The use of A / AN

A is use for the first letter of word which is using consonant,

for example:

• A table ( the first letter of table is "t" )
• A door
• A mango
• A sheep
• etc.

An is use for the first letter of word which is using vowel ( a, i, u, e, o ),

for example:

• An orange (the first letter of orange is "o" )
• An ear
• An apple
• An owl
• etc.

A | An | The

A /An

We use a / an when the listener doesn't know which thing we mean

For examples:

• Jim sat down on a chair. (we don't know which chair)
• Have you got a car? (not a particular car)

The

We use the when it is clear in the situation which thing or person we mean.

For examples:

• I took a taxi to the airport. (= the airport of that town)

Where is the toilet, please? (= the toilet in this house/building)

FOR, DURING AND WHILE

FOR

We use for + a period of time to say how long something goes on:

example:

• I've lived in this apartment for seven years.
• Are they going away for the week-end?

DURING

We use during + noun to say when something happen. (not how long)

example:

• My sister fell asleep during the film.
• We'll phone you some time during the afternoon.

WHILE

We use while + subject + verb

example:

• I saw Jim while I was waiting for the bus.
• While you were out, there was a phone call for you.

Apostrophe S ( ...'s)

We normally use 's when the first noun is a person or an animal:

example:

• Mrs. Deborah's daughter
• the manager's office (not 'the office of the manager)
• the cat's fur

Otherwise (with things) we normally use ... of ...

example:

• the book's title or the title of the book

But it is safer and more usual to use ... of ...

BOTH … AND; NOT ONLY … BUT ALSO; EITHER … OR; NEITHER …NOR, with more exercises | English Grammar | Tenses

English Grammar | Tenses

Two subjects connected by both … and take a plural verb.

1.     Both my father and my brother are here

2.     Not only my father but also my brother is here

3.     Not only my brother but also my parents are here

4.     Neither my father nor my brother is here

5.     Neither my brother nor my parents are here.

When two subjects connected by not only … but also, either … or, or neither ... nor, the subject that is closer to the verb determines whether the verb is singular or plural.

Notice the parallel structure in the examples.

The same grammatical form should follow each word of the pair.

In (6): both + noun + and + noun

In (7): not only + verb + but also + verb

In (8): either + noun + or + noun

In (9): neither + adjective + nor + adjective

6) The research project will take both time and money

7) Yesterday it not only rained but (also) snowed.

8) I’ll take either math or chemistry next quarter.

9) That car is neither interesting nor accurate.

Exercise:

Fill the blank with is or are in the following.

a. Both the teacher and the student ___________ here.

b. Not only the teacher but also the students __________ here.

c. Not only the teacher but also the student ___________here

d. Neither the teacher nor the student _____________ here.

e. Either the teacher or the students ___________ planning to come.

f. Either the students or the teacher ___________ planning to come.

 Answers:

a: are, b: are, c: is, d: is, e: are, f: is

 We use even to say that something is unusual or surprising. We say even Jim ... because he is a good player and it is unusual for him to play badly. If he played badly, it must have been a bad day for the team.

Study this example:

• Our basketball team lost yesterday. We all played badly. Jim is our best player but yesterday even Jim played badly.

She always wears a jacket - even summer.

IN / AT / ON (Position)

In
Study these examples:
The fish is in the water and the fisherman too.
- in the sea
- in a river
- in the swimming pool

Tom is in a line
- in a queue
- in a row

Ann is in a class
- in a building
- in a town
- in a country


At
Study these examples:
Who is that man standing at the door?
- at the window
- at the bus-stop

- at the top (of the page)
- at the bottom (of the page)

- at the end of the street
- at the back
- at the front



On
Study these examples:
- An apple is on the book
- O’clock is on the wall

- on the table
- on the floor

Phrasal Verbs (get up, break down, fill in etc.)

We often use verbs with these words:

• on
• off
• back
• over
• in
• about
• out
• up
• etc.

We often use these words with verbs of movement.

For example:

• get on ---> The train was full. We couldn't get on.
• turn round ----> When I touched her on the shoulder, she turned round.
• come back ---> Jim is leaving next week and coming back on Wednesday.
• drive off ---> He got into the car and drove off

But often these words (on/off/up/down etc.) give a special meaning to a verb.

For example:

• Sorry I'm late. The car broke down.
• Look out!! There's a bus coming.
• I was so tired this morning that I couldn't get up.
• How did you get on in your examination yesterday?

These verbs (break down/get on/get up etc.) are phrasal verbs.

