It’s that time of year again when some of us celebrateΒ Christmas and, or, welcome Santa, and some of us just want to welcome in the New Year and leave 2021 far behind!
Whatever you decide to do, I hope you enjoy the Festive Season and I wish you success and happiness in the New Year! It’s not Christmas for me without a Christmas song. This year, I’m presenting an old favourite by John Lennon of The Beatles. Click on the video at the end. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
You may be wondering why I haven’t published as many posts as usual recently. Well, wonder no more! I’ve been busy creating an e-book. An e-book? Yes, I’ve noticed that the post, How to Describe a Picture in 4 Easy Steps,is very popular with many of you. Next most viewed are my Grammar posts.
I decided to combine my most popular posts into an easy-to-use e-book called How to Describe a Picture in 4 Easy Steps. I have included the basics:
Β β¦ Β the different parts of speech, Β β¦Β how to put sentences together, Β β¦Β how to understand verbs and tenses, and finallyΒ Β β¦ Β how to extend your vocabulary to describe anything.Β
The grammar I include will help you create grammatically correct sentences to use in your descriptions. I will of course include the original post, How to Describe a Picture in 4 Easy Steps. Importantly, the e-book will contain a lot of new material and will be available for purchase, at a low cost, through this website.
Hello English Students! The end of the year is fast approachingΒ and I wonder how you have all managed with your English studies. Are you happy with your progress? Perhaps it’s time to test your grammar skills?
I am more than halfway through watching a Turkish TV Series called Magnificent Century. (There are more than 130 episodes!) I am enjoying it immensely; however, I don’t speak Turkish so I have been reading the English sub-titles.Β
Translating a fast-paced TV Series is a huge undertaking. The people responsible for translating Magnificent Century into English did a remarkable job in limited time. I was impressed with their advanced level of grammar. Nonetheless, I noticed that as with other non-English films, the English sub-titles contain the same familiar errors repeatedly, most of which are lower level grammar and are used in everyday conversation.Β
If your English level is Pre-intermediate or above, you should be able to find some, or all, of the mistakes in the following quotes from the TV Series. Cambridge students should ace this quiz! Check the answers at the end. Click on the links for grammar explanations.Β
The main cast of Magnificent Century
Grammar Quiz
Can you find one mistake in each example?
1. The news are not good.
2. Lufti Pasha has the experience for this promotion. He has many services in every government position.
3. Ibrahim Pasha has protected you for many years. (*Note: Ibrahim Pasha is dead.)
4. I want to raise my children in your own home!
5. Get all my stuff out of here and clean them.
6. Now you live in this chambers.
7. I’m working on it since a long time.
8. For a long time, there is a senseless malice between us.
9. I will not let me get rid of them!
10. There will always be people who wants to dig a pit for you.
11. Find her and takeher here.
12. The gold were in a purse with Hatice Sultana’s name written on it.
13. The investigation is continuing. If they will be arrested, they’ll pay for it.
14. How dare she wants something from me!
15. These are serious accusations. Does he have a proof?
16. Unfortunately, there are still no news from Cafer Aga.
17. You will be notified of everything that will happen here.
18. Is there a bad news?
19. What are these, Ibrahim’s gold?
20. If the treasure will be found, we’d be blamed.
21. Everything you heard about me are slanders and lies.
22. I should to go.
23. Let’s hope they find him and take him back here.
24. Take my son to me immediately!
25. When the preparations will be finished, he will start the India campaign.
26. Raresh rioted against our Sultan by killing Alvise Gritte who serves the Ottoman Empire.
27. I know her since many years.
28. From what he told me, some of our soldiers harrasses and steals from people.
29. Leave now and bring this letter to his majesty.
30. It is ever a problem in the palace.
Mistakes & Corrections
1. The newsarenot good. 1. The news is not good. (‘News’ is an uncountable noun.)
2. Lufti Pasha has the experience for this promotion. He hasmany services in every government position. 2. Lufti Pasha has the experience for this promotion. a) He has providedΒ many services in every government position. b) He has worked (in many services) in every government position.
