ALTHOUGH - DESPITE

ALTHOUGH - DESPITE

(Although - even though / Despite - in spite of)

Meaning and use in English.

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Although/even though and despite/in spite of are used to combine or link two contrasting statements.

• Although/even though are followed by a subject and a verb.
  
  Even though is a slightly stronger form of 'although'.
  
  Although and though have the same meaning and are interchangeable in most cases.
  
  
  • Although/even though it was raining, she walked to the station.
  • Although/even though he had enough money, he refused to buy a new car.
  • Although/even though Amy was wearing glasses, she couldn't read the notice.
  Although/even though he disapproved, he said nothing.
  • Although/even though Jack had worked hard, he failed the exam.
    
• Despite/in spite of are followed by a noun, a pronoun or a verb ending in -ing.
  (The gerund, a verb ending in -ing,  is the 'noun' form of a verb.)
  
  N.B. Despite/in spite of  have the same meaning, but despite is used without 'of'.
  
  
  • Despite/in spite of the rain he walked to the station.
  • He noticed the rain but he walked to the station in spite of it.
  • Despite being wet and tired, he walked to the station.
  • He decided to go sailing despite/in spite of the bad weather conditions.
    

Example:
He had enough money. He refused to buy a new car.

The above two statements can be combined as follows :

• Although/even though he had enough money, he refused to buy a new car.
• Despite/in spite of having enough money he refused to buy a new car.
• He had enough money, but despite/in spite of that he refused to buy a new car.

ALREADY - STILL - ALWAYS - YET

ALREADY - STILL - ALWAYS - YET

Already, still, always and yet are words that are often used incorrectly by learners of English. 

ALREADY

• Already is used to say that something has happened earlier than expected or
  earlier than it might have happened :
  • Hurry up Susan. Breakfast is ready!
  • I've already had breakfast thanks. I woke up early.

STILL

• Still is used to refer to continuing situations.
  • They've been married for 40 years and they still love each other.
  • I moved to this town five years ago and I'm still living here.
  • Are you still smoking? I thought you had stopped!

ALWAYS

• Always is used to refer to something that happens regularly, very frequently
  or forever.
  • I always send cards at Christmas.
  • Sue always takes the 8 o'clock train to work.
  • Alex is always complaining about his job.
  • I will always love you.

YET

• Yet is used to ask if something expected has happened, and in negative sentences.
  Questions:
  • Has the postman arrived yet?
  • Have you finished the book yet?
  
  
• Negative sentences:
  To say that something hasn't happened so far, or up until the present .
  • The book I ordered hasn't arrived yet.
  • We have yet to find out the cause of the delay.
    (=We still haven't found out the cause.)
    
• Yet can also be used to link two clauses or contrasting ideas
  (in the same way as, for example, 'nevertheless' or 'nonetheless').
  • She was offered an interesting job with good pay. Yet she refused it.
  • He felt alone in the world, yet he was surrounded by friends.
  • He was a strict yet fair teacher.

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives


Comparative adjectives are used to compare two things or people to each other.

• A bus is bigger than a car.
• Bill is older than Harry.

Superlative adjectives are used to compare one member of a group to the whole group.

• The Nile is the longest river in the world.
• In our class Maria is the oldest and Charlie is the youngest.

 Formation of comparative and superlative forms of adjectives  

Form	Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
One syllable Add : -er / -est to the adjective.	long nice hot	longer than nicer than hotter than	the longest the nicest the hottest
Two or more syllables Add: more-less or most-least before the adjective.	interesting practical	more interesting than less practical than	the most interesting the least interesting
Two syllables ending in -y The 'y' becomes 'i' before -er/-est	funny easy happy	funnier than easier than happier than	the funniest the easiest the happiest
Irregular Adjectives	good bad much/many little far	better than worse than more than less than farther/further than	the best the worst the most the least the farthest/furthest
Please note: 1) Some two-syllable adjectives have two possible forms of comparison, for example: commoner/more common likelier/more likely politer/more polite simpler/more simple stupider/more stupid subtler/more subtle
2) Adjectives ending with a vowel and a consonant double the consonant, for example: big  bigger  biggest except when the consonant is 'w'or 'y' : new   newer   newest Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

A - AN - THE Definite and Indefinite articles

A  -  AN  -  THE Definite and Indefinite articles

A - AN :

A and an are indefinite articles used to refer to a singular countable noun.
An indefinite article means that we do not know which one, or it is not important to know it.

