English Grammar Learning Center

May and Can: differences

2009-09-08T09:03:00.000-07:00

Both can and may can be used to talk about possibility. But there is some difference between them. Can is used to talk about theoretical possibility; may is used to talk about factual possibility.

Compare:

The road may be blocked due to the procession. (Factual possibility.)
Any road can be blocked. (Theoretical possibility - It is possible to block any road.)
There may be a strike next week. (It is possible that there will be a strike next week.)
Strikes can happen any time. (It is possible for strikes to happen any time.)
If you drive carelessly, you may have an accident. (Factual possibility)
Accidents can happen any time. (Theoretical possibility)

When we talk about possibility, could often means the same as may or might.

You may/might/could be right.

May not and Cannot

May not suggests improbability. Cannot suggests impossibility.

Compare:

We may not go camping this summer. (= It is possible that we may not go camping.)
We cannot go camping this summer. (= It is not possible for us to go camping this summer.)

Sources:
http://www.perfectyourenglish.com/

Auxiliary Verbs - May

2009-09-08T08:53:00.002-07:00

May is a modal auxiliary verb. There is no –s in the third person singular.

She may be here soon. (NOT She mays …)

May is followed by an infinitive without to.

You may be right. (NOT You may to be right.)
He may come.

Questions and negatives are made without do.

May I come in, please? (NOT Do I may come …)
He may not come. (NOT He do not may come.)

May does not have infinitives (to may) or participles (maying, mayed). When necessary, we use other words.

Meaning

May is used to talk about possibility, and to ask for and give permission.

It may rain this afternoon.
May I play carroms, mummy?
Yes, you may.

Possibility

May is used to talk about the chances of something happening.

I think it is going to rain. You may be right.
There may be a strike next week.
Where is John? He may be out shopping.

May well is used to suggest a strong possibility.

I think it is going to rain. You may well be right.

May is not normally used in direct questions about probability.

Are they likely to help us? (BUT NOT May they help us?)

But note that may is possible in indirect questions about probability.

May we not be making a big mistake?

May + perfect infinitive

The structure may + perfect Infinitive (have + past participle) can be used to say that it is possible that something happened or was true in the past.

Alice is very late. She may have missed her train. (= It is possible that she missed her train.)

May + perfect infinitive can also refer to the present or future.

I will try phoning him, but he may have gone out by now.

Permission

May can be used to ask for permission. It is more formal than can and could.

May I come in?

May is used to give permission; may not is used to refuse permission and to forbid.

May I come in? Yes, you may.
May I have a look at your papers? No, I am afraid you may not.

Must not is also used to forbid. It is stronger than may not.

Students must not use the staff car park.

May and might are not normally used to talk about permission which has already been given or refused, about freedom which people already have, or about rules and laws. Instead, we use can, could or be allowed.

Can you/Are you allowed to park on both sides of the road here? (More natural than May you allowed …)
When we were children, we could watch TV whenever we wanted to. (NOT …we might watch TV …)

May in wishes and hopes

May is used in formal expressions of wishes and hopes. May often comes at the beginning of the sentence.

May God bless you!
May you both be very happy!
May the devil take him!
May you prosper in all that you do!

Source:
http://www.perfectyourenglish.com/

Auxiliary Verb - Could

2009-09-04T02:14:00.000-07:00

Could is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use could to:

talk about past possibility or ability
make requests

Structure of Could

subject + could + main verb

The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to").

	subject	auxiliary verb	main verb
+	My grandmother	could	swim.
-	She	could not	walk.
-	She	couldn't	walk.
?	Could	your grandmother	swim?

Notice that:

Could is invariable. There is only one form of could.
The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

Uses

To talk about past ability in general

Could is often used to say that somebody was able to do something in the past.

My father could walk without help when he was 95.
She could read when she was 3.
When we were children, we could watch TV whenever we wanted to.
In my younger days, I could run four miles at a stretch.

Note that could refers to the past only when the context makes the time clear.

Could not (also couldn't) shows past inability.

I could not understand a word, but I kept smiling.
She spoke in such a low voice that most of us could not hear her.
We found that we couldn't depend on our guide.

Could is used to talk about past ability in general. We do not normally use could to say that somebody managed to do something on one occasion. But with certain verbs like see, hear, taste, feel, smell, understand, remember etc., could can be used for particular occasions as well.

Suddenly I could hear a loud noise.
I could smell something burning.

As the past equivalent of can

Could is the past equivalent of can in indirect speech.

He said, "I can drive."
He said that he could drive.
She said, "I can't climb up the hill."
She said that she could not climb up the hill.

To make polite requests or offers

Could is often used to make a request or offer sound more polite.

Could I have a glass of water, please?
Could you help me with these bags?

To express possibility or uncertainty

Could can mean would be able to.

You could get a better job if you spoke English. (=You would be able to get a better job if you spoke English.)
You could do it if you tried hard. (=You would be able to do it…)
If only I had some working capital, I could start a new business. (=…I would be able to start a new business.)

Could have + past participle

The structure could have + past participle can be used to criticize people for not doing things. It can also be used to talk about past events that did not happen.

I have been waiting since morning - you could have said that you weren't coming.
Why did you drive so carelessly? You could have killed yourself.

Differences in Grammar Between American and British

2009-09-04T01:26:00.000-07:00

These two varieties of English are very similar that most American and British speakers can understand each other without great difficulty. There are, however, a few differences of grammar, vocabulary and spelling. The following guide is meant to point out the principal differences between American English (AE) and British English (BE).

Differences in Grammar

Use of the Present Perfect

The British use the present perfect to talk about a past action which has an effect on the present moment. In American English both simple past and present perfect are possible in such situations.

I have lost my pen. Can you borrow me yours? (BE)

I lost my pen. OR I have lost my pen. (AE)

He has gone home. (BE)

He went home. OR He has gone home. (AE)

Other differences include the use of already, just and yet. The British use the present perfect with these adverbs of indefinite time. In American English simple past and present perfect are both possible.

He has just gone home. (BE)

He just went home. OR He has just gone home. (AE)

I have already seen this movie. (BE)

I have already seen this movie. OR I already saw this movie. (AE)

She hasn't come yet. (BE)

She hasn't come yet. OR She didn't come yet. (AE)

Possession

The British normally use have got to show possession. In American English have (in the structure do you have) and have got are both possible.

