Interjections:
Hi! That's an interjection. :-)
"Interjection" is a big name
for a little word. Interjections
are short exclamations like
Oh! , Um or Ah! They have no
real grammatical value but
we use them quite often,
usually more in speaking than
in writing. When interjections
are inserted into a sentence,
they have no grammatical
connection to the sentence.
An interjection is sometimes
followed by an exclamation
mark (!) when written.
Here are some interjections
with examples:
interjection
meaning
example
ah
expressing pleasure
"Ah, that feels good."
expressing realization
"Ah, now I understand."
expressing resignation
"Ah well, it can't be heped."
expressing surprise
"Ah! I've won!"
alas
expressing grief or pity
"Alas, she's dead now."
dear
expressing pity
"Oh dear! Does it hurt?"
expressing surprise
"Dear me! That's a surprise!"
eh
asking for repetition
"It's hot today." "Eh?" "I said
it's hot today."
expressing enquiry
"What do you think of that,
eh?"
expressing surprise
"Eh! Really?"
inviting agreement
"Let's go, eh?"
er
expressing hesitation
"Lima is the capital
of...er...Peru ."
hello, hullo
expressing greeting
"Hello John. How are you
today?"
expressing surprise
"Hello! My car's gone!"
hey
calling attention
"Hey! look at that!"
expressing surprise, joy etc
"Hey! What a good idea!"
hi
expressing greeting
"Hi! What's new?"
hmm
expressing hesitation, doubt
or disagreement
"Hmm. I'm not so sure."
oh, o
expressing surprise
"Oh! You're here!"
expressing pain
"Oh! I've got a toothache."
expressing pleading
"Oh, please say 'yes'!"
ouch
expressing pain
"Ouch! That hurts!"
uh
expressing hesitation
"Uh...I don't know the
answer to that."
uh-huh
expressing agreement
"Shall we go?" "Uh-huh."
um, umm
expressing hesitation
"85 divided by 5 is...um. ..17."
well
expressing surprise
"Well I never!"
introducing a remark
"Well, what did he say?"
Friday, November 25, 2011
INTERJECTIONS
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
PARTS OF SPEECH
Parts of Speech Table
This is a summary of the 8
parts of speech*. You can
find more detail if you click
on each part of speech.
part of speech
function or "job"
example words
example sentences
Verb
action or state
(to) be, have, do, like, work,
sing, can, must
EnglishClub.com is a web
site. I like EnglishClub.com.
Noun
thing or person
pen, dog, work, music, town,
London, teacher, John
This is my dog. He lives in my
house . We live in London .
Adjective
describes a noun
a/an, the, 69, some, good,
big, red, well, interesting
My dog is big . I like big dogs.
Adverb
describes a verb, adjective or
adverb
quickly, silently, well, badly,
very, really
My dog eats quickly. When
he is very hungry, he eats
really quickly.
Pronoun
replaces a noun
I, you, he, she, some
Tara is Indian. She is
beautiful.
Preposition
links a noun to another word
to, at, after, on, but
We went to school on
Monday.
Conjunction
joins clauses or sentences or
words
and, but, when
I like dogs and I like cats. I
like cats and dogs. I like dogs
but I don't like cats.
Interjection
short exclamation,
sometimes inserted into a
sentence
oh!, ouch!, hi!, well
Ouch ! That hurts! Hi! How
are you? Well, I don't know.
* Some grammar sources
categorize English into 9 or 10
parts of speech. At
EnglishClub.com, we use the
traditional categorization of 8
parts of speech. Examples of
other categorizations are:
Verbs may be treated as
two different parts of
speech:
Lexical Verbs (work,
like, run )
Auxiliary Verbs ( be,
have, must )
Determiners may be
treated as a separate
part of speech, instead of
being categorized under
Adjectives
Monday, November 21, 2011
Is it wrong to end a sentence with preposition?
Is It Wrong to End
a Sentence With a
Preposition?
Question: Is It Wrong to End
a Sentence With a
Preposition?
Answer:
Quite simply, no. A
preposition is not a bad word
to end a sentence with. Even
in your grandparents' day a
preposition was not a bad
word to end a sentence with.
But ask a few of your friends
or colleagues if they
remember any rules of English
grammar, and almost
certainly at least one will say,
with confidence, "Never end a
sentence with a preposition."
