English Grammar – Distances and dimensions

Hello everyone!

Today we are going to learn all about words we use to talk about distances and dimensions. For example: “my swimming pool is very deep”.

Broad and wide and tall and high

Wide – extending a great distance from one side to the other : not narrow.
Ex: “Sarah’s room has great wide windows, there’s always a lot of light”

Broad - arge from one side to the other side.
Ex: “He has a broad knowledge of the education system”

We use “wide” more commonly than “broad”.

Tall - greater in height than the average person, building, etc.
Ex: “Paul is not very tall for his age”

High – rising or extending upward a great distance.
Ex: “The Alps are very high mountains”

We use “tall” for people and “high” for objects and things.

Deep and shallow

Deep -
Ex: “The sea is very deep here, so you can see a lot of different types of fish”

Shallow -
Ex: “The children were playing in the shallow end of the beach”

Derived words, phrases and compounds

Long

Length - the distance from one end of something to the other end : a measurement of how long something is.
Ex: “Measure the length of the wall, then we’ll know how much paper we need”

Lengthen – to become longer.
Ex: “You must try to lengthen my dress, it’s too short”

Short

Shorten - to become shorter.
Ex: “If you take that road, it’ll shorten your journey”

Wide

Width - the distance from one side of something to the other side : a measurement of how wide something is.
Ex: “The width of the classroom allowed for 10 chairs and tables”

Widening - to become wide or wider
Ex: “The hole in Tom’s shorts is widening, soon it’ll be huge”

Broad

Broaden - to make (something) wider or more general.
Ex: “Travel broadens the mind”

Broad-minded - willing to accept opinions, beliefs, or behaviors that are unusual or different from your own.
Ex: “Broad-minded people are open people, they like to experience new things and meet new people”

High

Height - a measurement of how tall a person or thing is : the distance from the bottom to the top of a person or thing.
Ex: “The height of that shelf is two metres”

Low

Lower - located below another or others of the same kind.
Ex: “Could you lower your prices? It’s a bit expensive”

Deep

Depth - a distance below a surface.
Ex: “The depth of the Amazon river is over 20 metres”

More dimension words:

Stretch - to continue for a specified distance: to extend over an area.
Ex: “The road stretches all the way down the hill”

Spreading - to become larger or to affect a larger area : to move into more places.
Ex: “The city is growing very fast and spreading all over the mountain”

Shrink - to make (something) smaller in amount, size, or value.
Ex: “The forest is shrinking due to deforestation”

Awesome! You’ve learnt a lot of new words today. Any questions? Can you think of more dimension vocabulary words?

Remember, words such as the these will greatly help your ability to speak and understand advanced English. Why? Because sometimes particles of a sentence like “depth” and “wider” are used all the time,

English Grammar: “Linking Adverbs and Transition Words”

7 February 2012 by Kate 9 Comments

Finally: part 4 of Sentence Connectors.

Let’s remember what linking adverbs and transition words are. They connect two independent clauses or sentences. They provide transition between ideas. They can also be called conjunctive adverbs.

They can be used at the beginning of a sentence or mid-sentence with punctuation.

Addition	Alternative	Cause-Effect	Comparison	Condition	Contrast	Emphasis
Furthermore	Otherwise	Therefore	In the same way	Otherwise	Nevertheless	Indeed
In addition	Rather	Consequently	Similarly	In the event	Nonetheless	In fact
Moreover		As a consequence	In contrast	Anyway	On the other hand
Additionally		As a result	Unlike		In contrast to
Besides

When do we use each connector?

Ok, we will now look at the most used transitional words. Yes, it’s quite a long list – don’t worry, just understand when we use each one and practice making sentences with them.