Which one to use:  'a' or 'an'?

The rule states that “a” should be used before words that begin with consonants (b, c ,d etc.), while “an” should be used before words that begin with vowels (a,e,i, etc.).

It should be noted, however, that the usage is determined by the pronunciation and not by the spelling, and this includes abbreviations and acronyms.

To simplify, one uses 'a' before a word that begins with a consonant SOUND, and 'an' before a word that begins with a vowel SOUND.

A is used before :

• a consonant (b, c, d, f, g, etc.) :	a car /a hotel / a game
• a vowel that is pronounced like "yu" :	a European /a university
• the vowel 'o' when it has a "w" sound :	a one-way street

An is used before :

• a vowel  (a, e, i, o, u, etc.) :	an animal / an elevator / an only child
• an unaspirated 'h' :	an hour/an honest man
• an abbreviation starting with a vowel sound :	an MBA ('em' sound)

THE :

The is a definite article used to talk about something specific.

• The town where Julie lives is very big.
• What book is Julie reading? She's reading the book Tom gave her.

The is also used to refer to:

• Rivers, seas, oceans :
  • the Mississippi river, the Mediterranean sea, the Atlantic ocean
    
• Nationalities :
  • the British, the Americans, the Japanese, the Chinese, etc.
    
    

NO ARTICLE :

No article is used in generalisations:

• I like music
• I watch television but I listen to the radio and I go to the cinema.
• I don't play tennis but I play the piano, the guitar, etc.

No article is used for place names (towns, countries, mountains) :

• London, Spain, Mount Everest
  
  
Except if plural :
• The Greek islands, The United States, The Alps, The Himalayas ...

A  -  AN  -  THE Definite and Indefinite articles

Complete the following sentences with A, AN or THE:


1. Danny wanted _____ new bicycle for Christmas.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

2. Jennifer tasted _____ birthday cake her mother had made.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

3. The children have _____ new teacher called Mr. Green.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

4. All pupils must obey _____ rules.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

5. Dad turned on _____ radio to listen to _____ news.
a) A/A
b) A/THE
c) THE/THE

6. Alex is in Boston studying for _____ MBA.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

7. The teacher read _____ interesting article from the newspaper.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

8. There was _____ huge crowd of people outside the church.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

9. Julie talked for _____ hour about her school project.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

10. _____ European expert was invited to speak to the committee.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

11. The Mississippi river is in _____ United States of America.
a) No article
b) AN
c) THE

12. It would help us if you gave _____ honest opinion.
a) A
b) AN
c) THE

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----------Answers----------

1. (a)   2. (c)   3. (a)   4. (c)   5. (c)   6. (b)   7. (b)   8. (a)   9. (b)   10. (a)   11. (c)   12. (b)

American Slang For The Day

American Slang For The Day

Hickey

- a mark on the neck or face or any part of the body by a person biting or sucking the skin ; love bite


My History professor came to class with a hickey on his neck.

Simple Present

Simple Present

FORM

[VERB] + s/es in third person

Examples:

• You speak English.
• Do you speak English?
• You do not speak English.

Complete List of Simple Present Forms

USE 1 Repeated Actions

Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.

Examples:

• I play tennis.
• She does not play tennis.
• Does he play tennis?
• The train leaves every morning at 8 AM.
• The train does not leave at 9 AM.
• When does the train usually leave?
• She always forgets her purse.
• He never forgets his wallet.
• Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun.
• Does the Sun circle the Earth?

USE 2 Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things.

Examples:

• Cats like milk.
• Birds do not like milk.
• Do pigs like milk?
• California is in America.
• California is not in the United Kingdom.
• Windows are made of glass.
• Windows are not made of wood.
• New York is a small city. It is not important that this fact is untrue.

USE 3 Scheduled Events in the Near Future

Speakers occasionally use Simple Present to talk about scheduled events in the near future. This is most commonly done when talking about public transportation, but it can be used with other scheduled events as well.

Examples:

• The train leaves tonight at 6 PM.
• The bus does not arrive at 11 AM, it arrives at 11 PM.
• When do we board the plane?
• The party starts at 8 o'clock.
• When does class begin tomorrow?

USE 4 Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

Speakers sometimes use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is happening or is not happening now. This can only be done with Non-Continuous Verbs and certain Mixed Verbs.

Examples:

• I am here now.
• She is not here now.
• He needs help right now.
• He does not need help now.
• He has his passport in his hand.
• Do you have your passport with you?