English2Easy

English Grammar (5)

2009-11-27T17:41:00.000-08:00

Types and order of modifiers in front of a noun:

The modifier refers to all words that relate in their function to the noun. This includes:

A. Articles:

Definite article: the + (singular and plural nouns)

Indefinite article:

a, an + (singular)

no indefinite article with plural nouns

e.g. a book > books

B. Determiners:

Positive quantifiers:

A great deal of + un countable nouns

Much + uncountable nouns

Many + uncountable nouns

A great many + countable

A lot of + countable and uncountable nouns

Lots of

Plenty of + both types

Most

All

Negative quantifiers:

none

not any

not all

few + countable

little + uncountable

hardly any + both countable and un countable

scarcely any + both

not many + countable

not much + uncountable

C. demonstrative pronouns :

this + (singular) / these + (plural)

that + (singular) / those + (plural)

D. possessive personal pronouns:

his

her

their

our

your

E. possessive nouns:

e.g. Mary's book

The Chairman's office

The order of modifiers in front of a noun :

1. determiner

2. sequence

3. number

4. quality or character

5. size

6. shape

7. age

8. temperature

9. shape (it can either be no.٦ or ٩ in the order)

10. colour

11. origin

12. location

13. noun

14. noun head (the described noun)

The above list is a full list. However, it is not common that we have more than tree adjectives in front of a single noun or else it would be difficult to understand them.

However, the adjectives can stand alone without a noun and come after the verb only with "verb to be", and similar verbs like:

seem

prove

look These verbs are called linking verbs,

smell i.e., they do not involve any action.

appear

feel

taste

adj.

I Am happy.

He looks sad.

seems

appears

feels

Except with such verbs, you cannot end your sentence with an adjective but with an adverb:

He writes (quick)> quickly.

He draws (beautiful)> beautifully.

• You can describe an adjective with an adverb.

adv. adj.

I feel extremely happy.

adv. adj.

He was completely sad.

Here the adverb does not modify the verb but it modifies the adjective.

English Culture (5) Roman Invasion AD 43-410

2009-09-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

Unit 4: Roman Invasion AD 43-410

In May AD 43, Roman commander Aulus Plautius invaded Britain from Boulogne He brought with him four legions and about 20000 auxiliary troops. The Roman army landed on the Kent coast and defeated the Britons in a series of skirmishes. In the early autumn, Emperor Claudius arrived with reinforcements (including elephants) and personally supervised the capture of Colchester. Claudius accepted the surrender of eleven tribal kings, appointed Aulus Plautius as the first Governor of Britain, and returned to Rome.

Conflict between some British tribes and the Roman invaders continued, although other tribes—such as the Iceni (of modern East Anglia), Atrebates (modern Sussex) and Brigantes (of northern 'England')—quickly accepted Roman influence and began to assimilate.

By AD 47, the legions had penetrated as far south-west as Cornwall, as far west as Wales (where tribes under the leadership of Caractacus put up resistance but were defeated) and as far north as the Humber. The Romans began constructing a system of military roads, founded Londinium (modern London) and built a crossing over the Thames (near the site of present London Bridge). By AD 60, the frontier had been pushed further and more tribes had been taken under Roman ‘protection’.

By 410, Roman troops were being continually withdrawn from Britain to help with conflicts elsewhere in the empire. In 410, the citizens of Roman Britain wrote to the Emperor Honorius and asked him to help them against Saxon and Pictish raiders. But Honorius had his own problems with the Gothic chieftain, Alaric, and wrote back telling the Britons to ‘look to their own defences’.

Answering Interview Questions (5)

2009-07-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

Question 4 Tell me about something you did – or failed to do – that you now feel a little ashamed of..

TRAPS: There are some questions your interviewer has no business asking, and this is one. But while you may feel like answering, “none of your business,” naturally you can’t. Some interviewers ask this question on the chance you admit to something, but if not, at least they’ll see how you think on your feet.

Some unprepared candidates, flustered by this question, unburden themselves of guilt from their personal life or career, perhaps expressing regrets regarding a parent, spouse, child, etc. All such answers can be disastrous.

BEST ANSWER: As with faults and weaknesses, never confess a regret. But don’t seem as if you’re stonewalling either.

Best strategy: Say you harbor no regrets, then add a principle or habit you practice regularly for healthy human relations.

Example: Pause for reflection, as if the question never occurred to you. Then say, “You know, I really can’t think of anything.” (Pause again, then add): “I would add that as a general management principle, I’ve found that the best way to avoid regrets is to avoid causing them in the first place. I practice one habit that helps me a great deal in this regard. At the end of each day, I mentally review the day’s events and conversations to take a second look at the people and developments I’m involved with and do a doublecheck of what they’re likely to be feeling. Sometimes I’ll see things that do need more follow-up, whether a pat on the back, or maybe a five minute chat in someone’s office to make sure we’re clear on things…whatever.”

“I also like to make each person feel like a member of an elite team, like the Boston Celtics or LA Lakers in their prime. I’ve found that if you let each team member know you expect excellence in their performance…if you work hard to set an example yourself…and if you let people know you appreciate and respect their feelings, you wind up with a highly motivated group, a team that’s having fun at work because they’re striving for excellence rather than brooding over slights or regrets.”

