On-English.Blogspot.com

This is Just Type of Punctuation

2011-05-02T23:26:00.004+08:00

Sometimes, you might forget what the name of those punctuation. If so, refer to the list belowapostrophe = 'brackets = ( ) [ ]colon = :comma =, dash = -exclamation mark = !full stop = .hyphen = -inverted commas = ' 'semicolon = ;question mark = ?

May or Might ?

2011-04-10T18:03:00.003+08:00

One of the meanings of may and might is to be allowed to.e.g. The members of the organization agree that I may join it. The members of the organization agreed that I might join it.May and might and must are also used to express differing degrees of probability:Degree of Probability Auxiliary somewhat probable may, mightFor instance, may and might are often used in the Simple

Conditional Clauses : Improbable Situation and Imaginary Situations

2010-12-26T20:38:00.002+08:00

a. Improbable Situations 1. WRONG : If the meeting would be cancelled, they would ring. CORRECT : If the meeting was cancelled, they would ring. 2. WRONG : If I would do it , I would do it this way. CORRECT : If I did it, I would do it this way. When referring to something that is possible but unlikely to happen, we use past tense for the if clause, and would / could for the main clause. b.

Conditional Clauses : Real Possibility

2010-12-13T00:13:00.004+08:00

Common errors in conditional clauses mostly concern the wrong use of verb tense. Here are some typical examples. Real Possibility Sample 1. WRONG : If you attend 80 % of the sessions, you would receive a certificate of attendance at the end of the course. CORRECT : If you attend 80 % of the sessions, you will receive a certificate of attendance at the end of the course. Sample 2.WRONG : If you

Ordinal Numbers

2010-12-01T22:59:00.004+08:00

First = 1 stSecond = 2 ndThird = 3 rdFourth = 4 thFifth = 5 thSixth = 6 thSeventh = 7 thEighth = 8 thNinth = 9 thTenth = 10 th

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES : Past Possibilities

2010-11-28T14:04:00.001+08:00

Past Possibilities Sample 1. WRONG : If you were not late for the press conference, you would have heard the Director’s speech. CORRECT : If you had not been late for the press conference, you would have heard the Director’s speech. Sample 2. WRONG : If the project was not delayed, we would have finished it by now. CORRECT :If the project had not been delayed, we would have finished it by now.

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES : Imaginary Situations

2010-11-21T22:41:00.001+08:00

Imaginary Situations WRONG : If I am you, I will take the offer. CORRECT : If I were you, I would take the offer. CORRECT :If I was you, I would take the offer.(Less Formal) When talking about imaginary situations, we use past tense in the if clause and would/could in the main clause.

How to do business ?

2010-11-13T23:39:00.001+08:00

How to do business !!Conversation between a business man & his son.BM : "I want you to marry a girl of my choice"Son : "No - I will choose my own bride!"BM : "But the girl is Bill Gates' daughter."Son : "Well, in that case...ok"Next, BM approaches Bill Gates.BM : "I have a husband for your daughter."Bill Gates: "But my daughter is too young to marry!"BM : "But this young man is a Vice-President

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES : Improbable Situations

2010-11-07T18:34:00.001+08:00

Improbable Situations 1. WRONG : If the meeting would be cancelled, they would ring. CORRECT : If the meeting was cancelled, they would ring. 2. WRONG : If I would do it , I would do it this way. CORRECT : If I did it, I would do it this way. When referring to something that is possible but unlikely to happen, we use past tense for the if clause, and would / could for the main clause.

