grammatical word: pretty

{ July 19, 2011 @ 11:32 am } · { grammatical word }
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Today, I’d like to write about the word “pretty”, but not the adjective. This way of using “pretty” is put in front of other adjectives or adverbs, as in “pretty good” or “pretty quickly”. Many of my students think this is the same as “very”, but it’s not. The word “pretty” indicates that something is slightly weaker than the regular adjective or adverb. Therefore, the scale is: very good -> good -> pretty good. Let me give you some examples:

The movie was pretty good, but it could have been better.

A: Can you run fast?

B: Well, I can run pretty fast, although I was much faster when I was younger.

The color my wife chose to paint our house is pretty nice, but I would have preferred a darker color.

A: Is living downtown expensive?

B: Well, it can be pretty expensive, but some things don’t cost so much.

When we use “pretty” in this way, we usually stress “pretty” with our voices.

However, “pretty” can also be used in another way that means something is equal to or slightly stronger than the adjective or adverb. In these cases, we usually stress the adjective or adverb itself with our voices. When we use “pretty” in this way, it often indicates that we were surprised by what we experienced. For example:

I heard Tony play the piano the other day, and he was actually pretty good.

I know I look weak, but I’m actually pretty strong.

It can get pretty loud in this neighborhood because there are a lot of kids living around here.

A: I ran into my ex-girlfriend when I was on a date with my new girlfriend.

B: That must have been pretty uncomfortable.

A: It was!

So, as I said before, the word “pretty” in these cases is much stronger than in the first set of examples.  However, it’s still not as strong as using “very” or “really”.

the difference between words: moved, touched and impressed

{ July 18, 2011 @ 11:04 am } · { the difference between words }
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Recently one of my students asked me what the difference was between “moved”, “touched” and “impressed”. It seems there is a lot of confusion about these words especially in Japan, so that’s what I’m going to write about today.

We use the word “moved” to talk about something that affects us emotionally. Things that can move people are books, movies, songs, etc. For example:

I’m really moved by the new song by Mark Taylor. The lyrics are so beautiful.

I was really moved by the scene in that movie in which the boy finds his lost dog and hugs him.

We use the word “touched” to talk about a situation in which a person does something considerate for us without being asked to do it. For example:

I was really touched when Jerry brought me a cup of tea because I said I had a sore throat. That was really thoughtful of him.

Julia made me a sweater for my birthday and it took her over six months to make it! I was so touched when she gave it to me!

Finally, we use the word “impressed” to talk about something that was done skillfully. For example:

I was very impressed with the work you do on the ABC project. Keep up the good work!

Did you know that  Vic plays the piano? I heard him play last night, and I was really impressed!

The examples that I’ve given you are all adjectives with -ed endings. That means that we always use these words with a person as the subject. Therefore we CANNOT say, “It was very moved.”, “It is touched.”, or “It was so impressed.” If we want to talk about the situation, we use “moving”, “touching” and “impressive”. For example:

The ending of that book was very moving.

When the singer won her award, the host gave her a hug. It was a very touching gesture.

The special effects in that movie are extremely impressive.

Please note that the words “moving” and “touching” can be used in that same way to describe something that affects us emotionally. However, when we use the word “touched”, it’s usually for a more personal situation in which someone has done something thoughtful for us.

idiom: to be a walk in the park

{ July 17, 2011 @ 11:09 am } · { idioms }
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I have a short but interesting entry for you today – it’s the idiom to “be a walk in the park”. We use this idiom when we want to say something is easy. For example:

Installing this new computer system will be a walk in the park for me. I’ve done it many times before.

A: How was your test? Was it difficult?

B: No. It was a walk in the park because I studied really hard for it.

Can you give us a presentation about economics? That should be a walk in the park for you because you majored in economics.

I took a Spanish class last year. I thought it would be a walk in the park because I know French, but it was really difficult.

