In English we have five different future tenses;
Future will,
Future going to,
Present continuous used as future,
Future prefect simple and
Future perfect continuous
However the subject of today’s post is future will. Click here to see my mini lesson on Youtube about the subject.
First lets consider the construction of future will.
When we construct will in the future tense we use will + the infinitive, without “to”.
For example:
I think the team will win the game.
In this example you can see will + the infinitive of win, used without “to”
It is wrong to say:
I think the team will to win
There are three possible ways of expressing will in the future tense.
1) When we want to express a prediction
Example:
I think the team will win the game.
This means I am not 100% sure the team will win, but I am confident that they can win the game.
2) When we make a decision at the moment of speaking
Example:
I ask you, “Would you like to come to the cinema with me tonight?”
This is the first time you have heard me ask you this question and you decide your answer as I finish my question, so you answer
“Yes I will” or “No I won’t”
3) When we make a promise
Example
“I promise when I am elected I will lower the taxes”
As you can see will is used to express three different situations in English.
If you would like to learn more then click here to go to my website http://www.smartlanguagesolutions.com
Friday, 23 November 2007
The Phone!
My latest post on Youtube is about the phone, click here to see it.
I have two phones, one is in my house, it is my landline, the other is in my pocket.
The phone I keep in my pocket I take everywhere with me. Because I live in the UK I call this phone my mobile phone. If I wanted the phone number of the phone a British person takes everywhere with them I would ask them for their mobile phone number.
However when I go America I don’t call it my mobile phone anymore, I call it my cell phone. So if I wanted to ask an American person for the number of the phone they take everywhere with them I would ask them for their cell phone number!
If you would like to learn more, click here to go to my website www.smartlanguagesolutuions.com
I have two phones, one is in my house, it is my landline, the other is in my pocket.
The phone I keep in my pocket I take everywhere with me. Because I live in the UK I call this phone my mobile phone. If I wanted the phone number of the phone a British person takes everywhere with them I would ask them for their mobile phone number.
However when I go America I don’t call it my mobile phone anymore, I call it my cell phone. So if I wanted to ask an American person for the number of the phone they take everywhere with them I would ask them for their cell phone number!
If you would like to learn more, click here to go to my website www.smartlanguagesolutuions.com
Thursday, 22 November 2007
Part of the car!
In this post I would like to look at six words that are used to describe the same three parts of a car depending on whether you are speaking British English or American English.
Click here and you can see the mini lesson I posted on YouTube.
The reason I decided to write about this subject is due to the amount of American and British movies and TV shows that are seen around the world and how ubiquitous the car is in movies & TV shows.
The first part of the car I want to look at is the space at the back, where we might put our shopping or bags (or where in the movies or on TV the “bad guy” or mafia hit man might put a body!)
In British English this space is called the BOOT, so a British person would say, “I put the bags in the boot”
While in American English this space is called the trunk, so an American would say, “I put the bags in the trunk”
The second part of the car I want to discuss is the front end, where the engine is. The piece of metal that covers the engine has, like the space at the back, two different words describing it depending on where you come from.
In British English this piece of metal is called the BONNET, so a British person would say, “The engine is under the bonnet”.
While in American English this piece of metal is called the HOOD, so an America would say, “the engine is under the hood”.
Finally for now, I want to discuss the matter of speed. When an English person wants you to go faster they would say “I want you to accelerate”.
However if an American wants you to go faster they would say “I want you to give gas”.
If you want more then click here to check out our website www.smartlanguagesolutions.com
Vocabulary:
Ubiquitous – To be seen to be everywhere at the same time
Shopping – Items bought in a shop and stored together for transport by an individual
Bad Guy – In a movie, TV show, book, play etc. the person who is the evil character.
Click here and you can see the mini lesson I posted on YouTube.
The reason I decided to write about this subject is due to the amount of American and British movies and TV shows that are seen around the world and how ubiquitous the car is in movies & TV shows.
The first part of the car I want to look at is the space at the back, where we might put our shopping or bags (or where in the movies or on TV the “bad guy” or mafia hit man might put a body!)
In British English this space is called the BOOT, so a British person would say, “I put the bags in the boot”
While in American English this space is called the trunk, so an American would say, “I put the bags in the trunk”
The second part of the car I want to discuss is the front end, where the engine is. The piece of metal that covers the engine has, like the space at the back, two different words describing it depending on where you come from.
In British English this piece of metal is called the BONNET, so a British person would say, “The engine is under the bonnet”.
While in American English this piece of metal is called the HOOD, so an America would say, “the engine is under the hood”.
Finally for now, I want to discuss the matter of speed. When an English person wants you to go faster they would say “I want you to accelerate”.
However if an American wants you to go faster they would say “I want you to give gas”.
If you want more then click here to check out our website www.smartlanguagesolutions.com
Vocabulary:
Ubiquitous – To be seen to be everywhere at the same time
Shopping – Items bought in a shop and stored together for transport by an individual
Bad Guy – In a movie, TV show, book, play etc. the person who is the evil character.
