Learn an English word or sentence a day.

apg

Hello people,

I notice that several of you have been voicing your problems with the English language and wanting to improve. So I have come up with this thread hoping to assist those who need help.

Feel free to add your ideas and be helped.

The basics:-

Present tense: when you are talking or writing something in the present e.g.

eat, walk, talk, write (these are verbs)

Past tense: something that has happened in the past e.g.

ate, walked, talked, wrote (these are verbs)

"Is" is used for singular (one) e.g . He, She, It followed by is

"Are" is used for plurals (more than one) They, We followed by are

"Is and are" - present tense

"Was and were" - the past tense  e.g.
He, She, It ...was
They, We...were

"Am" is used only when you use "I" in the present tense

How to use it in your daily conversations...

Question: How are you?
1. I am fine. (use am)
2. I feel good or fine. (feel is a verb in the present tense)

Question: How old are you?
I am 20

Don't say "my age is 20.'

Question: What do you do?

1. I work as an executive at ... (work is a verb and in the present tense)
2. I am a student at the UIA (also in the present tense)
3. I am jobless at the moment( also in the present tense)

"What's your height?" ("What's your tall" ? is definitely wrong)
1. My height is 175
2.175

Question: What's your hobby?
1. I like to read in my spare time.
2. I enjoy fishing

This is life. You are not in school so you don't have to answer like, my hobby is...

Learn a word a day...

"Anxious" - Uneasy and apprehensive about an uncertain event or matter.

e.g. "I am anxious to know the outcome of the interview.

OK guys.

aabu

thanks apg for your concern .

Any update/additional ?

jeangrey

Speak english as much as you eat rice...

tictactoe

Originally posted by apg at 29-7-2006 06:40 PM
Hello people,

I notice that several of you have been voicing your problems with the English language and wanting to improve. So I have come up with this thread hoping to assist those who need he ...

apg, very useful info. i learn a lot from your posting.
(if i use english wrongly in my writing here in this forum, please correct me. TQ)

apg

Lesson 2:

Do, Does  and Did

Do - present tense - for they, we, I

Does - present tense - for he, she, it, my mother, my boss, etc...

Did - Past tense - for everyone

Example

1. I do my job very well

2. She does her job well

3. She did a good job.

Don't or do not - present - for they, we, I and anything more than one

Does not or doesn't - present - singular

Didn't or did not - past - for all

Example

1. The children do not (don't) like to go to the zoo. (chlldren - more than one. / child only 1)

2. His sister does not (doesn't) like to drive.

3. My boss did not (didn't) give us any bonus last year.

Today's word - borrow (pinjam)

1. Can I borrow some money?
2. He borrowed (past tense) my book and has not returned it.

P.S. "I borrow him my book" is WRONG

Stay tuned

tictactoe

Originally posted by apg at 30-7-2006 05:55 PM
Lesson 2:

Do, Does  and Did

Do - present tense - for they, we, I

Does - present tense - for he, she, it, my mother, my boss, etc...

Did - Past tense - for everyone

Example

1. I do ...

how about "done"?
i confuse between "done" and "did"

when we should use done, and under which situation we use did?
can u give some example please.

TQ.

[ Last edited by  tictactoe at 31-7-2006 11:11 AM ]

imat

I ALWAYS CONFUSE THE USAGE OF WILL AND SHALL. APG, ANY ADVISE?

ecam

will - third parties - he,she, they
shall - first party - i,  you, we

ade exception , dlm law biasa guna shall - maksudnya hampir2 wajib gitu...
eg

whoever commits murder shall be punished by death

tictactoe

Originally posted by ecam at 31-7-2006 01:05 PM
will - third parties - he,she, they
shall - first party - i,  you, we

ade exception , dlm law biasa guna shall - maksudnya hampir2 wajib gitu...
eg

whoever commits murder shall be punished  ...

so kalau kita guna, "i will come to  your place soon" kira salah ke?

ecam

rightfully u have to use

i shall come .....

but in a conversation it's not unusual to say i will come

imat

Originally posted by ecam at 31-7-2006 01:05 PM
will - third parties - he,she, they
shall - first party - i,  you, we

ade exception , dlm law biasa guna shall - maksudnya hampir2 wajib gitu...
eg

whoever commits murder shall be punished  ...

like tic ty kat atas tu, there are some sentence yang guna we will atau i will. camna nak tahu satu situasi kena guna will and another sentence guna shall.. blur sgt ke aku ni??

ecam

mmg berbelit2 sikit... sbb tu kalo byk baca buku omputeh akan lebih senang
bila ko guna ayat yg salah naturally ko akan tau
aku sembab gak bab english grammar nih.. sbb tu kena byk baca buku preferably literature in nature.. carik authors yg berkaliber sket..

aku recommend baca buku2 lama written by alexandre dumas, shakespeare.. ur english will improve alot - haaaa kan aku dah pakai will untk "you"

ecam

biasa aku pakai rule nih

official
i,u,we - pakai shall

non official
blasah

imat

Originally posted by ecam at 31-7-2006 02:07 PM
biasa aku pakai rule nih

official
i,u,we - pakai shall

non official
blasah

thank yu......

ecam

weh imat
rule tu aku blasah jer... for sure ada mistakes associated with it

imat

no prob.. at least got some ideas from your xplanation..

ecam

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson go camping and pitch their tent under the stars.
In the middle of the night, Holmes wakes his companion up and says: "Watson, look up at the stars and tell me what you deduce."
Watson says: "I see millions of stars and maybe quite a few planets among them. It may be true that a few of the planets are quite like Earth and there might be life on them." Holmes replies: "Watson, you bloody fool! Somebody has stolen our tent!"

tictactoe

Originally posted by ecam at 31-7-2006 03:23 PM
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson go camping and pitch their tent under the stars.
In the middle of the night, Holmes wakes his companion up and says: "Watson, look up at the stars and tell me w ...

hahahah :lol

ecam

see how they use may be and might be..

may be - more likely to happen
might be - less likely to happen

sometimes aku bantai jer

imat

Originally posted by ecam at 31-7-2006 03:23 PM
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson go camping and pitch their tent under the stars.
In the middle of the night, Holmes wakes his companion up and says: "Watson, look up at the stars and tell me w ...