ACADEMIC WRITING

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Present perfect tense vs. past perfect tense

Present Perfect Tense

We can use the present perfect tense to talk about an accomplishment or a completed task. For example,
I've finished my exams! (I am done with exams.)
They've completed the new mall. (They completely built the mall.)
If you use present perfect tense to talk about a completed action, you must be thinking about the present as well. For example,
O George Washington became the first president.
X George Washington has become the first president.
O Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
X Alexander Graham Bell has invented the telephone.
We can also use the present perfect tense to talk about an action that is continuing until the present time. For example,
I have worked here for 5 years.
He has lived here since he got his new job.
Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense is used to talk about an earlier past. It is usually used when we talk about two past events. For example,
When I arrived, the party had started. (They party started. Then, I arrived.)
George had wanted to go to the park until it started raining. (He wanted to go to the park. Then, it started raining.)
Be careful! Sometimes the other past event is understood. It might not be clearly stated in the sentence. For example,
A: I had wanted to go to the park (until something happened.)
B: Why aren't you going?
A: I need to do my homework.

We can also use past perfect tense to talk about something that continued for a period of time in the past. For example,
It had rained for 5 days before our wedding, but it was sunny on our wedding day.
She had worked for ABC Corporation for 50 years when she finally decided to retire.
Do you think you understand? Let's take a short quiz.

1) My wife _______ dinner before I got home, so I could eat right away.
A) had prepared
B) prepared
C) has prepared

2) Commodore Mathew C. Perry __________ to Japan.
A) had sailed
B) sailed
C) has sailed

3) I ____________ cleaning the bathroom. I'm tired!
A) had finished
B) finished
C) have just finished

Answers
1) – A) – My wife prepared the supper before I arrived.
2) – B) – Commodore Perry sailed to Japan a long time ago, so we must use simple past.
3) – B) or C) – B) is more casual, but C) is a little more formal sounding.

http://www.englishspark.com/en/blogs/stumpers/471-present-perfect-tense-vs-past-perfect-tense

Echo Questions

How do you use echo questions? Echo questions are very useful and can make you sound like a native speaker. Let's talk about some examples of echo questions and how to make them.
Basic Echo Questions

We can use echo questions to check something that has just been said. To do this we repeat the same question back to the speaker. For example,
A: I'm quitting my job.
B: You're quitting your job? (surprised)
A: The Queen killed the King.
B: The Queen killed the King?
Echo Questions for Repeating Parts of a Sentence

You can also use an echo question if you missed a part of a sentence. This is useful when the speaker is talking to fast or there is too much loud noise in the room. For example,
A: I went to P--- last weekend.
B: You went where?
A: Paris.
A: I met Bill Gates
B: You met who?
A: Bill Gates

You can also use this if you can't believe the information or are surprised.
A: I ate 30 chicken wings.
B: You ate how many chicken wings?
A: 30.
If you want to ask about the action that the speaker did. You must use 'do what'. For example,
A: He painted a picture with a cheeseburgers.
B: He did what with cheeseburgers?
A: Painted a picture.
Be careful to use the correct question word (what, who, when, how, where, how many, etc..). Try to think of how to ask about the information regularly. Take the question word in a regular question and move it to where the missing information is in the original sentence. For example,
A: We are meeting at 6:XX.
B: When are we meeting? (regular question)
B: We are meeting at when? (echo question)
A: at 6:30.
Using Echo Questions to Question a Question

You can also use echo questions to question a question. If you feel like somebody shouldn't be asking a question to you or you are angry they asked a question, you can use this. For example,
A: Why did you take my shirt?
B: Why did I take your shirt? It's not your shirt. It's my shirt.
We usually use these types of echo questions when we are a little angry at the other speaker.

Do you think you understand? Let's take a short quiz.
1) A: The Empire State Building is #### feet tall.
B: _________________
A) The Empire State Building is how long?
B) The Empire State Building is how high?
C) The Empire State Building is how tall?

2) A: Where are you going?
B: ______________ I'm going home. It's 5:00, the day is over.
A) I'm going where?
B) Where I am going?
C) Where am I going?

3) A: Your house is on fire!
B: _________________
A) My house is on fire?
B) Your house is on fire?
C) Our house is on fire?

Answers
1) – C) – Speaker B didn't hear the height of the Empire State Building. To ask about the height of a building, we use 'how tall'.
2) – C) – Speaker B is questioning a question because they can't believe speaker A doesn't know it is time to go home.
3) – A) – Speaker B can't believe what Speaker A said, so he repeats it back as a question.