3. Ibrahim Pasha has protected you for many years. (*Note: Ibrahim Pasha is dead.) 3. Ibrahim Pasha protectedyou for many years.Β Β
4. I want to raise my children in yourown home! 4. I want to raise my children in my own home!
5. Get all my stuffout of here and clean them. 5. Get all my stuff out of here and clean it. (‘Stuff’ is an uncountable noun.)
6. Now you live inthis chambers. 6. Now you live in these chambers. (this chamber / these chambers)
7. I’m working on it sincea long time. 7. I have been workingon it for a long time.Β
8. For a long time, there is a senseless malice between us. 8. For a long time, there has beena senseless malice between us.
9. I will not let meget rid of them! 9. I will not let them get rid of me!
10. There will always be people who wants to dig a pit for you. 10. There will always be people who want to dig a pit for you. (‘People’ is a plural noun.)
11. Find her and takeher here. 11. Find her and bring her here. ( Bring here. Take there.)
12. Thegold were in a purse with Hatice Sultana’s name written on it. 12. The gold was in a purse with Hatice Sultana’s name written on it. (‘Gold’ is an uncountable noun.)
13. The investigation is continuing. If they will bearrested, they’ll pay for it. 13. The investigation is continuing. If they are arrested, they’ll pay for it.
14. How dareshe wantssomething from me! 14. How dare she want something from me! (In this sentence, ‘dare’ is a finite verb: Present Simple Tense. ‘Want’ is a non-finite verb: Base Infinitive.)
15. These are serious accusations. Does he havea proof? 15. These are serious accusations. a) Does he have any proof? Β Β Β b) Does he have proof? (‘Proof’ is an uncountable noun.)
16. Unfortunately, there arestill nonewsfrom Cafer Aga. 16. Unfortunately, there is still no news from Cafer Aga. (‘News’ is an uncountable noun.)
17. You will be notified of everything that will happenhere. 17. You will be notified of everything that happens here.
18. Is there a badnews? 18. Is there bad news? (‘News’ is an uncountable noun.)
19. What are these, Ibrahim’sgold? 19. What is this, Ibrahim’s gold? (‘Gold’ is an uncountable noun.)
23. Let’s hope they find him and take him back here. 23. Let’s hope they find him and bring him back here.
24.Take my son to me immediately! 24. a) Bring my son to me immediately! b) Take me to my son immediately!
25. When the preparations will be finished, he will start the India campaign. 25. When the preparations are finished, he will start the India campaign.
26. Raresh rioted against our Sultan by killing Alvise Gritte who serves the Ottoman Empire. 26. Raresh rioted against our Sultan by killing Alvise Gritte who servedΒ the Ottoman Empire.
27. I know hersincemany years. 27. Ihave knownher for many years.
28. From what he told me, some of our soldiers harrassesand stealsfrom people. 28. From what he told me, some of our soldiers harrass and steal from people. (‘Soldiers’ is a plural verb.)
29. Leave now and bringthis letter to his majesty. 29. Leave now and take this letter to his majesty.
30. It is evera problem in the palace. 30. It is always a problem in the palace.
I have written two posts on Spelling Mistakes that Ruin your Writing. They are a small number of mistakes which are easily fixed as soon as you understand the grammar. Don’t worry! The grammar is basic and easily understood.
Today, I’m focusing on other common mistakes. These are words that native speakers use incorrectly.Β I hope you find my explanations helpful.
I will list the confusing words in alphabetical order. Today, I’m dealing with ‘A’. If you would like to receive all my future posts explaining confusing words, just click on ‘Follow’.
Looking at baby animals, especially baby elephants, usually has a positive effect on people.
