All and all of, already and all ready

Look at the sentences below:

All of the books are very expensive

We say this when we point to fixed books, it means that there are still books which are not expensive. When we talk about the psychology books and we find that such books are almost all expensive, then we can say: “all of the books are very expensive”.

All the books are very expensive

This way is similar with the first sentence, and you had better to use this form instead.

All books are very expensive

It means that all kinds of books are very expensive. In this way, we are not talking about a group of books. We do not care whether psychology books, history books, or others.

Are you clear?

Now let’s talk about already and all ready.

I have already known what she did yesterday.

Already here is an adverb, describes an action that we finish.

Let’s get started now Students! I hope you are all ready.

It is a phrase, two words, all and ready. It means that everyone is ready.

If you have another opinion about that, say in comment box below and think about these words:
All right or alright?
Altogether or all together?

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How to write right: it’s or its

It is actually not so difficult to differentiate between the two words, “it’s” and “its”. More over, we use them in speaking. The two words have the same pronunciation. It might be frequently wrong when we have to write them. It may be wrong often when we should write them. Perhaps we write them in hurry of typing them.

“it’s” stands for “it is” like in “she’s or “he’s”. You must remember that to include the apostrophe (‘) s in the words does not show the possessive pronouns like I have talked about in the former post titled “Possessive Apostrophe” , if you have not read yet, please read first. Now compare with the sentences below:

John’s crying over his lost car. (It stands for John is)
She’s looking at me (It stands for She is)
He’s OK. (It stands for He is)
It’s time to go now. (It stands for it is)
She’s gone to the Church (It stands for She has)

Now pay attention to the sentence below:

I would like to buy a car, but its price is too expensive.

The word “its” above is to replace the word “car”. It’s called Possessive Pronoun.

To learn more about Possessive Pronouns, I will talk about them in the next post.



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When to use “although”, “despite”, “in spite of”, “though”, and “even though”

Those words have the same meaning that is to describe the idea of contrast. But there’s a little difference of using them.

Although is used before a full sentence

Although John has studied hard, his English is not better yet.
Note: John has studied hard is a full sentence that consists of a subject + Verb + object

Despite or in spite of is used before a phrase

Despite rough weather, John still comes on time.
In spite of rough weather, John still comes on time.
Note: Rough weather is a phrase/not a full sentence

Now what if I want to replace “although” in the sentence: “Although John has suited hard”?

The sentence will be like this:

Despite the fact that John has studied hard, his English is not better yet
Or
In spite of fact that John has studied hard, his English is not better yet.

What about “though” and “even though”?

Though is used in informal, while even though is stronger than although and sometimes, even though is used when the condition given is negative but the outcome/result is positive, and although is used in the contrary
eg:

Even though John hadn't studied, he passed the exam.
Although John had studied, he didn’t pass the exam.

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To differ vs. to differentiate, a difference vs. a differentiation, and to be different

Let’s read a paragraph below carefully:

There’s a contest in my college. The contest is to make a story about the culture in a country. Every student must make a different story in different country. This is not hard because one country has the difference from the others. But two students accidentally make a story about the same country. The lecturer then asks them to differentiate their stories. The differentiation is done well by the two students, but the difference is only in the words. And now the two stories become different. The two stories differ although in the same country.

Can you differentiate the words in italics and bold?

Well let’s see the explanation below:

Different: an adjective to show that something is not the same with the others

Difference: a noun showing that something is different from the others

Differ: a verb to know if something is different from the others, you can use this verb instead of using to be different.
e.g.: apple and orange are different or apple and orange differ

Differentiate: a verb to make something different from the others
If two things are the same and you want them different, you would say: I want to differentiate them, not: I want to differ them. “differ” not followed by an object and it is used when two things are already different. You can also say: It differs from the others or It is different from the others

Differentiation: a noun showing the process to make something different from the others. By other words: When the differentiation is finished you will know the difference.

Now please the paragraph again so you will find the difference.

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Removing the comma (,) will change the meaning of a sentence

Someone asked me what’s the different between the two sentences below:

Toni’s car, which is green, will be sold
Toni’s car which is green will be sold

The first sentence has the meaning:

1. Toni has one car
2. Toni’s car is green
3. Toni’s car will be sold

The second sentence has the meaning:

1. Toni has many cars
2. One of Toni’s car is green
3. the green car will be sold

Now I have one description like this:

You have many stories. One of them will be published in a blog. The blog uses English.