Accordingly - in a proper or appropriate way : in a way that suits the facts, needs, or requirements of a situation.
Example: “Susan is an intern and she is paid accordingly”

Besides – synonym of also; in addition to what has already been said.
Example: “I really want to go to the party, and besides, it’s close to my house”

Consequently - happening as a result of a particular action or set of conditions.
Example: “The price of real estate has gone up. Consequently people have to move outside the city”

Finally - at the end of a period of time.
Example: “After years of arguing, Tim and Tina finally got divorced”

Furthermore - in addition to what has been said.
Example: “Bruno always makes amazing art. Furthermore, he’s such a nice man!”

Hence – for this reason.
Example: “The company lost a lot of money. Hence, the manager was asked to resign”

However- used when you are saying something that is different from or contrasts with a previous statement.
Example: “Mary should stay at home and study. However, she decided to go camping”

In fact - in truth — used to stress that a statement is true although it may be surprising or unlikely.
Example: “He looks young, but in fact, he’s in his 40′s”

Instead - used to say that one thing is done or that one thing or person is chosen when another is not chosen, cannot be done, etc.
Example: “I don’t have any coffee, would you mind tea instead?”

Likewise - in the same way.
Example: “Everyone in class studies 3 hours a day, we should do likewise”

Meanwhile - at or during the same time : in the meantime.
Example: “Please make something to eat. Meanwhile, I’ll clean”

Moreover - in addition to what has been said. This word is quite formal.
Example: “I’d love to come over for coffee. Moreover, I’ll bring a cake!”

Namely - used when giving exact information about something you have already mentioned.
Example: “Malaria can be prevented, namely by taking malaria tablets and using a moskito net”

Nevertheless - in spite of what has just been said.
Example: “Joy doesn’t like avocados, nevertheless she ate them for her husband”

Nonetheless - in spite of what has just been said.
Example: “We’re always arguing, she’s my best friend nonetheless”

Otherwise – in a different way or manner.
Example: “After the fire, all the books had been burnt or otherwise destroyed”

Similarly - in a similar way : in almost the same way.
Example: “My sister’s and my house are decorated similarly: we love minimalism”

Thereafter - after that.
Example: “Thereafter, the companies merged together”

Therefore – for that reason : because of that.
Example: “The mobile phone is light to carry, therefore it’s very conveniant”

Thus - in this way or manner : like this. This word is also very formal.
Example: “The detergent is highly concentrated, thus you will have to dilute it”

Wow, good job everyone! You should now have a clearer understanding of sentence connectors.

Do you have any questions? Let us know!

English Grammar: “Quantifiers”

Hello people!

Quantifiers are words that precede and modify nouns. They tell us how many or how much. Selecting the correct quantifier depends on your understanding the distinction between Countable and Non-Countable Nouns. For our purposes, we will choose the countable noun trees and the non-countable noun dancing

The following quantifiers will work with countable nouns:

•       many trees
•       a few trees
•       few trees
•       several trees
•       a couple of trees
•       none of the trees

The following quantifiers will work with non-countable nouns:

•       not much dancing
•       a little dancing
•       little dancing
•       a bit of dancing
•       a good deal of dancing
•       a great deal of dancing

The following quantifiers will work with both countable and non-countable nouns:

•       all of the trees/dancing
•       some trees/dancing
•       most of the trees/dancing
•       enough trees/dancing
•       a lot of trees/dancing
•       lots of trees/dancing
•       plenty of trees/dancing
•       a lack of trees/dancing

There is an important difference between “a little” and “little” (used with non-countable words) and between “a few” and “few” (used with countable words).

If I say that Jenny has a little experience in management that means that although Jenny is no great expert she does have some experience and that experience might well be enough for our purposes. If I say that Jenny has little experience in management that means that she doesn’t have enough experience.

If I say that Charlie owns a few books on Latin American literature that means that he has some some books – not a lot of books, but probably enough for our purposes. If I say that Charlie owns few books on Latin American literature, that means he doesn’t have enough for our purposes and we’d better go to the library.

This should help you use the quantifiers correctly , but make sure to also learn your countable and non-countable nouns too as that is crucial to understanding quantifiers correctly.

Hope you enjoyed this lesson! Have a marvellous weekend!

