Hi, I've got a question. "It's important to me" vs "It's important for me"What's the differencebetween to and for in this case.. I guess there is nothing wrong with both of those sentences but do you feel any difference from each?It's almost impossible to get the difference of it.Hiya June4everIn my opinion I would say that there is nosignificant difference. All I can say is that I would use "It's important for me...", when I want to:1. make a stronger statement, i.e. I must/have todo it."It's important for me to learn English."2. make a comparitivestatement, i.e. have this rather than something else."My neighbour isan American and therefore it's important for me tolearn English (rather than any other language)."3.convey a feeling of immediacy"It's important for me to learn English now, if I am tospeak with my American neighbour."4. give a list of criteria, i.e. I must have this, that and the other."It's important for me to have a phone that can take photographs and connect to the web."If I replace the above 4 statements with the words "It's important to me...", it does not sound right. Maybe it is something to do with the repetitiveness of 'to' that I don't like, anyway, if I replace "It's important for me to..." with "It's important to me that I...." then it sounds better. I hope this helps you. Perhaps there is someone out there can explain this better in terms of grammar.

It's a very difficult subject - to use 'to'or 'for'My family is very important to me. That is the right sentence. a) I sent a letter to Mary. In that sentence I wrote a letter to Mary and sent it to her in another city, country... b) I sent a letter for Mary. In that one Mary wrote a letter for someone and couldn't mail it then other person maybe a friend maild it because she was very busy.

TO VERBS FOR VERBS

I gave a present to him. = I gave him a present.Ill show the figures to you. = Ill show you the figures.He sold a car to me. = He sold me a car.He sent a letter to Mary. = He sent Mary a letter.Can you lend this book to me? = Can you lend me this book?The boss told a joke to us. = The boss told us a joke.Who teaches English to them? = Who teaches them English?I paid $10 to the repairman. = I paid the repairman $10.Will you pass the sugar to me? = Will you pass me the sugar?Read a story to the children. = Read the children a story.I wrote a letter to my friend. = I wrote my friend a letter.Hand that book to me, please. = Hand me that book, please.He offered a job to Mary. = He offered Mary a job.He'll bring something to me. = He'll bring me something.She sang a lullaby to the baby. = She sang the baby a lullaby.I'll throw the ball to you. = I'll throw you the ball. Let me buy a present for you. = Let me buy you a present.I got some food for you. = I got you some food.She made a sandwich for me. = She made me a sandwich.Did she cook dinner for you? = Did she cook you dinner?Can you do a favor for me? = Can you do me a favor?He can find a job for you. = He can find you a job.He left a message for you. = He left you a message.Shall I pour more tea for you? = Shall I pour you more tea?Reserve hotel rooms for us. = Reserve us hotel rooms.Save the stamps for him. = Save him the stamps.

TO VERBS FOR VERBS

The teacher said "Good morning" to the students.Hes going to introduce Mary to his family.I already explained the project to the staff.Mr. Cole described the new house to his wife.I sometimes speak English to (with) my wife.Bob reported the accident to the police.I repeated your ideas to my parents.He admitted his mistake to the boss.I'll mention your plan to the director.Dr. Bishop recommends this medicine to some patients.Richard has announced his engagement to his friends.It sounds good to me.The salesgirl suggested a gift to Philip. Can you carry the suitcases for me?Could you open the door for me?He asked the bank teller to cash a check for him.Doctors like to prescribe medicine for the patients.She is going to prepare the meal for the guests.I asked her to sign the letter for me.Can you hold this for me, please?I changed the traveler's checks for you.I asked the secretary to make an appointment for me.He translated an article for me.I recorded a tape for you.I'll take the car to the mechanic for you.The salesgirl suggested Philip a gift for his girlfriend.Can you play the piano for me?

GO TO EXPRESSIONS GO FOR EXPRESSIONS

go to workgo to schoolgo to bedgo to churchgo to towngo to courtgo to piecesgo to hellgo to Porto Alegrego to the bank, go to the office, etc. go for a walk go for a ride go for a drive go for a beer go for it

How to use to and forYour questions answered by Fadzilah Amin

I AM very confused about the use of to and for. Can you tell me when to use them and give some examples?2) Can I use American English in writing essays for the SPM exam?3) Which one is correct: I havent did this before, I havent done this before, I didnt do this before or I havent do this before? Why?4) For plural, should I say others people, other peoples or just other people?6) Ive seen and heard I really am sorry in books and movies but when I write that in an essay, my teacher says it should be I am really sorry. So, which one should I use? Form 5 student1) To and for are very common words and have many meanings in English. It would take me too long to explain all the uses of to and for to you. I can think of one area, though, where a learner can be confused about which of these words to use as a preposition, for example in these sentences:a) I gave a book to my mother.b) I bought a book for my mother.In a), to is used to indicate someone who receives something. In b) for indicates who is intended to have something, for example, you bought the book to give to your mother on her birthday. But for in b) can also mean in order to help, meaning that you bought the book not to give as a present for your mother, but because your mother wanted the book but didnt have the time to go to the bookshoop. So, she gave you some money and you bought the book in order to help her.2) Youll have to ask your teacher about that. She should know the SPM requirements. But let me quote what I wrote in answer to another student:From what I know of English language examiners in Malaysia nowadays, they would be happy if you write in either style, or a mixture of both, as long as you write good English. But dont mistake an informal American style for an acceptable American style: words like gonna, wanna, dude or dawg should not be used.3) I havent done this before. is correct. In British English, when before is used as an adverb to mean at an earlier time than now, the present perfect tense is used. This tense consists of:has/have or hasnt/havent (havent) + past participle of main verb (done).4) Other people is the right thing to say. People is the plural form of person.5) Both expressions are used. I think there is a difference of degree between them. I really am sorry is more emphatic than I am really sorry.Here are more examples of the latter, from the Internet, to add to what youve read and heard:I really am sorry if people were denied their vote because of decisions that people made and because of any failure of administration. (Des Browne, Scottish Secretary in the British cabinet)http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7057818.stmI really am sorry to hear about all your problems. (David, a doctor)http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ate/depression/204725.htmlOnly one employee?THIS sign (above) was recently erected at a public car park in Bayan Baru, Penang, presumably by a multinational company.Is there only one employee working for Motorola? Also, does it mean that the employee has a visible sticker on his/her body?What do you think? Belinda, Penang.Question structure1. WHATS the difference between how much profit can we make and how much profit we can make?2. Can I use how much profit we can make as a question?3. Is there any sentence structure or pattern in a question?4. Is Do you know ... a question? Ashley Tan Let me answer your Question 3 first in order to clarify my answers to your other questions. Yes, there are question structures in English. A question has a different word order from a statement, and often begins with the auxiliary verb do (in its many forms) or wh question words such as how, how much how many, what, why and where.1. How much profit we can make is not a question but can be part of a statement such as I am not certain how much profit we can make. Here, the word order in we can make is: subject (we) + verb (can make). The verb is in two parts, the modal auxiliary verb can and the main verb make.How much profit can we make? stands by itself as a question. Here, the word order of the subject and verb is: modal auxiliary verb (can) + subject (we) + main verb (make).If the verb used does not have a modal auxiliary verb before it, we use a form of do with the main verb (except if the main verb is be), e.g.a) How much profit did we make? ORb) Did we make a profit? (a question which does not use a wh question word).Note that the word order in both a) and b) is: auxiliary verb (did) + subject (we) + main verb (make), which is the same order as in How much profit can we make?. The only difference is that can is a modal auxiliary verb, but did is only an auxiliary verb, not a modal.2. No we cant, as I have explained in my answer to your Question 1.4. Do you know ... can begin a question, but it is not a complete question. To complete it, you can say, for example: Do you know her? or Do you know that tomorrow is a holiday?Note that the word order in do you know is also auxiliary verb (do) + subject (you) + main verb (know), which is the basic word order of the subject and verb in a question.Is he dont know right?THROUGHOUT my whole life, I had thought a singular verb comes after a singular noun. Then I came across a singular noun that seemed to match with a plural verb in a line from Carrie Underwoods song Before He Cheats and he dont know.Is this a grammatical error or is it valid? Marcus Lim, Penang In current formal usage, dont is a contraction of the negative plural verb do not.However, in older, dialect and non-standard usage, it was/is also used as the contraction of does not.According to the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Dont is the earliest attested contraction of does not and until about 1900 was the standard spoken form in the United States (it survived as spoken standard longer in British English).The same dictionary also says that It is sometimes used consciously, like aint, to gain an informal effect.http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/don%27tThat is why, perhaps, it is used in the lyrics of Carrie Underwoods song. Correct paragraph?1. IS the paragraph below grammatically correct?I felt relieved totally at that point. I mean everyone knows the feeling of relief. But, when youre in a situation literally meaning life or death, and you cheated death. You would know that nothing tastes sweeter than that.2. Which of these sentences is correct?a. Basically, what I felt was relieved and joy.b. Basically, the feeling I was relieved and joy.3. Should it be The award goes to James and Lisa. or The awards go to James and Lisa.? Isaac1. Not entirely. It can be improved to read:I felt totally relieved at that point. I mean, everyone knows the feeling of relief. But when youd been in a situation that had literally meant life or death, and you cheated death, you would know that nothing tastes sweeter than that.2. Neither is correct. The correct versions are:a. Basically, what I felt were relief and joy.b. Basically, the feelings I had were relief and joy.3. It depends on how many awards there are. If there are two, it should be The awards go to James and Lisa. If James and Lisa share one award, it should be The award goes to James and Lisa.

