วันเสาร์ที่ 18 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2553

Imperative Sentence

Definition of an imperative sentence
An imperative sentence:

  • can end with a period or an exclamaion mark depending on the degree of the command





  • containing the word "please" should end with a period





  • is commonly used in speech but not often in writing





  • is a sentence which is used to give orders, advice, instructions, requests and commands.  An exclamation mark (!) is used at the end of this sentence when there is a strong force to the expression, but for the other ‘not so strong expressions’ a full stop (.) is used.





  • e.g.
    Go away.
    Shut up and listen to me!
    Help me with these bags, please.
    In the examples above, the subject part is not mentioned, i.e. no noun or pronoun is used before the predicate part because any ‘order, advice, command, request, etc.’ is given to the listener (the 2nd person pronoun – YOU) and so, no need to mention it directly.
    The subject of the imperative sentence ‘you’ is not mentioned but understood.
    However, when the listener is not paying any attention to the speaker or doing something else so there is no chance of knowing that he/she is being addressed, the speaker may use the pronoun ‘you’ to get that person’s attention.
    e.g.
    “You there, don’t spit on the floor!”
    This way of addressing somebody is considered rude by some people; therefore, we must be careful not to offend others!
    Examples of imperative sentences
    • Be quiet!
    • Please hand in your homework.
    • "Think Small"
      (slogan of Volkswagen)


    "Do not on any account attempt to write on both sides of the paper at once."
    (W. C. Sellar and R. J. Yeatman, 1066 and All That. Methuen, 1930)


    "Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest."
    (Mark Twain)


    "Take me out to the ball game,
    Take me out with the crowd.
    Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,

    I don't care if I never get back."
    (Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game")


    "Seek simplicity, and distrust it."
    (Alfred North Whitehead)
    We can use the imperative to give a direct order.
    1. Take that chewing gum out of your mouth.
    2. Stand up straight.
    3. Give me the details.
    We can use the imperative to give instructions.
    1. Open your book.
    2. Take two tablets every evening.
    3. Take a left and then a right.
    We can use the imperative to make an invitation.
    1. Come in and sit down. Make yourself at home.
    2. Please start without me. I'll be there shortly.
    3. Have a piece of this cake. It's delicious.
    We can use the imperative on signs and notices.
    1. Push.
    2. Do not use.
    3. Insert one dollar.
    We can use the imperative to give friendly informal advice.
    1. Speak to him. Tell him how you feel.
    2. Have a quiet word with her about it.
    3. Don't go. Stay at home and rest up. Get some sleep and recover.
    We can make the imperative 'more polite' by adding 'do'.
    • Do be quiet.
    • Do come.
    • Do sit down.





    วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 16 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2553

    Present Simple Tense

    Present Simple Tense


    
                   The simple present tense in English is used to describe an action that is regular, true or normal.
    We use the present tense:
    1. For repeated or regular actions in the present time period.
    • I take the train to the office.
    • The train to Berlin leaves every hour.
    • John sleeps eight hours every night during the week.
    2. For facts.
    • The President of The USA lives in The White House.
    • A dog has four legs.
    • We come from Switzerland.
    3. For habits.
    • I get up early every day.
    • Carol brushes her teeth twice a day.
    • They travel to their country house every weekend.
    4. For things that are always / generally true.
    • It rains a lot in winter.
    • The Queen of England lives in Buckingham Palace.
    • They speak English at work.


    Verb Conjugation & Spelling

    We form the present tense using the base form of the infinitive (without the TO).
    In general, in the third person we add 'S' in the third person.
    Subject Verb The Rest of the sentence
    I / you / we / they speak / learn English at home
    he / she / it speaks / learns English at home


    The spelling for the verb in the third person differs depending on the ending of that verb:
    1. For verbs that end in -O, -CH, -SH, -SS, -X, or -Z we add -ES in the third person.
    • go – goes
    • catch – catches
    • wash – washes
    • kiss – kisses
    • fix – fixes
    • buzz – buzzes
    2. For verbs that end in a consonant + Y, we remove the Y and add -IES.
    • marry – marries
    • study – studies
    • carry – carries
    • worry – worries
    NOTE: For verbs that end in a vowel + Y, we just add -S.
    • play – plays
    • enjoy – enjoys
    • say – says


    Negative Sentences in the Simple Present Tense

    To make a negative sentence in English we normally use Don't or Doesn't with all verbs EXCEPT To Be and Modal verbs (can, might, should etc.).
    • Affirmative: You speak French.
      Negative: You don't speak French.
    You will see that we add don't between the subject and the verb. We use Don't when the subject is I, you, we or they.
    • Affirmative: He speaks German.
      Negative: He doesn't speak German.
    When the subject is he, she or it, we add doesn't between the subject and the verb to make a negative sentence. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the negative sentence. We will see the reason why below.