Letβs have a look at some confusing words:Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β
a) advice, adviseΒ Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β b) affect, effect c) agree with, agree to, agree on Β Β Β d) alternate, alternativeΒ Β Β Β Β Β e) among, between Β Β Β f) anticipate, expectΒ Β Β Β Β Β g) approve, approve of
β¦ affectΒ βΒ verb (used with object: this means that the subject Β affectssomething or someone)
In France, the extremely cold winter of 2018-2019 affected many vineyards Do you believe that your thinkingaffectsyour actions?Β Β Β Β Β Β
Β
β¦ effectΒ βΒ noun
Looking at baby animals, especially baby elephants, usually has a positiveΒ effectΒ on people.
Were you impressed with the special effects used in the movie Avatar?
Β
Note: βEffectβcan also be used as a verb but take care. While βaffectβ means βto changeβ, βeffectβmeans βto bring about/causeβ a change. It is usually used in formal speaking and writing. I advise consulting a dictionary if you wish to useβeffectβas a verb.
The President hopes to effect new laws to deal with drug trafficking.
Today, I’m focusing on theΒ song, Street Boy, by Rodriguez to highlight the use of ‘going to’ for future predictions: predictions based on evidence.
Click on the picture for the video. Rodriguez has an amazing voice and you will hear every word clearly.
I’ll also explain some common idioms in the song and the collocation ‘had better’.
1. BE + going to + base infinitive for Predictions based on Evidence
First, some revision from an earlier post on ‘going to’:
β¦ *We OFTEN use BE + going to + base infinitiveΒ for Future Plans (see my postΒ April 8, 2013).
β¦ When we useΒ Β BE + going to + base infinitive, it often sounds likeΒ βgonnaβΒ + base infinitive. You seeΒ Β βgonnaβΒ written a lot in songs.Β This is okay for song writers. However, it is NOT okay to write βgonnaβΒ in your English writing.
β¦ *We ALSO useΒ BE + going to + base infinitive for Predictions based on evidence (when there is evidence.)Β For example,
you look at the sky andΒ see darkΒ clouds: you say βOh no, itβs going to rain!βΒ β YouΒ knowΒ itβs going to rain.
youβre feeling sick because you drank too much beer: you say β Iβm going to beΒ sick!β YouΒ know youβre going to throw up (vomit).
youβve gambled a lot of money on a horse race and while you are watching the race, you can see that your horse is winning easily: you sayΒ βΒ Heβs going to win!βΒ YouΒ knowΒ heβs going to win.
In the song, Street Boy, Rodriguez predicts that the street boy is ‘going to end up alone’ if he continues to live a ‘dead-end life’ on the streets, (evidence – he knows what’s going to happen).
He also predicts that the boy will never find or meet a street boy who has beaten the streets. However, Rodriguez has no evidence so he uses ‘will’. He also uses ‘will’ for a promise when he states, ‘There’s one last word then I’ll conclude …’ He has one last word of warning for the boy, a bet, and then he will stop giving advice. He keeps his promise.Β
Song: Street BoybyRodriguez
Chorus Street boy, You’ve been out too long. Street boy, Ain’t you got enough sense to go home? Street boy, You’re gonna end up alone. You need some love and understanding, Not that dead-end life you’re planning Street boy.
You go home but you can’t stay Because something’s always pulling you away. Your fast hellos and quick goodbyes, You’re just a street boy With the streetlights in your eyes. You’d better get yourself together; Look for something better.
Chorus
Your sister says that every week You just come home to eat and go to sleep, And you make plans you never keep Because your mind is always in the streets. You’d better get yourself together; Look for something better.
Chorus
There’s one last word then I’ll conclude Before you pick up and put on your attitude. Bet you’ll never find or ever meet Any street boy who has ever beat(en) the streets.
Street boy x 6 Sweet boy
2.Idioms
IDIOMS
MEANING
You’ve been out
To be βoutβ is to be outside a particular building, usually the home, as in this song. It could be your work place. Click here for more meanings and sentence examples.
end up (alone)
To βend up aloneβ means to be alone at the end of oneβs life. βEnd upβ means finish/ result in. Click here for more meanings and sentence examples.
dead end life
A βdead end lifeβ is a life with no positive future as suggested in the song. βDead endβ can mean no exit, boring, monotonous, hopeless, with no possibility of progress.
something’s always pulling you
The street boy always feels the βpullβ or βattractionβ of the street life. It pulls him away from his home and away from a better life.
the β¦ in your eyes
To have something βin your eyesβ means that the βsomethingβ is all you see, your top priority.
get yourself together
Rodriguez advises the street boy to βget yourself togetherβ- to take action to improve his life; to change his βdead endβ lifestyle.
