Blog

• 19 Enero 2010

  STRANGER vs FOREIGNER

  If you are a STRANGER you are in a place where people don't know you, maybe a town, maybe a city

  but not your own town or city

  Do you know the song STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT? Can you sing it?

   

  If you are a FOREIGNER you are in a country which is not your own.

  In the Canary Islands they have a song called FOREIGNERS ON THE SHORE.

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  enviado por Tom Red a las 00:47h 0 comentario

  etiquetas: stranger,foreigner

• 17 Enero 2010

  AFTER Vs AFTERWARDS

  AFTER introduces a subordinate clause. It makes no sense by itself:

  If you say to somebody:

  After we left the cinema

  that person is still waiting for you to finish the sentence. And to finish the sentence you need to

  put an independent clause. So you will perhaps say:

  After we left the cinema WE WENT FOR A MEAL

  That's the sentence complete.

   

  AFTERWARDS is an isolated adverb and doesn't play a key part in grammar structure.

  AFTERWARDS refers to an already spoken or understood action:

  We left the cinema. AFTERWARDS we went for a meal

  AFTERWARDS has the same meaning as LATER or SUBSEQUENTLY or THEN 

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  enviado por Dermot McGrath a las 17:24h 0 comentario

  etiquetas: after,afterwards

• 12 Enero 2010

  A GARBAGE CAN vs A DUSTBIN

  What's the difference between GARBAGE CAN and DUSTBIN? 

  There is no difference. They mean the same, it's the container, usually of plastic, in which you place your domestic rubbish and put it in the street for collection by the local council authorities.

  It's just that in North America they say GARBAGE CAN and in Britain they say DUSTBIN.

  Pssst! Do you know that some English people, especially in the South East, below London, are extremely protective about their dustbins and they even put their name on it, for ex. DUSTBIN HOFFMAN.  

  That's all for today, folks!

  Seeya,

  TR

   

   

  ver detalle

  

  enviado por Tom Red a las 23:38h 1 comentario

  etiquetas: garbage can,dustbin,difference

• 12 Enero 2010

  FEW vs LITTLE

  Many people confuse FEW and LITTLE.
  
  Remember that FEW is for things you can count.
  For ex. FEW chickens. That means not many chickens
  
  And LITTLE is for things you can’t count.
  For ex. LITTLE milk or LITTLE space.That means not much milk and space
  
  So how do we measure milk and how do we measure space?
  
  For uncountable amounts or quantities we must use special units. We use litres to express a quantity of milk and cubic metres to measure space.
  
  And if we want to measure sugar?
  We use kilos, spoons, etc.
  
  So far, so good.
  Ok, I’m going to ask you one more question.
  
  Can we count money?
  Perhaps you say yes but in theory you can’t actually count money. You wouldn't say He has a lot of monies, would you?

  To measure a quantity of money what we do is count the units: 10 pounds, 500 dollars and 50 euro.

  
  Sorry to be so pedantic, reader, but that’s the life of a teacher…

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  enviado por Dermot McGrath a las 09:45h 0 comentario

  etiquetas: few,countable,little,uncountable,count,many,much

• 06 Enero 2010

  FEW vs A FEW

  You know what the Indefinite Article is, right? 

  Oh, I asked you that question yesterday, I'm so sorry, It wasn't my intention to offend you. Of course, everybody knows that A is the Indefinite Article.

  But do you know what a farmer is? Sorry, I can't hear you, reader... An agricultural businessman, you say. Well, that's a novel definition. 

  I suppose you know that before MacDonald's had a hamburger shop they had a farm.

  All right, look at these two sentences:

  When the farmer says "I have FEW chickens he means that he has almost no chickens. It's negative.

  But if he says he has A FEW chickens he means that he has some chickens. It's positive.

   

  Ok, enough for today

  Seeya,

  Mike

  ver detalle

  

  enviado por Mike Teacher a las 14:00h 0 comentario

  etiquetas: few,a few,few vs a few,few and a few,difference