A great way to improve your vocabulary and listening skills is with short videos. Watch the following fascinating video about giraffes and follow the link below it to learn the ‘vocabulary in chunks’. You will be impressed by how much you can learn in 3½ minutes.
Grammar and Vocabulary points are listed alphabetically. Examples show incorrect and correct usage and short, clear explanations.
I highly recommend The 2018 Grammar Guide by EnglishGrammar.org. The quality of your English will improve as soon as you start using it. Download it now by clicking here. On the right side of the page, you will see:
Just enter your email address and first name and you will be able to download this fabulous book. Happy reading!
Hello everyone!
I’ve been having fun with a News in Slow French website for my French studies. I read a news script while listening to the audio. It takes on average just two minutes, so it’s very easy to fit into a busy schedule. I realized that a similar English website would be helpful for you so I’ve been trying to find one which provides news with videos and tapescripts to help you with your English studies.
Well, I’ve found an excellent English News website for you!
This website is designed for levels 1, 2, & 3 but it is also very useful for level 4 (Intermediate) students who need to improve basic grammar and word order.
The videos are between approximately one and two minutes. Just read and listen. Do this once or twice a day and your English skills can improve fast.
Click on the above picture to see the video about Mark Zuckerberg at Congress.
Mark Zuckerberg
http://www.newsinlevels.com provides more than just news. You can arrange to skype with other English students. It even supplies lists of questions for skype conversations. You can listen to and read jokes. This site provides a lot of advice and gives step by step instructions.
For instructions on how to improve your English with News in Levels, click here.
Only by swimming with sharks will we overcome our fear of them.
Photo by Michael Liao on Unsplash
One of the first things you learn when you start learning English is the word order in sentences. The subject comes before the verb:
SUBJECT VERB
you learn
you start
The subject comes
Then, you learn that question word order is different. Usually, the auxiliary verb comes before the subject. This is called INVERSION because we invert the subject and auxiliary verb.
Question word order:
Have you ever swum with sharks? Why are people afraid of them? What do you think? Will we ever overcome our fear of sharks?
VERB SUBJECT
have you ?
are people ?
do you ?
will we ?
Only by swimming with sharks will we overcome our fear of them.
Rarely have I seen such a weird lipstick advertisement!
You can continue with your English studies and never use Inversion in sentences. That’s perfectly okay. However, if you are preparing for a Cambridge or IELTS exam or other exams or situations where you need to demonstrate an extensive use of English, you will be expected to know about Inversion.
Let’s start with why and when. After all, if you don’t know why we use Inversion, you won’t know when to use it.
Rarely have I seen such a weird lipstick advertisement!
Photo by ian dooley on Unsplash
INVERSION is used
1. to emphasize the uniqueness of an event,
2. to stress how quickly something happened after something else had been completed,
3. to clarify a situation, and
4. to sound more formal.
INVERSION is also used:
5. after clauses beginning with ‘nor’.
Never have I been so relieved to see anyone in my life!
Standard sentence:
I have never been so relieved to see anyone in my life.
‘Rarely does someone simply return to “business as usual” after seeing a Matt Church presentation’.
Standard sentence:
People rarely return to “business as usual” after seeing a Matt Church presentation.
Seldom am I impressed with
Hollywood celebrities.
Standard sentence:
I am seldom impressed with
Hollywood celebrities.
Hollywood celebrities seldom impress me.
Scarcely had I finished cooking when the guests arrived.
Standard sentence:
I had scarcely finished cooking when the guests arrived.
No sooner had we started the meal than someone knocked at the door.
Standard sentence:
We started the meal and immediately someone knocked at the door.
As soon as we started the meal, someone knocked at the door.
Barely had I served dessert when everyone started checking their phones!
Standard sentence:
When I served dessert, everyone started checking their phones.
As soon as I served dessert, everyone started checking their phones.
Can you detect the sense of exasperation that the speakers in the Inversion examples feel? The emphasis is on the timing more than the subject.
Barely had I served dessert when everyone started checking their phones!
Photo by jwlez on Unsplash
Note how the sentences with Inversion have a sense of urgency whilst the standard sentences are more casual.