Have you got a car? (BE)

Do you have a car? OR Have you got a car? (AE)

Use of the verb Get

In British English the past participle of get is got. In American English the past participle of get is gotten, except when have got means have.

He has got a prize. (BE)

He has gotten a prize. (AE)

I have got two sisters. (BE)

I have got two sisters. (=I have two sisters.)(AE)

Will/Shall

In British English it is fairly common to use shall with the first person to talk about the future. Americans rarely use shall.

I shall/will never forget this favour. (BE)

I will never forget this favour. (AE)

In offers the British use shall. Americans use should.

Shall I help you with the homework? (BE)

Should I help you with the homework? (AE)

Need
In British English needn't and don't need to are both possible. Americans normally use don't need to.

You needn't reserve seats. OR You don't need to reserve seats. (BE)

You don't need to reserve seats. (AE)

Use of the Subjunctive

In American English it is particularly common to use subjunctive after words like essential, vital, important, suggest, insist, demand, recommend, ask, advice etc. (Subjunctive is a special kind of present tense which has no -s in the third person singular. It is commonly used in that clauses after words which express the idea that something is important or desirable.) In British English the subjunctive is formal and unusual. British people normally use should + Infinitive or ordinary present and past tenses.

It is essential that every child get an opportunity to learn. (AE)

It is essential that every child gets an opportunity to learn. (BE)

It is important that he be told. (AE)

It is important that he should be told. (BE)

She suggested that I see a doctor. (AE)

She suggested that I should see a doctor. (BE)

She insisted that I go with her. (AE)

She insisted that I should go with her. (BE)

Collective Nouns

Collective nouns like jury, team, family, government etc., can take both singular and plural verbs in British English. In American English they normally take a singular verb.

The committee meets/meet tomorrow. (BE)

The committee meets tomorrow. (AE)

The team is/are going to lose. (BE)

The team is going to lose. (AE)

Auxiliary verb + do

In British English it is common to use do as a substitute verb after an auxiliary verb. Americans do not normally use do after an auxiliary verb.

May I have a look at your papers? You may (do) (BE)

You may. (AE)

'Have you finished your homework?' 'I have (done).' (BE)

'I have.' (AE)

As if/ like

In American English it is common to use like instead of as if/ as though. This is not correct in British English.

He talks as if he knew everything. (BE)

He talks like/as if he knew everything. (AE)

In American English it is also common to use were instead of was in unreal comparisons.

He talks as if he was rich. (BE)

He talks as if he were rich. (AE)

The indefinite pronoun One

Americans normally use he/she, him/her, his/her to refer back to one. In British English one is used throughout the sentence.

One must love one's country. (BE)

One must love his/her country. (AE)

Mid position adverbs

In American English mid position adverbs are placed before auxiliary verbs and other verbs. In British English they are placed after auxiliary verbs and before other verbs.

He has probably arrived now. (BE)

He probably has arrived now. (AE)

I am seldom late for work. (BE)

I seldom am late for work. (AE)

Auxiliary Verb - Can

2009-09-04T01:09:00.000-07:00

Can is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use can to:

talk about possibility and ability
make requests
ask for or give permission

Structure of Can

subject + can + main verb

The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to").

	subject	auxiliary verb	main verb
+	I	can	play	tennis.
-	He	cannot	play	tennis.
-	He	can't	play	tennis.
?	Can	you	play	tennis?

Notice that:

Can is invariable. There is only one form of can.
The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

Uses

Can is used to talk about ability and possibility, to ask for and give permission, and to make requests and offers.

To talk about theoretical possibility

We can use can to talk about ‘theoretical’ possibility – to say that situations and events are possible theoretically.

Glass can be blown. (It is theoretically possible to blow glass.)
Wars can break out any time. (It is theoretically possible for wars to break out any time.)
Smoking can cause cancer.
Noise can be quite a problem when you are living in a city.

Note that we do not use can to talk about future probability – to say that something will happen in future. We express this idea with may or might.

It may rain this evening. (NOT It can rain …)
There may be a strike next week. (NOT There can be a strike …)
I may get a job soon.

Note that might expresses a less definite possibility than may. Could is also used in the same sense.

It could rain this evening. (= It might rain this evening.)

To talk about logical possibility

Can is often used in questions and negatives to talk about the logical possibility that something is true.

There is the doorbell? Who can it be?

With this meaning can is not possible in affirmative clauses. Instead, we use could, may or might.

Where is John? He could/may/might be in the garden. (NOT He can be in the garden.)

To talk about ability

We can use can to talk about present or general ability – to say that we are capable of doing something.

I can speak 10 languages.
She can cook well.
Can you knit?
If you are not satisfied with this product, you can send it back.

Note that be able to can often be used with similar meanings.

He is able to support her. (= He can support her.)
They were able to catch the thief. (= They could catch the thief.)

Cannot (also can’t) shows inability.

I can speak French, but I cannot write it.
Most people cannot read traffic signals.
I can't drive.

We do not use can to talk about future ability. Instead, we use will be able to or other words.

Someday scientists will be able to find a cure for cancer. (NOT Someday scientists will can find a cure for cancer.)

To ask for or give permission

Can is sometimes used to ask for and give permission. Some people, however, think that maycan. is more correct than

Can I use your car, John?
Can we park over there?
You can go out and play after you have finished your homework.
You can park on either side of the road here.
Can I go to the movies, mom?

Note that we can also use could to ask for permission. It is a more polite form of can .

Could I speak to Mr. John, please?
Could I have look at your newspaper?

Cannot is used to refuse permission.

Can I go to the movies, mom? No, you can’t.

To make requests and offers

Can is used in polite requests and offers of help.

Can you turn that music down? I am trying to work.
Can you get me a cup of coffee?
Can I help you with those bags?

Note that Could is a more polite way of making requests and offers.

Could you help me with my homework?
Could you lend me some money?

Auxiliary Verbs

2009-09-04T01:06:00.000-07:00

An auxiliary verb is one which helps other verbs to make tenses, passive forms etc. There are two groups - primary auxiliaries and modal auxiliaries.