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES : Real Possibility

2010-10-31T17:46:00.002+08:00

Real Possibility 1. WRONG :If you attend 80 % of the sessions, you would receive a certificate of attendance at the end of the course. CORRECT : If you attend 80 % of the sessions, you will receive a certificate of attendance at the end of the course. 2. WRONG : If you send us your applications this week, we would let you know of the results in two weeks’ time. CORRECT :If you send us your

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES : Past Possibilities

2010-10-24T22:16:00.002+08:00

Past Possibilities 1.WRONG : If you were not late for the press conference, you would have heard the Director’s speech. RIGHT : If you had not been late for the press conference, you would have heard the Director’s speech. 2. WRONG : If the project was not delayed, we would have finished it by now. RIGHT : If the project had not been delayed, we would have finished it by now. When referring

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES : Improbable Situations and Imaginary Situations

2010-10-17T22:51:00.008+08:00

a. Improbable Situations 1. WRONG : If the meeting would be cancelled, they would ring. RIGHT : If the meeting was cancelled, they would ring. 2. WRONG :If I would do it , I would do it this way. RIGHT :If I did it, I would do it this way. When referring to something that is possible but unlikely to happen, we use past tense for the if clause, and would / could for the main clause. b. Imaginary

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES : Probable Situations

2010-10-10T10:58:00.003+08:00

Real Possibility 1. Wrong : If you attend 80 % of the sessions, you would receive a certificate of attendance at the end of the course. Right: If you attend 80 % of the sessions, you will receive a certificate of attendance at the end of the course. 2. Wrong : If you send us your applications this week, we would let you know of the results in two weeks’ time. Right: If you send us your

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES - 1

2010-10-03T16:56:00.004+08:00

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES There are basically three types of conditional clauses: TYPE 1 Probable Situations If clause + Main clause simple present will / shall eg. If we purchase a new computer, we will be able to process 500 more applications per month. TYPE 2 Improbable or Imaginary Situations If clause + Main clause simple past would

ARTICLES: Use of Omission

2010-09-12T13:02:00.004+08:00

OmissionSituations 1. after prepositions in some common expressionsExampleto/in/into/ out of hospital/prison/bedby car/bicycle/bus/plane/trainto/at/from workout of townSituations 2. in some time phrasesExamplein 1990 (year), in summer (season),since April (month),at Christmas (festival)on Monday (day of week), at nightSituations 3. before the names of continents and countriesExampleHave you

ARTICLES: Use of a or an and The

2010-09-05T18:40:00.003+08:00

ARTICLESIf you are unsure whether to use a, an or the, consider the following:Use of a or anUsage1. before a singular countable nounExample: She is a member of our Finance Committee.2. when a person/thing is mentioned for the first timeExample: An in-house seminar will be held next Tuesday. Three representatives from the Human Resources Association will speak at the seminar.3. in

More examples of Verbs with no passive: Part 4

2010-08-30T22:44:00.008+08:00

RiseWrong : show that the inflation rate rose by 2%.Correct: There is no passive form for rise.There is no passive form for rise.StartWrong : The District Board Election will be started at nine tomorrow morning.Correct: The District Board Election will start at nine tomorrow morning.We use the active form for start when referring to activitiese.g. election, meetings, press conferences.take

More examples of Verbs with no passive: Part 3

2010-08-22T17:22:00.005+08:00

DisappearWrong : When the police arrived at the scene, they found the suspects were disappeared.Correct: When the police arrived at the scene, they found the suspects had disappeared.There is no passive form for the verb disappear.Discharge (to release from hospital, prison or the armed forces)Wrong : As she recovered very quickly, she discharged from hospital the following week.Correct: As she

More examples of Verbs with no passive: Part 2

2010-08-15T16:20:00.004+08:00

baseWrong: The report based on research of various educational systems in South East Asia.Correct: The report was based on research of various educational systems in South East Asia.We use the passive form for the verb base because the report cannot perform this action.beginWrong: The orientation programme will be begun early next week.Correct: The orientation programme will begin early next

Verbs with no passive -Part 1

2010-08-08T14:28:00.003+08:00

Some verbs do not have a passive form. Here are some examples:Verbs without Passives:- break out- let- die- occur- disappear- pass away- escape- race- exist- resemble- flee- suit- get- survive- happen- take placeSome common errors in the use of active and passive are as follows:admit (to take into hospital to receive treatment)Wrong - The driver admitted to hospital after the traffic

ACTIVE and PASSIVE

2010-08-01T18:48:00.001+08:00

When to use the passiveVerbs can be used in active or passive form. This depends on whether you would like to emphasize the performer of an action or that someone or something is affected by an action.(Passive) He was forced to resign.(Here the emphasis is on the he being affected by the resignation.)(Active) The senior management forced him to resign.(Here the senior management is emphasized as

What is Tag ?