Intermediate Grammar: How to use “wish”

Minoura, one of our Facebook friends, has asked us about the grammar rules of using “wish”.

The verb “wish” expresses a desire for a situation that doesn’t exist now.

1. Wish + Simple Past

We use “wish” + simple past to express that we want a situation in the present (or future) to be different.

Examples:
“I wish I lived in Spain” – Right now this person does not live in Spain but would like to in the present.
“He wished he had a Lambourghini” – Right now this person does not have a lambourghini but want one in the present.
“They wish it was June” – Right now it’s May and they still have to wait a month to go on holiday in the future.

2. Wish + Past Continuous

We use “wish” + past continuous to express that we want to be doing a different activity in the present (or the future).

Examples:
“I wish I was eating Spanish food in Barcelona” – Right now this person is in the office, they would like to be in Spain, eating tapas, in the present.
“He wished he was driving a Lambourghini in Paris” – Right now this person is also in an office, they want to be driving, in the present.
“They wish they were leaving tomorrow to go on holiday” – They aren’t going on holiday, in the future, but would like to.

3. Wish + Past Perfect

We use “wish” + past perfect to express regret. This means we want to be able to change a situation in the past.

Examples:
“I wish I hadn’t eaten so much chocolate” – This person ate too much chocolate, feels sick and would like to go back to the past and change it.
“He wished his Dad had bought him a Lambourghini for his birthday” –  This person would have liked a car for his birthday, in the past.
“They wish they had studied more for their exam” – They didn’t study and now would like to go back and study more.

4. Wish + Would

We use “wish” + would + infinitive to express dissatisfaction with the present situation.

Examples:
“I wish you would stop making so much noise” – The person wants the other to stop making noise.
“He wished his dog would behave” – The dog is barking and he wants it to stop.

__________

 

We can also use “wish” to express “want” in a formal situation, for example, we can say “I wish to talk to the headmaster”. We do this by saying “wish” + infinitive.

Finally, we can use subject + wish + someone as a fixed expression to congratulate them or desire them well. For example: “We wish you a Merry Christmas”, “My parents wish you a Happy Birthday”, “I wish you good luck in your new job”, “She wishes her sister the best of happiness”.

We hope this lesson helped you understand how to use “wish”. And remember, if you have any questions, let us know in the comment section!

25 Most Useful Phrasal Verbs

 

Phrasal verbs are not students favourite topic, are they? There are so many in the English language and each one has many different meanings.

This is why it’s important to begin memorising the most important ones. Are you ready? Excellent!

It might seem like a lot, but these 25 phrasal verbs will improve not only your written communication, but also your ability to understand conversations. Native speakers use phrasal verbs all the time in conversation!

Most of these phrasal verbs have several meanings, make sure you remember them all!

1. Add up

a- To be added together and equal the expected or correct total.
Example: “We added up the apples: there were 12″

b-To make sense : to seem to be logical or true.
Example: “Her story didn’t add up, I think she was lying, it didn’t make sense”

2. Blow up

a- To fill (something) with air or gas
Example: “Please could you blow up those balloons?”

b- To explode or to cause (something, such as a bomb) to explode.
Example: “The building was blown up by a bomb”

c- To become very angry.
Example: “When I said I couldn’t go to her party, she blew up”

3. Bring up

a- To take care of and teach (a child who is growing up).
Example: “Their grandparents brought them up because their parents were always travelling”

b- To mention (something) when talking : to start to talk about (something).
Example: “Don’t bring up the fight again, please!”

4. Call off

a- To stop doing or planning to do (something) .
Example: “Maria called off the wedding, she decided she didn’t love him”

b- To cause or tell (a person or animal) to stop attacking, chasing, etc.
Example: “Call off your dog! He’s attacking my cat”

5. Carry on

a- To continue to do what you have been doing
Example: “Sorry I interrupted, carry on talking!”

b- To behave or speak in an excited or foolish way.
Example: “The little boy was carrying on: shouting and kicking all day long”

6. Come across

a- To seem to have a particular quality or character : to make a particular impression.
Example: “Julia came across as a bit bossy”

b- To be expressed to someone.
Example: “I tried to sound happy but it came across as over-excited”

c- To meet or find (something or someone) by chance.
Example: “Luis was leaving the fruit shop and he came across Tom, what a coincidence”

7. Come up with

a- To get or think of (something that is needed or wanted).
Example: “We finally came up with a solution to the problem!”