And the combining sentence will be like:

The story which you tell us yesterday will be published on a blog which uses English.

Now please combine the sentence below into one sentence like the example above:

I have one cat. The cat always sleeps at 3.00 pm. The cat is sick.

Will the sentence be like this?

My cat, which always sleeps at 3.00 pm, is sick.

Or

My cat which always sleeps at 3.00 pm is sick.

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Possessive Apostrophe

The possessive apostrophe (‘ or ‘s) is all about making a statement of ownership. This blog belongs to me. This one belongs to you. In grammar speak, the apostrophe shows the possessive of nouns.

The rules of using the apostrophe to show belonging as follow:

Use apostrophe s to the end of s singular noun that doesn’t end with s

e.g.: Kang Rohman’s blog.

Use apostrophe s to the end of a singular noun, even if it ends with s:

e.g.: Haris’s book

Use apostrophe s to the end of a plural noun that doesn’t end with s

e.g.: children’s bag

Use apostrophe only to the end of a plural noun that ends with s

e.g. my brothers’ books

Now look at the examples below and find the meaning:
My friend’s sister’s dogs (it means I have one friend, my friend has one sister and my friend’s sister has some dogs)

Are phrases below possessive apostrophe?
Haris’s sad.
He’s so cruel.


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When we use “the” and when we use “a” or “an”

In the earlier post we talked about indefinitely article “a” and “an” (If you haven’t read that, please read at this entry). Now in this session let’s see the difference between “the” and “a” or “an”.

We use “the” when we and the listeners or readers know which item we mean. We talk about definite item or when we talk to someone who has known the item.

e.g.:
“Jane, what about the movies we watched yesterday? Was it very good?”
We and Jane know the movies.

“John, give me the money!”
We know that John has the money.

We use “a” or “an” when we’re not necessarily referring to a specific thing (such as a nail, any nail). It’s called an indefinite article, because we’re not being definite or particular. There are many nails in this big world.

e.g.:
“John has a dog”
It means any dog, we don’t know which dog he has.
“John, hand me a pen please”
We command John to give any pen because there are a lot of pens in our house.

Other usage of “the”

We can use the the second time you refer to something, even if we used an the first time. You know what we’re referring to, because we just told us.

e.g.:
We came to a beach yesterday. The beach was very beautiful.

When it comes to geography, you don’t use the before the names of most nations, provinces, states, lakes or islands. But there are many exceptions: the United States, the Ukraine, or the Congo. On the other hand, the Ukrainians and Congolese people I’ve met say, “Ukraine” and “Congo,” so go figure. If the name refers to plural items, such as the United States, or the Maldives, you would use the definite article. You would do the same for rivers and oceans, such as the Amazon, the Nile, and the Caspian Sea. Bays need the definite article.

He moved to Nepal near Mount Everest.
They spent their honeymoon in eastern Maine, on Penobscot Bay

English sometimes does not use any article at all. You don’t need one when making a general statement, or when talking about meals and transportation.

e.g.:
I like mango so much.
She prefers rock music.
I eat breakfast at home.
I go to campus by bus.

British writers don’t use an article for some places that Americans would.

e.g.:
British: I go to university.
American: I go to college.
American: I transferred to the university last year.
British: I felt so ill that I went to hospital.
American: I got so sick I had to go to the hospital.

Some rules apply all the time. Some rules apply only in certain situations, and only experience and reading can help you get them all right. And some rules apply only in certain situations in certain cultures: British and American English is sometimes different, as you may have learned by now.

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“A” or “An” before words.

“A” should be used before words that begin with consonants (e.g. “b”, “c”, “d” and so on) while “an” should be used before words that begin with vowels (e.g. “e”, “u”, etc). But the usage is determined by the pronunciation not by letter or spelling.


Here are the examples:

“a”
A blogger (blogger begins with “b” as consonant sound (bloger))
A book (book begins with consonant sound “b” (buk) )
A hotel (hotel begins with consonant sound “h” (houtel))
A uniform (uniform begins with consonant sound (yunifo:m))
A NATO authority (NATO begins with consonant sound (neto))
A union (union begins with consonant sound (yunien))


“an”
An hour (hour begins with vowel sound (auer))
An honest boy (honest begins with vowel sound (onist))
An umbrella (umbrella begins with vowel sound (ambrela))
An RCTI reporter (RCTI begins with vowel sound (ar si ti ai))
An example (example begins with vowel sound (igzaempel))

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Used to do, to be used to doing and to get used to doing

Pay attention to the sentence below:

“I used to stop writing when I got stuck.”
“I am used to speaking in front of class because I am a teacher.”
“I have started working nights and still getting used to sleeping during the day.”