So, I’m not sure of the reason why we use “walk in the park” to mean “easy”, but I suppose it’s because walking in a park is considered to be an easy and relaxing thing to do.

inseparable phrasal verb: lay into

{ July 15, 2011 @ 10:31 am } · { phrasal verbs }
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This week’s phrasal verb is “lay into”, and we use it when we want to talk about one person scolding another person in a serious way. To scold someone means to criticize someone’s behavior directly to that person. Here are some example sentences for “lay into”:

My mom is always laying into my dad about not spending enough time with her.

My father really laid into me after he caught me smoking and drinking. He told me he was really ashamed of my behavior.

I can’t be late for work again! If I’m even two minutes late, my boss will really lay into me about it.

Nobody in our class did the assignment, so our teacher laid into us about the importance of completing our homework.

So, with this phrasal verb, we always put a person after the word “into”, and then if we want to talk about the topic of what the person was saying, we use “about” followed by the topic.

In my second example, the person whose father laid into him about smoking and drinking is a teenager because a adult would probably not be criticized for smoking and drinking by his father.

grammatical expression: end of story

{ July 14, 2011 @ 11:30 am } · { grammatical expression }
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Today’s grammatical expression is “end of story”. It is used when we make a statement about something and we feel there is nothing more to be said about it. This is because we think the statement contains such truth that nobody could argue against it. For example:

Angelo’s Pizza Shop has the best pizza in this city. End of story.

If you invest in this company, you’ll make a lot of money. End of story.

People who are happy don’t treat other people badly. End of story.

A: Why did Oscar buy that car? It’s so old and ugly.

B: He bought it because it was cheap, and he hates to spend money. End of story.

This expression is generally used in conversation or in casual writing, but we don’t usually use it in formal writing. We can use this expression to express a personal opinion that we believe strongly or something that is considered a universal truth, as in my third example.

adjective: compassionate

{ July 13, 2011 @ 10:15 am } · { adjectives }
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Today’s adjective is “compassionate”, and it is used to describe a person who has a lot of sympathy for another person in a bad situation and then does something to help them. For example:

Mother Theresa was one of the most compassionate people in the world because she helped extremely poor people in India.

My aunt is a very compassionate woman. She volunteers to give food and blankets to homeless people.

Why didn’t you give any money to that charity? It’s to help sick children in this city. You should be more compassionate!

A: Who’s the most compassionate person you know?

B: It’s my friend, Nancy. She’s always giving money to charity.

It’s important to note that if we describe a person as “compassionate” they must take action and do something to try to help people. It’s not enough to simply feel sympathy for people.

Also, please note that in my last example, the person replied by talking about a person in his/her life. When someone asks us about a person that we know, it has to be a person that we personally know. We don’t talk about famous people in these situations.

In addition, please note that because this is an adjective that ends with -ate, the pronunciation of the last syllable is /it/. Therefore, we pronounce this word /kum PASH shun it/.

grammatical word: take (part 2)

{ July 12, 2011 @ 11:11 am } · { grammatical word }
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This week I’d like to continue writing about the various uses of the verb “take”.

11. for one person to receive praise for work done by others (used with the word “credit”). For example:

Everyone in our department worked really hard on this project, but our boss took credit for it.

Bill is always taking credit for my ideas at work! I hate him!

12. to accept a credit card. For example:

Do you take Visa at this store?

We take all major credit cards at this hotel.

13. to accept a job or position. For example:

ABC Company offered me a job, and I’ve decided to take it.

I took the first job that was offered to me, and now I really regret it. I should have waited longer.

14. to support someone in an argument or debate (used with the word “side”). For example:

Whenever I have a disagreement with Jack, the boss always takes his side. It’s not fair!

I’m not getting involved with this argument. I’m not going to take anyone’s side.

15. to use public transportation to go somewhere. For example:

I’m going to take the train to Osaka tomorrow.

I took the bus downtown because my car is being repaired right now.

16. to turn left or right. For example:

When you get to the convenience store, take a left.

Just go down this street and take the third right. The museum will be on the left.

17. to photograph something or someone with a camera. For example:

My cousin loves to take photographs of birds. It’s his hobby.

Can you take a picture of me with my girlfriend?