Greeting and Partings

Greeting and Partings, we often use it in our daily. Here are some examples and the responses:

GREETING                                                 RESPONSE

1. Good morning          --------------------------    Good morning

2. Good afternoon        --------------------------    Good afternoon

3. Good evening          --------------------------     Good evening

4. Hi                          --------------------------     Hi

5. Hello                      --------------------------     Hello 

6. How are you?          --------------------------    I am fine, thanks

7. How do you do?      --------------------------     How do you do?       

PARTINGS                                                 RESPONSE 

1. Good bye              --------------------------    Good bye

2. Bye                      --------------------------    Bye

3. See you                --------------------------    See you

4. See you later         --------------------------    See you later

5. See you tomorrow  --------------------------    See you tomorrow

6. See you next time  --------------------------    See you next time

7. Good night             --------------------------   Good night

kinds of English Reading

There are many kinds of English reading, such as:

1. Descriptive text

A descriptive text is a text that describes the features of someone, something, or a certain place.

Description is the part of the paragraph that describes the character.

example: The color of its features is light green. It has a strong and sharp yellowish beak.

2. Recount text

A recount text is a text that telling the reader about one story, action or activity. Its goal is to entertaining or informing the reader.

Orientation tells who was involved, what happened, where the event took place, and when it happened.

example: Last week, I read an article about adolescence in a magazine.

3. Narrative text

A narrative text is an imaginative story to entertain people.

BORING or BORED??

Adjective ending in -ing and -ed (boring or bored etc.)

There are many pairs of adjectives ending in -ing and -ed. For example: boring and bored.

Study this example situation:

"Jim has been doing the same job for a very long time.
Every day he does exactly the same thing again and again. He doesn't enjoy it any more and would like to do something different."

Jim's job is boring.
Jim is bored (with his job).

Someone is -ed if something (or someone) is -ing. Or, if something is -ing, it makes you -ed.
So:

• Jim is bored because her job is boring.
• Jim's job is boring, so Jim is bored. (not 'Jim is boring')

The differences between NO and NONE

NO
We use no with a noun. No = not a or not any:
example:

• They had to walk because there was no train. (= there wasn't a train)
• There were no banks open. (= there weren't any banks)

NONEWe use none alone (without a noun):

• How much money have you got? 'none.'

Or we use none of:

• none of these banks
• none of m money
• none of it/us/you/them

After none of + a plural word (none of the boys/none of them/etc.)
example:

• None of the girls I met were English.

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BY and UNTIL

BY and UNTIL

By (+ a time) = not later than
example:

• Tom posted the later today, so they should receive it by Monday. (= on or before Monday, on Monday at the latest)

You can not use until with this meaning:

• Tell me by Thursday whether or not you can come to the meeting. ( not 'Tell me until Thursday')

We use until (or till) to say how long a situation continues:
example:

• "Shall we go now?" "No, let's wait until (or till) it stops raining."

Enough

Enough

The position of enough:
Enough goes after adjectives and adverbs:
examples:

• He can't get married yet. He's not old enough.
• They won't pass the examination if they don't work hard enough.

Enough goes before nouns:
examples:

• She didn't get the job because she didn't have enough experience. (not 'experience enough')
• I'd like to go on holiday but I haven't got enough money.

Passive

Passive (be done / have been done)

Study this example:

This museum was built in 1848.

This is a passive sentence. Compare:

• Somebody built this museum in 1848. (active)

• This museum was built in 1848. (passive)

We often prefer the passive when it is not so important who or what did the action. In this example, it is not so important who built the house.

Present Simple

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PRESENT SIMPLE

- Present Simple ( I do )

We use the present simple to talk about things in general. We are thinking only about the present. We use it to say that something happens all the time or repeatedly, or that something is true in general. It is not important whether the action is happening at the time of speaking.

a) Study this example situation:

Alex is a bus driver. But now he is asleep in bed.

So:

He is not driving a bus ( he is asleep)

But: He drives a bus.

b) This is the present simple tense:

he/she/it drives

they/we/I/you drive

c) We use do/does to make questions and negative sentences:

Do they/we/I/you work?

They/we/I/you don’t work

Does he/she/it work?

he/she/it doesn’t work

d) Adverbial of time:

- Everyday

- Every morning

- Twice a week

- etc.

- Present Continuous ( Progressive ) (I am doing)

We use the present continuous to talk about something which is happening at or around the time of speaking.

a) Study this explanation:

Tom is in her car. She is on her way to work.