We use “used to do” to describe our habit in the past and no longer happens. Find out the other examples below:

“I used to go to bed at 09.00 PM but since I am a full blogger I go to bed at about 01.00 AM.”
“I used to smoke a packet a day but I have stopped it for one year.”

We use “To be used to doing” to say something is normal but unusual. Examples:

“I am used to sitting in front of my PC for hours since I am a full blogger.”
“I am used to going to campus by public vehicle since I sold my car.”

We use “To get used to doing” to talk about the process of something becoming normal to us.

“I have to get used to going to campus by public vehicle since I sold my car”
“I lived in the country before, but since I got a job in the city, I have to get used to living there.”

Finally find out the difference among the sentences below:

“I usually go to campus by my car”
“I used to go to campus by my car”
“I get used to going to campus by public vehicle because I have sold my car.”
“I am used to go to campus by public vehicle because I have sold my car.”

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English Conversation

As we know that English Conversation is very important to learn. There are many kinds of English conversation, depends on the topic, place, situation, purpose, and our need. For examples, telephone conversation.
Almost everyday, everyone does conversation via phone. We must know how to talk to other by phone. Let’s read and learn the conversation below.

1. If getting through to a right person
Lucy is calling Anton, but he isn’t so sure if that is him.

Lucy : Hello, could I speak to Anton, please?
Anton : Yes, speaking
Lucy : Hi, this is Lucy, Do you remember me?..
Anton : Oh..Hello, Lucy, how are you?

2. If not getting through to the right person
Lucy intends to call Anton, her friend, then she call his house-phone number. But Mrs. Merry, Anton’s mother who receives the phone.

Lucy : Hello, could I speak to Anton, please?
Mrs. Merry : I'm sorry, he's not at home at this moment. Who’s speaking?
Lucy : This is Lucy speaking, Ma’am, When do you expect him back?
Mrs. Merry : I think he'll be back in about thirty minutes, at the latest.
Lucy : Well, may I leave a message?
Mrs. Merry : Yes, of course.
Lucy : Would you please ask him to call me when he gets back.
Mrs. Merry : Ok. Does he know your number?
Lucy : I'm afraid he doesn't know. My mobile number is 812660721
Mrs. Merry : 812660721. All right. Thanks for calling.

3. If wrong number
Now Lucy has dialed the wrong number

Lucy : Could I speak to Anton, please?
Someone : Oh, sorry? Anton? But I think there’s no one by that name here. I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong number.
Lucy : Wrong? This is Mrs. Merry’s house, isn’t it?
Someone : No, this is Mrs. Melly’s house.
Lucy : Oh I am sorry to have bothered you

OK everyone thanks for reading. Leave your comments below.


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Beside & besides

Beside

Beside means next to:

* A house beside the sea
* She sat beside her friend.

Besides

As a preposition, besides means in addition to or apart from

* What are you studying besides English? (in addition to)
* Who was there besides Jon? (apart from)

As an adverb, besides means as well or furthermore.

* He was scruffy and badly prepared. Besides, he turned up late for the interview.

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ENOUGH

Enough comes after adjectives and adverbs:

- It wasn't good enough. (Good is an adjective)
- I didn't do well enough. (Well in an adverb)

Enough comes before nouns:

- I didn't have enough money. (Money is a noun)

We use enough of before the and this that these those:

- Are there enough of the copies I made for everybody?
- I've had enough of this rubbish.

We also use enough of before object personal pronouns:

- Were enough of them there last night?

NB Sometimes people put enough after a noun, but this is for effect as it sounds a bit archaic and formal.


Enough can be used before an infinitive:

- They don't have enough to eat.

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Whether and If

1. When both choices are given, we generally use whether rather than if:

I don't know whether she's coming or not. (It would be possible to use if here, but less common.)

2. Before an infinitive with to we use whether:

I don't know whether to accept their offer or not. (If would not be used here.)

3. We can use whether after a preposition:

It's a question of whether we can agree on everything. (If would not be used here.)

4. Both whether and if can be used in indirect speech to introduce a yes/no question:

Did they say whether/if they were going to be late?

5. After some verbs, we use whether:

I doubt whether they'll make it.
We discussed whether it was the correct decision.

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Wish: Using "Wish" in English

Wish + Infinitive

-I wish to see the manager.