    Negative Contractions

    Don't = Do not
    Doesn't = Does not
    I don't like meat = I do not like meat.
    There is no difference in meaning though we normally use contractions in spoken English.


    Word Order of Negative Sentences

    The following is the word order to construct a basic negative sentence in English in the Present Tense using Don't or Doesn't.
    Subject don't/doesn't Verb* The Rest of the sentence
    I / you / we / they don't have / buy
    eat / like etc.
    cereal for breakfast
    he / she / it doesn't


    * Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive without TO before the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.
    Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it begins with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.
    Examples of Negative Sentences with Don't and Doesn't:
    • You don't speak Arabic.
    • John doesn't speak Italian.
    • We don't have time for a rest.
    • It doesn't move.
    • They don't want to go to the party.
    • She doesn't like fish.


    Questions in the Simple Present Tense

    To make a question in English we normally use Do or Does. It has no translation in Spanish though it is essential to show we are making a question. It is normally put at the beginning of the question.
    • Affirmative: You speak English.
      Question: Do you speak English?
    You will see that we add DO at the beginning of the affirmative sentence to make it a question. We use Do when the subject is I, you, we or they.
    • Affirmative: He speaks French.
      Question: Does he speak French?
    When the subject is he, she or it, we add DOES at the beginning to make the affirmative sentence a question. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the question. We will see the reason why below.
    We DON'T use Do or Does in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal Verbs (can, must, might, should etc.)


    Word Order of Questions with Do and Does

    The following is the word order to construct a basic question in English using Do or Does.
    Do/Does Subject Verb* The Rest of the sentence
    Do I / you / we / they have / need
    want etc.
    a new bike?
    Does he / she / it


    *Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive without TO before the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.
    Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it begins with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.
    Examples of Questions with Do and Does:
    • Do you need a dictionary?
    • Does Mary need a dictionary?
    • Do we have a meeting now?
    • Does it rain a lot in winter?
    • Do they want to go to the party?
    • Does he like pizza?


    Short Answers with Do and Does

    In questions that use do/does it is possible to give short answers to direct questions as follows:
    Sample Questions Short Answer
    (Affirmative)
    Short Answer
    (Negative)
    Do you like chocolate? Yes, I do. No, I don't.
    Do I need a pencil? Yes, you do. No, you don't.
    Do you both like chocolate? Yes, we do. No, we don't.
    Do they like chocolate? Yes, they do. No, they don't.
    Does he like chocolate? Yes, he does. No, he doesn't.
    Does she like chocolate? Yes, she does. No, she doesn't.
    Does it have four wheels? Yes, it does. No, it doesn't.


    However, if a question word such as who, when, where, why, which or how is used in the question, you can not use the short answers above to respond to the question.





     Complete each sentence with a verb from the box. 
     The answers are at the end of the page

    start   |   take   |   eat   |    think   |    sleep  |    go   |    like   |   drink  |   write  |    live


     1.   The film ____________ every day at 8 p.m.
      2.   The children ____________  milk with their meals.
      3.   Cats generally _____________ a lot. 4.   Julie _____________ a letter to her mother once a week.
     5.   Tom and Julie ____________ in a big city in the centre of the country.
     6.   Tourists ___________   to Egypt to see the pyramids.
     7.   Jimmy always ___________ the bus to go to school.
     8.   We all know that children _____________ sweets.
     9.   Anne ______________ it's a good idea to do English exercises.
     10.   If you want  to be healthy, you must ___________ good food.

    Answers :1-starts      2-drink      3-sleep      4-writes      5-live      6-go      7-takes      8-like     
     9-thinks      10-eat


    http://www.learn-english-today.com/lessons/lesson_contents/present_simple_exercise.html
    http://www.grammar.cl/Present/Simple.htm


    วันอาทิตย์ที่ 5 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2553

    Preposition

    The Preposition

    Recognize a preposition when you see one.