Syntax - English sentence structure"If you are not sure whether you have written a good, correct sentence, ask your teacher! And remember: The more you read in English, the better a writer you will become."Introduction: This page contains some basic information about sentence structure (syntax) and sentence types. It also includes examples of common sentence problems in written English. ESL students who understand the information on this page and follow the advice have a better chance of writing well.[Note to teachers/advanced students] [Presentation mode] Definition: Linguists have problems in agreeing how to define the word sentence. For this web page, sentence will be taken to mean: 'a sequence of words whose first word starts with a capital letter and whose last word is followed by an end punctuation mark (period/full stop or question mark or exclamamtion mark)'. On the basis of this definition, some of the sentences written by ESL students (indeed by all writers) will be correct, and other sentences will be problematic. Good readers (teachers, for example!) can quickly see the difference between a correct and a problematic sentence.Subject/predicate: All sentences are about something or someone. The something or someone that the sentence is about is called the subject of the sentence. In the following sentences the subjects are shown in red. Note how the subject is often, but not always, the first thing in the sentence. John often comes late to class.My friend and I both have a dog named Spot. Many parts of the Asian coastline were destroyed by a tsunami in 2004. The old hotel at the end of the street is going to be knocked down to make way for a new supermarket. Sitting in a tree at the bottom of the garden was a huge black bird with long blue tail feathers. The grade 7 Korean boy who has just started at FIS speaks excellent English. On Saturdays I never get up before 9 o'clock. Before giving a test the teacher should make sure that the students are well-prepared. Lying on the sofa watching old films is my favourite hobby.+The predicate contains information about the someone or something that is the subject. The example sentences above are shown again, this time with the predicate marked in green. John often comes late to class.My friend and I both have a dog named Spot. Many parts of the Asian coastline were destroyed by a tsunami in 2004. The old hotel at the end of the street is going to be knocked down to make way for a new supermarket. Sitting in a tree at the bottom of the garden was a huge black bird with long blue tail feathers. The grade 7 Korean boy who has just started at FIS speaks excellent English. On Saturdays I never get up before 9 o'clock. Before giving a test the teacher should make sure that the students are well-prepared. Lying on the sofa watching old films is my favourite hobby.+Simple subject/predicate: As you can see from the example sentences above both the subject and the predicate can consist of many words. The simple subject is the main word in the subject, and the simple predicate is the main word in the predicate. The simple subject is always a noun/pronoun and the simple predicate is always a verb.In the following sentences the simple subject is shown in red and the simple predicate is shown in green. My ESL teacher speaks a little Russian. The young girl with the long black hair fell from her bike yesterday in heavy rain. At the back of the line in the cafeteria yesterday was a large brown dog with a yellow collar around its neck! My friend and I are going on holiday together this year. Your mother or your father must come to the meeting. Sitting in a tree at the bottom of the garden was a huge black bird with long blue tail feathers.From the last three examples sentences above you will notice that the simple subjects and simple predicates can be more than one word.+Advice: To write strong, clear sentences you must know who or what you are writing about (subject) and what you want to say about them or it (predicate). Your writing will be more interesting if the subject is not the first thing in every sentence you write.Sentence types: One way to categorize sentences is by the clauses they contain. (A clause is a part of a sentence containing a subject and a predicate.) Here are the 4 sentence types: Simple: Contains a single, independent clause. I don't like dogs. Our school basketball team lost their last game of the season 75-68. The old hotel opposite the bus station in the center of the town is probably going to be knocked down at the end of next year.+ Compound: Contains two independent clauses that are joined by a coordinating conjunction. The most common coordinating conjunctions are: and, or, but, so.) I don't like dogs, and my sister doesn't like cats. You can write on paper, or you can use a computer. A tree fell onto the school roof in a storm, but none of the students was injured.+ Complex: Contains an independent clause plus one dependent clause. (A dependent clause starts with a subordinating conjunction. Examples: that, because, although, where, which, since.) I don't like dogs that bark at me when I go past. You can write on paper, although a computer is better. None of the students were injured when the tree fell through the school roof.Note: A dependent clause standing alone without an independent clause is called a fragment sentence - see below.+ Compound-complex: Contains 3 or more clauses (of which at least two are independent and one is dependent). I don't like dogs, and my sister doesn't like cats because they make her sneeze. You can write on paper, but using a computer is better as you can easily correct your mistakes. A tree fell onto the school roof in a storm, but none of the students was injured although many of them were in classrooms at the top of the building.+Advice: Writing that contains mostly short, simple sentences can be uninteresting or even irritating to read. Writing that consists of mostly long, complex sentences is usually difficult to read. Good writers, therefore, use a variety of sentence types. They also occasionally start complex (or compound-complex) sentences with the dependent clause and not the independent clause. In the following examples the dependent clause is shown in red: Although it was raining, we decided to go fishing. If it doesn't rain soon, the river will dry out. Because the road was icy and the driver was going too fast, he was unable to brake in time when a fox ran into the road in front of him.Note: Sentences can also be categorized according to their function. [More]Note: Independent clauses are also called main clauses. Dependent clauses are also called subordinate clauses.Do a quiz to identify clause types.Do a quiz to identify sentence types.+Problematic 'sentences': To write a correct sentence, you need to have a good understanding of what a sentence is. Students who don't have this understanding, or don't take care, often include problem sentences in their writing. Native English speakers are just as likely to write problem sentences as ESL students. There are three main types of problem sentence: Run-on sentences: These are two sentences that the writer has not separated with an end punctuation mark, or has not joined with a conjunction. (Click the following run-ons to see where they should be separated into two sentences.) I went to Paris in the vacation it is the most beautiful place I have ever visited. It's never too late to learn to swim you never know when you may fall from a boat. If you're going to the shops can you buy me some eggs and flour I want to make a cake. I like our new math teacher, she always explains the work very clearly. He was late to school again, his bus got caught in heavy traffic. Advice: It is helpful to read your written work aloud. When you speak, you will make natural pauses to mark the end of your sentences or clauses. If there is no corresponding end punctuation mark in your writing, you can be almost certain that you have written a run-on sentence. + Sentence fragments: Fragment sentences are unfinished sentences, i.e. they don't contain a complete idea. A common fragment sentence in student writing is a dependent clause standing alone without an independent clause. In the each of the following examples the fragment is the second 'sentence', shown in red: I don't think I'm going to get a good grade. Because I didn't study. She got angry and shouted at the teacher. Which wasn't a very good idea. He watched TV for an hour and then went to bed. After falling asleep on the sofa. She got up and ran out of the library. Slamming the door behind her. I have to write a report on Albert Einstein. The famous scientist who left Europe to live in the USA. After riding my bike without problems for over a year, the chain broke. 40 kilometers from my house! Advice: If your 'sentence' is a dependent clause, or it doesn't contain both a subject and a predicate, then it is not a proper sentence. You can often detect fragments if you read your writing backwards sentence by sentence, i.e. from the last sentence to the first one. You can usually correct a fragment by connecting it to the sentence before or after it.

Good writers, who have a full understanding of the sentence, occasionally choose to write a sentence fragment. So you may see sentence fragments in the fiction or even some of the non-fiction you read. As an ESL student, however, you should avoid fragments (except when writing your own creative stories).+ Rambling sentences: A rambling sentence is a sentence made up of many clauses, often connected by a coordinating conjunction such as and, or, so. John usually gets up before 7 o'clock, but yesterday his alarm clock did not ring, so he was still asleep when his boss called him at 10.30 to ask where he was and tell him that he would lose his job if he was late again. Although the blue whale has been protected for over 30 years and its numbers are increasing, especially in the North Pacific, where whale hunting has been banned, it is still at risk of extinction as its habitat is being polluted by waste from oil tankers and its main food, the plankton, is being killed off by harmful rays from the sun, which can penetrate the earth's atmosphere because there is a huge hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica.Advice: A rambling sentence is quite easy to spot. You have almost certainly written one if your sentence contains more than 3 or 4 conjunctions. If you read the sentence aloud and run out of breath before reaching the end of it, you have written a rambling sentence. If your sentence stretches over many lines of writing, you have certainly written a rambling sentence and most probably a run-on sentence too. Unlike run-ons or fragments, rambling sentences are not wrong, but they are tiresome for the reader and one of the signs of a poor writer. You should avoid them.Do a quiz to identify problematic sentences.+General advice: If you are not sure whether you have written a good, correct sentence, ask your teacher! And remember: The more you read in English, the better a writer you will become. This is because reading good writing provides you with models of English sentence structure that will have a positive influence on your own written work.Note: Good writing consists not only of a string of varied, correctly-structured sentences. The sentences must also lead from one to the next so that the text is cohesive and the writer's ideas are coherent. For information on these two important concepts, go to the Language words for non-language teachers page and click on Cohesion. There are links to more sentence identification and sentence building exercises on the Writing Index of this website.

