grammatical expression: once and for all

{ July 7, 2011 @ 10:42 am } · { grammatical expression }
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Today I’d like to write about the expression “once and for all”. We use it when we want to say we are going to do something in a firm way in order to get a strong result and we don’t have to do it again. For example:

The garden is overgrown with weeds. We have to get rid of them once and for all.

My son still doesn’t know how to spell properly. I have to teach him proper spelling once and for all.

My husband keeps trying to fix the broken faucet, but it still doesn’t work. I’m going to call a plumber and get it fixed once and for all.

Jerry keeps calling us late at night, and he wakes me up. Would you please tell him to stop doing that once and for all?

We usually use this expression to talk about actions that we plan to do in the future in order to fix a situation we don’t like now.

adjective: atrocious

{ July 6, 2011 @ 9:40 am } · { adjectives }
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It’s Wednesday, so that means it’s adjective day! Today’s adjective is the word “atrocious”, and it is used to describe something that is really, really bad. For example:

The dialogue in that movie was atrocious! Who wrote the script for that?

My sister is an atrocious cook! Everything she makes tastes horrible!

Did you see the dress that Kim was wearing the other day? It was purple  and red with a strange picture of a flower on it. It was just atrocious!

The service at that restaurant was atrocious the last time I went there! I’ll never go back again!

My brother is an atrocious driver! I’m scared every time he gets behind the wheel of a car!

Generally, we don’t use this word to describe people except when describing their role at doing something (cook, driver, etc). It’s more common to use “atrocious” to describe things or situations.

The pronunciation of this word is /at TRO shus/.

grammatical word: take (part 1)

{ July 5, 2011 @ 9:57 am } · { grammatical word }
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I’ve already written about the common verbs “get” and “make” in my blog and today, I’d like to write about another one: “take”. Just as with the other verbs, there are several ways in which we can use “take”.

1. to put something into one’s possession. For example:

Please take one of these samples. They’re free!

I took this flyer from the stand in front of your store. I hope that’s ok.

2. to grip another person’s hand. For example:

Take my hand so that we don’t get separated in the crowd.

In the last scene of the movie, the boy took his father’s hand and they went back into their house.

3. to put air into one’s body. For example:

Take a deep breath before you dive into the water.

If you start to panic, just take deep breaths and that will calm you down.

4. to surprise someone. For example:

The ending of the movie really took me by surprise.

I was really taken by surprise when I found out that Nick had quit his job. (passive voice)

5. to write down notes when listening to something. For example:

Do we have to take notes during the lecture?

I took notes during the lesson. I can make you a copy of them if you like.

6. to sit down. For example:

Please take a seat and we’ll get started.

As soon as I took my seat, the play started.

7. to bring someone to a place. For example:

I’m going to take my friend to the museum to see the new exhibition.

My children want me to take them to Disneyland this weekend.

8. to react to a piece of news. For example:

How did Doug take it when you told him he was fired?

Sarah didn’t take it well when I told her I wanted to break up with her.

9. to measure someone’s temperature. For example:

My mother took my temperature this morning and said that I have a fever.

The nurse will take your temperature before the doctor sees you.

10. to require time in order to accomplish something. For example:

It takes time to get over a broken heart. You’ll feel better in a few months.

The project took more time than we had anticipated.

So these are the first ten ways in which we can use this verb. I’ll continue with “take” in next week’s blog for grammatical words.

the difference between words: dove and pigeon

{ July 4, 2011 @ 9:52 am } · { the difference between words }
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https://i0.wp.com/www.birding.in/images/Birds/rock_pigeon.jpg

I don’t know about other languages, but in Korean and Japanese there is only one word for both a dove and a pigeon. Therefore, Korean and Japanese people often get confused about them. I would like to explain the difference in my blog today.