2010-07-24T20:55:00.000+08:00

TagsWhen teaching tags, the temptation is to concentrate on getting the correct auxiliary.Two other points are worth remembering:1. Why tags are used in conversation - to facilitate turn-taking.2. Tags are not questions - they need a response, which will give more informationto enable the conversation to develop further:You've been to Malta before, haven't you?> Yes, but it was years ago.Really,

Questions and Reported Speech

2010-07-18T15:26:00.001+08:00

Rules for Reported SpeechBeware of being too dogmatic about this area. Some grammars say that certain rules must be followed, but the truth is that many different combinations of tenses are possible:He said > he's coming / he'll come / he's going to come / he was coming.On the whole, past tenses are used to report past events. Sometimes we report in the present things which are happening or are

Defining relative clauses

2010-07-11T08:10:00.001+08:00

Defining relative clausesThese clauses add an extra piece of information which helps to define the noun more clearly. Notice there are no commas to show the close link between the clause and its subject.He introduced me to his sister who is retired and lives in America.(He has more than one sister. This one is retired and lives in America.)The person who deals with your account is on holiday this

Relative clauses

2010-07-04T08:00:00.001+08:00

ClausesRelative clausesThe main problem in this section is the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses. This is not an area to spend too much time on. They mostly present a punctuation problem in written English. It is worth mentioning that many native speakers find them problematical.Non-defining relative clausesMost relative clauses are of this kind - where the clause

Articles etc : a lot of / lots of

2010-06-24T01:11:00.000+08:00

a lot of / lots ofA lot of and lots of tend to be used in positive statements, but they can also be used after not:We've had a lot of complaints recently.Have you got much money on you? > Not a lot.

Articles etc : Countable and uncountable nouns

2010-06-20T07:24:00.000+08:00

Countable and uncountable nounsSome determiners depend on whether the following noun is countable or uncountable.For example:Countable nouns use many and a few:I don't take many days off.I had a few days off last month.Uncountable nouns use much and little:It didn't take much time to finish it off.I have very little free time at the moment.

Articles etc : Determiners, Some and Any

2010-06-13T18:06:00.000+08:00

Articles etcDeterminersThis section deals with that area known as determiners - articles (a/an, the),cquantifiers (some, any, a few etc), possessives (my, your etc) - the words which come in front of nouns and before adjectives.Some and anyWe used to give students the simple but misleading rule: use some in positive statements and any in negative statements and questions. This reduced the problem

Verb Patterns

2010-06-06T17:50:00.000+08:00

Verb PatternsGrammar or Cocabulary?Traditionally, we have divided the language into grammar and vocabulary. We always knew that some areas were grey - they seemed like grammar, but students just had to learn them.Phrasal verbs are a good example.Most students think of them as part of the grammar of English, but they are fixed verbal expressions.Learning them is more like learning

Why use the passive and not the active?

2010-05-23T17:40:00.002+08:00

Why use the passive and not the active?The question we must ask is what is the sentence about?The structure- active or passive - depends on how the sentence starts.Sometimes the passive is the more natural choice. Think of the situations where you would read the following and you will see why the passive is the obvious choice:1. Children must be carried.2. Outdoor shoes must not be worn in the

What is the passive?

2010-05-23T17:29:00.000+08:00

What is the passive?A passive structure uses part of the verb (be) plus the past participle form of the verb:A dog bit Peter.Peter was bitten by a dog.In one sense they have the same meaning. Each contains the same three ideas ofPeter -+ dog + bite: The second sentence, however, is 'not just another way' to saythe first one.

Sample of Acknowledge the receipt

2010-05-04T15:50:00.004+08:00

Option of Acknowledge the receiptThere are different methods to ask for acknowledgment. Use the method which you see most commmon. 1. Please acknowledge receipt of this email.2. When you receive this email, please let me know.3. Please let me know once you receive this email.4. Please reply with a "well-received", so that I know that you've received.