3.had better & base infinitive
‘Had better‘ includes the meaning and advice ‘should’. However, it is always used as a warning: ‘It would be better if … ‘Β It means that if you don’t follow the advice, something bad will or could happen. The unfortunate result of not following the advice is sometimes stated, and usually understood:
You’d better not drive home. (You’ve had too much to drink.)
We’d better not be late for the theatre or we’ll be locked out.
My boyfriend had betterremember my birthday! (or I’ll never forgive him!)
You’d bettertake your studies seriously or you won’t pass.
The warning may be very mild:
You’d bettertake some fruit with you or you’ll get hungry.
I’d bettergo to bed now or I’ll be tired tomorrow.
We’d betterclean the house before your mother arrives.
We usually use the contraction – ‘d better – perhaps because this collocation is used for warnings when speaking, and contractions are common when speaking. Written warnings use more formal or academic styles. The contraction is difficult to hear and as a result many people (yes, even native speakers) think the expression is just – you better, we better, he better, etc.
I hope you enjoy this wonderful song and I hope it helps you understand how to useΒ BE + going to + base infinitive for predictions based on evidence. For another song featuring BE + going to + base infinitive for predictions, check out an earlier post here.
Sixto Rodriguez has other equally wonderful songs which will help you in your English-learning journey. My favourite is I Wonder. Click here for the music video I Wonder. You will also see a playlist of his other songs.
We often use the Second Conditional to talk about how we would like things to change (our life, other people, the world). Sometimes, we are not satisfied with a current situation and imagine how it could/would improve, if …
‘If I earned a lot of money, I would buy a car. If I had a car, I wouldn’t have to walk to work.’
Frequently, the wished-for result is the opposite of what is true now. The above speaker does not have a car. He/she has to walk to work.
The Second Conditional describes hypothetical situations and their hypothetical results. How would you express the above situations in your language? Surely every language has a structure for expressing hypothetical situations?Β Thinking about how we could change and improve our lives is a very common human trait! For the English rules and practice exercises, check out my earlier post, here.
Today, to give you an example of how we use Second Conditional, I am featuring a song, If You Could See Her Through My Eyes, from the movie Cabaret. The movie is set in Berlin, in 1931, under the growing presence of the Nazi Party.
The lyrics of this song point out how human relationships would beΒ improved if people were more tolerant – if they could see a person through the singer’s eyes. The situation is hypothetical – people do not see her the way the singer sees her. The result is also hypothetical – it is the opposite of what is true now. Present Simple and Present Continuous explain what is real and what is happening now.
The Second Conditional If clause is in bold print with the main clause underlined. The Present Simple is pink and the Present Continuous is blue.
Song: If You Could See Her Through My Eyes
M.C.:
I know what you’re thinking. You wonder why I chose her Out of all the ladies in the world. It’s just a first impression. What good’s a first impression? If you knew her like I do, It would change your point of view.
If you could see her through my eyes, You wouldn’t wonder at all. If you could see her through my eyes, I guarantee you would fall, Like I did. When we’re in public together, I hear society moan, But if they could see her through my eyes, Maybe they’d leave us alone.
How can I speak of her virtues? I don’t know where to begin. She‘s clever; she’s smart; she reads music. She doesn’t smoke or drink gin, Like I do. Yet when we’re walking together, They sneer if I’m holding her hand, But if they could see her through my eyes, Maybe they’d all understand.
Why don’t they leave us alone?
Ladies and Gentlemen, I ask you: Is it a crime to fall in love? Can one ever choose where the heart leads us? All we ask is ‘Ein biΓchen VerstΓ€ndnis’, a little understanding!