A-Z Correct English (5) A

2009-05-22T15:54:00.002-07:00

allusion, delusion or illusion?	There is a difference in meaning. An ALLUSION is an indirect reference. A DELUSION is a false belief (often associated with a mental disorder). An ILLUSION is a deceptive appearance.
all ways or always?	There is a difference in meaning. These three routes are ALL (= each of them) WAYS into town. She ALWAYS (= at all times) tells the truth.
a lot	Write as two words, not as one. Bear in mind that this construction is slang and not to be used in a formal context.
altar or alter?	There is a difference in meaning. The bride and groom stood solemnly before the ALTAR. Do you wish to ALTER (= change) the arrangements?
alternate or alternative?	We visit our grandparents on ALTERNATE Saturdays. (= every other Saturday) I ALTERNATE between hope and despair. (= have each mood in turn) An ALTERNATIVE plan would be to go by boat. (= another possibility) The ALTERNATIVES are simple: work or go hungry. (= two choices)
alternatives	Strictly speaking, the choice can be between only two alternatives (one choice or the other). However, the word is frequently used more loosely and this precise definition is becoming lost.
Alzheimer’s disease	(not Alze-)
amateur	(not -mm-)
ambiguity	Always try to anticipate any possible confusion on the part of your reader. Check that you have made your meaning absolutely clear. (i) Bear in mind that pronouns can be very vague. Consider this sentence: My brother told his friend that HE had won first prize in the local photographic exhibition. Who is ‘he’, my brother or his friend? Rewrite more clearly: (a) My brother congratulated his friend on winning first prize in the local photographic exhibition. (b) My brother, delighted to have won first prize in the local photographic exhibition, told his friend. The other possibility is rather clumsy but is otherwise clear: (c) My brother told his friend that he (his friend) had won first prize. (d) My brother told his friend that he (my brother) had won first prize. (ii) Position the adverb ONLY with great care. It will refer to the word nearest to it, usually the word following. This may not be the meaning you intended. See how crucial to the meaning the position of ‘only’ can be: ONLY Sean eats fish on Fridays. (= No one else but Sean eats fish on Fridays.) Sean ONLY eats fish on Fridays. (= Sean does nothing else to the fish on Fridays but eat it. He doesn’t buy it, cook it, look at it, smell it . . . .) Sean eats ONLY fish on Fridays. (= Sean eats nothing but fish on Fridays.) Sean eats fish ONLY on Fridays. Sean eats fish on Fridays ONLY. (= Sean eats fish on this one day in the week and never on any other.) (iii) Take care with the positioning of BADLY. This room needs cleaning BADLY. Does it? Or does it not need cleaning well? Rewrite like this: This room BADLY needs cleaning. (iv) Beware of causing initial bewilderment by not introducing a comma to indicate a pause. The shabby little riverside cafe ´ was empty and full of wasps and flies. Empty and full? The shabby little riverside cafe ´ was empty, and full of wasps and flies. See COMMAS (ix). (v) Avoid the danger of writing nonsense! DRIVING slowly along the road, THE CASTLE dominated the landscape. The castle is driving? Rewrite: As we drove slowly along the road, we saw how the castle dominated the landscape. COOKED slowly, the FAMILY will enjoy the cheaper cuts of meat. Rewrite: If the cheaper cuts of meat are cooked slowly, the family will enjoy them. See PARTICIPLES. (vi) Make sure the descriptive details describe the right noun! For sale: 1995 Peugeot 205 – one owner with power-assisted steering. Rewrite: For sale: 1995 Peugeot 205 with power-assisted steering – one owner.

English Grammar (4)

2009-04-20T13:25:00.001-07:00

2. Adverbs and adverbial phrases

You can complete your sentence with one or more of the following adverbials:

1. of time: yesterday, at 6 o'clock, in the morning.

2. of place: in the garden, here, there, at home.

3. of manner: [adjective + ly] quickly, slowly [irregular : well, hard, fast]

4. of purpose : to lose weight, to get more money.

5. of direction : to the house, from the library.

6. of frequency : every morning, every Tuesday.

Order of adverbs

• There are three positions of the place of adverb in the simple sentence :

1. Initial position.

2. Mid position.

3. Final position.

However, you cannot place all the adverbs in the three positions but there is a preferable position for each king of adverb.

1. Adverbs of place usually take the end position:

Correct: Ali is sitting outside.

Incorrect: Outside Ali is sitting.

Other common adverbs of place include: inside, here, there.

2. Adverbs of definite time usually take the beginning or end position.

Correct: I went to my aerobics class yesterday.

Incorrect: I yesterday went to my aerobics class.

(Other common adverbs of definite time include: today, tomorrow, now)

3. Adverbs of indefinite time can take the initial, middle, or end position.

Correct: Recently I've become interested in karate.

Correct: I've recently become interested in karate.

Correct: I've become interested in karate recently.

Other adverbs of indefinite time include lately.

4. Adverbs used to evaluate usually take the end position:

Correct : Hesham did that cleaning job well.

Incorrect : Hesham did well that cleaning job.

(other common adverbs used to evaluate include badly, poorly)

5. Adverbs of manner usually take the middle or end position but can not take the initial position:

Correct : Noha quietly opened the door to the baby's room.

Correct : Noha opened the door to the baby quietly.

Incorrect : Quietly, Noha opened the baby's room.

Other common adverbs of manner include quickly, carelessly, softly.