Adjectives 3 - Order, Comparatives and superlatives

2010-05-02T16:33:00.001+08:00

Order of adjectivesThis is an area where there are some rules, but the rules are so difficult to apply that it is best for students to meet lots of different examples and try to develop a 'feel' for what sounds right.Comparatives and superlativesSome two-syllable adjectives worry students. They have learned the rule that with longer adjectives we use more or most ~ more difficult, most

What is An Adjectives ? Part 2

2010-05-02T16:30:00.004+08:00

Several units in this section focus on adjectival expressions:adjectives with a preposition: proud ofadjectives with an infinitive: good to eatIt helps students if they can make lists of different adjectives which take the same preposition. For example:WITH bored with, satisfied with, pleased with, content withOF proud of, afraid of, tired of, jealous of, ashamed ofThis is an area where students

The comparison between British English and Malaysian English

2010-04-18T18:28:00.005+08:00

British English vs. Malaysian EnglishWho says our English is teruk? Just read below - Ours is simple, short, concise, straight-to-the-point, effective etc.WHEN GIVING A CUSTOMER BAD NEWSBritons: I'm sorry, sir, but we don't seem to have the sweater you want in your size, but if you give me a moment, I can call the other outlets for you.Malaysians: No stock.RETURNING A CALLBritons: Hello, this is

The correct preposition

2010-04-18T15:57:00.004+08:00

The correct prepositionSometimes there is a situation where only one preposition is 'correct'.For example:We arrived at 8 o'clock.Very often, more than one preposition is possible depending on the meaning. All the following correct examples have subtly different meanings:I'll meet you at the station.I'll meet you in the station.I'll meet you by the station.I'll meet you in front of the

I Love My Brother

2010-04-11T13:48:00.001+08:00

A Simple Nice Story for KidsEnjoy and Have Fun !

English Story Book "Let Make A New Friend"

2010-04-04T13:58:00.008+08:00

A Simple Nice Story for KidsEnjoy and Have Fun !

Business and Professional English

2010-03-21T11:17:00.005+08:00

專業級商用英文單字(商研所適用) 目標 mission/ objective 集體目標 group objective 內部環境 internal environment 外部環境 external environment 計畫 planning 組織 organizing 人事 staffing 領導 leading 控制 controlling 步驟 process 原理 principle 方法 technique 經理 manager 總經理 general manager 行政人員 administrator 主管人員 supervisor 企業 enterprise 商業 business 產業 industry 公司 company 效果 effectiveness 效率 efficiency 企業家

Punctuation: Hyphen

2010-03-07T11:20:00.003+08:00

Punctuation: HyphenDefinition & Usage- used to form compound wordsExamplesanti-climaxhappy-go-luckystick-in-the-mud- to avoid awkward combination of lettersExamplesco-operatere-entrysemi-invalid- to form compound adjectivesExamplesa self-made mana twenty-one-year-old girla five-metre-long pole

Punctuation :Dash

2010-03-07T11:12:00.003+08:00

Punctuation :DashDefinition & Usage- used to emphasize the introduction of additional informationExamplesThe club - which has the mostFacilities - will be the most popular

Punctuation: Semi-colon (;)

2010-02-13T18:50:00.004+08:00

Punctuation: Semi-colon (;)- used to indicate a relationship between two pieces of information in a sentenceExamplesIt is useless to protect; it will only land us in more trouble.- used to separate phrases or clauses in a rather long sentenceExamplesAccording to his secretary, he has just reached Hong Kong; now he is preparing to go over to China and Japan- used to link two statements together

Punctuation: Colon (:)

2010-02-13T18:14:00.003+08:00

Punctuation: Colon (:)- used to mark a pause between two statements, the second one being an example or explanation of the firstExamplesHe was speechless: it all happened so fast.- used to introduce a list of thingsExamplesThe ingredients of the marinade are as follow: salt. dark soya sauce, light soya sauce, sugar and five spice powder.- used to introduce a quotation from a speech, play, book,

Punctuation: Quotation (" ... ")

2010-02-13T18:04:00.003+08:00

Quotation (" ... ")- used to enclose speech or actual spoken wordsExamples:"Good Morning, Mr Xie," She said

Punctuation: Inverted commas

2010-02-07T11:01:00.003+08:00

Inverted commas (' ... ')-used to enclose quotations, titles of books films, etc.ExamplesWe went to watch 'Iron and Silk' last night.'Empty vessels make the most noise' is a proverb that I heartily agree with.