Mr.Maru: We're going to New York City Sparky!
Sparky: We're going to what?
Mr.Maru: New York City. It's going to be great!
Sparky: I don't like big cities.
Mr.Maru: But, we are going to see the Empire State Building. It was built in 411 days!
Sparky: It was built in how long?
Mr.Maru: 411 days! That was really fast.
Sparky: I just hope they have bacon there.
(note: Sparky is using wrong English.)


http://www.englishspark.com/en/blogs/stumpers/478-echo-questions

Tag Questions - You know how to use Tag Questions, don't you?

Tag questions
are small questions at the end of statements. They can be used to express an opinion, check information, or even make a request. For example,
It's a beautiful day today, isn't it?
You aren't going to the party this weekend, are you?
How to Form Tag Questions

You form tag questions by placing a negative question at the end of a positive statement. Placing a negative question at the end of positive statement means you are pretty sure (80%) or a little sure (50%) of the positive statement. You can also place a positive question at the end of a negative statement. Again, this means you are pretty sure (80%) or a little sure (50%) of the negative statement. Let's look at some examples:
This book was written by Ernest Hemingway, wasn't it? (A positive sentence with a negative question. You are 50%~80% sure the book was written by Ernest Hemingway.)
This book wasn't written by Ernest Hemingway, was it? (A negative sentence with a positive question. You are 50%~80% sure the book was NOT written by Ernest Heminway.)
How to Say Tag Questions

The difference of how sure you are (50%~80%) can be shown by your intonation. If you are pretty sure, the intonation goes down. If you are a little sure, the intonation goes up. For example,
You are from America, (down) aren't you? (up) – (You are a little sure.)
You are from America, (up) aren't you? (down) – (You are pretty sure.)
Tag Questions with Auxiliary Verbs

If you use an auxiliary verb (can, do, be, would, should, etc...), the tag question must use the auxiliary verb too. For example,
You can speak English, can't you?
You wouldn't hurt a girl, would you?
All other verbs, you must use do.
You hate spiders, don't you?
Do you think you understand? Let's check with a short quiz.

1) You don't like to go fishing, _______
A) do you?
B) don't you?
C) can you?
2) Jenny wouldn't steal from the company, _________
A) does she?
B) wouldn't she?
C) would she?
3) You are a fan of the Tigers, ______
A) don't you?
B) aren't you?
C) are you?
Answers

1) – A) We must use a positive tag question with a negative statement.
2) – C) If you use an auxiliary verb (would), you must use it in the tag question.
3) – B) If you use 'be', you must use it in the tag question.


Maru: That movie wasn't very good, was it?
Sparky: Yeah, but Thomas Hanks can act, doesn't he?
Mr.Maru: Um, yes, he can act well.
Sparky: You didn't bring any snacks, didn't you?
Mr.Maru: No, I didn't. You aren't hungry again, are you?
Sparky: No, I am.
Mr.Maru: Um, are you hungry or not hungry?
Sparky: Hungry! Let's go to Happy Burger.
Mr.Maru: All right, all right. I wish you couldn't talk.
How do you use tag questions? A reader wrote me yesterday and asked “How do I use tag questions?”, so today we are going to go over tag questions and their many uses. Let's start!
What are Tag Questions?


more info at http://www.englishspark.com/en/blogs/stumpers/476-tag-questions

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Yours vs Your's

Yours

is possessive form for You. It replaces "your" + noun.

He found a coat - is it yours?

Yours sincerely

Your's

It would be interpreted as "your is" which makes no sense. It's always incorrect to use Your's. It should never have an (apostrophe) 's. Use Yours.

You're vs Your

(notice the mistake?)

You're (short form) = you are

Your're is often followed by the present participle.

You're going to be late.

You're much better at table tennis than Mark is.

Your is a possessive form of You.

Refers to something that a person has, or something that belongs to that person. Your is almost always followed by a noun. Your will usually nor be followed by an adjective when that adjective is describing the person that your talking to. For example, Your very kind will only be correct if you are describing a noun. This sentence is correct because nice is describing someone's, for example, daughter.

What is your name?

Is this your car?

Your book is on the table.

Homophones: They're, their and there

These three homophones are often used incorrectly even by native speakers.

They’re (short form) = they are

My children have gone on holiday and they’re in Germany today.

Their (possessive word)

The cats always leave their hair all over the place.

There has two uses:

1. (adverb of place) = in that place. Think of it as an answer to the question “where?”.

The post office is over (where?) there.

2. with the verb "to be" (with phrases such as "there is", "there are" etc)

There are 26 apples in the basket.

