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Learn English verbs

March 1st, 2012 | Posted by glenn in Improving your English - (0 Comments)

It is sometimes confusing with so many different types of verbs and verb forms in English.  So, here is a quick list of some of the terminology to help you to keep them straight.

Different kinds of English verbs

Regular verbs.  These are the verbs that change to past tense by adding “ed”.  When we use present perfect, they use the same form as for past simple.  (e.g. I like her, I liked her, I have liked her for a long time)

Irregular verbs.  These are the verbs that are not so standard.  (e.g. I read books, I read a book yesterday, I have read 3 books.)

Phrasal verbs.  These are a kind of idiomatic language.  Idioms are where you put two words together and make a meaning different to the two words separately.

(e.g. I looked it up in the dictionary.    look + up = find in the dictionary so it is a phrasal verb)

BUT I looked up the stairs.   look + up = look + up so it is not a phrasal verb

Auxiliary verbs.  These are the verbs that are not the main verb in the sentence.  Some examples are modals (can, should, would, etc); the verbs be, do and have.

Different forms of English verbs

Transitive and intransitive.  If a verb takes an object, it is transitive.  (e.g. I like to eat oranges- eat takes the object oranges) (I like to sleep- sleep does not take an object so it is intransitive)

Active and Passive.  Active verbs make the subject important by placing the subject at the beginning of the sentence.  (e.g. I did the work)  But a passive sentence is focused on the action not the subject.  (e.g. the work was done)

Infinitive (base) form. This is the simpke form of the verb.  (e.g. go)

Present participle.  This is the “ing” form used to make present continuous. (e.g. I am going)

Past participle.  This is the form of the verb that we use for present perfect (also known as V3).

Gerund.  This is the “ing” form.  This is not a verb.  The gerund form is a noun.  (e.g. I like swimming)

 

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TOEFL iBT grammar

January 29th, 2012 | Posted by glenn in English Exams - (0 Comments)

One of the things that can help you to get a better score with the grammar in the TOEFL iBT  is understanding that it only tests American grammar.  This means that if you have been exposed to both American and British English dialects, it would help to know some of the differences.

There is no TOEFL iBT grammar section

Where the old Paper-Based Test (PBT) had a grammar section, the iBT does not.  The grammar is evaluated through the speaking and writing questions.

Here is a summary of some of the common differences between British English grammar and American English grammar to help you with the difference.

Differences in Tenses

  1. Americans tend to use past simple over present perfect more than the British.  This is true with words like yet, already and just.
    • AE- Did you eat breakfast yet?
    • BE- Have you eaten breakfast yet?
  1. Americans tend to use have more than have got and have to more than have got to.
  2. Americans use subjunctive mood (they recommended he go) where British use other forms such as (they recommended that he should go).

Other differences

  1. American English uses toward and forward as opposed to towards and forwards.
  2. American English adds an s to morning, day, night, evening, weekend etc to talk about activities that you do regularly at this time.
  3. American English tends to avoid adding –er to sports to talk about the people who play that sport.  Where BE speakers would say a footballer, an AE speaker would say a football player.
  4. Shall is used less in American English.
  5. When naming rivers, the word river usually follows the name in AE (Colorado River) but precedes it in BE (the River Thames)
  6. Americans use sat, seated and sitting where the British use sat in most cases (the bride’s family are sat (seated) next to the groom’s/I’ve been sat (sitting) here for 3 hours)

This list is to help you to get an idea of the kind of differences you will face.  If you know any more, feel free to add them in the comments below.

 
Grammar is part of learning a language. If you want to learn it informally, try our Spoken English course

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Improving your speaking fluency in English

August 13th, 2011 | Posted by glenn in Improving your English - (0 Comments)

For a lot of people, the most important thing about studying a language is improving their fluency.  It is nice to have a good understanding of grammar but it is better to be able to show it off by speaking really well.  So, let’s have a look at what it takes to speak well.

Fluency means having a smooth conversation.  We do this by reducing the number of communication breakdowns in the conversation.  Communication breakdowns can come from speaking and listening but let’s look at four ways to reduce speaking breakdowns: correct grammar, natural speaking speed, correct vocabulary and clear pronunciation .

Step one: Making correct sentences.

Often, we feel more comfortable using grammar that we are familiar with.  When you are out with friends, this is the grammar that gets the most practice because you can use it quickly and easily.  However, it is the grammar that you have learnt but don’t practice much that gives you the most opportunity for improvement.  Practice this grammar and expand the circle of grammars that you use often.

Step two: Making them at natural speed.

This means practice, practice, practice.  Practice making sentences in a variety of ways.  This means making negatives, questions and passive sentences.  Change the tense to make past, present and future sentences.

Then, when you are comfortable making sentences in different ways, make them faster.  Speed work helps you to feel more confident in making sentences easily at the speed that English speakers expect to hear them.

Step three: Choose the correct words.

Be careful when you use a dictionary because often a word has feeling as well as meaning.  The words cool and cold for example have similar meanings but if I say that the weather is cool, I like it.  If I say it is cold, I don’t.

Step four: Listen and correct the sounds.

Conversation goes a lot smoother if you can reduce the number of breakdowns that happen when the listener doesn’t understand your speech.  You can reduce these by listening to how native English speakers say these words.  Listen carefully though.  Listen for the sounds that are different to your language, listen to which part of the sentence the speaker says with emphasis and which part they say with no emphasis (or don’t say at all), listen to the rhythm of the sentences.

If you can mimic these things, you will sound more natural and be easier to understand.

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