8. Fall apart

a- To break into parts in usually a sudden and unexpected way,
Example: “My cake fell apart when I tried to cut it”

b- To become unable to live in a normal way because you are experiencing a lot of confusion or emotional pain
Example: “After the divorce, she fell apart”

9. Get along

a- To be or remain friendly
Example: “We’re not together anymore, but we get along great”

b- To make progress while doing something.
Example: “How are you getting along at playing the guitar?”

c- To leave a place
Example: “It was lovely to see you, but my friend has to get along, she has class”

d- To become old.
Example: “Her grandma is getting along; she’s almost 99″

10. Get away

a- To go away from a place.
Example: “I can0t wait to get away from the city”

b- To avoid being caught : to escape
Example: “The thieves managed to get away in a stolen car”

c- To not be criticized or punished for (something).
Example: “Yvonne is always lying, I can’t understand how she gets away with it”

11. Get over

a- To stop being controlled or bothered by (something, such as a problem or feeling).
Example: “I got over my fear of flying”

b- To stop feeling unhappy about (something).
Example: “Finally, Kylie got over her ex-boyfriend”

c- To become healthy again after (an illness).
Example: “Have you heard? Dave has gotten over the flu”

12. Give up -

a- To stop an activity or effort : to admit that you cannot do something and stop trying
Example: ”We all gave up smoking on January 1st”

13. Go on -

a- To continue.
Example: “They landed in Paris and then went on to Montpellier”

b- To go or travel to a place before another person or group that is with you.
Example: “You go on to the restaurant, I’ll come in 10 minutes”

c- To happen
Example: “What’s going on? What’s happening?”

d- Used in speech to urge someone to do something
Example: “Go on! Try it, it’s delicious”

14. Hold on

a- To have or keep your hand, arms, etc., tightly around something.
Example: “Hold on to the railing, that way you won’t fall”

b- To succeed in keeping a position, condition, etc.
Example: “I will hold on to my job until May”

15. Look after -

a- To take care of (someone or something).
Example: “The nurse looked after the patient for months, until he was better”

16. Look forward to

a- To expect (something) with pleasure.
Example: “William is really looking forward to going on holiday”

17. Look up

a- Improve.
Example: “The economy is finally looking up”

b- To search for (something) in a reference book, on the Internet, etc.
Example: “Let’s look up his number in the yellow pages”

18. Make out -

a- To write down the required information on (something, such as a check).
Example: “Who shall I make the check out to?”

b- To hear and understand (something)
Example: “I can’t make out what you’re saying, can you speak louder?”

c- To kiss and touch for a long time in a sexual way.
Example: “We made out in the back of his car”

19. Pass out

a- To fall asleep or become unconscious.
Example: “Lisa was so tired, she got home and passed out on the sofa”

b- to give (something) to several or many people.
Example: “I passed out leaflets with information on our course”

20. Pull over -

a- To move a vehicle to the side of the road and stop.
Example: “That looks like a lovely restaurant, can you pull the car over and park?”

21. Put down

a- To place (someone or something that you have been holding or carrying) on a table, on the floor, etc.
Example: “You can put the suitcases down in the bedroom”

b- To write (something) : to record (something) in writing
Example: “He put down his memories to write a book when he was older”

c- To give (an amount of money) as a first payment when you are buying something that costs a lot of money
Example: “My husband and I are going to put down some money to buy that house in the centre of town”

d- To kill (an animal) in a way that causes it little pain usually because it is injured or sick
Example: “Jessica had to have her rabbit put down; it was very sick”

22. Put off

a- To decide that (something) will happen at a later time : postpone.
Example: “Graham was so tired he put the shoppin off until next week”

b- To cause (someone) to dislike someone or something
Example: “You’re putting me off my food, stop talking about insects!”

