Enrich your Vocabulary

If you don't like reading literary books as an aid to improve your vocabulary, then why not explore the millions of web-sites that offer vocabulary lists and games to help you do just that?

One web-site I love is https://www.vocabulary.com. Take "The Challenge" and see how many words you can identify and go through the endless thematic categories full of vocabulary.
 

Another great site for vocabulary assistance is http://www.vocabularya-z.com/, and let's not forget the countless dictionaries available on-line just sitting there waiting to be browsed. Dictionaries also have the added feature of having a thesaurus, so take advantage!

Lastly, if you love music, don't forget that looking up the lyrics to your favorite tunes can help your understanding better and even make you think of why certain words are used instead of others (and also realise how many mistakes are made as well!!!). So many grammatical mistakes are made in song-writing and many students learning English as a foreign language learn these structures incorrectly. Be flexible in your learning and allow yourself to correct your mistaken use of grammar, idioms, expressions and phrasal verbs. If you have any questions and there's no one available to ask, please feel free to ask me! After all, this blog was created to help those learning English! :) :)

Above all, have fun and don't forget to use the new words you learn!

Keep Calm and Use Your English!

:) :) :)

Story telling... and writing!

Do you have trouble remembering words and phrases? Do you have a good imagination? Why not try Story Telling! Or should I say... Story Writing!!

Writing can be tricky at times, although when it is part of an English lesson it's more targeted as to the purpose and type of writing. Writing and Story telling can help you get better at remembering words and phrases and gives you a chance to use new vocabulary. It also helps sharpen your imagination! :)

First, try story telling. List the new words you need to learn and use them in a story you make up right then and there! To make it even more interesting, write the words on pieces of paper and shuffle them up. Then pick one every 3-4 sentences you say in your story and try to incorporate the new word in the plot!! Stories usually become much more interesting this way (and delightfully unusual!) :) :)

Next, try writing. It helps to get a head-start. Think of a title first or an opening phrase, for example:
The Late Appointment (title)
"It was a dark and stormy night..." (opening phrase)
and work from that! Or to make it even more challenging, think of a closing phrase and built up your story to meet the ending!!! For example: "...so then they shook hands and vowed to never speak of it again."

Go on, try it!! I'll share one of my stories with you:
I used the opening phrase "It was a dark and stormy night..." I hope you like it!! :) :) :)

The Open Window  by Anastasia L.

It was a dark and stormy night and I couldn't fall asleep. I tried counting sheep, but it was all in vain. I put my ear-phones on and listened to music, but that just woke me up even more! So, I got up and went to the bathroom.

When I got to the bathroom, the room was very cold. I closed the door behind me and noticed that the window was wide open! I rushed over and closed it and went back to my room quickly.
I got into bed and suddenly started to wonder why the window had been opened in the bathroom... Who had opened it? Why had they opened it? Could a burglar have come into the house? OH NO! I began to feel very frightened!
If someone had broken into the house, where were they now? Were they stealing the television and stereo from the living-room? Were they eating all the food we had in the fridge?? Were they going through our personal belongings??? What if they want to kill us???? They might have a gun!!!
Just then, I heard whispers and shuffling sounds of movement in the hallway. Footsteps!!! Could the burglar be coming to my room to kill me???? The door to my room opened slowly and then the lights were switched on... and my brother stood by the door in my room. "Have you seen my mobile phone? I left it by the window in the bathroom!! Are you sleeping?" he asked quietly.
Oh oh... Could the phone have fallen out of the window? I was the one who shut it and I was the one who would get into trouble... If it had fallen out the window it will have smashed into a million pieces because we live on the fifth floor!!
I pretended I was asleep and tried to forget about the open window and the falling mobile phone and within ten minutes, I was sound asleep!!

THE END

Present Perfect VS Past Simple

Many students get confused as to when we use Present Perfect instead of Past Simple.

It's pretty simple actually!! :)

When we use the Past Simple, we use certain time expressions such as: last week/month/year, two weeks ago, yesterday, in 2005, in May, on Monday, when I was 18 etc. and we talk about actions that have happened and are finished. They are in the PAST.
For example:

I went to a concert last week. It was great!

She saw him two weeks ago.

I stayed up late yesterday.

He travelled around Europe in 2005.

They had English exams in May.

We watched a scary movie on Monday.

I first drank alcohol when I was 18.

All these actions are in the past. They began and finished according to the time expression used (and so have a specific time when they happened).

Now, the Present Perfect is used for actions in the past that have (or don't have) relevance in the present. We use this form because we don't use a specific time to define it.
For example:

I have lost my keys. This means that you lost your keys, yes in the past, but you either find it unnecessary to mention when, or you don't remember when!! If you want to use a specific time when you lost your keys, then you have to use Past Simple. -->  I lost my keys yesterday!  not: I have lost my keys yesterday.

