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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SEE! WATCH! LOOK!

Watch

With the verb watch, we are much more active. Watch is like look, but requires more effort from us. We watch things that are going to move, or change in some way. And we watch the movements and changes.

  • The police decided to watch the suspected murderer rather than arrest him immediately. They hoped he would lead them to the body.
  • I like watching motor racing on TV.
  • If you watch that egg for long enough you’ll see it hatch.

See

We use see to mean simply that an image comes into our eyes. It may not be deliberate. As soon as we open our eyes, we see things.

  • I can see a cloud in the sky.
  • I suddenly saw a bird fly in front of me.
  • Didn’t you see Ram? He was waving at you.

Look (at)

When we look, we try to see. We make a special effort. We concentrate our eyes on something.

  • Look! It’s snowing!
  • Look at this photo! Isn’t it beautiful?
  • I’m looking but I don’t see it.

QUIZ!!!

All of this lovely material is courtesy of English Club

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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