Why canβt the world βLeben und leben lassenβ,Β live and let live?
Oh, I understand your objection, I grant you, the problem’s not small; But if you could see her through my eyes, She wouldn’t look Jewish at all!
Gerunds are usually nouns but they are different from other nouns because they are made from verbs.
βChanging verbs into other forms: nouns or adjectives, for example, is common in many languages. Think about how your language changes verbs into other forms as you continue reading.Β
β¦ Gerunds are always singular:Cooking dinner takes a long time. Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Cookingis hard work. β¦ The ‘ing’ form of the verb is always used: However, I love cooking
β¦ Gerunds are the names of activities:eating, drinking, playing, watching, skiing, horse-riding.Can you see a pattern here? When we want a word to name the activity (noun) caused by the verb, we often use a gerund.
Cooking is LOVE you can taste.
If you can replace a gerund with a pronoun, for example, ‘it’, then the gerund must be a noun! Pronouns can only replace nouns. (pro = for) Here are the above three sentences with the gerund, cooking,replaced with ‘it‘:
It takes a long time.
It is hard work.
I love it!
β¦ Gerunds are very common in everyday spoken English. They can be the Subject, the Object, or the Complement in a sentence:
Changing verbs into other forms is common in many languages. (Subject: ‘Changing verbs into other forms’ is a gerund phrase. You can replace all of it with the pronoun ‘it’: It is common in many languages.)
Skiing is a popular winter sport. (Subject)
Children seem to learnskiingeasily. (Object of ‘learn’)
The most popular winter sport in many countries isskiing. (Complement of ‘is’)
In the sentence, “Anthony saw some sharks when he was snorkelling in the Philippines last year.”, “snorkelling” is a participle – part of the verb “was snorkelling”.Β
In the sentence, “My children love snorkelling“,“snorkelling” is a noun. It is the object of “love“. An object is a noun.Β
βΒ Note that in the above sentence, there is no indication that the children are actually snorkelling, unlike Anthony who was no doubt swimming very quickly after he saw the sharks. All we know is that the children love that activity. “My children love it.” The word “it” is the object of “love”. The pronoun “it” replaces “snorkelling” in the above sentence, so “snorkelling” must be a noun. It is a Gerund.
Infinitives are the names of verbs: TO + BASE VERB. For example: to be, to have, to go, to look, to swim. When you look up a verb in a dictionary, it is the Base form that is listed first. Infinitives and Base verbs have no tense.Β
It is very common to use more than one verb in a clause.Β However, only one tense per clause is permitted! Again, think about your language and the rules for verbs. Infinitives have no tense, so they are used to add information without affecting the tense of the verb, without affecting ‘when’:
I want to study Architecture at University. (want = Present Simple Tense)
I wanted to study Architecture at school, but it wasn’t a school subject. (wanted = Past Simple Tense)
It is important to know when to use Gerunds after verbs and when to use Infinitives after verbs.
β¦ Some verbs can be followed by a Gerund or an Infinitive:
I love going out on Saturday nights with my friends.
I love to go out on Saturday nights with my friends.
β¦ Some verbs cannot be followed by an Infinitive. If you want to follow the verb with another verb, you have to use a Gerund:
I finished cleaning the house at 10pm.Β I finished to clean the house at 10pm.Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β I enjoy going out with my friends. I enjoy to go out with my friends.
Of course, you can follow ‘finished’ and ‘enjoy’ with other word forms:
I finished my exams yesterday. (verb + noun + adverb)
I enjoy funny movies. (verb + adjective + noun)
β¦ Other verbs cannot be followed by a Gerund. If you want to follow the verb with another verb, you have to use an infinitive:
Rou decided to study English in Australia. Β Rou decided studyingΒ English in Australia.
After that, she is planning to continue her studies in Taiwan. After that, she is planning continuing her studies in Taiwan.