18. to cheat someone out of something. For example:

The salesman in that used furniture store took me for $50 last month. He overcharged me for my sofa.

I was really taken by the salesman in that store last month. (passive voice)

19. to require a certain thing in order to do something. For example:

It takes a lot of courage to perform on stage. I could never do it.

It takes a lot of money to play hockey because the equipment is very expensive.

20. to tolerate a bad situation. For example:

My sister’s husband treats her very badly. I don’t know why she takes it from him.

I’ve been putting up with my terrible job for a long time now, but I can’t take it anymore. I’m going to quit!

21. to study something at a school. For example:

I’m taking a French class right now. It’s hard, but it’s really interesting.

I took a course in graphic design last year. I really enjoyed it.

There are a few more ways to use the word “take”, but I think these are the main ones. If you’d like to check the other ways, you can use The Free Dictionary. The link for that site is on my blog.

the difference between words: quiet and silent

{ July 11, 2011 @ 10:17 am } · { the difference between words }
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The other day I had to correct one of my students over the meaning of the words “quiet” and “silent”, so that’s what I’d like to write about today.

The word “quiet” means for there to be very little noise or for someone to not talk very much, but the word “silent” means for there to be no sound at all or for someone to not speak at all. For example:

It’s very quiet and peaceful at my summer house near the lake. I like to spend my weekends there in July and August.

A: Do you hear much noise from the traffic in your apartment?

B: No, I’m not on a main road, so it’s actually pretty quiet.

I’m trying to study. Could you please be quiet?

My cousin Beth is a very quiet woman, but she talks a little more when she gets to know someone.

I went out to the lake last night, and it was completely silent. There wasn’t even the sound of a bird.

When the singer collapsed on stage, everyone in the audience was shocked and became silent.

The word “quiet” is more commonly used than “silent” because it’s rare that we hear no sound at all. Also, when we use the word “silent” about a person, it must be used to talk about a specific situation, but we use “quiet” to describe a person’s personality in general.

idiom: the writing is on the wall

{ July 10, 2011 @ 9:24 am } · { idioms }
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This week’s idiom is “the writing is on the wall”, and it is used when we know a certain situation is going to end badly based on things that we have observed. For example:

My girlfriend and I are still together, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to break up soon. The writing is on the wall; we hardly ever talk anymore.

I think my company is going to close down in the near future. The writing is on the wall; we have very few customers now, and several people have been laid off.

That politician is going to lose the next election. He’s been in power too long and has become extremely unpopular lately. The writing is on the wall for him.

I think my grandfather will die soon. He’s over 90 years old and has been sick for a long time. Unfortunately, the writing is on the wall.

Apparently, this expression comes from the Bible. There is a story in which someone writes on the wall of a King’s palace in order to tell him of great danger that will happen to him.

As you can see from my examples, we use this expression by explaining the situation first and then using “the writing is on the wall”. When we’re talking about other people’s situations, we can add “for him/her/them”.

phrasal verb: get at

{ July 8, 2011 @ 10:33 am } · { phrasal verbs }
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For this week’s phrasal verb, I’ve chosen another one that I wrote about in my book, Mike’s Phrasal Verbs. This one is “get at”, and it has three meanings:

1. for someone to say something indirectly when they’re speaking. For example:

A: Maybe it’s time for you to change your job.

B: What are you getting at? Are you firing me?

I see you don’t understand what I’m saying. What I’m trying to get at is that this project won’t be easy.

2. to reach something. For example:

I can’t get at the cookies. They’re on the top shelf, and I’m not tall enough.

If you can’t get at the books at the top, you can stand on this chair.

3. to have access to someone or something (usually for a negative purpose). For example:

The assassin tried to get at the president of the company, but his bodyguards protected him.

How are we going to get at the bank’s vault? The security system is so sophisticated.

This last example would be spoken by a person who’s trying to rob a bank. I’m sure none of you would have to use “get at” for negative reasons, but this is the kind of language we often hear in TV shows and movies, so it is important to know it. You can use it if you’re telling someone what happened in a particular story.

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