done Look at this example dialogue: "You know… my car was broken into yesterday." "How terrible. What did you do?" "Oh, nothing." "You should have called the police." We use the pattern should have done to talk about what we think would have been the best thing to do. However, the past event we are talking about cannot be changed. So the pattern after should is have done – not should do. In the example dialogue, the person didn't contact the police yesterday (in the past), so you can't change the situation. You can only say what action would have been the best in this situation. SEE ALSO: If Sentences In English

Note When you use this construction, be careful not to say should had done.

"If" sentences There are four main types of if sentences in English, often called conditional sentences. These sentences are in two halves, with the if part in one half and the other part where you can use words such as can, will, may, might, could and would.

If + present form + present form "If you heat ice, it melts."

In this type of sentence, you could use when instead of if. It's always true that when you heat ice it melts. This is why this type of sentence is sometimes called a zero conditional.

If + present form, + will, can or may "If I am late, I will call you." "If you need me, you can call me at home." "If it gets any hotter, we may have a thunder storm." In these sentences (or first conditional sentences), there is a strong possibility that the first part (coming after if) is going to happen. The second part says what will happen as a result.

If + past form + would, could or might "If I got a pay rise, I would buy a new car." "If you left your job, you could travel around the world." "If you were nicer to him, he might lend you the money." In these sentences, the first part with if shows that the event is unlikely to happen. In English, we often use this type of sentence (called a second conditional) to talk about hypotheses, or imaginary future events. For example, "If I was President of the United States, I would change some laws." But I know that I'll never be the President of the USA – I'm just saying what I would do if I was in his/her position. Note: in American English, it is correct to use "if I were…" In British English, it's more common to say "if I was…"

If + past perfect + would/might/could have done "If I had revised, I would have passed my exams." "If we had gone out earlier, we might have got to the cinema on time." "If you had told me there was a problem, I could have helped." In these sentences (or third conditional sentences), the first part of the sentence with if didn't happen. So there is no possibility of the second part of the sentence happening. I didn't revise, so I didn't pass my exams and there is nothing I can do about it now. English speakers use this type of sentence to show how things could have been different.

Make and let In English, the verbs "make" and "let" are followed by an object and the infinitive without "to": They can't make you work late. She made him do the exercise again. She lets the students sing in class. His parents let him paint his room black. Be careful: in the passive, "make" is followed by the infinitive with "to": They were made to do the exercise again. "Have" can also be used in this pattern: Please have your secretary call me as soon as possible. (Please ask your secretary to call me…)

Other English verbs not followed by the infinitive + to Modal verbs (can, will, would, etc) are followed by the infinitive without "to": I can see him clearly. They will leave early tomorrow. If I were you, I would talk to her. (Click here for more information on modals.) See / hear / watch someone followed by the infinitive without "to": She saw the girl steal the money. (She saw all the action of stealing.) I heard him tell her about the party." (I heard all about the party.) I watched them do the exercise. (I watched them complete the exercise.) But remember: If you follow these verbs with the gerund form (ing), you only see part of the action. She saw him talking to the teacher. (She didn't see the whole conversation.) See also How to use gerunds in English Q: How is the passive of "Let"? Is "let" followed by the infinitive with "to"? Ex: Active: she lets the students sing in class. Passive: 1. The students are let to sing in class. 2. The students are let sing in class. 3. The students let to be sung in class. Which sentence is right? Thanks A: You can't make the passive with let. You can say instead: The students are allowed to sing in class.

Q: yes,, but the let and the make they are same meaning? A: i make him do his assignment before i let him watch his favorite show Q: i make her do her workhome before i let her eat her cake A: Yes, your sentence is correct. Q: what do you make him do? I make him do evrything.I make him cook food,make him clean the house ,make him wash clothes...every thing. Please correct my sentences. A: he makes me cry all day Q: can we use "get" as a causitive? 1-I want to get my house painted. 2- he gets his son to go to school. Are these sentences correct? A: The first is fine, but in the second I'd use "makes": He makes his son go to school. Q:The tuff work made me quit out of the company. I can't work more than 8 Hours a day. In the lesson; It's mentioned that make and let comes in the formula: Make|Let + object + infinitive without to. My question: am I right that this not the only way of using them. Because I searched in the internet and there are many uses: eg. Make + object + adj. Thanks in advance for response! A: Yes, you can use make with an adjective: "You make me happy". Q: I would like to know if the verb " do " can be used with the noun " diet ". eg. You should do a diet. thanks Jose Luis A: Yes, or perhaps "You should go on a diet". Q: don't make bluffs.isn't correct. A: No. You can just say "Don't bluff". ** This is a easy usage ,but i always forget to delete the word "to“?For example ,he makes me go there ,we should not write as "he makes me to go there".

English relative clauses There are two types of relative clauses in English: those that add extra information (non-defining relative clauses) and those that modify (or define) the subject of the sentence (defining relative clauses).

Defining clauses These clauses define the noun and they identify which thing or person we are referring to. Things "The present which he bought me is beautiful." People "The man who has started an English course is from Spain." Using whom Whom is used to refer to the object of the verb. The people with whom I was sitting were very noisy.

However, it is hardly ever used in spoken English. Instead, “who” is used with the preposition: The people who I was sitting with were very noisy. To whom are you speaking? = Who are you speaking to? For whom are you buying the present? + Who are you buying the present for? Using that In spoken English, "that" is often used instead of "which", "whom"or "who". "The present that he bought me is beautiful." "The man that has started an English course is from Spain." When, where and whose When: Is there another time when (that) I can call you? Where: Can you tell me where I can buy wrapping paper? Whose: (possessive) Have you seen the TV show whose catchphrase is “Deal no deal?” Omitting that, who and which If the pronoun ("that", "who", "which") is the object of the verb, it can be omitted. "The company that she works for is based in London." ("That"is an object pronoun.) = "The company she works for is based in London." ("That"can be omitted.) But: "The company that employs her is based in London." ("That" is a subject pronoun.) The company employs her (the company is the subject). In this case, it is not possible to omit "that". You need the pronoun because it is the subject of the verb.

Non-defining relative clauses These clauses add further information. "My students, who are all adults, are learning English to get a better job." "The textbooks, which the students like, have lots of helpful examples." Commas are used to separate the relative clause from the rest of the sentence. "That" cannot be used instead of "who"or "which" in non-defining relative clauses.

You can use “some”, “none”, “all” and “many” with “of which” and “of whom” to add extra information: My students, many of whom are from Europe, are learning English to get a better job. The textbooks, some of which the students like, have helpful examples. Comparing defining and non-defining relative clauses The meaning of the sentences changes if you use a non-defining clause rather than a defining clause. Compare the following: Non-defining The students, who had revised hard, passed the exam. (All the students revised and they all passed the exam. Defining The students who had revised hard passed the exam. (Only some of the students revised, and these were the ones who passed the exam.) Q: My country is Viet Nam where is a developing country . Or : My country is Viet Nam which is a developing country . Which is correct ? A: Neither. I'd say "My country, Vietnam, is a developing country." Q: These are the trainees who are studying here. can be shortend to.. These are the trainees studying here. But The thief who was arrested by the police last night ran away. are these sentences containing relative clauses? If not, what do we call these clauses. A: Yes, they are relative clauses. Q: If I'm speaking and using such clauses, how can I let the listener distinguish between a defining clause and a non-defining clause? A: Abdulelah » The only way to really show the difference is to pause (where the commas are) in non-defining clauses. Q: I have a question about the situation/way of using that. Could I use THAT to instead of WHO or WHICH anytime in spoken English? A: You can use it instead of who or which in defining relative clauses. But in nondefining relative clauses (where you include extra information) you can't use "that". Q: How do I explain that "My country, where is Vietnam, is beautiful" is wrong while "My country, which is Vietnam, is beautiful" is right? Also, "April, when is the best month of the year..." vs "April, which is the best month of the year..." A: You can use "where" if the subject in the clause is different: Vietnam, where many different nationalities live, has borders with China and Cambodia. Vietnam, where I live, is a beautiful country. The same for "when": April, the month when it often rains, is in spring. Otherwise, if the subject is the same in the clause, use "who" or "which" as relative pronouns: Sarah, who is English, lives in France. The new book, which was published last week, has been a great success. *** To use WHEN, WHERE correctly. you have to remember their function : When, where are only used as adverb, while which, that are used as subject or subject Q: my question is very simple does anybody tell me, When we have used the word "THAT" and When we have used the word "WHERE" Because mostly we use "THAT" While Speaking. A: Use "where" to refer to a place: The place where I was born is an industrial city. Use "that" to refer to an object: The car that she drives is old.

Q: Well i am bit confused about "THAT" and "WHICH". Can u please tell me in detail whats the main difference between "THAT" and "WHICH" And how to make a sentence whether we use "THAT" or "WHICH". A: The main difference is between defining and non-defining relative clauses. In defining relative clauses, you can use which or that for objects, but who or that for people. In non-defining relative clauses, you can't use that at all. Use which for objects, and who for people. Q: the house , where i had been lived until 2 years old , was failed in yesterday ? is my sentence correct ? A: The house, where I had lived until I was two years old, fell in yesterday. Q: 1. I remember my house where i had spent 10 years of my life. 2. My next door neighbour is a women that is from mexico. 3. I am trying to improve my english so that to get good job in future. 4. I am planing a party at my home, so when are you free to come? 5. With whom are you going at this time? 6. To whom are you sending this beatuiful present? Helo Sir, This is such a good web site for begginers. I want your attention to please check and rectify my sentences. I'll be very thankful to you. A: 1. I remember my house where I spent 10 years of my life. 2. My next door neighbour is a women from Mexico. 3. I am trying to improve my English to get a good job in the future. 4. I am planing a party at my home, so when are you free to come? 5. Who are you going with this time? (With whom sounds very formal.) 6. Who are you sending this beautiful present to? Helo Sir, This is such a good web site for begginers. I want your attention to please check and rectify my sentences. I'll be very thankful to you. Q: My next door neighbor is the man that is usually angry with everybody . The house where I left 1 year ago was very old and dirty . The girl I 've just talked to is my new college A: My next door neighbor is the man who is usually angry with everybody . The house where I lived / which I left 1 year ago was very old and dirty . The girl I 've just talked to is my new colleague - OK Q: the city that had built by empror has vanished the city,which had built by empror has vanished. is first sentence is defining and second is non-defining. if not ,then correct these sentences in defining and non defining clauses A: The city that was built by the emperor has vanished - defining The city which was built by the emperor has vanished - defining Put in commas to make it non-defining The city, which was built by the emperor, has vanished Q: by very simple example explain for me whose and whom. and ommiting. A: Whose - relates to possession: The man whose car was stolen had to walk home. Whom - is the equivalent of "who", but we use it when the person is the object, rather than subject of the sentence: The man to whom she was talking was French. Q: About the last statement whose/whom, Can I say "The man who she was talking was French" instead of "The man to whom she was talking was French" Are both correct? The man who she was talking to was French = The man to whom she was talking... The second is more formal. But remember you need the preposition "to" in the first sentence. Q: Could you possibly explain to me the difference between "this" and "that" and "these" and "those" ? I hope this kind of question is not already posted. Well, I have learnt that "this" is used when you say for example: This is my house and that is your house. Or these are my trousers and those over there are yours. But what I don't understand about it, is how to use "this" and "that" or plural forms like "these" and "those" in spoken English or when writing a letter. The thing is. I never know when best to use "this" and "that" or "these" and "those" Perhaps you could answer

my question that would be so great. Thank you again for taking the time. I hope you will be able to help me again. Thank you. A: You use them in exactly the way you describe: this / that for singular nouns, and these / those for plural nouns. Q: Give me two sentences using (inwhere) and (inwhich) ...... what's the difference between these two words ... A: You don't need "in" with "where: The town where I was born is not very wellknown. The situation in which he found himself was serious. The situation he found himself in was serious. Q: Can you explain the rules of using "since" , "as" , "because" and "for" to me, please? Thank you so much for helping me. A: Have a look at the page on linking words in the grammar section of the site. These words are explained there. Q: Is it possible to omit "that" in these sentences, please? 1) I think THAT she is lazy. 2) That is the girl THAT I like. 3) She told me THAT she liked jazz. Thank you in advance. A: Yes! Q: "A hospital is a building THAT sick people go to." Is this sentence correct, please? A: Yes, or you can use "which". Q: what is relative clause? A: It's a clause (introduced by a pronoun such as who / which / that) where you add extra information to the noun. The man is English. (normal clause) The man who lives here (relative clause) is English. Q: you mentioned; when speaking we can only differ between the 2 types of clause by pausing in place of commas incase of non-defining clause? Surley? because why I am feeling it is still not clear just by pause. So is there any difference in pronouncing the sentence in each case? thanks alot. A: No - there isn't really any way of making the difference clear, except for by pausing before and after the non-defining relative clause. Q: Sorry! I don't uderstand why that in the lesson it mentioned; the non-defining clause changes the meaning of the sentence. Because the way I am thinking; that when we remove the relative clause incase of "non-defining" the meaning is not changed , rather than in defining clause removing the clause change the meaning. Please would you correct me if I am thinking wrong? or what does the last pargraphin the lesson- mean? Thanks alot Clare! you are the herio :-) A: A non-defining relative clause adds information - but it's not essential to the grammar of the sentence. So you can remove the non-defining relative clause without making the sentence ungrammatical. It changes the meaning, because it adds extra info: The people who saw the accident were shocked. (Only the people who saw the accident were shocked. The other people - who didn't see it - weren't shocked. The people, who saw the accident, were shocked. (All the people who saw the accident were shocked.) Q: am I right? that we can you use "those" to add a relative claue to sentence; instead of "that" when refering to plural. e.g. The persons those given the prizes were very happy. A: Yes - you can. "Those people given the prizes were very happy." Q: So.. "Those" changes the format of he sentence, and I can't just replace "that" by "those" with the same format. e.g. The laptops that we ordered didn't arrive yet! The correct sentence- using those- is: Those laptops we ordered didn't arrived yet! Right? A: Right! (but it should be "didnt arrive" not "didn't arrived".)

