Thursday, April 30, 2015
Word of the Week
Exacerbate [ex·ac·er·bate]
transitive verb.
1. To make more violent, bitter, or severe; to irritate or make worse.
2. to make (a bad situation, a problem, etc.) worse
2. to make (a bad situation, a problem, etc.) worse
Example in a sentence:
“The continued delays were greatly exacerbated by the lack of workers on the project.”
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
WE Level 05
WE LEVEL 5
CEVAZ
REVIEW
Using the words in parentheses, complete the
text below with the appropriate tenses Simple Present or Present Progressive.
1. Every Monday, Sally (drive)__________
her kids to football practice.
2. Usually, I (work)_________ as a
secretary at ABT, but this summer I (study) __________ French at a language
school in Paris. That is why I am in Paris.
3.Shhhhh! Be quiet! John___________ (sleep) .
4. Don't forget to take your umbrella. It______________ (rain) .
5. I hate living in Seattle because it _______________(rain, always) .
6. I'm sorry I can't hear what you (say) ____________ because everybody
(talk)___________ so loudly.
7. Justin (write, currently)__________________ a book about his adventures in Tibet. I hope
he can find a good publisher when he is finished.
8. Jim: Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?
Denise: Oh, I'm sorry,
I can't. I (go)________________ to a
movie tonight with some friends.
9. The business cards (be, normally )_________________ printed by a company in New York. Their
prices (be)_______ inexpensive, yet the
quality of their work is quite good.
10. This delicious chocolate (be) _______ made by a small chocolatier in
Zurich, Switzerland.
Complete the following sentences in Simple Future
(will or be going to) plus the verb in parentheses.
1. A: Why are you holding a piece of paper?
B: I (write)
_____________ a letter to my friends back home in Texas.
2. A: I'm about to fall asleep. I need to wake up!
B: I (get)
_____________ you a cup of coffee. That will wake you up.
3. A: I can't hear the television!
B: I (turn)
______________it up so you can hear it.
4. We are so excited about our trip next month to France. We (visit)
____________Paris, Nice and Grenoble.
5. Sarah (come) ______________to the party. Oliver (be) will be there as
well.
6. Ted: It is so hot in here!
Sarah: I (turn)
______________the air-conditioning on.
7. I think he (be)______________ the next President of the United States.
8. After I graduate, I (attend) ____________ medical school and become a
doctor. I have wanted to be a doctor all my life.
9. A: Excuse me, I need to talk to someone about our hotel room. I am
afraid it is simply too small for four people.
B: That man at the service
counter (help) ______________ you.
10. As soon as the weather clears up, we (walk)
______________down to the beach and go swimming.
B.- Complete the following sentences using the Simple
Past form of the verb in parentheses.
1. It was warm, so I ___________
off my coat. (take)
2. The film wasn't
very good. I ____________ it very much. (not/enjoy)
3. I knew Sarah was
very busy, so I___________ her. (not/disturb)
4. I was very tired,
so I __________ to bed early. (go)
5. The bed was very
uncomfortable. I__________ very well. (not/sleep)
6. Sue wasn't hungry,
so she__________ anything. (not/eat)
7. We went to Kate's
house but she _________ at home. (not be)
8. It was a funny
situation but nobody___________ (laugh)
9. The window was open
and a bird___________ into the room.
(fly)
10. _______ you
_________(understand) yesterday’s
English lesson?
C.- Write the correct form of going to or will
to complete the dialogue.
LAURA: What are you
doing this weekend, Jan?
TANYA: I ____________________
(see) a new play tomorrow at the Royal Court theater.
LAURA: Have you got
the tickets yet?
TANYA: NO, I ___________________ (get) them this afternoon, actually. Would you
like to come?
LAURA: Oh, thank you,
that would be nice.
TANYA: OK, I ___________________
(get) you a ticket too.
LAURA: Great ... what
time does it start?
TANYA: Eight o'clock,
but we __________________________ (all meet) in the Green Cafe at 7.15.
LAURA: OK, I_____________ (meet) you in the cafe, but, I _____________
(be) there around 7.30.
TANYA: That's fine.
LAURA: Oh, one other
thing ... I've got no money at the moment... I__________ (pay) for the ticket on Saturday. Is that OK?
TANYA: Yes, that's OK,
no problem.
LAURA: Great! Why
don't we go eat something in the restaurant?