A dove is the beautiful white bird that is the symbol of peace. A pigeon, on the other hand, is the bluish grey bird which is usually found in parks and eats anything it can find. Most people like doves, but hate pigeons. Let me give you some example sentences using these two words:

I want to put a dove on my logo because it’s the symbol of peace, and I think people will like that.

I saw a dove flying outside my window this morning. It was so beautiful!

There are so many pigeons outside my office building. I hate having to walk through them.

I saw a bunch of pigeons eating some garbage the other day. They’re so disgusting!

From what I understand, these two birds are from the same family and very closely related. I think the only major difference between them is their coloring.

I’m sorry if I’ve offended any pigeon lovers out there, but I think the majority of people don’t like them.

idiom: to not be set/written in stone

{ July 3, 2011 @ 9:46 am } · { idioms }
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https://www.charlestongardens.com/images/products/detail/2600.jpg

This week’s idiom is to “not be set in stone”, but we also say to “not be written in stone”. We use these expressions when we want to talk about something which is not completely settled and therefore can be changed. For example:

A: Is it possible to change the schedule for the lesson?

B: Sure, we can change it. It’s not set in stone.

If you want to change the details of your contract now, you can. Nothing is written in stone yet.

A: I know you said to pay you back by Friday, but I won’t be able to do it until Monday. Is that ok?

B: Sure, that’s fine. It’s not set in stone. Just pay me back sometime next week.

It’s not written in stone or anything like that, but we’re not supposed to eat at our desks in the office.

The reason we use “stone” in this expression is that once something is carved into stone, it’s impossible to erase and therefore cannot be changed. However, it’s much easier to change something if it’s written in pencil or even in pen.

Please note that we always use this expression in the negative, so we CANNOT say, “It is written in stone.” That sounds strange, but it is possible to use it as a question. For example:

Is the schedule set in stone?

Is that written in stone?

I hope this is clear to everyone.

separable phrasal verb: creep out

{ July 1, 2011 @ 10:26 am } · { phrasal verbs }
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creepy-guy

This week’s phrasal verb is “creep out”, and it is used when we want to talk about a person or a place which makes us feel uncomfortable and a little scared. For example:

I don’t like the new guy in the office. His behavior is very strange, and he really creeps me out!

A: Why don’t you like Gary?

B: Because he’s always staring at the girls in the office, and it’s creeping everyone out!

Everyone say the Foster’s house is haunted. I don’t believe in ghosts but, I have to admit, that house creeps me out!

We don’t want to walk through the cemetery. That place really creeps us out!

So, as you can see from the examples, we always use this expression with a person like “me”, “everyone”, “the girls”, etc. If you don’t know the word “stare”, as in my second example, it means to look at someone for a long time. The picture I’ve selected today is an example of that.

grammatical expression: Don’t get me wrong.

{ June 30, 2011 @ 10:27 am } · { grammatical expression }
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For this week’s grammatical expression I’d like to write about “Don’t get me wrong.” Native English speakers use this when we are talking about something and we think the other person might have gotten a negative impression of us based on what we just said. So, to correct this, we use “Don’t get me wrong.” For example:

My girlfriend really annoys me sometimes! Don’t get me wrong. I love her, but sometimes she’s difficult to be with.

That politician from ABC Party is really dishonest. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying all politicians from that party are dishonest, but he certainly is.

I really love to drink. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not an alcoholic; I just enjoy drinking.

My job is really bad right now. Don’t get me wrong. I usually really like my work, but right now we’re working on a very difficult project.

So, as you can see from my examples, the person first makes a statement. After that, they say “Don’t get me wrong.” Finally, they make another statement which corrects any bad impression the first statement might have made.

adjective: laid-back

{ June 29, 2011 @ 9:44 am } · { adjectives }
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Last week, I wrote about the adjective “uptight”, so this week I’d like to write about its opposite “laid-back”. This word is used to describe a person who is very relaxed and flexible about things like rules. For example:

I was late for work this morning, but my boss is really laid-back so he didn’t care.

