Saturday, August 27, 2016

TRAVEL - TRIP - JOURNEY - TOUR - VOYAGE

The explanations should help clarify the meaning and use of vocabulary related to travel.

TravelThe word 'travel' is used to talk about going from one place to another.
It can be a verb, a noun or an adjective :
  • Verb :        Paul travels a lot in his job.
  • Noun :       Travel nowadays is faster than before.
  • Adjective : There is a travel agency beside the bank.
TripThe word trip is used to talk about a short journey somewhere for a purpose, business or pleasure.
  • For our wedding anniversary, we went on a trip to Venice.
  • My boss is often away on business trips.
  • During our holiday we took a boat trip to the islands.
JourneyA journey is the distance covered when travelling from one place to another.
'Journey' can refer to a long distance or a short regular one.
  • The journey was long and tiring. It took us 5 hours to get there.
  • Did you have a good journey? Yes, it was quite pleasant.
  • How long is your journey to work? Just about 20 minutes.
TourA tour is a journey during which several places are visited, especially on a holiday.
'Tour' can be a noun or a verb.
  • Noun : We went on a tour of Italy.
  • Verb  We toured the north of India.
VoyageA voyage is a long journey by sea or in space.
  • Before the 20th century, long sea voyages were common.
  • A spacecraft will take you on a voyage through space.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

THIS - THAT - THESE - THOSE

This, that, these and those are demonstrative adjectives.
  • This is used to refer to a single person, thing or place that is close to the speaker.
  • That is used when the person, thing or place is more distant.
    • This computer is easy to use.
    • That coat on the chair is mine.
    • This person is my colleague.
    • That man over there is my boss.
    • This picture is clearer than that one.
    • This is my seat and that one is yours.
  • These is the plural form of this.
  • Those is the plural form of that.
    • These letters are urgent.  Please post them immediately.
    • Those men in the street are policemen.
    • I like these shoes.  They're very comfortable.
    • Those shoes on the shelf are very expensive.
    • I like these shoes better than those shoes.
    • These books are more interesting than those (books).
  • In formal contexts we can use that and those for 'one(s)'.
    • The most surprising announcement was that made by the Prime Minister.
      (That means the announcement, the one made by the Prime Minister)
    • A shuttle service is available for our guests.
      Those interested should enquire at the reception desk.
      (Those means the guests, the ones interested.)

Saturday, August 20, 2016

THEY


In English, when the gender is known, we use the pronouns ‘he’ or ‘him’ to refer to a man 

and ‘she’ or ‘her’ to refer to a woman.

  • “If Mr. Brown calls while I’m out, tell him to call back later.”
  • “If the lady calls while I’m out, tell her to call back later.”

When the gender of the person is not known or not relevant, and because English has no

specific non-gender pronoun to refer to a person in the singular, the pronoun ‘he’ or ‘him’ 
was traditionally used as a generic pronoun.

  • “If anyone calls while I’m out, tell him to call back later.”

Nowadays, because ‘he’ and 'him' are no longer accepted as a generic pronouns

to refer to a person of either sex, it has become conventional to use ‘they’ or ‘them’
For the same reason the gender-free pronoun ‘their’ is used to replace his/her.

  • “Someone said that they saw a man running away with the suitcase.”
  • “If anyone calls while I’m out, tell them to call back later.”
  • "The person who called didn't leave their name."
  • "Any parent would be worried about their child given the circumstances."

Those who are unhappy with this could avoid the problem by rewording their text.

For example :

  • Can you tell someone’s character from what they wear?
  • → What can you tell about people from what they wear/from their clothes?

Another possibility would be to use ‘he or she’, ‘him or her’'his or her' or 

'himself or herself’, but this can become awkward with repeated usage.
For example :

  • If a patient has a problem, he or she should speak to his or her doctor.

The use of a plural pronoun to refer back to a singular subject is not something new. In fact

it dates back to the 16th century and is now widely accepted both in spoken and written
English. Here is an example of 19th century use :



“It’s enough to drive anyone out of their senses.” 
- GB Shaw, Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant (1898)”



However it should be noted that some traditional grammarians still consider this usage to be
unacceptable in formal writing. So when writing in a very formal context it might be advisable
to reword the text in order to avoid this, but in any other register it is perfectly acceptable.

Friday, August 19, 2016

There - their - they're

Learners of English often confuse 'there' 'their' and 'they're'. 
These words have the same sound but not the same meaning.
The explanation and examples below show the differences between them.
THERE
  • There is the opposite of 'here'. It means in that place, not here.
    • Where is my pen? It's there on the table.
    • I'm taking the train to London. I'll call you when I get there.
    • You can park there beside my car.
  • There is, there are, are used to indicate that something exists.
    • There is a cat in the garden.
    • There are many cars on the road.
THEIR
  • Their is a possessive adjective just like 'my' 'your' 'his/her/its' 'our'.
    It is used before a noun and means that something belongs to 'them'.
    • Their car is red. My car is blue.
    • They invited all their friends to their wedding.
    • My parents are very pleased with their new house.
THEY'RE
  • They're is a contraction of they are.
    'They' is the subject of a sentence with the verb 'to be'.
    They're beautiful = They are beautiful.
    • Where are the children? They're at school.
    • The children are attentive. They're listening to the teacher.
    • People are voting today. They're electing a new president.

Saturday, August 13, 2016

THE

The definite article 'the' designates a specific person, place or event as shown below: 


Specific thingsThe book I bought is interesting.
Pass me the sugar please.
Hotels, monuments, buildings,
museums, cinemas, theatres.
The Ritz, The Tower of London, The Empire State building,
The Louvre, The Odeon Cinema, The Royal Theatre
Mountain ranges, rivers, seas, oceans.The Alps, The Mississippi, The Black Sea, The Pacific Ocean.
Groups of states or islandsThe United States of America, The Bahamas.
No article is used in the following cases :
GeneralisationsSugar is sweet.
Caviar is expensive.
Streets, squares, etc.Oxford Street, Time Square
Names of mountains and lakesMount Everest, Lake Ontario
Countries (except groups as above)England, France, Japan, India, etc.
ContinentsEurope, Africa, Asia, America, Australia,