‘People’ vs. ‘Persons’
1. Common Modern Usage Generally 'person' is used for the singular. 'People' is used for the plural. 1 person100 people 2. 'Persons' The common modern usage of 'person' and 'people' is quite simple. However, the technical usage is not so clear because the language has changed. Consequently 'persons' is still…
‘So’, ‘Such’ & ‘Very’
1. 'So' vs. 'such' 'So' is used with adjectives (adj.) or adverbs (adv.).'Such' is used with nouns (n.). so + + + is so happy he has been invited to the girls finished their homework so quickly that their parents knew it was room is such a movie was so…
The Zero Article
Not every noun needs 'a', 'an' or 'the'.There are also times when you can drop 'a', 'an' and 'the' 1. Uses of the zero article When talking generally about uncountable nouns Pronouns usually don't need 'a' or 'the' When talking about some places or transport, we can drop 'a' or…
Fronted Structures
1. What is a fronted structure? There are times (usually speaking) when basic grammar is changed so people can emphasise something. To do this, the most important word or idea is moved to the front. 2. Examples of fronted structures Original sentenceFronted structure and emphasisI invited himNow him I invitedI…
Invitations and Offers
Different phrases suggest different levels of formality (less polite or more polite) 1. General Invitation Phrases PhraseExamples very informal1. Fancy (noun)?2. Fancy …ing?3. Do you fancy (noun)? 4. Do you fancy …ing? 1. Fancy some lunch?2. Fancy playing a game?3. Do you fancy a job?4. Do you fancy visiting Kevin…
Wish vs. Hope
1. Wish There are different types of 'wish' structures: 1. Wanting a change of state2. Wishing for ability3. Regret4. Annoyance / want for external activity to stop or start5. Congratulations 2. Wanting a change of state To say you wish for a state to change, use: wish + past tense…
Hypotheticals
1. What are hypotheticals? Hypotheticals are imagined situations - they are based on the idea 'what if x happened?' Hypotheticals generally are made with two parts:if clause + result clause English has four conditionals. The 2nd and 3rd conditional describe imagined situations. 2. The 2nd Conditional The 2nd conditional means…
Reduced Adverbial Clauses
1. What is an adverbial clause? An adverbial clause is a clause that relates to, or changes, the verb in the main adverbial clause must go with a main clause. Some adverbial clauses may be shortened. These are reduced adverbial clauses. 2. Different Adverbial Clauses There are several different types…
Should / Could / Would / Must Have
1. Using perfect modals Generally we use the perfect modals for: 1. Events that didn't happen in the past2. Events that couldn't have happened. 2. Should have / shouldn't have Uses: RegretStrong judgement against others RegretStrong judgementI failed my test; I should have studied 've been worried about you. You…