Grammar 2

5 Mei 2011 pukul 10:35

1. Articles -- the, a, an.

2. Gerunds
3. >> "SO", "SUCH" and "VERY"
>> THE, A, AN <<
1. Use "the" for singular and plural count nouns.
Examples:
-- The English book is under the table.
-- The English books are on the table.
2. "The" can be used with non-count nouns (or you can omit it).
Examples:
-- Juan loves to sail over the water.
= Juan loves to sail over water. ("The" is omitted.)
-- Tim spilled the milk on his shirt.
= Tim spilled milk on his shirt.
3. Use "the" before names of rivers, oceans, points on the globe, geographical areas, deserts, forests, gulfs, and
peninsulas.
Examples:
-- the Nile, the Atlantic Ocean, the South Pole, the Middle East, the Sahara Desert, the Black Forest
Now rules tell you when you shouldn't use "the.":
4. Don't use "the" before most countries and cities, EXCEPT collections of places.
Examples:
-- France, Asia, Lake Erie, Mount Fuji
BUT
-- the United States, the Philippines, the Netherlands, the Great Lakes, the Andes
5. Don't use "the" for the names of languages and nationalities, sports, and the names of academic subjects.
Examples:
--Russian, Chinese, Spanish, basketball, science, English
A quiz for you:
_______ first story is about some Russian scientists. _______ scientists are living in _______ United States, near
_______ Great Lakes.

VOA Learning English 2. >> Gerunds <<

Gerunds work as nouns. So, they can be subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, subject complement and more.
So, basically you take a verb, add "ing" to it and use it as a noun. That's gerund in a nutshell

Examples:
-- Since childhood, painting has been her thing (here its the subject of the verb, has been)
-- Marys first love is cooking (here it is the subject complement of the verb, is)
-- My brother enjoys riding his horse more than riding his bicycle (direct object of the verb, enjoy)
-- David gives all of his energy and time to biology, or David gives biology all his time and energy (here it is the
indirect object of the verb, gives)
--> Heres the gerund usage: David gives running all his time and energy (here it is the indirect object of the verb,
gives)
-- Being the boss made her uncomfortable. --> "Being" is the gerund.
-- Cooking helps some people relax
-- Shouting is not the answer
-- Dancing went on all night long

VOA Learning English To + V expresses a movement, whether concrete or abstract, from one point toward the other:
Examples:
-- "I'm going to work"
-- "The class is going from 2pm to 5pm"
-- "She gave the book to John"
When you use the structure Verb + TO + Verb, this movement can express a cause/effect relationship or an idea of
will:
Examples:
-- "He works at the store to make some money" (cause/effect)
-- "He wants to come with me" (will)
In some other cases, V + TO + V can express something else than cause/effect or an idea of will. When you use
verbs such as "BELIEVE / APPEAR / SEEM / etc." the speaker can use TO + V to express an objective judgment
(saying something is true, probable, possible, etc.):
Examples:
-- "She seems to be nice"
-- "I believe it to be the truth"

VOA Learning English Verb + ING expresses an outlook on the action expressed by the verb, a personal judgment
of that action:
-- "I like fishing" > the speaker remembers the times that he/she fished, and feels as if they relived those moments
(the ING form makes the action expressed by the verb very real by showing it as 'happening')
-- "I like to fish" > more general statement, no judgment.

VOA Learning English Fill in the gaps with TO+Verb or Verb+ING, depending on the context:
1) He decided ____ (go) to the beach tomorrow.
2) (John and Paul are in the middle of a video game). John says "I like _____ (play) against you, you're a good player
Paul!"
3) _____ (drive) in Washington D.C. during rush hour can be daunting!
4) I expect them ____ (arrive) on time for the meeting.

Here are the answers:

1) He decided TO GO... (shows intent/will/desire)
2) I like PLAYING (because they are in the middle of the game, and John expresses a judgment)
3) DRIVING in Washington D.C. (expressing a judgment => it is daunting)
4) I expect them TO ARRIVE (cause and effect, expresses a plan/an intent)

VOA Learning English > When you wish for something, there is a movement: you want to reach a goal, you
project yourself toward something. Therefore, it is often the case that when people express a wish, a desire, a goal,
they use 'to+verb'.
-- "I dream to be a go many places."
> Other verbs are always followed by -ING! These verbs are (and that's not an exhaustive list):
- appreciate
- avoid
- consider
- feel like
- enjoy
- imagine
- miss
- practice
- regret
- suggest
- can('t) help + ING (to be forced or drawn to something)
- can('t) resist + ING
- can('t) stand + ING (to accept or deal with)

VOA Learning English >> to V + VING <<

Some structures that are quite different. Some verbs are followed by to + a verb in the -ING form. The most common
ones are:
1) Look forward to: "I'm looking forward to hearing from you." (to anticipate with pleasure.)
2) To be used to 'to be familiar with'): "She's used to going shopping every Saturday." (to have a habit of doing
something.)

