Study-Blog

Common Adjectives Table

2011-05-25T11:12:00.000+07:00

Appearance	Condition
adorable alert average beautiful blonde bloody blushing bright clean clear cloudy colourful concerned crowded curious cute dark dirty drab distinct dull elegant fancy filthy glamorous gleaming graceful grotesque homely light misty motionless muddy plain poised quaint scary shiny smoggy sparkling spotless stormy strange ugly unsightly unusual	alive brainy broken busy careful cautious clever crazy damaged dead difficult easy fake false famous forward fragile guilty helpful helpless important impossible infamous innocent inquisitive mad modern open outgoing outstanding poor powerful puzzled real rich right robust sane scary shy sleepy stupid super tame thick tired wild wrong
Feelings - negative	Feelings - neutral	Feelings - positive
afraid angry annoyed anxious arrogant ashamed awful bad bewildered bored concerned condemned confused creepy cruel dangerous defeated defiant depressed disgusted disturbed doubtful eerie embarrassed envious evil fierce foolish frantic frightened grieving guilty helpless hungry hurt ill jealous lonely mad naughty nervous obnoxious outrageous panicky repulsive safe scared shy sleepy sore strange tense terrible tired troubled unusual upset uptight weary wicked worried	alright calm different fair fine OK pleasant puzzled	agreeable alert amused brave bright charming cheerful comfortable cooperative courageous delightful determined eager elated enchanting encouraging energetic enthusiastic excited exuberant faithful fantastic friendly frowning funny gentle glorious good happy healthy helpful hilarious innocent jolly kind lively lovely lucky obedient perfect proud relaxed relieved silly smiling splendid successful thoughtful victorious vivacious well witty wonderful
Shape	Size	Sound
broad crooked curved deep even flat hilly jagged round shallow square steep straight thick thin triangular uneven	average big fat gigantic huge large little long massive medium miniature narrow petite short skinny small tall tiny wide	cooing deafening faint harsh high-pitched hissing hushed husky loud melodic moaning mute noisy purring quiet raspy screeching shrill silent soft squeaky squealing thundering voiceless whispering
Speed	Taste	Time
fast quick rapid slow swift	bitter bland delicious different fresh greasy hot juicy repulsive revolting ripe rotten salty sour spicy stale strong sweet tasteless tasty terrible wonderful	ancient brief. early late long modern new old old-fashioned quick short young
	Touch
	blunt boiling breakable breezy broken bumpy chilly clean cold cool crooked cuddly curly damaged damp different dirty dry dusty filthy flaky fluffy fuzzy greasy grubby hard icy loose plastic prickly ripe rough rubbery scratchy shaky shaggy sharp silky slimy slippery smooth soft solid steady sticky tight uneven unusual unripe warm weak wet wooden wooly

source: http://www.learnenglish.de/

Used to

2011-05-25T11:10:00.000+07:00

The use of used to do is explained here. However, used to has another meaning, it can be used as an adjective and we use it to talk about things that have become familiar, and are no longer strange or new.

Used to usually comes after verbs such as be, get or become.

After a while you get used to the noise.
She will become used to the smell.
I was used to the web site.

You can also say that someone is used to doing something.

I'll never get used to getting up at six o'clock in the morning.
It took me a while until I was used to driving on the right-hand side of the road.

source: http://www.learnenglish.de/

Superlative

2011-05-22T07:07:00.003+07:00

The superlative is used to say what thing or person has the most of a particular quality within a group or of its kind. Superlative adjectives normally come before any other adjectives.

		Snowdon is not the highest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis is.
Mount Snowdon is 3,559 feet high.	Ben Nevis is 4,408 feet high.

Forming the superlative

Form	Rule	For example
Words of one syllable ending in 'e'.	Add -st to the end of the word.	wide - widest
Words of one syllable, with one vowel and one consonant at the end.	Double the consonant and add -est to the end of the word.	big - biggest
Words of one syllable, with more than one vowel or more than one consonant at the end.	Add - est to the end of the word.	high - highest
Words of two syllables, ending in 'y'.	Change 'y' to 'i', and add -est to the end of the word.	happy - happiest
Words of two syllables or more, not ending in 'y'.	Place 'the most' before the adjective.	beautiful - the most beautiful

The following adjectives are exceptions:

    * 'good' becomes 'the best'
    * 'bad' becomes 'the worst'
    * 'far' becomes 'the furthest'

For example:

    * "Jill is the best student in the class ."
    * "Jack is the worst student in the class."
    * "In our solar system the planet Pluto is the furthest planet from the Sun."

!Note - superlatives are usually preceded by 'the'.

For example:

    * "The Rio de la Plata river, on the southeast coastline of South America, is the widest river in the world."
    * According to the List of World records Carol Yager (1960-1994), from Michigan, is the fattest person ever to live, weighing 725 kg (1,600 lb).
    * "Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world."
    * "I think that Castle Combe is the prettiest village in England."
    * "Arguably, Rome is the most beautiful city in the world."

source: http://www.learnenglish.de/

Comparison

2011-05-22T07:03:00.004+07:00

When we compare two things or people we look at what makes them different from each other.

For example:

Tall / Short

The man on the left is taller than the man on the right.
The man on the right is shorter than the man on the left.

Fast / Slow

A car is faster than a bicycle.
A bicycle is slower than a car.

Comparative adjectives are used to show what quality one thing has more or less than the other. They normally come before any other adjectives.

For example:

Big / Small

The red bag is bigger than the blue bag.
The blue bag is smaller than the red bag.

Forming the comparative

Form	Rule	For example
Words of one syllable ending in 'e'.	Add -r to the end of the word.	wide - wider
Words of one syllable, with one vowel and one consonant at the end.	Double the consonant and add -er to the end of the word.	big - bigger
Words of one syllable, with more than one vowel or more than one consonant at the end.	Add - er to the end of the word.	high - higher
Words of two syllables, ending in 'y'.	Change 'y' to 'i', and add -er to the end of the word.	happy - happier
Words of two syllables or more, not ending in 'y'.	Place 'more' before the adjective.	beautiful - more beautiful

The following adjectives are exceptions to this rule:

    * 'good' becomes 'better'
    * 'bad' becomes 'worse'
    * 'far' becomes 'farther' or 'further'

!Note - When comparing two things like this we put than between the adjective and the thing being compared.

For example:-

    * "Mount Everest is higher than Mount Snowdon."
    * "Arguably, Rome is more beautiful than Paris.

source: http://www.learnenglish.de/

Possesive

2011-05-22T06:49:00.003+07:00

Possesive adjectives are used to show ownership or possession.

Subject pronoun	Possessive adjective
I	my
you	your
he	his
she	her
it	its
we	our
they	their

For example:

    * I own a laptop. = It is my laptop.
    * You own this computer (I presume). = It is your computer.
    * My husband owns a car. = It is his car.
    * My sister owns a house. = It is her house.
    * My dog owns a collar. = It is its collar.
    * We use this website. = It is our website.
    * Manchester United own a football ground. = It is their football ground.

source: http://www.learnenglish.de/

Adjectives

2011-05-22T06:45:00.005+07:00

Adjectives describe or give information about nouns or pronouns.