Word orderMost English sentences (clauses) conform to the SVO word order. This means that the Subject comes before the Verb, which comes before the Object. Examples: I (S) bought (V) a new computer (O). She (S) doesn't like (V) dogs (O). Why did you (S) do (V) that (O)?It is more complicated when an indirect object (I) is added to the sentence. In this case the word order depends a.) on whether the direct and indirect objects are nouns or pronouns, and b.) on whether the indirect object is preceded by the word to. Here are the basic rules: Indirect object with to: Two nouns Two pronouns Pronoun object/noun indirect objectSVOII showed the computer to my friends.I showed it to them.I showed it to my friends.She gave the present to her mother.She gave it to her.She gave it to her mother.

Indirect object without to: Two nouns Two pronouns Noun object/pronoun indirect objectSVI0I showed my friends the computer.I showed them it.I showed them the computerShe gave her mother the present.She gave her it.She gave her the present.

Many English sentences also contain adverbials. The problem for the English learner is that some adverbials can be located in different places within the sentence, while other adverbials must appear in one place only. For example, it is correct to say both: I very quickly did my homework .. and I did my homework very quickly .., but only I did my homework in a hurry .. is possible. I in a hurry did my homework .. is wrong. Learners who want to get their English word order right should ask a native speaker. Alternatively, they can consult a good usage guide such as Swan's Modern English Usage or 'google' the sentence/clause.** For example, the learner might not know which of the following sentences contains the more normal word order: "a. I want to get this right .." or "b. I want to get right this ..". If he or she enters the words into Google, the results are: sentence a - 731 hits; sentence b - 0 hits. The correct choice is clear!Do a quiz on word order: quiz 1 - quiz 2.

InflectionsWar does not determine who is right - only who is left.Bertrand RussellInflection is the name for the extra letter or letters added to nouns, verbs andadjectives in their different grammatical forms. Nouns are inflected in the plural, verbs are inflected in the various tenses, and adjectives are inflected in the comparative/superlative. Here are some of the most important inflection rules:Original word type Inflection Rule Examples

Words ending with a sibilant: -s/-ss/-sh/-ch/x.

Words ending with the letter -o. Add -es in the plural noun or 3rd person singular verb. bus buses (n) / busses (v) miss misseswish wisheswatch watchesfox foxespotato potatoesdo does

Words ending consonant - y. Change the -y to ie before theending -s. party partiesstudy studiescry cries

Words ending consonant - y. Change the -y to i before the endings -ed/-er/-est/-ly. try triedhappy happiereasy easiest

Words ending consonant - y. Do NOT change the -y before the ending -ing. carry carryingtry trying

Words ending vowel - y. Do NOT change the -y. buy buysplay played

Words ending with the letters -ie. Change the -ie to a - y before the ending -ing. die dyinglie lying

Verbs ending consonant -e. Omit the -e before the ending -ing. ride ridinglove lovingwrite writingprovide providing

One-syllable words ending consonant-vowel-consonant.

Two or more syllable words ending consonant-vowel-consonant that are stressed on the last syllable. Double the last consonant before the endings -ing/-ed/-er/-est. hit hittingstop stoppedwet wetterfat fattestbegin beginningprefer preferred

Two or more syllable words ending consonant-vowel-consonant that are stressed on the first syllable. Do NOT double the last consonant before the endings -ing/-ed/-er/-est. happen happeningvisit visited

Tense selectorThis page will help you to choose the right tense (verb form) to convey various meanings.Click the tense link for more information and examples. express a simple truth (not limited in time)present simple She works very hard. My friend speaks four languages John lives in Berlin. I don't like dogs. Do you smoke?

express a world truthpresent simple Water freezes at 0 Celsius. Trees lose their leaves in autumn. Cats don't live as long as humans. Does wealth bring happiness?

express an intention about the futuregoing to I'm going to be a teacher when I grow up. I'm going to try and learn 10 new words a day. She's going to buy a new computer as soon as she has enough money. What are you going to do tomorrow?

express an untrue or unlikely thought about the past (conditional 3)past perfect If I had known she was here, I would have called her. If I had had enough money, I would have bought you a better mp3 player. I wish I had studied for my exams. I would have been in big trouble if you hadn't helped me.

express an untrue or unlikely thought about the present (conditional 2)past simple If I had a lot of money, I'd buy a new car. If you bought an iPod, you wouldn't have to use mine. It would be better if you didn't do that!

express annoyance at repeated actionspresent continuous You are always interrupting me when I'm talking. My mother's always telling me to clean my room.

make a prediction about the futurewill The sun will rise at 6.30 tomorrow. You will be in trouble if you do that again. We will run out of oil by the end of the 21st century. Will you be here next week? I'm sure my parents won't let me go to the party.

refer to a future scheduled eventpresent simple Hurry up! The train leaves in 10 minutes. The meeting starts at 2.45. My plane departs from Frankfurt at 5am and arrives in Seoul 14 hours later.

report words said in the present perfectpast perfect I told her that I had never eaten sushi before. He said that he hadn't done his homework. I asked him if he had ever seen a ghost.

report words said in the present simplepast simple She said she was 12 years old. ("I'm 12.") He said he could speak 5 languages. ("I can speak 5 languages.")

summarize the plot of a book or filmpresent simple Romeo thinks that Juliet is dead and he kills himself. Frodo decides to leave his home and go in search of the ring.

talk about actions happening at some time in the pastpast continuous You phoned while I was having a bath. Sorry, I wasn't listening. Can you say it again please? What were you doing at 8 o'clock yesterday? . How fast was she driving when she had the accident? I threw my calculator away because it wasn't working properly

talk about future arrangementspresent continuous I'm meeting my sister in town tomorrow. I can't go to the dance next week. I'm playing tennis with John. I'm not going to the doctor after school today as planned. I feel much better.

talk about past events with a connection to the presentpresent perfect I have lost my dictionary. Mary has fixed my computer. You haven't eaten very much. Don't you feel well? Have you seen my calculator?

talk about the past in the pastpast perfect I arrived very late at the party. All my friends had already gone home. As soon as she had done her homework, she went to bed. I was very hungry because I hadn't eaten lunch. Had you seen the film before?

talk about the past using a word of unfinished timepresent perfect I've lived in Germany since 1986. He's had a lot of bad luck recently. I haven't seen my mother for 2 months. Have you ever seen a ghost? Has she lived here all her life?

talk about things happening nowpresent continuous I can't come now; I'm doing my homework. Look! Someone is trying to break into your locker. Your work is getting better and better. It isn't raining any more. Why are you talking? You should be listening to me?

talk about things that happen regularly/repeatedlypresent simple I always clean my teeth before breakfast. Once a week I play golf with my brother.

talk about what happened in the past (finished time)past simple I came to Germany two years ago. Italy won the World Cup in 2006. I didn't see you in school yesterday. Did you like the film? Why didn't you do your homework?

tell a joke or retell past events in a such way as to make them seem more interestingpresent simple A man walks into a bar and orders 5 glasses of beer .. So I go up to him and knock his hat off ..

use a verb of mental processes or sensespresent simple I know the answer. I don't believe you. This cheese tastes strange. Do you smell something funny?

Agreement"Agreement is the word for the correct matching of the subject and the verb in a sentence."Agreement is the word for the correct matching of the subject and the verb in a sentence. (Another way to say this is that the subject and verb go together.) English has very few verb endings and the only one that learners really have to worry about is the -s ending in the present simple tense. As an example let's look at the verb to work: Singular Plural

1st personI workWe work

2nd personYou workYou work

3rd personHe worksShe worksIt worksThey work

It can be seen that the -s is needed in the 3rd person singular*. It has to be: My father works in a bank. My mother drinks green tea for breakfast every day. Oil floats on water. Of course, the same rule applies when the 3rd person subject is a pronoun. So you have to say: He works in a bank. She drinks green tea for breakfast every day. It floats on water.You also need to remember the -s in sentences with relative pronouns. So, for example, it must be: Do you know the man who lives in the next apartment? A carnivore is an animal that eats other animals. And don't forget the -s when the verb is used as an auxiliary: Does your mother like English food? She has forgotten her homework again.

