Practice your modals

Here are a few webpages to practice modals for speculation:

http://esl.about.com/library/grammar/blmodalprob.htm


http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/naturalenglish/int/a_grammar/unit11/neint_grammar11_exp/


http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/grammar-explained/modals-%E2%80%93-deduction-present

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/grammar-explained/modals-%E2%80%93-deduction-past

Adjectives

Here are a couple of links to a website where you'll be able to practice all kinds of grammar exercises. These links refer to gradable and non-gradable adjectives and adjectives with -ed and -ing:

http://www.ejerciciodeingles.com/como-utilizar-adjetivos-acabados-ed-ing-ingles/

http://www.ejerciciodeingles.com/adjetivos-graduables-no-graduables-ingles/

Linkers

A few words on some of the linkers we used today:

- According to + noun or person's name + comma = It's used to introduce an idea which is supported by  a person/people  or research/statistics. If this phrase comes at the end of a sentence, there is no comma after 'to'.
e.g. According to the directions, the glue takes 24 hours to dry.
e.g. Using a preposition at the end of a sentence is acceptable according to the usage dictionaries.

- Instead (of) = in place of somebody or something.

e.g. It was too hot to go outside so we stayed at home instead.
e.g Instead of going to the cinema, we decided to stay at home.

- However + comma = Used at the beginning of a sentence in order to add a comment to a previous sentence.  It implies a contrast.

e. g.Katty couldn't cash her paycheck. However, she managed to buy a new TV set.

- In fact = Both actually and in fact can be used to modify or contradict a previous statement:

e.g. I hear that you're a doctor. ~ Well, actually/in fact, I'm a dentist.

Actually and in fact can also be used to introduce more detailed information or to make things clearer or more precise:

e. g.  I got so bored listening to what he was saying that I actually fell asleep / in fact I fell asleep half way through his presentation.

- Whereas = It is used to compare and contrast 2 facts or opinions. It's not normally used at the beginning of a sentence.

e.g. I love meat whereas my husband is a complete vegetarian.

- Although = Used to contrast 2 clauses

e.g. Although she was ill, she went to work  (The comma separates the 2 clauses)

Since = Because (In this contest. Remember that it is also a time preposition)

e.g. Since John can't come to the meeting tomorrow, we'll have it next week.

That's all folks!!!

Order of Adjectives in English

Adjectives cannot be written in any order. There are rules, so you should use the following order:


1) Determiner or article:

Determiners -  this, that, these, those, my, mine, your, yours, him, his, her, hers, they, their, Sam's ; or

Articles - a, an, the

2) Opinion adjective

e.g. polite, fun, cute, difficult, hard-working

3) Size, including comparatives and superlatives.

height; e.g. tall, short, high, low; taller, tallest
width; e.g. wide, narrow, thin, slim; wider, widest
length; e.g. long, short; longer, longest
volume; e.g. fat, huge; fatter, fattest

4) Shape

e.g. circular, oval, triangular, square, 5-sided, hexagonal, irregular

5) Age

e.g. new, young, adolescent, teenage, middle-aged, old, ancient

6) Colour

e.g. red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, grey, black, black and white, light blue, dark red, pale blue, reddish brown, off-white, bright green, warm yellow

7) Nationality

e.g. Hong Kong, Chinese, English, American, Canadian, Japanese

8) Religion

e.g. Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Moslem, pagan, atheist

9) Material

e.g. wood, plastic, metal, ceramic, paper, silk

10) Noun used as an adjective

e.g. campus (as in 'campus activities')

11) The noun that the adjectives are describing.

e.g. A wonderful old Italian clock

Although it is possible to write a sentence that uses all the categories; e.g. 'my beautiful, long, curving, new, pink, western, Christian, silk wedding dress', it is bad style as it is too long. Try to use less than five adjectives in a single list. Therefore you could say "Have you seen my beautiful new cream silk wedding dress? It's long and curving, and is in western Christian style."

Here are some examples of nouns modified with three adjectives in the correct order based on the list above. Notice that the adjectives are not separated by commas.

A big square blue box. (size - shape - color)
A disgusting pink plastic ornament. (opinion - color - material)
Some slim new French trousers. (size - age - origin)

For some practice with adjective order, follow the links below:

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/adjord.htm

http://www.better-english.com/grammar/adjord.htm

Questions and Auxiliaries

Here are a couple of interesting links to practice auxiliaries and questions:

A quiz to practice word order in questions:

http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/blgrquiz_questionforms.htm

- Yes/No Questions:

http://esl.about.com/b/2010/10/22/are-you-learning-english-yes-i-am-no-im-not.htm?nl=1

- Auxiliaries:

http://esl.about.com/od/grammarintermediate/a/a_auxiliary.htm

and an auxiliary verb quiz:

http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/bl_auxiliary.htm

Word Order in Questions

1. Basic word order in questions with auxiliaries: QASI (Where do you live)  + DO/DOES, DID


Q= Question word
A= Auxiliary
S= Subject
I= Infinitive (Verb)

e.g. Where (Q) do (A) you (S) live (I)?
2. Basic word order in questions with modals: Inversion of SJ-V

3. Word order in negative questions to show surprise or when you expect someone to agree with you:


**Contracted forms added to the auxiliary verb: Isn’t it beautiful?

Full forms: NOT between the subject and verb→Why did you not tell me?

*Contracted forms are more common in spoken English


4. Questions without auxiliaries: When the question word is the subject of the question don’t use DO/DID, etc.


- Who loves Bill? Mary (WHO is the subject)

- Who does Mary love? Bill (Mary is the subject)


5. Indirect questions: Used to make a question more polite

** order is SJ-V, you don’t use DO/DID in the second part of the question

Can you tell me where the post office is? = RIGHT

Do you know where she does live? = WRONG

Indirect Questions Review

This is going to be a very simple bit of homework which will help you review indirect questions.

On the right-hand column of the 'Home' page you can see a BBC link at the very bottom. Click on 'Indirect Questions' and do the quiz.

This is also a good time to explore this wonderful website, which includes activities to practise grammar, vocabulary, idioms, pronunciation, etc. There are videos, exercises and podcasts to download and take with you:

There is a special section on business English called 'Business Language to go' which can be especially useful for those of you studying Economics, Business Administration and the like. It looks at vocabulary and phrases used in typical business situations, for example, meetings, dealing with customers, job interviews, etc., and you can improve your listening skills at the same time!

There is also a business English course - Talking English - which gives you useful language and phrases to improve your spoken communication skills in English in different business situations. Each section features audio, target language and a quiz - all of which are downloadable. You can also practise and test your understanding of the language.
So, no excuses, get down to work!

Grammar Link

Here is a link to a very useful grammar page where you can review use of tenses, gerunds and infinitives, etc.
It's especially useful for those of you with a weak result in the grammar section of the Christmas 'take home' exam, but good for revision prurposes at any time:

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/StudyZone/grammar.htm


There are grammar explanations and useful exercises that you can do on your own, and some other sections worth checking out.