Grammar Lesson Part 4

Using either, neither and too Look at the sentences below.  A is the speaker.  B answers, and sometimes a third person C answers after B. When you agree with the speaker... A: I like ice cream. B: Me, too. or I do, too. or So do I. A: I can play the piano. B: Me, too. or I can, too. or So can I. A: I am hungry. B: Me, too. or I am, too. oror So am I. A: I don't like hamburgers. B: Me, either. or Neither do I. A: I can't cook. B: Me, either. or Neither can I. A: I'm not tired. B: Me either. or Neither am I. In the sentences above, a third person (C) would say the same thing as the second person (B) When you don't agree with the speaker... A: I love fried fish. B: I don't. C: I don't either. or Neither do I. A: I am tall. B: I'm not. C: I'm not either. or Neither am I. A: I can sing. B: I can't. C: I can't either. or Neither can I. A: I don't like chocolate. B: I do. C: I do, too. A: I'm not Canadian. B: I am. C: I am, too. A: I can't speak English. B: I can. C: I can, too. Note- there may be a few other possible ways to answer these questions Simple Present vs. Present Continuous This lesson may be a review for many people, but do you know the difference between I eat and I am eating?  Is it okay to say I watch TV right now, or should you say I am watching TV right now? The Simple Present Tense is used for things that happen regularly, like this: Birds fly in the sky. Sheila takes a shower every evening. or for general facts, like this: Birds fly in the sky. *** The Present Continuous Tense is made by a be verb (am, is, are) + verb+ing. It is used for things that are happening right now, like this: I am taking a shower right now. or for things that are happening nowadays , like this: Many people are losing their jobs nowadays Tag Questions A tag question is one where a statement is made, but the speaker wants a response from the listener.  Like-  Today's lesson is hard, isn't it?  or First of all, to understand tag questions, you need to know about affirmative and negative sentences. Do you know what an affirmative sentence is?  It is like this:  Mary is at home.  or  The students work hard. Do you know what a negative sentence is?  It is like this:  Mary isn't at home.  or  The students don't work hard. Then, you need to know that if the sentence is affirmative, the tag will be negative.  And if the sentence is negative, the tag will be positive And finally, you need to think about the kind of verb used in the sentence.  Does it use a modal, like can or will or a form of to be?  Your tag question will follow the verb in the sentence.  If it is a regular verb, don't forget it uses do, don't, does, doesn't when a question is asked. Examples Affirmative Sentence/ Negative Tag Toshi likes fishing, doesn't he? Susan is sick today, isn't she? Mike can play the piano, can't he? You will go there, won't you? Negative Sentence/ Affirmative Tag Andrew doesn't study much, does he? The dogs aren't hungry, are they? She can't cook, can she? You won't see her, will you? More about Tag Questions Yesterday we learned about tag questions.  Now we need a little more information.  You know how to ask a tag question, but how do you answer a tag question? When a speaker asks a question with a tag, like this one:  "It's a nice day today, isn't it?" he expects the listener to agree with him.  He expects the listener to say "Yes, it is."  If the speaker thinks the day is bad and he thinks the listener will agree it's bad, he can say "It isn't a nice day today, is it?" and the listener (if he agrees it's bad) will say "No, it isn't." It's important to remember something...  When we ask a tag question in English, the listener answers according to the subject, not the way the speaker asked the question.  I know it sounds confusing, but let me show you. John asks Mary a question.  He thinks she will agree with him. Mary agrees with John. Mary doesn't agree with John It's cold outside, isn't it? Yes, it is. No, it isn't. (John thinks it's cold. He thinks Mary will agree it's cold.) (Mary agrees with John. She thinks it's cold.) (Mary doesn't agree with John. She doesn't think it's cold.) It's not cold outside, is it? No, it isn't. Yes, it is. (John thinks it's not cold. He thinks Mary will agree it's not cold.) (Mary agrees with John. She thinks it's not cold.) (Mary doesn't agree with John. She thinks it's cold.) The movie was good, wasn't it? Yes, it was. No, it wasn't. (John thinks the movie was good. He thinks Mary liked the movie, too.) (Mary agrees with John. She liked the movie.) (Mary doesn't agree with John. She didn't like the movie.) The movie wasn't good, was it? No, it wasn't. Yes, it was. (John thinks the move was bad. He thinks Mary didn't like the movie, either.) (Mary agrees with John. She didn't like the movie.) (Mary doesn't agree with John. She liked the movie.) So, notice that the person who answers doesn't worry how the speaker asks the question. She only thinks about her feeling for the subject. It's and Its Lots of people get confused about the spelling of it's and its. It's really quite simple. Remember, the '' is placed where one or more letters have been taken out. For example-   she + is = she's.    And  does + not = doesn't. So-   It's = it + is     or sometimes     It's = it + has    (you will know by the context which one it is.) Now how about its? This is a possessive. Remember that a possessive is a word that shows who or what owns something. For example- This is the girl's coat. This is her coat. Or-   means there is a contraction. Two words have been put together to make one word, and the Joey and Melissa's friend is here.   Their friend is here. So-   The book's pages are green.     Its pages are green See, Look at, and Watch Do you know the difference between see, look at, and watch? See < is an inactive word.  When your eyes are open, you do it without thinking.  Example-  I see a car near the store. Look at is an active word.  You must want to do it.  But it is for a short time.  Example-  Look at this dress. Watch > is also an active word.  You must want to do it but it is for a longer period of time.  Example-  Let's watch television