Q: I have a question to ask and I really need to know . well Can you tell me the diffrence in meaning between these two sentences " a dream is life " " a dream is a life " . Waiting for ur answer . A: I'm not sure what you mean in these sentences. In the first, you're defining what a dream is - which is life itself (I think). In the second, I think you mean that someone's dream is their life - not life in general. Q: can we use this and it 2 introducing someone.for example,this is my mom. A: Use this, not it. Q: Can anyone help me, please? The sentence: "Jane has had numerous affairs over the past several years after her third divorce, and was involved in an "intimate relationship with a terrific man, "Will", that lasted about 3 months." Is "that lasted ..." a defining clause in this sentence? "That" is used, so probably yes, but I'm not sure. In simple examples it's easy to understand which type the clause belongs to. A: You could also use the pronoun "which" instead of "that". I'd say it's a nondefining relative clause: it adds extra information which isn't necessary for the clause to be grammatically correct. In fact you could go on with something like this: "... she was involved in a relationship with a terrific man, "WillW, which lasted about three months, but which ultimately ended when Will got married."

Time expressions in English There are many words and expressions to refer to time. You can use these to sequence events and to make stories and anecdotes more interesting.

The present – permanent Use the present simple tense to refer to permanent situations in the present. I now live in a small town. Nowadays I live in a small town. These days, I don't have much of a social life.

The present – temporary Use the present continuous tense to refer to temporary situations in the present. At present / At the moment I'm living in a small town. For the time being I'm living in a small town, but I hope to move soon.

Talking about a period of time in the past My mother started work as a nurse in the 1960s. In those days she lived in London. Back then nurses were badly paid. At that time, nurses lived in special accommodation.

Talking about a single event in the past

At one time she lost her door key and had to stay in a hotel. On one occasion she nursed the son of a famous politician.

Sequencing events in the past There are many ways to sequence events in the past. Here are some of the more common ones. After (in the middle of a sentence) Afterwards / After that / After a while (at the beginning of a sentence) Then / Before (in the middle or at the beginning of a sentence) Before that / Previously / Until then (At the beginning of a sentence) By the time (in the middle of a sentence followed by a past perfect tense) By then / by that time (at the beginning of a sentence) I went shopping after I finished work. I worked all day in the office. Afterwards / After that, I went shopping. I went shopping. After a while, I got bored. I worked before I went shopping. I went shopping at 6pm. Before that / Previously / Until then I had worked all day in the office. I worked all day, then I went shopping. I was desperate to go shopping by the time I had finished work. I worked until 6pm. By then / By that time, I was glad for the opportunity to go shopping.

Other expressions to refer to the next event in a story Later on Before long At that moment / Suddenly Meanwhile At the same time Simultaneously (a more formal way of saying meanwhile / at the same time) I worked and then went shopping. Later on I met some friends for pizza. I waited for a while in the restaurant. Before long, the waiter came up and asked me… At that moment / Suddenly, I heard the door slam. Meanwhile / At the same time / Simultaneously my phone started to ring.

People who are no longer "around" An ex-president = no longer the president: "The ex-president of France is still influential." A previous / former boss: "A previous boss taught me how to make presentations." "My former boss now works for a different company." My late wife = my wife who has died: "My late wife painted watercolours." Q: please give more example about "by the time" thank you

A: By the time she got home, the children had already done their homework. By the time the search party arrived, the survivors had already made a basic shelter. By the time I got married, I had been living in London for ten years. Q: He is gotten much better. Is this correct? A: I'd say "he has got much better". Q: Please correct my following sentences : By the time I complete my MBA, I will have some experience. By the time your people will hit the bench, there will be some new projects. A: By the time I complete my MBA. I will have gained some experience. By the time your people hit the beach, there will have been some new projects. Q: what about currently? and in which present tense we can use it? for me I always use it in present simple "I currently work as a farmer".. A: We also use it with the present continuous: "I'm currently studying for a Masters degree." Q: Can you advise me on this sentence. Thanks. Here are the numbers as stated below: or Here is the numbers as stated below: ? A: Use the first one ("numbers" is a plural word, so you need "are") Q: Pls correct my sentences... You have a wonderful family .I would like to meet your family when I get there.Unfortunately, It would be a long time for me again to have a vacation due to my hectic schedule.Meanwhile,I am looking forward to our family reunion in next year.I am rightnow extremely excited to going back home to see all our relatives over there...... thanks you....pls correct me It is greatly appreciated A: You have a wonderful family .I would like to meet your family when I get there. Unfortunately, it will be a long time before I have another vacation due to my hectic schedule. Meanwhile, I am looking forward to our family reunion next year. Right now I'm xtremely excited about going back home to see all our relatives over there…… Q: In present perfect, aside from for and since is there any word we can use or for and since are the only applicable words? 1. We have known each other for ten years. 2. We have lived in this city since 1995. how about past perfect? What other words can we use aside from before? Is had always followed by a before-clause? ex. I had seen him twice before he left. ex. The train had left before i reached the station. A: If you're talking about the period of time with the present perfect, then only since / for can be used. For the past perfect you can use before, but also for / since I'd been living there for three years when I met Sam I'd been living there since the death of my cousin when I met Sam You don't always need "before" with the past perfect. Q: I went to school at 6:30 after I had had my breakfast .After wards , I came back my home and drop in my cousin ' house.Unfortunately, he had gone out before I 're there. Is this correct A: I went to school at 6:30 after I had had my breakfast . Afterwards , I came back home and dropped in at my cousin's house. Unfortunately, he had gone out before I got there. Q: Will you write some more sentence about "since and for", please... I'll be looking forward for it... A: We often use "since" and "for" in the present perfect: I have lived here since 2006. I have lived here for three years. We use "for" to talk about the length of time: "She's here in London for three weeks to promote her new film." "I lived in London for two years, then I went to Paris."

Q: I could not understand the difference between by the time and by that time.plz clear it.thanx! A: By the time (I left the party, people were dancing on the tables.) You need a phrase after "by the time" and it means "when". By that time, I was tired and I wanted to go home. "By that time" refers to a specific time you have already mentioned (i.e. the time when I left the party). It means "at that time / moment". Q: one of my colleague is back in the office after few days . can I ask him, Are you have been on vacation? Is this is correct? A: "Have you been on holiday?" Or perhaps "Nice to see you back!" Q: I went shopping at 6pm. Until then I had worked all day in the office. or I went shopping at 6pm. Till then I had worked all day in the office. What is the difference and which is correct? Can anyone tell me please? A: "Until then I had been working all day in the office" is correct. Q: Hi calre, I want ur help to understand the grammer of english it realy very confusing when going to talk with anyone the moment i started talking with some i forgot all the grammer and would speak wrong english due to which i had lost most of my assigment and jobs so request you kindly help me about how to make sentences for past,present and future tense sentences what i always do i mixed up all the three tenses and cant when to used all the tenses while talking to someone. A: Have a look at the pages on using tesnes in the grammar section of the site. There are explanations and examples of how to use the different tenses in English. Q: Now I'm very confused. Pls show me what is correct. Thanks in advance. 1. For one year working with her, I found that she has many special skills in the job. 2. I worked with her for one year, I found that..... A: Sentence 2 is much clearer. You could rewrite 1 as: During the year that I worked with her, I found that... Q: In your lesson about Grammer> Time, expression in English> Talking about a period of time in the past : There is a statement "Back then nurses were badly paid". This statement comes under Past perfect tense, isn't it? don't you think there should be a statement as "Back then nurses paid badly" If i am wrong pls correct me. A: Thanks for pointing this out! "Good" is an adjective, so I've removed the example sentence and put in another in its place. Q: this time expreesion words will help me to explain my story clearly to my friends ...........i thanks all the people the created this fabulous website....... Q: hello clare can you please correct my sentence for me thanks.. I lived in Newcastle in 2005 but NOW i lived in sydney A: The first part is correct. The second part should be "but now I live in Sydney." Q: Which is correct? 1) I haven´t time. 2) I haven´t any time. 2) I haven´t got time. 3) I haven´t got any time. A: 4, but you might also hear 1. Q: The first sentence " I now live in a small town." Can we say "Now I live in small town." which is correct? A: Both are fine. Q: are following sentences correct.i went 2 college last friday and met my teachers then i receive my intermediate degree and came back home. A: ... then I received my degree...

Adjectives Knowing what is an adjective and what is an adverb is very important in English grammar. For example, the following sentences are typical mistakes, caused

by confusion over the difference between adjectives and adverbs. "He works hardly." ("He works hard.") "She writes good." ("He writes well.") "It's a really problem." ("It's a real problem.") Adjectives describe nouns. "A good student." "A nice day." "He is interesting." Adverbs describe verbs or adjectives. "He eats well." "She learns quickly." "I'm really tired."

Problems 1. Some adjectives and adverbs have the same form. "She's a fast driver." (adj) "She drives fast." (adv) "TOEFL is a hard exam." (adj) "The students work hard." (adv) "She has straight hair." (adj) "He went straight home." (adv) 2. Not all adverbs end in -ly. "She works well with others." "Eagles fly high in the sky." 3. Some adverbs have two meanings. Hard "He works hard." "I hardly know him." (barely) Close "She sat close to the conductor on the bus." (next to) "I listened closely to what he said." (paying attention) Dead "You're dead right!" (completely right) "This snake is deadly – watch out for it." (fatal) Fair "He was fairly treated by the Immigration authorities." (justly) "It's fairly cold today." (quite)

Fine "How do you feel? Fine." (well) "Finely chop the tomatoes." (in small pieces) Free "The english-at-home.com website is free of charge." (no money needed) "Children can play freely in this park." (no limits to their freedom) High "We'll need to raise prices high in order to survive." (high prices) "I think highly of him." (a high opinion) "He's highly paid." (very well paid) Late "He arrived late for the meeting." (not on time) "There have been a few complaints lately." (recently) Right "She walked right up to him and demanded to see the manager." (didn't stop until she got close to him) "He rightly thought that he was going to lose his job." (correctly thought) Wrong "He wrongly told her that he had been promoted." (incorrectly) "This is spelt wrong." (incorrect) (You can only use 'wrong' when it's after the verb.) 4. Some words that end in -ly are not adverbs, but are adjectives. For example, lovely, friendly, silly, lonely. "She is silly." "She behaves in a silly way." "Her children are lovely." "He treated her in a lovely way." 5. Some verbs are followed by adjectives. "You look good today!" "This soup tastes nice." "He seems pleasant." "I don't feel very happy at the moment." In these examples, you are describing the subject (such as 'the soup') rather than the verb ('tastes'). Q: I'm still not very clear in this page....How to know which is the adjective and which is the adverbs?? A: You need to work out what the word is doing: is it describing a noun (in which case it is an adjective), or is it describing either a verb or an adjective (in which case it is an adverb).

Q: So do I, i'm still not clear to understand the differences between Adverb and adjective. I'm clear about the using of adjective but to use adverb in a sentense or identify who is an adverb, i dont clear at all. See the post above. A: If the word describes a noun, it is an adjective: a good student If the word describes either a verb or an adjective, it is an adverb: a student who works well (describing a verb) an extremely intelligent student (describing an adjective) Q: I have a question about adverbs: adverbs describe verbs or adjectives, so she looks beautifully or she looks beautiful? A: Look at rule 5, above. After some verbs like "look" we use an adjective, so it should be "She looks beautiful". Q: The words sick and sickly are both adjectives, example, 1. The sick dog is sleeping 2. The girl is looking at her sickly dog How to differentiate between these to words ? A: "Sick" means "ill": the dog is actually sick at the moment with a medical problem. "Sickly" means that the dog often gets ill, but it might not be ill right now. Q: adjective - how something( person,place or thing ) is. adj.is used for a noun. e.g fluent english. adverb -how thigs happen. A: adv. is used for an action. e.g speak fluently Q: I would like to add that the following verbs are followed by adjectives(seem,look,be,become,smell,sound,feel,tasete),e.g., be careful. A: The dinner smells delicious. I am getting cold to the bone. Q: I have a question. I am sure that the words "real quick" do not go together, but am I right? For example, if someone said, "We're going to go over the homework real quick," is it proper grammar? A: In American English you can hear "real" with an adjective, but in British English we'd say "really quickly". Q: I'm still not clear what's different between an adverb and an adjective and how to use it. A: An adjective describes a noun. (An interesting film / a good student.) An adverb describes a verb (She spoke quickly) or an adjective (a well-known author). Q: i have a question if the sentences contain both adjective and adverb for example a well-known book ,the adverb should come befor the adjective in every time?please answere me and thank you A: You can say either "a well-known book" or "the book is well known". Q: I notice the example of "high", the verb raise means from lower to higher, why do you put "high" after price? The "high" here describes the verb raise or noun price? A: You can say "a high price" or "the price is high". Q: By the way, about the exact meaning and correct use of "quite" and rather". If somebody says : "He's quite good" and "He's rather good" or "I'm quite cold" and "I'm rather cold". What do they mean? Somebody says that "quite" has meaning worse than "rather", is it right??? A: Quite can mean two things, depending on the stress. If we don't stress it, it means "rather", but if we stress "quite" it can mean "very". "Rather" isn't very common in spoken English - we'd usually say "quite" or "a bit". Q: Please tell me about how to form compound adjective if you don't mind. Specifically, when do we use an "adj + n-ed" or "adj + n-ing" and "n + verb-ing" or "n + verb-ed". For example : "cool-headed" but not "cool-heading" "habit-forming" but not "habit-formed" Why? Can we freely form these such adjectives when we need or basically look up dictionary? A: I'm not sure there is a specific rule for how to use participles as adjectives. It seems to me (as a native speaker) that using the "ing" form shows less a result, and