    Prepositions are the words that indicate location. Usually, prepositions show this location in the physical world. Check out the three examples below:
    Arf!
    The puppy is on the floor.
    Bad dog!
    The puppy is in the trashcan.
    Don't chew the cell phone!
    The puppy is beside the phone.
    On, in, and beside are all prepositions. They are showing where the puppy is. Prepositions can also show location in time. Read the next three examples:
    At midnight, Jill craved mashed potatoes with grape jelly.
    In the spring, I always vow to plant tomatoes but end up buying them at the supermarket.
    During the marathon, Iggy's legs complained with sharp pains shooting up his thighs.
    At midnight, in the spring, and during the marathon all show location in time.
    Because there are so many possible locations, there are quite a few prepositions. Below is the complete list.
    about
    above
    according to
    across
    after
    against
    along
    along with
    among
    apart from
    around
    as
    as for
    at
    because of
    before
    behind
    below
    beneath
    beside
    between
    beyond
    but*
    by
    by means of
    concerning
    despite
    down
    during
    except
    except for
    excepting
    for
    from
    in
    in addition to
    in back of
    in case of
    in front of
    in place of
    inside
    in spite of
    instead of
    into
    like
    near
    next
    of
    off
    on
    onto
    on top of
    out
    out of
    outside
    over
    past
    regarding
    round
    since
    through
    throughout
    till
    to
    toward
    under
    underneath
    unlike
    until
    up
    upon
    up to
    with
    within
    without
    * But is very seldom a preposition. When it is used as a preposition, but means the same as exceptEveryone ate frog legs but Jamie. But usually functions as a coordinating conjunction.

    Understand how to form a prepositional phrase.

    Prepositions generally introduce prepositional phrases. Prepositional phrases look like this:
    preposition + optional modifiers + noun, pronoun, or gerund
    Here are some examples:
    At school
    At = preposition; school = noun.
    According to us
    According to = preposition; us = pronoun.
    By chewing
    By = preposition; chewing = gerund.
    Under the stove
    Under = preposition; the = modifier; stove = noun.
    In the crumb-filled, rumpled sheets
    In = preposition; the, crumb-filled, rumpled = modifiers; sheets = noun.

    Realize that some prepositions also function as subordinate conjunctions.

    Some prepositions also function as subordinate conjunctions. These prepositions are after, as, before, since, and until. A subordinate conjunction will have both a subject and a verb following it, forming a subordinate clause.
    Look at these examples:
    After Sam and Esmerelda kissed goodnight
    After = subordinate conjunction; Sam, Esmerelda = subjects; kissed = verb.
    As Jerome buckled on the parachute
    As = subordinate conjunction; Jerome = subject; buckled = verb.
    Before I eat these frog legs
    Before = subordinate conjunction; I = subject; eat = verb.
    Since we have enjoyed the squid eyeball stew
    Since = subordinate conjunction; we = subject; have enjoyed = verb.
    Until your hiccups stop
    Until = subordinate conjunction; hiccups = subject; stop = verb.
    If you find a noun [with or without modifiers] following one of these five prepositions, then all you have is a prepositional phrase. Look at these examples:
    After the killer calculus test
    After = preposition; the, killer, calculus = modifiers; test = noun.
    As a good parent
    As = preposition; a, good = modifiers; parent = noun.
    Before dinner
    Before = preposition; dinner = noun.
    Since the breakup
    Since = preposition; the = modifier; breakup = noun.
    Until midnight
    Until = preposition; midnight = noun.

     








    EnglishUsageExample
    • from
    • who gave it
    • a present from Jane
    • of
    • who/what does it belong to
    • what does it show
    • a page of the book
    • the picture of a palace
    • by
    • who made it
    • a book by Mark Twain
    • on
    • walking or riding on horseback
    • entering a public transport vehicle
    • on foot, on horseback
    • get on the bus
    • in
    • entering a car  / Taxi
    • get in the car
    • off
    • leaving a public transport vehicle
    • get off the train
    • out of
    • leaving a car  / Taxi
    • get out of the taxi
    • by
    • rise or fall of something
    • travelling (other than walking or horseriding)
    • prices have risen by 10 percent
    • by car, by bus
    • at
    • for age
    • she learned Russian at 45
    • about


    • for topics, meaning what about




    http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/preposition.htm
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4jIC5HLBdM


    • we were talking about you