TANYA: That's a good
idea. I__________ (phone) the others and
see if they want to come too.
LAURA: Good, and I ____________ (book) a table for us.
TANYA: Great! I _______________ (meet) you there in a moment.
D.-Match each normal adjective with an emphatic
adjectives from the list below.
Good______________ Tired_____________ Old______________ Bad____________
Empty_____________
Big___________ Clean____________ Dirty_____________
Scary____________
Pretty____________ Ugly_____________
Small____________
Fascinating Tiny Terrifying Spotless Deserted Exhausted
Gorgeous Horrible Filthy Immense Ancient Terrible
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Monday, April 20, 2015
Saturday, April 18, 2015
5 Strange Sentences in English
English could be one of the most interesting languages in the world. Just look at these sentences:
1. Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs.
It’s not just required luggage for surviving the weekend at the in-laws’ house--- this sentence contains every single letter of the alphabet, while using the smallest number of letters to do so. Go ahead and check; they’re all there.
2. This exceeding trifling witling, considering ranting criticizing concerning adopting fitting wording being exhibiting transcending learning, was displaying, notwithstanding ridiculing, surpassing boasting swelling reasoning, respecting correcting erring writing, and touching detecting deceiving arguing during debating.
Ending a word with “ing” can make it a noun, verb, or adjective, depending on how you use it. This sentence, found in a 19th century grammar book, explores just how far we can take the versatile “ing” if we put our minds to it. If you take the time to really dissect this sentence, it’s not as crazy as it initially appears: "This very superficial grammatist, supposing empty criticism about the adoption of proper phraseology to be a show of extraordinary erudition, was displaying, in spite of ridicule, a very boastful turgid argument concerning the correction of false syntax, and about the detection of false logic in debate." Well, I guess it’s just slightly less confusing.
3. A woman without her man is nothing.
This has made the rounds on the internet for a while now, but it’s still a
fascinating look at how punctuation can completely change the meaning of a sentence. As the story goes, a professor told his class to correctly punctuate the sentence. The males in the classroom wrote, “A woman, without her man, is nothing.” The women in the class wrote, “A woman: without her, man is nothing.” With just a simple change in punctuation, the entire meaning of the sentence was changed in an instant.
4. “I do not know where family doctors acquired illegibly perplexing handwriting; nevertheless, extraordinary pharmaceutical intellectuality, counterbalancing indecipherability, transcendentalizes intercommunications’ incomprehensibleness.”
Author and recreational linguist Dmitri Borgmann came up with this sentence, in which each word is exactly one letter longer than the one before it. The sentence contains twenty words, and although it’s a little confusing to read, if you take the time to analyze it, you’ll notice that it actually makes complete sense.
5. “I see,” said the blind man as he picked up the hammer and saw.
This sentence plays off the fact that ‘saw’ is both a noun and the past tense of the verb ‘to see.’ It could mean that the hammer allowed the blind man to regain his eyesight, or that he uttered the phrase while picking up two tools.
1. Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs.
It’s not just required luggage for surviving the weekend at the in-laws’ house--- this sentence contains every single letter of the alphabet, while using the smallest number of letters to do so. Go ahead and check; they’re all there.
2. This exceeding trifling witling, considering ranting criticizing concerning adopting fitting wording being exhibiting transcending learning, was displaying, notwithstanding ridiculing, surpassing boasting swelling reasoning, respecting correcting erring writing, and touching detecting deceiving arguing during debating.
Ending a word with “ing” can make it a noun, verb, or adjective, depending on how you use it. This sentence, found in a 19th century grammar book, explores just how far we can take the versatile “ing” if we put our minds to it. If you take the time to really dissect this sentence, it’s not as crazy as it initially appears: "This very superficial grammatist, supposing empty criticism about the adoption of proper phraseology to be a show of extraordinary erudition, was displaying, in spite of ridicule, a very boastful turgid argument concerning the correction of false syntax, and about the detection of false logic in debate." Well, I guess it’s just slightly less confusing.
3. A woman without her man is nothing.
This has made the rounds on the internet for a while now, but it’s still a
fascinating look at how punctuation can completely change the meaning of a sentence. As the story goes, a professor told his class to correctly punctuate the sentence. The males in the classroom wrote, “A woman, without her man, is nothing.” The women in the class wrote, “A woman: without her, man is nothing.” With just a simple change in punctuation, the entire meaning of the sentence was changed in an instant.