VOA Learning English 3. >> "SO", "SUCH" and "VERY" <<

1) 'So' vs. 'such':
'So' and 'such' have a similar meaning, but they are used differently. They express a subjective appreciation of
someone/something. They show what the speaker feels, by emphasizing the degree of intensity of something.
+)'So' is an adverb that is used with adjectives only.
=> "I'm so happy", "she's so nice".
+) 'Such' is an adverb that is always used with the combination 'adjective+noun'
=> "I'm such a happy person", "she's such a nice person".
2) 'So' vs. 'Very':
'Very', on the other hand, is an adverb that expresses a high degree but in an OBJECTIVE way. The speaker does not
show his/her opinion.
Ex:

=> "I'm very happy" (general statement) / "I'm so happy" (subjective statement, meant to emphasize the degree of
happiness)
=> "She's very nice (general) / "She's so nice" (subjective, emphasizing the speaker's opinion of that person)

VOA Learning English 4. >> ADVERBS <<

An adverbs modifies verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
1) Adjective + 'ly' = Adverb (No all words ending in "ly" are adverbs)
Ex:
=> Angry, crazy, greedy --> angrily, crazily, greedily.
2) Some words are both adjective and adverb
Ex:
=> Hourly, oily, only (adj, adv, and conjunction^^),
3) An adverb can answer many questions, for example:
It gives answers to:
Where (or place)
How often (or frequency)
How many (number)
How (or manner)
Why (or purpose)
When (or time)
Ex:
=> Yesterday, a known criminal fearlessly broke a window of his cell and sprinted out.
The answer to when is: Yesterday.
The answer to how is: Fearlessly
The answer to where is: Out
All these are adverbs.
=> "The dark green lily pad simply floated on the pond." They are: 'Dark', 'Simply', and 'On' are the adverbs. Dark
modifies the adjective, simply describes the manner, and On tells us about the place.
But, as you know, dark alone is an adjective. But, you also know that an adj can modify another adjective

Prepositions

VOA Learning English 1. "AT" is the preposition of time -- at noon, at 1:00

Ex: The flight leaves at 3:00 p.m.
"BY" has many meanings -- It can mean "next to" -- My house is by the train station. It's used to show who wrote or
created something.
Ex: Othello is a play by William Shakespeare.
"UNTIL" -- Gives a limitation -- We'll be here until lunchtime.
Ex: She'll be gone until May 5. (She'll return on May 5.)
"FROM/TO" -- Gives a starting and ending time/date -- They'll be on vacation from May 10 to May 14.
"ON" -- sitting on top. The book is on the desk.

Ex: She'll be gone on May 5. (She'll be unavailable on that day.)

"IN" -- inside. The book is in the desk.
Ex: Your books are on/near your desk. Can you put them in your desk so your room looks neater?
"NEAR" -- close to something. He lives near a great restaurant.
VOA Learning English 2. With addresses, we use "ON" for the street and "IN" for the city. "AT" is often used for a
cross street
Ex:
-- He lives at Fifth Street and Wilson Avenue.
-- Nobu lives on Fifth Street in New York.
-- The theater is on Third Avenue in Chicago.

Grammar1

1. Short answer: YES/NO

2. Nothing, no one, something, someone, anything, anyone
3. May, could, can
4. Causative structures: Make, have, get

VOA Learning English 1. Short answer: We have two rules for short answers of yes/no questions.
Rule 1 - The answer is usually three words. ("Do you speak more than three languages?" -- Yes, I do. OR No, I don't.)
Rule 2 -- We use a form of the first word of the question in the an...swer.
Ex 1: DO you speak more than three languages? -- Yes, I DO./ No, I DON'T.
Ex 2: Are you tired? -- Yes, I am ( Wrong: Yes, i'm)
VOA Learning English >> NOTHING, NO ONE, SOMETHING, SOMEONE, ANYTHING, ANYONE <<
Positive sentences:
nothing

no one
...something
someone
Example: Teresa bought something at the shop.
Negative sentences:
anything
anyone
Example: Teresa didn't buy anything at the market.