Modal auxiliaries

The verbs will, would, shall, should, can, could, may, might, must, ought, dare and need are usually called modal auxiliaries. They are used with other verbs to express actions, events or situations that exist only as conceptions of the mind - permissions, possibilities, certainty, ability, wishes, obligations etc. They may also express simple futurity.

I can swim.
She will come.
I must go now.
Should I call them?
She might come.

Modal auxiliaries have three common characteristics.

1. They are never used alone. A principal verb is either present or implied.

I can fly an aeroplane.
He should behave.
Will you go? Yes, I will (go).

2. Modal auxiliaries have no –s in the third person singular.

I can swim.
She can swim. (NOT She cans …)
I may pass.
He may pass.
They may pass.

3. Modal auxiliaries do not have infinitives (to may, to shall etc.) or participles (maying, shalling, shalled etc.). You cannot say to shall, to must or to may.

Past Perfect Tense

2009-09-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Past Perfect tense is used to refer to a non-continuous action in the past, which was already completed by the time another action in the past took place. In the following examples, the verbs in the Past Perfect tense are underlined.
e.g. She had heard the news before I saw her.
I had finished my work by the time the clock struck twelve.

In the preceding examples, the verbs had heard and had finished are in the Past Perfect tense, and the verbs saw and struck are in the Simple Past. The use of the Past Perfect tense indicates that the actions of hearing the news and finishing the work were already completed by the time the actions expressed by the verbs in the Simple Past took place.

The structure of the past perfect tense is:

subject	+	auxiliary verb HAVE	+	main verb
		conjugated in simple past tense		past participle
		had		V3

For negative sentences in the past perfect tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the past perfect tense:

	subject	auxiliary verb		main verb
+	I	had		finished	my work.
+	You	had		stopped	before me.
-	She	had	not	gone	to school.
-	We	had	not	left.
?	Had	you		arrived?
?	Had	they		eaten	dinner?

When speaking with the past perfect tense, we often contract the subject and auxiliary verb:

I had	I'd
you had	you'd
he had she had it had	he'd she'd it'd
we had	we'd
they had	they'd

The past perfect tense expresses action in the past before another action in the past. This is the past in the past. For example:

The train left at 9am. We arrived at 9.15am. When we arrived, the train had left.

The train had left when we arrived.

past

present

future

Train leaves in past at 9am.

9		9.15

We arrive in past at 9.15am.

Look at some more examples:

I wasn't hungry. I had just eaten.
They were hungry. They had not eaten for five hours.
I didn't know who he was. I had never seen him before.
"Mary wasn't at home when I arrived."
"Really? Where had she gone?"

You can sometimes think of the past perfect tense like the present perfect tense, but instead of the time being now the time is past.

past perfect tense			present perfect tense
had \| done \| > \|				have \| done \| > \|

past	now	future	past	now	future

For example, imagine that you arrive at the station at 9.15am. The stationmaster says to you:

"You are too late. The train has left."

Later, you tell your friends:

"We were too late. The train had left."

We often use the past perfect tense in reported speech after verbs like said, told, asked, thought, wondered:

Look at these examples:

He told us that the train had left.
I thought I had met her before, but I was wrong.
He explained that he had closed the window because of the rain.
I wondered if I had been there before.
I asked them why they had not finished.

Present Perfect Tense

2009-08-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

We use the present perfect when we want to look back from the present to the past.

We can use it to look back on the recent past.

I've broken my watch so I don't know what time it is.
They have cancelled the meeting.
She's taken my copy. I don't have one.
The sales team has doubled its turnover.

When we look back on the recent past, we often use the words 'just' 'already' or the word 'yet' (in negatives and questions only).

We've already talked about that.
She hasn't arrived yet.
I've just done it.
They've already met.
They don't know yet.
Have you spoken to him yet?
Have they got back to you yet?

It can also be used to look back on the more distant past.

We've been to Singapore a lot over the last few years.
She's done this type of project many times before.
We've mentioned it to them on several occasions over the last six months.
They've often talked about it in the past.

When we look back on the more distant past, we often use the words 'ever' (in questions) and 'never'.

Have you ever been to Argentina?
Has he ever talked to you about the problem?
I've never met Jim and Sally.
We've never considered investing in Mexico.

How do we make the Present Perfect Tense?

The structure of the present perfect tense is:

subject	+	auxiliary verb	+	main verb
		have		past participle

Here are some examples of the present perfect tense:

	subject	auxiliary verb		main verb
+	I	have		seen	ET.
+	You	have		eaten	mine.
-	She	has	not	been	to Rome.
-	We	have	not	played	football.
?	Have	you		finished?
?	Have	they		done	it?

How do we use the Present Perfect Tense?

This tense is called the present perfect tense. There is always a connection with the past and with the present. There are basically three uses for the present perfect tense:

experience
change
continuing situation

1. Present perfect tense for experience

We often use the present perfect tense to talk about experience from the past. We are not interested in when you did something. We only want to know if you did it:

I have seen ET.
He has lived in Bangkok.
Have you been there?
We have never eaten caviar.

past

present

future

!!!

The action or state was in the past.

In my head, I have a memory now.

Connection with past: the event was in the past.
Connection with present: in my head, now, I have a memory of the event; I know something about the event; I have experience of it.

2. Present perfect tense for change

We also use the present perfect tense to talk about a change or new information:

I have bought a car.
past	present	future
-	+
Last week I didn't have a car.	Now I have a car.

John has broken his leg.
past	present	future
+	-
Yesterday John had a good leg.	Now he has a bad leg.

Has the price gone up?
past	present	future
+	-
Was the price $1.50 yesterday?	Is the price $1.70 today?

The police have arrested the killer.
past	present	future
-	+
Yesterday the killer was free.	Now he is in prison.

Connection with past: the past is the opposite of the present.
Connection with present: the present is the opposite of the past.

3. Present perfect tense for continuing situation

We often use the present perfect tense to talk about a continuing situation. This is a state that started in the past and continues in the present (and will probably continue into the future). This is a state (not an action). We usually use for or since with this structure.

I have worked here since June.
He has been ill for 2 days.
How long have you known Tara?

past

present

future

The situation started in the past.