4. “I do not know where family doctors acquired illegibly perplexing handwriting; nevertheless, extraordinary pharmaceutical intellectuality, counterbalancing indecipherability, transcendentalizes intercommunications’ incomprehensibleness.”
Author and recreational linguist Dmitri Borgmann came up with this sentence, in which each word is exactly one letter longer than the one before it. The sentence contains twenty words, and although it’s a little confusing to read, if you take the time to analyze it, you’ll notice that it actually makes complete sense.
5. “I see,” said the blind man as he picked up the hammer and saw.
This sentence plays off the fact that ‘saw’ is both a noun and the past tense of the verb ‘to see.’ It could mean that the hammer allowed the blind man to regain his eyesight, or that he uttered the phrase while picking up two tools.
Further reading:
Friday, April 17, 2015
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5 Stange Sentences in English
This is why English is the coolest and craziest language at the same time.
1. I never said she stole my money.
This fun sentence takes on seven different meanings depending on which word is emphasized: [I] never said she stole my money. - Someone else said it. I [never] said she stole my money. - I didn't say it. I never [said] she stole my money. - I only implied it. I never said [she] stole my money. - I said someone did, not necessarily her. I never said she [stole] my money. - I considered it borrowed. I never said she stole [my] money. - Only that she stole money--- not necessarily my own. I never said she stole my [money]. - She stole something of mine, not my money. While this trick works for plenty of other sentences as well, this one’s short and easy to understand.
2. All the faith he had had had had no effect on the outcome of his life.
While it may look like someone copied “had” and pressed the paste button a few too many times, this is actually an example of what happens when the past perfect tense gets used back-to-back. The first and third “hads” are the auxiliary verbs, while the second and fourth ones are the main verbs. Stylistically speaking, the sentence would probably be less confusing if written, “He had had a lot of faith, but it had had no effect on the outcome of his life,” but what fun is that?
4. The horse raced past the barn fell.
You don’t really appreciate little words like “who,” “which,” or “that” until you come across a sentence like this one. The headache you’re experiencing trying to figure this out is due to the presence of a reductive relative clause, which can be seen in sentences like, “The song heard on the radio was beautiful,” instead of, “The song that was heard on the radio was beautiful.” All we have to do to make this a little more simple is change the first part of the sentence: “The horse that was raced past the barn fell.”
5. A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed
The letter combination “-ough” has nine possible pronunciations in English (depending on regional dialect), and this delightful sentence contains them all: “uff,” “oh,” “auh,” “ow,” “uh,” “oo,” “off,” and “uhp.” How’s that for a tongue-twister?
1. I never said she stole my money.
This fun sentence takes on seven different meanings depending on which word is emphasized: [I] never said she stole my money. - Someone else said it. I [never] said she stole my money. - I didn't say it. I never [said] she stole my money. - I only implied it. I never said [she] stole my money. - I said someone did, not necessarily her. I never said she [stole] my money. - I considered it borrowed. I never said she stole [my] money. - Only that she stole money--- not necessarily my own. I never said she stole my [money]. - She stole something of mine, not my money. While this trick works for plenty of other sentences as well, this one’s short and easy to understand.
While it may look like someone copied “had” and pressed the paste button a few too many times, this is actually an example of what happens when the past perfect tense gets used back-to-back. The first and third “hads” are the auxiliary verbs, while the second and fourth ones are the main verbs. Stylistically speaking, the sentence would probably be less confusing if written, “He had had a lot of faith, but it had had no effect on the outcome of his life,” but what fun is that?
3. The complex houses married and single soldiers and their families.
The fun thing about this sentence is that “complex,” “houses,” and “married” can all serve as different parts of speech. We automatically tend to assume that “houses” is a noun, “complex” is an adjective, and “married” is a verb, but when you realize that “complex” is a housing complex and that soldiers who are married are staying there, things make a lot more sense.
The fun thing about this sentence is that “complex,” “houses,” and “married” can all serve as different parts of speech. We automatically tend to assume that “houses” is a noun, “complex” is an adjective, and “married” is a verb, but when you realize that “complex” is a housing complex and that soldiers who are married are staying there, things make a lot more sense.