For example:-

The grey dog barked. (The adjective grey describes the noun "dog".)

The good news is that the form of an adjective does not change. It does not matter if the noun being modified is male or female, singular or plural, subject or object.

Some adjectives give us factual information about the noun - age, size colour etc (fact adjectives - can't be argued with). Some adjectives show what somebody thinks about something or somebody - nice, horrid, beautiful etc (opinion adjectives - not everyone may agree).

If you are asked questions with which, whose, what kind, or how many, you need an adjective to be able to answer.

There are different types of adjectives in the English language:

* Numeric: six, one hundred and one

* Quantitative: more, all, some, half, more than enough

* Qualitative: colour, size, smell etc.

* Possessive: my, his, their, your

* Interrogative: which, whose, what

* Demonstrative: this, that, those, these

!Note - The articles a, an, and the and the possessives my, our, your, and their are also adjectives.

source: http://www.learnenglish.de/

Passive Voice

2011-05-20T13:58:00.002+07:00

Kalimat aktif merupakan kalimat yang subjek kalimatnya adalah pelaku sebuah tindakan, sedangkan kalimat pasif adalah kalimat yang subjeknya bukan pelaku suatu tindakan. Si subjek adalah si penerima akibat dari sebuah tindakan.

Bandingkan kalimat-kalimat berikut:

Aktif : Susi mengetik surat ini kemarin
Pasif : Surat ini diketik oleh Susi kemarin
Aktif : Kucingku membunuh seekor tikus
Pasif : Seekor tikus dibunuh oleh kucingku

Catatan:

Gunakan bentuk pasif jika pelaku tindakan tidak begitu penting.

Contoh:

Menara ini dibangun tahun 1955

Kalau kita perlu menyebut siapa pelaku suatu tindakan, gunakan kata oleh (by)

Contoh:

Menara ini telah dibangun oleh Pemerintah Daerah pada tahun 1955

Rumus umum untuk membentuk suatu kalimat Pasif

Aktif : S + Verb (Kata Kerja) + Objek + dll
Pasif : Objek + to be + Verb 3 (Kata Kerja Bentuk III) ( + by subjek) + dll

To be yang digunakan

Present : is, am, are
Past : was, were
Perfect : been (di depan have, has, atau had)
Future : be (setelah modals)
Continuous : being (di depan salah satu dari 7 to be di atas)

Hal-hal yang perlu diketahui dan diingat

Untuk menyatakan suatu kalimat dalam bentuk pasif, tenses tidak berubah. Tenses harus sama dengan kalau kita menyatakannya dalam bentuk aktif. Yang berubah hanya kata kerja-nya.
Kata kerja yang tidak memiliki objek (Kata Kerja Intransitif) tidak dapat diubah menjadi kalimat pasif, seperti, menangis, mendidih, terbit, dll.

Contoh-contoh kalimat aktif dan pasif

Jack sings a song (active)
A song is sung by Jack (Passive)

Jack sang a song yesterday (active)
A song was sung by Jack yesterday (passive)

Jack has sung a song (active)
A song has been sung by Jack (passive)

Jack will sing a song (active)
A song will be sung by Jack (passive)

Jack is singing a song (active)
A song is being sung by Jack (passive)

Jack can sing a song (active)
A song can be sung by Jack (passive)

Beberapa Bentuk Kalimat Passive
1) Passive Imperative Sentence

Rumus:

Let + objek + be + Kata Kerja Bentuk III

· Help the poor (active)

· Let the poor be helped (passive)

2) Passive Infinitive: It is/was time

Rumus:

It is/was time for + objek + to be + kata kerja III

· It is time to send the letter (active)

· It is time for the letter to be sent (passive)

3) Negative Passive Imperative Sentence

Rumus:

Subjek + be + Kata kerja III + not to + infinitive

(kata kerja III yang sering digunakan adalah: advised, asked, begged, commanded, requested)

Don�t wait for me (active)
You are advised not to wait for me (passive)

4) Passive Sentence with Verbs of Perception

Rumus
Subjek + be + adjectives + when + subjek + be + kata kerja III

(kata kerja yang digunakan adalah: taste, smell, feel)

This food tastes delicious (active)
This food is delicious when it is tasted (passive)

5) Passive Sentence with Certain Verbs followed by �that-clause�

Kata kerja yang digunakan adalah: accept, admit, agree, assume, believe, decide, expect, find out, intend, plan, point out, presume, prove, regret, report, say, think, understand.

We regretted that the principal had to resign from office (active)
It was regretted that the principal had to resign from office (passive)

6) Passive Sentence with Nouns or Adjectives as Complements

I consider her very pretty (active)
She is considered very pretty (passive)

7) Passive Sentence with two objects

He gave me a book (active)
A book was given to me by him (passive 1)
I was given a book by him (passive 2)

8) Passive Sentence with Gerund Verbs

The teacher enjoyed teaching the students (active)
The students enjoyed being taught by the teacher (passive)

9) Agent consisting long expression at the end of sentence

Dalam kalimat pasif, jika pelaku terdiri dari ekspresi yang panjang, sebaiknya subjek tersebut ditempatkan di akhir kalimat setelah by.

We were all surprised by her sudden announcement to get married
I was confused by his plan to stop the ongoing project and begin a new one.

10) Passive Sentence with unique verbs

Kata kerja yang digunakan adalah: require, deserve, need

Noun Clause

2011-05-09T13:24:00.002+07:00

from statement

EXAMPLE

1.That Ronaldo plays football very well is a general fact.

2.It is a fact that the war has had over.

3.It is a society agreement that the system of the governance developed.

4.That the class is empty, the headmaster knows it.

6.It is a general knowledge that the education foundation is the educational base.

7.The young people agreed that music is the universal language

8.That novel is a hard work, people admit it.

9.That the Rusian used to land on the moon is a general knowledge.

10.That we have done the general election, the international community admitted it.

11.Indonesians students understand that the cost to go to the International University is absolutely expensive

From Wh-questions

EXAMPLE:

1.I do not know what you want.

2.The man can not understand what his wives asked for.

3.John remembered where he met Jenny at the first time.

4.The students of English department should have known when they should finish the study.

5.As the international tourists, we should know where to go.

6.I do not know why I can not enjoy my job now.

7.I do not understand why he always complains at me.

8.What you want is something impossible.

9.Where you live is a mystery for me.

Yes no questions

EXAMPLE:

1.My schedule will depend on whether he will come.

2.The old man in the corner did not know if he got lost.

3.The judge has no clue whether the suspect should be sentenced to jail or not.

Punctuation Part IV

2011-05-02T15:51:00.002+07:00

I. Dash ( -- )

The function of dash is to make a certain piece of information more stressful or more dramatic, as in :

· Don’t forget—once again do not forget—to post the letter today.

· We—the students of English Department—practice speaking intensively.

· The criminals robbed the bank—all the money was taken.

A dash is also used to introduce additional details in order to make a previous piece of information clearer or more vivid. In this case, dash is similar to that is, viz or namely.

· Indonesian lies between two oceans—the Pacific and the Indian Oceans.

· The kangaroo—the native animal of Australia—can jump extremely quickly.

· She plans to go to Singkep –a small island in Riau Province.

This mark may be used to show alternatives; it is often replaced by the word “or”.