Of course, you can follow ‘decided’ and ‘is planning’ with other word forms:
Rou decided on a holiday in Spain. (verb + preposition + noun)
After that, she is planning further study. (verb + adjective + noun)
There is no easy rule to help you know if a verb is followed by a Gerund or an Infinitive. The way I see the difference is (usually) this:
Gerundsdescribe an activity (IT). It might not happen.
Infinitivesdescribe an action (TO DO IT) which happens/happened/will happen.Β
Have a look at these two sentences:
1. I love cooking.
2. I love to cook on the weekends when my parents visit.
My husband the chef. Photo by MarioΒ
1. I love cooking. (I love it.)
I love watching Masterchef and *cooking videos on Youtube. I have some excellent recipe books. I love food and trying new dishes. I do all the food shopping. However, I never cook because my husband is a chef! (*cooking = adjective gerund)
2. I love to cook on the weekends when my parents visit. (I love to do it.)
I do it when my parents visit. What do I do? I cook.
Try to remember the difference between gerunds and infinitives the way you learn new vocabulary. Online exercises are a good way to practise and remember:
β’ Click here for a website that categorizes which types of common verbs are followed by gerunds and which types of common verbs are are followed by infinitives. It is an excellent reference.
The site also lists songs which feature gerunds. However, not every word ending in ‘ing’ is a gerund! Some are participles; some are part of reduced Relative Clauses. I have focused on one of the songs, ‘Feel’ by Robbie Williams. Watch the video below and then check the lyrics. I have highlighted the gerunds in bold pink and the infinitives in bold blue.
β’ Click hereto see a list of verbs followed by Infinitives. This link will take you to verbs followed by Gerunds:Β
β’ For more information and practice exercises click here.
Song: FEEL by Robbie Williams
Come and hold my hand. I *wanna contact theliving.Β Β (*wanna contact = wantto contact) Not sure I understand This role I’ve been given. I sit and talk to God And he just laughs at my plans. My head speaks a language I don’t understand.
I just *wanna feelΒ Β Β (wanna feel = wantto feel) Real love; feel the home that I live in, ‘Cause I’ve got too much life Running through my veins, Going to waste. I don’t *wanna dieΒ Β Β (*wanna die = want to die) But I **ain’t keen on livingeither.Β Β Β (**ain’t = am not) Before I fall in love, I’m preparing to leaveher.
(I) Scare myself to death. That’s why I keep on running. Before I’ve arrived, I can see myself coming.
I just *wanna feelΒ Β (wanna feel = want to feel) Real love; feel the home that I live in, ‘Cause I’ve got too much life Running through my veins, Going to waste; And I need to feel Real love and the love ever after. I cannot get enough.
* First, let’s look at the form (conjugation / spelling) of English verbs. They follow very simple patterns. English verb forms are much easier than many European languages like Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, and German. The Turkish language also has many more verb forms than English.
There are patterns in every language which, if you can see, make it so much easier to learn a new language than you think. If you can read this post, you are ready to see and understand the patterns in English verbs. Congratulations! Read on!
Patterns are Everywhere!
PATTERNS in English verbs:
Regular verb TO WAIT: wait, waits, waited, waiting – only 4 forms!
β’ ALL regular verbs have the same 4 forms.
Semi-regular verb TO CRY: cry, cries, cried, crying – only 4 forms!
β’ ALL semi-regular verbs ending in consonant + y have the same 4 forms.
Semi-regular verb TO FADE: fade, fades, faded, fading – only 4 forms!
β’ ALL semi-regular verbs ending in consonant + e have the same 4 forms.
Irregular verb TO KNOW: know, knows, knew, known, knowing – only 5 forms!
β’ ALL irregular verbs have at most5 forms. Some have fewer:
For example, TO MEET: meet, meets, met, meeting – 4 forms.
For example, TO CUT: cut, cuts, cutting – only 3 forms!
Of course, there is an exception: the verb TO BE.
English is no different. The verb TO BE is an exception in many languages.
Irregular verb TO BE: be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being – 8 forms. However, there is some good news: this is the only verb with more than 5 forms.