6. Adverbs of frequency follow very specific rules regarding their position in the sentence:

Common adverbs of frequency include always, frequently, occasionally, seldom, continually, hardly, ever, often, sometimes, ever, never, rarely, usually.

a. With the verb to be – after the verb

Correct: Sheriff is never at home when I call him.

Correct : Ali is continually busy.

b. With the verb to be + not - after not

Correct: James is not always nice to his little sister.

Correct: It is not usually so hot here during the summer.

c. With other verbs – before the verb

Correct: Jane always skates on the boardwalk.

Correct: I never ride my bicycle to class

d. In a verb phrase – after the first auxiliary verb

Correct: John can always hit the target.

Correct: I have never seen a comet.

e. In a verb phrase with not – after not

Correct: She does not always type her paper.

Correct: He does not usually have time to read the newspaper.

3. Adjectives.

The function of the adjective is to describe a noun and in English, it comes before the noun. Adjectives are of various kinds and you can use more than one before the noun.

The adjective can describe the size, colour, shape, material or an opinion about noun:

big, small, large, green, red, yellow, round, square, rectangular, wooden, metallic, good, bad, wonderful

2009-04-20T13:24:00.002-07:00

2009-04-20T13:24:00.001-07:00

English Culture (4) The Second Roman Expedition to Britain

2009-04-04T04:24:00.000-07:00

UNIT 3: The Second Roman Expedition to

Britain

(54 BC)

The year 54 BC saw the Romans organize a much larger expedition to Britain, with a total of 800 ships used to transport five legions and 2000 cavalry troops, plus horses and a large baggage train. They sailed from Boulogne at night on July 6, and landed unopposed the next day on the beach between Deal and Sandwich.

Upon seeing the large size of the Roman force, the Britons retreated inland to higher ground. But as the Roman scouting parties moved ever inward, they met the Britons in skirmish after skirmish. Despite determined resistance, Caesar was successful in subduing the British resistance.

Caesar was quick to make alliances with various tribe rulers. As these rulers would come to realize, this was not an alliance of equals; rather, Caesar extended Roman protection to these people as long as they “fit in” with the Roman way of life.

As Caesar had learned of mounting problems back in Gaul, and wanted to return there. The Roman legions left Britain in early September, 54 BC. They were not to return again for 97 years, when the Claudian invasion of AD 43 began the active Roman conquest of Britain.

Answering Interview Questions (4)

2009-03-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Question 3 What are your greatest weaknesses?

TRAPS: Beware - this is an eliminator question, designed to shorten the candidate list. Any admission of a weakness or fault will earn you an “A” for honesty, but an “F” for the

interview.

PASSABLE ANSWER: Disguise a strength as a weakness.

Example: “I sometimes push my people too hard. I like to work with a sense of urgency and everyone is not always on the same wavelength.”

Drawback: This strategy is better than admitting a flaw, but it's so widely used, it is transparent to any experienced interviewer.

BEST ANSWER: (and another reason it's so important to get a thorough description of your interviewer's needs before you answer questions): Assure the interviewer that you can think of nothing that would stand in the way of your performing in this position with excellence. Then, quickly review you strongest qualifications.

Example: “Nobody's perfect, but based on what you've told me about this position, I believe I' d make an outstanding match. I know that when I hire people, I look for two things most of all. Do they have the qualifications to do the job well, and the motivation to do it well? Everything in my background shows I have both the qualifications and a strong desire to achieve excellence in whatever I take on. So I can say in all honesty that I see nothing that would cause you even a small concern about my ability or my strong desire to perform this job with excellence.”

Alternate strategy (if you don't yet know enough about the position to talk about such a perfect fit):

Instead of confessing a weakness, describe what you like most and like least, making sure that what you like most matches up with the most important qualification for success in the position, and what you like least is not essential.

Example: Let's say you're applying for a teaching position. “If given a choice, I like to spend as much time as possible in front of my prospects selling, as opposed to shuffling paperwork back at the office. Of course, I long ago learned the importance of filing paperwork properly, and I do it conscientiously. But what I really love to do is sell (if your interviewer were a sales manager, this should be music to his ears.)

A-Z Correct English (4) A

2009-03-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

address (not adr-)

adieu (singular) adieus or adieux (plural)

See FOREIGN PLURALS.

adrenalin/

adrenaline Both spellings are correct.

adress Wrong spelling. See ADDRESS.

advantageous advantage + ous

Keep the -e in this instance.

See SOFT C AND SOFT G.

adverse or

averse? These two words have diﬀerent meanings.

The ferries were cancelled owing to

ADVERSE weather conditions.

(= unfavourable)

She is not AVERSE to publicity.

(= opposed)

advertisement advertise + ment

See ADDING ENDINGS (ii).

advice or

advise? My ADVICE is to forget all about it.

(noun = recommendation)

What would you ADVISE me to do?

(verb = recommend)

adviser or

advisor? Adviser is the traditionally correct British

spelling. Advisor is more common in

American English.

advisory (not -ery)

aerial Use the same spelling for the noun (a

television AERIAL) and the adjective (an

AERIAL photograph).

aﬀect or

eﬀect? Use these exemplar sentences as a guide:

Heavy drinking will AFFECT your liver.

