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Good / Well part 2

I love this site.  http://blog.dictionary.com/

It has nice, short explanations for ESL students to read & understand.

We already have a post about Good vs. Well, but it is so commonly confused (even for native speakers) so I want to share this information from Dictionary.com

You may have been scolded you for saying, I’m good, instead of the more formal I’m well. But is the response I’m good actually incorrect? Not technically. Let’s explore the rules and conventions governing these two terms.

Well is often used as an adverb. Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Good is most widely used as an adjective, meaning that it can modify nouns. The expression “I am good” causes some to bristle because they hear an adjective where they think an adverb should be. But adjectives (like good) are used in combination with linking verbs like smell, taste, and look. A linking verb connects or establishes an identity between the subject and predicate, as opposed to an action verb which expresses something that the subject can do. Linking verbs take adjectives, whereas action verbs take adverbs. Think about the sentence: Everything tastes good. It would sound strange to sayEverything tastes well, and the adjectival good is correct in these cases. Typically when well is used as an adjective after look or feel, it often refers to health: You’re looking well; we missed you while you were in the hospital. In general, use well to describe an activity or health, and good to describe a thing.

To go back to common complaint above: in that instance, either good or well work because they both function as adjectives, and that phrase is widely used in informal, colloquial speech. However, in formal speech or edited writing, be sure to use well when an adverb is called for as in He did well on the quiz.

Well gets even more confusing when we consider adjectival phrases like well-known, well-worn, and well-mannered. How do you know when to hyphenate these phrases?  Find out in our primer on hyphens.

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Figurative Language

To truly understand English, you must have some knowledge of the most common types of figurative language.

What does figurative mean?

Figurative means that words are used in a way that is different from the usual meaning. That way the description is more interesting or impressive. Figurative language creates a picture in your mind.

For example:He is about to explode!

We do not mean to say that the man will actually explode. We only want to say that he is extremely angry.

So we use the verb “explode” in a figurativeway. In other words, we use a word that usually describes something else.

That way the description is more interesting. It creates a certain picture in the mind.

 Very angry

 

The opposite of figurative is literal

Literal means that you mean what you say exactly.

For example:He is about to explode!

Here we do mean to say that the man will actually explode. The man holds fireworks, and it looks dangerous enough to explode.

So here we use the verb “explode” in a literal way.

In other words, we use the usual meaning of the word.

Figurative comes from the word figure (also figure of speech).

  • A figure of speech is a word or phrase used in a different way from its usual meaning in order to express a particular meaning.In the about example, “explode” is a figure of speech.

Literal comes from the Latin word littera, which means “letter.”

Jump to:

To get a better understanding of figurative language, let’s look at some common figurative sayings:

“Sam is a pig!”

This is an example of figurative language.

This sentence does not mean that Sam is actually an animal.

 A pig

This sentence is a figure of speech meaning that Sam is very messy and does not have good manners.

messy boy

 


“Beth let the cat out of the bag
about Lisa’s surprise party.”

This is another example of figurative language.

This sentence does not mean that Beth had a cat in a bag and let it out.

A cat in a bag

Native English speakers understand this sentence is figurative language meaning that Beth told Lisa the secret about the surprise party.

lady telling a secret

Figurative or Literal

To truly understand figurative language, you must first understand the terms “figurative” and “literal.”

Literal

If a statement is “literal” it is true. You can believe every word. When you say something “literally,” you mean exactly what you say.

beautiful lady
She looks beautiful in her red dress!

This is a literal statement because the writer thinks the lady looks beautiful. The writer is simply stating that she looks beautiful.

strong man
He is a very big man.

This is a literal statement. The writer means that the man is big and strong.

These statements are literal and can sometimes be boring! To add interest, writers often write in a figurative way.

Figurative

“Figurative” is the opposite of “literal.” You do not believe a figurative statement word for word. When you say something “figuratively,” you are usually making a comparison to give a description or make a point.

beautiful lady

 

She looks like a million dollars!

This is a figurative statement, because a person can’t really look exactly like money. The statement means that she is well dressed and looks beautiful.

strong manelephant
He is as big as an elephant!

This is also a figurative statement because a person cannot be as big as an elephant. The statement means he is very large. The writer compares the man to an elephant to help the reader visualize the large, strong man!

Continue reading this article on Really Learn English

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Daily Writing Tips

I LOVE THIS SITE!  Daily Writing Tips

I’d say this site features some advanced vocabulary, but that doesn’t mean that a beginner should stay away.  There are many useful points and posts that show mistakes that most native speakers commonly make.

The site has the posts helpfully categorized for easy access.  Some helpful categories for students are Grammar, Vocabulary, and for those interested, Business Writing.

Categories

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So or Really?

