English Speaking People

Modal Verbs Here's a list of the modal verbs in English: can could may might will would must shall should ought to Modals are different from normal verbs: 1: They don't use an 's' for the third person singular. 2: They make questions by inversion ('she can go' becomes 'can she go?'). 3: They are followed directly by the infinitive of another verb (without 'to'). Probability: First, they can be used when we want to say how sure we are that something happened / is happening / will happen. We often call these 'modals of deduction' or 'speculation' or 'certainty' or 'probability'. For example: It's snowing, so it  must be  very cold outside. I don't know where John is. He  could have missed  the train. This bill  can't be  right. £200 for two cups of coffee! Ability We use 'can' and 'could' to talk about a skill or ability. For example: She  can ...

SO vs. SUCH SO and SUCH often have the same meaning : „very” or „to this degree”. „So” is used before an adjective or an adverb (without a noun after it) e.g., so big, so carefully. „Such” is followed by „a” or „an”, + an adjective + a singular noun e.g., such a long time, such an incredible story. „Such” is used without a, an before plural nouns, mass nouns: luggage, furniture; and abstract nouns: advice, courage, generosity, kindness e.g., such fools, such (beautiful) furniture, such generosity. Compare the following sentences: 1. This book is so interesting. This is such an interesting book. Such interesting books are hard to find. 2. You are so intelligent. You are such an intelligent person. A person of such intelligence is a pleasure to meet. ---> SO with ADJECTIVES and ADVERBS „So” can be combined with adjectives and adverbs to show extremes. This form is often used in exclamations. Examples: The music is so loud! I wish they would turn it down. S...

  Conditional sentences (if-clauses, main clauses) * The conditional sentences are sometimes confusing for learners of English. Watch out: 1) Which type of the conditional sentences is used? 2) Where is the if-clause (e.g. at the beginning or at the end of the conditional sentence)? There are three types of the if-clauses. 1- The Zero Conditional: (if + present simple, ... present simple) * When we talk about things that are generally or always true, we can use: - If/When/Unless plus a present form PLUS present simple or imperative.examples: - If he gets there before me, ask him to wait. - When you fly budget airline, you have to pay for your drinks and snacks. - Unless you need more space, a small car is big enough for one person. * Notice that 'unless' means the same as 'if not'. * We can make a zero conditional sentence with two present simple verbs (one in the 'if clause' and one in the 'main clause'): If + present si...

There is often very little difference between the future tenses. It often depends where you live (in Britain or the USA) and when you use the sentence (in spoken or written communication). • In newspapers we often use the will-future, when the going to-future is used in oral communication. - Newspaper: The headmaster will close the old gym. - Oral: The headmaster is going to close the old gym. - We can substitute the going to-future with the Present Progressive when using an expression of time. - She is going to see Frank at the airport at 8.30. - She is seeing Frank at the airport at 8.30. * There are several different ways in English that you can talk about the future. 1- will-future (will + infinitive). * Usage: Prediction, assumption; spontaneous action; action happens without the speaker’s intention -Example: He will carry this bag for her. 2- going to-future (to be (am, are, is) + going to + infinitive). * Usage: The auxiliary verb going to i...

Use of I wish / if only  There are three distinct types of I wish / if only sentences: -Wish, wanting change for the present or future with the simple past. -Regret with the past perfect. -Complaints with would + verb. Expressing a wish: Form: If only / I wish + simple past Example: If only I knew how to use a computer. (I don’t know how to use a computer and I would like to learn how to use it) Use: To express a wish in the present or in the future. The simple past here is an unreal past. When you use the verb to be the form is “were”. Example: I wish I were a millionaire! Expressing regret: Form: If only / I wish + past perfect Example: If only I had woken up early. (I didn't wake up early and I missed my bus.) Use: To express a regret. The action is past. Complaining: Form: I wish / if only + would + verb Example: I wish you wouldn't arrive so late all the time (I'm annoyed because you always c...