Example:

· The lecturer wrote in his grammar book that the verb to depend can be followed by the preposition upon/on.

· To begin a formal letter, we may write Dear Sir/Madam if we do not know who the receiver is.

· The three dots might represent something irrelevant or necessity.

J. Omission Marks (…)

Example:

· “Language … a set of rules … for communication,“ the definition read.

· “The most important part of speech is verb … “ Hornsby said.

· “ … two kinds of complements, namely, the subject complement and the object complement.” They concluded.

Punctuation Part III

2011-05-02T14:15:00.009+07:00

G. Apostrophes ( ‘ )

The Apostrophes is used:

(1) to show ownership or relationship,

(2) to show where letters have been omitted in a contraction, and

(3) to form the plurals or number s and letters.

1. The possessive case

The possessive case of a word shows ownership or relationship

a. To form the possessive case of a singular noun, add an apostrophe and an s.

Example:

· John’s desk.

· A boy’s cap.

· The baby’s toy.

· Student’s book.

b. To form the possessive case of a plural noun not ending in s, add an apostrophe and an s.

Example:

· Mice’s tracks.

· Children’s choir.

c. To form the possessive case of a plural noun ending in s, add only the apostrophe.

Example:

· Cats’ basket

· The Carsons’ bungalow

2. Contraction

A contraction is a word made by combining two words and omitting some letters. An apostrophes take the place of the letters that are left out.

Example:

· There is : there’s

· We are : we’re

· They have : they’ve

· Is not : isn’t

When n’t is added to shall, will, or can, the spelling of the verb changes.

Example:

· Shall not : shan’t

· Will not : won’t

· Can not : can’t

H. Hyphens ( - )

The hypens is used :

(1) to indicated that a word has been broken at the end of a line, and

(2) to show that two or more words are being used together as one.

If there is not room for a whole word at the end of the line, you may divide it with a hyphens.

Dividing words at the end of a line, however, should be avoided as much as possible.

1. Use a hyphen to divide a word at the end of a line

Example:

In my opinion, this salad needs cu-cumber.

2. Use a hyphen with compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine and with fractions used as adjectives

Example:

There are twenty-nine days in February.

Punctuation Part II

2011-05-02T14:14:00.001+07:00

D. Colons ( : )

A colon is a punctuation mark that usually signals that something is to follow. The colon is never used directly after a verb or a preposition.

1. Use a colon before list of items, especially after expression like as follows and the following

Example:

A search showed that Jack’s pocket contain the following: a knife, half an apple, a piece of gum, and a bottle of mineral water.

2. Use a colon between the hour and the minute when you write the time

Example:

8:30 a.m. 10:30 p.m.

3. Use a colon after a salutation of a business letter

Example:

Dear Sir: Dear Mrs. :

E. Italic or Underline ( word or word )

1. Use Italic or underline for titles of books, periodicals, works of art, ships, and so on.

Example:

Harry Potter is my favorite novel.

One of most famous movies ever made is Ketika Cinta Bertasbih.

F. Quotation marks ( “…” )

When a person’s exact words are used in writing, it is customary too use quotation marks to show where the question begins and end.

1. Use quotation marks to enclose a direct quotation

Example:

“When the bell rings,“ said the teacher, “leave the class quietly.“

2. A direct quotation begins with a capital letter

Example:

Maria said, “The frame isn’t strong enough.“

3. When a quoted sentence is divided into two parts by an interrupting expression ( he said, mother said, and replied the principal ), the second part begins with a small letter.

Example:

“The time has come, “ insisted the speaker, “to improve our education program.“

4. A direct quotation is set off from the rest of the sentence by commas.

Example:

I asked, “What’s your name? “

5. A period or a comma following a quotation should be place inside the closing quotation marks

Example:

The man replied, “I’m ready.”

Punctuation Part I

2011-05-02T13:35:00.005+07:00

A. End Marks: (.), (?), (!)

The term end marks refers to punctuation which appears at the end of sentences. They are periods (.), question marks (?), and exclamation (!).

1. A statement is followed by a period.

Example:

Pizza is my favorite food.

2. A question is followed by a question mark.

Example:

What time is it ?

3. An exclamation is followed by an exclamation point.

Example:

How clever you are !

4. An abbreviation is followed by a period.

Example:

Calif. Oct.

Oct. P.m.

B. Commas ( , )

1. Use a comma to separate single word in a series

Example:

December, January, and February are summer months in the Southern Hemisphere.

2. Use a comma to separate verbs in a series

Example:

The delegates nominated one candidate, voted, and installed her in an office.

3. Use a comma to separate phrases in a series

Example:

There were spots at the top, at the sides, and on the bottom.

4. Use a comma to separate two or more adjectives preceding a noun

Example:

· Jupiter is a large, strange planet.

· David Beckham played a powerful, brilliant game.

5. Use a comma before and, but, or, nor, for, and yet when they join parts of a compound sentences

Example:

· Betty offered to get the tickets, and I accepted gratefully.

· They had been working very hard, but they didn’t seem especially tired.

6. Use a comma to set of expression that interrupt the sentence.

Example:

Our neighbor, Gita Gutawa, is a good singer.

C. Semicolons ( ; )

1. Use a semicolon between the parts of a compound sentence if they are not joined by and, but, or, nor, for, and yet

Example:

After school I went to the play station; then I studied in my room for an hour.

2. A semicolon may be needed to separate the parts of a compound sentence if they are commas within the parts

Example:

I wrote to Ann, Beth, and Meg; and Jean notified Terry and Sue.

How Computer Viruses Work

2011-04-28T17:23:00.003+07:00

A virus can spell doom for your computer.

Strange as it may sound, the computer virus is something of an Information Age marvel. On one hand, viruses show us how vulnerable we are -- a properly engineered virus can have a devastating effect, disrupting productivity and doing billions of dollars in damages. On the other hand, they show us how sophisticated and interconnected human beings have become.

For example, experts estimate that the Mydoom worm infected approximately a quarter-million computers in a single day in January 2004. Back in March 1999, the Melissa virus was so powerful that it forced Microsoft and a number of other very large companies to completely turn off their e-mail systems until the virus could be contained. The ILOVEYOU virus in 2000 had a similarly devastating effect. In January 2007, a worm called Storm appeared -- by October, experts believed up to 50 million computers were infected. That's pretty impressive when you consider that many viruses are incredibly simple.

When you listen to the news, you hear about many different forms of electronic infection. The most common are:

* Viruses - A virus is a small piece of software that piggybacks on real programs. For example, a virus might attach itself to a program such as a spreadsheet program. Each time the spreadsheet program runs, the virus runs, too, and it has the chance to reproduce (by attaching to other programs) or wreak havoc.

* E-mail viruses - An e-mail virus travels as an attachment to e-mail messages, and usually replicates itself by automatically mailing itself to dozens of people in the victim's e-mail address book. Some e-mail viruses don't even require a double-click -- they launch when you view the infected message in the preview pane of your e-mail software [source: Johnson].

* Trojan horses - A Trojan horse is simply a computer program. The program claims to do one thing (it may claim to be a game) but instead does damage when you run it (it may erase your hard disk). Trojan horses have no way to replicate automatically.