Practice:

http://www.better-english.com/easier/theyre.htm

http://a4esl.org/q/h/mc-ttt.html

Missing Auxiliaries - Common Errors in English

Not every language uses auxiliary verbs like English. Languages that don't use auxiliary verbs, replace them with suffixes added onto the ends of verbs. Missing auxiliaries are a common mistake for non-native English speakers, since many languages either omit auxiliary verbs, or have different usage characteristics.

An auxiliary verb is “a highly irregular verb that is used with other verbs to form voice, tense, and mood.” These verbs are also know as “helper verbs”, because of their role in adding meaning to the main verb of a sentence.

Complete list of English auxiliary verbs:

am, is, are, shall, should, be, being, been, was, were, will, would, has, have, had, do, does, did, can, could, may, might, must, ought

Auxiliary verbs have a few grammatical functions:

• Support: Auxiliaries help/change the meaning of a main verb
  i.e. The doctor went home. The doctor is going home.
• Interrogative: Auxiliaries invert to form questions
  i.e. You can go. Can you go?
• Negation: To negate a sentence, not or n’t is added after an auxiliary
  i.e. Charles goes to class. Charles does not go to class.

Depending on the context, some auxiliaries can function alone as the only verb in a sentence; others will not be found without a main verb.

These are known as modal verbs (can, could, may, might, ought, shall, should, will, would, and must).

Modal verbs NEVER appear alone; they always accompany a main verb.

a word a day

bobby (BOB-ee)
noun British: A policeman.

After Sir Robert Peel, who was Great Britain’s Home Secretary when the 1828 Metropolitan Police Act was passed.

“The fish and chip shop may be as ‘Truly British’ as the bobbies patrolling in their pointed black helmets, but the tidy streets, royalist sentiments and low crime rate hark back to an era that faded away decades ago in Britain.”
—New York Times

a word a day

monstrous (mon-ES-truhs)

adjective Of or related to mammals that experience one estrus (rut or period of heat) in a breeding season.

Combining form mon- (one) from Greek monos, mono- + oistros

(gadfly, madness).

“The ova vaccine, Miller says, is a better choice for monstrous species, like coyotes, that come into heat only once a year, regardless of whether the female conceives.”

—Discover

A word a day

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Agelast (AJ-uh-last)
noun Someone who never laughs.

From Greek agelastos (not laughing), ultimately from gelaein (to
laugh).

“Anyway, [Sandi Toksvig] has to go off now. To do an hour of stand-up which the audience absolutely loves. I don’t spot a single agelast.”
—Independent (London)

A word a day

I am going to do a series of A WORD A DAY that focuses on Words to Describe People.

the first word is:

opsimath (OP-si-math)

noun One who begins learning late in life.

From Greek opsi- (late) + math (learning).

“Maybe they just cannot bring themselves to break the news to our presidential opsimath—after all, a politician can learn only so much in four years, even one who has had as much to learn

as our Jimmy Carter.”

—Washington Post

listening

Listen and circle the correct word

Listening

Watch the video and answer the questions below:

1. What happened to the girl in the video?

2. Who was at the door?

3. Was it her dad's friend?

4. What did he give her?

5. What was written on the magazine?

6. Did she have time to talk to the man at the door?

7. Describe the pictures inside the magazine.

8. What did she say about the Asian woman?

Double Consonants

Double Consonants

When a consonant is repeated twice in-a-row , it is only pronounced once as in bubble
The exception is the letter ‘c’ as in accent .

Double BB
Since the letter ‘b’ is a consonant , you can count on only one ‘b’ speaking as in the word lobby and bubble .

Double CC
If two ‘c’s are together , you have to see if they are followed by ‘i’ , ‘e’ , or ‘y’
If they are , then the first sound says the ‘k’ sound and the second one says the ‘s’ sound as in accent
Otherwise together they say the ‘k’ sound as in the word accost .

Double DD
Since the letter ‘d’ is a consonant you can count on only one ‘d’ speaking as in the words odd and ladder .

Double FF
Since the letter ‘f’ is a consonant you can count on only one ‘f’ speaking as in the words off and difference .

Double GG
Since the letter ‘g’ is a consonant you can count on only one ‘g’ speaking as in the words egg and stagger .

Double LL
Since the letter ‘l’ is a consonant you can count on only one ‘l’ speaking as in the words tall and fallen .

Double MM
Since the letter ‘m’ is a consonant you can count on only one ‘m’ speaking as in the words stammer and swimming .

Double NN
Since the letter ‘n’ is a consonant you can count on only one ‘n’ speaking as in the words inner and inning .

Double PP
Since the letter ‘p’ is a consonant you can count on one ‘p’ speaking as in the wordspuppet and hopping .

