English Help Online's Blog

Today, I’m going to write about the word, “hassle”. It is a noun used to talk about an activity which is not convenient for us and which will take a lot of time. For example:

I had to go to eight different places to find this product. It was such a hassle!

My boss wants me to go to a special store all the way across the city to buy something! What a hassle!

I have to get a visa to visit Vietnam. I hope it won’t be too much of a hassle.

I know it’s a hassle, but can you help me move this weekend?

It’s quite difficult to make this recipe, but it tastes so good! It’s really worth the hassle.

We can also use this word as a verb, and it is used when we want to talk about a person pressuring someone else to do something as soon as possible. For example:

My boss is hassling me to get this project done as soon as possible.

I will clean the living room this afternoon. Please stop hassling me about it.

I wish my wife wouldn’t hassle me about fixing the kitchen sink. I’m so busy right now.

This a very common word in English, but it always has a negative meaning. If we want to use a verb which is more positive, we can say “remind”.

I have another word for you today which has a few different meanings. It can be used as a verb or a noun.

The main meaning of the verb, to “dump” is to discard something in a fast and careless way. For example:

My son dumped his toys on his bedroom floor. I told him to pick them up and put them away properly.

A big truck just dumped a load of dirt in the middle of the street. We’d better call someone to get it cleaned up.

I hate people who litter! A lot of people in this city just dump their garbage anywhere they like.

Another meaning of this verb is to break up with someone that you’re dating. For example:

Peter is really upset right now because his girlfriend just dumped him.

I’ve dumped a lot of people, but nobody has ever dumped me.

I think my girlfriend is going to dump me. I’m really worried about it!

This way of using “dump” is quite casual and should only be used with friends.

As a noun, the word “dump” refers to the place where a city’s garbage is taken and piled up. In this case, we always says “the dump”. For example:

I threw away those old dishes last week. I’m sure they’re at the dump by now.

I was driving past the dump yesterday and it smells so bad! I think the city should burn the garbage instead.

It can also be used to talk about a person’s home which is very cheap and of low quality. In this case, we always say “a dump”. For example:

I hate my apartment! It’s such a dump! The problem is I can’t afford to get a better place.

Did you see where Cheryl is living now? The place is a real dump! There are cracks all over the walls and it smells really bad!

This meaning of the noun “dump” is quite slang and should never be used directly to someone to talk about their home.

This week’s grammatical word is “only”, and we have a few different ways of using it in English. Let me go over them for you:

1. We can use it to talk about one thing or person out of a group which is special or different for some reason. For example:

I’m the only person who came to the English class yesterday.

Broccoli is the only vegetable my son will eat.

Chemistry is the only subject I failed in high school.

2. We can use it to minimize the importance of something or someone. For example:

I wish I could help you, but I’m only a junior staff member here.

I’m sick right now, but I’m sure I can still go on this trip. It’s only a stomachache. I’m sure I’ll feel better by tomorrow.

Could you come and help me with my computer? It will only take about 20 minutes.

3. We can use it to give an excuse for why something wasn’t done or why it can’t be done. For example:

I wanted to do my homework, only I was really busy yesterday.

That actress is perfect for that role, only she’s too old for it now.

I really like the design for the ad, only the colors are a little too dark.

4. We can use it to focus on one aspect of something or one group of people. For example:

This product is for women only.

I recommend this CD for heavy metal music fans only.

I’ve finished the first part of the report only.

5. We can use it when talking about a person trying to do something to help, but making the situation worse. For example:

I tried to help, but I only made things worse.

Bill tried to calm the boss down, but he only made him even angrier.

The teacher tried to explain the book to me, but his explanation only made me more confused.

6. We can use it to talk about something that happened in the very recent past. For example:

A: When was the last time you talked to Martin?

B: I talked to him only yesterday. He said he’s very busy these days.

It was only a week ago that Yvette got fired, so she’s still really upset about it.