* Worms - A worm is a small piece of software that uses computer networks and security holes to replicate itself. A copy of the worm scans the network for another machine that has a specific security hole. It copies itself to the new machine using the security hole, and then starts replicating from there, as well.

Oxford and Cambridge Universities

2011-04-25T23:37:00.002+07:00

England is famous for its educational institutes. There were many different kinds of schools in Medieval England and the English universities were one of the most significant creations. The students who attended either Oxford or Cambridge Universities set an intellectual standard that contrasted markedly with the norm of Medieval England. Today both Universities are internationally renowned centres for teaching and research, attracting students and scholars from all over the world.

The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford is one of the oldest and most highly revered Universities in Europe. It was the first university established in Britain. Oxford is situated about 57 miles (90 km) north-west of London in its own county of Oxfordshire. The city lies at the confluence of the Rivers Cherwell and Thames, or "Isis", as it is locally known, giving the opportunity to enjoy such pleasant pursuits as boating and punting, or a stroll along river banks. The story of Oxford is one of a war, plague, religious persecution, heroes and the emergence of one of the greatest Universities in the world. Known as the city of "Dreaming Spires," Oxford is dominated by the Medieval architecture of the University, and the exquisite gardens within.

According to legend Oxford University was founded by King Alfred the Great in 872 when he happened to meet some monks there and had a scholarly debate that lasted several days. A more realistic scenario is that it grew out of efforts begun by Alfred to encourage education and establish schools throughout his territory.

Long after Alfred, during the late 11th or early 12th century, it is known that Oxford became a centre of learning for clerics, from which a school or university could have sprung or evolved. The university was given a boost in 1167 when, for political reasons, Henry II of England ordered all English students at Paris to return to England. Most of the returning students congregated at Oxford and the University began a period of rapid development. Oxford, like Cambridge, differs from many other universities in that there is no central university campus. Instead, the University consists of a large number of colleges and associated buildings, scattered throughout the city.

From the start there was friction between "town and gown". Most students took lodgings with local people, who soon realised that they could charge high prices and rents of the Academics. However it was a strain on the resources of the community to have to provide for the influx of people from elsewhere. In the 13th century, rioting between students and localpeople hastened the establishment of primitive halls of residence. These were succeeded by the first of Oxford's colleges or endowed houses whose architectural splendour, together with the University's libraries and museums, give the city its unique character.

The first college, University College, was founded in 1249 by William of Durham. Other notable colleges include All Souls (founded in 1438), Christ Church (founded in 1546) and Lady Margaret Hall (founded in 1878), which was the first women's college. Since 1974, all but one of Oxford's colleges have changed their statutes to admit both men and women. St Hilda's remains the only women's college, and the rest enroll both men and women.

Oxford early on became a centre for lively controversy, with scholars involved in religious and political disputes. John Wyclif, a 14th-century Master of Balliol, campaigned for a bible in the vernacular, against the wishes of the papacy. In 1530, Henry VIII forced the University to accept his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. During the Reformation in the 16th century, the Anglican churchmen Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley were tried for heresy and burnt at the stake in Oxford. During the Civil War, Oxford was selected as the Royalist capital. The King stayed at Christ Church, the Queen at Merton, and a passage was constructed to allow them to meet. Most of the citizens were violently anti-Royalist, but not the University.

Today Oxford University is comprised of thirty-nine colleges and six permanent private halls, founded between 1249 and 1996, whose architectural grandeur, together with that of the University's libraries and museums, gives the city its unique character. More than 130 nationalities are represented among a student population of over 18,000. A range of scholarships offer support for international students.Thirty colleges and all halls admit students for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Seven other colleges are for graduates only; one has Fellows only, and one specializes in part-time and continuing education. Each college is practically autonomous with its own set of rules. There is central administration, providing services such as libraries, laboratories, lectures and examination.

There have been many famous people who have studied at Oxford Univeristy and they include John Locke, Adam Smith, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lewis Carroll, Oscar Wilde, J. R. Tolkien, Indira Gandhi, Baroness Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, Rupert Murdoch, Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean), and Hugh Grant. All in all, Oxford has produced four British and at least eight foreign kings, 47 Nobel prize-winners, 25 British Prime Ministers, 28 foreign presidents and prime ministers, seven saints, 86 archbishops, 18 cardinals, and one pope. Seven of the last eleven British Prime Ministers have been Oxford graduates.

Oxford's teaching and research is consistently in the top rank nationally and internationally, and is at the forefront of medical, scientific and technological achievement. Amongst the University's old members are many widely influential scientists. Contemporary scientists include Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins and Nobel prize-winner Anthony James Leggett, and Tim Berners Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web.

University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world (after Oxford). The start of the University is generally taken as 1209, when some masters and students arrived in Cambridge after fleeing from rioting in Oxford.

Cambridge is situated about 50 miles (80 km) north of London. The town of Cambridge originally took its name from the river on which it stood - the Granta. Through a convoluted process of evolution, the name 'Grontabricc' became 'Cambridge', and the river became the 'Cam'. The town is referred to in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales as 'Canterbridge'.

The university was basically established to study for religious purposes. The earliest teaching sessions of the University were carried out in churches or private houses. This was obviously unsatisfactory, and so the University authorities began to establish buildings for its own use. Some of these early 'schools' still exist on the site known, appropriately, as the 'Old Schools'. During the 14th and 15th Centuries, the University gradually gained its independence from the church, with the Chancellor taking on both religious and civil duties.

Cambridge University is composed of more than thirty constituent colleges, one of the most illustrious of which is Emmanuel College. This college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Queen Elizabeth I. Many Emmanuel graduates, including John Harvard, were among those who settled in New England in the first half of the 17th century. The oldest building is in St John's College but the oldest college as institution is Peterhouse, dates from 1284. King Henry VIII founded the largest college, Trinity, in 1546.

Many of the University buildings are of historical or architectural interest, and the University's museums contain many rare, valuable and beautiful items. King's College Chapel, begun in 1446, is one of Britain's most magnificent buildings. The mulberry tree under which the poet John Milton is reputed to have written Lycidas is on the grounds of Christ's College. Samuel Pepys's library, housed in the original cases, is at Magdalene College. Two of the colleges contain chapels designed by Christopher Wren-Pembroke and Emmanuel. The gardens and grounds of the colleges along the River Cam are known as the "Backs," and together they form a unique combination of large-scale architecture, natural and formal gardens, and river scenery with student boaters.

The University at present has more than 16,500 full-time students - over 11,600 undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduates. About 17% of the student body is from overseas, coming from over 100 different countries. Because of its high academic reputation, admission to the University is highly competitive, and most overseas students already have a good degree from a university in their own country.

The University also has a worldwide reputation for other aspects of its work. Cambridge University Press (one of the world's oldest and largest publishers) and UCLES (University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate) are world leaders in their respective fields and allow the University to make a direct educational and academic contribution to the lives of millions of people around the world.

Cambridge University is more renowned than its rival for mathematics and natural sciences, and has produced 80 Nobel-prize winners (33 more than Oxford and the highest number of any university worldwide), 13 British Prime Ministers (12 less than the other place) and 8 Archbishops of Canterbury, among others.

