As I mentioned before, like is one of the most versatile words in the English language. So far, we have reviewed the 5 most commonly taught and traditional ways of using it. Now, we will explore all the fantastically diverse ways to incorporate like into your conversation.
CAUTION: Using like in the following ways will make you sound like a native speaker!
Like. We use the word like in nearly every conversation. More recently, since the advent of Facebook, it has even become a physical action. As we scroll through our friends’ timelines and posts, we make sure to click on that familiar icon just to show our friends that we have acknowledged their photo, their current status or even their tasty looking lunch. And, though we may hate to admit it, our self-esteem may even depend on how many of those likes we can gather on our own status updates and photos. Beyond our own egos, businesses large and small, are incredibly dependent on how many likes they can manage.
But, are all likes equal? Or has the simple, four letter, single syllabled word taken on a power of its own?
In the BIG 5 Part 1, we learned how to construct the 5 basic sentence structures. In this post, we will learn how to expand those basic structures by adding other parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs). This helps to add certain details or information to our sentences. Read more
Real accuracy in English is easy once you know how to order the words in a sentence. Without the proper word order you may confuse the person you are speaking to, or at the least make it harder for them to understand you. Once you know the basic rules of word order you will find it much easier to speak and write in English with confidence.
In this first part we look at the basic elements of sentence structure. Please check out Part 2 for more information. Read more
So, now that we’ve gone over what it means when a verb tense is perfect, let’s go over the logistics. Before we can put the Perfect Aspect into use, we first have to know why we would use it and then how to construct it. Read more
They say that nobody’s perfect and that is true, especially when it comes to using English (even English teachers make mistakes!). However, there is an aspect of English grammar that is perfect, the Perfect Aspect. Though it may be perfect, it most definitely is not easy to understand.
Prepositions are words that define the relationship between words in a sentence. They usually connect a noun with a verb.
The basics:
There are three basic prepositions used when we are referring to time. In, At and On.
Choosing the correct preposition is one of the most challenging parts of learning English. If you ask a native speaker why they use “at” rather than “on”, their response will probably be something like, “I don’t know. We just do.” They aren’t being difficult, they are just being honest. The truth is, there isn’t always a clear reason as to why we use a certain preposition, which is why it can be such a difficult part of learning. Read more
In our previous post on the passive, I explained why we use the passive voice. Now, let me show you some rules and how we create the grammatical structure of the passive.
The subject of a passive sentence would be the object of an active sentence, and vice versa. Read more
Aaahh… the Passive. The passive voice can be the thorn in the side of any English learner, native or non-native, and even English teachers. Although we encounter the passive voice more than we think, when we are presented with it formally, sometimes it seems as though it is impossible to understand. However, there are times when the passive voice is all that really makes sense. Before we can effectively use it we first have to understand why we use it. Read more