I only just mailed the invitation to you, so you probably won’t get it until Friday.

7. We can use it to talk about our desire for a certain thing to be done in order to make a certain situation better. For example:

If you would only talk to me; I’m sure it would make you feel better.

If my daughter would only try harder in school; she could be a very good student.

If I could only find a good job; I would be so happy.

I hope the difference between these meanings is clear to everyone. As I’ve mentioned before, the best way to learn how to speak natural English is to memorize sentences and then change the small details. In this way, you will learn vocabulary and grammar at the same time without formally studying them. Good luck!

Today’s grammatical word is the verb “contend”. It has three uses in English. First, we use it when we want to talk about a difficult situation or person that we have to tolerate. For example:

I don’t like my new boss. He’s not very nice to me, and I have to contend with his constant criticisms.

Nobody likes Mr. Carson, but he’s a very important client. You’ll just have to learn to contend with him.

A: Sales are down right now at my company because of the bad economy, so I’m not making so much money right now.

B: Well, that happens sometimes. You just have to contend with that situation until things get better.

We can also use it to talk about a competition between two groups or people. For example:

Dan Wheaton and George Bartley are contending for the title of boxing heavyweight champion of the world. Personally, I think Wheaton will win.

I’m contending with two of my co-workers for the job of department manager. I hope I get the promotion.

Tokyo was contending with three other cities for the 2016 summer Olympics, but they lost out to Rio de Janeiro.

Finally, we can use “contend” when we want to talk about expressing an opinion about something that other people don’t agree with. For example:

I know the other people in my class disagree with me, but I contend that George Eliot was a better writer than Charles Dickens.

My wife contends that learning Chinese characters isn’t so difficult, but I don’t agree. It’s so hard for me.

Nobody believes Trevor when he said he saw a UFO, but he still contends that he actually saw one.

So, as you can see from my examples, the word “contend” is followed by different words depending on the meaning. With the first meaning, it is followed by “with”. With the second meaning, it is followed by “for”, and for the last meaning, it is followed by “that”.

It’s time for another grammatical word, and today I want to write about the verb “head”. Most people know the word “head” as a noun, but we can also use it as a verb. We can use it as a verb in three ways:

1. to go somewhere. For example:

I’m going to head home now. Is there anything you need from me before I leave?

If you want to go to Brentwood, take the train heading west, not east.

A: Where are you headed?

B: I’m headed to Chicago. Can I give you a ride?

2. to be the leader of something. For example:

I’ve chosen James to head the project, so you will all report to him.

There was a revolution in that country, so we don’t yet know who will head the next government.

One day, I would like to head my own company. It’s always been my dream.

3. to be in the lead position of something. For example:

My wife and I haven’t decided on a place to go on our vacation yet, but Spain is heading the list right now.

We’re in the middle of an election now. All the votes haven’t been counted yet, but so far, David Miller is heading the race.

The doctors aren’t sure what’s wrong with me, but they said that cancer is heading the list of possibilities.

With the first meaning of “head”, we can use it about a person or with a kind of public transportation like a train. With the third meaning, we often use “head” to talk about what’s at the top of a list.

Today, I have a verb for you which is very useful, but which many of my students don’t know about; the word is “ruin”. It is used when we want to talk about someone damaging a situation so much that it cannot be fixed. For example:

I added salt instead of sugar to the cake, so I ruined it.

Bruce got completely drunk and ruined my party! I’m so angry at him! I’ll never speak to him again!

Vicky spilled ink all over my shirt. That stain will never come out! My shirt is ruined! (passive voice)

I had an opportunity to get a promotion but I ruined it by being lazy at work. I’ll never do that again.

So we can use this word with physical things like clothes or food or we can use it with non-physical things such as parties or opportunities. We don’t use it when talking about machines or fragile objects though. In those cases, we use the word “break”.

