Frightened by phrasal verbs?

When teachers talk about phrasal verbs it gives many a English learner the willies as the grammar and the meaning of this verbs is so knotty.

Unluckily, native English speakers adore to blend a few basic verbs and some particles into a phrasal verb while speaking so as to show off.

So what can the English learners do?

In the May issue of Spotlight Robert Parr offers guidance on how to become friends with phrasal verbs:

STEP 1. : Realise that it is paramount for you to understand phrasal verbs and not to produce them initially. As time passes, however, you should start to make use of them more frequently because your spoken English will sound much more fluent if you do so.

For example, force yourself to say "We have to put off the meeting until Friday." instead of "We have to postpone the meeting until Friday."

STEP 2. : Don't bother too much about the grammar and the meaning of phrasal verbs because if you revise them from time to time, you will master this difficulty.

STEP 3. : Finally, ban the thought of phrasal verbs being something to be afraid of from your head and use them actively while speaking as often as possible, which is what I'm attempting to do at the moment with limited success.

tenses dilemmas

Teacher: Today we’re going to talk about tenses. Now, if I say I am beautiful, which tense is it?
Student: Obviously, the past tense.
picture and text are from http://www.englishdroid.com/tenses.html

As tenses are a never-ending source of bafflement for students, here are some of the most problematic tense rules in a nutshell. However, before you turn your attention to them, remember that no rule is written in tablets of stone.

1. Present simple and present continuous

Present simple is used with verbs which perform the action they describe such as admit, apologise, guarantee etc. These verbs are sometimes referred to as performatives.

Present continuous is used with adverbs such as always/constantly/continually/forever to draw attention to something that is done so often that it is typical of a person, group, or thing:

You are constantly changing your mind.

If the verb consider means "think carefully about" it is used only with the present continuous:

He is considering taking early retirement.

2. Past simple and present perfect

If we have a sentence with the time clause since we use the past simple in the time clause and the present perfect in the main clause:

She hasn't been able to play tennis since she broke her arm.

If we have a time clause introduced by after/when/until/as soon as/once/by the time/the minute/second/moment, we use past simple if the time clause describes a past event and present perfect if it refers to the future:

After she left hospital, she had a long recovery.

I'll contact you the minute I've got the election results.

3. Present perfect continuous and present perfect

Present perfect continuous is preferred if we have a sentence were we draw a conclusion from what we can see, hear etc.

You've been eating my chocolate, haven't you? There's some on your shirt.

If, on the other hand, we refer to a result of an activity, the present perfect is used:

I've used three tins of paint on the kitchen walls.

4. Will and be going to

If we predict something based on our opinion or experience, will is used:

The children will enjoy seeing you again.

If the prediction is based on present evidence, be going to is used:

The sky has gone really dark. There's going to be a storm.

back to basics

This week I was skimming through the May "Spotlight" issue when, lo and behold, I stumbled upon a spellbinding grammar topic (yes, grammar can be gripping) namely end focus and the passive.

In the article there stood that the notion that the so-called "by-phrase" (the logical subject of the verb, or the agent) is optional in a passive sentence is a white lie.

While it is true that most past sentences in English don't have a by-phrase, some need a by-phrase desperately because they would be ill-formed without it.

Example:
The opening ceremony was followed by a slide show.

Ultimately, the question whether the by-phrase is optional is not the main point. The main issue, however, should be the question if the passive focuses on the agent or not.
In English new information typically appears at the end of the sentence (end focus). In contrast, subject position usually contains information that is already known.
This is the reason why the active counterpart of the passive sentence above is peculiar-sounding:

A slide show followed the opening ceremony.

The passive sentence above sounds more natural than the active version because the new information receives the stronger end focus.

p.s. This grammar topic goes to prove that one shouldn't follow grammar rules to the letter.

back to basics

This week the time is ripe for a grammar chapter that doesn't seem to get into my pretty head namely the use of the verbs lie and lay. Whenever I come up against this verbs, the only thing I know is that I'm forever asking myslef in which context I should use which one.

Here comes the "blatantly obvious" answer to my perplexing question:

1. lay

-lay, laid, laid-to put something in a horizontal position
She laid the baby on the bed.