Learners often make agreement mistakes when the noun is unexpectedly singular or plural. So, for example, everybody, news and data are singular, whereas people, police and jeans are plural: Where is everybody going? The news was bad. The data is too old to be useful. The police are looking for the killer. Most people want to be rich. Your trousers are too tight!Similar mistakes of agreement occur between such nouns and their pronouns. It has to be: Do you want to hear the news? It's very good! You need to buy some new jeans. Those are too tight! The police? They are never here when you need them.Do a quiz on agreement.Some/anyWar does not determine who is right - only who is left.Bertrand RussellThe words some and any are used when the speaker cannot specify or does not need/want to specify a number or an exact amount. Compare the following sentences: - I saw seven deer when riding my bike in the forest yesterday. (It is important that you know how many deer I saw.)- I saw some deer when riding my bike in the forest yesterday. (I don't know exactly how many deer I saw. Or: It is not important that you know exactly how many deer I saw.)The "rules" that follow apply also to words containing some and any: somebody/anybody, something/anything, etc.In general, some is used in positive sentences: I got some nice presents for Christmas this year. This job is going to take some time. Look! There are some large black birds on the roof of the church. You have some butter on your chin. If you are hungry, there are some biscuits in the cupboard. I'm sure I'll return to Japan some day. There is somebody on the phone for you. I'd like to go somewhere hot this summer. In general, any is used in negative sentences and questions: I didn't get any nice presents for Christmas this year. I looked in the cupboard but I couldn't find any biscuits. I don't need any help. She's so rude. No wonder she doesn't have any friends. I don't have anything to wear to the dance. I'm not hungry. I don't want anything to eat. Do you have any brothers or sisters? Did you catch any fish? Have you seen any good films recently? Does anyone know the answer? Are you going anywhere this Christmas?

In fact, the use of some/any is a little more complicated. Following are two common occasions when the above "rules" are "broken":1. We can use some in questions when offering/requesting: Would you like some more tea? Could I have some milk, please? Do you want something to eat? 2. We use any in positive sentences when we mean it doesn't matter which ..: You can come and ask for my help any time. Which book shall I read? - Any one. It's up to you. You can sit anywhere but here. This is my seat! Relative clausesRelative clauses are clauses starting with the relative pronouns who*, that, which, whose, where, when. They are most often used to define or identify the noun that precedes them. Here are some examples: Do you know the girl who started in grade 7 last week? Can I have the pencil that I gave you this morning? A notebook is a computer which can be carried around. I won't eat in a restaurant whose cooks smoke. I want to live in a place where there is lots to do. Yesterday was a day when everything went wrong! * There is a relative pronoun whom, which can be used as the object of the relative clause. For example: My science teacher is a person whom I like very much. To many people the word whom nows sounds old-fashioned, and it is rarely used in spoken English.Relative pronouns are associated as follows with their preceding noun: Preceding nounRelative pronounExamples

a personwho(m)/that, whose- Do you know the girl who ..- He was a man that ..- An orphan is a child whose parents ..

a thingwhich/that, whose- Do you have a computer which ..- The oak a tree that ..- This is a book whose author ..

Note 1: The relative pronoun whose is used in place of the possessive pronoun. It must be followed by a noun. Example: There's a boy in grade 8 whose father is a professional tennis player. (There's a boy in grade 8. His father is a professional tennis player.)Note 2: The relative pronouns where and when are used with place and time nouns. Examples: FIS is a school where children from more than 50 countries are educated. 2001 was the year when terrorists attacked the Twin Towers in New York.Some relative clauses are not used to define or identify the preceding noun but to give extra information about it. Here are some examples: My ESL teacher, who came to Germany in 1986, likes to ride his mountain bike. The heavy rain, which was unusual for the time of year, destroyed most of the plants in my garden. Einstein, who was born in Germany, is famous for his theory of relativity. The boy, whose parents both work as teachers at the school, started a fire in the classroom. My mother's company, which makes mobile phones, is moving soon from Frankfurt to London. In the summer I'm going to visit Italy, where my brother lives. Note 1: Relative clauses which give extra information, as in the example sentences above, must be separated off by commas. Note 2: The relative pronoun that cannot be used to introduce an extra-information (non-defining) clause about a person. Wrong: Neil Armstrong, that was born in 1930, was the first man to stand on the moon. Correct: Neil Armstrong, who was born in 1930, was the first man to stand on the moon.

There are two common occasions, particularly in spoken English, when the relative pronoun is omitted:1. When the pronoun is the object of the relative clause. In the following sentences the pronoun that can be left out is enclosed in (brackets): Do you know the girl (who/m) he's talking to? Where's the pencil (which) I gave you yesterday? I haven't read any of the books (that) I got for Christmas. I didn't like that girl (that) you brought to the party. Did you find the money (which) you lost? Note: You cannot omit the relative pronoun a.) if it starts a non-defining relative clause, or, b.) if it is the subject of a defining relative clause. For example, who is necessary in the following sentence: What's the name of the girl who won the tennis tournament?2. When the relative clause contains a present or past participle and the auxiliary verb to be. In such cases both relative pronoun and auxiliary can be left out: Who's that man (who is) standing by the gate? The family (that is) living in the next house comes from Slovenia. She was wearing a dress (which was) covered in blue flowers. Most of the parents (who were) invited to the conference did not come. Anyone (that is) caught writing on the walls will be expelled from school.

Building a SentenceWhat makes a complete sentence?Simple SentencesCompound SentencesComplex SentencesThe anatomy of a sentenceVerbsSubjectsPredicatesMore Advanced TerminologyObjectsTransitive/IntransitiveAdverbialsComplements

Building a sentence A sentence is a group of words which starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop (.), question mark (?) or exclamation mark (!). A sentence contains or implies a predicate and a subject. Sentences contain clauses.Simple sentences have one clause.Compound sentences and complex sentences have two or more clauses.Sentences can contain subjects and objects.The subject in a sentence is generally the person or thing carrying out an action. The object in a sentence is involved in an action but does not carry it out, the object comes after the verb.For example:The boy climbed a tree.If you want to say more about the subject (the boy) or the object (the tree), you can add an adjective.For example:The young boy climbed a tall tree.If you want to say more about how he climbed the tree you can use an adverb.For example:The young boy quickly climbed a tall tree.The sentence becomes more interesting as it gives the reader or listener more information.There are more things you can add to enrich your sentence.

Parts of a sentenceDescription

AdjectiveDescribes things or people.

AdverbAlters the meaning of the verb slightly

Articlea, an - indefinite articlesthe - definite articles

ConjunctionJoins words or sentences together

InterjectionA short word showing emotion or feeling

NounNames things

PrepositionRelates one thing to another

Pronounused instead of a noun to avoid repetition

Proper noun (subject)The actual names of people or places etc.

VerbAction or doing word

For example:What makes a complete sentence? If it helps you, think about a sentence as if it were a skeleton, the skeleton contains various bones and these bones are put together to form different parts of the body. So are sentences formed by words, the words are the bones and they are put together in different ways to form sentences. Simple SentencesA simple sentence contains a single subject and predicate. It describes only one thing, idea or question, and has only one verb - it contains only an independent (main) clause. Any independent clause can stand alone as a sentence. It has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. For example: Jill reads. Even the addition of adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases to a simple sentence does not change it into a complex sentence.For example: The brown dog with the red collar always barks loudly. Even if you join several nouns with a conjunction, or several verbs with a conjunction, it remains a simple sentence. For example: The dog barked and growled loudly. Compound SentencesCompound sentences are made up of two or more simple sentences combined using a conjunction such as and, or or but. They are made up of more than one independent clause joined together with a co-ordinating conjunction. For example:"The sun was setting in the west and the moon was just rising."Each clause can stand alone as a sentence.For example: "The sun was setting in the west. The moon was just rising." Every clause is like a sentence with a subject and a verb. A coordinating conjunction goes in the middle of the sentence, it is the word that joins the two clauses together, the most common are (and, or, but) For example: I walked to the shops, but my husband drove. I might watch the film, or I might visit my friends. My friend enjoyed the film, but she didn't like the actor. Complex SentencesComplex sentences describe more than one thing or idea and have more than one verb in them. They are made up of more than one clause, an independent clause (that can stand by itself) and a dependent (subordinate) clause (which cannot stand by itself).For example:"My mother likes dogs that don't bark."Dependent clauses can be nominal, adverbial or adjectival.

