ALLENGLISH Blog

How to Identify Essential and Non-Essential Clauses

Debra — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:10:07 +0000

Sometimes a dependent clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence. Sometimes, dependent clauses add additional non-essential details. These steps will help you decide if a clause is essential or non-essential.

Step 1: Read the whole sentence and identify the clause. Underline the clause

Step 2: Read the sentence without the clause. Does it make enough sense?

Step 3: Read the sentence again, but this time with the clause. Does it make more sense?

Step 4: If the sentence makes complete sense without the clause, place commas around the clause. If the sentence needs the clause to make sense, do not place commas around the clause.

Follow the steps above and practice with these two sentences. Only one sentence needs commas. Which one?

Our hotel which was near the beach offered free room service.
The room which has the ocean view is more expensive than the three-room suite.

Answer: The first sentence contains a non-essential clause, and therefore, will require commas around the clause.

Monday Morning Quarterback – Repost

Debra — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:44:29 +0000

This was the original post from Feb. 1, 2009:

The expression Monday Morning Quarterback describes a person who says that they would have done something differently and better than what someone else did. The term originates from Sunday being the day when most football games are played, and people talking the next day about how they would have done better plays, made better calls, etc., than the actual quarterback.

Although the term originated in football, it isn’t exclusively used when referring to it. You may e a Monday Morning Quarterback when referring to how a colleague’s presentation should have been given (“I would have used a blue background on the PowerPoint”), or what a friend should have done at the party last weekend (“I would have asked for her number”).

Tomorrow when you are talking to your colleagues about tonight’s Super Bowl, please note the grammar pattern typically used by Monday Morning Quarterbacks:

modal auxiliary (should or would work best) + have + past participle of the action you would have done better.

Conversation Tips: American Football

Debra — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:45:05 +0000

Here are some open-ended questions you can ask Americans about football:

Who’s your favorite team?
Where are they from?
Why do you like them?/Are you from that area?
Do they have a good defense/offense?
Who is their quarterback?
What is the goal/objective of the game?
Who is playing in the Superbowl?
Who do you think will win?

People = plural

Debra — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:24:55 +0000

Just a reminder:

The word people is a plural noun. It’s an irregular plural. Remember to use correct subject verb agreement if people is your subject.

Examples:

Why are some people easier to work with than others?
People at the party were looking for the food and drinks.

The singular of people is person. With the verb “to be”, subject/verb agreement looks like this:

People are…
People were…
A person is…
A person was…

ESL phrases to use while playing games

Debra — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:03:32 +0000

Now that the holidays are over, is it all work and no play? Well, take a break to learn about some fun expressions to use the next time you play games:

You’re it. (It, here, means the person whose turn it is)
Who’s it?
It’s your turn. (It, here, is just the subject of the sentence)
It’s your go.
It’s my turn.
It’s my go.
Let’s take turns.
Whose turn is it?
Whose go is it?

When you’re playing tag, there are many people in a group, and one person, “it”, has to chase everyone until they are caught. Can you think of equivalent games that are played in your country? Here are some we played when we were kids:

hide and seek
red-light green-light
duck duck goose
tag
freeze tag

Small talk while playing games is a great way to pick up on these phrases and more.

The Present Perfect Tense and Having Experience

Debra — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:48:26 +0000

When you use the perfect perfect tense, one of the meanings implied is that you have experience.

Example: I have driven a stick shift.

In this sentence, you imply that in all your driving experience, you can include driving a stick shift.

Keep this in mind when if you say, “I have had experience driving a stick shift.” If you’re interviewing for a job where the experience required includes driving a stick shift, such as a valet, using the present perfect with the word “experience” is fine.

In other contexts, however, you can just use the present perfect.

A New Year’s Quote by T.S. Eliot

Debra — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:39:34 +0000

For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice. – T.S. Eliot

US Holidays 2012

Debra — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:17:52 +0000

From the Office of Personnel Management website, here is a list of the 2012 holidays, so you can start planning your weekend trips and study breaks! Don’t forget to check with your employer or school to see which days you will actually have off.

Monday, January 2*	New Year’s Day
Monday, January 16	Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, February 20**	Washington’s Birthday
Monday, May 28	Memorial Day
Wednesday, July 4	Independence Day
Monday, September 3	Labor Day
Monday, October 8	Columbus Day
Monday, November 12***	Veterans Day
Thursday, November 22	Thanksgiving Day
Tuesday, December 25	Christmas Day

Accent Reduction Tips

Debra — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 08:06:24 +0000

If you’re thinking about altering your accent, try focusing on these aspects of language:

study the characteristics of your language’s sound system and how it differs from English. Start with the differing consonants, which seem to create more misunderstandings.
practice in phrases (not individual words) and how one word blends with the words surrounding it
move your mouth more than you’re used to – open it wider like you’re yawning, spread the corners of your lips to meet your ears! This sounds like an exaggeration, but moving your mouth in different ways is a major component of forming new sounds.
watch Americans’ lips when they speak – watching on TV is OK to avoid any awkwardness, but the Simpsons, Family Guy, or some other cartoon won’t help you.
listen to and imitate sentence stress and intonation and stress patterns within phrases (my favorite activity for this is listening to and singing along with music)
copy what you hear exactly and often (as exact and as often as you can)

This is all I can think of for now, but there are more. I’ll post them as I start to remember them. For now, I hope these help.