(verb)

The EFFECT on her health was

immediate. (noun)

The new manager plans to EFFECT

sweeping changes. (verb = to bring about)

afraid (not aﬀraid)

ageing or

aging? Both spellings are correct but many would

prefer ageing as it keeps the identity of

the base word (age) more easily

recognised.

See ADDING ENDINGS (ii).

aggravate Strictly speaking, aggravate means to make

worse.

His rudeness AGGRAVATED an already

explosive situation.

It is, however, widely used in the sense of

to irritate or to annoy. Be aware that

some authorities would regard this second

usage as incorrect.

aggressive (not agr-)

agree to/

agree with The choice of preposition alters the

meaning of the verb:

IAGREEDTO do what he advised.

IAGREEDTO all the conditions.

IAGREEDWITH all they said.

See PREPOSITIONS.

agreeable (not agreable)

agreement For grammatical agreement, see SINGULAR

OR PLURAL?.

agressive Wrong spelling. See AGGRESSIVE.

alga (singular) algae (plural)

See FOREIGN PLURALS.

allege (not -dge)

alley or ally? An ALLEY is a little lane.

An ALLY is a friend.

alley (singular), alleys (plural)

ally (singular), allies (plural)

See PLURALS (iii).

all most or

almost? There is a diﬀerence in meaning. Use

these exemplar sentences as a guide:

They were ALL (= everyone) MOST kind.

The child was ALMOST (=nearly) asleep.

allowed or

aloud? There is a diﬀerence in meaning. Use

these exemplar sentences as a guide:

Are we ALLOWED (= permitted) to

smoke in here?

I was just thinking ALOUD (= out loud).

all ready or

already? There is a diﬀerence in meaning. Use

these exemplar sentences as a guide:

We are ALL (= everyone) READY.

It is ALL (= everything) READY.

She was ALREADY dead (= by then).

all right or

alright? Traditional usage would consider ALL

RIGHT to be correct and ALRIGHT to be

incorrect. However, the use of ‘alright’ is so

widespread that some would see it as

acceptable although the majority of educated

users would take care to avoid it.

all so or

also? There is a diﬀerence in meaning. Use

these exemplar sentences as a guide:

You are ALL (= everyone) SO kind.

You are ALSO (= in addition) generous.

all together or There is a diﬀerence in meaning. Use

altogether? these exemplar sentences as a guide:

They were ALL (= everybody) huddled

TOGETHER for warmth.

His situation is ALTOGETHER (= totally)

diﬀerent from yours.

allude or

elude? There is a diﬀerence in meaning.

ALLUDE means to refer to indirectly.

ELUDE means to evade capture or recall.

English Grammar (3)

2009-03-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

3. Prerequisites of the constituents of a simple sentence:

Subject

The war

Tourism

Conditions

Restoration

The Chinese space ship

Verb

stopped.

has flourished.

have changed.

continues.

landed.

Subject

Washington

The Chairman of the Board

The Iraqis

Verb

seeks

will address

demand

Object

world support.

the first session.

sovereignty.

Subject

The Parliament Speaker

Corruption

The Palestinians

Verb

travelled

Fight for

Complement

abroad.

a major problem.

self-determination.

A) The Subject:

The subject is a noun, a pronoun or a noun phrase:

Nouns: boy, girl, garden, Washington, corruption, etc.

Pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they {Subject Case}.

Noun phrases: a little boy, the Iraqis, the Parliament Speaker,

etc.

The noun phrase is a group of words (two or more) with a

noun as its head, e.g.:

article

intensifier

very

adjective

Good

Noun

boy

In all these examples,

all words serve to

modify, or describe,

the noun. The noun is

the most important

element, and so we

call it the head of the

noun phrase.

The modifier can also occur after the noun, e.g.:

article

The

Noun

boy

prepositional phrase

with a big nose

[preposition + noun phrase]

B) The Verb:

It comes in the 2nd place of the sentence.

It changes according to time focus and its form changes to show the time of the sentence. This form is called tense.

I (always)

The little girl

Verb

Works

take

have written

hid

in a bank.

sugar in my tea.

seven essays so far.

her books yesterday.

C) The Complement:

This item includes many elements that can complete the sentence. (You can choose one or more of these elements to complete the meaning of your sentence).

1. Objects: (obligatory with transitive verbs only; [explained later])

They can be nouns, pronouns or noun phrases.

My friends bought books. {noun}

Sarah also bought a book. {noun phrase}

I’ve got an extremely good book. {noun phrase}

I thanked him. {pronoun [object case]}

To know the personal pronouns in the object case, compare:

Subject

She

You

They

Object

Him

Her

You

Them

With the transitive verbs that take two objects there are two

kinds of objects: direct & indirect.

indirect O. direct O.

I gave my friend a book.

Note:

There is another way to write this sentence with the use of “to”:

{direct object indirect object}

I gave the book to my friend.

English Culture (3) The First Roman Expedition to Britain 55BC

2009-02-21T12:25:00.000-08:00

The First Roman Expedition to Britain 55BC

On August 26, 55BC, two Roman Legions (about 10.000 soldiers) under Julius Caesar's personal command crossed the English Channel in a group of transport ships, leaving from Portus Itius (today's Boulogne). By the next morning (August 27), the Roman ships were just off the cliffs of Dover, whose upper banks were lined with British warriors prepared to do battle.

The Britons met the legionaries at the beach with a large force, including warriors in horse-drawn chariots, an antiquated fighting method not used by the Roman military. After an initial skirmish, the British war leaders sought a truce, and handed over hostages.