more a process. So "habit-forming" gives you the idea that an experience will help you to form a habit. Whereas the "ed" participle shows a result / final state. A coolheaded person has become that way rather than still being in the process of becoming cool-headed. I would still advise you to check in a dictionary though! Q: adjectives and adverbs are the most confusing especially when trying to pick up the most proper ones to describe something/actions. for example I wanna tell some1 I like ur smell/odor too much firstly, which noun is correct here "smell "or "odor"?? secondly, what is the most proper adjective I can use here? Lovely, nice , good, pleasant finally, are these sentences correct : " Im doing well" " Im doing stronger" " how are u doing?" " I miss u dearly" or " I miss u intensely" " how are u feeling now?" or" how do u feel now? " He is busy and unlikely to come" A: Here are the correct phrases: You smell lovely! I'm doing well. I miss you very much. Q: I always face lots of new adjectives/ adverbs in the news : 1- stunning : Wyen Rooney stunning performance helped the red evils to get the 3 points. " - he always does stunning things" correct???? 2- genuine : he should add some genuine pace to his attack. pls give me more examples 3-"reputedly" can I use it as the word " reportedly" or there r differences????? 4- "the situation was becoming increasingly grave." does "GRAVE" here means dangerous?.. and can I use another adjective and adverb instead of INCREASINGLY and GRAVE???? A: 1. Yes 2. genuine / real / effective 3. There are differences. Reported = it has been said or written; reputed = it has been thought, but not reported as truth 4. Yes: "increasingly dangerous / serious" Q: I have a question about the adjective " beautiful " .I think use " beautiful " to describe appearance of someone.So sometimes I see in some case it's used to describe a song , a view ,a voice ....Can you give me some advise about it ? A: You can use "beautiful" to describe many things: looks (for a woman), appearance, a song, a voice, a view, a story... Q: Thank you for this lesson :) I thing i got the pattern but still not sure... On the top of your lesson under highlighted word "Adverbs" you wrote a sentence "A wellknown book". Later, in one of your answers (to Kay) you responded that it's adjective... And another question: in sentence " you look good today! " we say 'good' is adjective because it has to do will one of the senses (words like feel, look, taste, see,)? A: adjective is always before nouns and adverb is after verbs. besides, there are some verbs link with adjective such as "make, taste, smell, seem, feel...". And, "something, anyone, no one..." are before adjective. Q: In this sentence, The recent performance is better than their earlier ones, is better an adjective A: It's the comparative form of "good". Q: Why do we say it smells strongly of paint if smell is a link verb which requires an adjective. A: smell + adj (smell good / bad) smell of sth (it smells of paint) Q: Is any difference between "sure" and "for sure"?? A: Not as far as I know, although we're more likely to use "sure" as an adjective. Q: "There is a village not far" or "ther is a village not far away"?? Which is gramatically correct? b The second. Q: "It sounds different" or "it sounds differently". Which is correct? A: The first is correct. After verbs of sensation / feeling, we often have an adjective, rather than adverb.

Q: Could you explain the difference the sentences? 1. I want a fish fried. 2. I want a fried fish. 3. I want a fish that is fried. 4. I want a fish to be fried. thank you.... A: Sentence 1 and 4 mean the same - you want someone else to fry a fish for you. Sentence 2 and 3 also mean the same - you want a fish that has been fried. Q: could you tell me how to use "All".. a noun ater All should be in plural or singular form? and all +the noun or all+noun or all of the noun? how about the differences in each case? A: It depends on the noun. If it's a countable noun, it needs to be in the plural: All the children were sitting down. All the chairs in the room were broken. If it's an uncountable noun, it doesn't change: All the meat was expensive. Q: "I'm dead sorry" - Can you use this adjective this way?? If so is it commonly used in spoken english?? A: We use "dead" to mean "absolutely": You're dead right = You're absolutely right. I wouldn't use it for "sorry

Frequency Here are some ways to say how often you do something. always often / frequently usually / generally sometimes / occasionally hardly ever / rarely never For example, "I always drink coffee in the morning" means I drink coffee every morning. Be careful of the pronunciation of "rarely". The "are" part of the word is spoken like the word air. The word has two syllables – 'rare' and 'ly'.

Putting these expressions into a sentence These words go before the main verb. "She often goes to the beach in summer." They go after the verb 'to be'. "He is occasionally late for meetings." They go after 'modal' or 'auxiliary' verbs. "It can sometimes get cold in the UK." "I have never been to the USA."

'From time to time' is an expression that means the same as 'sometimes'. It normally goes at the end of a sentence. For example, "I go to restaurants from time to time." Q: Can we use the frequency word "always" at the end of the sentence? e.g. I drink coffee in the morning always. A: No. Put it before the verb "drink": I always drink coffee in the morning. Q: which is correct: "Take how ever much milk you need" "Take how much ever milk you need" I just want to make sure about the place of "ever" with "How much" or "How many" I'd probably say "take as much milk as you need". I really don't believe him. He literally wrecked his mother's car. She simply ignored me The teacher completely rejected her proposal. I absolutely refuse to attend any more faculty meetings. They heartily endorsed the new restaurant His mother mildly disapproved his actions. We can improve on this to some extent. The boss almost quit after that. A: They're fine except sentence 7 which should be "disapproved of". OSAMA she is always late at the work. always= %100 she is late often/frequently = %80 usually/generally= %50 sometimes/occasionally=%40 hardly ever / rarely= %20 never=% 0 Q: When we use 'always' with he or she do we use 's' with the verb. for example He always does this. She always wears such kind of clothes. A: Yes, because with third person singular (he, she, it) you need s on the verb. Q: Just want to know what's the difference between the two: sometime and sometimes Thanks a lot A: Sometimes - frequency: I sometimes go to the theatre. Some time - referring to the future I'd like to go to New York some time. Q: when can I put ever and never in the sentence give me examples please A: Ever is used in questions, and never in statements: Have you ever been to New York? No, I've never been there. Q: That's great. I like frequency adverbs or adverbs of frequency call it as you wish !!@ They're so amazing to learn and repeat especially for beginners and I just liked them when I had studied them at school @@ Thank you so much !! Amazing right ?? A: i would like to say that "frequency adverbs" are usually used when we talk about our "daily activities" or "habitual actions" thank you Q: Hi Clare Once I read in a grammar book that the adverb " never " goes in the negatives in the present perfect. I thought it was a mistake as I consider that this adverb goes in the statements ( affirmative ) what is " negative " is the adverb in itself. Isn't it ? thanks JOSE LUIS A: You can say: I have never been to the USA. Or I haven't ever been to the USA. Is this what you mean? Q: HI CLARE THE GRAMMAR BOOK I TOLD YOU ABOUT SAYS THAT THE ADVERB"NEVER" GOES IN THE NEGATIVES IN THE PRESENT PERFECT BUT FOR THE SENTENCE TO BE NEGATIVE WE NEED TO HAVE THE AUXILIARY OF THE PRESENT PERFECT (HAVE/ HAS ) NEGATIVE. EG. I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO THE STATES. WHAT I MEAN IS THAT THE STRUCTURE OF THE SENTENCE IS THAT OF A STATEMENT BUT YOU MAKE IT NEGATIVE BECAUSE OF THE ADVERB " NEVER". IN ANOTHER GRAMMAR BOOK SAYS THAT THIS ADVERB GOES IN STATEMENTS AND BY STATEMENTS I UNDERSTAND: affirmatives. what i mean is that the adverb never is negative not the sentence because if the sentence were negative we should write: haven't or hasn't. I HOPE THIS HELPS THANKS JOSE LUIS

A: OK - thanks! If the sentence is negative, we write haven't or hasn't and "ever". Q: Hi clare, is there any scenario where we can use "ever" and "never" in simple and continuous tenses. A: In simple tenses, yes. But I can't think of an example when we'd use them in continuous tenses, as they're usually used to express habit (for which we use the simple forms). Q: can i use ever and never in one sentences.for example,i'll never ever this place come agian. A: Yes, you can! I'll never, ever come to this place again!

English Articles In English, knowing when to use 'a' or 'the' can be difficult. Fortunately, there are rules to help you, but you need to know what type of noun you are using.

Grammar rule 1 When you have a single, countable English noun, you must always have an article before it. We cannot say "please pass me pen", we must say "please pass me the pen" or "please pass me a pen" or "please pass me your pen". Nouns in English can also be uncountable. Uncountable nouns can be concepts, such as 'life', 'happiness' and so on, or materials and substances, such as 'coffee', or 'wood'.

Grammar rule 2 Uncountable nouns don't use 'a' or 'an'. This is because you can't count them. For example, advice is an uncountable noun. You can't say "he gave me an advice", but you can say "he gave me some advice", or "he gave me a piece of advice". Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable. For example, we say "coffee" meaning the product, but we say "a coffee" when asking for one cup of coffee.

Grammar rule 3 You can use 'the' to make general things specific. You can use 'the' with any type of noun – plural or singular, countable or uncountable. "Please pass me a pen" – any pen. "Please pass me the pen" – the one that we can both see. "Children grow up quickly" – children in general. "The children I know grow up quickly" – not all children, just the ones I know. "Poetry can be beautiful"- poetry in general. "The poetry of Hopkins is beautiful" – I'm only talking about the poetry Hopkins wrote.

More uses of articles in English

Rivers, mountain ranges, seas, oceans and geographic areas all use 'the'. For example, "The Thames", "The Alps", "The Atlantic Ocean", "The Middle East". Unique things have 'the'. For example, "the sun", "the moon". Some institutional buildings don't have an article if you visit them for the reason these buildings exist. But if you go to the building for another reason, you must use 'the'. "Her husband is in prison." (He's a prisoner.) "She goes to the prison to see him once a month." "My son is in school." (He's a student.) "I'm going to the school to see the head master." "She's in hospital at the moment." (She's ill.) "Her husband goes to the hospital to see her every afternoon." Musical instruments use 'the'. "She plays the piano." Sports don't have an article. "He plays football." Illnesses don't have an article. "He's got appendicitis." But we say "a cold" and "a headache". Jobs use 'a'. "I'm a teacher." Countries We don't use 'a' if the country is singular. "He lives in England." But if the country's name has a "plural" meaning, we use 'the'. "The People's Republic of China", "The Netherlands", "The United States of America". Continents, towns and streets don't have an article. "Africa", "New York", "Church Street". Theatres, cinemas and hotels have 'the'. "The Odeon", "The Almeira", "The Hilton". Abbreviations use 'the'. "the UN", "the USA", "the IMF". We use 'the' before classes of people. "the rich", "the poor", "the British". Q: Tell me when not to use the articles (a/an, the) at all. Secondly. In your website under "Grammar and Tenses" category and under "Articles" sub category. In

Grammar rule 2, you have mentioned: We can't say "he gave me an advice" But I have seen some people saying "I have an idea". Is this also wrong? A: The rule is that you don't use a / an with uncountable nouns. "Advice" is an uncountable noun. But "idea" is a countable noun, so you can use "an" with it. Q: Musical instruments use 'the'. "She plays the piano." If the sentence is "She plays piano", it means she can play piano. Is it correct? A: The sentence "She plays piano" should be "She plays the piano" as musical instruments use "the". You might hear "she plays piano" in American English, but it would be considered incorrect in British English. Q: What about island? Does it use "the". A: "Island" is a countable noun, so it needs an article: for example, "I live on an island". Q: while mentioning my hobbies can i say 'playing the key board or playing key board- which is correct? A: Both are fine, although I'd probably say "playing the key board". Q: (Should we use an article before a nationality...say...) Which is correct: Are you a Korean? or Are you Korean? A: "Are you a Korean?" or "Are you Korean?"...a Korean is a person, Korean is nationality...both are correct.... Q: As mentioned above that every job is attached with an ariticle "a".My doubt is its used for all types of job or in particular, what am I supposed to say when someone is engineer. He is an engineer. or He is a engineer. It should be A: "He is an engineer". Q: which of the statements is correct. 1:my hair is long. 2:my hair are long. A: Statement 1 is correct. **I've read the comments and one comment caught my attention bout the musical instruments..so it's ok to say "I play guitar." without the "the" Really, when not to use the articles.. Q: can we say a good advice A: No. We can say either "good advice" or "a good piece of advice". Q: please i have a confiusion about the nationality? if i say are you turkish? and are you a turkish ? both of twi sentences have the same meaning? A: With some nationalities, you can also use the article. For example, "He is Italian" and "He is an Italian". (You can often do this with nationalities ending in -n, such as American, Korean, German, Brazilian etc). But you can't use the article with all nationalities, such as with "Turkish". You can say "I am Turkish" or "Are you Turkish?" (not "are you a...") Q: Q1. Please describe how u can say advise is 'uncountable' and idea is 'countable'. Also diffrentiate between countable and uncountable nouns. Q2. 'The' used before 'class of people'?. Please give more examples because u say 'The British' where british is also used in nationality so it should be 'A british', 'An American'. Please describe it. Q3. Article used in 'Some institutional buildings'. I can't understand it. Please give some more detailed about it. A: 1. It should be "advice" (not "advise"). Some nouns are uncountable, and some aren't. Often, concept nouns are uncountable. For more information, see the top of the page. 2. We can use "the" before nationality to talk about a class / a group of people - not a singular person. So "the British" but "a British person". (not "a British") 3. If you go to an institution for the purpose with which that institution was built (so you go to a school to learn, a hospital because you are ill etc) then no