2. lie

-lie, lay, lain-to be in or move into a horizontal position on a surface:
to lie on a beach
-lie, lied, lied-deceive
Can't you see that she is lying to you.

back to basics

This week, while doing some exercises online, it dawned on me that I muddle up the uses of lend and borrow. So, here comes the use of each explained for me and any other learner who has the same problem as me:

lend-to give something to somebody that belongs to you:
I can lend you my umbrella.

borrow-to take and use something that belongs to somebody else:
I'd like to borrow your umbrella.

And here is the direct link to the exercise that made me aware of my ignorance:
http://perso.wanadoo.es/autoenglish/gr.borrow.i.htm

Talking about links, I've also come across a link for practising prepositions (our current topic in Ms Welland's class; to be found on the site under prepositions):
http://perso.wanadoo.es/autoenglish/freeexercises.htm

back to basics

As I have difficulties deciding when to use off in a sentence, I've decided to start learning its usage from scratch.

Luckily, at the beginning of my quest, I've come across this website, which just fantastically explains the use of the preposition off:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv185.shtml

To summarise it shortly:

1. Off is used as a preposition of movement or position and is the opposite of the preposition on.

2. It's second use is to refer to time.

3. It is also used in some common phrases and phrasal verbs.

back to basics

The comparative of the adjective untidy:

Untidy is a trisyllabic adjective. However, his root is the disyllabic adjective tidy, which has been negated with the prefix un- and which ends on -y, so untidy can be compared in two ways:

(un)tidy-(un)tidier-(un)tidiest

untidy-more untidy-the most untidy

back to basics

Today's portion of grammar is all about the English "own."

Let me first ask you this (don't be so extremely lazy and look at the answers below before you've tried):

How would you translate these sentences into English?

Es ist schon, ein eigenes Haus zu haben.

Die eigenen Ziele sind manchmal unrealistisch.

The translations below contain a classic mistake made by German speakers:

It is nice to have an own house.

The own goals are sometimes unrealistic.

The correct version is:

It's nice to have one's own home.

One's own goals are sometimes unrealistic.

The problem is that the English adjective "own"- unlike the German "eigen"- can be used only after a possessive word, like my own car etc

If it is not clear to whom the sentence is referring, the word one's is used.

Note that "own" can also be used without a following noun in the construction "a.... of one's own":

We'd love to have a house of our own.

There is just one case in which "own" is used with "an" and "the". It is with the collocation an/the own goal:

Damn! I think I just shot the own goal of the month.

back to basics

This weeks' entry is solely dedicated to the adverbial phrase very much.

Very much is used to describe a verb, but you must be careful where you put it in a sentence. The best place is at the end:

We enjoyed the party very much.

You can also put it before the verb:

I very much enjoyed the party. This sounds a little bit more formal.

However, never put very much between the verb and its object as it is incorrect:

We enjoyed very much the party is incorrect.

So, if someone uses this adverbial phrase incorrectly, don't mince your word and make him/her aware of his/her mistake. It is only through mistakes that one learns, after all.

back to basics

These weeks' grammar dose is really small and compact, so it shouldn't be an unreasonable suposition for me to ask you to remember it, should it be?

It is all about the noun recommendation and when it is used as an uncountable or as a countable noun.

We use recommendation as an uncountable noun when it describes a suggestion that something is good or suitable for a particular purpose or job:

for instance-I bought this computer on John's recommendation.

We use recommendation as a countable noun when it describes someone's advice:

for instance-Several reports make recommendations that no more prisons should be built.

back to basics

I know that we all do a hell of a lot of work to brush up our grammar skills, so here I'm just going to feature small, but confusing grammar problems I was confronted with while reading or writing something and had to look for an explanation in my various grammar books. One to recommend is: Advanced Grammar in Use by Martin Hewings (the sequel of our last years' book)

This week I'm going to explain the use of the word once. It's a very common word, but it has different meanings.

The first meaning is: one time or on one occasion- I'm only going to say this once, so please listen.

The second meaning is: at some point in the past- Did you know that I once worked for a wine company?

Once is also often use as an introductory device when telling a story- Once I was cycling through the park, when a dog started chasing me.

Once is also used to mean as soon as: You'll feel better once you get to know a few people.