Four days later, however, when Roman ships with 500 cavalry soldiers and horses also tried to make the channel crossing, they were driven back to France by bad weather. The same storm seriously damaged many of the Roman ships on the beach at Deal (later in the second expedition). This quirk of fate resulted in Caesar's initial landing force having no cavalry, which seriously restricted the mobility of the 55BC operations. It was also disastrous for the planned reconnaissance since the legionary soldiers were forced to repair the ships and were vulnerable to the British forces who began new attacks.

Thus immobilized, the Roman legions had to survive in a coastal zone which they found both politically hostile, and naturally fertile. The need to procure food locally resulted in scouting and food-searching missions into the adjacent countryside. After repairing most of the ships, Caesar ordered a return to Gaul, thus curtailing the reconnaissance of 55 BC.

Answering Interview Questions (3)

2009-02-17T21:59:00.000-08:00

Question 2 What are your greatest strengths?

TRAPS: This question seems like a softball lob, but be prepared. You don't want to

come across as egotistical or arrogant. Neither is this a time to be humble.

BEST ANSWER: You know that your key strategy is to first uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs before you answer questions. And from Question 1, you know how to do this.

Prior to any interview, you should have a list mentally prepared of your greatest strengths. You should also have, a specific example or two, which illustrates each strength, an example chosen from your most recent and most impressive achievements.

You should, have this list of your greatest strengths and corresponding examples from your achievements so well committed to memory that you can recite them cold after being shaken awake at 2:30AM.

Then, once you uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs, you can choose those achievements from your list that best match up.

As a general guideline, the 10 most desirable traits that all employers love to see in their employees are:

1. A proven track record as an achiever...especially if your achievements match up with the employer's greatest wants and needs.

2. Intelligence...management "savvy".

3. Honesty...integrity...a decent human being.

4. Good fit with corporate culture...someone to feel comfortable with...a team player who meshes well with interviewer's team.

5. Likeability...positive attitude...sense of humor.

6. Good communication skills.

7. Dedication...willingness to walk the extra mile to achieve excellence.

8. Definiteness of purpose...clear goals.

9. Enthusiasm...high level of motivation.

10. Confident...healthy...a leader.

A-Z Correct English (3) A

2009-02-08T04:34:00.000-08:00

achieve achieved, achieving, achievement (not -ei-)

See also ADDING ENDINGS (ii.); EI/IE SPELLING

RULE.

acknowledgement/ Both spellings are correct but be

acknowledgment consistent within one piece of writing.

acquaint acquainted (not aq-)

acquaintance (not -ence)

acquiesce acquiesced, acquiescing (not aq-)

acquiescence (not -ance)

acquire acquired, acquiring, acquisition

(not aq-)

acreage Note that there are three syllables here.

(not acrage)

across (not accross)

adapter or adaptor? Traditional usage would distinguish

between these two words and reserve

-er for the person (an adapter of novels,

for instance) and -or for the piece of

electrical equipment. However, the

distinction has become very blurred and

the two spellings are considered by many

authorities to be interchangeable. Use

either for both meanings but be consistent

within a single piece of writing.

addendum (singular) addenda (plural)

See FOREIGN PLURALS.

adding endings Usually endings (suﬃxes) can be added to

base words without any complications.

You just add them and that is that!

e.g. iron + ing = ironing

steam + er = steamer

list + less = listless

However, there are four groups of words

which need especial care. Fortunately,

there are some straightforward rules

which save your learning thousands of

words individually.

(i) The 1-1-1 rule

This rule applies to:

words of ONE syllable

ending with ONE consonant

preceded by ONE vowel

e.g. drop, ﬂat, sun, win.

When you add an ending beginning

with a consonant to a l-l-l word, there

is no change to the base word:

drop + let = droplet

ﬂat + ly = ﬂatly

win + some = winsome

When you add an ending beginning

with a vowel to a l-l-l word, you

double the ﬁnal letter of the base

word:

drop + ed = dropped

ﬂat + est = ﬂattest

win + ing = winning

sun + *y = sunny

*y counts as a vowel when it

sounds like i or e.

See VOWELS.

Treat qu as one letter:

quit + ing = quitting

quip + ed = quipped

Don’t double ﬁnal w and x. They

would look very odd and so we have

correctly:

tax + ing = taxing

paw + ed = pawed

(ii) The magic -e rule

This rule applies to all words ending

with a silent -e.

e.g. hope, care, achieve, sincere,

separate.

When you add an ending beginning

with a consonant, keep the -e:

hope + ful = hopeful

care + less = careless

sincere + ly = sincerely

separate + ly = separately

achieve + ment = achievement

When you add an ending beginning

with a vowel, drop the -e:

hope + ing = hoping

care + er = carer

sincere + ity = sincerity

separate + ion = separation

achieve + ed = achieved

Do, however, keep the -e in words

like singeing (diﬀerent from singing)

and dyeing (diﬀerent from dying) and

whenever you need to keep the

identity of the base word clear (e.g.

shoeing, canoeing).

Do remember to keep the -e with

soft c and soft g words. It’s the e that

keeps them soft (courageous,

traceable). (See SOFT C AND SOFT G.)

Don’t keep the -e with these eight

exceptions to the rule: truly, duly,

ninth, argument, wholly, awful,

whilst, wisdom.