The anatomy of a sentenceThe VerbThe verb is the fundamental part of the sentence. The rest of the sentence, with the exception of the subject, depends very much on the verb. It is important to have a good knowledge of the forms used after each verb (verb patterns), for example: to tell [someone] TO DO [something] Here we can see that the verb to tell is followed immediately by a person (the indirect object, explained later), an infinitive with 'to', and, possibly, an object for the verb you substitute for DO. Verbs also show a state of being. Such verbs, called BE VERBS or LINKING VERBS, include words such as: am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being, became, seem, appear, and sometimes verbs of the senses like tastes, feels, looks, hears, and smells. For example: "Beer and wine are my favourite drinks." The verb "are" is a linking (be) verb. Fortunately, there are only a limited number of different verb patterns. Verbs can descibe the action (something the subject actually does) or state (something that is true of the subject) of the subject.For example: ACTION: I play football twice a week. STATE: I've got a car. Some verbs can represent both actions and states, depending on the context. For example work: ACTION: David's working in the bank. STATE: David works in a bank. Finding the VerbWhen you analyze a sentence, first identify the verb. The verb names and asserts the action or state of the sentence. For example: "Working at the computer all day made David's head ache." The main verb of the sentence is "made", not working.Verbs identify our activity or state. For example: eat, sleep, run, jump, study, think, digest, shout, walk ....

The SubjectThe subject is the person or thing the sentence is 'about'. Often (but not always) it will be the first part of the sentence. The subject will usually be a noun phrase (a noun and the words, such as adjectives, that modify it) followed by a verb.Finding the SubjectOnce you determine the verb, ask a wh...? question of the verb. This will locate the subject(s). For example: David works hard. Who "works hard"?=David does=the subject. Beer and wine are my favourite drinks. What "are my favourite drinks"? Beer and wine are=the subjects. The subject(s) of a sentence will answer the questions, "who or what."

The PredicateOnce you have identified the subject, the remainder of the sentence tells us what the subject does or did. This part of the sentence is the predicate of the sentence.The predicate always includes the verb and the words which come after the verb. For example: Michael Schumaker drove the race car. "Michael Schumaker" is the subject; "drove the race car" is the predicate.

More Advanced TerminologyThe ObjectSome verbs have an object (always a noun or pronoun). The object is the person or thing affected by the action described in the verb.Objects come in two types, direct and indirect. The direct object refers to a person or thing affected by the action of the verb.For example: "He opened the door. "- here the door is the direct object as it is the thing being affected by the verb to open. The indirect object refers to a person or thing who receives the direct object.For example: " I gave him the book." - here him (he)is the indirect object as he is the beneficiary of the action.

Transitive / Intransitive verbsVerbs which don't have an object are called intransitive. Some verbs can only be intransitive (disagree). In addition they cannot be used in the Passive Voice e.g. smile, fall, come, go.For example: David disagreed. - intransitive. Verbs that have an object are called transitive verbs e.g. eat, drive, give. For example: David gave her a present. Some verbs can be transitive or intransitive e.g. singFor example: Xavier Nadu sings. - intransitive. Xavier Nadu sings pop songs. - transitive.

AdverbialsAn 'adverbial' or 'adverbial phrase' is a word or expression in the sentence that does the same job as an adverb; that is, it tells you something about how the action in the verb was done. For example: I sometimes have trouble with adverbs. He spoke very quietly. I've read that book three times. She's gone to the bank. The first tells us the frequency of the action (sometimes), the second how he carried out the action (quietly), and the third how many times the action has happened (three). The fourth is a little different, as in this case the adverbial (gone to the bank) is more or less demanded by the verb (has).To remember the form of such verbs use your notebooks to write down the different forms.For example: to go [somewhere] to put [something][somewhere] This information is also useful when deciding the order of adverbials in a sentence. Unlike the previous parts of the sentence, a sentence can contain an indefinite number of adverbials, although in practice it's a good idea to keep them few in number.

ComplementA complement is used with verbs like be, seem, look etc. Complements give more information about the subject or, in some structures, about the object. There are various definitions of 'complement', which range from the very general (anything in the predicate except the verb, including the direct object and adverbs) to the much more restrictive one used here.A complement is the part of the sentence that gives you more information about the subject (a subject complement) or the object (an object complement) of the sentence. The complement to be used, if any, is dependent on the verb used in the sentence. Subject complements normally follow certain verbs. For example: He is Spanish. She became an engineer. That man looks like John. Object complements follow the direct object of the verb-For example. They painted the house red. She called him an idiot! I saw her standing there. The complement often consists of an adjective or noun phrase, but can also be a participle phrase, as in the last example. It is often not very clear whether a phrase is a complement or an adverbial.

How to Use the Apostrophe in Your WritingThis is one of the most common problems people have with punctuation - the dreaded apostrophe ...This poor little pet is the most abused punctuation mark in the language, and it's a dear little thing when you get to know it - all it wants to do is to please.It only has TWO functions to perform and they're both straightforward, but still it gets pushed in where it doesn't belong or left out of where it wants to be.Let's take a moment to sort this out once and for all ...and don't forget to get your Apostrophe FAQ while you're here!Just when do you use an apostrophe?1. Use the Apostrophe to show OMISSIONWhat's a nice kid like me doing in a place like this?We started with two words, what and is, but because this is informal writing, we want to express it informally, so we omit a letter from the word is. Because we're well brought up little Vegemites (remember?), we let people know what we've done.I could've danced all night ... (could have, not could 'of')It's time for breakfast (It is time ...)It's been raining all day. (It has been raining ...)So, in future whenever you see an apostrophe, make a conscious effort to work out what the original word was before the letter was omitted. Sometimes, as in the case of could've and would've, more than one letter has been omitted.This will establish good habits and alert you to the role of the apostrophe.2. Use the Apostrophe to show POSSESSIONWe went to Marmaduke's restaurant for dinner. (Marmaduke owns the restaurant; it is the restaurant of Marmaduke.)Notice how the apostrophe comes at the end of the noun (Marmaduke) and is accompanied by the letter 's' - a bit like a chaperone.We knew whom to blame for the missing pie; there was cream all over the dog's whiskers!We're only referring to one dog and it owns the whiskers (and the pie and a very satisfied smile, no doubt).Some words sound awkward when an apostrophe 's' is added:Jesus's disciples.The accepted form here is to just use the 's' apostrophe:Jesus' disciples.N.B. This only applies to names of Biblical or historical significance e.g. Jesus, Moses, Zeus, Demosthenes, Ramses ... the rest of us whack in the apostrophe and add an 's.'Moses' followers, Zeus' priests, Demosthenes' teachings, Ramses' pyramidOthers don't have the same clumsy sound:The princess's chair.The important thing is to be consistent in your use of the form - nothing is writ in stone!Using the Apostrophe with Plural NounsConfusion arises when the apostrophe is used with a plural noun.At the zoo, the children were most interested in seeing the lions' den.More than one lion owns the den, so we add the apostrophe after the 's' (this is the den of the lions).So, the general rule is: if there's one owner - add an apostrophe and then 's' if there are two or more owners - add 's' then an apostrophe. Exceptions to the Rules about ApostrophesHowever, (and of course you're not surprised to hear this, are you?), there are exceptions to this rule. For words which form their plural by changing internal letters (instead of adding 's'), the apostrophe comes before the 's'.It was the children's turn to wash up.Children is already a plural word, so we don't need to make it doubly plural by adding 's' apostrophe; however, we do need to indicate the idea of ownership, so we use apostrophe 's'.Some other words which follow this rule are: men, women, people.How to Use the Apostrophe with Double PossessionWhen you have 'double possession' - when two or more people (or subjects) own one item and both (or all) of their names are mentioned, the apostrophe is applied only to the second (or last) name.We had coffee at Ermintrude and Marmaduke's mansion.When you're using names that end in -S, you follow the same rules as with any other name and add apostrophe S: Chris's car, Bridget Jones's Diary.Plural names also follow the same rules: Bill Thomas's car; the Thomases' new house (add -es to names that end in S to indicate plural form).Using the Apostrophe with Expressions of TimeThe apostrophe is also used with many expressions of time (to show that the time period owns the other noun):an hour's time; a year's holidayWhen NOT to Use the ApostropheBUT notice that we do not use the apostrophe with possessive pronouns (remember, these are the little guys who step in and lend a paw to nouns).After dinner at Marmaduke's restaurant, we went back to his place for coffee.The bird's feathers were ruffled. (The bird owns the feathers.)The bird ruffled its feathers. (The bird owns the feathers, but the pronoun its is being used instead of the noun, so there is NO apostrophe.You'll see it's and its used incorrectly nearly every single day and in places where it should never happen. An easy way to make sure you never confuse the two is to ask yourself (do this quietly, you don't want to alarm those around you), if the words it is can be substituted in the sentence- if the answer is yes, then whack in the old apostrophe.If the answer is no, then sit on your hands so you won't be tempted.The bird ruffled its (it is?) feathers. (NO)It's (it is?) a lovely day. (YES) Tips for Using the Apostrophe CorrectlyTo summarise, here is a good way to check if you need an apostrophe - for future reference: If you can substitute the use of "of" then you use the apostrophe. e.g. This is Marmaduke's house ... it is the house of Marmaduke. The children's mother phoned ... the mother of the children phoned. Three months' work ... the work of three months.