Only then did we realise what was possible!
Photo by Chris Barbalis on Unsplash
Only after she won the gold medal in the 400-metre dash did Cathy realise the enormous pressure she’d been under.
Standard sentence:
It was only after she won the 400-metre dash that Cathy realised the enormous pressure she’d been under.
On our trip to Milan, Italy we saw fantastic Green Buildings. Only then did we realise that cities could be environmentally responsible and resource-efficient!
Standard sentence:
It was only when we saw the Green Buildings in Milan that we realised that cities could be environmentally responsible and resource-efficient!
Little was Henry aware of the damage caused by his thoughtless actions.
Standard sentence:
Henry was not aware of the damage caused by his thoughtless actions.
Had I known you were in town, I would have invited you! Photo by Lanty on Unsplash
Had I known you were in town, I would have invited you!
Standard sentence:
If I had known you were in town, I would have invited you!
Had they understood your situation, they might have helped you.
Standard sentence:
If they had understood your situation, they might have helped you.
I don’t believe in scarcity, nor do I believe that the grass is greener on the other side.
Standard sentence:
I don’t believe in scarcity and I don’t believe that the grass is greener on the other side.
I haven’t been to Japan, nor do I expect to visit there in the near future.
Standard sentence:
I haven’t been to Japan and I don’t expect to visit there in the near future.
This post is quite long enough! I will continue in a future post. Meanwhile, you can try to get used to the Inversion examples I’ve given above before I explain the rules and structures.
I have found a song Never Ever by ‘All Saints’ which features the lines:
I suggest that you listen to the song until these clauses are locked into your long-term memory! It won’t take long. There is a lot of repetition. Click here for the YouTube video.
Subscribe above to receive an email when I post my next Inversion lesson.
Click on the picture below to find out the meaning of the idiom HANGING BY A THREAD. Once on the site, you can click on Follow at the bottom of the page to receive more pictures and explanations of idioms FREE.
∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫
Vocabulary to learn after watching the video :
Sixto Rodriguez
I usually use songs on this website to explain grammar, but today, I’m encouraging you to just listen to and enjoy a superb song-writer with a remarkable voice. You can hear every word he sings clearly.
Listening to music you like while reading the lyrics is surely the easiest way to improve your English! Sing along with Rodriguez as you listen. Your listening will improve. Your pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar will also improve. Maybe your mood will improve too?
I have picked out my favourite Rodriguez songs and linked to the YouTube videos with lyrics. Just click on the song titles. There are plenty more for you to discover if you enjoy his music. Keep in mind that punctuation and spelling in YouTube videos are not always correct.
Sugar Man Sugar Man Remix
Street Boy I wonder
I think of You Forget It
I’ll Slip Away Spanish and English subtitles
In 2012, a fascinating documentary, Searching for Sugar Man, was made about the life and music of this extraordinary man. On February 24, 2013, Searching for Sugar Man won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 85th Academy Awards. It won a total of 40 awards worldwide.
To watch the trailer, click on the picture below. Click on http://sugarman.org to go to the official Rodriguez website. Enjoy!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
I recently received an email asking for advice from an English learner in India. I receive a lot of similar requests from students in various countries so I decided to post my reply here. I hope my advice can help you in your English-learning journey.
Firstly, the email from Sainath:
Next, my reply:
“You should only eat eggs laid by free-range chickens. Chickens should not have to spend their lives in cages.”
Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash.com
*will, *shall, *might, *may, must, can, could, would, *should, *ought to
|
| Infinitives with TO | Base Infinitives | |
| To be
To go To make
To try
To buy |
be
go make
try
buy |
I should be more careful about what I eat. I might go to the cinema this weekend. John could make more money if he worked harder. I would take a holiday if I needed one. You must try a little harder if you want to impress me. Will Maria ever learn all this grammar? People can buy eggs laid by free-range chickens in most supermarkets. |
| Modal verb | not, never | Base Infinitive |
| He should
I might I could I would
You must Chickens |
not
not never never
not
|
eat so much fast food.
go to the party. surf like Mick Fanning! be able to punch a shark like Mick Fanning did! swim outside the flags. forget what I have told you!
|
I would never take such a risk!…… Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash
(∗ The twelve tenses tell us about facts, or actions – now, in the past, or what we think will happen, in the future.)