Punctuantion : Apostrophe

2010-02-07T10:28:00.002+08:00

Apostrophe (')Definition & Usage- used to show contractions or short formExamplescannot can'twill not won'tI am I'mhe is he's- used to show ownership or possession.ExamplesEsther's husbandthe boy's bookthe babies' clothesthe manager's car

Capital Letter

2010-01-17T10:52:00.003+08:00

Capital Letter- used for the first letter in a sentenceExamplesHe is my best friend.- used for the first letter of all Proper NounsExamplesLondonShawnFridayNew Year's Day- used for the first letter of Direct SpeechExamplesHe said, "Welcome to my humble home."- used for the chief words in titles of people, books, etc.ExamplesLouis the Sixteenth Of Mice And MenMy Fair Lady- used for the letter '

Punctuation - Full Stop(.) , Question Mark (?), Exlamation Mark (!)

2010-01-17T10:41:00.004+08:00

Full Stop(.)- used to mark the end of a sentenceExamplesI go jogging every evening.- used for abbreaviationsExamplesC.O.D ( Cash On Delivery)Question Mark?- used after a direct questionsExamplesWhat do you want?Exclamation Mark (!)- used to show strong feelings or emotionsExamples"Stop, thief!" cried the shopkeeper."What a beautiful baby!" said the lady.

Punctuation - Comma (,)

2010-01-17T10:08:00.003+08:00

Comma (,)- used to separate different items or actions in a seriesExamplesThe bouquet consisted of rose-buds, carnations, baby's breath and ferns.- used to separate a quotation from the rest of the sentenceExamplesHe said, 'I'll fetch you at seven o'clock tonight.'- used to separate a person's name from the rest of the sentence in direct speechExamplesDaniel, come here at once!- used to separate

Tag Questions

2010-01-10T10:40:00.002+08:00

Tag QuestionsType of Tag- Negative tagsDefinition & Usage- added to positive statements when a 'yes' is expected in the answerExamplesHe will like it, won't he?Yes, he will.Type of Tag-Positive tagsDefinition & Usage- added to negative statements when a 'no' is expected in the answerExamplesYou haven't done it yet, have you?No, I haven't.Type of TagQuestion tags full verbsDefinition & Usage- 'do'

PASSIVE VOICE

2010-01-03T20:16:00.004+08:00

Method of Formation of Passive Voice- using present simple tense; ‘is/are’ + past participleExamplesHe is advised to exercised to exercise regularly and sleep early everyday.Method of Formation of Passive Voice- using past simple tense; ‘was/were’ + past participleExamplesI was encouraged to take up the course by my familyMethod of Formation of Passive Voice- using present continuous tense; ‘is/

Reported Speech

2009-12-27T09:41:00.002+08:00

Type of Reported Speech- reporting commands and requestsDefinition & UsageWe use 'to' + infinitive.Examples1. "Pass me the cheese, please," he said to Mei.2. He requested Mei to pass him the cheese.- reporting questionsDefinition & UsageThe word order is changed; the verb is placed after the subject and the question mark is omitted. For 'yes-no' questions, 'if' or 'whether' is used.Examples1. "

Concord 2

2009-12-20T09:51:00.002+08:00

Usage of Control- use of the correct verb form in sentences where the subject is separated from the verb by phrases or clausesExamples1. The lyrics of this love song, which was first sung by Bruce Springsteen, are very well known.2. This college, which caters for students who are interested in journalism as a career, is located in Katong.Usage of Control- use of the correct verb form in sentences

Concord 1

2009-12-06T12:44:00.003+08:00