article. If you go to the institution for another reason (maybe to visit someone there), there is an article. Q: My question is with regards to the promunciation of the articles. I know that article "the" change its pronunciation if the word begins in vowel and consonant, but how about article "A and An" do their pronunciation change whenthey are used in some words? Does spelling matter aside from its sound? Thank you. Just need an answer as part of my research. A: Generally we don't stress grammatical words like articles. So often "a" is pronounced as a schwa (the "a" sound in the first syllable of "banana", for example.) If we want to stress the word (for example, if we're correcting a misunderstanding) we might use a long a sound (as in the "a" of "plate".) Q: Suppose I am talking about a particular interview ..."I am ready for the interview" is it correct or it should be "I am ready for an interview". If I am talking about the "Future""........it should be " a future" or "the future". Sometimes people say "in a near future" is it a right sentence. A: "I am ready for the interview" is correct because you are talking about a particular interview - one that I already know about because you have mentioned it before. We talk about "the future" and "in the near future". Q: What about the name of the weekdays and months...like "I am booking the table for saturday"...It would be "saturday" or "the saturday". And " I am going to London in January". Please advice. A: You're correct in both "for Saturday" and "in January". Q: We listen to Music or We listen to the music. Claire ...I think you can make out now that how bad I am at articles :-). A: If you're talking about music in general, no "the": "We listen to music in the mornings." If you're talking about some music that I know about (perhaps I can hear it to), so the music is specific, then use an article: "We're listening to the music coming from that car." Q: Is this sentence correct..."I ve mentioned the details of open requests for Mondeo project in this letter". A: ... for the Mondeo project... Q: he is talking on the phone ....or he is talking on phone. Some people says "he is on phone" is it correct or it should be "he is on the phone". if somebody calls me in the middle of the meeting ...can I tell him that I am in the meeting right now or it is ....I am in a meeting right now. I am going for a meeting ..is correct or ...I am going for the meeting. A: He's on the phone. I'm in a meeting right now. 'the email" is correct ...if we are talking about the specific email. for example...He has sent you the email. Q: Do we use "the" in front of the names of bridges? As a rule we don't, but how come that we say The Tower of London? A: Interesting question! I'd say we use "the" before towers: The Tower of London The Eiffel Tower The Leaning Tower of Pisa Q: can we use article before "united kingdom" A: i think we can use definite article before noun+of+noun structure so we can use "the" before tower of london............ There's only one Tower of London/ only one Eiffel tower and only one Towere of Pisa so we follow the rule for articles and put 'THE' before them. With London Bridge/Firth Bridge etc.. it's obvious that the bridge belongs to the city whose name is placed before the noun. It's a bvit like saying London’s Bridge(possessive case) but today no-one uses this. Hope this helps

Yes - you need to. This is because there is more than one element to The United Kingdom. You also need an article before "United States" (more than one state). Q: What shall we use in the blank space We saw ......giant Empire State building. A: the Q: It's my first visit to this place. I fin it very useful. Can u say "He's a Turk? I have a problem using indefinite articles. I read that He's an Italian is OK Can u help me? thanks in advance. A: You can say either "He's a Turk" or "He's Turkish". Q: is it a magnificent pagoda or the magnificent pagoda?? A: It can be both. If you're talking about one in particular, use "the": The magnificent pagoda in this town was built in... If you're talking about one of many pagodas, use "a": There's a magnificent pagoda in this town, built in... Q: i'm still confused about the use of articles before nationalities. If we can use an article for nationalities that end with -n, how about those end with -ese (Chinese, Japanese, etc). Can we say that 'She's a Japanese.'? How about New Zealander? It sounds weird to say 'He's New Zealander.' Are they any concrete rules about using article before nationality? A: You can't use an article before -ese: "He's Chinese" (not "a Chinese"). "A New Zealander" is fine. It seems to me you can use an article before nationalities that end -an: "He's an Italian / German / Korean". Q: Does Philippines can be considered as a plural meaning? Is it correct to say, " I live in the Philippines" and not "I live in Philippines". Also, Made in the Philippines and not made in Philippines? Please help to sort this out. Adz A: It's considered plural, so "I live in the Phillipines" and "Made in the Philippines". Q: pls.help me these following sentences. 1.my husband looking a dvd's in the computer room or should I say "looking the dvd's" 2.I am late going to the office because of the heavy traffic. 3.The/A man in the car drives very fast and he does over speed. 4.The flowers are beautiful in the/a garden. 5.She works in a/the company. A: 1. My husband is looking for a dvd in the computer room / ... is looking for dvds in the computer room 2.I am late going to the office because of heavy traffic. 3.The/A man in the car is driving very fast. (Either the / a, depending on whether we know which man you are talking about) 4.The flowers are beautiful in the garden. 5.She works in a company. Q: Is this sentence correct? Paris is so very courageous a warrior. Can I use so very before an adjective? A: Yes, your sentence is correct. Q: any body help me please? 1. "it's already 4 o'clock no." "we __________late." a. will be b. have been c. are which on is the best answer of the three options?? i am so confused. is it correct if i choose b. have been. A: Either a or c. Sorry! Q: why we use the USA but we cannot use the Pakistan? A: The USA - many states in one. Pakistan is one country, not made up of other smaller states. Q: As a native speaker and teacher I'm having trouble finding a rule for nationalities. (By the way, I'm 'a' New Zealander, I would never say "I'm New Zealander"). I agree with the '-ese' theory (Japanese, not 'a' Japanese), however, I would never say he is 'a' German, or he is 'a' Korean. (For some reason it sounds racist to me! Go figure). So I don't know if I can agree with your '-an' theory. Thoughts? A: I'm not sure if "a German" sounds racist. I'd probably use it as an adjective: "He's a German writer" for example.

Q: I know that we use a zero article with names of streets. If the name of the street is "Main Street" , should it have the definite article or zero article? (as the word "main" requires the definite article). An American colleague of mine says is must have "the", which I think is not correct. Thank you for your help. A: If it's the name of the street, then I wouldn't use "the": "The bank is on Main Street." The obly exception to this is "High Street" which is generally called "the High Street": "The bank is on the High Street." But if you use main as an adjective, you use "the". "The bank is on the main street." ** I have some addtions. "advice" is an uncountable noun, so you can't use it with "a". To make it countable, you should use: a piece of advice. Meanwhile, "idea" is countable, so it has plural form "ideas". I hop you are satisfied! Q: I'm sorry! I mean "I will go to school" or "I will go to the school"? A: It depends. If it's a school you attend, say "I will go to school". If it's not a school you attend, then "I will go to the school". Q: What's correct? "He went to library" OR "He went to the library"? A: "He went to the library" is correct. Q: Please, help me. Which sentence is correct - "Look out! Shark!" or "Look out! A shark! or "Look out! The shark". I have asked my teacher but she is not sure... A: You might just shout "Shark!" so as not to waste time! Q: What is correct: "My favorite food is burger and fries." OR "My favorite food are burger and fries." ? A:... is Q: If I want to practise English vocabulary - English words (and POINT at them), should I say: "A table" or "table"? "Some grass" or "grass"? "My arm" or just "arm"? A: a table grass / some grass (both are fine) my arm Q: Durian fruit have a strong smell / Durian fruit are strong-smelling. Durian fruit have a strong smell. OR Durian fruit has a strong smell. ? WHY ? A:... has Fruit is uncountable. Q: pls tell me , which sentence is correct? "A camel lives in a desert" or "A camel lives in the desert" A: If you are talking about general facts, the second is better. If you are telling a story (and we don't know which camel, which desert), the first is better perhaps. Q: i still confuse with the musical instruments must add " the" pls give more example A: I play the piano. He plays the cello. (Compare: We play tennis - no 'the' for sports.) Q: Are these correct, please? 1) (without any articles) Nice weather, isn´t it?" 2) It is A nice weather today, isn´t it? 3) A lovely day, isn´t it? 4) Bad weather, isn´t it? 5) Plus: And should I say: "It is very NICE today." Is it correct? A: All are correct, except 2, which should be "It's nice weather today..." Q: And one more question. If I see a giraffe in the zoo, should I say: "Look. THAT giraffe is beautiful." or "Look. THE giraffe is beautiful." Are both correct in this situation?? A: Both are fine. Maybe we'd use "that" if we were pointing at a particular one. Q: well i want to ask a very simple question, my question is sometimes i am confused, i mean what is the main different between "it" or "This" i mean when we use the "it" and when we use the "this". while speaking.. A: Use that when you point to something, or when you refer back to something in a conversation. My exam was very difficult and I couldn't finish it in time. That sounds bad, but maybe you passed. (That = refers back to not being able to finish the difficult exam in time.)

Q: Please, which sentences are correct? 1) I´d like a vegetable soup. 2) I´d like vegetable soup. 3) Lemonade, please. 4) A lemonade, please. A: They're all fine- In the sentences with an article, you're focussing on the quantity (i.e. one glass of lemonade, not two). Q: is either sentences are correct. " its not a safe place" or " this is not a safe place" what is the different between these two sentenses. explain me A: Both are fine. Using "this" means you're referring to a place both of you know. Q: "This" and "it" Are these both are same in meaning... what this does or what it does. A: It can just refer to a singular noun. But when you say "this" you are maybe pointing to one thing, or talking about one thing that the other person knows about. Perhaps you have already mentioned it, or perhaps you are referring back to your previous sentence. Q: then why we use "this" for near things or close things. A: Because we're pointing them out - so it's obvious which one we're referring to. Q: "It is a good advice." Is this correct?? or should I say: "It is a good piece of advice" or just "it is good advice." A: The first is incorrect, but the second and third are both fine. Q: I hope that these sentences are correct... :-) 1) He never goes to cinema. 2) Mum, could I go to the cinema? 3) A cinema is a place where you go to see a film. A: Fine except 1, which should be "he never goes to the cinema". Q: (without any article) Health is very important to us! And (without any article) prevention is the best way to keep us fit. Are these two sentences correct, please? A: Yes. Q: "How many different plants can you name in English? A tulip, a rose, etc." Is "a" necessary in this sentence? A: No, not really. I'd say it's optional in a list. Q: please, can you make a rule for "the" with buildings? for example why do we say Buckingham Palace and do not use article "the" thank you. A: With some buildings you don't need 'the'. For example, with "Palace", "Cathedral", "Church" or a road number, we don't use 'the'. But with other buildings, such as "The White House" or "The Houses of Parliament" we use 'the'. Q: Do my work,u will get 'a' commission or 'the' commission? A: You get a commission. Q: .my question is on instrument..we use THE PIANO ..but suppose i wana buy ..an instrument then can i say to the shopkeeper..I WANT A GOOD PIANO? Similarly in my whole text ..1.an instrument 2.the shopkeeper i used.is this correct?pls reply thanks :) A: Yes, you're correct. You can say "I'd like to buy a piano". It's only with the verb "to play" that we tend to use "the". (But we don't use "the" when we use the verb "to play" to talk about sports.) Q: I've heard we can say:from ages 10 to 25 why don't say from the ages 10 to 25 A: You can say "from the ages of..." but with plural countable nouns, you only need an article if you want to specify something. Otherwise, if you're talking about generalities, you can omit the article.

How to make comparisons in English There are some rules to help you make comparisons in English. 1 If the adjective (describing word) is one syllable, you can add -er. For example, small – smaller; big – bigger; nice – nicer. 2 If the adjective has two syllables, but ends in -y, you can change the end to -ier. For example, lucky – luckier; happy – happier. 3 With other English adjectives of two syllables and more, you can't change their endings. Instead, you should use more + adjective. For example, handsome – more handsome; beautiful – more beautiful and so on. 4 When you compare two things, use 'than'. "She's younger than me." "This exercise is more difficult than the last one." 5 When you want to say something is similar, use 'as – as'. For example, "She's as tall as her brother" or "It's as nice today as it was yesterday." 6 When you want to say one thing is less than another, you can either use 'less than' or 'not as – as'. For example, "This programme is less interesting than I thought" or "This programme is not as interesting as I thought." 7 Remember that some adjectives are irregular and change form when you make comparisons. For example, good – better; bad – worse; far – further.

Using qualifying expressions You can vary the strength of the comparison by using "qualifying" expressions. 1. Comparing two things You can use "a lot", "much", "a little", "slightly" and "far" before "more / less than": "She's a lot more intelligent than him." "This car is much faster than the other one." "They are much less wealthy than they used to be." "He's a little taller than his sister."

"She's slightly less interested in football than him. "We are far more involved in charity than they are." When you use these qualifying expressions in English, remember the rules about using -er. If the adjective is one syllable, or ends in -y, add -er: "He's far taller than her." (NOT "He's far more taller…") "I'm much lazier than you!" When the adjective is two syllables and more, you need either "more" or "less": "He's a little more prepared for the exam than she is." (NOT "He's a little prepareder…") 2. Saying how two things are similar You can use "almost as … as", "not quite as … as", "(not) nearly as … as", "nowhere near as … as", "twice as … as" and "half as … as" to change the extent of the similarity. "She's almost as good as you!" "He's not quite as confident as Susie." "I'm not nearly as intelligent as her!" "This painting is nowhere near as famous as the first." "She's twice as old as him! "He's half as interesting as you!" Q: I want ask your question how do you know number of syllables in the word? You need to count the syllables (which are the sound divisions of a word). For example, "hot" has one syllable, but "hotter" (hot - ter) has two syllables. Difficult has three syllables (di - ffi - cult) and so on. A: To count the syllables in a word you need to see how many vowels this word has. One syllable consists of one vowel (or a diphthong - like /ie/, /oi/ etc.; or even a triphthong - like /aue/, /aie/ etc.) and one or more consonants. But we have to be careful and always keep in mind that several (let's say two) letters can make one sound, so here we need to know the basic rules of reading. It may help to consult the dictionary and read the transcription of the word. Q: We say: easier than, or more easy than? A: We say "easier than". Q: We say : lesser intelligent than me ,or much less intelligent than me ??? A: You can say "less intelligent than me" or "much / a little less intelligent than me". Q: If we have this sentance : It's a long journey by train, it's much quickly by road. Is quickly correct here??? A: No. It should be "it's much quicker by road." Q: When we make comparison,we are comparing with subject or object? He is taller than me ? He is taller than I (am)? Are both sentences correct? I presume they are right though people claim the first one to be informally right and the second one is traditionally right. A: You are right. I prefer the first for both informal and for written situations. If you have a verb form (such as "am"), then you need the subject pronoun, rather than the object pronoun.