Bryan Garner wasn't the first
to call that "rule" a
"superstition":
The spurious rule about
not ending sentences with
prepositions is a remnant
of Latin grammar, in
which a preposition was
the one word that a
writer could not end a
sentence with. But Latin
grammar should never
straightjacket English
grammar. If the
superstition is a "rule" at
all, it is a rule of rhetoric
and not of grammar, the
idea being to end
sentences with strong
words that drive a point
home. That principle is
sound, of course, but not
to the extent of meriting
lockstep adherence or
flouting established
idiom.
(Garner's Modern
American Usage, Oxford
University Press, 2003)
For over a century even hard-
core prescriptive grammarians
have rejected this old taboo:
Now that should be the end
of it, right? But just try
convincing that friend of
yours.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
CONDITIONALS:
CONDITIONALS:
Conditionals: Summary
Here is a chart to help you to
visualize the basic English
conditionals. Do not take the
50% and 10% figures too
literally. They are just to help
you.
probability
conditional
example
time
100%
zero conditional
If you heat ice, it melts.
any time
50%
first conditional
If it rains, I will stay at home.
future
10%
second conditional
If I won the lottery, I would
buy a car.
future
0%
third conditional
If I had won the lottery, I
would have bought a car.
past
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Gerunds(-ing)
Gerunds (-ing )
When a verb ends in -ing, it
may be a gerund or a present
participle. It is important to
understand that they are not
the same.
When we use a verb in -ing
form more like a noun , it is
usually a gerund:
Fishing is fun.
When we use a verb in -ing
form more like a verb or an
adjective, it is usually a
present participle:
Anthony is fishing .
I have a boring teacher.
Gerunds are sometimes
called "verbal nouns".
Gerunds as Subject, Object
or Complement
Try to think of gerunds as
verbs in noun form.
Like nouns, gerunds can be
the subject, object or
complement of a sentence:
Smoking costs a lot of
money.
I don't like writing.
My favourite occupation
is reading.
But, like a verb, a gerund can
also have an object itself. In
this case, the whole
expression [gerund + object]
can be the subject, object or
complement of the sentence.
Smoking cigarettes
costs a lot of money.
I don't like writing
letters .
My favourite occupation
is reading detective
stories .
Like nouns, we can use
gerunds with adjectives
(including articles and other
determiners):
pointless questioning
a settling of debts
the making of Titanic
his drinking of alcohol
But when we use a gerund
with an article, it does not
usually take a direct object:
a settling of debts ( not a
settling debts)
Making "Titanic" was
expensive.
The making of "Titanic"
was expensive.
Do you see the difference in
these two sentences? In one,
"reading" is a gerund (noun).
In the other "reading" is a
present participle (verb).
My favourite occupation
is reading.
My favourite niece
Gerunds after Prepositions
This is a good rule. It has no
exceptions!
If we want to use a verb
after a preposition, it must
be a gerund. It is impossible
to use an infinitive after a
preposition. So for example,
we say:
I will call you after
arriving at the office.
Please have a drink
before leaving.
I am looking forward to
meeting you.
Do you object to working
late?
Tara always dreams
about going on holiday.
Notice that you could replace
all the above gerunds with
"real" nouns:
I will call you after my
arrival at the office.
Please have a drink
before your departure.
I am looking forward to
our lunch.
Do you object to this job?
Tara always dreams
about holidays.
The above rule has no
exceptions!
So why is "to" followed by
"driving" in 1 and by "drive" in
2?
1. I am used to driving
on the left.
2. I used to drive on the
left.
Gerunds after Certain
Verbs
We sometimes use one verb
after another verb. Often the
second verb is in the infinitive
form, for example:
I want to eat .
But sometimes the second
verb must be in gerund form,
for example:
I dislike eating .
This depends on the first
verb . Here is a list of verbs
that are usually followed by a
verb in gerund form:
admit, appreciate, avoid,
carry on, consider, defer,
delay, deny, detest,
dislike, endure, enjoy,
escape, excuse, face, feel
like, finish, forgive, give
up, can't help, imagine,
involve, leave off,
mention, mind, miss,
postpone, practise, put
off, report, resent, risk,
can't stand, suggest,
understand
Look at these examples:
She is considering having
a holiday.
Do you feel like going
out?
I can't help falling in love
with you.
I can't stand not seeing
you.
Some verbs can be followed
by the gerund form or the
infinitive form without a big
change in meaning: begin,
continue, hate, intend, like,
love, prefer, propose, start
I like to play tennis.
I like playing tennis.
It started to rain.
It started raining.
Gerunds in Passive Sense
We often use a gerund after
the verbs need, require and
want . In this case, the gerund
has a passive sense.