Double SS
Since the letter ‘s’ is a consonant you can count on only one ‘s’ speaking as in the words fussy and hissing .
.
Double RR
Since the letter ‘r’ is a consonant you can count on only one ‘r’ speaking as in the words worry and earring .

Double TT
Since the letter ‘t’ is a consonant you can count on only one ‘t’ speaking as in the words rattle and little .

Double VV
Since the letter ‘v’ is a consonant you can count on only one ‘v’ speaking as in the word savvy .

Double ZZ
Since the letter ‘z’ is a consonant you can count on only one ‘z’ speaking as in the words fuzzy and buzz .

Silent letters are everywhere in English

Silent letters

Silent B
‘B’ is silent when it is followed by ‘t’ as in ( debt ) or when the letter ‘B’ follows ‘m’ as in jamb

Silent C
If ‘C’ is followed by ‘e’ , ‘i’ , or ‘y’ and follows ‘s’ , the ‘c’ is silent as in the word scent , science , and scythe .
Whenever ‘c’ and ‘k’ are together , ‘c’ is silent as in click
Silent D
If you see a word starting with ‘adj’ as in adjective or ending with ‘dge’ as in bridge , you don’t say the ‘d’ sound.
Silent E
Silent ‘e’ is the most important of all because the ‘e’ is not only silent , but also changes the other vowel’s sound
In fat , bit , hop and cut the ‘a’ , ‘i’ , ‘o’ and ‘u’ are short
In fate , bite , hope and cute the ‘a’ , ‘i’ , ‘o’ and ‘u’ are long
In rude the ‘ sounds like long ‘oo’ sound .
Silent K
The letter ‘k’ is always silent if it is followed by the letter ‘n’ as in the words knight , know and knee .
Silent G
The letter ‘g’ is silent if it is followed by either the letter ‘n’ or the letter ‘m’ as in the wordsassign , foreign , and diaphragm
Silent GH
When the letters ‘g’ ‘h’ and ‘t’ are together , Only pronounce the ‘t’ sound as in the wordsflight , fight and tight .
Silent H
If the ‘h’ is preceded by the letters ‘g’ , ‘k’ or ‘r’ the letter ‘h’ is silent as in the words ghost , khaki and rhino .
Silent L
If a word ends with ‘-alm’ , the letter ‘l’ become a silent letter and ‘a’ says the ‘ar’ sound as in palm
If a word ends with ‘-alk’ , the ‘l’ becomes a silent letter and ‘a’ says the ‘o’ sound as in talk
If a word ends with ‘-alf’ the ‘l’ becomes a silent letter and ‘a’ says the short ‘a’ sound as in half
If a word ends with ‘-ould’ the ‘l’ becomes a silent letter and ‘ou’ says the short ‘oo’ sound as in could
If a word ends with ‘-olk’ , the ‘l’ becomes a silent letter and ‘o’ says the long ‘o’ sound as folk
Silent P
If the letter ‘p’ is followed by ‘n’ or ‘s’ , then the letter , ‘p’ is silent as in the words pneumonia , psychology and psychiatric .
Silent N
When the letter ‘n’ follows the letter ‘m’ , ir does not say its sound as in the words solemn , autumn and hymn .
Silent S
The letter ‘s’ is silent when it is between the letter ‘i’ and the letter ‘l’ as in thw words island , aisle and isle .
Silent T
The letter ‘t’ is silent when it is followed by ‘ch’ or in the middle of the ‘s’ and ‘le’ , the ‘t’ issilent as in the words match and castle
Silent U
Sometimes when ‘u’ after ‘b’ , ‘q’ or ‘g’ and followed by ‘i’ , ‘a’ or ‘y’ as in the words build , guard , and guy , the letter ‘u’ is silent .
Silent UE
If a word ends with ‘que’ or ‘gue’ , the letters ‘ue’ are silent as in the words antique and vague .
Silent W
When the letter ‘w’ meets the letter ‘r’ . the ‘w’ is silent as in the words such as write and wrist .

In English the past tenses of most verbs end with the letters ‘ed’ . However the ‘d’ doesn’t always the ‘d’ sounds .

T sound
If a verb ends with a voiceless consonant except for the soft ‘i’ , the letter ‘d’ is pronounced as the ‘t’ sound as in the words : placed , asked , liked , picked , thanked ,walked , jumped , stopped , decreased , dressed and mixed

D sound
If the verb ends with a voiced consonant except for the hard ‘d’ , the letter ‘d’ is pronounced as the ‘d’ sound as in the words lived , mailed and banned ,

ID sound
If a verb ends with either the letter ‘d’ or the letter ‘t’ , the letters ‘ed’ are pronounced as the ‘id’ sound as in the words wanted , decided , ended , accepted , affected . excited , interested and handed .