How to Use Apostrophes

In this photo, what belongs to the quesadilla?

The rules for apostrophes vary with the type of word. Learn where to put apostrophes so that your writing is clear and correct. In short, apostrophes are frequently used to indicate possession and in contractions, but generally not to pluralize.

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Show Ads [edit] Steps1. Avoid using an apostrophe to indicate a plural. The incorrect use of an apostrophe to form the plural is called the greengrocer's apostrophe, since grocers are often the worst (or at least the most visible) offenders. If you have more than one apple, then write apples, not apple's. If you cannot replace the word with "his," "her," "their" or "its" and if it isn't a contraction, then an apostrophe should not be used. People often forget the rules when a word ends in a vowel, such as the word "mango." Many people write "mango's" instead of "mangos" or "mangoes". An exception to this use is in the case of making a single letter plural. Therefore, Why are there so many I's in the word "indivisibility"? is correct. This is simply for clarity reasons, so the reader does not mistake it for the word "is." However, in modern usage, the preference is to avoid inserting an apostrophe and instead surround the single letter in quotation marks before pluralizing it: Why are there so many "I"s in the word "indivisibility"? Similarly, apostrophes can be used when talking about a word (e.g., this list contains a lot of do's and don't's) but quotation marks can make it clearer ("do"s and "don't"s). An exception can also be made for numbers and abbreviations, although some consider this old fashioned, illogical and unnecessary. "I bought many CD's in the 1990's." Incorrect. "I bought many CDs in the 1990s." Correct. 2. Use apostrophes to indicate possession. There are two basic methods that make use of an apostrophe in constructing the possessive. Most words use an apostrophe followed by an "s" at the end of the word, although many situations require simply an apostrophe. Place an apostrophe before the "s" when you are indicating a singular possessive, unless the name or word ends in "s," in which case either is correct. (James's dog or James' dog, Dickens' novel or Dickens's novel) "Jacob's shoes are very cool." The shoes belong to Jacob (singular: one person). "I found the dog's old bone buried in the backyard." The bone belongs to the dog (singular: a single dog). Place an apostrophe after the "s" when you are dealing with a possessive plural case that has an "s" at the end (e.g., book to books, tree to trees). But if the word is plural without an "s" at the end, this rule does not apply; add an apostrophe and an "s" as if the word were singular. "Look at all of the sailors' boats!" The boats belong to the sailors (plural: there is more than one sailor). "The children's dresses were pink and frilly." The dresses belong to the children, but since the word children is already plural without having to add an "s" at the end, this is an exception. 3. Use apostrophes in contractions. Sometimes, especially in informal writing, apostrophes are used to indicate one or more missing letters. For example, the word "don't" is short for "do not"; other examples include "isn't," "wouldn't," and "can't." Contractions can also be made with the verbs "is," "has," and "have." For example, we can write "She's going to school" instead of "She is going to school"; or "He's lost the game" instead of "He has lost the game." A similar usage can be found in the notation of calendar years, as in '07. In this case, the apostrophe appears in the spot where the missing numbers would have been (before the number, not after as in 07'). 4. Be aware of the its/it's trap. Use an apostrophe with the word "it" only when you want to indicate a contraction for "it is" or "it has." Its is a pronoun, and pronouns have their own possessive form that does not use an apostrophe. For example, "That noise? It's just the dog eating its bone." This may seem confusing, but it follows the same pattern as other possessive pronouns: his, hers, its, yours, ours, theirs.

[edit] Tips For singular names ending in "s," the Chicago Manual of Style adds an "s" after the apostrophe, as in "Charles's bike." If your work or assignment requires you to adhere to one convention or another, then do so. Otherwise, either form is acceptable so long as it is consistent throughout a single piece of written work. "Apple's 89 a pound," literally means that "apple" owns "89 a pound" (the possessive) or "Apple is 89 a pound" (a contraction). The Elements of Style by Strunk and White is a very short and handy guide to writing and punctuation. Keep a copy of this book nearby when you're writing and refer to it if you're unsure about usage. If you want to write about a party given by Luke and Ashley Smart and all their children, write "the Smarts' party" (Smarts is a plural, then add the possessive apostrophe). If you have trouble applying the rules for a possessive, rephrase the sentence to use "of" and place the apostrophe after the word in question. For instance: "Look at all of the sailors' boats!" becomes "Look at all of the boats of the sailors" and you can place the apostrophe after "sailors" to make "sailors'". Or, "The children's dresses were pink and frilly." becomes "The dresses of the children..." and so the apostrophe goes after "children" to make "children's". If ever in doubt, always remember that apostrophes are almost always used in nouns to show possession. Avoid using apostrophes for anything else.

[edit] Warnings Throwing in apostrophes willy-nilly quickly shows that the writer does not understand the rules about possessives, contractions, and plurals. If in doubt, err on the side of leaving out the apostrophe. Don't put an apostrophe within your name on your return address label. If your surname is "Greenwood," then "The Greenwoods" is correct, while "the Greenwood's" is incorrect. "The Greenwoods" indicates the residence of more than one person with the surname Greenwood, not some sort of possession. Never write "her's." Her's is not a word, just as you would not write "him's". Recall that possessive pronouns do not need an apostrophe: his, hers, its, yours, ours, theirs. When a word ends in "y," as in "try," take extra care when changing the verb form. For example, "try" does not become "try's". "Tries" is correct. Do not use apostrophes or quotation marks for emphasis. For example, take a billboard that says: Joe Schmo, the "best" realtor in town! It makes the word "best" appear sarcastic, and untrue, rather than emphasized. How to use Apostrophes1. The apostrophe (') has two functions. It indicates both the possessive case and contractions. This might seem simple, but it causes a lot of problems.2. The Possessive Case We can say either The whiskers of the cat , or the cat's whiskers. This is the possessive case, when something belongs to somebody or something else. 3. When the possessor is single we indicate possession by using an apostrophe followed by the letter 's': The man's coat my sister's hat. 4. When the possessors are plural, the apostrophe is placed after the final 's': The girls' bicycles my cousins' parents. 5. When names end with the letter 's', either use is acceptable: James' wife or James's wife. (It is often said that the choice between the two should be made on how the word is pronounced.)

6. The apostrophe is never used with possessive pronouns: his, hers, its ours, yours, theirs But it is used with 'one': One must do one's best.7. Many shops and business concerns these days omit the apostrophe from their titles: Barclays Bank Coopers Wines. 8. Note that the apostrophe is not required where a word has been formed by omitting its first part: bus NOT 'bus

phone NOT 'phone 9. No apostrophe is required in the plural form of numbers and dates: in the 1920s the roaring twenties 10. The possessive of classical names ending in es is often formed by the apostrophe alone: Demosthenes' speechesSophocles' playsXerxes' campaigns 11. French names ending in an unpronounced s or x follow the normal rule, taking an apostrophe and an s: Rabelais's comedy Malraux's novels

Contractions In formal prose we would write She has told him, but when speaking we would say She's told him. The apostrophe is used to indicate the missing letters. 1. I am (I'm) - He is (he's) - You are (You're).2. Note the difference between it's (it is) and its (belonging to it). 3. Notice too that the term its' does not exist. 4. It's may also be a contraction of 'it has' - 'It's been a pleasure meeting you'. General 1. When items are described by an acronym or an abbreviation, there is no need to add an apostrophe to denote the plural: MP (military police) sixteen MPs

PC (personal computer) a network of PCs

MB (megabyte) 100 MB 2. But the apostrophe should be used in any expression which includes an element of possession: MPs' salaries a PC's capacity 3. The apostrophe is not normally used after a noun which has an adjectival rather than a possessive sense ladies toilet Rates Office students union 4. You should avoid the use of contractions in essays and formal writing.

How to Use Leave and Let CorrectlyBy eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor Rate: (1 Ratings) One of the beautiful things about the English language is its incredibly rich and varied vocabulary. However, the downside is that similar words can be confused and therefore misused. Two such terms are "let" and "leave." Follow the steps below to understand their differences in meaning so that you will always use let and leave correctly.Difficulty: EasyInstructions1. Step 1Understand the meanings of each word. While both terms have more than one meaning, it is when their definitions overlap about getting or giving permission where confusion occurs. The formal construction "by your leave" means "with your permission" and is correct usage. However, when you talk about allowing or not something, the rule of thumb is to always use "let." For example, "Ann's mother lets her stay out until midnight" is correct, not "Ann's mother leaves her stay out until midnight." "Leave" implies movement. That is, someone going away or something staying behind. Examples include "He must leave right after dinner" or "Leave that book on the desk for me."2. Step 2See if there is an infinitive like "to" in the sentence, since this can make it tricky. However, the same rules apply. Determine whether the main point of the sentence is about allowing something. If so, use "let." If the main point of the sentence is about someone departing a place or something/someone staying in a place, use "leave." For example, "Leave the others to follow us" versus "Please let me go to the dance" can be tricky. However, "Leave the others" is a clue that someone is going and someone else is staying. Likewise, "let me go" indicates that the speaker is asking or demanding to be allowed to do something.3. Step 3Know when "let" and "leave" are interchangeable. The imperative statements "Leave the cat alone" and "Let the cat alone" have the same meaning and they are both grammatically sound.