The list of illustrious alumni is endless. Among the most famous are Desiderius Erasmus, Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, Lord Byron, Charles Darwin, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vladimir Nabokov, Lee Kuan Yew (PM of Singapore from 1959 to 1990), and Rajiv Gandhi. The great Russian scientist Pavlov came to Cambridge to receive the degree of the Honorary Doctor of Cambridge. University of Cambridge is known as a great centre of science, where many fomous scientists have worked.

Sources: http://www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford/history.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Oxford
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Cambridge

English - the International Language

2011-04-25T23:34:00.001+07:00

English is part of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European family of languages. It is spoken as a native language by around 377 million and as a second language by around 375 million speakers in the world. Speakers of English as a second language will soon outnumber those who speak it as a first language.

Around 750 million people are believed to speak English as a foreign language. English has an official or a special status in 75 countries with a total population of over 2 billion.

The domination of the English language globally is undeniable. English is the language of diplomacy and international communications, business, tourism, education, science, computer technology, media and Internet. Because English was used to develop communication, technology, programming, software, etc, it dominates the web. 70% of all information stored electronically is in English.

British colonialism in the 19th century and American capitalism and technological progress in the 20th century were undoubtedly the main causes for the spread of English throughout the world.

The English language came to British Isles from northern Europe in the fifth century. From the fifteenth century, the British began to sail all over the world and became explorers, colonists and imperialists. They took the English language to North America, Canada and the Caribbean, to South Africa, to Australia and New Zealand, to South Asia (especially India), to the British colonies in Africa, to South East Asia and the South Pacific.

The USA has played a leading role in most parts of the world for the last hundred years. At the end of the 19th century and first quarter of the 20th, it welcomed millions of European immigrants who had fled their countries ravaged by war, poverty or famine. This labor force strengthened American economy. The Hollywood film industry also attracted many foreign artists in quest of fame and fortune and the number of American films produced every year soon flooded the market. Before the Treaty of Versailles (1919), which ended the First World War between Germany and the Allies, diplomacy was conducted in French. However, President Woodrow Wilson succeeded in having the treaty in English as well. Since then, English started being used in diplomacy and gradually in economic relations and the media.

The future of English as a global language will depend very largely on the political, economical, demographic and cultural trends in the world. The beginning of the 21st century is a time of global transition. According to some experts, faster economic globalization is going hand in hand with the growing use of English. More and more people are being encouraged to use English rather than their own language. On the other hand, the period of most rapid change can be expected to be an uncomfortable and at times traumatic experience for many people around the world. Hence, the opposite view, that the next 20 years or so will be a critical time for the English language and for those who depend upon it. The patterns of usage and public attitudes to English which develop during this period will have long-term effects for its future in the world.

*Sources:

David Crystal
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, Cambridge University Press, 1995.
English as a global language, Cambridge University Press, 1997.

David Graddol
The Future of English?, London The British Council, 1997

Present Participle

2011-04-25T22:57:00.002+07:00

1. Participles are formed from verbs. English has two types participles: the Present Participle and the Past Participle. The Present Participle of the verb is formed by adding the suffix '-ing' to the base form of the verb: base form + '-ing'. We use the Present Participle along with a form of the verb 'to be' to create continuous (progressive) tenses.

2. Spelling rules for the formation of the Present Participle.

The general rule is: base form of the verb + '-ing':

work - working read - reading

go - going listen - listening

meet - meeting sleep - sleeping

enjoy - enjoying ski - skiing

grow - growing fix - fixing

If a one syllable verb ends in consonant + vowel + consonant double the final consonant and add '-ing':

run - running beg - begging

sit - sitting jog - jogging

If a verb has more than one syllable and ends in consonant + vowel + consonant, we double the final consonant only if the final syllable is stressed and add '-ing':

occur - occurring begin - beginning

admit - admitting refer - referring

When a verb ends in '-ic' we add '-k' and then '-ing':

picnic - picnicking panic - panicking

When a verb ends in '-l' the '-l' is doubled and '-ing' is added (in British English):

travel - travelling cancel - cancelling

When a verb ends in silent '-e', the silent '-e' is dropped and '-ing' is added:

close - closing move - moving

live - living have - having

When a verb ends in an '-e' which is not silent, the final '-e' is not dropped before the ending '-ing' is added:

be - being see - seeing

When a verb ends in '-ie', the '-ie' is changed to '-y' before the ending '-ing' is added:

die - dying lie - lying

3. The Present Participal can be also used as an ajective in front of a noun: a running boy, a crying baby, a dancing lady, etc.

Future Continuous (Progressive) Tense

2011-04-25T22:56:00.001+07:00

1. How to make the Future Continuous Tense?

The Future Continuous is made with the future form of the verb "to be" (I will be, you will be, he/she/it will be, we will be, you will be, they will be) + the '-ing' form of the main verb. The '-ing' form of the verb is called the Present Participle.

Future Continuous (Progressive) Tense

Affirmative (Positive) Form

Negative Form

Question Form

will

reading

will

not

reading

Will

reading?

You

will

reading

You

will

not

reading

Will

you

reading?

will

reading

will

not

reading

Will

reading?

She

will

reading

She

will

not

reading

Will

she

reading?

will

reading

will

not

reading

Will

reading?

will

reading

will

not

reading

Will

reading?

You

will

reading

You

will

not

reading

Will

you

reading?

They

will

reading

They

will

not

reading

Will

they

reading?

Contracted forms:

                    I will = I'll                   he/she/it will = he'll/she'll/it'll                                 you will = you'll
                    I will not = I won't     he/she/it will not = he won't/she won't/it won't       you will not = you won't

                                                        we will = we'll                          they will   = they'll
                                                  we will not = we won't             they will not = they won't

Examples: 1. I'll be watching TV.
2. They'll be having a lunch.

                   3. She won't be swimming at the pool.
   4. Will you be waiting for me?

2. Using the Future Continuous Tense.

   The most common use of the Future Continuous Tense is to describe an activity that will occur in the future and continue for a certain period of time. We can specify the time when the activity is going to take place:

Examples: 1. Tom will be attending the conference next month.

2. They'll be shopping at the mall all afternoon.

3. I'll be working late at the office tonight.

4. We'll be flying over the Atlantic Ocean for three hours.

5. Tonight at 11 p.m, we will be dancing at the party.

The Future Continuous is also used when we talk about an activity that will continue over a period of time from now into the future (expresses an activity in progress that started at the present moment or at some time around the present moment):

Examples: 1. They'll be studying until 5 o'clock.

2. She'll be playing tennis until she gets tired.

3. Susan will be waiting for the bus 10 more minutes.

We can use the Future Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the future will be interrupted by a shorter action in the future (in this case the shorter action in the future is expressed with Present Simple):

Examples: 1. I'll be making dinner when he arrives tonight.

2. She'll be playing the piano when her parents come home.

We can also use the Future Continuous to project ourselves into the future and see something happening:

Examples: 1. You'll recognize me when you get there. I'll be wearing jeans and a white

t-shirt. I'll be sitting at a table at the corner and reading a newspaper.

2. This time tomorrow I'll be having dinner at one of the New York's finest

restaurants.