4. The horse raced past the barn fell.
You don’t really appreciate little words like “who,” “which,” or “that” until you come across a sentence like this one. The headache you’re experiencing trying to figure this out is due to the presence of a reductive relative clause, which can be seen in sentences like, “The song heard on the radio was beautiful,” instead of, “The song that was heard on the radio was beautiful.” All we have to do to make this a little more simple is change the first part of the sentence: “The horse that was raced past the barn fell.”
5. A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed
The letter combination “-ough” has nine possible pronunciations in English (depending on regional dialect), and this delightful sentence contains them all: “uff,” “oh,” “auh,” “ow,” “uh,” “oo,” “off,” and “uhp.” How’s that for a tongue-twister?
For further reading:
Monday, April 13, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
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Riddle of the Week
I can be long, or I can be short.I can be grown, and I can be bought.
I can be painted, or left bare.
I can be round, or I can be square.
What am I?
Answer: Fingernails
—We use Simple Present tense to talk about actions that happen or are repeated as part of a routine or schedule, for habits or scientific facts.Examples:
I play tennis.
She does not play tennis.
Does he play tennis?
The train leaves every morning at 8 AM.
The train does not leave at 9 AM.
When does the train usually leave?
She always forgets her purse.
He never forgets his wallet.
The Earth circles the Sun every twelve months
Form:
The form of the verb changes on Simple Present for 3rd person singular (He/She/It)
Example: I/You/We/They work/watch/fly/do.
He/She/It works/watches/flies/does.
Spelling rules for He/She/It
- Most verbs: add –s live lives buy buys
- —Verbs ending in –s, -sh, -ch add –es. miss misses search searches
- —Verbs ending in a consonant followed by –y; change the –y to –ies. study studies
- Verbs such as do, go, have are irregular. do does go goes have has
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Stative Verbs
The most well-known slogan in the world is actually WRONG !!!!
Stative verbs describe emotions (love, hate), mental states (remember, believe), wants (need, prefer), perceptions (hear, see), appearance (look, seem) and possession (have, own). Avoid the Present Progressive when using these verbs.
Examples:
I like to read.
I want a new laptop.
I don’t remember his name.
"So, we say I’m sorry, I don’t understand rather than I’m not understanding."
"1. Stative verbs are often verbs connected with thinking and opinions.
She doesn’t know what to do NOT
Do you agree with me?
I don’t recognise it, do you?
Other verbs in this group include: believe, doubt, guess, imagine, mean, remember, think
2. Other stative verbs are connected with feelings and emotions
I like this song. Who sings it? NOT
What do you want to do now?
I hate my new boss!
Other stative verbs in this group include: dislike, love, prefer. want, wish
Note; although ‘enjoy’ is a verb of emotion, it is used in the continuous tense
I’m enjoying the party.
3. ‘see’, ‘hear’, ‘taste’, ‘smell’, ‘feel’ are verbs that describe senses.
These verbs aren’t usually used in continuous forms. They are often used with ‘can’.
It smells of smoke in here. NOT
I can’t see anything. It’s too dark.
4. Stative verbs describe things that are not actions.
Look carefully at these 2 sentences:
He smells of fish.
He’s smelling the fish.
The second sentence is an action – not a state. The man wants to know if the fish is OK to eat.
I think we should go to Croatia for our holiday this year.
Sorry, what did you say? I was thinking about my holiday.
The first sentence is an opinion but the second sentence is an action". 1
Sorry, what did you say? I was thinking about my holiday.
The first sentence is an opinion but the second sentence is an action". 1
1, Quoted from:
Word of the Week
adjective:
Definition
1 a : green in tint or color
b : green with growing plants
2: unripe in experience or judgment : green
2: unripe in experience or judgment : green
Examples
The golf course was noted for its tricky hazards and lush, verdant borders along its fairways.
"Her favorite part of the room was the expansive window looking out over a verdant landscape of hills and distant mountains." — SDNews.com (San Diego), March 9, 2015
The golf course was noted for its tricky hazards and lush, verdant borders along its fairways.
"Her favorite part of the room was the expansive window looking out over a verdant landscape of hills and distant mountains." — SDNews.com (San Diego), March 9, 2015
Simple Present vs. Present Progressive
What's the difference between the Present Simple / Present Progressive (or Continuous) and how to use them.We use the present simple tense when we want to talk about fixed habits or routines – things that don’t change.
We use the present continuous to talk about actions which are happening at the present moment, but will soon finish.
Compare these two statements:
(present simple) I play tennis.
(present continuous/ progressive) I am playing tennis.