TO BE or NOT TO BE
Irregular verbs are often the same verbs in every language: BE, HAVE, DO, GO etc. This is because they are the old, original verbs that everyone used hundreds or thousands of years ago and the spelling has not changed very much. Verbs like to type, to email, to text, to skype, are not irregular, are they? The good news is that all new verbs will be regular. The number of irregular verbs is limited. Once you learn them, that’s it. Also, even irregular verbs follow patterns. Every other verb is regular – only 4 forms. Easy peasy! All English verbs, regular and irregular use the same auxiliary verbs.
* Next, let’s look at the form (spelling) of Past Simple and Past Continuous:
Past Simple: Regular verbs end in ‘ed’.
+ Base infinitive + ed: Romeo talked to Juliet’s dad.
All Past Simple verbs, regular and irregular: –Did + not + Base infinitive:Juliet did not know what to think. ? Did + Base infinitive: Did Juliet meet Romeo in town?
Past Continuousverbs all end in ‘ing’. They all need an auxiliary verb (to make a complete verb) depending on the person: was for I, he, she, and it; were for you, we, and they.
+ Was / were + Base infinitive + ing: Juliet was crying on the staircase. – Was / were + not + Base infinitive + ing: They were not waiting for permission. ? Was / were + Base infinitive + ing: What was she waiting for?
It’s always useful to find a song that features the grammar that you are trying to understand and remember. The song Love Story by Taylor Swift is, as the name suggests, a story and like many stories, it uses a variety of tenses: past, present, and future. For this post, I’m going to focus on the use of Past Simple Tense (red) and Past Continuous Tense (green)in the song.
The story starts in the present when Juliet has a ‘flashback‘ and remembers how it all began:
I close my eyes and the flashback starts: I’m standing there on a balcony in summer air. See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns, See you make your way through the crowd, And say hello.
The tense changes to the past and the events of the day when she fell in love with her Romeo:
Little did I know that you were Romeo. You were throwing pebbles And my daddy said “Stay away from Juliet”, And I was crying on the staircase Begging you βPlease, don’t goβ.
I was crying on the staircase, begging you “Please don’t go”.
Past Continuous Tense is the logical tense to use when you want to describe actions or states which were in progress (continuing, happening) at the same time as something else or during a specific time in the past.
When Juliet’s daddy told Romeo to stay away from her, (at the same time):
When the above photo of Juliet wastaken, (at a specific time):
β₯ Juliet was crying.
β₯ Julietwas begging Romeo not to go.
On the outskirts of town
I got tired of waiting,
Wondering if you were ever coming around. My faith in you was fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town.
At the same time as her faith in him was fading:
β₯Romeo surprised her when he met her on the outskirts of town.
Past Continuous Tense describes real life. Life does not happen one action after another; there are always multiple things going on at the sametime. We need the correct language to accurately connect and report all this activity.
If we just use Past Simple Tense, we just have a series of photos.
If we use Past Simple Tense and Past Continuous Tense, we have a movie! Watch the video below and see what I mean. Click here for the video with lyrics.
RIHANNAΒ sings a song with Eminem called ‘Monster’.Β There are Β Defining Relative Clauses in the chorus. Have a look:
Chorus
1. I’m friends with the monster that’s under my bed.
2. (I) Get along with the voices inside of my head.
3. You’re trying to save me.
4. Stop holding your breath.
5. And you think I’m crazy.
6. Yeah, you think I’m crazy (crazy).
The Relative clauses in Lines 1 & 2Β are clearly Defining Relative Clauses becauseΒ they areΒ obviously necessary in the sentence. You knowΒ they areΒ necessary because if you takeΒ them out, the sentences haveΒ no meaning:
I’m friends with the monster.Β
I get along with the voices.Β Β Β Β
IfΒ a friendΒ said to you, “I’m friends with the monster”, you would ask, “Which monster??” Β Β Β
The Defining Relative Clause tells us which monster.Β Β Β Β
IfΒ a friendΒ said to you, “I get along with the voices”, you would ask, “Which voices??”