This is like 'I would like to see the manager', but is more insistent and stronger, though still polite.

Wish + Noun/Pronoun + Past Simple

-I wish I had the time to do it.

This means either that I don't have the time now or that I won't have the time in the future to do it, depending on context:

-I wish I were/was rich.

Here, the speaker regrets that they are not rich now. Note that with the verb 'be', you can either use the past simple or the past subjunctive.

-I wish I were/was able to go to the meeting next week.

Here, the speaker is clearly talking about the future.

Wish + Noun/Pronoun + Past Perfect

-I wish I hadn't said that.

Here, the speaker is talking about the past. They said something and now they regret it.

Wish + Noun/Pronoun + Would/Could

-I wish I could speak German.

Here, the speaker cannot speak German, but it is possible to learn it, so it is not as impossible as the sentences above. It is imaginary, but wouldn't be impossible to change the situation. If the subject of the verb wish and the verb after it are the same, we use could.

-I wish he wouldn't play his music so late at night.

Again, the situation is imaginary, but it would be possible for the other person to turn their music down. As the two subjects are different, we use would. It is possible to use could when talking about someone not having the opportunity or ability: I wish he could come with us.
Taken from usingenglish.com

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Descriptive and Prescriptive Grammar

One common way to divide the different types of English grammars available is to label them descriptive or prescriptive, though a grammar may contain elements of both.
The principles around which they are written are very different; a prescriptive grammar is one that lays down the rules for English language usage, while a descriptive grammar synthesises rules for English usage from the language that people actually use. A prescriptive grammarian believes that certain forms used are correct and that others, even though they may be used by native speakers, are incorrect. Many prescriptivists feel that modern linguistics, which tends to place emphasis on actual rather than perceived language usage, is responsible for a decline in the standard of language.

Descriptivists look at the way people speak and then try to create rules that account for the language usage, accepting alternative forms that are used regionally and also being open to forms used in speech that traditional grammars would describe as errors.

Who's Right?

As with so much in English, both sides have a lot to offer. Pure prescriptivist grammar will lead to artificial claims that are hard to maintain in light of the facts. While prescriptivists would prefer the use of the past subjunctive after if (If I were you, etc), it is very difficult to claim that everyone who uses was is wrong, especially as they are the majority in spoken language. Google puts past subjunctive just over 10% ahead, though it is recording written text only. While there are still traditionalist grammarians claiming that they are right and half the population is wrong, most have modified their approach and talk of this form as preferable, or describe it as formal register, and ESL examination boards no longer test it, bit accept both.
There are also zealous descriptivists, who instead of genuinely describing English language usage, feel they should give it a hand to change and develop, by encouraging the demise of forms they see as old-fashioned. Those who fall into this trap, such as recommending avoiding whom, or claiming it is no longer relevant are themselves simply neo-prescriptivists, though favouring development and change rather than conservativism.

Article taken from usungenglish.com

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Agreeing and Disagreeing- So do I, Neither do I, etc

To agree with a positive statement:
We use so + auxiliary/modal verb + pronoun:

"I like tea without sugar.'
'So do I.'

To agree with a negative statement:

We use nor/neither + auxiliary/modal verb + pronoun:

"I don't like tea with sugar.'
'Nor do I.' or 'Neither do I.'

To disagree with a positive statement:
We use pronoun + auxiliary/modal verb + not (-n't):

"I like tea without sugar.'
'I don't.'

To disagree with a negative statement:
We use pronoun + auxiliary/modal verb:

"I don't like tea with sugar.'
'I do.

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All & Whole 2

These words often have the same meaning, but they are used differently.

With the definite article:

All comes before the definite article: All the time
Whole comes after the definite article: The whole time

With a possessive adjective:


All comes before a possessive adjective: All my life
Whole comes after a possessive adjective: My whole life

With a singular noun:

Whole can only be used after a definite article: The whole country (not 'Whole country')

With Plural Nouns:

They have different meanings:

All exams were affected. = Every exam was affected.Whole exams were affected. = This doesn't mean that every exam was affected, but that some were affected completely.

With uncountable nouns:

We generally use all. We can say 'the whole of the' before an uncountable noun.

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ALL & WHOLE

First I feel confused to differ between All and Whole. But finally I know the difference between them. I read some sentence using those words and then I find the difference. For me, we use:

All comes before a possessive adjective for example: All my life, while
Whole comes after a possessive adjective for example: My whole life.

But there're still other differences between them.

I will find them and post them next. Or if you can give us, just write here.

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