Q: Michael is the smartest of any boy in class. Would this sentence need the word other after any? A: No, the sentence is fine as it is. You could also say "Michael is the smartest boy in the class". Q: Can you say: "She is taller than me" or does it have to be: "She is taller than I" A: "She is taller than me" or "She is taller than I am". Q: What about the comparative using less in the sentence Peter is less taller than John?; Is this sentence incorrect? A: No. It's correct to say "Peter is less tall than John" or "Peter isn't as tall as John". You can say George Clooney is less hotter than Brad Pitt so what´s the difference? No, you can't. This sentence isn't correct. No Carla , you can say "She is taller than me" but not "She is taller than I" ** Than, as used in comparatives, has traditionally been considered a conjunction; as such, if you're comparing subjects, the pronouns after than should take the "subjective case." In other words, "He's taller than I," not "He's taller than me"; "She's smarter than he," not "She's smarter than him." If, on the other hand, you're comparing direct or indirect objects, the pronouns should be objective: "I've never worked with a more difficult client than him." There are some advantages to this traditional state of affairs. If you observe this distinction, you can be more precise in some comparisons. Consider these two sentences: * He has more friends than I. (His total number of friends is higher than my total number of friends.) * He has more friends than me. (I'm not his only friend; he has others.) The problem, though, is that in all but the most formal contexts, "than I" sounds stuffy, even unidiomatic. Most people, in most contexts, treat than as a preposition, and put all following pronouns in the objective case, whether the things being compared are subjects or objects. "He's taller than me" sounds more natural to most native English speakers. Q: can we say: He's richer than me??? A: Yes. Q: could you please me i would like to know, which one is correct ? she is the most quiet person I know. or she is the quietest person I know. A: The second one is correct. Q: Which one is correct? He is taller to me or He is taller than me. A: "He is taller than me" is correct. One of my grammar teachers explained very clearly that you have to 'complete the comparison'. That is to say "He is taller than I [am]." When seen as such, it's just a natural short cut to drop the verb that actually completes the expression. Therefore, I believe the sentence, "He is taller than me," is incorrect...though most commonly used as has been pointed out. Is there some rule or construct that helps explain otherwise? Q: Most butterflies don't live quite as long as bees. Does this sentence mean the same as 'Most butterflies live nearly as long as bees' ? If so, it's quite confusing, isn't it? Can you explain this? A: It means that the difference isn't so great - bees live a little longer than butterflies. Q: THIS INFORMATION IS WRONG!!!! When you compare two people, you MUST use the proper pronoun!!! And this clearly does not! For instance, you would say, "She is taller than HE or I" NOT HIM or ME!!! The trick is to pretend that the sentence continues. Here's what I mean: Would you say, "She is taller than HIM IS" or would you say, "She is taller than HE IS"? There's how you can tell which pronoun to use. If you want to get technical, the comparison is talking about two SUBJECTS!! The pronouns used here are ONE SUBJECT and ONE OBJECT which is WRONG!!!! Just use the trick to help you to determine which one to use. It never fails!! Here's another

one, just in case: Margret is smarter than HER/SHE (is). Which one makes sense if you were to complete the sentence with a verb? There's your answer!! A: I'm sorry Cynthia, but you are wrong. Here's the explanation from "Practical English Usage" (Michael Swan, OUP): Which is correct: older than I or older than me? In informal English, we often use the object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) after than. In a more formal style, subject pronouns (I, he, etc) are considered more "correct". She's older than me. (informal) She's older than I (am). (formal) When the pronoun is used with a verb, only subject pronouns are possible. Q: "She is more fat than her". Is it a right sentence?? Fat is a single sylable word that's why I am confused. A: It should be "She is fatter than her." Q: In the last instruct instead of she is twice as old as him can i say "she is twice older than him. A: No! Q: is this sentence correct? i am older than her, but guess what?! she is taller than I. or, i am older than her, but guess what?! she is taller than me. please fast, i need this soon!! A: Either ".... she is taller than me" or "... she is taller than I am". Q: Can i say this: Please fix the tool in the same way as we did for other tool. A: Yes, though I'd change the end of the sentence to ".... as we did for the other tools." Q: If we say The latest series of Friends is nowhere near as good as the earlier ones, are we saying that the latest series are worse than the earlier ones or viceversa or that the two seasons are equally good?? A: The first series was a lot better than the second series. Q: can we use the the words "by your own" as in did you try the steps by your own?. i felt "did you try the steps by your self?" is correct. please tell me which one is correct. A: Either "by yourself" or "on your own". I don't send answers by email - I think questions and answers can benefit everyone, which is why they stay on the page. Q: Is it correct to say "This supermarket is MUCH MORE LESS expensive than this one". I know you can say A LOT/MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE but not sure about the first sentence. Cheers! A: Either "much more expensive" or "much less expensive". Q: Are the next setences both corrects? Abraham is taller than she. or... Abraham is taller than her. A: The second one is correct. Q: I've got a question actually. Please I need some explanation on as....as and than. When do use the comparative as....as and than? A: When you want to say two things are the same, use "as...as" but not "than". Life in London is as expensive as life in New York. Use "than" to say one thing is more or less than another. "She is taller than her brother." Q: In the last comment would it be correct to say: Life in London is as expensive as life in New York is? A: It sounds better if you delete the final "is". Q: I am wondering if it is correct from grammar point of view? A: I don't think it's incorrect, but it's clumsy and unnecessary. Q: please help clarify. I have not worked with a more difficult client than him. or I have not worked with a more difficult client than he. Please explain your answer. Thanks. A: The second one is correct. Use the object pronoun after "than" - not the subject pronoun.

Q: can i say - I would hear the sound of the whiteboard pen with which the teacher is writing a more difficult classwork than the last one. A: The sentence is a bit long and confusing. You could say "The teacher is giving us more difficult classwork than the last time. Q: Is this sentence correct? "The faster you are, the most options you have to win" Which is the structure for these kind of senteces? A: I'd say "the faster you are, the more options you have" to keep both parts of the sentence in a comparative (rather than superlative) form. You can form this type of comparative sentence with the + comparative, the + comparative: the easier it is, the quicker you learn the more difficult the exercise, the greater your chances of making a mistake Q: we say my mather as worryed as my father or my father less worry than my mother or my mather more worry than my father A: My mother is more worried than my father. My father worries less than my mother. My mother worries more than my father. Q: When you are comparing people to me, what is correct? He is a lot taller than me, or he is a lot taller than I (am). A: Both are fine, though the first would be more common in British English. Q: is not " more " used with countable things? why ( more handsome, more beautiful)? they are non-countable A: We can use "more" with adjectives, too. Q: I'm confused about the sentence "She's twice as old as him!". What dose it mean? A: It means that if he's 20, she's 40. (Twice = two times) Q: i dont understand .can i say "she's twice old as him" ? i used only 1 "as". A: No. It should be "She's twice AS old AS him."

Some and Any We use some and any with uncountable nouns and plural nouns. The general rule is that you use "some" in positive sentences and "any" in negative sentences and questions. "I have some ideas." "I don't have any ideas." "Do you have any ideas?" However, we can also use "some" in questions. "Would you like some tea?" (I expect the answer to be "Yes".) When we use some in a question, we limit what we are offering the other person. For example, "Can I get you something to drink? – Coffee, or tea?" means I am offering you a limited choice of things to drink. When we use "any" in a question, we are not limiting the choice. For example, "Would you like anything to drink?" includes a whole range of things to drink. "Do you have any questions?" (You can ask me anything you like!)

We can also use any in positive sentences which have a negative meaning. We often use "any" with "hardly", "without" or "never". "There's hardly any petrol left in the car – we need to go to a garage." "He went out without any money on him." "She never has any problem understanding." Q: "Never" goes after 'modal' or 'auxiliary' verbs (see Frequency Lecture). But you wrote here "She never has any problem understanding." Isn't that incorrect? A: Yes, it's correct. Adverbs of frequency go after modal verbs, but before "main" verbs: I always have time. She never goes abroad. Q: i can't understand this sentence , there's hardly any petrol in the car - we need go to garage, please explain any body We use any in negative sentences (I don't have any money) and in positive sentences which have a negative meaning. A: For example, we can use it after "hardly": I have hardly any money. There's hardly any petrol in the car. Q: can we use " some/ any" for countable nouns ? A: Yes. I have some friends. (countable plural) I don't have any friends. (countable plural) Q: can we use "any" with singular nouns, too? For example: Is there any good mall around here? No, there isn't any. A: No, you can only use "any" with uncountable nouns or with plural countable nouns. Are there any good malls around here? No, there aren't. Q: In my book I read "I don't eat meat, but he doesn't use any dairy products either." Why "any" in the second part and not in the first part of the sentence? A: When you use "any" in a negative sentence, you emphasise "none at all". So in your examples, you can have "any" in either part of the sentence, in both parts of the sentence, or nowhere in the sentence. I don't eat meat (= simple statement) I don't eat any meat (= none at all - I'm a strict vegetarian) He doesn't eat any dairy products either (= no dairy at all - he's a vegan) Q: I would happily listen to "any" of his songs. 2. I'm a big fan of Rain but I don't like "some" of the songs he has written. These are all correct answers when i tried to take some online exams on the internet. A: In 1, we use "any" to show unrestricted meaning - any of his songs at all - it doesn't matter which. In 2, we use "some" to show restricted meaning. There are some songs that I don't like, although I like others. Other way round: "She never has any problem understanding." I don't like many of his songs = there are only a few that I like I don't like some of his songs = there are more that I like Q: If form is any guide, when trimble college take on Manchester University in the final.... could you please give me a hint, because i do not know how to do it? A: If it is any guide = if it can be used as any guide at all / if form is a guide. Q: Apart from this 'positive' and 'negative' considerations, I think 'any' has to be followed by a singular object while 'some' is followed by a plural object. Please consider the following: Do you have any ideas? I think this sentence is logically incorrect. Since the sentence is negative, we cannot expect to have more than 1 idea. Hence, it would be better to have the sentence as: Do you have any idea? A: Actually, I disagree. Any is generally followed by a plural countable noun: He doesn't have any ideas / any friends etc. You can use it also to show that there is no restriction (as opposed to some, where there is generally a restriction): Do you have any idea of what you've done? (Any idea at all - any understanding) He has some idea of what the job entails. (He has a bit of understanding about the job)

Q: it is incorect if i say "He has some good ideas " A: The sentence is correct. Q: The sentence " I would happily listen to "any" of his songs . " isn't a negative or question . It also doesn't have a negative meaning . Why is "any" used in that ? Could you explain to me , please ! A: It's the unrestricted meaning of "any". "I would listen to any (all) of his songs." Q: What is the difference between "Any children", "Any child" and "Any of children"? Thanks. A: Any children - refers to children in a larger group. Any children among the passengers are given priority boarding. (Passengers include children and adults) Any child - refers to one child in a larger group. Any child with swine flu symptoms will be treated immediately. (There may only be one child waiting for treatment at hospital but plenty of adults) "Any of children" is ungrammatical. Did you mean "any of the children"? You can use this when you are specifying one or more children in a larger group of children. "Any of the children we've seen would be suitable for the role in the play." Q: which is correct 1}more than a million others had not any support 2)more than a million others had no support please suggest A: The second one is correct. * Actually, 'no' is the negation of 'any'; so, 'no support' does mean 'not any support'. However, using 'any' in the negative would automatically require the auxiliary verb of the past simple, which is 'did', so that the first sentence should properly read " more than a million others did not have any support". This is because the direct negation ("not") usually works with an auxiliary verb; if we do not not wish to use an auxiliary verb, then we are better off using the main verb alongside the indirect negation (the negation of 'any'), that is, "no". In the above instance, therefore, the second sentence is better grammar than the first. Q: any body is inside? some body is inside? which sentence will be used when you want to know about presence of anybody A: Is anyone there? Q: is that means (we use any for negative questions , and some for positive questions ) A: In most situations, yes. But we also use some in questions: Would you like some more tea? Q: but we have answer sheets saying any ideas is wrong. we're teachers and thought either would be ok...but as mentioned apparently we're wrong. do you think the person who deisgned the quesiton sheet in our school is wrong? A: I'd ask the person who designed the answer sheet to clarify. Maybe he / she made a mistake. Q: Which is more correct, please? "I have some dogs" or "I have dogs." A: The first is better. Q: "We spent a lot of money on our holiday" or "we spent a lot of money on our holidays." Btw, holiday x holidays. Is there any difference in using?? A: I'd say "holiday". Q: HI CLARE HOW CAN I ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION? ARE SOME PIRANHAS HERBIVOROUS? 1- YES, THEY ARE. 2- YES,SOME ARE. REGARDS, JOSE LUIS A: Either reply would be fine, but I prefer the first.

Using Few / Little in English We use a few and a little to mean "not very much" or "not very many". Whether you use a few or a little depends on what type of noun you are describing. For example, "A few people came to the party." We use a few with plural, countable nouns. "There's a little coffee left, if you would like some." We use a little with uncountable nouns. We can also use few and little (without "a") for a more negative meaning. For example, "there's little point in calling" (= there's not much point calling). "Few people understand" (not many people understand), compared to "a few people understand" (some people understand). In spoken English, we can also say not many, or only a few to mean "few" and "only a little" or "not much" to mean "little". When we make comparisons, we use fewer for plural nouns and less for uncountable nouns. For example, "There are fewer people here than last year" or "he drinks less coffee than I do". Q: is right to say : few rain or a little rain A: "A little rain" is correct. ** is it right to say " she uses few jewelry", or would it be correct to say "she uses little jewelry"? She uses little jewellery. (Jewellery is an uncountable noun) Or She wears few pieces of jewellery. With uncountable words like "jewellery" you can make them countable in meaning by using "a piece of" or "pieces of": Can you give me some information? (Information in general) Can you give me a piece of information? (Just one thing) Q: The problem is that it's rather difficult for me to understand whether a noun is countable or not. Jewellery for instance is countable for me. In other words I can count all my jewellery :) So I have to remember which noun is uncountable... A: This is a good point! Sometimes you do have to learn which noun is uncountable, but there are a couple of guidelines: a) If the noun is a concept word (like "life") they are uncountable unless you specify them in some way b) If the noun is "mass" (i.e. not one distinct thing, but made up of a quantity of parts) it is uncountable. For example, "oil" is not one molecule, but many. "Jewellery" is another example of this: your jewellery collection is made up of many pieces. Q: Is it much people or many people, People is a group of persons right? I am confused. "Many people" or "a lot of people". A: Many people is the correct form. Since you're talking about a countable noun such as PEOPLE. Ex: I saw six people in that car. I've never seen so MANY people inside a car at once until then.

