Archive for 'English Grammar'
Collocations with the verb ‘take’ Posted by carol on Sep 30, 2018
Hey, you guys! The verb take in English can have multiple meanings and many translations. It can have the idea of removing , consuming, capturing, gaining, occupying or acquiring something, among various other possibilities. Besides, there are a number of combinations, also known as collocations with the word take that are used frequently by English speakers. Today’s post…
What is a Tag Question? Posted by Gary Locke on Aug 16, 2018
Sometimes we answer a question with another question or ask a question that can only have one answer. It is very common in English conversations, and can be deceptively tricky in some situations. We call it the tag question. A tag question is a grammatical structure in which a declarative statement is altered by use of an added interrogative (the…
Verbs and their prepositions in English Posted by carol on Jul 31, 2018
Hey guys! Are you doing okay these days? As in many languages, some verbs in English require a specific preposition to come up after the verb in a sentence in a certain context. But there is no need for alarm, you do not have to memorize any of them. All you have to do is…
How Can One be Many? Posted by Gary Locke on Jul 26, 2018
In English, some nouns can be both singular and plural. Yes, I know, that sounds like an impossible contradiction. But, this is English after all, and English is full of such maddening things. In fact, to add to the confusion there are several types of these nouns! There are irregular, non-changing nouns, which have the…
Up and Out on a Date in English Posted by Gary Locke on Jul 12, 2018
As regular readers of this blog know, the English language is full of confusing expressions and terminology which make life difficult for learners. Even native speakers can be excused for shaking their heads in bewilderment sometimes during a simple conversation. I heard a brief exchange between two people the other day which made me wonder…
The New Suffix Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 7, 2018
A suffix is a letter, or several letters, added to a word which then forms a new word. It is a tail at the end, wagging at us and saying, “Look at me! I’m something new!” A suffix can change a verb to a noun or an adjective. Add -ly to an adjective and you…
All the Same but Different Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 1, 2018
There are examples in the English language where important and common prefixes all mean the same, and yet are different. What makes this so confusing is that the prefixes are not interchangeable. In other words, it is easy to use the wrong one! A prefix, as you probably know, is a letter or combination of…