It continues up to now.

(It will probably continue into the future.)

Connection with past: the situation started in the past.
Connection with present: the situation continues in the present.

For & Since with Present Perfect Tense

We often use for and since with the present perfect tense.

We use for to talk about a period of time - 5 minutes, 2 weeks, 6 years.
We use since to talk about a point in past time - 9 o'clock, 1st January, Monday.

for	since
a period of time	a point in past time
	x------------
20 minutes	6.15pm
three days	Monday
6 months	January
4 years	1994
2 centuries	1800
a long time	I left school
ever	the beginning of time
etc	etc

Here are some examples:

I have been here for 20 minutes.
I have been here since 9 o'clock.
John hasn't called for 6 months.
John hasn't called since February.
He has worked in New York for a long time.
He has worked in New York since he left school.

Source:
http://www.englishclub.com/

Passive Voice

2009-08-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

The passive voice is less usual than the active voice. The active voice is the "normal" voice. But sometimes we need the passive voice. In this lesson we look at how to construct the passive voice, when to use it and how to conjugate it.

Construction of the Passive Voice

The structure of the passive voice is very simple:

subject + auxiliary verb (be) + main verb (past participle)

The main verb is always in its past participle form.

Look at these examples:

subject	auxiliary verb (to be)		main verb (past participle)
Water	is		drunk	by everyone.
100 people	are		employed	by this company.
I	am		paid	in euro.
We	are	not	paid	in dollars.
Are	they		paid	in yen?

Use of the Passive Voice

We use the passive when:

we want to make the active object more important
we do not know the active subject

	subject	verb	object
give importance to active object (President Kennedy)	President Kennedy	was killed	by Lee Harvey Oswald.
active subject unknown	My wallet	has been stolen.	?

Note that we always use by to introduce the passive object (Fish are eaten by cats).

Conjugation for the Passive Voice

We can form the passive in any tense. In fact, conjugation of verbs in the passive tense is rather easy, as the main verb is always in past participle form and the auxiliary verb is always be. To form the required tense, we conjugate the auxiliary verb. So, for example:

present simple: It is made
present continuous: It is being made
present perfect: It has been made

Here are some examples with most of the possible tenses:

infinitive		to be washed
simple	present	It is washed.
	past	It was washed.
	future	It will be washed.
	conditional	It would be washed.
continuous	present	It is being washed.
	past	It was being washed.
	future	It will be being washed.
	conditional	It would be being washed.
perfect simple	present	It has been washed.
	past	It had been washed.
	future	It will have been washed.
	conditional	It would have been washed.
perfect continuous	present	It has been being washed.
	past	It had been being washed.
	future	It will have been being washed.
	conditional	It would have been being washed.

Sources:

http://www.englishclub.com/

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

2009-08-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns are easy to recognize. They are things that we can count. For example: "pen". We can count pens. We can have one, two, three or more pens. Here are some more countable nouns:

dog, cat, animal, man, person
bottle, box, litre
coin, note, dollar
cup, plate, fork
table, chair, suitcase, bag

Countable nouns can be singular or plural:

My dog is playing.
My dogs are hungry.

We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns:

A dog is an animal.

When a countable noun is singular, we must use a word like a/the/my/this with it:

I want an orange. (not I want orange.)
Where is my bottle? (not Where is bottle?)

When a countable noun is plural, we can use it alone:

I like oranges.
Bottles can break.

We can use some and any with countable nouns:

I've got some dollars.
Have you got any pens?

We can use a few and many with countable nouns:

I've got a few dollars.
I haven't got many pens.

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc that we cannot divide into separate elements. We cannot "count" them. For example, we cannot count "milk". We can count "bottles of milk" or "litres of milk", but we cannot count "milk" itself. Here are some more uncountable nouns:

music, art, love, happiness
advice, information, news
furniture, luggage
rice, sugar, butter, water
electricity, gas, power
money, currency

We usually treat uncountable nouns as singular. We use a singular verb. For example:

This news is very important.
Your luggage looks heavy.

We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns. We cannot say "an information" or "a music". But we can say a something of:

a piece of news
a bottle of water
a grain of rice

We can use some and any with uncountable nouns:

I've got some money.
Have you got any rice?

We can use a little and much with uncountable nouns:

I've got a little money.
I haven't got much rice.

Sources:
http://www.englishclub.com/

Nouns - The Definition

2009-08-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

What are Nouns?
The simple definition is: a person, place or thing. Here are some examples:

* person: man, woman, teacher, John, Mary
* place: home, office, town, countryside, America
* thing: table, car, banana, money, music, love, dog, monkey

The problem with this definition is that it does not explain why "love" is a noun but can also be a verb.

Another (more complicated) way of recognizing a noun is by its:

1. Ending
2. Position
3. Function

1. Noun Ending

There are certain word endings that show that a word is a noun, for example:

* -ity > nationality
* -ment > appointment
* -ness > happiness
* -ation > relation
* -hood > childhood

But this is not true for the word endings of all nouns. For example, the noun "spoonful" ends in -ful, but the adjective "careful" also ends in -ful.

2. Position in Sentence

We can often recognise a noun by its position in the sentence.

Nouns often come after a determiner (a determiner is a word like a, an, the, this, my, such):

* a relief
* an afternoon
* the doctor
* this word
* my house
* such stupidity

Nouns often come after one or more adjectives:

* a great relief
* a peaceful afternoon
* the tall, Indian doctor
* this difficult word
* my brown and white house
* such crass stupidity

3. Function in a Sentence

Nouns have certain functions (jobs) in a sentence, for example:

* subject of verb: Doctors work hard.
* object of verb: He likes coffee.
* subject and object of verb: Teachers teach students.

But the subject or object of a sentence is not always a noun. It could be a pronoun or a phrase. In the sentence "My doctor works hard", the noun is "doctor" but the subject is "My doctor".

Sources:
http://www.englishclub.com/

Prepositional Verbs

2009-08-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Prepositional verbs are a group of multi-word verbs made from a verb plus another word or words. Many people refer to all multi-word verbs as phrasal verbs. On these pages we make a distinction between three types of multi-word verbs: prepositional verbs, phrasal verbs and phrasal-prepositional verbs. On this page we look at prepositional verbs.