Monday, 19 November 2007
In this post I would like to talk about the idiomatic expression, “Part of the Furniture”.
The other day while teaching an online lesson at Smart Language Solutions I was asked by a student, why, in English the expression “part of the furniture” is used to talk about people and not about the furniture. I have a short video lesson on the subject on YouTube and you can find it by clicking here.
At first glance it would seem that the expression “part of the furniture” would refer only to a piece of the furniture, and this would be the case when we are directly talking about the furniture. However in English when describing a piece of furniture we would normally name that piece of furniture
For example we went to a furniture store and bought a new sofa. When we got home and put the sofa home together we saw some screws on the ground and we realised that the screws were part of the sofa. As you can see here we say part of the sofa, and not part of the furniture!
So when we use the expression “Part of the furniture” we are not talking about furniture at all! In fact we use the expression, “part of the furniture” to describe a person.
When we say someone is “part of the furniture” it means that the person in question has been in a position in any organisation such as job or voluntary group for a long, long time.
So for example, you are in your job and there is one person who has worked in the company for a long time then we can that person is part of the furniture.
In other words, “John has worked in this company for 20 years, in fact John is here so long he is part of the furniture”
If you want more on this or any other English matter click here to visit my website, www.smartlanguagesolutions.com
The other day while teaching an online lesson at Smart Language Solutions I was asked by a student, why, in English the expression “part of the furniture” is used to talk about people and not about the furniture. I have a short video lesson on the subject on YouTube and you can find it by clicking here.
At first glance it would seem that the expression “part of the furniture” would refer only to a piece of the furniture, and this would be the case when we are directly talking about the furniture. However in English when describing a piece of furniture we would normally name that piece of furniture
For example we went to a furniture store and bought a new sofa. When we got home and put the sofa home together we saw some screws on the ground and we realised that the screws were part of the sofa. As you can see here we say part of the sofa, and not part of the furniture!
So when we use the expression “Part of the furniture” we are not talking about furniture at all! In fact we use the expression, “part of the furniture” to describe a person.
When we say someone is “part of the furniture” it means that the person in question has been in a position in any organisation such as job or voluntary group for a long, long time.
So for example, you are in your job and there is one person who has worked in the company for a long time then we can that person is part of the furniture.
In other words, “John has worked in this company for 20 years, in fact John is here so long he is part of the furniture”
If you want more on this or any other English matter click here to visit my website, www.smartlanguagesolutions.com
Friday, 16 November 2007
In this post I want to address the use of “used to”. Click here for my YouTube mini lesson on the subject.
Before we talk about "used to" we need to quickly consider the uses of the present simple tense.
In English we use the present simple to express something that is a habit, or something that happens regularly.
For example: “She drinks a lot of coffee”
The present simple is also used to express something that is true.
For example: “The hotel is over there”
Once you are comfortable with the present simple it is possible to look at “used to”.
In English “used to” is used to express two types of past situations.
1) An action that happen in the past, that was a habit or happened again and again, but no longer happens.
Example: “She used to drink a lot of coffee, but now she doesn’t”
2) When something was true in the past but no longer is.
Example: “There used to be a hotel over there, but now it is an apartment block”.
Don’t confuse “used to” with “get used to doing something” which is used to express when some action becomes normal for us.
Also don’t confuse “used to” with “to be used to doing something” which is used to express when something is normal for the speaker.
For more on learning English click here to go to my website www.smartlanguagesolutions.com
Before we talk about "used to" we need to quickly consider the uses of the present simple tense.
In English we use the present simple to express something that is a habit, or something that happens regularly.
For example: “She drinks a lot of coffee”
The present simple is also used to express something that is true.
For example: “The hotel is over there”
Once you are comfortable with the present simple it is possible to look at “used to”.
In English “used to” is used to express two types of past situations.
1) An action that happen in the past, that was a habit or happened again and again, but no longer happens.
Example: “She used to drink a lot of coffee, but now she doesn’t”
2) When something was true in the past but no longer is.
Example: “There used to be a hotel over there, but now it is an apartment block”.
Don’t confuse “used to” with “get used to doing something” which is used to express when some action becomes normal for us.
Also don’t confuse “used to” with “to be used to doing something” which is used to express when something is normal for the speaker.
For more on learning English click here to go to my website www.smartlanguagesolutions.com
Recently I was listening to the radio and there was a discussion on what had happened on the stock market that day. The people involved in the conversation started to use some stock market slang, slang that is frequently used on radio and TV broadcasts and in the print media and I realised that it might be interesting to look at some of these terms, you can get more information from my YouTube mini lesson by clicking here.
The short list of stock market slang terms I am about to share with you is just that, a short list, it is not complete but it is a start.
When you go to the Wall St. district of New York you will see a big brass statue of a bull. Traditionally the terms bull is used to describe one market situation and the term bear describes a different market situations, these two words are the most commonly used stock market slang terms.
A bull or bullish market is when stock prices go up
A bear or bearish market is when stock prices go.