The Defining Relative Clause tells us which voices.
Also note that Rihanna sings about “THE monster”, “THE voices”. “THE” is the Definite (defining!) Article. We use THE whenΒ it is clearΒ which noun we are talking about, but if we just say, “I’m friends with the monster”, it is NOT clear which monster. If we just say, “I get along with the voices”, it isΒ NOT clear which voices. We need to define which monster and which voices. We need Defining Relative Clauses.
*** Defining Relative Clauses do not use commas because commas (like these brackets) separate the Relative Clause from the Independent Clause and we don’t want to separate the Relative Clause because the information is important for meaning.Β
*** Non-Defining Relative Clauses use commasΒ because the Relative ClauseΒ provides extra, separateΒ information (like extra information we sometimes put in brackets).
The song ‘Monster’, which I like, is sung by Rihanna and Eminem.
‘which I like’is aNon-Defining Relative Clause. It doesn’t tell us which song. It’s extra information.
Rihanna and Eminem, who are very successful, sing a song called ‘Monster’.
‘who are very successful’ is aNon-Defining Relative Clause. It doesn’t tell us who Rihanna and Eminem are. It’s extra information about them.
Take out the Non-Defining Relative Clauses and the sentences have meaning:
The song ‘Monster’ is sung by Rihanna and Eminem.
Rihanna and Eminem sing a song called ‘Monster’.
I highly recommend that you sing the chorus of ‘Monster’ (video below) a few times until you knowΒ it well. Then, whenever you need an example of a Defining Relative Clause,Β one will be easy to recall.
Now, let’s look atΒ two more Defining Relative Clauses.
Adam Levine & Maroon 5
MAROON FIVE sing a song called ‘This Love’. The first few lines containDefining Relative Clauses:
1. I was so high I did not recognize
2. The fire (which/that was) burning in her eyes,
3. The chaos that controlled my mind.
Here you can see that the Relative Clauses are vital for meaning. Take them out and the song has no clear meaning:
I was so high I did not recognizethe fire, the chaos .. Which fire?? Which chaos??
*Note again the use of the Definite Article: THE fire, THE chaos.
I highly recommend that you sing the chorus of ‘Monster’ (clickΒ here for the video)Β and the lines from ‘This Love’ (lyrics video) a few times until you knowΒ them well. Then, whenever you need an example of a Defining Relative Clause,Β you will beΒ able to recall one or more easily.
You could also check other examples in songs by clicking here.
If you have any questions or would like more examples, just leave a commentΒ below.
Here’s a lesson, with a delightful song, to help you remember some words and expressions you can use instead of ‘when’. They are highlighted below in green and blue.
I’m not going to even mention the G word (shhh! … grammar), but if you really must have a (grammar) fix, click on the green and blue links in the song lyrics.
The lyrics for the song, I say a little prayer, (byΒ Burt BacharachΒ andΒ Hal David)Β are written under the video, which is my favourite version of the song, from the movie My Best Friend’s Wedding.
After the lyrics, I have provided more examples of words to use instead of ‘when’Β with the same or similar meanings.
Β Song: I Say a Little PrayerΒ Β
The moment I wake up,Β Before I put on my makeup, I say a little prayer for you. While combing my hair, now, And (while) wondering what dress to wear, now, I say a little prayer for you:
Chorus Forever, and ever, You’ll stay in my heart and I will love you. Forever, and ever, We never will part; Oh, how I love you. Together, forever, that’s how it must be. To live without you Would only mean heartbreak for me.Β
I run for the bus, dear. Whileriding, I think of us, dear. I say a little prayer for you. At work, I just take time, And all through my coffee break-time, I say a little prayer for you.
Chorus
My darling, believe me. For me, there is no one but you. Please love me too. Answer my prayer. (Answer his prayer.) Answer my prayer now babe, oh-oh. (Answer his prayer.)
Greetings Dear English Learners! 
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Mary's English Blog 