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Showing posts with the label grammar

What is the shortest complete sentence in English?

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There are two main candidates for the shortest sentence in the English language. 

Ten most used verbs in English?

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Photo by  Brett Jordan  on  Unsplash

Should Elvis have been 'shaken up"?

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shake  up 1.  To  upset  by or as if by a  physical   jolt  or  shock:   was   badly   shaken  up by  the   accident.   Source Freedictionary.com

What are phrasal verbs? Why are they difficult to learn?

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What is the Oxford comma?

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What is the subjunctive?

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Not a tense but a mood -  the subjunctive is one of the most complex grammatical forms. It is used to describe a wish or suggestion.   If I were a rich man (but I am not) I would .... The subjunctive is used with modal verbs (could, should etc). Some of the rules around it vary but the key one is that it takes the infinitive without 'to' in the present tense e.g  You should be okay. For a very detailed usage and exercises go  here :  English Language 100 FAQ   - only £1.99 Advanced Grammar in Use With CD ROM Common Errors in English Usage 2nd Edition English Grammar For Dummies

Why are there irregular verbs?

There are thousands of regular verbs ( paint, walk)  - and less than two hundred irregular verbs.  Yet it is those awkward irregulars which dominate in spoken in English ( see here ). English Language 100 FAQ Teaching Pack     -  only £1.99 using discount code  CQDWKF0 Grammar Girl has a slightly different take here - and talks about verbs becoming irregular in her most recent podcast. Use offer code CQDWKF0 to download English FAQ Teaching Pack  for only £1.99

What are phrasal verbs? Is there an easy way to learn them?

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phrasal verb noun   [ C ]   / ˌfreɪ.z ə lˈvɜːb /       / -ˈvɝːb / a phrase that consists of a verb with a preposition or adverb or both, the meaning of which is different from the meaning of its separate parts: 'Look after', 'work out' and 'make up for' are all phrasal verbs. Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus  A phrasal verb is a verb with two parts; the verb and a preposition. The preposition changes the meaning of the verb - to turn on a light is different from to turn a corner. Is there an easy way to learn phrasal verbs? Not if 'easy' means without practice. Phrasal verbs are tricky for English language learners because there are no universal rules. They are the inner secrets of the language; available only to those with the curiosity and patience to discover them. There are, however, a few useful guidelines that can help - see here : Use offer code CQDWKF0 to download English FAQ Teach

Is English grammar easier than other language?

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Robert McCrum, the writer of the influential  How the English Language Became the World's Language   has suggested that 'English .. has a grammar of great simplicity"  The argument for this is broadly as follows: English grammar is based on simplified form of German Verb conjugation is simple for regular verbs: four  endings for regular English verbs ( paint/paints/painted/painting ).  French, German & other key languages have  50+. There are fewer irregular verbs - and most are irregular in the same way. Written & spoken forms are comparatively similar English.  Noun and adjectival forms do not divide by gender Adjectives do not change form for plural nouns ( blue car/blue cars ) A version of this post is included in  50 FAQ about English    ($1.75)

What is Fowler’s Modern English?

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A Dictionary of Modern English Usage (1926), by Henry W. Fowler (1858–1933), is a style guide to British English usage, pronunciation, and writing. Ranging from plurals and literary technique to the distinctions among like words (homonyms, synonyms, etc.), to foreign-term use, it became the standard for most style guides that followed and remains in print.   source Fowler's legacy is claimed by both the descriptivist and prescriptivist  schools of linguistics. David Crystal (perhaps the leading descriptivist) has written the introduction to the new edition . A version of this post is included in  50 FAQ about English    ($1.75) A Dictionary of Modern English Usage: Classic First Edition  Begat: The King James Bible and the English Language

Hardest languages for English speakers to learn?

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According to research done by foreign language department of US State Dept Cantonese - the form of Chinese spoken in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province (150 million+ speakers) - presents a particular challenge for English speakers.  There are 6 different tones in Cantonese. You must rise, maintain or lower the relative pitch of your voice to "sing" each word. For example, in English we naturally use a falling tone at the end of a statement ( You came. ) and a rising tone at the end of a question ( You came? ). To be understood in Cantonese, it is essential that you master the six tones. If you use the wrong tone, you are probably saying a completely different word.     In the written form all Chinese languages (Mandarin, Cantonese etc) share one system. But the spoken forms are as distinct as Spanish and Portuguese. A version of this post is included in  50 FAQ about English    ($1.75)

Which languages are easiest for English speakers to learn?

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According to research done by foreign language department of US State Dept Interesting that German is not in this group as English is essentially a Germanic language. Though it shares substantial vocabulary with the five Romance languages, they are completely distinct in terms of grammar & structure - see here . Norwegian, Swedish & Dutch speakers of English routinely astonish natives with their facility for local idioms. Does the reverse apply when English speakers learn Nordic languages? I suspect not but would like to be corrected ... A version of this post is included in  50 FAQ about English    ($1.75)

Is it wrong to split an infinitive?

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To boldly split the infinitive is fine - listen below: Listen! This is what Fowler says in his classic Dictionary of Modern Usage (1926). The English-speaking world may be divided into (1) those who neither know nor care what a split infinitive is; (2) those who do not know, but care very much; (3) those who know and condemn; (4) those who know and approve; and (5) those who know and distinguish. Those who neither know nor care are the vast majority, and are happy folk, to be envied. A Dictionary of Modern English Usage: The Classic First Edition  Grammar For Dummies Pocket Fowler's Modern English Usage (Oxford Paperback Reference) The Language Wars: A History of Proper English. by Henry Hitchings

Why is English a 'weird' language?

According to linguist John McWhorter it's because the Vikings learned it badly!

Is the misuse of the apostrophe a modern problem?

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Not according to Henry Hitchings new book: ‘The Language Wars: A History of Proper English' in the 18th-century authors were sprinkling apostrophes over everything. Though you may think the shopkeeper is ignorant and wrong to advertise “CD’s & Video’s”, he has history on his side.   From the Economist Hitchings goes on to suggest that the apostrophe may be nearing its sell by date. Tell me this isn’t true, I can’t live in a world without contractions .... Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation The Language Wars: A History of Proper English

Is English an 'easy' language to learn?

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Not according to millions of student of English as a foreign language! But English does have some 'user friendly features as an OUP lexicographer explains in this short extract from a BBC interview Easy English (ESL)