(iii) -y rule

This rule applies to all words ending

in -y. Look at the letter before the -y

in the base word.

It doesn’t matter at all what kind of

ending you are adding. When you add

an ending to a word ending in a

vowel + y, keep the y:

portray + ed = portrayed

employ + ment = employment

When you add an ending to a word

ending in a consonant + y, change

the y to i:

try +al = trial

empty + er = emptier

pity + less = pitiless

lazy + ness = laziness

Do keep the y when adding -ing. Two

i’s together would look very odd,

despite our two words ski-ing and

taxi-ing.

try + ing = trying

empty + ing = emptying

Don’t apply the rule in these fourteen

cases: daily, gaily, gaiety, laid, paid,

said, slain, babyhood, shyly, shyness,

dryness, slyness, wryly, wryness.

(iv) The 2-1-1 rule

This rule applies to:

words of TWO syllables

ending with ONE consonant

preceded by ONE vowel.

With this rule, it all depends on

which syllable of the word is stressed.

The 2-1-1 words below are stressed

on the ﬁrst syllable, and both vowel

and consonant endings are added

without any complications:

gossip gossiping

target targeted

limit limitless

eager eagerness

But note that kidnap, outﬁt, worship,

always double their ﬁnal letter:

kidnapped, outﬁtter, worshipping

Take care with 2-1-1 words which are

stressed on the second syllable. There

is no change when you add a

consonant ending:

forget + ful = forgetful

equip + ment = equipment

Double the ﬁnal consonant of the base

word when you add a vowel ending:

forget + ing = forgetting

equip + ed = equipped

forbid + en = forbidden

begin + er = beginner

This rule is really valuable but you

must be aware of some exceptions:

" 2-1-1 words ending in -l seem to have

a rule all of their own. Whether the

stress is on the ﬁrst or the second

syllable, there is no change when a

consonantendingisadded:

quarrel + some = quarrelsome

instal + ment = instalment

Double the -l when adding a vowel

ending:

quarrel + ing = quarrelling

instal + ed = installed

excel + ent = excellent

" Notice how the change of stress in

these words aﬀects the spelling:

confer conferred conferring conference

defer deferred deferring deference

infer inferred inferring inference

prefer preferred preferring preference

refer referred referring reference

transfer transferred transferring transference

See also -ABLE/-IBLE; -ANCE,-ANT/-ENCE,-ENT;

-CAL/-CLE; -FUL;-LY.

Privacy Policy

2009-02-08T03:47:00.000-08:00

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English Grammar (2)

2009-01-15T14:24:00.000-08:00

Parts of Speech and Word Order

1. Parts of Speech:

If you know the part of speech of the word you are using, you can use it correctly and if you do not know the part of speech of your word, look this up in a dictionary.

The parts of speech in English are:

Nouns:	boy, girl, happiness, reading, .....
Verbs:	play, go, .....
Pronouns:	he, she,..... [There are many types that will be dealt with later] this, which, someone.
Adjectives:	happy, nice.....
Adverbs:	tomorrow, quickly.....
Prepositions:	in, at, on.....
Articles:	the, a (definite and indefinite)
Conjunctions:	(Joining words or connectors of all types) and, but, although, .....

2. Word Order:

Word order in English, unlike some other languages, is relatively fixed and the first step of mastering the English language is to know the word order and the parts of speech. The following is the word order in simple sentences:

First place

Subject

(The doer of

the verb)

The boy

Second place

Verb

plays

buys

Third place

Complement

(The rest of the

sentence)

in the garden.

books.

For your questions and suggestions, Post a comment

English Culture (2) Ancient England

2008-12-18T05:46:00.000-08:00

Unit 1: Ancient England

Many thousands of years ago, in pre-history, England was part of mainland Europe, connected by a land bridge that has subsequently been covered in water and become the English Channel. It is hard to say exactly when man first came to the lands that were to become the British Isles, but it can be said with certainty that Paleolithic tribes were flourishing there by 8000 BC.

Around 4500 BC, the people living in the area that would become the British Isles emerged from the Paleolithic and into what we now call the Neolithic era. They began building fairly advanced houses out of stone, wood and whalebone, and practiced agriculture and domestication of animals. Though most still lived individually, some began to gather into small villages. It was during the early and middle Neolithic when stone structures known as “henges” began to appear around the landscape. These structures apparently served many purposes; to observe the night sky to determine when to sow and when to harvest, as meeting places for trading of goods and as defensive structures. The most famous of these is, of course, Stonehenge (see the picture above).

Around the time that Stonehenge was built, society moved into the Bronze Age, using bronze to make tools and gold to make jewellery. Trade was steadily increasing: the tin needed to make bronze came almost solely from Cornwall, and the gold from Wales. Products made from these metals were even traded in mainland Europe.

For your questions and suggestions, Post a comment

Answering Interview Questions (2)

2008-12-01T04:11:00.000-08:00

English Learn English Grammar English Language English Learn English Grammar English Language English Learn English Grammar English Language English Learn English Grammar English Language English Learn English Grammar English Language English Learn English Grammar English Language English Learn English Grammar English

Question 1 Tell me about yourself.

TRAPS: Beware; about 80% of all interviews begin with this “innocent” question. Many

candidates, unprepared for the question, skewer themselves by rambling, recapping

their life story, delving into ancient work history or personal matters.