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Grammar Lesson Part 3

Using wish to talk about the past (If you want to see how to use wish in the present tense, click here) This form is used when right now you are thinking about or wishing that something in the past happened differently. You think about something that cannot be changed, almost like a dream or a regret. use wish (that) + subject + had (not) + past participle Examples: I wish I had gone to Australia last year. (Now you regret you didn't go to Australia last year.) James wishes he had studied harder. (Now you wish you studied more before.) The students wish their teacher hadn't given them homework. (Now the students feel bad that their teacher gave homework before.) Alice wishes she hadn't eaten so much pie. (Now Alice feels sick. She wonders why she ate so much pie before.) Past Participles Look at these tenses: present, past, past participle be, was or were, been sing, sang, sung drink, drank, drunk do, did, done go, went, gone make, made, made find, found, found talk, talked, talked eat, ate, eaten swim, swam, swum read, read, read write, wrote, written give, gave, given Now let's practice the past participle by using the present perfect tense. It shows something that started in the past, but continues until now. has/have (not) + past participle Examples: She has done her homework. They have gone for a walk. Julia hasn't eaten anything today. The men haven't talked about the women Very vs. Too Look at the two sentences. How are they different? A: It is very hot. B: It is too hot. A is a simple statement- It's HOT! But B shows some difficulty, like maybe because it is so hot, I feel terrible. Or because it is so hot, no one is happy. Here are some more... C: Lisa is very tall. D: Lisa is too tall. C is a simple statement. Wow! Lisa is a tall girl. But D has a negative feeling. Perhaps because Lisa is tall, she hits her head on the ceiling. Or maybe she is so tall, she can't get a date or has no friends. So remember, using too shows that there is a problem with the situation Using must as a conclusion We looked at how to use must a couple of months ago. Must used like that shows necessity. (You must study hard if you want to pass the test.) Now we will look at another way to use must. This is when you think something is true based on a logical conclusion (or what you think is true.) For example: You hear something on the roof that sounds like raindrops. You say It must be raining. (You can guess it's raining because you hear the raindrops.) Or: Your co-worker goes to the swimming pool everyday. You think he probably likes to swim. You might say He must like to swim. Or: A boy eats everything on his plate except the beans. You might think He must not like beans. So remember, must comes before the verb. If it is a negative sentence, use must not before the verb Using wish in the present tense When you say "I wish..." you are talking about something that you want but probably will not happen, or you don't think will happen. Like I wish I had a million dollars. (It is different from the word hope. If you hope for something, it means you think it could be possible.) Here are some examples: I wish I had a new job. Teri wishes she knew Tom Cruise. Jim wishes Karen liked to cook. The boys wish they could go to Hawaii. Notice you use the past tense verb in the clause after wish.  But when you use a be verb in the clause, always use were Examples: I wish I were the president. She wishes she were here now. We wish we were at home The Present Perfect Progressive Tense This tense talks about how long you have been doing something you started in the past and still continue now. have/has been + verb+ing like has been studying or have been running Generally when you use this tense you want to say how long something has been happening, so you will use since or for if you tell the amount of time. Examples: Mary has been studying English since 1992. The kids have been running for 15 minutes. Karen has been singing all morning. The students have been practicing the play since last month. Remember, it is an activity that started before and continues through now. Using Since and For Use since + (a specific time) like March 31, or 9:19 a.m., or Tuesday. Examples: I have been studying English since 1993. John has helped me since 10:00 this morning. Those people have been in Europe since August. Note: Because we are talking about a time in the past until now, we have to use have/has + past participle when we use since. ****** Use for + (a length of time) like 1 day, or 3 hours, or 5 years. Examples: I have been studying English for 4 years. John has helped me for 8 hours. Those people went to Europe for 2 months. Note: It is possible to use the past tense when you use for if the action is finished Using the Present Perfect Tense The present perfect tense is made like this: have/has + past participle. Here are some examples of the past participle: been      eaten gone      played done      read become  written We use it to talk about a something that started in the past and continued until now. Examples:  I have been in California for 2 years.  (From 2 years ago in the past until now, I have been in California.  I didn't live in another place.) or   Karen has gone to school everyday since she was 5 years old.  (From the time she was 5 years old -in the past- until now, she has gone to school.  She didn't stop going to school.) Use to/ Used to There is a little confusion on how to use the words use to and used to. One reason for the confusion is that it is sometimes used as a verb, and sometimes used as an adjective. The other reason is because it seems like the tense changes. It's really quite simple when you look at it. Used as an adjective. Use to be + used to. This means to be accustomed to. For example- I can study with the TV on. I am used to it. It means I am accustomed, adjusted, or don't mind having the TV play while I'm studying. Or another example- Tim had a hard time living in Tokyo. He wasn't used to so many people. Tim didn't have experience being with big crowds of people before. Used as a verb. Use to + verb is a regular verb and means something that happened but doesn't happen any more.  It uses -ed to show past tense.  But since it always means something that happened in the past, it should always use past tense.  For example-  I used to go to school in Paris.  (I went to school there before, but now I don't.)  Or,  When Joshua was a child, he used to climb trees.  (Now he doesn't climb trees.) Remember, we always use this word when talking about the past.  So when do you use use to without the d at the end?  When the base form of the verb is used.  Look at these examples-  She didn't use to swim before noon.  (Now she does swim before noon.)  Or  Did your father use to ride a horse?   In these cases the past tense is shown with the did and didn't In, At, On + Time or Date When is your birthday? Mine is ON October 12. When do you eat lunch? I usually eat it AT noon. When does the school year begin in your country? In mine it begins IN September. Do you know which preposition to use before times, days, months and years? Here is a reminder. Don't forget to use... in + month or year- In March, In 2003 on + date (with the year or without it) or day of the week- On April 2, On March 3, 1999, On Saturday at + clock time, midnight, noon- At 3:30 p.m., At 4:01, At noon Remember also... in + season- In the summer, In the winter in + morning, afternoon, evening- In the morning, In the evening at + night- At night Simple Past vs. Past Progressive Tense Remember- the simple past talks about something that happened before. It happened and it finished. Some words are regular and just have -ed added at the end like walked, helped, and played. Others are irregular and have many variations like ate, began, and slept. The past progressive talks about something that was happening before, but for a period of time. It uses was or were + verb-ing like was eating or were playing. It gives a background for something that was happening while a different event happened. Example: While I was eating, the telephone rang. So, during the time I was eating (let's say from 6:30-7:00 p.m.) somebody called my house (let's say they called at 6:49p.m.) One thing happened (simple past) during the period of time another thing was happening (past progressive.) Here is another example: They saw an old man as they were walking down the street. You can think of walking as a video. You see the movement. You see the time passing. Think of saw as a photo. It is one point of time. You don't think of the time passing. I dreamed in English when I was sleeping. She was listening to the radio when the mail came. They visited Sydney when they were traveling in Australia.