The Future Continuous is used to talk about what we believe or guess is happening at the moment of speaking (1) and (2) or will be happening at a particular time in the future (3):

Examples: 1. Don't call him now, he'll be doing his homework.

2. I don't want to disturb them. Im sure they'll be cleaning their house at the moment.

3. Please, don't come at 9 o'clock. she'll be sleeping at that time.

We can also use the Future Continuous to talk about things that we expect to happen in the usual course of events (the event is certain and will happen naturally):

Examples: 1. I will be seeing Ann tomorrow at the office. (we work together)

2. We will be meeting Mike at the festival this weekend.

The Future Continuous is also used for predictions or expected trends in the future:

Example: By 2030, most people in Africa will be living in urban areas.

Sometimes we can use the Future Continuous to make polite enquiries, when we wish to know what somebody's plans are:

Examples: 1. Will you be coming with me to the concert tonight?

2. Will you be going to the next meeting in December?

Future Simple Tense

2011-04-25T22:54:00.001+07:00

English does not have a verb form specifically used to express future tense. We have to choose from a variety of forms (using 'will'/'shall', 'going to', the present continuous, the present simple, etc.) to talk about future events. The future expressed with the modal auxiliaries will and shall + the base form of the verb is known as the future simple tense or 'will' future. Keep in mind, however, that 'will' doesn't always serve to indicate the future. We can use 'will' to talk about events happening at the present. (For example: This car won't start.)

Structure	Examples	We use the Future Simple Tense:
The future simple tense is composed of two parts: will/shall + base verb. Will and shall are often contracted to 'll. Affirmative form I + shall / will + work we you he/she/it + will + work they 1. I shall/will write her tomorrow. 2. We shall/will go shopping together during the holidays. Note: 'Will' is used with all persons. 'Shall' can be used instead of 'will' with I/we. In modern English, particularly in American English, 'shall' with a future reference is rarely used. Negative form I SHALL + NOT we /SHAN'T/ + WORK I you WILL + NOT he/she/it /WON'T/ we + WORK they I won't answer that question. They won't accept this offer. Interrogative form To form interrogative sentences we use will with all persons: WILL I WORK? we you WILL he/she/it WORK? they Will you open the window, please? Will you do it for me? Note: We use shall to make offers, ask for advices or suggestions, etc. (mainly in British English) 1. Shall I close the door? 2. Shall we go to picnic tomorrow? 3. Shall I study English? 'Shall' is also used as an imperative in formal or legal written statements: 1. The Chairman shall be present at the Company's general meetings. 2. The accused shall be present during the trial.	1. I will finish my report later today. 2. The sun will rise at 6:03 am. 3. I'll go to the market tomorrow. 4. There will be another conference next month. 5. I'll come to see you on Sunday. 6. We'll be back on Friday afternoon. 7. Tom will visit his parents next week. 8. They will paint the fence blue. 9. I will return in two hours. 10. He will finish his homework in twenty minutes. 11. Jane will turn 18 this year. 12. The wedding will take place on May 8th. The ceremony will begin at 4pm, followed by a meal and a big party. Note: In certain situations we use 'will' to emphasize: 13. You will drink your milk! 14. I will find a job.	to say that something will happen in the future. Adverbs of time that will indicate such tense may include, tomorrow, today, later today, in five minutes, in two hours, on Monday, on Saturday afternoon, next week/month, this year, etc. ! Note that when we talk about prior plans, strong intentions or fixed arrangements we do not normally use 'will': I am going to meet him this afternoon. ('to be' + 'going to' + main form of the verb) I'm going to buy a new car this year. ('to be' + 'going to' + main form of the verb) I am going to a party tommorrow night. (the present continuous) Tina is getting married next month. (the present continuous) ! Note: 'Will' is used instead of 'going to' when a formal style is required, particularly in the written language (See 12)
	1. I'll close the window. 2. I'll have a cup of tea, please. 3. - The phone is ringing. - I'll answer it. 4. - Oops, I dropped my pencil. - I'll pick it up.	to express spontaneous decision / to volunteer to do something (the action is decided at the moment of speaking)
	1. I think it will rain. 2. The weather tomorrow will be sunny and warm. 3. I think David Brown will be the next mayor of our city. 4. Everything will be fine. 5. You are going to be a famous artist some day. 6. I think you are going to marry a wrong person.	to predict future events (for example, to say what we think or believe will happen), we use both 'will' and 'going to' ! But note that we use 'going to' (not 'will') to make predictions about events when there is a concrete evidence: Look at those dark clouds in the sky. It is going to rain soon.
	1. I'll be there at 7 p.m., I promise. 2. I'll tell your parents what you did.	to make promises or threats
	1. Will you please help me to do my homework? 2. That suitcase is too heavy. I’ll help you.	to request help or to offer help
	1. I'll probably get there by my car. 2. You must read this book. I'm sure you'll like it. 3. I expect Tom will pass his exam.	with words and expressions such as: probably, possibly, perhaps, (I'm) sure, (I) expect
	1. If it begins to rain, I'll certainly nead an umbrella. 2. She will tell him when he calls.	to talk about consequences (with if, when, provided, unless, as, as soon as, as long as, etc.)
	1. I'll be in Athens tomorrow. 2. I'll be at a conference next week.	when the main verb is be even if we talk about planned events
	More examples: 1. Will you go shopping? 2. I will not permit that kind of behaviour. 3. Will our theacher come with us? Yes, he will. No, he won't. 4. Our teacher won't come with us.

Past Simple Tense

2011-04-25T22:50:00.002+07:00

Structure	Examples	We use the Past Simple Tense:
The past simple tense of the most english verbs (regular verbs) is formed by adding "-ed"/"-d" to their base form. (If the verb ends in "-e", we add "-d"* to form the past simple.)* There are also some verbs called irregular verbs that have special past tense forms. (See list of irregular verbs) Affirmative form Regular verbs: base form + "-ed" or "-d": work + "-ed" = worked live + "-d" = lived I/you/he/she/it/we/they worked I/you/he/she/it/we/they lived Irregular verbs: past form only I/you/he/she/it/we/they saw To form the negative and interrogative sentences we use the past form of auxiliary verb do --> did: Negative form I you DID + NOT he/she/it /DIDN'T/ we + WORK they He didn't work yesterday. She didn't see him last night. Interrogative form I you DID he/she/it WORK? we they Did he work yesterday? Did she see him last night? If it is the verb "to be" we use was/were before the subject: Was he at the office the other day? Questions and short answers: Did you go to the cinema last night? Yes, I did. No, I didn't. Did he speak with Kate yesterday? Yes, he did. No, he didn't.	1. We arrived at 9:00 o'clock. 2. This morning I went to the supermarket. 3. The teacher went to the desk. 4. He didn't hear the telephone. 5. Susan bought her little sister a doll. 6. We came here in 1980. 7. I worked at Johnson & Co. from 1990 to 1995. 8. My brother lived in London for six years. (he doesn't live there anymore)	to describe actions and situations that happened in the past. These actions and situations were started and finished in the past. The sentence often contains an adverb or adverb phrase of time, such as yesterday, the other day, last night, last week, three days ago, a few minutes ago, in (year), from (year) to (year), etc.
	1. When she was young, she danced beautifully. 2. He played the violin when he was a child. 3. We often went there. 4. I saw her every day.	to talk about habitual or repeated actions that took place in the past Note: This use is also often expressed with used to: Bob used to smoke 20 cigarettes a day.
	1. It happened one night in the winter. 2. She opened her bag, took out the key and unlocked the door.	to tell a story and to express actions which follow each other in a story
	1. World War II ended in 1945. 2. Romans built strong bridges.	to refer to the historical past or to events that have happened in the distant past relative to the speaker
	1. David said that he was tired. 2. The doctor told me that I would have to stay in the hospital for a week.	for reporting what someone said (converting from direct to reported speech)
	1. When Peter arrived, I was reading a book. 2. I was having a bath when the phone rang.	to talk about action in the past that take place in the middle of another action
	1. If I won the lottery, I would travel the world. 2. If I were you, I wouldn't marry him.	for making second conditional sentences (also called conditional type 2) when we talk about an imaginary or unlikely situation and to describe its result. (If + past simple, would + infinitive)
	Spelling rules for the past simple of regular verbs: if a regular verb ends in consonant + y change y to i and add -ed: carry - carried, study - studied, fry - fried, try - tried if a one syllable regular verb ends in consonant + vowel + consonant double the final consonant and add -ed -- > stop - stopped, plan - planned, rob - robbed, beg - begged if a regular verb has more than one syllable and ends in consonant + vowel + consonant, we double the final consonant only if the final syllable is stressed -- > preFER - preferred, regRET - regretted Exception: In British English verbs ending in -l have -ll before -ed whether the final syllable is stressed or not -- > travel - travelled