Q: But I still don't understand.. when do we put the "a" article. for example: We had ______ snow last winter. and the correct answer is "little" but why is incorrect if I use "a little"? A: You can also say "a little", and the difference is that "little" means "very little", while "a little" means "some". Q: answer this question,please and justify your answer: few students answered the question a few students answered the question which question is hard? A: The first question is hard. "Few" means "very few": maybe two or three students out of a class of twenty. "A few" is more in quantity than "few": maybe five or six students out of a class of twenty. Q: What should I use here? Using an expression of quantity without a noun. for example: I'd like two vegetable curries, please. Sorry, there______left. OR Can I have some chips with my hamburger? Sorry, there ______. I'm confused :S A: In the first one, you can say "there isn't any left". In the second you can say "there aren't any left". Q: Can you help me? I always used SEVERAL as a synonym for some, but never considered it as big or small quantity. Then I saw on an Exam that it can be used as a synonym for LOTS OF. Is it possible? Thanks A: I agree with you. Several is more than a few, but less than lots. Q: Is it true that I should use many + uncountable for negative statements and question & a lot of + uncountable for positive statements? A: Use much + uncountable for negatives and questions: I don't have much money. Use a lot of + uncountable / countable for positives: She has a lot of money. There are a lot of people here. A: No - we only use "few" to mean "very few" in positive sentences. In your example, I would say "Can you give me some information?" Q: i asked him,he said we should say: i have plenty of time, not enough time A: Both are correct, but they mean different things! I have enough time (= not too much time) I have plenty of time (= I have a lot of time) Q: should I say,There are fewer students came today in school. is this correct? thanks a lot. A: There are fewer students in school today. Q: can i use more + uncountable for negatives and questions i don't have more money its right means what's different use the much and more. A: I don't have more money (than you) I don't have any more money (when you've spent everything you've got) Q: i am confused using a lot, with lots of, when is it right to use them? Like lots of people are there, a lot of people are there... A: Both "a lot of" and "lots" of mean the same thing. You can use them with plural and uncountable nouns, for positive and negative sentences, as well as questions. "I have a lot of / lots of questions." Q: is it right to say like that there are fewer pens in my table than yours there are less water in my glass than you A: There are fewer pens on my table than yours. There is less water in my glass than in yours. Q: what about telling " I speak less than you do In the class " or " I speak fewer than you do in the class " I am confused about this . A: "I speak less than you" is correct. We use "fewer" to make comparisons about quantity of things (i.e. with nouns) but more / less with verbs.

Using Lots of In spoken English we often use lots of or a lot of. In written English, it is more common to write many (for countable plural nouns) or a great deal of (for uncountable nouns) in positive statements. A common mistake is to use lot of. For example, "There are lot of accidents on this road". To avoid making this mistake, remember either to use a before lot, or to make lot plural – lots. We can say either a lot of or lots of before a noun. For example, "There are a lot of people here" or "There are lots of people here". There isn't any difference between the two expressions. We can also use a lot as an adverb to say how much you do something. For example, "She talks a lot". A lot is also used in short answers. For example, "Do you like swimming?", "Yes, a lot." Q: I want to ask if using a lot of for ( countable nouns) i ate a lot of apples and using a lot of for ( uncountable nouns) i have lots of sugar in the packet You can use both "a lot of" and "lots of" for both countable and uncountable nouns. A: Yes, you can. I think "a lot of " and "lots of " are Jolly Jokers. When you cannot decide if a noun is countable or not, then just use lots of . :) Q: can i ask if you gave to us an example for a great deal of in sentences and thanks A: She has a great deal of money. Q: what does A GRAET DEAL mean? A: A great deal = a lot of Q: Is this sentence correct?'there are a lot of accident on roads.(not accidents) A: No. "There are lots of accidents on roads" or "There are a lot of accidents on roads". Q: is the usage of "a great deal of" in the following example correct: "he paid a great deal of attention on his team match last night." - if u dont mind can u plz explain the difference between the two words " abundant" and " plenty" and what type of nouns should follow them " countable or uncountable"?? I think both show the quantity of something, thanks in advance A: Yes, the usage of "a great deal of" is correct. "Abundant" is more formal than "plenty of". We can use "plenty of" with both countable and uncountable, but abundant is used with uncountable nouns. He has plenty of friends / time. There was abundant vegetation for the animals. Q: I have a lot of things on my mind which is causing me stress.....is this correct? A: Yes! (but it should be ..."which are causing me stress".) Q: when using lots of and a lot of, they must follow by plural nouns, right? A: Either plural nouns, or uncountable nouns. Q: Which one is more correct ?? thanks there are a lot of... or there is a lot of... or there are lots of... or there is lots of... thanks A: It depends what sort of noun you have following. There are a lot of / There are lots of + plural noun. There is a lot of / there is lots of + uncountable noun Q: can we have a plural ( countable or uncountable ) after lots of?

A: Yes - both plural countable and an uncountable noun can go after lots of. Q: can you tell me what is the difference "a great deal" and "a lot of" "a large number of" and "plenty" "several"? thank a lot. A: We use "a great deal" with uncountable nouns, but we can use "a lot of" with both uncountable and plural countable nouns. We use "a large number of" with plural countable nouns, and "plenty" with both uncountable and plural countable nouns. In terms of how many, "a great deal of", "a large number of" and "a lot of" is more than "plenty". "Plenty" is more than "several" (which can only be used with plural countable nouns). Q: can i ask you what's the difference of "a great deal of" and "a large amount of" because those same is uncountable and difference of "a large number of" and " a great number of" same is countable nouns. thank so much!! A: No difference in meaning - just alternatives. A great deal of money / A large amount of money A large number of people / A great number of people Q: can i use "i love you a lot" ?.:) A: Yes! Q: Could it be Whole lots of activities are planned? A: Either the first one, or "There's lots of candy to buy". Q: 'lot of' and 'lots of'. I used to think we use a lot of for singular no and lots of for plural like a lot of accident and lots of accidents. The fact is both we can use for plural countable noun only. Am I correct. A: We can use a lot of and lots of for plural countable, and uncountable nouns.

Linking words Linking words help you to connect ideas and sentences, so that people can follow your ideas.

Giving examples For example For instance Namely The most common way of giving examples is by using for example or for instance. Namely refers to something by name. "There are two problems: namely, the expense and the time."

Adding information And In addition As well as Also

Too Furthermore Moreover Apart from In addition to Besides Ideas are often linked by and. In a list, you put a comma between each item, but not before and. "We discussed training, education and the budget." Also is used to add an extra idea or emphasis. "We also spoke about marketing." You can use also with not only to give emphasis. "We are concerned not only by the costs, but also by the competition." We don't usually start a sentence with also. If you want to start a sentence with a phrase that means also, you can use In addition, or In addition to this… As well as can be used at the beginning or the middle of a sentence. "As well as the costs, we are concerned by the competition." "We are interested in costs as well as the competition." Too goes either at the end of the sentence, or after the subject and means as well. "They were concerned too." "I, too, was concerned." Apart from and besides are often used to mean as well as, or in addition to. "Apart from Rover, we are the largest sports car manufacturer." "Besides Rover, we are the largest sports car manufacturer." Moreover and furthermore add extra information to the point you are making. "Marketing plans give us an idea of the potential market. Moreover, they tell us about the competition."

Summarising In short In brief In summary To summarise

In a nutshell To conclude In conclusion We normally use these words at the beginning of the sentence to give a summary of what we have said or written.

Sequencing ideas The former, … the latter Firstly, secondly, finally The first point is Lastly The following The former and the latter are useful when you want to refer to one of two points. "Marketing and finance are both covered in the course. The former is studied in the first term and the latter is studied in the final term." Firstly, … secondly, … finally (or lastly) are useful ways to list ideas. It's rare to use "fourthly", or "fifthly". Instead, try the first point, the second point, the third point and so on. The following is a good way of starting a list. "The following people have been chosen to go on the training course: N Peters, C Jones and A Owen."

Giving a reason Due to / due to the fact that Owing to / owing to the fact that Because Because of Since As Due to and owing to must be followed by a noun. "Due to the rise in oil prices, the inflation rate rose by 1.25%." "Owing to the demand, we are unable to supply all items within 2 weeks." If you want to follow these words with a clause (a subject, verb and object), you must follow the words with the fact that. "Due to the fact that oil prices have risen, the inflation rate has gone up by 1%25."

"Owing to the fact that the workers have gone on strike, the company has been unable to fulfil all its orders." Because / because of Because of is followed by a noun. "Because of bad weather, the football match was postponed." Because can be used at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence. For example, "Because it was raining, the match was postponed." "We believe in incentive schemes, because we want our employees to be more productive." Since / as Since and as mean because. "Since the company is expanding, we need to hire more staff." "As the company is expanding, we need to hire more staff."

Giving a result Therefore So Consequently This means that As a result Therefore, so, consequently and as a result are all used in a similar way. "The company are expanding. Therefore / So / Consequently / As a result, they are taking on extra staff." So is more informal.

Contrasting ideas But However Although / even though Despite / despite the fact that In spite of / in spite of the fact that Nevertheless Nonetheless While Whereas

Unlike In theory… in practice… But is more informal than however. It is not normally used at the beginning of a sentence. "He works hard, but he doesn't earn much." "He works hard. However, he doesn't earn much." Although, despite and in spite of introduce an idea of contrast. With these words, you must have two halves of a sentence. "Although it was cold, she went out in shorts." "In spite of the cold, she went out in shorts." Despite and in spite of are used in the same way as due to and owing to. They must be followed by a noun. If you want to follow them with a noun and a verb, you must use the fact that. "Despite the fact that the company was doing badly, they took on extra employees." Nevertheless and nonetheless mean in spite of that or anyway. "The sea was cold, but he went swimming nevertheless." (In spite of the fact that it was cold.) "The company is doing well. Nonetheless, they aren't going to expand this year." While, whereas and unlike are used to show how two things are different from each other. "While my sister has blue eyes, mine are brown." "Taxes have gone up, whereas social security contributions have gone down." "Unlike in the UK, the USA has cheap petrol." In theory… in practice… show an unexpected result. "In theory, teachers should prepare for lessons, but in practice, they often don't have enough time." Q: Are there different meanings or structures between " although/ even though " and " despite / in spite of" Ex : He goes to school although he is sick or : He goes to school despite he is sick A: Yes. Your second sentence is incorrect, as we follow "despite" with a noun, gerund, or "the fact that" if we have a noun and verb. He went to school despite his illness / being ill / the fact that he was ill. Q: I can't find the word 'thus' in this list. Would you mind to explain that one as well? Thanks in advance. A: "Thus" is a formal word meaning "therefore". I didn't put it on the list because it is so formal, and we tend to use other words, such as "therefore" or "so".

Q: can you give me informatino about " so that / so...that / in order that / in order to " . what is the differences between them ? and We can use one of them in which cases ? A: in order that + clause (noun, verb) ... in order to + verb Q: I have question:in this sentence we should not use "however" yes?:although she was blind,deaf & dumb,however she was very intelligent. A: No, you can't use "however" because you already have "although" at the beginning of the sentence. Q: whats the problem with this sentence:"as for as the acting ,though,i felt many amatures could have done better."what does "as for as "mean here? thanks, A: It means "as far as the acting is concerned..." Q: did you notice its as fOr as not as fAr as?the sentence i said is not totally correct.do you know why? A: It should be "as far as" not "as for Q: i realy have a problem please help.Can you start a statement with linking words and if you can,which ones are advisable to use? A: Yes, you can start a sentence with some linking words: Although... Despite... However, ... Since / As / Because... Firstly / Secondly / Finally To be sure that you're using them correctly, check the page first Q: just want to know is there a proper place in a sentence where to write also? I mean aside from not using it as a start sentence? Can i say ... She did it also or She also did it. Thanks a lot A: My instinct would be to put it before "did", but I don't think it's grammatically wrong to put it at the end of the sentence either. Q: what's the difference between (and) & also in usage? A: And connects things in a sentence, or adds things to a list. Also adds another reason. Q: Is "In a nutshell" formal? A: No, not particularly. You could use it in all situations, except for perhaps academic reports. Q: please I need an explain about the use of these words: BE BACK, GO BACK and COME BACK. in what cases can I use them? thanks. A: I'm back = I have returned go back = return to where you came from: "When he finishes this job in London, he'll go back to his home town of Leeds." come back = return home, or to where you came from: "He came back home after travelling for six months." Q: for instance " he took a taxi so that he would arrive early " or so that he arrive early " A: You're reporting his reasons for taking a taxi (in the past), so we use would rather than the present tense or will. Q: Are these sentences correct, please: "I like orchids. ALSO, I like alpine plants." Is "also" OK there (in that position)? A: Yes, fine. You can also put it before "like". Q: What about words to start a sentence like firstly secondly and many more A: Yes, you can use these words when you want to show the sequence of something, or when you want to give a number of reasons. Q: You mentioned that, "Nevertheless and nonetheless mean in spite of that or anyway", that is not totally true, they are more related to the linking words"even though" and "although" but they are used in the middle of the sentence instead, for example: "EVEN THOUGH it was cold, he went swimming" The sea was cold, NEVERTHELESS, he went swimming.