Have a look at the photo above of a tight-rope walker and then at the following use of modals. See how they provide information about the speaker’s opinions and feelings, not facts or actions.
♦ He might have fallen! / He could have fallen!
♦ He must have been scared.
♦ He must be an idiot or a hero, or both!
♦ No-one should take such risks.
♦ His family would be furious if they knew.
♦ He will have an accident one day!
∗ None of the above sentences are about facts or real time. We don’t know that those things are actually happening, have happened or will happen.
Only the last sentence ∼ He will have an accident one day! ∼ uses one of the twelve tenses: Future Simple – will have. When you think about it, the future is not real, is it? We know the past happened, we have the present, but the future is about predictions, promises, spontaneous decisions, and schedules, all of which may or may not result in action or fact.
However, we all need a way to talk about the future and we know it’s not real yet. In English, we use WILL for future predictions, promises and spontaneous decisions.
∗ The following sentences provide information about real facts and describe actions by using some of the twelve tenses. Unlike with Modal Verbs, we have no idea how the speaker feels or what his/her opinion is. These are simply the facts.
♦ He didn’t fall.
♦ He wasn’t scared.
♦ He is never scared.
♦ He has often taken risks.
♦ He is always taking risks.
♦ His family don’t approve of his lifestyle.
♦ He loves his life.
♥ They never change their form (spelling). How good is that!
NO subject + verb agreement. NO 3rd person ‘S’. NO ‘ed’. NO ‘ing’.
♥ They are always followed by a Base Infinitive. See above notes.
♥ They express the speaker’s opinion or feelings about:
| possibility | We might go the party. |
| obligation | I must not forget to renew my passport!
You must obey the speed limit. |
| prohibition | You cannot smoke here. |
| necessity | While on holiday, they must take malaria pills every day. |
| ability | He’s only three but he can swim really well! |
| speculation/ deduction |
He has been training for years for the Olympic Games. He must be determined. You can‘t possibly be tired! You’ve just been on a month-long cruise! You would have had plenty of rest! At work: Oh no! Where’s my lunch? It’s not in my bag. I prepared it last night. I must have left it at home! I could have left it on the kitchen bench or my husband might have taken it by mistake. |
The Modal ‘must’ is quite interesting in that English students often think that ‘must’ is only used for prohibition and obligation. However, native speakers rarely say ‘ You must … ‘ Instead, we say ‘You need to … ‘ and ‘You should …’ For example, I don’t say to my students, “You must watch the news tonight, or, You must do your homework.” I say something like, ” You really need to do revision if you want to remember what you’ve learnt today. If you want to improve your listening skills, you should watch the news.”
The most common way we use the Modal Verb ‘must’ is for speculating: saying what we believe is or was or has been true, as in the examples above.
I’m pretty sure it must have rained the day before you came.
There is a song by ABBA which perfectly demonstrates how we use ‘must’ for speculation. The song, ‘The Day Before You Came’, is entirely about how the singer remembers her past. In particular, she thinks about how boring and predictable her life was before she met her lover. She knows that she followed the same routines every day, so she sings:
I must have left my house at eight because I always do.
I must have read the morning paper going into town (on the train).
I’m pretty sure it must have rained the day before you came.
She believes that she is reporting facts about her life. However, perhaps one day she fell asleep in the train and didn’t read the morning paper. Perhaps one day her watch was wrong and she left her house at five minutes past eight.
When we are reporting past facts, we use past Tenses which are real. Of course, we can’t remember every little detail about our pasts, so we say what we believe must have happened, or what would have happened, or what might have happened, or what could have happened. We use Modal Verbs!
Click on the video below to watch and listen to this very helpful song! I hope you enjoy it enough to listen a few times so that you will remember the structure:
For more information and practice exercises on Modals for Speculation click here and here.
For the song lyrics with the Modal Verbs of deduction highlighted:
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