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Grammar Lesson Part 2

Have you ever...? Ever means from the time you were born until now. Except for rare exceptions, it can only be used in questions and to answers with a no. It is used with have or had + a past participle. Example: Have you ever eaten a frog? Has she ever gone to Australia? When you answer the question, a yes answer will use have/has + past participle. Have you ever seen a whale? Answer: Yes, I have seen a whale. or Yes, I have. If you answer the question with a no, you will need to use haven't /hasn't + ever + past participle or have /has + never + past participle (both of these have the same meaning) Example: Have you ever seen a whale? Answer: No, I haven't ever seen a whale. or No, I've never seen a whale. or No, I haven't. Using have to, supposed to, and ought to Have to is the same as must. It implies that you don't have a choice. John has to go to work everyday. The students have to study tonight. To be supposed to means an obligation. It is something that you should do, or something that another person expects you to do. Don't forget to use the verb be in front of supposed to. Sally is supposed to meet her friend tonight. All of the employees are supposed to attend today's meeting. Ought to means a suggestion. You should do something but you don't have to do it. We ought to clean the house tonight. Phillip ought to help you with your homework. (Notice that all of these words are modals. They are followed by a verb.) *** You may feel confused about the slight differences between these words. Just think about what the speaker is implying. I have to do my homework. (If I don't, will be in trouble.) I am supposed to do my homework. (If I don't, my teacher will notice that I didn't do it.) I ought to do my homework. (I don't have to if I don't want to, but I feel I should do it because I want to do well in the class.) Reported Speech (Part 1) Reported Speech is used to tell or report what someone has said. For example, look at this sentence: Harry said, "I love Susan." If we ask someone else to tell us what Harry said, the person would say (or report) what the first person said like this. He said he loved Susan. Or Harry said he loved Susan. But notice how the verb tense changed. Love became loved. Here are some rules... The present tense verb is change to the past tense in reported speech. Sally said, "I like pizza." What did she say? She said (that*) she liked pizza. The past tense is change to the past perfect in reported speech. Joe said, "I went to New York City." What did he say? He said (that) he had gone to New York City. The present continuous is changed to the past continuous. Michael said, "I am taking an English class." What did he say? He said (that) he was taking an English class. *You can use the work that in reported speech if you want. It doesn't matter if you do or not. Reported Speech (Part 2) The present perfect verb is change to the past perfect tense in reported speech. Michelle said, " I have been to California." What did she say? She said (that*) she had been to California. The past perfect tense doesn't change. John said, " I had talked to my neighbor." What did he say? John said (that) he had talked to his neighbor. The future tense verb is change to the conditional in reported speech. Staci said, "I will buy a new house." What did she say? She said (that) she would buy a new house. *You can use the word that in reported speech if you want. It doesn't matter if you do or not. Reflexive Pronouns Reflexive pronouns are these words: myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves* Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the object in a sentence are the same person. For example: I hit myself with a hammer. John hit himself with a hammer. These sentences are not correct: X I hit me with a hammer. X John hit him with a hammer. (If John hit John.) But remember, when the subject and object are different people, use the regular object pronouns (me, you, he, she, it, us, and them**.) I hit her (Susan) with a hammer. John hit him (Jack) with a hammer Using because to connect sentences Look at this sentence: Alice went shopping. Why? She needed to buy bread. Now let's use because to put the two sentences together. Alice went shopping because she needed to buy bread. We can also say it another way: Because she needed to buy bread, Alice went shopping. Notice that when you use because at the beginning of the sentence, you must use a comma (,) after the first part (which is called the adverb clause.) One more: I like butterflies. Why? They are pretty. I like butterflies because they are pretty. Because they are pretty, I like butterflies. Using Parallel Verbs When speaking and writing in English, we sometimes use more than one verb to describe what is happening. For example: Thomas speaks and studies English. The important thing to remember is- when the subject does two or more things, the verbs use the same tense. More examples: Thomas spoke and studied English. Thomas will speak and (will) study English. Thomas can speak and (can) study English. Thomas is speaking and (is) studying English. If the verb has a helping verb (like will, can, is, are, etc.) you must use it before the first verb but you may or may not use it after. It is your choice. Usually it is not used.

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Grammar Lesson Part 1

Using the Conditional We use the conditional to show a possible situation based on another situation. For example: If A happens, then B will happen. The first conditional shows that something could possibly happen. Its structure is like this: If + subject + present tense (or present progressive) ----, subject + will/may/can + base verb ----. For example: If it rains tomorrow, I will take my umbrella. If you help me, we can finish earlier. If the boys give the monkey a coin, it may dance for them. Notice that each sentence above uses the present tense on the if side. But we could also use the present progressive if something is happening right now. If he isn't working right now, he may want to come over for dinner. We can also change the order of the sentence and put the if side on the second half. The only difference is that there is no comma. I will take my umbrella if it rains tomorrow. We can finish earlier if you help me. The monkey may dance for the boys if they give it a coin. He may want to come over for dinner if he isn't working right now. More on using The On November 26 we talked about the difference between using A and The. Here is a little more specific information on how to use The. Use the after you have talked about it the first time. For example: This is a cat. The cat is brown Use the when the person you are talking to already knows what you are talking about. For example: I am going to the bank. There is someone knocking at the door. It must be the computer repairman. I called him to come help fix my computer. Use the when you talk about general places in nature like the lake, the mountains, the ocean, the beach, etc. For example: Let's go to the beach. I love to camp in the mountains. Use the when you are talking about something that there is only one of and everyone knows about it. The sky, the earth, the stars (as a group). For example: How many people are there on the earth? The sky is so beautiful today. Using the Past Continuous with the Simple Past Tense The past continuous tense uses: was/were + (verb) + ing was eating or were going It is used to show something that happened in the past and continued for a while. For example: From 8:00 to 8:30 I was taking a bath. We use the past continuous tense with the simple past tense when we want to show that one thing happened in the middle of another thing. I was taking a bath and the telephone rang. During a period of time (8:00-8:30) I was taking a bath. At one time (let's say 8:17) someone called on the telephone. We can also connect the past continuous and simple past together by using the words when, while, and as. When I was taking a bath, the telephone rang. The telephone rang when I was taking a bath. While I was taking a bath, the telephone rang. The telephone rang while I was taking a bath. As I was taking a bath, the telephone rang. The telephone rang as I was taking a bath. Notice if you use when, while, or as at the beginning of the sentence, you need to put a comma (,) after the phrase. Check Your Understanding Make a sentence using the words given. Use the past continuous for things that happened over a period of time and the simple past for things that happened a one time. The first one has been done for you. I walk down the street (5:00-5:10) see an old man (5:04) while While I was walking down the street, I saw an old man. I saw an old man while I was walking down the street.

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