A: You can't introduce "nevertheless" with a comma. It goes at the beginning of the sentence, or after a semi colon. Q: You can place a comma before and, at least that's what I'm told at school (I study English at a University). For example: I went to the book store, and bought a new book. A: There are some differences between British and American English. In your example, a comma wouldn't be necessary in British English as both phrases are short, and are connected in meaning. (With longer phrases, we'd need a semi-colon or full stop.) We tend to omit the final comma in a list, although a comma is placed in American English before the final item. Q: As far as I know Due to and Owing to can also be follewed by a gerund...can't them? A: Yes - a gerund is a type of noun: Due to the restructure / Due to restructuring, the company will need to lay off 10% of its workforce. Q: Could you tell me what is the diffirents between BUT and NOR.Please explain it with some examples.thank you. A: You can use "but" to give a simple contrast: I like coffee but I don't like tea. We use "nor" when you are adding another negative idea. We often use it with "neither". I neither like coffee nor tea. Q: "Due to the rise in oil prices, the inflation rate rose by 1.25%." This is an incorrect usage of "due to," which is an adjective phrase and almost always follows a form of the verb "to be." It cannot begin a sentence, and it is not a synonym for "because of." "Due to" means "caused by." It answers what, not why. If your phrase needs to answer why, use "because of." "Due to the fact that oil prices have risen, the inflation rate has gone up by 1%25." Please, never encourage people to use "due to the fact that." Most of the time, it can be reduced to a single word: "because." A: According to my dictionary, due can be used as an adjective (= expected to happen: "The team are due to fly to Italy next month") and as a preposition, as in "due to" = because of. An example: "The crash was due to pilot error." I would imagine that whether or not you start a sentence with "due to" is a question of style, and of sentence focus - what information you want to highlight.

Like and As Like and as are often confused in English. They can both be used to talk about how things are similar. Like is followed by a noun or pronoun. For example, "I'm like my sister", or "Like my sister, I have brown eyes." As is followed by a subject and verb. For example, "She's a good student, as her brother was before her." However, in spoken English, like is often used instead of as. "She's a good student, like her brother was before her." As is used with a preposition, such as, "As in the 1960's, the population explosion will cause some problems." We can use as in certain expressions, such as "as you know", "as you requested", "as we agreed".

We also use as…..as to give comparisons. For example, "He's as clever as his sister." Q: Isn't the verb "has" implied in "Like [As?] my sister [has brown eyes], I have brown eyes"? Does the rule change based on whether the verb is implied or explicit? A: I'd say either: Like my sister, I have brown eyes. I have brown eyes, as my sister does / like my sister. In the case of like / as, I would base my choice on the explicit, rather than implied verb. So after like, use a noun, and after as, a clause. Q: "GOT" a comment?? Shouldn't that read, "HAVE" a comment? A: Not necessarily, as "got" is short for "have you got". Q: What about these " He spoke like my father" and "He spoke as my father" . What should we realise?. In spoken English, should we always use "like" instead of "as" every time then do we make interlocutor misunderstand regrettably ? Many thanks A: He spoke like = he sounded like... He spoke as = he spoke in the role of... Q: Excuse me, I still don't understand quite well your explaination. Did you mean "He sounded like.."=" He's not my father" and "He spoke in the role..."="He's really my father" ? A: No. "He spoke like my father" = He sounded like my father, but he's not my father. He used the same sort of words as my father would. "He spoke as my father" = he spoke to me in the role of my father (not in the role of a friend giving advice, for example.)

"If" sentences There are four main types of if sentences in English, often called conditional sentences. These sentences are in two halves, with the if part in one half and the other part where you can use words such as can, will, may, might, could and would.

If + present form + present form "If you heat ice, it melts." In this type of sentence, you could use when instead of if. It's always true that when you heat ice it melts. This is why this type of sentence is sometimes called a zero conditional.

If + present form, + will, can or may "If I am late, I will call you." "If you need me, you can call me at home." "If it gets any hotter, we may have a thunder storm." In these sentences (or first conditional sentences), there is a strong possibility that the first part (coming after if) is going to happen. The second part says what will happen as a result.

If + past form + would, could or might "If I got a pay rise, I would buy a new car." "If you left your job, you could travel around the world." "If you were nicer to him, he might lend you the money." In these sentences, the first part with if shows that the event is unlikely to happen. In English, we often use this type of sentence (called a second conditional) to talk about hypotheses, or imaginary future events. For example, "If I was President of the United States, I would change some laws." But I know that I'll never be the President of the USA – I'm just saying what I would do if I was in his/her position. Note: in American English, it is correct to use "if I were…" In British English, it's more common to say "if I was…"

If + past perfect + would/might/could have done "If I had revised, I would have passed my exams." "If we had gone out earlier, we might have got to the cinema on time." "If you had told me there was a problem, I could have helped." In these sentences (or third conditional sentences), the first part of the sentence with if didn't happen. So there is no possibility of the second part of the sentence happening. I didn't revise, so I didn't pass my exams and there is nothing I can do about it now. English speakers use this type of sentence to show how things could have been different.

Q: if sachin gets an operation of his knee, he will recover soon form his injury and fit for playing again in team India if sachin got the operation of his knee erlier,he could play the odi series in sri lanka if sachin had gone to London for his knee operation, he might not have missed the odi series A: Yes. Q: What about the "wether" usage? Thank you Fabrizio A: We can use "whether" instead of "if" in indirect questions. I don't know whether you'll like it or not. She hasn't said whether she is going. But we can't use "whether" instead of "if" in conditional sentences. If you eat too much, you'll feel sick. (Whether can't be used here.) Q: can I say: If each of us got ourselves a double, we would have resolved the problem of solitude? or do I need to say: 'would resolve' A: It's "would resolve", but I'd say "If we all had a double..." Q: thanks for your great website!could you please explain the use of SHOULD in conditional sentences(please with some details) & is it formal to use should instead of if?finaly is this sentence gramatically correct? should giving lectures was not a compolsary activity I wouldnt do it in this lifetime!

A: Yes, it's formal. You often see it in notices, which makes your example sentence a little strange-sounding. We'd be more likely to say "If giving lectures wasn't compulsory, I'd never do it!" An example: Should you fail to settle your outstanding debt within the next 14 days, we will have no option but to initiate legal proceedings,." A: I think I understand your teacher's confusion: maybe it should be "on well" rather than "unwell"! If you can't get on well with other people, you will find playing chess really helpful. Q: thanks for all ,but i want to give a note about a common mistakes In the Present Unreal Conditional, the form "was" is not considered grammatically correct. In written English or in testing situations, you should always use "were." However, in everyday conversation, "was" is often used. A: You are right. In British English, we often use "was" instead of "were" in spoken English. I wish it were true. I wish he would come now I wish he could come now Q: Please tell me about the use of when and if. A: You can use when instead of if in zero conditionals. In first, second and third conditionals, use if, not when. Q: there is still an ambiguity in my mind about the use of should instead of if:does it make a subjunctive mood when you use should instead of if in conditional sentences type 1 & 2? thanks a million! A: Not as far as I know. It's just a more literary / formal way of using a conditional. Q: First question. In Second Conditional in future meaning, is it possible to use 'would' or 'would not' in if-clause? Like this, If I would try my best, I should be able to succeed in my undertaking. If I would not try my best, my father should scold me. Second question. If it is possible to use 'would', what is different 'should' and 'were to'? If it should be fine tomorrow, I would go fishing. If it were to be fine tomorrow, I would go fishing. And I really wonder which sentence you use much more as native speaker above these sentences or other forms. Would you speak why? Third question In Conditionals, could we use 'not' in if-clause? Like this. If he had not the money, I would not be mistaken in thinking that he was dishonest. Thank you for reading. A: You can use "If I were to...." but this is formal and not often used in spoken English. Don't use "would" in the if clause, but a past form (for second conditionals). You can use negatives in if sentences. If he didn't have the money, I wouldn't be mistaken.... Q: please tell whether this sentence is correct or not : if the requests are on prodution systems, it should be logged on our tracker system. A: The conditional is correct, but you have requests (plural) followed by it (singular). I'd rewrite it: If the request is on the ......, it should be logged... Q: thanks claire ! if I want to write this sentence in plural ....If the requests are on the....., (...) should be logged.... My question is what should be written at the place of 'it'. I have one more query as I have mentioned above "at the place of 'it'".....mentiong 'at the place is correct here. A: If the requests ..... they---Q: Can i say "If we started, We would have settled by this time" or am i need to use "might have settled" A: "If we had started on time, we would / might have arrived by now." (I don't know what you mean by "settled".)

Q: 1-first look at this phrase and tell me whether its correct or not: " If I had my wishes granted, I would be overjoyed" then can I exchange between the two sentences: "I would be overjoyed if I had my wishes granted" 2-if the if-clause sentence has more than one verb how we can deal with them?: " if I had a car, I would drive her wherever she (want)" 3-"If you need me, you can call me at home." can I change it using "when" into: "when u need me, u can call me at home"???? it sounds familiar to my ear.. A: 1. Yes 2. ... Wherever she wanted (keep the tense the same as in the if-clause part of the sentence) 3. Yes, you can use "when" for zero conditions instead of "if" Q: does a conditonal statement *have* to start with/include the word 'if'? what if it is implied? for example, 2 people talking: Fred: What must I do to get a glass of water? Barney: Jump up and down, and I will give you a drink. Is this a conditional sentence? Thanks. A: No, it's not a conditional sentence. To make it conditional, you can write: "If you jump up and down, I'll get you a drink." Q: if you drop me at home, i will offer you a cup of tea. if you told me about his intentions, i would save my money and energy. if the government had warned about heavy rain, people mighthave saved their animals. are the above sentences are correct. A: Yes! Q: Is this is correct? A customer service person is trying to debug a customer computer issue and sending an email related to that. If you can provide me access to your computer that will be great. A: That's fine! Q: If fails, do this... or If failed, do this... and why? Thanks A: Neither is correct to me. If all else fails, do this... (zero conditional) Q: I am struggling with extremely rare events (zero conditional). Should I say: ‘When you witness a murder, please call 112 immediately.’ ‘If you witness a murder, please call 112 immediately’ or is it more natural to say this in another way? Is there a (subtle) difference between the two sentences? A: If you witness... is more correct, as "when you witness" suggests that you will witness one. Q: is it right to say if I were you I would be a rich man. A: No. "If I were you..." is used to give advice, not really to talk about hypothetical situations. Q: Which one is the right one and what is the difference:"If I did not tell him,he would not know" and "If I had not told him,he would not have known"? Thanks again! A: They're both correct. The first one refers to a hypothetical situation, while the second refers to a situation in the past that you are commenting on. Q: I have heard this:"If he is lucky,he could get the job". Is this correct?Dosen't it have to be"If he was lucky,he could get the job" or "If he is lucky,he can get the job"? Can we use could/would/might that way? A: You can use could / should / might with first conditionals because they can refer to future possibilities. Q: I have heard this:"If he is lucky,he could get the job". Is this correct?Dosen't it have to be"If he was lucky,he could get the job" or "If he is lucky,he can get the job"? Can we use could/would/might that way? A: We can use "could" to refer to a future possibility, so the sentence is fine. You can use could / should/ might in first conditionals, but use would in second conditionals.

Q: correct my sentence: If he comes back his country, I'll quit job A: If he comes back, I'll quit my job. Q: how about the usage of 'if only'? is it considered as a conditional sentence? A: It's like saying "I wish". If only I could sing well = I wish I could sing well. If I had studied english better when I was younger, I could have found a job abroad Q: Could you possibly explain the difference between "whether" and "if" to me and how to use them correctly? If you could help me once again that would be great. Thanks a lot for your help. A: You can't use "whether" instead of "if" in conditional sentences. "If I tell you what happened yesterday, will you promise to keep it secret?" (Not possible to use "whether" here.) Instead, we can use whether in indirect questions instead of if: "Can you tell me if / whether the buses will be affected by the transport strike tomorrow?" 1-if water boils ,it evaporates 2-if we pass our exams , we will make a party 3-if I were a bird ,I would fly 4-if I had studied well I would have passed my exams right?????????????????? "If I were you..." is used for giving advice, not for talking about a hypothetical situation. So you can say "If I were you, I'd never refuse a bribe" but you can't put "I would be a rich man" on the end of it. Q: is it right that 3rd conditional sentence can be transformed like this: if + S + had + P2, would/mind/could have done -> had + S + P2, ... is that all or can any 1 tell me more about this? Does this site say about this somewhere? A: If + past perfect, would + have + past participle If I had seen you yesterday, I would have called your name. Q: What kind of conditional sentence is this? If I hadn't wasted so much money last year,I would have my own apartment now. what is the difference if I say: If I didn't waste time........ A: It's a mixed conditional, where you have the beginning of a third conditional (if I hadn't wasted) with a present result "I would have".

nglish Grammar Get Get is a common word in English. Its meaning depends on what kind of word comes after it.

Get + noun/pronoun (object) When get is followed by a direct object, it usually means 'receive', 'fetch', 'obtain', 'earn' or something similar. • •

I have got an invitation to their party. I will buy a car if I get my rise.

Get can have two objects. • •

Can you get me a coffee? Let me get you a drink.

Get + adjective When get is followed by an adjective, it usually means 'become'. • •

Get ready to leave in five seconds. When I get nervous, I get angry.

The structure get + object + adjective is also possible. It usually describes situations where we want someone else to do something for us. •

Can you get the children ready for school?

Get + adverb particle/preposition Before an adverb particle or a preposition, get almost always refers to a movement of some kind. •

I often get up at seven o’ clock.