Prepositional verbs are made of:

verb + preposition

Because a preposition always has an object, all prepositional verbs have direct objects. Here are some examples of prepositional verbs:

prepositional verbs	meaning	examples
prepositional verbs	meaning		direct object
believe in	have faith in the existence of	I believe in	God.
look after	take care of	He is looking after	the dog.
talk about	discuss	Did you talk about	me?
wait for	await	John is waiting for	Mary.

Prepositional verbs cannot be separated. That means that we cannot put the direct object between the two parts. For example, we must say "look after the baby". We cannot say "look the baby after":

prepositional verbs are inseparable		Who is looking after the baby?	This is possible.
prepositional verbs are inseparable		Who is looking the baby after?	This is not possible.

Sources:
http://www.englishclub.com/

Phrasal Verbs

2009-08-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

Phrasal verbs are a group of multi-word verbs made from a verb plus another word or words. Many people refer to all multi-word verbs as phrasal verbs. On these pages we make a distinction between three types of multi-word verbs: prepositional verbs, phrasal verbs and phrasal-prepositional verbs. On this page we look at phrasal verbs proper.

Phrasal verbs are made of:

verb + adverb

Phrasal verbs can be:

intransitive (no direct object)
transitive (direct object)

Here are some examples of phrasal verbs:

	phrasal verbs	meaning	examples
	phrasal verbs	meaning		direct object
intransitive phrasal verbs	get up	rise from bed	I don't like to get up.
intransitive phrasal verbs	break down	cease to function	He was late because his car broke down.
transitive phrasal verbs	put off	postpone	We will have to put off	the meeting.
transitive phrasal verbs	turn down	refuse	They turned down	my offer.

Separable Phrasal Verbs

When phrasal verbs are transitive (that is, they have a direct object), we can usually separate the two parts. For example, "turn down" is a separable phrasal verb. We can say: "turn downturn my offer down". Look at this table: my offer" or "

transitive phrasal verbs are separable		They	turned		down	my offer.
transitive phrasal verbs are separable		They	turned	my offer	down.

However, if the direct object is a pronoun, we have no choice. We must separate the phrasal verb and insert the pronoun between the two parts. Look at this example with the separable phrasal verb "switch on":

direct object pronouns must go between the two parts of transitive phrasal verbs	John	switched		on	the radio.	These are all possible.
	John	switched	the radio	on.
	John	switched	it	on.
	John	switched		on	it.	This is not possible.

Sources:
http://www.englishclub.com/
http://www.edufind.com/

Future Continuous Tense

2009-08-26T08:37:00.000-07:00

The future continuous refers to an unfinished action or event that will be in progress at a time later than now. It is used:

to project ourselves into the future and see something happening: This time next week I will be sun-bathing in Bali.

to refer to actions/events that will happen in the normal course of events: I'll be seeing Jim at the conference next week.

in the interrogative form, especially with 'you', to distinguish between a simple request for information and an invitation: Will you be coming to the party tonight? (= request for information) Will you come to the party? (= invitation)

to predict or guess about someone's actions or feelings, now or in the future: You'll be feeling tired after that long walk, I expect.

More examples:

a. events in progress in the future:
When you are in Australia will you be staying with friends?
This time next week you will be working in your new job.
At four thirty on Tuesday afternoon I will be signing the contract.

b. events/actions in normal course of events:
I'll be going into town this afternoon, is there anything you want from the shops?
Will you be using the car tomorrow? - No, you can take it.
I'll be seeing Jane this evening - I'll give her the message.

c. asking for information:
Will you be bringing your friend to the pub tonight?
Will Jim be coming with us?

d. predicting or guessing:
You'll be feeling thirsty after working in the sun.
He'll be coming to the meeting, I expect.
You'll be missing the sunshine now you're back in England.

How do we make the Future Continuous Tense?

The structure of the future continuous tense is:

subject	+	auxiliary verb WILL	+	auxiliary verb BE	+	main verb
		invariable		invariable		present participle
		will		be		base + ing

For negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we insert not between will and be. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and will. Look at these example sentences with the future continuous tense:

	subject	auxiliary verb		auxiliary verb	main verb
+	I	will		be	working	at 10am.
+	You	will		be	lying	on a beach tomorrow.
-	She	will	not	be	using	the car.
-	We	will	not	be	having	dinner at home.
?	Will	you		be	playing	football?
?	Will	they		be	watching	TV?

When we use the future continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and will:

I will	I'll
you will	you'll
he will she will it will	he'll she'll it'll
we will	we'll
they will	they'll

For spoken negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we contract with won't, like this:

I will not	I won't
you will not	you won't
he will not she will not it will not	he won't she won't it won't
we will not	we won't
they will not	they won't

How do we use the Future Continuous Tense?

The future continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the future. The action will start before that moment but it will not have finished at that moment. For example, tomorrow I will start work at 2pm and stop work at 6pm:

At 4pm tomorrow, I will be working.

past

present

future

4pm

At 4pm, I will be in the middle of working.

When we use the future continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what time we are talking about. Look at these examples:

I will be playing tennis at 10am tomorrow.
They won't be watching TV at 9pm tonight.
What will you be doing at 10pm tonight?
What will you be doing when I arrive?
She will not be sleeping when you telephone her.
We 'll be having dinner when the film starts.
Take your umbrella. It will be raining when you return.

Past Continuous Tense

2009-08-26T06:12:00.000-07:00

The past continuous describes actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and was still going on at the time of speaking. In other words, it expresses an unfinished or incomplete action in the past.

It is used:

often, to describe the background in a story written in the past tense, e.g. "The sun was shining and the birds were singing as the elephant came out of the jungle. The other animals were relaxing in the shade of the trees, but the elephant moved very quickly. She was looking for her baby, and she didn't notice the hunter who was watching her through his binoculars. When the shot rang out, she was running towards the river..."

to describe an unfinished action that was interrupted by another event or action: "I was having a beautiful dream when the alarm clock rang."

to express a change of mind: e.g. "I was going to spend the day at the beach but I've decided to go on an excursion instead."

with 'wonder', to make a very polite request: e.g. "I was wondering if you could baby-sit for me tonight."