“Auld Lang Syne” Lyrics

Debra — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:01:50 +0000

Happy New Year!

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.”

Robert Burns, Auld Lang Syne

Less and Fewer – Quantity Activity

Debra — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:52:51 +0000

Another activity is available from the AllEnglish collection for you to use in practice or in your classrooms.

Less or Fewer

Here’s a hint: less is used with non-count nouns; fewer is used with count nouns. They both mean a lower quantity.

This is free to use. Just remember to credit AllEnglish as the reference.

Stand Your Ground – idiom

Debra — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:53:42 +0000

To stand your ground means that you won’t change your opinion on the topic which you are discussing. You can use this expression in various ways.

I stood my ground during the debate because I was well prepared.
She is standing her ground and will not relent.
If you are confronted, you should stand your ground because you have all of the facts.

What’s the difference between warning and caution?

Debra — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 07:58:13 +0000

A warning refers to something dangerous and serious – something you should avoid.

Warning: Beware of Dog = don’t enter this gate because there is a dog behind it that will hurt you.

A caution is a suggestion to take extra care.

Caution: This floor is slippery. = be extra careful when walking near this area because you might slip.

If used in casual speech between friends, these words are sometimes used as synonyms.

Take this advice as a word of caution: this man will break your heart.

6 weeks later:

I told you he would hurt you. You can’t say I didn’t warn you.

Get Social with AllEnglish

Debra — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 07:01:42 +0000

Did you know you can now subscribe, follow, and like AllEnglish all over the internet? Here are some different ways:

So many of my posts are inspired by comments and suggestions from people with the same language questions as you, and I would love to hear what’s on your mind. So, now your job is to comment, call, subscribe, and, of course, like!

Merry Christmas!

Debra — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 22:57:48 +0000

I hope you’re having a great holiday filled with family, fun, and lots of good food!

There is, are, was, or were – Subject Verb Agreement

Debra — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 10:51:13 +0000

In this quick 1-minute video, you can learn whether to use there is or are in the present tense and there was or were in the past tense. I hope this helps!

When someone says “Merry Christmas”, what should I say?

Debra — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:41:58 +0000

Traveling, spending time with family, and getting everything prepared in time for guests are all adrenaline producing activities. Emotions during this time (a cocktail of joy, mixed with stress and homesickness) can overwhelm the brain and people might not stop to think, “Wait. Is this person a Christian?”

So, if someone wishes you a Merry Christmas and you don’t celebrate Christmas, they might not be trying to be insensitive to other cultures or religions. They might be so busy, they’re not stopping to think, so they just repeat the same adage they’ve heard for years.

Still, the question is, “What should I say?”

One option:

Person: Merry Christmas!

You: Thanks! You too!

Another option:

Person: Merry Christmas!

You: Merry Christmas to you, too! (stress on the word “you”)

Non-Christian options:

Person: Merry Christmas!

You: Happy Holidays to you.

Many people the world over have at least some time off between December 20th and January 7th. So another possibility is to wish the person to have a good rest during their well deserved break. So another non-Christian or non-religious option would be:

Person: Merry Christmas!

You: Yes, I’m looking forward to the time off. How about you?

What does “eve” mean?

Debra — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

When speaking of Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, “eve” means the evening before. So Christmas Eve is December 24th, and New Year’s Eve is December 31st.

Prepositions in the Christmas Tradition

Debra — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:31:25 +0000

Prepositions and phrases to use this season:

during

What are you doing during the holidays?
You can shop during our holiday store hours.
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone during our visit.
Don’t talk on your cell phone during Christmas dinner.

on Christmas Eve
on Christmas day
on New Year’s Eve
on New Year’s day
The name on this box is yours.

I’ll be at home on Christmas Eve.
You can reach me at my parents’ house.
The stores are more crowded at Christmas time

for

What are you giving your sister for Christmas.
I’m baking these cookies for Christmas.
What are you doing for the holidays?

until

You should wait until Christmas morning to open your presents.
I can’t wait until our guests arrive.

under

You will find presents under the tree.
If you stand under the mistletoe, someone might kiss you.

Parallelism in Writing

Debra — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:46:00 +0000

Understanding and identifying parallelism is common in grammar reviews as well as on standardized tests.

Parallelism can be achieved by making sure there is balance on both sides of a conjunction (and, but, yet, & so). Conjunctions are typically found between independent clauses and in lists.

First, find the conjunction. Then look for balance. You can tell if something is not balanced if the parts of speech are different or if there is a modifier on one side and not the other. If you see an imbalance, correct it.

For example:

My favorite meals are pizza, spaghetti, and ordering subs.
Pizza and spaghetti are nouns. Ordering subs? That is an action.

Fix the imbalance: My favorite meals are pizza, spaghetti, and subs.