With an object, the structure usually means 'make somebody or something move'. • •

Can you get the children to bed? I have got the doctor to call tomorrow.

Get + Past Participle Get can be used with a past participle. This structure is often used to talk about things that we ‘do to ourselves’. Common expressions are get married, get divorced, get engaged, get lost, get dressed etc. • • •

They are getting married in May. I never get interviewed. Get dressed in five minutes.

The structure get + object + past participle often has a passive meaning. It usually means ‘arrange for something to be done by somebody else’. • • •

We are getting the house painted. I must get my hair cut. We must get the roof repaired before monsoon sets in.

This structure may also describe situations where something is done to us. • •

I got my car stolen last night. They got their roof blown off in the storm.

With a time expression, this structure refers to the completion of an activity. • •

You must get the job done before lunchtime. Get those orders placed as soon as possible.

Relative clauses What is a relative clause? We can use relative clauses to join two English sentences, or to give more information about something. I bought a new car. It is very fast. → I bought a new car that is very fast. She lives in New York. She likes living in New York. → She lives in New York, which she likes.

Defining and Non-defining A defining relative clause tells which noun we are talking about: •

I like the woman who lives next door. (If I don’t say ‘who lives next door’, then we don’t know which woman I mean)

A non-defining relative clause gives us extra information about something. We don’t need this information to understand the sentence. •

I live in London, which has some fantastic parks. (Everybody knows where London is, ‘which has some fantastic parks’ is extra information)

Defining relative clauses: 1: The relative pronoun is the subject: First, let’s consider when the relative pronoun is the subject of a defining relative clause. We can use ‘who’, ‘which’ or ‘that’. We use ‘who’ for people and ‘which’ for things. We can use ‘that’ for people or things. The relative clause can come after the subject or the object of the sentence. We can’t drop the relative pronoun. For example (clause after the object of the sentence): • • • •

I’m looking for a secretary who / that can use a computer well. She has a son who / that is a doctor. We bought a house which / that is 200 years old. I sent a letter which / that arrived three weeks later.

More examples (clause after the subject of the sentence): • • • •

The people who / that live on the island are very friendly. The man who / that phoned is my brother. The camera which / that costs £100 is over there. The house which / that belongs to Julie is in London.

Try an exercise where the relative pronoun is the subject here 2: The relative pronoun is the object: Next, let’s talk about when the relative pronoun is the object of the clause. In this case we can drop the relative pronoun if we want to. Again, the clause can come after the subject or the object of the sentence. Here are some examples: (clause after the object) • • • •

She loves the chocolate (which / that) I bought. We went to the village (which / that) Lucy recommended. John met a woman (who / that) I had been to school with. The police arrested a man (who / that) Jill worked with.

(clause after the subject) • • • •

The bike (which / that) I loved was stolen. The university (which / that) she likes is famous. The woman (who / that) my brother loves is from Mexico. The doctor (who / that) my grandmother liked lives in New York.

• • •

Try an exercise where the relative pronoun is the object here Try an exercise about defining relative clauses, both subject and object here Try another exercise about defining relative clauses here

Non-defining relative clauses: We don’t use ‘that’ in non-defining relative clauses, so we need to use ‘which’ if the pronoun refers to a thing, and ‘who’ if it refers to a person. We can’t drop the relative pronoun in this kind of clause, even if the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause. (clause comes after the subject) • • • •

My boss, who is very nice, lives in Manchester. My sister, who I live with, knows a lot about cars. My bicycle, which I've had for more than ten years, is falling apart. My mother's house, which I grew up in, is very small.

(clause comes after the object) • • • •

Yesterday I called our friend Julie, who lives in New York. The photographer called to the Queen, who looked annoyed. Last week I bought a new computer, which I don't like now I really love the new Chinese restaurant, which we went to last night.

Prepositions and relative clauses If the verb in the relative clause needs a preposition, we put it at the end of the clause: For example:

•

listen to

The music is good. Julie listens to the music. → The music (which / that) Julie listens to is good. •

work with

My brother met a woman. I used to work with the woman. → My brother met a woman (who / that) I used to work with. •

go to

The country is very hot. He went to the country. → The country (which / that) he went to is very hot. •

come from

I visited the city. John comes from the city. → I visited the city (that / which) John comes from. •

apply for

The job is well paid. She applied for the job. → The job (which / that) she applied for is well paid.

Whose ‘Whose’ is always the subject of the relative clause and can’t be left out. It replaces a possessive. It can be used for people and things. The dog is over there. The dog’s / its owner lives next door. → The dog whose owner lives next door is over there. The little girl is sad. The little girl’s / her doll was lost. → The little girl whose doll was lost is sad. The woman is coming tonight. Her car is a BMW. → The woman whose car is a BMW is coming tonight. The house belongs to me. Its roof is very old. → The house whose roof is old belongs to me.

Where / when / why We can sometimes use these question words instead of relative pronouns and prepositions. I live in a city. I study in the city. → I live in the city where I study. → I live in the city that / which I study in. → I live in the city in which I study.

The bar in Barcelona is still there. I met my wife in that bar. → The bar in Barcelona where I met my wife is still there. → The bar in Barcelona that / which I met my wife in is still there. → The bar in Barcelona in which I met my wife is still there. The summer was long and hot. I graduated from university in the summer. → The summer when I graduated from university was long and hot. → The summer that / which I graduated from university in was long and hot. → The summer in which I graduated was long and hot.

Modal Verbs Click here for all the exercises about modal verbs Here's a list of the modal verbs in English: can could may would must shall Modals are different from normal verbs:

might should

will ought to

1: They don't use an 's' for the third person singular. 2: They make questions by inversion ('she can go' becomes 'can she go?') 3: They are followed directly by the infinitive of another verb (without 'to')

Probability: First, they can be used when we want to say how sure we are that something happened / is happening / will happen. We often call these 'modals of deduction' or 'speculation' or 'certainty' or 'probability'. For example: • • •

It's snowing, so it must be very cold outside. I don't know where John is. He could have missed the train. This bill can't be right. £200 for two cups of coffee!

Click here to find out more about probability

Ability We use 'can' and 'could' to talk about a skill or ability. For example: • • •

She can speak six languages. My grandfather could play golf very well I can't drive

Click here to find out more about ability

Obligation and Advice We can use verbs such as 'must' or 'should' to say when something is necessary or unnecessary, or to give advice. For example: • • •

Children must do their homework. We have to wear a uniform at work. You should stop smoking.

Click here to find out more about obligation

Permission We can use verbs such as 'can', 'could' and 'may' to ask for and give permission. We also use modal verbs to say something is not allowed. For example: • • •

Could I leave early today, please? You may not use the car tonight. Can we swim in the lake?

Habits We can use 'will' and 'would' to talk about habits or things we usually do, or did in the past. For example: • •

When I lived in Italy, we would often eat in the restaurant next to my flat. John will always be late!

Gerunds and Infinitives It can be a little difficult to know when to use gerunds and infinitives. We use gerunds (verb + ing): • • •

After certain verbs - I enjoy singing After prepositions - I drank a cup of coffee before leaving As the subject or object of a sentence - Swimming is good exercise

We use 'to' + infinitive: • • •

After certain verbs - We decided to leave After many adjectives - It's difficult to get up early To show purpose - I came to London to study English

Verbs that take the gerund or the infinitive with examples and exercises:

• • •

Verbs with gerunds and infinitives part 1 Verbs with gerunds and infinitives part 2 Verbs with gerunds and infinitives part 3

Some English verbs, which we call state, non-continuous or stative verbs, aren’t used in continuous tenses (like the present continuous, or the future continuous). These verbs often describe states that last for some time. Here is a list of some common ones: Stative (or State) Verb List like love hate want need prefer agree mind own sound hear disagree satisfy doubt wish dislike deserve lack owe

know realise suppose mean understand believe remember recognise appear taste astonish please promise think (=have an opinion) imagine be involve measure (=have length etc) weigh (=have weight)

belong fit contain consist seem depend matter see look (=seem) smell deny impress surprise feel (=have an opinion) concern have include possess

A verb which isn’t stative is called a dynamic verb, and is usually an action. Some verbs can be both stative and dynamic: Be be is usually a stative verb, but when it is used in the continuous it means ‘behaving’ or ‘acting’ •

you are stupid = it’s part of your personality

•

you are being stupid = only now, not usually

Think •

think (stative) = have an opinion I think that coffee is great

•

think (dynamic) = consider, have in my head what are you thinking about? I’m thinking about my next holiday

Have •

have (stative) = own

I have a car •

have (dynamic) = part of an expression I’m having a party / a picnic / a bath / a good time / a break

•

see (stative) = see with your eyes / understand I see what you mean I see her now, she’s just coming along the road

•

see (dynamic) = meet / have a relationship with I’ve been seeing my boyfriend for three years I’m seeing Robert tomorrow

See

Taste •

taste (stative) = has a certain taste This soup tastes great The coffee tastes really bitter

•

taste (dynamic) = the action of tasting The chef is tasting the soup ('taste' is the same as other similar verbs such as 'smell')

Try this exercise about stative and dynamic verbs Learn about when we use the present continuous Go back to the main verb tenses page Here's how it works: We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence: • •

direct speech: “I like ice cream” reported speech: She says she likes ice cream

We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the 'person' from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'. But, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the reported speech: • •

direct speech: “I like ice cream” reported speech: She said she liked ice cream

Tense present simple present continuous past simple

Direct Speech “I like ice cream”

Reported Speech She said (that) she liked ice cream.

“I am living in London”

She said she was living in London.

“I bought a car” She said she had bought a car OR She said she bought a car. “I was walking along the past continuous She said she had been walking along the street. street” present perfect “I haven’t seen Julie” She said she hadn’t seen Julie. past perfect* “I had taken English lessons She said she had taken English lessons before.

will would* can could* shall should* might* must

before” “I’ll see you later” “I would help, but..” “I can speak perfect English” “I could swim when I was four” “I shall come later” “I should call my mother” "I might be late" "I must study at the weekend"

She said she would see me later. She said she would help but... She said she could speak perfect English. She said she could swim when she was four. She said she would come later. She said she should call her mother She said she might be late She said she must study at the weekend OR She said she had to study at the weekend

* doesn’t change Occasionally, we don’t need to change the present tense into the past if the information in direct speech is still true (but this is only for things which are general facts, and even then usually we like to change the tense): • •

direct speech: “The sky is blue” reported speech: She said that the sky is/was blue

Click here to practise reported statements Reported Questions Okay, so now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative sentences. But how about questions? •

direct speech: "where do you live?"

How can we make the reported speech here? In fact, it's not so different from reported statements. The tense changes are the same, and we keep the question word. The very important thing though is that, once we tell the question to someone else, it isn't a question any more. So we need to change the grammar to a normal positive sentence. Confused? Sorry, maybe this example will help: So, to look again at the example: •

direct speech: "where do you live?"

•

She asked me where I lived.

Do you see how I made it? The direct question is in the present simple tense. We make a present simple question with 'do' or 'does' so I need to take that away. Then I need to change the verb to the past simple. How about another example:

•

direct speech: "where is Julie?"

•

She asked me where Julie was.

The direct question is the present simple of 'be'. We make the question form of the present simple of be by inverting (changing the position of)the subject and verb. So, we need to change them back before putting the verb into the past simple. Here are some more examples: Direct Question Reported Question “Where is the Post Office, please?” She asked me where the Post Office was. “What are you doing?” She asked me what I was doing. “Who was that fantastic man?” She asked me who that fantastic man had been. So much for 'wh' questions. But, what if you need to report a 'yes / no' question? We don't have any question word to help us. It's easy, instead use 'if': •

direct speech: "Do you like chocolate?"

•

She asked me if I liked chocolate.

No problem? Here are a few more examples: Direct Question “Do you love me?” “Have you ever been to Mexico?” “Are you living here?”

Reported Question He asked me if I loved him. She asked me if I had ever been to Mexico. She asked me if I was living here.

Click here to practise reported questions. Reported Requests There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)? For example: • • •

direct speech: "Close the window, please" or: "Could you close the window please?" or: "Would you mind closing the window please?"

All of these requests mean the same thing, so we don't need to report every word when we tell another person about it. We simply use 'ask me + to + infinitive': •

reported speech: She asked me to close the window

Here are a few more examples: Direct Request “Please help me” “Please don’t smoke” “Could you bring my book tonight?” “Could you pass the milk, please?” “Would you mind coming early tomorrow?”

Reported Request She asked me to help her. She asked me not to smoke. She asked me to bring her book that night. She asked me to pass the milk. She asked me to come early the next day.

To report a negative request, use 'not': • •

Direct speech: "Please don't be late" Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.

Reported Orders And finally, how about if someone doesn't ask so politely? We can call this an 'order' in English, when someone tells you very directly to do something. For example: •

Direct speech: "Sit down!"

In fact, we make this into reported speech in the same way as a request. We just use 'tell' instead of 'ask': •

Reported speech: She told me to sit down

Direct Order “Go to bed!” “Don’t worry!” “Be on time!” “Don’t smoke here!”

Reported Order He told the child to go to bed. He told her not to worry. He told me to be on time. He told us not to smoke there.

Conditionals What are conditionals in English grammar? Sometimes we call them 'if clauses'. They describe the result of something that might happen (in the present or future) or might have happened but didn't (in the past) . They are made using different English verb tenses. There are four kinds: •

•

The Zero Conditional: (if + present simple, ... present simple) If you heat water to 100%, it boils. Click here to learn more The First Conditional: (if + present simple, ... will + infinitive) If it rains tomorrow, we'll go to the cinema. Click here to learn more

•

•

The Second Conditional: (if + past simple, ... would + infinitive) If I had a lot of money, I would travel around the world. Click here to learn more The Third Conditional (if + past perfect, ... would + have + past participle) If I had gone to bed early, I would have caught the train. Click here to learn more

(Notice we can put the 'if' at the beginning, or in the middle. It doesn't matter at all.)