More examples:

They were waiting for the bus when the accident happened.
Caroline was skiing when she broke her leg.
When we arrived he was having a bath.
When the fire started I was watching television.

How do we make the Past Continuous Tense?

The structure of the past continuous tense is:

subject	+	auxiliary verb BE	+	main verb
		conjugated in simple past tense		present participle
		was were		base + ing

For negative sentences in the past continuous tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the past continuous tense:

	subject	auxiliary verb		main verb
+	I	was		watching	TV.
+	You	were		working	hard.
-	He, she, it	was	not	helping	Mary.
-	We	were	not	joking.
?	Were	you		being	silly?
?	Were	they		playing	football?

How do we use the Past Continuous Tense?

The past continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the past. The action started before that moment but has not finished at that moment.

For example, yesterday I watched a film on TV. The film started at 7pm and finished at 9pm.

At 8pm yesterday, I was watching TV.

past

present

future

8pm

At 8pm, I was in the middle of watching TV.

When we use the past continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what time we are talking about. Look at these examples:

I was working at 10pm last night.
They were not playing football at 9am this morning.
What were you doing at 10pm last night?
What were you doing when he arrived?
She was cooking when I telephoned her.
We were having dinner when it started to rain.
Ram went home early because it was snowing.

Past Continuous Tense + Simple Past Tense

We often use the past continuous tense with the simple past tense. We use the past continuous tense to express a long action. And we use the simple past tense to express a short action that happens in the middle of the long action. We can join the two ideas with when or while.

In the following example, we have two actions:

long action (watching TV), expressed with past continuous tense
short action (telephoned), expressed with simple past tense

past

present

future

Long action.

I was watching TV at 8pm.

	8pm

You telephoned at 8pm.

Short action.

We can join these two actions with when:

I was watching TV when you telephoned.

(Notice that "when you telephoned" is also a way of defining the time [8pm].)

We use:

when + short action (simple past tense)
while + long action (past continuous tense)

There are four basic combinations:

	I was walking past the car	when	it exploded.
When	the car exploded		I was walking past it.
	The car exploded	while	I was walking past it.
While	I was walking past the car		it exploded.

Notice that the long action and short action are relative.

"Watching TV" took a few hours. "Telephoned" took a few seconds.
"Walking past the car" took a few seconds. "Exploded" took a few milliseconds.

Sources:
http://www.englishclub.com/
http://www.edufind.com/

The Present Participle

2009-08-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

The present participle of most verbs has the form base+ing and is used in the following ways:

a. as part of the continuous form of a verb
(See continuous tenses in Present Continuous Tense)

Example:

I am working,
he was singing,
they have been walking.

b. after verbs of movement/position in the pattern: verb + present participle

Example:

She went shopping
He lay looking up at the clouds
She came running towards me

This construction is particularly useful with the verb 'to go', as in these common expressions :

to go shopping
to go ski-ing
to go fishing
to go surfing

to go walking
to go swimming
to go running
to go dancing

c. after verbs of perception in the pattern:
verb + object + present participle

Example:

I heard someone singing.
He saw his friend walking along the road.
I can smell something burning!

NOTE: There is a difference in meaning when such a sentence contains a zero-infinitive rather than a participle. The infinitive refers to a complete action, but the participle refers to an incomplete action, or part of an action.

Compare:

I heard Joanna singing (= she had started before I heard her, and probably went on afterwards)
I heard Joanna sing (= I heard her complete performance)

d. as an adjective

Examples:

amazing, worrying, exciting, boring.

It was an amazing film.
It's a bit worrying when the police stop you
Dark billowing clouds often precede a storm.
Racing cars can go as fast as 400kph.
He was trapped inside the burning house.
Many of his paintings depict the setting sun.

e. with the verbs spend and waste, in the pattern:
verb + time/money expression + present participle

Example:

My boss spends two hours a day travelling to work.
Don't waste time playing computer games!
They've spent the whole day shopping.

f. with the verbs catch and find, in the pattern:
verb + object + present participle:

With catch, the participle always refers to an action which causes annoyance or anger:

If I catch you stealing my apples again, there'll be trouble!
Don't let him catch you reading his letters.

This is not the case with find, which is unemotional:

We found some money lying on the ground.
They found their mother sitting in the garden.

g. to replace a sentence or part of a sentence:

When two actions occur at the same time, and are done by the same person or thing, we can use a present participle to describe one of them:

They went out into the snow. They laughed as they went. They went laughing out into the snow.
He whistled to himself. He walked down the road. Whistling to himself, he walked down the road.

When one action follows very quickly after another done by the same person or thing, we can express the first action with a present participle:

He put on his coat and left the house. Putting on his coat, he left the house.
She dropped the gun and put her hands in the air. Dropping the gun, she put her hands in the air.

The present participle can be used instead of a phrase starting as, since, because, and it explains the cause or reason for an action:

Feeling hungry, he went into the kitchen and opened the fridge.
(= because he felt hungry...)
Being poor, he didn't spend much on clothes.
Knowing that his mother was coming, he cleaned the flat.

Source: http://www.edufind.com/

List of Irregular Verbs With Conjugation

2009-08-25T07:42:00.000-07:00

Irregular verbs are not as easy to learn as regular ones, but it's not that hard, either. Students are often scared at the variety of irregular verbs the English language has, and learning them can be challenging - but fun. One thing is true, though: you'll have to learn them by heart. There have been systems invented to learn irregular verbs easier by ESL programs, but actually the best way is to remember the verbs, by using them, and applying them to different situations. Let's take a look at some common -and not so common- irregular verbs in English:

be - was/were - been

become - became - become

begin - began - begun

break - broke - broken

bring - brought - brought

build - built - built

buy - bought - bought

come - came - come

cost - cost - cost

cut - cut - cut

do - did - done

drink - drank - drunk

eat - ate - eaten

find - found - found

fly - flew - flown

get - got - gotten/got

give - gave - given

go - went - gone

have - had - had

keep - kept - kept

know - knew - known

leave - left - left

make - made - made

meet - met - met

pay - paid - paid

put - put - put

read - read - read

say - said - said

see - saw - seen

sell - sold - sold

send - sent - sent

speak - spoke - spoken

spend - spent - spent

take - took - taken

teach - taught - taught

tell - told - told

think - thought - thought

These are very frequent verbs, and if you take a close look you'll see that the past participle (third column) often repeats the past form. For example:

I make my bed every day.
I made my bed yesterday.
I have made my bed before!