Another typical term used in the market is, crash.
In fact you might hear the term or read the phrase “today the market crashed”.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the market lost all of the value of its shares, rather it means that the market value dropped by 10% or more in one days trading.
Another interesting slang term is V Rally, this happens when stock traders, usually on the floor of the stock market, sell a large amount of stock. What should happen at this point is a drop in the price of shares, the market should become bearish. However rather than falling all the way the market becomes bullish, i.e. goes up again. This bull trend normally occurs because of online trading.
So the term V Rally comes from the V shape that happens on a graph when the market goes down and then back up again.
Finally for now, let’s look at the market slang “All the boats rise”. This happens when the market is bullish and as a result the majority of stocks rise in value regardless of their true market worth. The phrase “all the boats rise” comes from the world of the sea.
If you have every been to a harbour and the tide is out all the boats will be low down by the harbour wall, however as the tide comes back in all the boats, regardless of size will come up to the top of the harbour wall again, and this is where the phrase “all the boats rise” comes from.
For more click here to check out thewebsite, www.smartlangaugesolutions.com
The short list of stock market slang terms I am about to share with you is just that, a short list, it is not complete but it is a start.
When you go to the Wall St. district of New York you will see a big brass statue of a bull. Traditionally the terms bull is used to describe one market situation and the term bear describes a different market situations, these two words are the most commonly used stock market slang terms.
A bull or bullish market is when stock prices go up
A bear or bearish market is when stock prices go.
Another typical term used in the market is, crash.
In fact you might hear the term or read the phrase “today the market crashed”.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the market lost all of the value of its shares, rather it means that the market value dropped by 10% or more in one days trading.
Another interesting slang term is V Rally, this happens when stock traders, usually on the floor of the stock market, sell a large amount of stock. What should happen at this point is a drop in the price of shares, the market should become bearish. However rather than falling all the way the market becomes bullish, i.e. goes up again. This bull trend normally occurs because of online trading.
So the term V Rally comes from the V shape that happens on a graph when the market goes down and then back up again.
Finally for now, let’s look at the market slang “All the boats rise”. This happens when the market is bullish and as a result the majority of stocks rise in value regardless of their true market worth. The phrase “all the boats rise” comes from the world of the sea.
If you have every been to a harbour and the tide is out all the boats will be low down by the harbour wall, however as the tide comes back in all the boats, regardless of size will come up to the top of the harbour wall again, and this is where the phrase “all the boats rise” comes from.
For more click here to check out thewebsite, www.smartlangaugesolutions.com
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
In this post I want to talk a little about one of my favour subjects, the difference between US (American) English and UK (British) English.
Check out Youtube (click here) to see what I am talking about.
I want to talk about the world of university education. People who are studding for a degree in university in both countries are called undergraduates, or either undergrads or grads for short. If you complete your degree and continue to the next level of university education you are called a postgraduate student.
The purpose of this post is to look at how undergraduates are called through the years of study.
In British English when you are in your first year of university you are called a:
1st Year undergraduate
While in US English you are called a:
Freshman (for both male and females)
In British English when you are in your second year of university you are called a:
2nd year undergraduate
While in US English you are called a:
Sophomore
In British English when you are in your third year of study at university you are called a:
3rd year undergraduate
While in US English you are called a:
Junior
In British English when you are in your fourth year at university you are called a:
4th year undergraduate
While in US English you are called a:
Senior
Before I finish for this post a let me give you a tip on an import difference between British English and US English, one that could save you hours in lifts in tall buildings.
What in American English is called the first floor, is in British English the ground floor!
So in American buildings and Lifts you will see, first floor, second floor, third floor and so on.
While in UK buildings and lifts you will see ground floor, first floor second floor and so on.
Hope this helps, for more information click here to check out my website, www.smartlanguagesolutions.com
Check out Youtube (click here) to see what I am talking about.
I want to talk about the world of university education. People who are studding for a degree in university in both countries are called undergraduates, or either undergrads or grads for short. If you complete your degree and continue to the next level of university education you are called a postgraduate student.
The purpose of this post is to look at how undergraduates are called through the years of study.
In British English when you are in your first year of university you are called a:
1st Year undergraduate
While in US English you are called a:
Freshman (for both male and females)
In British English when you are in your second year of university you are called a:
2nd year undergraduate
While in US English you are called a:
Sophomore
In British English when you are in your third year of study at university you are called a:
3rd year undergraduate
While in US English you are called a:
Junior
In British English when you are in your fourth year at university you are called a:
4th year undergraduate
While in US English you are called a:
Senior
Before I finish for this post a let me give you a tip on an import difference between British English and US English, one that could save you hours in lifts in tall buildings.
What in American English is called the first floor, is in British English the ground floor!
So in American buildings and Lifts you will see, first floor, second floor, third floor and so on.
While in UK buildings and lifts you will see ground floor, first floor second floor and so on.
Hope this helps, for more information click here to check out my website, www.smartlanguagesolutions.com
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