Present Continuous (Progressive) Tense

2011-04-25T22:49:00.001+07:00

1. How to form the Present Continuous Tense?

The Present Continuous is made with the present form of the verb "to be" (I am, you are, he/she/it is, we are, you are, they are) + the '-ing' form of the main verb. The '-ing' form of the verb is called the Present Participle.

Present Continuous (Progressive) Tense

Affirmative (Positive) Form			Negative Form				Question Form
I	am	reading	I	am	not	reading	Am	I	reading?
You	are	reading	You	are	not	reading	Are	you	reading?
He	is	reading	He	is	not	reading	Is	he	reading?
She	is	reading	She	is	not	reading	Is	she	reading?
It	is	reading	It	is	not	reading	Is	it	reading?
We	are	reading	We	are	not	reading	Are	we	reading?
You	are	reading	You	are	not	reading	Are	you	reading?
They	are	reading	They	are	not	reading	Are	they	reading?

Contracted forms: I am = I'm                 he/she/it is = he's/she's/it's                     you are = you're
                     I am not = I'm not       he/she/it is not = he isn't/she isn't/it isn't        you are not = you aren't

                                 we are = we're                        they are   = they're
                            we are not = we aren't             they are not = they aren't

Examples:  1. What are you doing?                                       3. He is reading a newspaper.

2. I'm having a bath.                                           4. Are they working?

   2. Using the Present Continuous Tense

   We most often use the Present Continuous when we talk about something which is happening at the time of speaking (now, at the moment):

Examples: Pamela is sleeping in the bedroom.

1. The telephone is ringing!

2. They are doing their homework.

3. I'm waiting for my girlfriend in front of the cinema.

Present Continuous is also used when we talk about something which is happening at present, but not necessarily at the moment of speaking:

Examples: 1. I'm reading an interesting book.

2. Tom is looking for a new job.

3. We are studying English and Spanish.

We can use the Present Continuous when we talk about temporary actions taking place only for a period of time (today, this week, this semester, this year):

Examples: 1. My husband is working hard today.

2. They are spending this week in Paris.

3. She is teaching English this semester.

4. We are staying at the Bristol Hotel tonight.

5. I'm living with my parents at the moment but soon I'll buy my own house.

Present Continuous is also used to express current trends:

Examples: 1. Fuel prices are rising constantly because of strong demand.

2. On-line shopping is growing rapidly nowdays.

We can use the Present Continuous when we talk about repeated actions which are irritating to the speaker (always, constantly):

Examples: 1. He is always complaining from his colleagues.

2. My son is always getting into trouble in school.

Sometimes we use the Present Continuous to describe a planned action in the near future:

Examples: 1. I'm leaving for Vienna tomorrow morning.

2. We are having lunch at 12.30 o'clock.

Present Simple Tense

2011-04-25T22:46:00.002+07:00

Structure	Examples	We use the Present Simple Tense:
To form the Present Simple Tense we use the verb's base form (go, work, speak, study). In 3^rd person singular (he, she, it), the base form of the verb takes -s/es. (Auxiliary verbs "be," "do," "have", which can also be used as main verbs, are exceptions.) Affirmative form I you work we they he/she/it works /-s/ go - goes /-es/ watch - watches /-es/ play - plays /-s/ study - studies /-es/ ! Remember: to be I/you/we/they are he/she/it is to do I/you/we/they do he/she/it does to have I/you/we/they have he/she/it has Negative form I you DO NOT /don't/ we WORK they he/she/it DOES NOT /doesn't / WORK 1. She doesn't often go to the cinema. 2. I don't get up early at the weekend. 3. They don't speak English very well. Interrogative form I DO you WORK? we they DOES he/she/it WORK? 1. Do they speak foreign languages? 2. Do you want a banana? 3. Does your sister play the piano? Questions and short answers: Do you like spaghetti? Yes, I do. No, I don't. Does she know Bulgarian? Yes, she does. No, she doesn't.	1. Philip gets up at 6 o'clock every morning. 2. I go to school every day. 3. She sometimes goes out on Friday night. 4. I usually sleep late on Sunday morning. 5. Peter works for 8 hours every day. 6. We usually start work at 8 o'clock. 7. My children often watch TV in the afternoon. 8. He always forgets his keys.	when we talk about things that happen repeatedly or habitually With Present Simple Tense we often use time expressions such as always, often, sometimes, usually, seldom, on Saturdays, rarely, never, every day, etc.
	1. I work in a bank. 2. Kate speaks English very well. 3. Tom lives in London.	when we talk about permanent or long-lasting situations
	1. People make choices because they can't have everything they want. 2. Nurses work in clinics and hospitals. 3. Football is a very popular sport in Bulgaria.	when we talk about people or things in general
	1. The Earth is spherical. 2. My birthday is in May. 3. California is in the Unated States. 4. The sun rises in the east. 5. Water freezes at 0°C (32°F).	to indicate general truths, facts and scientific laws
	1. We arrive in Rome at 6 p.m. 2. The train leaves in five minutes. 3. The course starts next Thursday.	when we talk about travel plans and timetables (mainly with verbs such as go, leave, arrive, start, come, return etc.)
	1. She loves jazz music. 2. My aunt hates travelling by train. 3. I like ice cream. I don't like spinach. 4. I think she is a wonderful person. 5. Do you believe in God? 6. I have no money at the moment. 7. My brother has a new car. 8. That bicycle belongs to me.	with state (or stative) verbs such as like, dislike, love, think, seem, look, know, feel, understand, want, need, hate, remember, forget, prefer, believe, mean, taste, hear, see, have (when the meaning is "possess"), own, belong, etc. These verbs are not normally used in the Continuous Tense (but there are exceptions).
	1. Pour all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until smooth. 2. Walk down the street to the corner and then turn right.	to give instructions/directions
	The Present Simple Tense is also used in : sentences after "when", "after", "while", "till" / "until", "before", "as soon as" - When the rain stops, we'll go out. I'll call you back as soon as I return home. zero conditional sentences (when the result of the condition is always true) - If you heat water to 100°C (212°F), it boils. first conditional sentences (Often called the "real" conditional because it is used for real (or possible) situations. These situations take place if a certain condition is met.) - If you finish your homework I'll bring you to the zoo.