A student recently sent me a query from the FCE practice. He didn’t understand the difference between: I was really impressed (which he got wrong) OR I was so impressed (which was the right answer).
The full sentence was: I was ………. impressed I went straight home.
This was my reply.
‘So’ is stronger than ‘really’.
It is used before adjectives and adverbs but not before verbs.
You use ‘so’ when a reason or a result is stated.
You don’t have a reason or result with ‘really’.
Here there is a result, the person went home!
Hence the answer is ‘so’ and not ‘really’

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Contact Rachel today > http://www.italki.com/teacher/1394345

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Another / Other / Others

Oftentimes, people get confused when using the words “other” and “another.”  How do we distinguish between the two?  Simple.  It’s a matter of singular and plural.  
 
A simple rule to help you remember the difference between another and other is:
another + singular noun
other + plural noun
others (a pronoun to replace other + plural noun)

 

  • I need another cup. (cup is singular so we use another)
  • I need other cups. (cup is plural so we use other)
  • I need others. (refers to other cups)

Another Other Others

 

Try the QUIZ

Thanks to Woodward English for putting this all together for us!

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Difference between SAY, TELL, and SPEAK

If you frequently confuse the words SAY, TELL, and SPEAK, you’re not alone – these are some of the most commonly confused English words! In this lesson, I’ll teach you the rules for the difference between say, tell, and speak.

Tell / Told

Tell means “to give information to a person” – so tell (present) and told (past) are always followed by a person.

Examples:

  • Tell me about the movie. Did you like it?
  • Peter, I told you not to eat any cookies before dinner!
  • Did you tell Sam about what happened at school today?
  • The police told us that the situation was under control.
  • Derek and Melissa told everybody that they were engaged to be married.
  • You should tell her what you think about her idea.
  • Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone your secret.

Say / Said

With say (present) or said (past), we can use these structures:

  1.  say (something)
  2. say that (something) 
  3. say (something) to (a person)
  4. “(something)” a person said

Examples: 

  1. Francis says she doesn’t like chocolate.
  2. I said that the new website design was great.
  3. What did the teacher say to you when you failed the test?
  4. “Nice to meet you,” Harry said.

Structures #1 and #2 are the most common in spoken English.

Don’t make this common mistake!
  • He said me that he had to leave.
  • He told me that he had to leave.

Speak / Spoke

Use speak (present) and spoke (past) with languages, and with talking in general (no specific details). We can use speak with (someone) and speak to (someone)

Examples:

  • I speak English.
  • Does Donna speak Italian?
  • Emma is going to speak in front of 500 people at the conference.
  • We spoke to the boss this morning. (general conversation, no specific details)
  • I need to speak with you about the new project. (general topic, no details)

In the case of speak with (someone) and speak to (someone), you can also say talk to or talk with.

However, you can’t use “talk” with languages:

  • I don’t talk Chinese.
  • I don’t speak Chinese.

Find this info and more great articles at Espresso English

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Standard Contractions in English

A contraction is a word or phrase that’s (or that has) been shortened by dropping one or more letters. In writing, an apostrophe takes the place of the missing letters.

Standard Contractions in English

aren’t are not
can’t cannot
couldn’t could not
didn’t did not
doesn’t does not
don’t do not
hadn’t had not
hasn’t has not
haven’t have not
he’d he had; he would
he’ll he will; he shall
he’s he is; he has
I’d I had; I would
I’ll I will; I shall
I’m I am
I’ve I have
isn’t is not
it’s it is; it has
let’s let us
mightn’t might not
mustn’t must not
shan’t shall not
she’d she had; she would
she’ll she will; she shall
she’s she is; she has
shouldn’t should not
that’s that is; that has
there’s there is; there has
they’d they had; they would
they’ll they will; they shall
they’re they are
they’ve they have
we’d we had; we would
we’re we are
we’ve we have
weren’t were not
what’ll what will; what shall
what’re what are
what’s what is; what has; what does
what’ve what have
where’s where is; where has
who’d who had; who would
who’ll who will; who shall
who’re who are
who’s who is; who has
who’ve who have
won’t will not
wouldn’t would not
you’d you had; you would
you’ll you will; you shall
you’re you are
you’ve you have

 

This list and many more valuable grammar articles can be found at http://grammar.about.com/ 

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Grammar Girl’s Top 10 Language Myths

Grammar Girl’s Top 10 Language Myths:

10. A run-on sentence is a really long sentence. Wrong! They can actually be quite short. In a run-on sentence, independent clauses are squished together without the help of punctuation or a conjunction. If you write “I am short he is tall,” as one sentence without a semicolon, colon, or dash between the two independent clauses, it’s a run-on sentence even though it only has six words. (See episode 49 for more details.)

9. You shouldn’t start a sentence with the word “however.” Wrong! It’s fine to start a sentence with “however” so long as you use a comma after it when it means “nevertheless.” (See episode 58 for more details.)