I have three shirts that
need washing . (need to
be washed)
This letter requires
signing. (needs to be
signed)
The house wants
repainting . (needs to be
repainted)
The expression "something
wants doing" is not normally
used in American English.
Monday, November 14, 2011
EACH,EVERY
Each, Every
Each and every have similar
but not always identical
meanings.
Each = every one separately
Every = each, all
Sometimes, each and every
have the same meaning:
Prices go up each year.
Prices go up every year.
But often they are not exactly
the same.
Each expresses the idea of
'one by one'. It emphasizes
individuality.
Every is half-way between
each and all. It sees things or
people as singular, but in a
group or in general.
Consider the following:
Every artist is sensitive.
Each artist sees things
differently.
Every soldier saluted as
the President arrived.
The President gave each
soldier a medal.
Each can be used in front of
the verb:
The soldiers each
received a medal.
Each can be followed by 'of':
The President spoke to
each of the soldiers.
He gave a medal to each
of them.
Every cannot be used for 2
things. For 2 things, each can
be used:
He was carrying a
suitcase in each hand.
Every is used to say how
often something happens:
There is a plane to
Bangkok every day.
The bus leaves every
hour.
Verbs with each and every
are always conjugated in the
singular.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
MODAL MEANINGS
modal meanings:uu
Modal auxiliary verbs can be used to convey a wide range of meanings. The table below illustrates some of the commonest, but it is by no means exhaustive.
meaning
verbs used
example
Ability:
can, could
I need interpreters in my surgery who can speak Punjabi,2 Urdu, and Gujarati.
Potential:
can, could, might, ought to, should, will, would
A suitable satellite in high orbit should do it nicely.
Permission:
can, could, may, might
Candidates may enter for both examinations, if desired.
Requests and invitations:
can, could, may, might, will, would
Will you come with me?
Offers, promises, threats:
can, could, shall, should
The Company will keep a copy of all material delivered to the Publisher.
Prediction:
could, may, might, should, will
It could be dangerous for anybody who knows.
Obligation:
must, ought to, should
No matter what else they do within the group, every volunteer must do at least one shift on the phones every fortnight.
Advice:
could, might, must, ought to, should
‘Perhaps you could try waders,’ suggested Preston.
Habitual actions:
might, will, would
Every afternoon she would wake from her afternoon sleep and cry pitifully, sometimes for as long as two hours.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
TELEPHONE LANGUAGE:
Telephone Language
Here are some typical
phrases that you can use in a
telephone conversation.
Answering the phone
Hello? (informal)
Thank you for calling
Boyz Autobody. Jody
speaking. How can I help
you?
Doctor's office.
Introducing yourself
Hey George. It's Lisa
calling. (informal)
Hello, this is Julie
Madison calling.
Hi, it's Gerry from the
dentist's office here.
This is she.*
Speaking.*
*The person
answering says this if
the caller does not
recognize their voice.
Asking to speak with
someone
Is Fred in? (informal)
Is Jackson there, please?
(informal)
Can I talk to your sister?
(informal)
May I speak with Mr.
Green, please?
Would the doctor be in/
available?
Connecting someone
Just a sec. I'll get him.
(informal)
Hang on one second.
(informal)
Please hold and I'll put
you through to his office.
One moment please.
All of our operators are
busy at this time. Please
hold for the next
available person.
Making special requests
Could you please repeat
that?
Would you mind spelling
that for me?
Could you speak up a
little please?
Can you speak a little
slower please. My
English isn't very strong.
Can you call me back? I
think we have a bad
connection.
Can you please hold for
a minute? I have another
call.
Taking a message for
someone
Sammy's not in. Who's
this? (informal)
I'm sorry, Lisa's not here
at the moment. Can I ask
who's calling?
I'm afraid he's stepped
out. Would you like to
leave a message?
He's on lunch right
now.Who's calling
please?
He's busy right now. Can
you call again later?
I'll let him know you
called.
I'll make sure she gets
the message.
Leaving a message with
someone
Yes, can you tell him his
wife called, please.
No, that's okay, I'll call
back later.
Yes, it's James from
CompInc. here. When do
you expect her back in
the office?
Thanks, could you ask
him to call Brian when he
gets in?
Do you have a pen
handy. I don't think he
has my number.
Thanks. My number is
222-3456, extension 12.
Confirming information
Okay, I've got it all
down.
Let me repeat that just
to make sure.
Did you say 555 Charles
St.?
You said your name was
John, right?
I'll make sure he gets the
message.
Listening to an answering
machine
Hello. You've reached
222-6789. Please leave a
detailed message after
the beep.Thank you.