23. Put up with

a- To allow (someone or something unpleasant or annoying) to exist or happen.
Example: “My mother won’t put up with my sisters or I swearing”

24. Turn up

a- To be found usually unexpectedly.
Example: “Oh! My phone turned up in my bed!”

b- To arrive at a place
Example: “As always, Julian turned up late”

c- To increase the volume, temperature, etc., of something by pressing a button, moving a switch, etc.
Example: “Please turn the music up, I love this song!”

25. Watch out

a- To be aware of something dangerous.
Example: “Watch out in the mountain, there are bears there!”

Are there any phrasal verbs you think should also be on the list?

English Vocabulary: Imaginary words!

Hello!

Today’s lesson is fun. It’s a collection of imaginary words – they don’t exist in the English language but they should. English is a very flexible language, it’s easy to make invented words and have people understand them.

Words are created in many different ways: we borrow words from other languages, we shorten words – from gymnasium, we all say “gym”, we use suffixes and prefixes, we mix or blend two words together to make one – the word “brunch” comes from combining “breakfast” and “lunch”. We also use onomatopoeias and acronyms like FBI, as well as using new words that arise from popular culture. Finally, another way we have of creating new words is by functional shifting: this is the process by which an existing word begins to be used with another grammatical function. For example: e-mail means “electronic mail” and is a noun used to describe electronic post, right? But now we also use it like a verb: “to email”.

Let’s look at some invented words and understand how they were created. This way you can learn to make up your own words too! As long as you remember to observe basic grammatical rules of how words are formed, everyone should still understand you!

ImaginaryWords

afterglobe n. The warm, fuzzy feeling one gets after a long immensely satisfying trip.

How was afterglobe formed?

First, let’s look at the meaning of the words:

after - following in time : at a later time

globe – another way of saying the Earth.

afterglow - a happy feeling that remains after a successful or emotional event.

From these three words, do you see how we can create a word to mean the happy feeling after we do something, in this case, to travel? By using a combination of two words and a suffix, we have a brand new word that makes perfect sense!

ingesticulate v. To point and mime to order food when you don’t know the local language.

How was ingesticulate formed?

ingest - o take (something, such as food) into your body : to swallow (something).

gesticulate - to move your arms and hands especially when speaking in an angry or emotional way; to mime.

Here, we have combined two words to make one. Two verbs to make one action.

Have you ever ingesticulated in a foreigh country before?

Let’s see if you can create a new word too! Give us your best made-up words in the comment section below.

And if you wish to see the rest of imaginary words, visit this Lonely Planet article.

30 travel terms that don’t exist but should

adminLonely Planet author

The Oxford English Dictionary contains over 600,000 unique words – surely enough to describe any situation, one would think. But as any traveler knows, the world has a way of confronting us with sights and experiences that can leave even the smartest among us at a loss for words. Sometimes we’re limited by our vocabularies, but often the word we need to describe what we’ve seen and done simply doesn’t exist…yet.

Thankfully, languages can evolve and grow to meet our needs, so here are 30 highly useful brand-new travel words and phrases to liven up your next postcard or travelogue:

afterglobe n.

The warm, fuzzy feeling one gets after a long immensely satisfying trip.

autobanhmi n.

A Vietnamese sandwich eaten while driving at high speed.

automobilogic n.

The state of mind unique to road trips that convinces travelers that gummi bears and fried onion rings count as a daily serving of fruits and vegetables. Studies indicate that this may lead to automobesity.

bangclock n.

The amount of time a weary traveler can tolerate the sounds of sexual intercourse through thin hotel walls before pounding angrily on the wall.

below see level prep.

When you’re seated directly below the drop-down movie screen on an airplane and the other screens are all too far away to view comfortably.

bratpacker n.