8. “Irregardless” is not a word. Wrong! “Irregardless” is a bad word and a word you shouldn’t use, but it is a word. “Floogetyflop” isn’t a word—I just made it up and you have no idea what it means.  “Irregardless,” on the other hand, is in almost every dictionary labeled as nonstandard. You shouldn’t use it if you want to be taken seriously, but it has gained wide enough use to qualify as a word. (See episode 94 for more details.)

7. There is only one way to write the possessive form of a word that ends in “s.” Wrong! It’s a style choice. For example, in the phrase “Kansas’s statute,” you can put just an apostrophe at the end of “Kansas” or you can put an apostrophe “s” at the end of “Kansas.” Both ways are acceptable. (See episode 35 for more details.)

6. Passive voice is always wrong. Wrong! Passive voice is when you don’t name the person who’s responsible for the action. An example is the sentence “Mistakes were made,” because it doesn’t say who made the mistakes. If you don’t know who is responsible for an action, passive voice can be the best choice. (See episode 46 for more details.)

5. “I.e.” and “e.g.” mean the same thing. Wrong! “E.g.” means “for example,” and “i.e.” means roughly “in other words.” You use “e.g.” to provide a list of incomplete examples, and you use “i.e.” to provide a complete clarifying list or statement. (See episode 53 for more details.)

4. You use “a” before words that start with consonants and “an” before words that start with vowels. Wrong! You use “a” before words that start with consonant sounds and “an” before words that start with vowel sounds. So, you’d write that someone has an MBA instead of a MBA, because even though “MBA” starts with “m,” which is a consonant, it starts with the sound of the vowel “e”–MBA. (See episode 47 for more details.)

3. It’s incorrect to answer the question “How are you?” with the statement “I’m good.” Wrong! “Am” is a linking verb and linking verbs should be modified by adjectives such as “good.” Because “well” can also act as an adjective, it’s also fine to answer “I’m well,” but some grammarians believe “I’m well” should be used to talk about your health and not your general disposition. (See episode 51 for more details.)

2. You shouldn’t split infinitives. Wrong! Nearly all grammarians want to boldly tell you it’s OK to split infinitives. An infinitive is a two-word form of a verb. An example is “to tell.” In a split infinitive, another word separates the two parts of the verb. “To boldly tell” is a split infinitive because “boldly” separates “to” from “tell.” (See episode 9 for more details.)

1. You shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition. Wrong! You shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition when the sentence would mean the same thing if you left off the preposition. That means “Where are you at?” is wrong because “Where are you?” means the same thing. But there are many sentences where the final preposition is part of a phrasal verb or is necessary to keep from making stuffy, stilted sentences: “I’m going to throw up,” “Let’s kiss and make up,” and “What are you waiting for” are just a few examples.  (See episode 69 for more details.)

You can find more information about each of these myths in the Grammar Girl archives.

 

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Common Marriage Phrases

Marriage.  A timeless conversation topic.  People talk about it before it happens, when it is happening and after it happens.

In the English language we commonly use the word GET before the word married.

The moment you say ‘I do’ (or actually sign the document) that is the moment you get married.

Phrases speaking about it happening in the FUTURE

Some little girls dream of getting married.

I want to get married on the beach.

I never want to get married.

I’m getting married!

We will get married next year.

Phrases speaking about it happening in the PAST

We got married in May.

They got married in Mexico.

He never got married.

marriage vocabulary

The actual marriage ceremony is the wedding (celebration) 

The marriage ceremony will be at a church.

The wedding will be in New York.

The marriage ceremony was lovely.

Kim’s wedding was the best I have ever been to.

Once you get married (sign the document) you are married

I am married.

James is married.

They are not married.

And FINALLY the word MARRIAGE (which is a noun)

I have a great marriage.

Their marriage was bad.

When friends get together, they often talk about their marriages.

 Try it out!  Write a sentence about marriage in the comments below and I will correct it.

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Impeding, Impending, Imposing – Why are they so similar?!

Today I want to talk about the difference between 3 very similar words: impeding, impending, and imposing. This time, it wasn’t a question from a student, but a problem that *I* had when trying to write a message to a friend! Even as a native English speaker, I couldn’t remember the difference between these words without using a dictionary (don’t laugh at me 😉 So, here it is for your quick reference:

im·pede

imˈpēd/
verb
gerund or present participle: impeding
  •  delay or prevent (someone or something) by obstructing them; hinder.
“All of this daydreaming is impeding my progress.”

im·pend

imˈpend/
verb
gerund or present participle: impending
  • be about to happen.
“Our moving date is impending.”

im·pose

[im-pohz]

  •  to obtrude or thrust (oneself, one’s company, etc.) upon others.
“I don’t want to impose on your family.”
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