She is driving to work

This means: She is driving now, at the time of speaking

We use the present continuous for a temporary situation:

That machine isn’t working. It broke down this morning.

I’m living with some friends until I can find a flat.

We use the present continuous when we talk about a period around the present.

For example: today, this season, etc.

You are working hard today

Jim is not playing tennis this season.

We use the present continuous when we talk about changing situations:

The population of the world is rising very fast. (not ‘rises’

Is your English getting better? (not “does … get’)

b) This the present continuous tense:

he/she/it is playing tennis

they/we/you are playing tennis

I am playing tennis

- Present Perfect (I have done)

a) Study this example situation:

Jim is looking for his key. He can’t find it.

He has lost his key.

“He has lost his key” means that he lost it a short time ago and he still hasn’t got it.

b) This is the present perfect tense:

they/we/I/you have (= they’ve etc.) lost

he/she/it has (= he’s etc.) lost

c) We use have/haven’t / has/hasn’t to make questions and negative sentences:

have they (etc.) lost?

They (etc.) haven’t lost

Has he (etc.) lost?

He hasn’t lost

- Present Perfect Continuous

We use present perfect continuous when we talk about an action (quite a long action) which began in the past and has recently stopped or just stopped.

a) Study this example situation:

Is it raining?

No, it is not but the ground is wet

It has been raining.

b) This is the present perfect continuous tense:

they/we/I/you have (= they’ve etc.) been doing

he/she/it has (= he’s etc.) been doing

FUTURE TENSE

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FUTURE TENSE

- Future Simple (I will/ going to)

We use future simple to talk about future actions.

a) Study this example situation:

Ann’s bicycle has a flat tyre. She tells her father.

Ann: My bicycle has a flat tyre.

Can you repair it for me?

Father: Okay, but I can do it now.

I’ll repair it tomorrow.

Will: We use will when we decide to do something at the time of speaking. The speaker has not decided before. Before Ann told her father, he didn’t know about the flat tyre.

Later, Ann’s mother speaks to her husband.

Mother: Can you repair Ann’s bicycle?

It has a flat tyre.

Father: Yes, I know. She told me.

I’m going to repair it tomorrow.

Going to: We use going to when we have already decided to do something. Ann’s father had already decided to repair the bicycle before his wife spoke to him.

- Future continuous (Progressive) (will be doing)

We use future continuous to say that we will be in the middle of doing something at a certain time in the future.

a) Study this example situation:

Jim is a football fan and there is a football match on television this evening. The match begins at 7.30 and ends at 9.15. Max wants to come and see Jim this evening and wants to know what time to come:

Max: Is it all right if I come at about 8.30?

Jim: No, don’t come then. I’ll be watching the match on television.

Max: Oh. Well, what about 9.30?

Jim: Yes, that’ll be fine. The match will have finished by then. (will have finished is Future perfect)

- Future Perfect (will have done)

We use future perfect to say that something will already have happened before a certain time in the future.

a) Study this example situation:

Jim’ football match ends at 9.15. So after this time, for example at 9.30, the match will have finished.

- Future Perfect Continuous (will have been doing)

We use future perfect continuous to say that activity will be probably continue in the future.

a) Study this example situation:

By next August we will have been living here for five years.

It means that it can be continue in the future.

SLANG

Slang is a kind of English language style. It is Non-Standard English, and usually used by certain people, e.g. the black people in Bronx USA, who are not well educated.Sometimes they are not using the Tenses when they are speaking.

Here are the examples:

• What’s up?

It is use as greeting when meeting friends. Means, What’s going on?, how are you? The other greetings are:

What up?

Waddup?

Whazzup?

Sup.

• What’s the 411?

It’s means like what’s the deal?

• Whillin’

Its means Act like a crazy people / liar.

• Whockerjawed (adj)

Its means doesn’t work.

For example:

The window got Whockerjawed. You can’t open it.

• Whoobangin’

It’s means talking trash

• Whiz-bang

It’s amazing. It is usually used for a new technology.

For example:

That notebook has a lot of new whiz-bang features!

• White trash

Its means poor man but they don’t hide their poorly.

• Whopperjawed

Its means To lose, unusual: The painting they called contemporary looks whopperjawed.

• Who’s own

Its means like Who is the owner?

• What’s in the bag?

It is the same as "what's up?"

How to enlarge our English?

• How To Enlarge Our Vocabulary?