Others, however, suffer a change when used in part participle:

I speak with my mother often.
I spoke with my mother last Friday.
I have recently spoken to my mother.

As with regular verbs, irregular ones are used with different auxiliaries to form tenses. That way, using has or have plus the past participle of a verb will form the present perfect tense:

She has taught me a lot about life.

Using had plus past participle forms the past perfect tense:

They had always thought her illness could be reverted.

Will is also an auxiliary that forms the future tense. Will have plus a past participle will form the future perfect tense:

Tomorrow will be a nice day. (Simple Future)
By Friday, I will have finished my assignments (Future Perfect)

For a full list of irregular verbs and exercises you can visit this complete website. To understand fully the way irregular verbs are constructed, the best way is to study and use them, so only practice can lead you to success in this sense. So go ahead, use, study and learn them!

sources : http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andrea_Phillips

Verbs that are not normally used in the continuous form

2009-08-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

The verbs in the list below are normally used in the simple form, because they refer to states, rather than actions or processes:

List of common verbs normally used in simple form:

Senses / Perception
feel*, hear, see*, smell, taste

Opinion
assume, believe, consider, doubt, feel (= think), find (= consider), suppose, think*

Mental states
forget, imagine, know, mean, notice, recognise, remember, understand

Emotions / desires
envy, fear, dislike, hate, hope, like, love, mind, prefer, regret, want, wish

Measurement
contain, cost, hold, measure, weigh

Others
look (=resemble), seem, be (in most cases), have (when it means to possess)*

Notes:
1. 'Perception' verbs (see, hear, feel, taste, smell) are often used with 'can': e.g. I can see...
2. * These verbs may be used in the continuous form but with a different meaning, compare:
a. This coat feels nice and warm. (= your perception of the coat's qualities)
b. John's feeling much better now (= his health is improving)
a. She has three dogs and a cat. (=possession)
b. She's having supper. (= She's eating)
a. I can see Anthony in the garden (= perception)
b. I'm seeing Anthony later (= We are planning to meet)

Examples:

I wish I was in Greece now.
She wants to see him now.
I don't understand why he is shouting.
I feel we are making a mistake.
This glass holds half a litre.

Sources:
http://www.englishclub.com/

Present Continuous Tense

2009-08-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

The Present Continuous Tense expresses an activity that is in progress at the moment of speaking. It began in the recent past, is continuing at present, and will probably end at some point in the future.

John is sleeping right now.
I need an umbrella because it is raining.
John and Mary are talking on the phone.

Often the activity is of a general nature: something generally in progress this week, this month, this year.

I am taking five courses this semester.
John is trying to improve his work habits.
She is writing another book this year.

Note: for no. (3), the sentence means that writing a book is a general activity she is engaged in at present, but it does not mean that at the moment of speaking she is sitting at her desk with pen in hand.

When someone uses the present continuous, they are thinking about something that is unfinished or incomplete.

The present continuous is used:

to describe an action that is going on at this moment e.g. You are using the Internet. You are studying English grammar.
to describe an action that is going on during this period of time or a trend, e.g.
Are you still working for the same company? More and more people are becoming vegetarian.
to describe an action or event in the future, which has already been planned or prepared (See also 'Ways of expressing the future) e.g. We're going on holiday tomorrow. I'm meeting my boyfriend tonight. Are they visiting you next winter?
to describe a temporary event or situation, e.g. He usually plays the drums, but he's playing bass guitar tonight. The weather forecast was good, but it's raining at the moment.
with 'always, forever, constantly', to describe and emphasise a continuing series of repeated actions, e.g. Harry and Sally are always arguing! You're forever complaining about your mother-in-law!

BE CAREFUL! Some verbs are not used in the continuous form - see this part.

How do we use the Present Continuous Tense?

We use the present continuous tense to talk about:

action happening now
action in the future

Present continuous tense for action happening now

a) for action happening exactly now

I am eating my lunch.

past

present

future

The action is happening now.

b) for action happening around now

The action may not be happening exactly now, but it is happening just before and just after now, and it is not permanent or habitual.

John is going out with Mary.

past

present

future

The action is happening around now.

Look at these examples:

Muriel is learning to drive.
I am living with my sister until I find an apartment.

Present continuous tense for the future

We can also use the present continuous tense to talk about the future - if we add a future word!! We must add (or understand from the context) a future word. "Future words" include, for example, tomorrow, next year, in June, at Christmas etc. We only use the present continuous tense to talk about the future when we have planned to do something before we speak. We have already made a decision and a plan before speaking.

I am taking my exam next month.

past

present

future

!!!

A firm plan or programme exists now.

The action is in the future.

Look at these examples:

We're eating in a restaurant tonight. We've already booked the table..
They can play tennis with you tomorrow. They're not working.
When are you starting your new job?

In these examples, we have a firm plan or programme before speaking. The decision and plan were made before speaking.

Sources:

http://www.englishclub.com/

http://www.edufind.com/

Simple Future Tense

2009-08-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

The simple future refers to a time later than now, and expresses facts or certainty. In this case there is no 'attitude'.

The simple future is used:

To predict a future event: It will rain tomorrow.
(With I/we) to express a spontaneous decision: I'll pay for the tickets by credit card.
To express willingness: I'll do the washing-up. He'll carry your bag for you.
(In the negative form) to express unwillingness: The baby won't eat his soup. I won't leave until I've seen the manager!
(With I in the interrogative form) to make an offer: Shall I open the window?
(With we in the interrogative form) to make a suggestion: Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
(With I in the interrogative form) to ask for advice or instructions: What shall I tell the boss about this money?
(With you) to give orders: You will do exactly as I say.
(With you) to give an invitation: Will you come to the dance with me?
Will you marry me?

How do we make the Simple Future Tense?