My parents are really laid-back when it comes to the guys I date. I had a boyfriend once who had many tattoos, but it didn’t bother them.

I used to be really uptight when I was younger, but now I’m much more laid-back. I’ve learned not to take life so seriously.

A: Who’s more laid-back – your mother or your father?

B: My dad is way more laid-back than my mom! She used to scold me all the time, but he almost never did.

The word “laid-back” is a little bit casual. If you want a slightly more formal word, you can use “relaxed”.

grammatical word: insist

{ June 28, 2011 @ 10:51 am } · { grammatical word }
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https://i0.wp.com/mayazankoul.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/15-insist1.jpg

Today’s blog is about the verb “insist”. This can be a difficult word to use because it can function in different ways depending on the situation. Basically, it means to assert something very strongly and to refuse to accept a negative answer. However, there are three ways in which we use it which are slightly different from each other.

The first way is when one person wants another person to do something and refuses to take no for an answer. For example:

I insist that you try some of this cake. I made it just for you.

I had a cold at work yesterday. I said I would stay at work, but my boss insisted that I go home.

You have a boyfriend now. I insist that he come to our party. I really want to meet him.

Please note that we DON’T say things like “My boss insisted me to go home.”. This is completely wrong! We must use a subject (my boss) + the verb “insist” + that + another person (I) + base form of another verb (go). We always use the base form, even with “he” and “she”. Notice that in the third sentence I wrote “he come”, but NOT “he comes”: the second verb is always in the base form.

The second way is when one person wants to do something himself or herself and won’t take no for an answer. In these cases, we’re talking about only one person in the sentence, not two people. Please note that we always use the preposition “on” in these cases. For example:

My brother insisted on coming with me to the party. I hope it’s ok.

I offered to help Jerry cook the meal, but he insisted on doing everything himself.

Tracy insisted on paying for my dinner. She’s such a nice person.

The third way is when a person says something but others don’t really believe them, so they say it even more strongly to emphasize that what they said is really true. For example:

Nobody believes him, but my friend insists he saw a UFO last night.

Frank insists that he has the best cure for hiccups. I’ll try it the next time I get them.

Eve’s boyfriend got really drunk at the party, but she insists that he doesn’t usually do that.

In this case, the second verb is NOT in the base form for “he” and “she”.

I know this can be confusing, so my advice, as always, is to memorize the example sentences and then change the small details to make your own sentences. Good luck!

the difference between words: past tense and was/were + ing

{ June 27, 2011 @ 8:17 am } · { the difference between words }
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Last week, I wrote a blog entry about the difference between “will” and “will be” + ing. Today, I’d like to do the same thing about the simple past tense and the past progressive tense.

We use the simple past tense to talk about past events in general, but we use the past progressive tense (-ing form) when we want to focus on a specific time or event in the past. For example:

A: What did you do yesterday?

B: I worked yesterday.

_________________________________________________________________

A: What were you doing at 4:00 yesterday afternoon?

B: I was working at that time.

So, in this case, the two speakers are focusing on the specific time of 4:00 and contrasting that with what happened during the rest of the day.

However, we can also say something like:

A: What were you doing yesterday?

B: I was working yesterday.

In this case, the speakers are focusing on yesterday as a unit of time and contrasting that with what happened during the whole week or month.

We often use the two tenses together when we want to talk about an interruption in the past or when something happened in the middle of another action. For example:

I was watching TV when you called last night.

I was writing an email to you when I received your email.

By the time you got to the office yesterday, I was giving my presentation in the meeting

On the day you finished your project, I was already working on another project.

We use the past progressive to talk about two actions that were taking place at the same time in the past. For example:

While I was cooking dinner, my wife was cleaning the living room.

Nancy was fixing the computer as her boss was entering the office.

My mother was crying as I was driving away in my car.

In these cases, the word “as” means the same thing as “while”.

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