1) I will not let my children treated in that way - this is incorrect.2) I cannot think of a way to express this in the passive voice.From www.bbc.co.uklet + object + infinitive Like make, see and hear, let is followed by object + bare infinitive. It cannot be followed by verb-ing: Let me carry that box of papers for you. It's very heavy.Why don't you let him walk home by himself from school now? He's eleven years old after all Let is also frequently used in the expression let's (let us) to introduce a suggestion. Note that negative sentences with let's can be formed in two possible ways: Let's finish the video tomorrow, shall we? I'm tired and I want to go to bed. Let's not be late home tonight. It's Monday tomorrow after all.Don't let's get too stressed about this. I know the car is damaged, but it's only a piece of metal. We do not normally use let in the passive voice.

somebody - anybody - something - anythingTop of FormI forgot my pen. Can I please have to write?I asked for help, but I couldnt find who spoke German or English.She is a very picky (heikel) person, she never likes I cook for her.Is there I can do to get better marks in Maths ? - Yes, study, study, study!!!I need to help me carry these bags, they are way too heavy for me.Suddenly he is so helpful and friendly.I think told him about my problems.This exercise is so easy, I dont need to help me.This box is too small for all my photos, I need much bigger.Can you help Trish? She would like to know about the house you live in.Before I started learning English I didnt know about London.The party was really boring for me because I didnt know .Could please tell me the way to the railway station?He was looking for who had known his father.Nobody can read I write, I have to do to improve (verbessern) my writing.He never goes to see , he is a very lonely person. Maybe should invite him for Christmas.Did you hear new about the family that moved in next door? - Yes, said they were from Baltimore.Ted thinks he is going to get really big for his 18th birthday - and he is right! Dad is going to give him a motorbike!Does know where the key to the garage is? - No, Im sorry; must have left it in the car. Bottom of Form

Some, any + -body / -one, + -thing, + -where

The compounds of some and any behave in the same way as some and any, that is to say, some-, in affirmative sentences and, any-, in negatives and questions, although we use some- in the interrogative to offer something, to ask for something or when we expect a positive response, as we saw in the previous unit. Examples:

I saw somebody there.

I did not see anybody there.

Did you see anybody there?

Would you like something better?

Instead of I did not see anybody there, we can say I saw nobody there, but we cannot use two negative words: *I did not see nobody there.

Anybody, nobody and somebody mean the same as anyone, no-one and nobody respectively. No-one can also be written no one.

Any can also mean "every" or "it does not matter which / who":

You can take any pencil.

Anybody can do it. It's very easy.

Let's see the following examples to end with:

Somebody told me you were abroad.

Nobody came to the meeting.

Was there anybody in the house?

I want something to eat.

I don't need anything.

I need nothing.

Would you like something to drink?

Is there anything in that drawer?

I want to go somewhere else.

I didn't go anywhere.

I went nowhere.

Have you seen my car keys anywhere?

Exercises:

Fill in the gaps with somebody, anybody, nobody, something, anything, nothing, somewhere, anywhere or nowhere.

1.I know __________ about this issue that you may find interesting, but if I tell you, you must promise to keep it (a) secret.

2.__________ lives here. There is no water.

3.I spent the night __________ near the beach.

4.__________ could have jumped over this wall, and stole your rake. It's very low.

5.__________ scares him. He's very brave.

6.There is __________ to park here. Let's go __________ else to park.

7.Would you like __________ to wash your hands?.

8.May I have __________ for dessert, please?

9.They took him __________ in London, and he never returned.

10.Please don't leave __________ behind at home. We'll be away for a fortnight.

11.She needs __________ to love. She's very lonely.

12.They will not sing __________ in this city. They said that they would never come back.

13.There isn't __________ you can do to help them. __________ can help them.

14.We do not need __________ else to run this department. We can do it ourselves.

15.__________ is ringing the bell. Go and see who it is.

16.__________ phoned while we were out, but they did not leave a message.

17.__________ tells me that there is __________ fishy going on .

18.They are looking for __________ to settle down and have children. They want to find a quiet place to lead a quiet life.

19."Where would you like to stay?"

"__________ will do provided it is a clean place."

20."Is there __________ at home?"

"I don't think there is __________. Mum and dad must have gone out."

Written by Miquel Molina i Diez (Polseguera.com)

Click here for the key.

Key: (Please remember that instead of anybody, nobody and somebody, you may use anyone, no-one and someone respectively.)

1.something

2.Nobody (Nothing is also possible if we wish to make it more drastic.)

3.somewhere

4.Anybody

5.Nothing / Nobody (The first alternative may be better, but it depends on the context.)

6.nowhere, somewhere

7.something

8.something

9.somewhere

10.anything

11.somebody

12.anywhere

13.anything, Nobody

14.anybody

15.Somebody

16.Somebody

17.Something, something

18.somewhere

19.Anywhere

20.anybody, anybody

Indefinite pronouns refer to things or people without mentioning what or who they are.Singular: another, anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, little, much, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, other, somebody, someone, something

Plural:both, few, many, others, several

Singular or Plural all, any, more, most, none, some

For example:- Somebody stole my car. Does anybody know who she is? Does anyone have something that could help me with anything? !NoteFor people we use: anybody or anyone | somebody or someone | nobody or no oneFor things we use: anything, something, nothing, noneSee if you can make sense of these:-Somebody, Everybody, Anybody, and NobodyOnce there were four managers. Their names were: Somebody, Everybody, Anybody, and Nobody. They were very busy people, but whenever there was an important job to be done, Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did. When Nobody did it, Everybody got angry because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Somebody would do it, but Nobody realized that Nobody would do it. So consequently Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done in the first place. The competition Now they all worked in the same company, and their company held a competition: Who could produce the best logo? Everybody had a good idea. Nobody thought nobody would follow it through. Somebody thought anybody could work on it. Anybody thought everybody should do it. Eveybody thought someone would do it. So nobody did anything. Everybody thought anybody could win something. Anybody thought somebody should win. Somebody thought everybody would win. Nobody thought nobody would win. What did they win? Nothing!The Adjective ClauseRecognize an adjective clause when you see one.An adjective clausealso called an adjectival or relative clausewill meet three requirements: First, it will contain a subject and verb. Next, it will begin with a relative pronoun [who, whom, whose, that, or which] or a relative adverb [when, where, or why]. Finally, it will function as an adjective, answering the questions What kind? How many? or Which one? The adjective clause will follow one of these two patterns:relative pronoun or adverb + subject + verbrelative pronoun as subject + verbHere are some examples:Whose big, brown eyes pleaded for another cookieWhose = relative pronoun; eyes = subject; pleaded = verb.Why Fred cannot stand sitting across from his sister MelanieWhy = relative adverb; Fred = subject; can stand = verb [not, an adverb, is not officially part of the verb].That bounced across the kitchen floorThat = relative pronoun functioning as subject; bounced = verb.Who hiccupped for seven hours afterwardWho = relative pronoun functioning as subject; hiccupped = verb.Avoid writing a sentence fragment.An adjective clause does not express a complete thought, so it cannot stand alone as a sentence. To avoid writing a fragment, you must connect each adjective clause to a main clause. Read the examples below. Notice that the adjective clause follows the word that it describes.Diane felt manipulated by her beagle Santana, whose big, brown eyes pleaded for another cookie.Chewing with her mouth open is one reason why Fred cannot stand sitting across from his sister Melanie.Growling ferociously, Oreo and Skeeter, Madison's two dogs, competed for the hardboiled egg that bounced across the kitchen floor.Laughter erupted from Annamarie, who hiccupped for seven hours afterward.Punctuate an adjective clause correctly. Punctuating adjective clauses can be tricky. For each sentence, you will have to decide if the adjective clause is essential or nonessential and then use commas accordingly.Essential clauses do not require commas. An adjective clause is essential when you need the information it provides. Look at this example:The vegetables that people leave uneaten are often the most nutritious.Vegetables is nonspecific. To know which ones we are talking about, we must have the information in the adjective clause. Thus, the adjective clause is essential and requires no commas.If, however, we eliminate vegetables and choose a more specific noun instead, the adjective clause becomes nonessential and does require commas to separate it from the rest of the sentence. Read this revision:Broccoli, which people often leave uneaten, is very nutritious.Adjective Clauses