(present simple) ‘I play tennis’ tells us that playing tennis is something the speaker always does. It is part of a routine or habit. We can call this a permanent situation.
(present continuous/ progressive) ‘I am playing tennis’ tells us that the speaker is playing tennis right now. Soon the game will be over. We call this a temporary situation.
With the present simple we say:
I play tennis
You play tennis
We play tennis
They play tennis
He/she/ it plays tennis.
With the present continuous we say:
I am playing tennis
You are playing tennis
We are playing tennis
He/she/it is playing tennis
Frequency Adverbs we use with the Present Simple
With the present simple we use these frequency adverbs:
(Notice that the adverb comes before the main verb in the sentence.)
Always: ‘I always read before I go to bed.’Often: ‘Her sister often comes shopping with us.’
Frequently:‘Michael frequently visits his family.’
Sometimes:‘You sometimes go to the gym, don’t you?’
Occasionally:‘It occasionally rains in summer.’
Seldom:‘They seldom ask for help.’
Rarely: ‘He rarely goes out without his backpack.’
Hardly ever:‘I hardly ever eat pizza.’
Never: ‘Japanese people never wear shoes inside.’
Time Expressions we use with the Present Continuous:
With the present continuous we use these time expressions:
(Notice that the time expression can come at the start or at the end of the sentence.)
At the moment: ‘I’m watching TV, at the moment.’
These days: ‘Paul’s living in Cardiff, these days.’
Now: ‘What are you doing, now?’
Nowadays: ‘I think you are smoking too much, nowadays.’
Friday, April 10, 2015
Present Progressive
We use the present
progressive to talk about actions which are happening at the present moment, or around the time when we are speaking, but will soon finish.
we use the Present Progressive to express the idea that an action is happening now, at this very moment. It can also be used to show that something is not happening now.
In English, "now" can mean: this second, today, this month, this year, this century, and so on. Sometimes, we use the Present Continuous to say that we are in the process of doing a longer action which is in progress; however, we might not be doing it at this exact second.
we use the Present Progressive to express the idea that an action is happening now, at this very moment. It can also be used to show that something is not happening now.
In English, "now" can mean: this second, today, this month, this year, this century, and so on. Sometimes, we use the Present Continuous to say that we are in the process of doing a longer action which is in progress; however, we might not be doing it at this exact second.
Example: I am playing tennis.
PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
Affirmative sentences:
Subject + verb to be +
main verb (-ing)
Ex.
I am teaching a class.
You are listening to
the teacher.
She is writing a
novel.
It is raining right
now.
We are traveling to
the U.S.
They are going to
school.
How tyo make affirmative, negative or interrogative sentences:
Affirmative: You are reading this.
Negative: She is not staying in London.
Negative: We are not playing football.
Questions: Is he watching TV? Questions: Are they waiting for John?
1) a verb ending in –e, drops the –e and add –ing.
ex.: cruise cruising
2) a verb ending in –ie, change to –ying.
ex.: lie lying
3) a 1 syllable verb ending in consonant-vowel-consonant, double the last consonant and add –ing.
ex.: swim swimming run running
4) All other verbs just add –ing.
ex. Play playing read reading
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Word of the Week
Procrastination [proh-kras-tuh-ney-shuh n, pruh‐] 1. the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention:
She was smart, but her constant procrastination led her to be late with almost every assignment.
Procrastinate
verb (used without object), procrastinated, procrastinating.
1. to defer action; delay:
to procrastinate until an opportunity is lost.verb (used with object), procrastinated, procrastinating.
2. to put off till another day or time; defer; delay.
Examples from the web for procrastination:
Now, though, that reason for procrastination is gone.
Avoid procrastination and be prepared.
Too much research is one of procrastination 's most elegant disguises.
1. to defer action; delay:
to procrastinate until an opportunity is lost.verb (used with object), procrastinated, procrastinating.
2. to put off till another day or time; defer; delay.
Now, though, that reason for procrastination is gone.
Avoid procrastination and be prepared.
Too much research is one of procrastination 's most elegant disguises.
Causative Verbs
Causative verbs show us that some person or thing helps to make something happen; they express what causes an action to happen.1
Here are some specific examples of how causative verbs work in English sentences.
Other causative verbs include: allow, help, enable, keep, hold, force, require, persuade
Here are some specific examples of how causative verbs work in English sentences.
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