Hi, this is Elizabeth. I'm
sorry I'm not available
to take your call at this
time. Leave me a
message and I'll get back
to you as soon as I can.
Thank you for calling Dr.
Mindin's office. Our
hours are 9am- 5pm,
Monday-Friday. Please
call back during these
hours, or leave a
message after the tone.
If this is an emergency
please call the hospital
at 333-7896.
Leaving a message on an
answering machine
Hey Mikako. It's Yuka.
Call me! (informal)
Hello, this is Ricardo
calling for Luke. Could
you please return my call
as soon as possible. My
number is 334-5689.
Thank you.
Hello Maxwell. This is
Marina from the
doctor's office calling. I
just wanted to let you
know that you're due for
a check-up this month.
Please give us a ring/
buzz whenever it's
convenient.
Finishing a conversation
Well, I guess I better get
going. Talk to you soon.
Thanks for calling. Bye
for now.
I have to let you go now.
I have another call
coming through. I better
run.
I'm afraid that's my
other line.
I'll talk to you again
soon. Bye.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Wh - CLAUSE
Wh-words are what , when ,
where , who , which, why and
how .
We use clauses with a wh-
word :
In wh-questions (see
Questions and Negatives):
What are you doing?
Who ate all the pies?
Why did you do that?
after verbs of thinking :
know - understand -
suppose - remember -
forget - wonder
I know where you live.
She couldn’t remember who
he was.
John wondered what was
going to happen next.
NOTE : We also use clauses
with if
I wonder if we’ll see Peter.
She couldn’t remember if she
had posted the letter.
after verbs of saying:
ask - say - admit - argue -
reply - agree - mention -
explain - suggest
I asked what she wanted.
He tried to explain how the
accident had happened.
She wouldn’ t admit what she
had done.
Did he say when he would
come?
tell and some other verbs of
saying must always have a
direct object (see clauses,
sentences and phrases):
tell - remind
We tried to tell them what
they should do.
She reminded me where I
had left the car.
after some verbs of
thinking and saying we use
wh-words and the to-
infinitive :
We didn’t know what to do .
We will ask when to set off.
Nobody told me what to do .
Can anyone suggest where to
go for lunch?
NOTE : We use the to-
infinitive :
-- When the subject of the to-
infinitive is the same as the
subject of the main verb:
He didn’t know what to do
>>> He didn’t know what he
should do
We will ask when to set off
>>> We will ask when we
should set off
-- When the subject of the to-
infinitive is the same as the
person spoken to :
Nobody told me what to do .
>>> Nobody told me what I
should do.
Can anyone suggest where to
go for lunch? >>> Can anyone
suggest [to us ] where we
should go for lunch.
after some nouns to say
more about the noun :
Is there any reason why I
should stay ?.
Do you remember the day
when we went to Edinburgh .
That was the town where I
grew up.
We often use a wh-clause
after is :
I missed my bus. That’s why I
was late.
This is where I live.
That ’s what I thought.
Paris – that ’s where we are
going for our holidays.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
To-infinitive:
We use the to -infinitive:
• to express purpose (to
answer "Why...?"):
He bought some flowers to
give to his wife.
He locked the door to keep
everyone out.
We sometimes say in order
to or in order not to :
We set off early in order to
avoid the traffic.
They spoke quietly in order
not to wake the children
… or we can say so as to or
so as not to :
We set off early so as to
avoid the traffic.
They spoke quietly so as not
to wake the children.
• after certain verbs (see
verbs followed by infinitive),
particularly verbs of thinking
and feeling:
choose, decide, expect,
forget, hate, hope, intend,
learn, like,
love, mean, plan, prefer,
remember, want, would
like, would love
… and verbs of saying :
agree, promise, refuse
They decided to start a
business together.
Remember to turn the lights
out.
Some verbs are followed by a
direct object and the
infinitive( see verbs followed
by infinitive
):
advise, ask, encourage,
invite, order, persuade,
remind, tell, warn,
expect, intend, would
prefer, want, would like
She reminded me to turn the
lights out.
He encouraged his friends to
vote for him.
• after certain adjectives .
Sometimes the to -infinitive
gives a reason for the
adjective:
disappointed
glad
sad
happy
anxious
pleased
surprised
proud
unhappy
We were happy to come to
the end of our journey
= We were happy because we
had come to the end of our
journey
John was surprised to see
me
= He was surprised because
he saw me
Other adjectives with the to -
infinitive are:
able
unable
due
eager
keen
likely
unlikely
ready
prepared
unwilling
willing
Unfortunately I was unable
to work for over a week.