Note: "something, someone" or "anything/anyone" can be used in a question.

Example:
Did he buy anything at the store?/Did he buy something at the store?
Did you talk to anyone at the party?/Did you talk to someone at the party?
29 Maret 2011 pukul 14:23 Suka 4

VOA Learning English >> MAY, COULD, and CAN <<

May - most polite (formal)
Could - middle
Can - most informal
...
Example:
May I have a cup of coffee, please?
Could I have a cup of coffee, please?
Can I have a cup of coffee, please?

Note: The majority of American English is informal. However, there are times when formality is preferred. Asking for
food is one of those times. Talking on the telephone is another.
Example:
...May I have a cookie?
May I speak to Jon, please?
30 Maret 2011 pukul 11:10 Suka 3

VOA Learning English http://www.voanews.com/learninge.../theclassroom/activities/

30 Maret 2011 pukul 13:58 Suka 3

VOA Learning English >> THE, A , AN <<

1. Use "the" for specific nouns -- the capital of France.
2. Use "a/an" for non-specific nouns (when the noun could be "any" -- a difficult problem.)
3. Spelling rule for a/an -- Use "a" when the following noun is singular and the sound is a consonant -- a book. Use
"an" when the following noun is singular and the sound is a vowel -- an egg.
14 April 2011 pukul 18:34 Suka 3

VOA Learning English >> WANNA, GONNA, WORKING' <<

Written: want to, going to (go), working
Spoken: *wanna, *gonna, *workin'

Is everybody on the same page? (on the same page -- understanding it the same way)
19 April 2011 pukul 10:21 Suka 3

VOA Learning English >> PREFIX, SUFFIX <<

Prefixes: a or an
Meaning: not, without
Examples: anarchy, anonymous, aphasia, atypical, amoral
--Prefix: ab
Meaning: away, from , down, off.
Example: abnormal, abstract, absorb
--Prefix: acro
Meaning: high, tip
Ex: Acrobat, acrophobia, acronym, acromegaly, acropolis
--Prefix: anti
Meaning: against
Ex: anticlimax, antiwar
--Prefix: bi
meaning: two
Ex: binary, bilingual, bicameralism
--Prefix: cent
Meaning: 100/100th
Ex: centenary, centimeter, centipede
--21 April 2011 pukul 23:45 Suka 2

VOA Learning English >>CAUSATIVE STRUCTURES<<

There are many verbs that can express the causative: 'to make', 'to have', 'to get', 'to require', 'to force', 'to encourage',
etc. They all follow the same basic pattern:
Subject>causative verb>agent>(to) infinitive>object/complement
=> He>made>his brother>set>the table
______________________________________________________
To sum up:
- To make someone do something = to force (mentally or physically)
- To have someone do something = to persuade

- To get someone TO do something = to persuade while showing satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the result
_____________________________________________________
1. MAKE:
remember that after 'make' the infinitive does not take 'to'.
Example:
-- I made him WORK harder (and not 'I made him to work')
-- She made him BUY her a new cellphone (and not 'to buy')
-- She made him write down the date 1,000 times. (and not 'to write')
2. HAVE:
'to have someone do something.' It is slightly different than 'make'. 'Make' expresses a certain mental/physical force
imposed on the person. 'Have' expresses that you want something to be done => you give an order, directions:
-- "I had my parents arrive early for dinner because I did not want to eat too late."
-- "She had her sister organize her bridal shower."
'Have someone do something' is synonym with 'persuade' and not 'force'.
Example:
-- "I had my parents buy me a new car" (I persuaded them to buy me a new car)
-- "I made my parents buy me a new car" (I forced them to buy me a new car)
Because it is close to the meaning of 'persuade', the causative 'have' is often used in a passive way:
Example:
-- " I had my hair cut"
In this case, you cannot persuade an inanimate object (hair) so the structure is passive.
3. GET
'get someone to do something'. It is very similar to 'have someone do something' in its meaning, but unlike 'have' it
uses TO + INFINITIVE.
Example:
-- "I got him to study harder for the test"
'Get someone TO DO something' means that you persuade, convince someone (just like 'have'). The slight difference
is that you focus on the result, on the end action:
-- She had him drive her to work today (Focus: the fact that she persuades him)
-- She got him to drive her to work today (Focus: she was successful at persuading him, and she is happy about being
successful)
2 Mei 2011 pukul 23:44 Suka 2