BEST ANSWER: Start with the present and tell why you are well qualified for the

position. Remember that the key to all successful interviewing is to match your

qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. In other words you must sell what the

buyer is buying. This is the single most important strategy in job hunting.

So, before you answer this or any question it's imperative that you try to uncover your

interviewer's greatest need, want, problem or goal.

To do so, make you take these two steps:

1. Do all the homework you can before the interview to uncover this person's wants

and needs (not the generalized needs of the industry or company)

2. As early as you can in the interview, ask for a more complete description of what

the position entails. You might say: “I have a number of accomplishments I'd like

to tell you about, but I want to make the best use of our time together and talk

directly to your needs. To help me do, that, could you tell me more about the

most important priorities of this position? All I know is what I (heard from the

recruiter, read in the classified ad, etc.)”

Then, ALWAYS follow-up with a second and possibly, third question, to draw out his

needs even more. Surprisingly, it's usually this second or third question that unearths

what the interviewer is most looking for.

You might ask simply, "And in addition to that?..." or, "Is there anything else you see as

essential to success in this position?:

This process will not feel easy or natural at first, because it is easier simply to answer

questions, but only if you uncover the employer's wants and needs will your answers

make the most sense. Practice asking these key questions before giving your answers,

the process will feel more natural and you will be light years ahead of the other job

candidates you're competing with.

After uncovering what the employer is looking for, describe why the needs of this job

bear striking parallels to tasks you've succeeded at before. Be sure to illustrate with

specific examples of your responsibilities and especially your achievements, all of which

are geared to present yourself as a perfect match for the needs he has just described.

A-Z Correct English (2) A

2008-10-30T01:57:00.000-07:00

abandon abandoned, abandoning, abandonment (not -bb-)

abattoir (not -bb-)

abbreviate abbreviated, abbreviating, abbreviation (not -b-)

abbreviations See CONTRACTIONS.

-able/-ible Adjectives ending in -able or -ible can be

diﬃcult to spell because both endings

sound identical. You’ll always need to be

on guard with these words and check

each word individually when you are in

doubt, but here are some useful guidelines:

(i) Generally use -able when the

companion word ends in -ation:

abominable, abomination

irritable, irritation

(ii) Generally use -ible when the

companion word ends in -ion:

comprehensible, comprehension

digestible, digestion

(iii) Use -able after hard c and hard g:

practicable (c sounds like k)

navigable (hard g)

(iv) Use -ible after soft c and soft g:

forcible (c sounds like s)

legible (g sounds like j)

See also ADDING ENDINGS (ii); SOFT C AND SOFT G.

abridgement/ Both spellings are correct. Use either but be

abridgment consistent within one piece of writing.

abscess This is a favourite word in spelling quizzes.

(not absess or abcess)

absence absent (not absc-)

absolute absolutely (not absoloute, absoloutely)

absorb absorption. Notice how b changes top here.

abstract nouns See NOUNS.

accept or except? We ACCEPT your apology.

Everybody was there EXCEPT Stephen.

accessary or accessory? If you want to preserve the traditional

distinction in meaning between these two

words, use ACCESSARY to refer to

someone associated with a crime and

ACCESSORY to refer to something that is

added (a fashion accessory or car

accessories). However, the distinction has

now become blurred and it is perfectly

acceptable to use one spelling to cover

both meanings. Of the two, accessory is

the more widely used, but both are

correct.

accessible (not -able)

accidentally The adverb is formed by adding -ly to

accidental. (not accidently)

accommodation This is a favourite word in spelling quizzes

and is frequently seen misspelt on painted signs.

(not accomodation or accommadation)

accross Wrong spelling. See ACROSS.

accumulate (not -mm-)

English Grammar (1)

2008-09-23T23:54:00.000-07:00

Outline of the Course

To the Learner:

This book is designed in such a way as to give you courage and confidence in your first exposure to language at the beginning of your career as a would-be translator. This aim is achieved through the simplicity of the content, organization of material and the minimization of the learn-off by heart tasks that you have to carry out.

The book includes four units. The first is devoted to parts of speech and word order. The second deals with the tenses. The third tackles the passive voice. Unit Four takes up sentence structure dealing with the simple, the compound and the complex together with all the connectors that are

involved in all types of sentences, clauses and phrases, in addition to their semantic and syntactic differences. Only major problems are introduced, others are left to the next term.

The exercises begin by the easiest and move to the more difficult, again to encourage you proceed with your answering them confidently.

General Aims of the Course

1. This book introduces you to the basic problems of the structures of the different types of sentences, essential to being able to read, write and accordingly to translate them correctly.

2. It aims to make you comfortable and confident in dealing with the English language grammar

by setting most of the rules in clear, well-planned tables at the end of each sub-module.

3. It uses everyday, simple, examples to make rules easily remembered and to make the book

suitable for its being a reference.

4. It presents comprehensive exercises to cover all points and check your understanding of the rules and your ability to avoid making mistakes in applying the rule to your writing or translation.

How to Study

Dear learner

In order to help you make the best of your study, we advise you to do the following:

Follow the explanation and examples and make sure that you understand the meaning of the written material. At the end some sub-division, you will find a table that sums up the grammatical rule with the most important

details. Make sure that you are well acquainted with the information. Wherever is required you have also to do some learn-off by heart tasks that are minimized in this book. Do not simply read the chapters and pencil in some answerers, but rather copy out whole sentences. It is the complete sentences that make up the language not the single words, however many, or memorizing the rules.