Today I’d like to go over another verb which has other meanings that many people don’t know about; the verb is “work”. Of course, everyone knows the primary meaning which is to do a job. However, we can also use it when trying to arrange a time to meet someone. For example:

I’d like to get together with you at 4:00 tomorrow. Does that work for you?

I have another appointment at 2:00, so 3:00 works better for me.

I’m afraid having the meeting at 11:00 doesn’t work for me. I have another appointment then.

We can also use it to talk about the functioning of a machine. For example:

Is your cell phone working? I tried mine, but I can’t get a signal.

This computer isn’t working properly. I’d better get someone to come take a look at it.

I don’t know what happened. I was driving my car down the street when it suddenly stopped working.

Another way to use this verb is when talking about the effectiveness of something. For example:

I tried my friend’s cure for hiccups, and it worked.

I took some medicine for my headache, but it didn’t work.

The ad we placed in the newspaper is working well. We’ve gotten many new customers from it.

If you want to remember to people’s names better, you should try the technique in this book. I tried it, and it works well for me.

Most people know the first meaning of today’s grammatical word: “chemistry”. It is, of course, one of the branches of science. Personally, I hated chemistry in high school. It was so difficult for me.

However, there is a second meaning to this word that many people don’t know. It can also be used to talk about a quality that two (or more) people have together that makes them have a good relationship. For example:

I didn’t want to continue dating Steven because there was no chemistry between us.

I met my wife at a party about three years ago. I could feel the chemistry between us from the first moment we met.

The two stars in that romantic comedy have great chemistry together, so the movie is a lot of fun to watch.

That TV show doesn’t work well because there’s no chemistry between the actors.

Although we can use this word to talk about the relationship between anyone, we usually use it to talk about romantic relationships. However, when talking about a TV show or a movie, it can be used to talk about the stars of the production and, in those cases, it doesn’t matter if it’s a romantic relationship or not.

Today’s word is one which is extremely common is casual conversations in English: “stuff”. It has the same meaning as the word “things”. We use it to talk about things which belong to us or things that we have to do. For example:

I bought a lot of stuff at the department store yesterday.

There is so much stuff in my apartment. I have to get rid of some of it.

I have a lot of stuff to do today, so I can’t go see a movie with you.

In my free time, I like to read books, watch films and other stuff like that.

Please note that the word “stuff” is uncountable. Therefore, we CANNOT say “stuffs”.

Also, it’s important to be careful of the pronunciation of this word. Some of my students confuse it with the word “staff” with an “a”. When we pronounce words with “a” like “staff”, our voices go up, but when we pronounce words with “u” like “stuff”, our voices go down.

For today’s grammatical word, I’ve decided to write about the word “carry”. It has a several uses, so I’ll go over the most commonly used meanings.

1. for a person to hold something while they are moving. For example:

Would you like me to help you carry your suitcases to the car?

My backpack is full of books. It’s really heavy, but I have to carry it around all day.

2. for someone’s words to express an indirect message. For example:

When someone speaks and their voice goes down, it usually carries the meaning that they don’t like the situation.

The company president’s words in his speech carried the threat of layoffs.

3. to be pregnant with a baby. For example:

My sister carried her baby for almost 10 months before it was born.

The doctor just told my wife and me that she’s carrying twins!

4. to propel something over a distance. For example:

The wind blew my hat off and carried it several meters.

The tide carried the toy boat out into the open sea.

5. for a store to offer some products for sale. For example:

Do you carry Time magazine at this bookstore?

I’m very sorry, but we don’t carry products from ABC Company at this store.

6. for a product to have something included with it. For example:

This computer carries a two-year warranty.

All our products carry a money-back guarantee.

7. for the media to run a news story. For example:

The ABC Newspaper carried a story this morning about a man who tried to kill his wife.

The scandal about the president’s illegal activities was carried by all the newspapers as well as all the radio and TV stations. (passive voice)

There are a few other ways we can use the word “carry”, but I think the meanings I’ve explained above are the most useful for people for conversational English.