EXAMS?
You can find more interesting posts at English is fun in Facebook
Stative Verbs
Stative verbs
Some verbs are not usually used in the continuous form, even when we are talking about temporary situations or states. These are called stative verbs.
- So, we say I’m sorry, I don’t understand rather than
I’m not understanding.
1. Stative verbs are often verbs connected with thinking and opinions.
- She doesn’t know what to do NOT
She isn’t knowing what to do - Do you agree with me?
- I don’t recognise it, do you?
Other verbs in this group include: believe, doubt, guess, imagine, mean, remember, think
2. Other stative verbs are connected with feelings and emotions
2. Other stative verbs are connected with feelings and emotions
- I like this song. Who sings it? NOT
I’m liking this song - What do you want to do now?
- I hate my new boss!
Other stative verbs in this group include: dislike, love, prefer. want, wish
NB – although ‘enjoy’ is a verb of emotion, it is used in the continuous tense
NB – although ‘enjoy’ is a verb of emotion, it is used in the continuous tense
- I’m enjoying the party.
3. ‘see’, ‘hear’, ‘taste’, ‘smell’, ‘feel’ are verbs that describe senses.
These verbs aren’t usually used in continuous forms. They are often used with ‘can’.
These verbs aren’t usually used in continuous forms. They are often used with ‘can’.
- It smells of smoke in here. NOT
It’s smelling of smoke in here - I can’t see anything. It’s too dark.
4. Stative verbs describe things that are not actions.
Look carefully at these 2 sentences.
Look carefully at these 2 sentences.
- He smells of fish.
- He’s smelling the fish.
The second sentence is an action – not a state. The man wants to know if the fish is OK to eat.
- I think we should go to Croatia for our holiday this year.
- Sorry, what did you say? I was thinking about my holiday.
The first sentence is an opinion but the second sentence is an action.
HOW TO STUDY?
STUDYING AND LEARNING
Some pieces of advice
- Pay attention during the lessons, keep quiet and ask any doubt.
- Do the homework everyday (That's doing all the exercises in the workbook about the stuff seen in class)
- Study and do not take anything for granted as if you already know all about everything because you have that feeling that you have heard all these lines before.
- During the test: read more than once the instructions or the enunciate of the exercise. until you understand them.
- Check spelling twice, specially the spelling rules for –ing, -ed, -s/es endings.
Let’s
move on!
PARTS OF A SENTENCE
When dealing with words we should, have to, must and ought
to take into account what "kind of word” it is.
- A verb? Its tense (present, past or future)? Its form (-ing, -ed, -s/es)?
- A noun? Singular or plural? Countable or uncountable?
- An adjective?
- An adverb?
- A preposition?
- A pronoun?
- A link?
UNIT 1
VOCABULARY
Remember that the position of any word in the sentence will
always be of great help.
Well, and if you have studied/learnt
the VOCABULARY in any unit, especially the words related to the topic, there
will be NO PROBLEM.
Let’s take a look at some of the new ones:
drive, infatuation, which are nouns
lavish, outrageous, spoilt and overwhelmed
which are adjectives.
You will know that you know these words only if you can use them in a sentence. TRY!
trend / willing / instant / straight / passerby / crew / pursued / crowd emerged / fiancée / heiress / wealthy / gossip / notorious / tabloid
GRAMMAR
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS AND PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
(PLUS ALL THE REST SEEN BEFORE)
Have/has + been + V-ing
He estado haciendo/llevo haciendo hasta ahora
Had + been + V-ing
Había estado haciendo/llevaba haciendo
Time expressions and other clues may help for these and other tenses.
Check the chart!
If the words given are in order the only objective is to put the verb in the right tense and according to the instructions plus other tenses you should know when an how use them.
I / study / since / January > I have been studying since January
By the time he arrived the band had been playing for an hour
Sue first felt ill two weeks ago. She didn’t go to the doctor until yesterday >
By the time Sue went to the doctor she had been feeling ill for two weeks
Lily was afraid to go on the motorway for about a year after she had started driving > Until she had been driving for about a year Lily was afraid to go on the motorway.
By the time Sue went to the doctor she had been feeling ill for two weeks
Lily was afraid to go on the motorway for about a year after she had started driving > Until she had been driving for about a year Lily was afraid to go on the motorway.
SUFFIXES
As I had told you before, and so many times, the kind of word we need to use depends on the position in the sentence. Suffixes imply “kind of word” too.
New course, new stuff.
Some things change, but most still remain the same.
I will post nice quotes, many pictures besides some presentations.
I hope you both like and take advantage of them.
To start with, just for the laughs, there goes this post.
TYPICAL BUT AVOIDABLE MISTAKES
WORD ORDER
No matter the grammar topic you are dealing with, the word order is always the same. Keep to it! Check it!
Affirmative? Negative? Question or simple interrogative? Question tag?
Where is the auxiliary placed if needed?
VERB TENSES
Word order is important but it is not enough, that is why you have to make yourself clear one step more than that.
As I know you know, a verb has tenses which have their own
FORM / AUXILIARY / TIME EXPRESSION OR REFERENCE
How does this works when you have to do an exercise?
Eg. Filling the blanks:
First look for the time expression, usually an adverb, that helps you choose and use a particular tense. Got it?
You may not find a time expression that helps you choose and use the right tense but there will always be a clue in the exercise/sentence/text.
Clues like:
The enunciate of the exercise. That is very likely to reduce your options. Read it and follow the instructions!
Another verb used before or after the one you need.
When/while for simple past and past continuous
Yet, just, already for perfect tenses.
Conditionals tense sequence!
WATCH OUT FOR THOSE STUPID MISTAKES
TO BE
Eventhough Shakespeare's Hamlet wondered wether "to be or not to be", to be is always to be!
It is different from all the rest of verbs plus it is so frequently used, that not using its right form makes your essay/composition/exercise/sentence inconsistent.
Do you know when and why to use am, are, is, was, were, been? Yes, you do and I know it, so use them right!.
Can you use there is, there are, there was, there were? Yes, you can and I know it, so use them right!
Are you aware of what implies being an auxiliary verb? Yes, you are and I know it, so use it right!
REMEMBER
If the tense you need is called CONTINUOUS, it implies TO BE + V + ING
If the structure is a PASSIVE one, it implies TO BE + PAST PARTICIPLE*
* A past participle = V + ed or the third form of the irregular verbs. (Learn them!)
DON'T FORGET!
Notice that 's may be is or may be has. Which is needed? Which are you going to use? Take this in mind.
Review your spelling after adding -ing or -ed
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)