We use tags in spoken English but not in formal written English. - They are not really questions but are a way of asking the other person to make a comment and so keep the conversation open. - Frequently used in spoken English when you want s.o. to agree or disagree -Making a tag is very mechanical. To make a tag, use the first auxiliary. If there is no auxiliary, use do, does or did. With a positive sentence, make a negative tag and with a negative sentence, make a positive tag. Examples *With auxiliaries. example: You’ve got a car, haven't you? *without auxiliaries (use: don't, doesn't, didn't) examples: -You know him, don’t you? - He finished it, didn't he? - She plays football on Sundays, doesn't she? *Form: 1- Positive statement ->question tag negative - You are Tom, aren't you? examples: -It's beautiful, isn't it? -He has been, hasn't he? -You can, can't you? -It must be, mus...

The use of Who, Whom, Whose Correctly There is often confusion about the use of „who”, „whose”, „whom”. To understand how to use "who," "whom," and "whose," first you have to understand the difference between subjects, objects, and possessive forms. Examples: I love movies. (subject do an action) Mark knows her. (object receive an action) Her bike is broken. (possessive form tell us the person something belongs to) ---> Who "Who" is a subject pronoun like „I” in the example: I love movies. We use „who” when referring to the subject of a sentence or clause. Examples: The woman who answered the phone was very helpful. Who made the birthday cake? ---> Whom "Whom" is an object pronoun like "him," "her" and "us." We use "whom" to ask which person receives an action. Examples: Whom are you going to invite? Whom did they blame for the accident? Whom did he hire to ...

Present Continuous The present continuous is used to talk about present situations which we see as short-term or temporary. We use the present simple to talk  about present situations which we see as long-term or permanent. In these examples, the action is taking place at the time of speaking. It's raining. Who is Kate talking to on the phone? Look, somebody is trying to steal that man's wallet. I'm not looking. My eyes are closed tightly. In these examples, the action is true at the present time but we don't think it will be true in the long term. I'm looking for a new apartment. He's thinking about leaving his job. They're considering making an appeal against the judgment. Are you getting enough sleep? In these examples, the action is at a definite point in the future and it has already been arranged. I'm meeting her at 6.30. They aren't arriving until Tuesday. Thanks for reading !!

What is the difference between “look”, “see”, and “watch”?When should I use "look", "see", and "watch"? ""I'm watching "Star Trek".Have you seen "Star Trek"?Are the examples above correct?" ""Here are some simple rules that will help deciding which word to use:See is used as inactive word; you just see without any effort:you have visual impression: "I can see my home over there", "I see trees of green"you understand: "I see what you mean"Look is used as active word, you make an effort to see:you try to see: "look at this!" (maybe you have to turn your head or stand up)you pay an attention: "to look for a baby"you search for something: "you can look up the word in the dictionary" Watch is also an active word; you also make an effort, but it is for a longer period of time:"I'm watching "Star Trek", "I like to go to a zoo an...

10 FUN & EASY WAYS TO LEARN ENGLISH FASTER We’ve all heard a thousand times that the only way to really learn English is to be totally immersed in the language, completely surrounded by it everywhere you go. But we wanted to go   deeper   than that and find quick and easy ways to start getting immersed. So WE put together 10 steps that you can follow, in this order, to make learning English faster and a whole lot more fun . #1: Find some English radio stations and podcasts in iTunes There are tons of podcasts about all topics imaginable these days: entertainment, politics, news. A good way to find one is to look for a podcast from a TV channel you usually watch in your cable TV. Look for one that interests you and listen to it in your car while driving. You’ll train your ear that way! #2: Check out the Top Videos on YouTube and watch for at least a few minutes Most of them are hilarious! It will be so worth it. Try looking at the comments to pick up som...

Welcome to the lesson This list shows 200 common phrasal verbs, with meanings and examples. Only the most usual meanings are given. phrasal verb meaning example sentence ask   sby   out invite on a date Brian  asked  Judy  out  to dinner and a movie. ask around ask many people the same question I  asked around  but nobody has seen my wallet. add up to sthg equal Your purchases  add up to  $205.32. back   sthg up reverse You'll have to  back up  your car so that I can get out. back   sby   up support My wife  backed  me  up  over my decision to quit my job. blow up explode The racing car  blew up  after it crashed into the fence. blow   sthg up add air We have to  blow  50 balloons  up  for the party. break down stop functioning (vehicle, machine) Our car  broke down  at the side of the highway in the snowstorm. break down...