Someone who believes they have a revolutionary system for packing luggage and insists on explaining it to anyone who will listen.

carbungle n.

Embarrassment caused by trying and failing to start, find reverse, or otherwise operate an unfamiliar automobile in a foreign country and having to ask someone for help.

comeuppants n.

When an obnoxious person loses their luggage and has no change of clothes.

crankophone n.

Someone who tries to make themselves understood in a foreign country simply by speaking louder in their own tongue.

egotourism n.

An approach to travel that purports to serve the local culture, environment, or further personal growth, but in reality only artificially inflates a traveler’s sense of self importance.

farflunk v.

Intending to take long trips but completely failing to make them happen.

fearenheit n.

Panic felt by Americans when attempting to comprehend temperatures in other countries.

filibluster v.

To cause pointless delay by creating a scene in the airport security line to prove some point about personal privacy rights that no one behind you cares about.

frankophile n.

A traveler obsessed with accumulating passport stamps.

frequent liar program n.

Travelers who will say anything to receive upgrades on flights or hotel rooms, free meals, etc.

fungalavant v.

To travel the world spreading athlete’s foot from one hostel shower to the next.

gap fear n.

Wanting to take a year off to travel, but being too chicken and going straight to university instead.

globetrots n.

Traveler’s diarrhea from one or more countries on a round the world trip.

grabbagger n.

A traveler that clings like a barnacle to the baggage carousel and won’t budge until their bag appears.

ingesticulate v.

To point and mime to order food when you don’t know the local language.

lavatorpor n.

Taking far too long in the airplane toilet.

meddle detector n.

One skilled at predetermining who will hold up the line unnecessarily at a security checkpoint.

overhead din n.

The disturbance caused by people trying to shove too-large bags into too-small compartments.

peripathetic adj.

Miserable due to a lack of upcoming travel plans.

rack rate n.

A discount on a hotel room for having a large bust.

saggamuffin n.

What passes for a pastry in an airplane breakfast.

trambunctious adj.

Overly excited by riding trains, funiculars, and other forms of public transport.

trapscallion n.

A talkative stranger with foul-breath in a situation where escape isn’t possible. (Synonym: palitosis.)

tuk-tuk-tuck n.

The maneuver required to wedge a large tourist into a small motorized tricycle.

xorse’s ass n.

Someone who has just returned from their first trip to Mexico and has decided to pronounce it “Meh-hee-co” to sound cultured.

English Grammar: 4 Spelling mistakes to avoid.

 

Here are 4 common spelling mistakes that we should all avoid!

1. Your vs. You’re

“Your” is a possessive pronoun, as in ‘your car” or “your dog”. “You’re” is a contraction for “you are”. such as “you are beautiful”.

Don’t confuse them!

2. It’s vs. Its

This is another common mistake. It’s also easily avoided by thinking through what you’re trying to say.

“It’s” is a contraction of “it is” or “it has”. “Its” is a possessive pronoun, as in “that cat has got its collar on”.

Here’s a super easy tip: repeat your sentence out loud using “it is” instead. If that sounds correct then write “it’s”, if it sounds wrong, it’s probably “its”.

3. There vs. Their

This one seems to trip up everyone occasionally, often as a pure typo. Make sure to watch for it when you proofread.

“There” is used many ways, including as a reference to a place (“let’s go there”) or as a pronoun (“there is no hope”). “Their” is a plural possessive pronoun, as in “their bags” or “their opinions”.

Always do the “that’s ours!” test—are you talking about more than one person and something that they possess? If so, “their” will get you there.

4. Affect vs. Effect

“Affect” is a verb, as in “Your ability to communicate clearly will affect your income immensely”. “Effect” is a noun, as in “The effect of a parent’s low income on a child’s future is well documented”.

By thinking in terms of “the effect”, you can usually sort out which is which, because you can’t stick a “the” in front of a verb.

Excellent work!

What are the mistakes you usually make?