The Tenses

2011-04-24T15:05:00.002+07:00

Things can happen now, in the future or in the past. The tenses show the time of a verb's action or being. The verb ending is changed (conjugated) to show roughly what time it is referring to.
Time can be split into three periods The Present (what you are doing),The Past (what you did) and The Future (what you are going to do).
The tenses we use to show what time we are talking about are split into the Simple, Continuous and Perfect tenses.
In English we use two tenses to talk about the present and six tenses to talk about the past. There are several ways to talk about the future some of which use the present tenses, these are:
PresentSimple Present Present Continuous PastSimple Past Past Continuous Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Simple Past Perfect Continuous FutureUsing the Simple Present Using the Present Continuous Using the Present Perfect Simple Using the Present Perfect Continuous Using going to Using shall/will Simple TensesThe simple tenses are used to show permanent characteristics of people and events or what happens regularly, habitually or in a single completed action.

Continuous TensesThe continuous tenses are used when talking about a particular point in time.
Perfect TensesSometimes you need to give just a little bit more information about an action or state...and that is where the perfect tenses come in.
The perfect tenses are used when an action or situation in the present is linked to a moment in the past. It is often used to show things that have happened up to now but aren't finished yet or to emphasize that something happened but is not true anymore. When they end determines which of them you use.
Perfect tenses are never used when we say when something happened i.e. yesterday, last year etc. but can be used when discussing the duration of something i.e. often, for, always, since etc..
The Future TensesDiscussing the future in English can seem complicated.The present simple, present continuous, present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous can all be used and often it is possible to use more than one structure, but have the same meaning.

Auxiliary Verbs

2011-04-24T15:02:00.000+07:00

Auxiliary verbs are used together with a main verb to give grammatical information and therefore add extra meaning to a sentence. Information that is not given by the main verb.

They are used to form the passive voice.

They are used to form the continuous tense.

They are used to form the perfect tense.

Be, Do and Have are auxiliary verbs, they are irregular verbs and can be used as main verbs. The verbs 'to be' and 'to have' are the most commonly used auxiliary verbs and work alongside the main verbs in any statement.

Modal verbs are also auxiliary verbs, but will be treated separately, these are can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, and would, they differ from the others in that they can never function as a main verb.

To be

Be is the most common verb in the English language. It can be used as an auxiliary and a main verb. It is used a lot in its other forms.

Base form = be

Present form = am/is/are

Past form = was/were

Present Participle / Gerund = being

Past Participle = been

To do

The verb do is one of the most common verbs in English. It can be used as an auxiliary and a main verb. It is often used in questions.

Base form = do

Present form = do/does

Past form = did

Present Participle / Gerund = doing

Past Participle = done

The auxiliary verb 'do' is always followed by the base form (infinitive).

To have

Have is one of the most common verbs in the English language.

Base form = have

Present form = have / has

Past form = had

Present Participle / Gerund = having

Past Participle = had

Regular and Irregular Verbs

2011-04-24T14:45:00.002+07:00

Regular Verbs Simple Past / Past Participle Spelling Rules

The simple past tense is formed by adding -ed to the end of the verb. However there are several rules depending on the spelling of the verb, these are:-
If the base of the verb ends in:-

-e only add -d (raid - raided)
a consonant plus -y the y is turned into -ied (study - studied / try - tried)
-c add -ked (panic - panicked)
a single vowel plus a consonant and is stressed on its final syllable the consonant is usually doubled and -ed added (plan - planned)
-p, g or -m the consonant is usually doubled and -ed added (ram - rammed / tap - tapped / gag - gagged)
-l the consonant is usually doubled (travel - travelled)

Regular Verbs

Base Form	To walk
Present Simple	I walk every day.
Present Progressive/Continuous	I am walking. (now)
Present Perfect Simple	I have walked twice so far today.
Present Perfect Progressive/Continuous	I have been walking for 2 hours.
Past Simple	I walked yesterday.
Past Progressive/Continuous	I was walking yesterday when I saw a bear.
Past Perfect Simple	I had walked for five miles by the time I got home.
Past Perfect Progressive/Continuous	I had been walking for 2 hours when I saw the bear.
Future Simple	I will go for a walk tomorrow.
Future Progressive/Continuous	I am walking tomorrow.
Future Perfect Simple	I will have already gone for a walk by the time I meet my friends.
Future Perfect Progressive	I will have been walking for 2 hours by the time I meet my friends.

Irregular Verbs

The only rule is that there are no rules for the spelling of irregular verbs, they have to be learnt. Sorry!
For example:-

	To run
Present Simple	I run every day.
Present Progressive/Continuous	I am running. (now)
Present Perfect Simple	I have run twice so far today.
Present Perfect Progressive/Continuous	I have been running for 2 hours.
Past Simple	I ran yesterday.
Past Progressive/Continuous	I was running yesterday when I saw a bear.
Past Perfect Simple	I had run for five miles by the time I got home.
Past Perfect Progressive/Continuous	I had been running for 2 hours when I saw the bear.
Future Simple	I will go for a run tomorrow.
Future Progressive/Continuous	I am running tomorrow.
Future Perfect Simple	I will have already gone for a run by the time I meet my friends.
Future Perfect Progressive	I will have been running for 2 hours by the time I meet my friends.

Verbs

2011-04-24T14:41:00.000+07:00

Verbs are a class of words used to show the performance of an action(do, throw, run), existence (be), possession (have), or state (know, love) of a subject. To put it simply a verb shows what something or someone does.
Most statements in speech and writing have a main verb. These verbs are expressed in tenses which place everything in a point in time.
Verbs have moods, which indicate the viewpoint of the verb, whether it is a fact, a command or hypothetical.
Verbs have a voice too. The voice shows whether the subject of a sentence is carrying out an action, or is having an action carried out on it.
Verbs are conjugated (inflected) to reflect how they are used. There are two general areas in which conjugation occurs; for person and for tense .
Conjugation for tense is carried out on all verbs. All conjugations start with the infinitive form of the verb. The infinitive is simply the to form of the verb For example, to begin. The present participle form (the -ing form), is formed by adding ing to the bare infinitive. For example, the present participle of the verb to begin is beginning. There are two other forms that the verb can take, depending on the tense type and time, the simple past form (began) and the past participle (begun). See here for a list of irregular verbs.
Conjugation for person occurs when the verb changes form, depending on whether it is governed by a first, second, or third person subject. This gives three conjugations for any verb depending on who is acting as the subject of the verb. For example, we have: to begin, you begin , and he begins. Note that only the third conjunction really shows a difference.
While most English verbs simply do not show extensive conjugation forms for person, an exception is the verb to be.