Vocabulary is one of the important thing to master English. And how to enlarge it?
Read more interesting articles, books and short stories whatever you want. Of course in English.
When you are reading, you will find many difficulties words, but DON'T GIVE UP!! Open your dictionary and find out the meaning and write them under that word.

I believe that in several weeks you will stop to open your dictionary every minutes with the same words. You can also find out 4 - 5 new vocabularies and memorise them everyday. Don't forget to pronounce every word clearly.

• How To Sharpen Our Listening?

"DO WITH YOUR HOBBY!!" Choose one of your hobbies, music, poem, drama, or movie. For example, your hobby is music, West songs, and your favorite singer is Mariah Carey.

- First, find out her lyrics, you can use google searching to find out your favorite lyric's song.
- Second, listen that song carefully, before listen that song, please don't read the lyrics, just focuse then try to guest an every words pronounced, repeat it twice or more. If you still not yet know, you can look into the text.

On this way, you can also know how to pronounce correctly.

• How To Speak?

I believe that you have friends whose learning English too, right? Try to speak with them, with whatever topics do you want to. DON"T BE SHY !! Because, the important is SPEAK UP, MAN !!

I hope, you will getting better to learning English. Good Luck.

STANDARD AND NON-STANDARD ENGLISH

As we know, English has several styles, such as British English, Australian English, Singaporean English, Canadian English, etc. Among those style, the British and American English are frequently used.

• Standard English basically is the most acceptable dialect by most of English language speakers. It is follow the rules of standard form. Particularly those who are well educated in English.

• Non-Standard English is one essential way of speaking English that does not follow the rules of standard form.

The most controversial form of Non-Standard English is "ain't". In Standard English, people change "ain't" to "am not", "is not", "has not", "have not", depending on the subject tense used. ( G. Leech citied in Widarso. W, 1994, 52 )

Examples:

• STANDARD

- I have not got money
- We are not going anywhere

• NON-STANDARD ENGLISH

- I ain't got money
- We ain't goin' nowhere

Notice that the last sentence of the above Non-Standard English contains two double negative forms. One is "not" in the word "ain't", and the other is "no" in the word "nowhere" which means not anywhere.

It is common in Non-Standard English using double negative form but in Standard English is a big mistake. The letter "g" in the word going in the above example is omitted and the omission is the typical for Non-Standard English. It is probably caused by the difficulty in saying to consonants together, or it may be caused by the laziness to use the participial form completely,

for examples:

• Tol' (told)
• Ghos' (ghost)
• Jus' (just)
• Mus' (must)
• An' (and)

(Widarso, W. 1994, 52)

However, it is not only the consonant of the last letter of a word which is omitted, it often occurs when the middle letter lies besides another consonant like the word Le's which come from the word Let's.

Examples:
- Make him happy! (Standard)
- Make 'im happy! (Non-Standard)
- Don't let them down! (Standard)
- Don't let 'em down! (Non-Standard)

From the examples above, we can synthesize that the typical usage of Non-Standard is does not follow the rules of Standard English.

However, we can not come up to the idea that Non-Standard English is not good or bad. It is only because we are not suggested to use a Non-Standard language, to talk to an well educated person, let alone when we are talking in formal occasion.

WISE WORDS

• All beginning is difficult. (means: every steps is difficult to passed away of someone)

• First come, first served. (means: everyone who come faster will get the first)

• Hitch your wagon to a star. (means: make your aspirations as highest as possible)

• Blood is thicker than water. (means: a family relationship is stronger than other)

• Virtue is its own. (means: if we do a kindness, we will feel happy)

• Better bend than break. (means: it is better to give in to win)

• Call a spade a spade. (means: tell sincerely the truth)

• Business before pleasure. (means: finished your job first then get pleasure)

• Half a loaf is better than no bread. (means: Better have a little than nothing)

• Clothes do not make a man. (means: who is in a good looking, it is not for sure that he is kind-hearted)

• The greatest talkers are the least doers. (means: a man who talk to much is usually nothing have to do)

• He who hesitates is lost. (means: a man who hesitate in everything will none on his attempts were successful)

• Cleanliness is next to godliness. (means: maintain cleanliness)

• It's no use crying over split milk. (means: regret is useless)

• Waste not, want not. (means: if we do not very wasteful we will not get poor)

• Idle folk have the least leisure. (means: lazy person will not succeed)

• Forewarned is forearmed. (means: if we completely prepared, we can solve every our problems)

• Where there is a will, there is a way.

• After a storm comes a calm. (means: after we pass through a hard situation, then its time to enjoy)

• Action speaks louder than words. (means: work hard and talk less)