Tag: grammar

Using ING & ED Adjectives

Using ING & ED Adjectives

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In today’s post we are going to have a look at the difference between adjectives which end in ED and ING and how we can use them both. This can be quite a difficult concept for non native speakers to understand which is why we frequently hear mistakes such as “I am very tiring” instead of “I am very tired.”

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So what is the difference between them both?

Usually we use adjectives ending in ING to describe the characteristics of a person, a thing or a situation. Eg,

  • The journey was exhausting, 12 hours by bus!

We use adjectives ending in ED to describe a feeling or emotion. Eg,

  • He was frightened when he saw the spider.

Some other examples:

  • My nephew was amused by the clown.
  • We are going in a helicopter, how exciting.
  • I thought her new idea was absolutely fascinating.
  • I’m sorry I can’t come tonight, I’m completely exhausted.
  • It’s ok, it’s only me. Don’t be alarmed.
  • I was really embarrassed when I fell over in the street.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you have any questions, leave a comment below!

When to use Present Perfect vs Past Simple

When to Use the Present Perfect vs The Past Simple

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In today’s blog post we are going to be looking at when to use the present perfect and when to use the past simple. This can be quite confusing for some as we tend to use both tenses to talk about events in the past.

 

 

The Past Simple

We use the past simple when we talk about specific events that have happened in the past. Usually you would use the past simple tense when the specific time of the event is important to the story or requested. For example:

  • John went to London last year.
  • Kate visited Barcelona in March.
  • Mary met Mike when she was at school.

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The Present Perfect

We use the present perfect when the exact time of the event is unimportant to the story or if the event is unfinished in the present. For example:

  • John has been to London twice this year
  • Kate has visited Barcelona 10 times.
  • Mary and Mike have been friends since they were at school.

 

I hope that you found this blog post helpful, if you have any questions leave a comment below!

How to use Hope & Wish

How to use Hope & Wish

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In today’s blog post we are going to be discussing the difference between using wish and hope and how we actually use these words.

A lot of non native speakers mix up these words as hope and wish have very similar meanings. We usually use these words to express a want or a desire for something in particular.

 

So how do we use Hope and Wish?

We use hope to express a desire for something that is possible to happen, for example:

  • I hope it is sunny later on.

We use wish to express a desire for something that is impossible or very unlikely to happen, for example:

  • I wish it was sunnier in England

When using hope, we often use it in the present simple form, for example:

  • I hope I have enough time to get to work.

Using Wish however can be a bit trickier as there are a few ways that we can use it. Such as the past simple:

  • I wish I had a big house.
  • I wish we didn’t have to work today.
  • I wish that you lived closer to my house.

We can also use it with the second conditional.

  • I wish the neighbors would be quiet!
  • I wish you wouldn’t smoke so much.
  • I wish John wouldn’t eat all the chocolate.

And even the past perfect!:

  • I wish that I had studied harder at school.
  • I wish that I hadn’t eaten so much yesterday!
  • I wish that the train had arrived on time.

I hope that you found this post helpful, if you have any further questions leave a comment below!

How To Use The Third Conditional

How To Use The Third Conditional

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Hi Guys!

Today I thought that we would have a look at the third conditional, this is something that a lot of non native speakers really struggle with and therefore neglect, which is a shame as it can make a big difference to how colloquial you sound as an English speaker.

To put it simply, we use the third conditional to talk about something that could have happened in the past that in the end didn’t happen.

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So How Do We Use It?

 

(if + past perfect, would/could + have + past participle.) 

It is often used to express regret about the past. Eg If Amy had studied harder, she would have passed the exam. So in this example, Amy could have passed her exam, however due to the fact that she did not study, this is no longer a possibility.

Alternatively we can also use negatives to talk about things that did happen in the past (if + past perfect, wouldn’t/couldn’t + have + past participle.) eg If we had cleaned that room, it wouldn’t have been messy. So in this sentence the room was messy because it hadn’t been cleaned.

Some other examples:

–        If we hadn’t gone the party, we wouldn’t have met them.

–        If he hadn’t taken the job, he would have gone travelling.

–        If It hadn’t rained yesterday, I would have gone to the park.

–        If the dog had bitten me, I would have gone to the doctors.

–        If I had started singing earlier, I could have become famous.

–        If I hadn’t found a new job, I would still be living in London.

–        If that hadn’t been a funny joke, I wouldn’t have laughed.

–        If the Tv hadn’t been broken they wouldn’t have been bored.

–        If Sam had gotten up early, he wouldn’t have been late for class.

 

So go ahead and give using the third conditional a go. If you have any questions please leave a comment below!

 If you missed our last blog post on how to use ‘about to’ you can find it here.

How to use ‘About To’

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How To Use 'About To'

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Hey Guys!

In this post we are going to have a look at how to correctly use about to which is particularly useful when we are talking about the near future or telling stories which occurred in the past. 

 The most simple way to use the phrase about to is when we are going to do something or something is going to happen in the very near future eg the ceremony is about to begin.

 

 

Putting It Into Practice

Alternatively we can also use about to in the past tense, often this is used to talk about something you were going to do however another event prevented you from doing so. Eg “I was about to have dinner when the phone rang.”

Some other examples:

– I woke up just as my alarm was about to go off.

– I was just about to get dressed when someone knocked on the door.

– The united kingdom is about to leave the EU… maybe

 

I hope that you found this explanation helpful as about to is a very useful phrase in the English language. As always if you have any douts or queries, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!