I am really tired. I’m ready to
go to bed.
We often use the to -infinitive
with these adjectives after it
to give opinions :
difficult
easy
possible
impossible
hard
right
wrong
kind
nice
clever
silly
foolish
It’s easy to play the piano,
but it’s very difficult to play
well.
He spoke so quickly it was
impossible to understand
him.
We use the preposition for to
show who these adjectives
refer to:
difficult
easy
possible
impossible
hard
It was difficult for us to
hear what she was saying.
It is easy for you to criticise
other people.
We use the preposition of
with other adjectives:
It’s kind of you to help.
It would be silly of him to
spend all his money.
• As a postmodifier (see
noun phrases ) after abstract
nouns like:
ability
desire
need
wish
attempt
failure
opportunity
chance
intention
I have no desire to be rich .
They gave him an opportunity
to escape.
She was annoyed by her
failure to answer the
question correctly .
• We often use a to -infinitive
as a postmodifier after an
indefinite pronoun (See
indefinite pronouns ):
When I am travelling I always
take something to read .
I was all alone. I had no one
to talk to .
There is hardly anything to
do in most of these small
Stowns.
Grammar movies
Friday, November 4, 2011
QUESTION TAGS FOR IMPERATIVES:
writes:
Sometimes we say: Open the
door, will you? Sometimes
we say: Open the door,
won't you? Are both correct?
Roger Woodham replies:
more questions
question tags with the
imperative
Yes, both are correct and
there is very little difference
in meaning between the two.
There is perhaps a slight
suggestion that you might be
expecting the answer to be
no , if you use the ...won 't
you? question tag.
By adding the tag to the
imperative, open the door ,
you are softening the
instruction and turning it into
a request . Without it, it
would sound very much like a
command, so the tag has a
similar effect to the addition
of please.
…will you/won't you?
The following examples are
all variations on the basic …
will you/won't you? theme
and all show roughly the
same degree of politeness.
But note that the context of
use is now the operating
theatre and here the …won't
you? tag would be
inappropriate as the surgeon
would never expect the
answer to be no:
Hand me the scalpel,
please.
Hand me the scalpel, will
you please?
Hand me the scalpel,
would you ?
Hand me the scalpel,
could you please ?
Could you hand me the
scalpel?
You can, of course, use …
would you? and …could you?
with your example, Gamil, in
addition to …will you? and …
won't you?, but note that
with the imperative we
cannot use …wouldn't you?
or …couldn't you?.
Note in the following
example, the first suggestion
is much more tentative and
less confident than the
second:
Come back to my place
for a coffee, won't you? ~
No, I'm sorry, I can't. I've
got such an early start
tomorrow that I have to
go to bed now.
Let's go back to my place
for coffee! ~ What a nice
idea. A coffee and a
brandy would round off
that delicious meal nicely.
negative with affirmative
and affirmative with
negative
Leaving aside imperative
structures, the normal rule
that operates with tag
questions is that you add a
negative tag to a positive
statement and a positive
tag to a negative
statement :
You would go to see Phil
in America if I gave you
the money, wouldn't you ?
You couldn't help me sort
out these overtime
schedules, could you?
The normal expectation when
you add a negative tag to a
positive statement is that
the answer will be yes .
Similarly, when you add a
positive tag to a negative
statement , you expect the
answer to be no :
They're such a lively
bunch, aren't they? ~
Yes, they are . They've
always got lots of energy.
You don't remember
meeting my uncle, do
you? ~ No, I'm sorry. I
don't .
You haven't fed the
goldfish, have you? ~ No,
I haven't . You do it.
Excessive speed was the
cause of the accident,
don't you agree? ~ Yes, I
do .
However, expectations are
not always fulfilled:
You haven't fed the
goldfish, have you? ~ Well,
actually, I have. I fed them
half an hour ago.
Excessive speed was the
cause of the accident,
don't you agree? ~ Well, I
'm not absolutely sure that
I agree with you. He was
driving fast, but not faster
than the speed limit
allows.
same way question tags
Here we are making a
positive statement to make
a guess and then adding the
tag to ask if our assumption
is correct. Study the following:
This is the final match of
the season, is it ? ~ Yes,
that's right.
So you can run a mile in
four minutes, can you ?
She's been training to be
an anaesthetist, has she?
So she's going to marry
him, is she?
He was unfaithful
straightaway, was he ?
So you think she'll sue for
divorce, do you?