Phonics Rules

Phonics Rules

The vowels are "a, e, i, o, and u"; also sometimes "y" & "w". This also includes thediphthongs "oi, oy, ou, ow, au, aw, oo" and many others.
The consonants are all the other letters which stop or limit the flow of air from the throat in speech. They are: "b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z, ch, sh, th, ph, wh, ng, and gh".

• Sometimes the rules don't work:
There are many exceptions in English because of the vastness of the language and the many languages from which it has borrowed. The rules do work however, in the majority of the words.

• Every syllable in every word must have a vowel:
English is a "vocal" language; every word must have a vowel.


• "C" followed by "e, i or y" usually has the soft sound of /s/. Examples: "cyst", "central", and "city".

• "G" followed by "e, i or y" usually has the soft sound of /j/. Example: "gem", "gym", and "gist".

• When 2 consonants are joined together and form one new sound, they are a consonant digraph. They count as one sound and one letter and are never separated. Examples: "ch, sh, th, ph, and wh".

• When a syllable ends in a consonant and has only one vowel, that vowel is short.Examples: "fat, bed, fish, spot, luck".

• When a syllable ends in a silent "e", the silent "e" is a signal that the vowel in front of it is long. Examples: "make, gene, kite, rope, and use".

• When a syllable has 2 vowels together, the first vowel is usually long and the second is silent. Examples: "pain, eat, boat, res/cue, say, grow".

• NOTE:
Diphthongs don't follow this rule; in a diphthong, the vowels blend together to create a single new sound. The diphthongs are: "oi, oy, ou, ow, au, aw, oo" and many others.

• When a syllable ends in any vowel and is the only vowel, that vowel is usually long.Examples: "pa/per, me, I, o/pen, u/nit, and my".

• When a vowel is followed by an "r" in the same syllable, that vowel is "r-controlled". It is neither long nor short. R-controlled "er, ir, and ur" often sound the same (like "er").Examples: "term, sir, fir, fur, far, for, su/gar, or/der".

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Brad Paisley - Welcome To The Future - American Saturday Night - Video & Lyrics - By Alexandre CWB

When I was ten years old,
I remember thinkin' how cool it would be,
when we were goin' on an eight hour drive,
if I could just watch T.V.

And I'd have given anything
to have my own PacMan game at home.
I used to have to get a ride down to the arcade;
Now I've got it on my phone.

He-e-ey...
Glory glory hallelujah.
Welcome to the future.

My grandpa was in World War II,
he fought against the Japanese.
He wrote a hundred letters to my grandma;
mailed em from his base in the Philippines.

I wish they could see this now,
where they say this change can go.
Cause I was on a video chat this morning
with a company in Tokyo.

He-e-ey...
Everyday is a revolution.
Welcome to the future.

He-e-ey...
Look around it's all so clear.
He-e-ey...
Wherever we would go and well we...
He-e-ey...
So many things I never thought I'd see...
happening right in front of me.

I had a friend in school,
running-back on a football team,
they burned a cross in his front yard
for asking out the home-coming queen.

I thought about him today,
everybody who's seen what he's seen,
from a woman on a bus
to a man with a dream.

He-e-ey...
Wake up Martin Luther.
Welcome to the future.
He-e-ey...
Glory glory hallelujah.
Welcome to the future.

LISTENING ACTIVITY

Brad Paisley Welcome To The Future Lyrics:

LISTENING ACTIVITY

When I was ________,

I remember thinkin' _______ it would be,

when we were goin' on an ___________,

if I could just watch T.V.

And I'd have given anything

to have my own __________at home.

I used to have __________________ the arcade;

Now I've got it on my phone.

He-e-ey...

Glory glory hallelujah.

Welcome _______________.

__________ was in World War II,

he fought against the ________________.

He wrote ____________ to my grandma;

mailed them from his base in the ____________.

I wish they could see this now,

where they say this ________________.

Cause I was on __________ this morning

with a company in _____.

He-e-ey...

Everyday is _______________.

Welcome to the future.

He-e-ey...

_________________ it's all so clear.

He-e-ey...

Wherever we would go and well we...

He-e-ey...

So many things ________________ I'd see...

happening ____________.

I had a friend in school,

______________on a football team,

they ____________ in his front yard

for asking out the ____________________.

I thought about him today,

everybody _____________________,

from a woman on a bus

to a man with a dream.

He-e-ey...

Wake up _____________.

Welcome to the future.

He-e-ey...

Glory glory _____________.

Welcome to the future.