At a certain point in your writing in English, you should be able to identify every sentence you write as simple, compound, or complex. Two additional structures, adjective clauses and appositives, will give you a much greater sentence variety within which to accomplish your writing objectives. This page contains a small amount of information about adjective clauses along with just ten very difficult exercises. First, we will define what adjective clauses are and how they work.An adjective clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun. It is possible to combine the following two sentences to form one sentence containing an adjective clause:The children are going to visit the museum.They are on the bus.The children who are on the bus are going to visit the museum. | adjective clause | In the sentence above, there are two other ways to write the sentence correctly using the second sentence as the adjective clause.The children that are on the bus are going to visit the museum.The children on the bus are going to visit the museum. Some other sentences can be combined into a sentence using adjective clauses in a variety of ways, and they are all correct. Note the variety of ways in which the following two sentences can be combined.The church is old.My grandparents were married there.The church where my grandparents were married is old.The church in which my grandparents were married is old.The church which my grandparents were married in is old.The church that my grandparents were married in is old.The church my grandparents were married in is old.In the sentences above, the adjective clauses are underlined. All answers are correct. Note the use of the word "in" and how and where it is used.IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT PUNCTUATIONManaging simple, compound, and complex sentences, and then adding adjective clauses into the mix can result in some confusing situations regarding punctuation. There are some specific rules when punctuation is permissible or required around adjective clauses (when the information in the adjective clause is non-essential information); however, in my composition classes, I insist that students NOT use commas around adjective clauses for several reasons.First, non-essential information should generally be avoided in academic writing, at least in the short essays required for these composition classes. Thus, not including the commas will more often be right than wrong.Second, my Spanish speaking students have a natural tendency to write long sentences using many commas inappropriately. By not using commas around adjective clauses, students can perhaps more readily recognize when a period is required.Third, I believe it is easier to learn to apply commas later when they are required than the other way around. Indiscriminate use of commas is a hard habit to undo in my experience. Therefore do not use commas around adjective clauses, at least for one semester.Are you ready to take the quiz?This quiz is very difficult. These sentences are actually the hardest I could find (in the sense that you need to know ALL the rules in order to get them all correct), so please follow the directions carefully.1. Do not use commas in any of the completed sentences.2. Make adjective clauses of the second sentence in every case. (Obviously, any of these sentences could be written using the first sentence as the adjective clause; however, making adjective clauses of the second sentence is harder because it requires knowledge of all the "rules" of writing adjective clauses.)3. Spell correctly! This quiz is "graded" by computer, so any spelling mistake or punctuation error, like forgetting a period at the end of a sentence, will be counted wrong.

Adjective Clauses

Introduction

Here is a brief review of adjective clauses and relative pronouns. An adjective clause is used to describe a noun:

The car, which was red, belonged to Young-Hee.

A relative pronoun is usually used to introduce an adjective clause:

Young-Hee, who is a Korean student, lives in Victoria.

The main relative pronouns are:

Who: used for humans in subject position::

Hans, who is an architect, lives in Berlin.

Whom: used for humans in object position::

Marike, whom Hans knows well, is an interior decorator.

Which: used for things and animals in subject or object position::

Marike has a dog which follows her everywhere.

That: used for humans, animals and things, in subject or object position (but see below)::

Marike is decorating a house that Hans designed.

There are two main kinds of adjective clause:

Non-defining clauses: give extra information about the noun, but they are not essential:

The desk in the corner, which is covered in books, is mine.

(We don't need this information in order to understand the sentence. "The desk in the corner is mine" is a good sentence on its own -- we still know which desk is referred to. Note that non-defining clauses are usually separated by commas, and that is not usually used in this kind of context.)

Defining clauses: give essential information about the noun:

The package that arrived this morning is on the desk.

(We need this information in order to understand the sentence. Without the relative clause, we don't know which package is being referred to. Note that that is often used in defining relative clauses, and they are not separated by commas.)

When you are sure that you understand the topic, you can go on to the exercises.

Adjective ClausesSee The Sentence for definitions of sentence, clause, and dependent clause. A sentence which contains just one clause is called a simple sentence. A sentence which contains one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses is called a complex sentence. (Dependent clauses are also called subordinate clauses.) There are three basic types of dependent clauses: adjective clauses, adverb clauses, and noun clauses. (Adjective clauses are also called relative clauses.) This page contains information about adjective clauses. Also see Adverb Clauses and Noun Clauses.

A. Adjective clauses perform the same function in sentences that adjectives do: they modify nouns. The teacher has a car. (Car is a noun.)Its a new car. (New is an adjective which modifies car.)The car that she is driving is not hers. (That she is driving is an adjective clause which modifies car. Its a clause because it has a subject (she) and a predicate (is driving); its an adjective clause because it modifies a noun.) Note that adjectives usually precede the nouns they modify; adjective clauses always follow the nouns they modify.

B. A sentence which contains one adjective clause and one independent clause is the result of combining two clauses which contain a repeated noun. You can combine two independent clauses to make one sentence containing an adjective clause by following these steps: 1. You must have two clauses which contain a repeated noun (or pronoun, or noun and pronoun which refer to the same thing). Here are two examples: The book is on the table. + I like the book.The man is here. + The man wants the book. 2. Delete the repeated noun and replace it with a relative pronoun in the clause you want to make dependent. See C. below for information on relative pronouns. The book is on the table. + I like whichThe man is here. + who wants the book3. Move the relative pronoun to the beginning of its clause (if it is not already there). The clause is now an adjective clause. The book is on the table. + which I likeThe man is here. + who wants the book4. Put the adjective clause immediately after the noun phrase it modifies (the repeated noun): The book which I like is on the table. The man who wants the book is here.

C. The subordinators in adjective clauses are called relative pronouns. 1. These are the most important relative pronouns: who, whom, that, which. These relative pronouns can be omitted when they are objects of verbs. When they are objects of prepositions, they can be omitted when they do not follow the preposition. WHO replaces nouns and pronouns that refer to people. It cannot replace nouns and pronouns that refer to animals or things. It can be the subject of a verb. In informal writing (but not in academic writing), it can be used as the object of a verb. WHOM replaces nouns and pronouns that refer to people. It cannot replace nouns and pronouns that refer to animals or things. It can be the object of a verb or preposition. It cannot be the subject of a verb. WHICH replaces nouns and pronouns that refer to animals or things. It cannot replace nouns and pronouns that refer to people. It can be the subject of a verb. It can also be the object of a verb or preposition. THAT replaces nouns and pronouns that refer to people, animals or things. It can be the subject of a verb. It can also be the object of a verb or preposition (but that cannot follow a preposition; whom, which, and whose are the only relative pronouns that can follow a preposition). 2. The following words can also be used as relative pronouns: whose, when, where. WHOSE replaces possessive forms of nouns and pronouns (see WF11 and pro in Correction Symbols Two). It can refer to people, animals or things. It can be part of a subject or part of an object of a verb or preposition, but it cannot be a complete subject or object. Whose cannot be omitted. Here are examples with whose: The man is happy. + I found the mans wallet. =The man whose wallet I found is happy. The girl is excited. + Her mother won the lottery. =The girl whose mother won the lottery is excited. WHEN replaces a time (in + year, in + month, on + day,...). It cannot be a subject. It can be omitted. Here is an example with when: I will never forget the day. + I graduated on that day.=I will never forget the day when I graduated.The same meaning can be expressed in other ways: I will never forget the day on which I graduated.I will never forget the day that I graduated.I will never forget the day I graduated.WHERE replaces a place (in + country, in + city, at + school,...). It cannot be a subject. It can be omitted but a preposition (at, in, to) usually must be added. Here is an example with where: The building is new. + He works in the building. =The building where he works is new. The same meaning can be expressed in other ways: The building in which he works is new. The building which he works in is new. The building that he works in is new. The building he works in is new.

D. Adjective clauses can be restrictive or nonrestrictive. 1. A restrictive adjective clause contains information that is necessary to identify the noun it modifies. If a restrictive adjective clause is removed from a sentence, the meaning of the main clause changes. A restrictive adjective clause is not separated from the main clause by a comma or commas. Most adjective clauses are restrictive; all of the examples of adjective clauses above are restrictive. Here is another example: People who cant swim should not jump into the ocean. 2. A nonrestrictive adjective clause gives additional information about the noun it modifies but is not necessary to identify that noun. If a nonrestrictive adjective clause is removed from a sentence, the meaning of the main clause does not change. A nonrestrictive adjective clause is separated from the main clause by a comma or commas. The relative pronoun that cannot be used in nonrestrictive adjective clauses. The relative pronoun cannot be omitted from a nonrestrictive clause. Here is an example: Billy, who couldnt swim, should not have jumped into the ocean.

E. Adjective clauses can often be reduced