We also use the Present Perfect for actions that were repeated in the past. CAREFUL: NOT habits!!! We use the Present Simple to express habits!
When using the Present Perfect we talk about actions that have happened AND FINISHED in the past, but they have happened many times.
For example:

I have seen that film many times. Again, you need not mention the exact times you saw the film. This tense is used to show the repeated action in the past. If you want to mention when you saw the film, then again, you must use the Past Simple. --> I saw that film in 2011 and again in 2012 and again last month! not: I have seen that film in 2011 and again in 2012.

Another use of the Present Perfect is to talk about actions that started in the past and are still going on. Here is where we use since and for. This shouldn't be confused with the Past Simple because it talks about something that is going on now too -it hasn't finished!
For example:

She has worked here since 1999.

They have lived there for six years.

Both sentences mean that the action is still active. 1. She still works there and 2. They still live there.

Last, but not least, we use the Present Perfect to talk about something that has JUST happened. So here, the action hasn't had time to be recorded as PAST yet!! :) :)
For example:

I have just walked in!

She has just phoned you!

Any questions??

Don't forget: the Past Simple is formed with I/You/He/She/It/We/You/They + verb + ed (or for irregular verbs, their relevant form) and in negatives and questions we use the auxiliary verb did (past form of do) without the -ed ending of the verb (or irregular form)

I went to the shops yesterday.                          He played basketball last week.
I didn't go to the shops yesterday.                   He didn't play basketball last week.
Did I go to the shops yesterday?                     Did he play basketball last week?

Whereas the Present Perfect is formed with I/You/He/She/It/We/You/They + have / has + past participle of the verb and we don't use any auxiliary verbs for negatives and questions, we use have and has accordingly.

I have slept.                                          She has studied.
I haven't slept.                                      She hasn't studied.
Have I slept?                                        Has she studied?

:) :)

Enough / Too

Hello everybody!

Has anyone ever been confused as to when to use 'enough' or 'too'?
Well, I'm here today to try to set the record straight as to their use!

Let's begin with enough!

We use enough with adverbs and adjectives to express a negative statement. We use enough after an adverb/adjective, which states that something isn't as much as we would want or as much as we need.
For example:
He's not old enough to drive.      Here we've got not old enough, which means that he has not reached the right age yet to be able to drive.
They didn't study enough, so they failed the test.       Here we've got didn't study enough, which means that they should have studied more. They didn't study as much as they should have, which is why they failed the test.

Enough is usually followed by to + infinitive.
For example:
She isn't tall enough to enter  the competition.
They aren't old enough to go  to the show.

Enough can also be followed by a noun:   
I haven't got enough money  to buy a new car.
We don't have enough time  to go to the cinema.


Now let's have a look at too!
We use too before an adverb/adjective to show that something is much more than needed or wanted.
For example:
These bags are too heavy. I can't carry them!        Here we've got too heavy, which means that they are so heavy that I can't lift them and can't carry them. I either need help to carry them or I need to take things out to make them lighter.
He speaks too quickly for me to understand what he's saying.         Here we've got too quickly, which means that he speaks very fast -so fast that I can't understand him! He needs to speak slower if he wants me to understand what he's saying.

Too is also usually followed by to + infinitive.
For example:
She is too late to see  the show.
We are too old to go  camping in the woods.

Please note, that in this context too does not refer to the meaning 'as well'.
When we say something like: -"I like going to the cinema, do you?"
-"I like going to the cinema, too"    -this is different from the above use and means that I like going to the cinema as well as you.

Any questions? I hope that clears it up!

Used to

Let's take a look at the grammatical form used to

We use used to to talk about something that was true in the past, but no longer is.
e.g. I used to speak Spanish very well. (Now, I don't!)
       We used to have a dog. (Now, we don't)

Another use of used to is for things that happened regularly in the past, but no longer do.
e.g. They used to go on holiday to France. (Now, they don't)
       We used to eat out every Friday. (Now, we don't)
        I used to smoke 30 cigarettes a day! (Now, I don't)

We can also use it in the negative, for something that didn't happen in the past, but now does.
e.g. I didn't use to drink tea. (But now, I do)
       She didn't use to live in the country. (But now, she does)

Note that when used to is in negative form, we do not add the 'd'. So instead of used to it is didn't use to. The same rule applies to questions. e.g. Did to use to drive a car?   not: Did you used to drive a car?

All clear? Any questions, please ask! :)

Silent Letters 'K'

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

The Letter 'K' when in front of 'N' is SILENT!!
Don't forget!! You shouldn't pronounce 'K' is these words:

knack
knapsack
knave
knead
knee
kneecap
kneel
knell
knew
knickers
knife
knight
knish
knit
knob
knock
knockdown
knocker
knockout
knoll
knot
knout
know
knowhow
knowledge
knowledgeable
knuckle
knurl

You didn't think there were so many words with a silent 'K', did you? :)
Careful!

How many of these words did you have to look up?
Don't forget that when learning a language, our dictionary is our best friend! Did you learn something new today?

:)