The Assessment Guide

This guide helps you measure your progress. Check your answers:

If you are able to answer 75٪ of the exercises correctly, you have successfully grasped this point —> Good effort. ***

From 75٪ to 50٪: maybe you lost some of the points and you need to quickly revise them to see what is wrong. **

From 50٪ to below: Perhaps you were tired or you are confused about many points. The best thing is that you start working tomorrow and begin by viewing the lesson again. I am sure the results will be better. *

Good Luck

English Culture (1)

2008-09-23T23:45:00.000-07:00

Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL

PREFACE

This book is designed to familiarize the students

taking a first university course in translation with the

essential British historical and cultural background. Part I

succinctly sums up the major historical periods in the

British history. It is divided into 8 units covering the

beginnings of British history up to the Elizabethan Age.

Part II contains 9 units. They are intended to acquaint

the students with some of the most distinguished figures in

British culture, including men of letters, thinkers, scientists

and politicians.

The course is necessarily elementary: but an

elementary course can be more successful in practice than

high-aiming, sophisticated courses which often misfire.

Soon PART I ( Historical Background )

Answering Interview Questions (1)

2008-09-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

in Answering Interview Questions

Everyone is nervous on interviews. If you simply allow yourself to feel nervous, you'll do much better. Remember also that it's difficult for the interviewer as well.

In general, be upbeat and positive. Never be negative.

Rehearse your answers and time them. Never talk for more than 2 minutes straight.

Don't try to memorize answers word for word. Use the answers shown here as a guide only, and don't be afraid to include your own thoughts and words. To help you remember key concepts, jot down and review a few key words for each answer. Rehearse your answers frequently, and they will come to you naturally in interviews.

As you will read in the accompanying report, the single most important strategy in interviewing, as in all phases of your job search, is what we call: "The Greatest Executive Job Finding Secret." And that is...
Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL , Learn English, English language, ESL ,

Find out what people want, than show them how you can help them get it.

Find out what an employer wants most in his or her ideal candidate, then show how you meet those qualifications.

In other words, you must match your abilities, with the needs of the employer. You must sell what the buyer is buying. To do that, before you know what to emphasize in your answers, you must find out what the buyer is buying... what he is looking for. And the best way to do that is to ask a few questions yourself.

You will see how to bring this off skillfully as you read the first two questions of this report. But regardless of how you accomplish it, you must remember this strategy above all: before blurting out your qualifications, you must get some idea of what the employer wants most. Once you know what he wants, you can then present your qualifications as the perfect “key” that fits the “lock” of that position.

• Other important interview strategies:
• Turn weaknesses into strengths (You'll see how to do this in a few moments.)
• Think before you answer. A pause to collect your thoughts is a hallmark of a thoughtful person.

As a daily exercise, practice being more optimistic. For example, try putting a positive spin on events and situations you would normally regard as negative. This is not meant to turn you into a Pollyanna, but to sharpen your selling skills. The best salespeople, as well as the best liked interview candidates, come off as being naturally optimistic, "can do" people. You will dramatically raise your level of attractiveness by daily practicing to be more optimistic.

Be honest...never lie.

Keep an interview diary. Right after each interview note what you did right, what could have gone a little better, and what steps you should take next with this contact. Then take those steps. Don't be like the 95% of humanity who say they will follow up on something, but never do.

About the 64 questions...

You might feel that the answers to the following questions are “canned”, and that they will seldom match up with the exact way you are asked the questions in actual interviews. The questions and answers are designed to be as specific and realistic as possible. But no preparation can anticipate thousands of possible variations on these questions. What's important is that you thoroughly familiarize yourself with the main strategies behind each answer. And it will be invaluable to you if you commit to memory a few key words that let you instantly call to mind your best answer to the various questions. If you do this, and follow the principles of successful interviewing presented here, you're going to do very well.

Good luck...and good job-hunting!

Soon Answering Question 1

A-Z Correct English (1)

2008-09-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

How to deal with this part:

For ease of reference, all the entries in this part have been listed alphabetically rather than being divided into separate spelling, usage,punctuation and grammar sections.You will therefore ﬁnd hypocrisy following hyphens; paragraphing following paraﬃn; who or whom? following whiskey or whisky?; and so on.

WANT TO CHECK A SPELLING?

Cross-referencing will help you locate words with tricky initial letters.

aquaint Wrong spelling. See ACQUAINT.

Plural words are given alongside singular nouns, with cross-referencing to relevant rules and patterns.

knife (singular) knives (plural). See PLURALS (v).

There is also a general section on plurals and another on foreign plurals.
If it’s the complication of adding an ending that is causing youtrouble, you will ﬁnd some words listed with a useful cross-reference.

dining or dinning? dine + ing = dining (as in dining room)din + ing = dinning (noise dinning in ears)See ADDING ENDINGS (i) and (ii).

There are individual entries for confusing endings like -able/-ible;-ance,-ant/-ence,-ent; -cal/-cle; -ise or -ize? and for confusingbeginnings like ante-/anti-; for-/fore-; hyper-/hypo-; inter-/intra-and many others.

soon we will start with letter (A)

Surprise

2008-03-07T08:29:00.000-08:00