The structure of the simple future tense is:

subject	+	auxiliary verb WILL	+	main verb
		invariable		base
		will		V1

For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the simple future tense:

	subject	auxiliary verb		main verb
+	I	will		open	the door.
+	You	will		finish	before me.
-	She	will	not	be	at school tomorrow.
-	We	will	not	leave	yet.
?	Will	you		arrive	on time?
?	Will	they		want	dinner?

When we use the simple future tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and auxiliary verb:

I will	I'll
you will	you'll
he will she will it will	he'll she'll it'll
we will	we'll
they will	they'll

For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we contract with won't, like this:

I will not	I won't
you will not	you won't
he will not she will not it will not	he won't she won't it won't
we will not	we won't
they will not	they won't

How do we use the Simple Future Tense?

No Plan

We use the simple future tense when there is no plan or decision to do something before we speak. We make the decision spontaneously at the time of speaking. Look at these examples:

Hold on. I'll get a pen.
We will see what we can do to help you.
Maybe we'll stay in and watch television tonight.

In these examples, we had no firm plan before speaking. The decision is made at the time of speaking.

We often use the simple future tense with the verb to think before it:

I think I'll go to the gym tomorrow.
I think I will have a holiday next year.
I don't think I'll buy that car.

Prediction

We often use the simple future tense to make a prediction about the future. Again, there is no firm plan. We are saying what we think will happen. Here are some examples:

It will rain tomorrow.
People won't go to Jupiter before the 22nd century.
Who do you think will get the job?

Be

When the main verb is be, we can use the simple future tense even if we have a firm plan or decision before speaking. Examples:

I'll be in London tomorrow.
I'm going shopping. I won't be very long.
Will you be at work tomorrow?

Sources:
http://www.englishclub.com/
http://www.edufind.com/

Simple Past Tense

2009-08-22T01:42:00.001-07:00

English uses verbs in the simple past tense to refer to actions situations, or events that are finished and that happened before now. Here are the more detailed explanation about the simple past tense uses.

The simple past indicates that an activity or situation began and ended at a particular time in the past

I walked to school yesterday.
He lived in Paris for ten years, but now he is living in Rome
I bought a new car three days ago

If a sentence contains when and has the simple past in both clauses, the action in the “when clause” happens first.

I stood under a tree when it began to rain.
When she heard a strange noise, she got up to investigate.
When I dropped my cup, the coffee spilled on my lap.

How do we make the Simple Past Tense?

To make the simple past tense, we use:

past form only
or
auxiliary did + base form

Here you can see examples of the past form and base form for irregular verbs and regular verbs:

	V1 base	V2 past	V3 past participle
regular verb	work explode like	worked exploded liked	worked exploded liked	The past form for all regular verbs ends in -ed.
irregular verb	go see sing	went saw sang	gone seen sung	The past form for irregular verbs is variable. You need to learn it by heart.
			You do not need the past participle form to make the simple past tense. It is shown here for completeness only.

The structure for positive sentences in the simple past tense is:

subject	+	main verb
		past

The structure for negative sentences in the simple past tense is:

subject	+	auxiliary verb	+	not	+	main verb
		did				base

The structure for question sentences in the simple past tense is:

base

+	subject	+	main verb
did				base

The auxiliary verb did is not conjugated. It is the same for all persons (I did, you did, he did etc). And the base form and past form do not change. Look at these examples with the main verbs go and work:

	subject	auxiliary verb		main verb
+	I			went	to school.
+	You			worked	very hard.
-	She	did	not	go	with me.
-	We	did	not	work	yesterday.
?	Did	you		go	to London?
?	Did	they		work	at home?

Exception! The verb to be is different. We conjugate the verb to be (I was, you were, he/she/it was, we were, they were); and we do not use an auxiliary for negative and question sentences. To make a question, we exchange the subject and verb. Look at these examples:

	subject	main verb
+	I, he/she/it	was		here.
+	You, we, they	were		in France.
-	I, he/she/it	was	not	in Jakarta.
-	You, we, they	were	not	happy.
?	Was	I, he/she/it		right?
?	Were	you, we, they		late?

Note: For the negative and interrogative simple past form of "do" as an ordinary verb, use the auxiliary "do", e.g. We didn't do our homework last night. The negative of "have" in the simple past is usually formed using the auxiliary "do", but sometimes by simply adding not or the contraction "n't".
The interrogative form of "have" in the simple past normally uses the auxiliary "do".

They weren't in Rio last summer.
We hadn't any money.
We didn't have time to visit the Eiffel Tower.
We didn't do our exercises this morning.

Sources :
http://www.englishclub.com/
http://www.eslcafe.com/

SImple Present Tense

2009-08-21T23:40:00.000-07:00

This page shows the use of the simple present tense to talk about general events. But note that there are some other uses for the simple present tense.

The simple present tense says that something was true in the past, is true in the present, and will be true in the future. it is used for general statements of fact.
- Water consist of hydrogen and oxygen.
- Most animals kill only for food.
- The world is round.
The simple present is used to express habitual or everyday activity.
- I study for two hours every night.
- my classes begin at nine.
- He always eats a sandwich for lunch.
Certain verbs are not used in the progressive tenses. With these verbs, the simple present may indicate a situation that exists right now, at the moment of speaking.
- I have only a dollar right now
- I don't recognize that man.
- He needs a pen right now.

How do we make the Simple Present Tense?

subject	+	auxiliary verb	+	main verb
		do		base

There are three important exceptions:

For positive sentences, we do not normally use the auxiliary.
For the 3rd person singular (he, she, it), we add s to the main verb or es to the auxiliary.
For the verb to be, we do not use an auxiliary, even for questions and negatives.

Look at these examples with the main verb like:

	subject	auxiliary verb		main verb
+	I, you, we, they			like	coffee.
+	He, she, it			likes	coffee.
-	I, you, we, they	do	not	like	coffee.
-	He, she, it	does	not	like	coffee.
?	Do	I, you, we, they		like	coffee?
?	Does	he, she, it		like	coffee?

Look at these examples with the main verb be. Notice that there is no auxiliary:

	subject	main verb
+	I	am		French.
	You, we, they	are		French.
	He, she, it	is		French.
-	I	am	not	old.
	You, we, they	are	not	old.
	He, she, it	is	not	old.
?	Am	I		late?
	Are	you, we, they		late?
	Is	he, she, it		late?