Grammar

Question words – asking questions

Posted by

0

  • WHO (for people)
  • WHAT/WHICH (for things)
  • WHEN (for time)
  • WHERE (for places)
  • WHY (for reasons)
  • WHOSE (for possession)
  • HOW (for more details)

Questions are quite tricky. Let’s just go over the main rules.

PRACTICE

Now watch the video and look at the examples of questions. They are in red in the subtitles. Transcribe the conversation to learn more. Read and study the information provided below, and finally, do the grammar exercises to check you understand and can use questions correctly.

https://youtu.be/GtUusxnP6Oo

We usually form questions by putting an auxiliary verb, or a modal verb, before the subject:

Does it suit me?
Has Mum called?
Can you get the tea?
Shall I pass you to Oliver?

When the verb ‘to be’ is the main verb, we don’t use auxiliary verbs:

Is Oliver there?
Was it good?

We can add question words to get more or different information:

Where did you go swimming? > In the swimming pool in town.
Why did you go there? > Because it’s a nice, big pool.
Who did you go swimming with? > With Amy.
What time did you meet Amy? > At 10 o’clock.
Which pool did you go in? > The serious one, without the slides!
How did you get there? > On the bus.

Questions sometimes finish with prepositions:

Who were you out with?
What have you got that bag for?
What’s all that about?
Where are you calling from?

SUBJECT AND OBJECT QUESTIONS

If who, what or which is the subject of the question, it comes before the verb and we don’t use do as an auxiliary:

Who went out for curry? (subject – who)
What happened? (subject – what)
Which looks better, this or that one? (subject – which)

Object questions follow the structure we looked at before:

Who did you go out for curry with? (subject – you; object – who)
Which restaurant does Oliver like most? (subject – Oliver; object – which)
What did they do after the restaurant? (subject – they; object – what)

TEST YOURSELF

Here’s a little test for you, then. A cat killed a mouse and a dog killed the cat.

1 What killed the mouse?
2 What did the cat kill?
3 What killed the cat?
4 What did the dog kill?

Answers: 1 the cat, 2 the mouse, 3 the dog, 4 the cat.

REPORTED SPEECH QUESTIONS

Reported speech questions are more polite, especially if you are talking to a stranger:

‘Do you know where the post office is?’

And we can make them even more polite.

‘Excuse me, could you tell me where the post office is, please?’

In reported speech or indirect questions, question words come in the middle of sentences. In these types of sentence, the word order does not change. We don’t put the verb to be before the subject or use an auxiliary to form a question, as in a normal question:

I asked her what she was doing at the weekend. 
Do you know where the post office is?
Can you tell me how much it costs?

What are you doing at the weekend?
Where is the post office?
How much does it cost?

EXERCISES

1. Check your grammar – complete the gaps with a question word below.

What / Where / How / How often / When / Why / Who / Whose

1. A: ____________________ are you going on holiday? B: Next Friday.

2. A: ____________________ are you going? B: Croatia.

3. A: ____________________ bought the tickets? B: My mum did.

4. A: ____________________ do you go on holiday? B: Once every two years.

5. A: ____________________ don’t you go more often? B: Because we don’t want to.

6. A: ____________________ do you do the other years? B: We relax in the garden and visit friends.

7. A: ____________________ do you choose your holiday destination? B: We use the internet.

8. A: And ____________________ idea was it to go to Croatia? B: Our neighbours recommended it.

2. Check your grammar – circle the correct sentence.

1. a. What you have for lunch? b. What did you have for lunch? c. What had you for lunch?

2. a. Who is that letter from? b. From who is that letter? c. Who is from that letter?

3. a. She always sings in the shower? b. Sings she always in the shower? c. Does she always sing in the shower?

4. a. Can we go and visit Gran? b. We can go and visit Gran? c. Can go and visit Gran?

5. a. Who you bought those boots? b. Who bought you those boots? c. Who did buy you those boots?

6. a. Do you go to the cinema how often? b. How often do you go to the cinema? c. How often you go to the cinema?

7. a. What did he in Germany? b. What he did in Germany? c. What did he do in Germany?

8. a. Would you like another piece of cake? b. Do you would like another piece of cake? c. Do you like another piece of cake?

3. Check your grammar – ordering

Write the words in the correct order to make questions.

1. to Who were you ? talking …………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..

2. are at they ? looking What …………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..

3. music ? down the you Could turn …………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..

4. is for What homework the today ? …………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..

5. Who that photo ? took …………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..

6. match time does ? the start What …………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..

7. you How clean often ? do teeth your …………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..

8. penguins bears Why don’t ? polar eat …………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..

ANSWERS

1. Check your grammar: gap fill 1. When 2. Where 3. Who 4. How often 5. Why 6. What 7. How 8. whose

2. Check your grammar: multiple choice 1. b 2. a 3. c 4. a 5. b 6. b 7. c 8. a

3. Check your grammar: ordering 1. Who were you talking to? 2. What are they looking at? 3. Could you turn the music down? 4. What is the homework for today? 5. Who took that photo? 6. What time does the match start? 7. How often do you clean your teeth? 8. Why don’t polar bears eat penguins?

Present Simple Tense

Posted by

0

  • I speak English.

“I” is a subject. In general, a person.

“Speak” is a verb. In general, an action.

You can change the subject. For example:

  • You speak English.

BUT, sometimes the verb changes. We say:

  • I speak …
  • You speak …
  • We speak …
  • They speak …

BUT, For He / She / It we use SPEAKS with an S at the end.
The S is necessary at the end of a verb when the subject is HE, SHE, or IT.

  • He speaks…
  • She speaks…
  • It speaks…

Look at these examples:

  • I speak Spanish.
  • You speak Portuguese.

But…

  • He speaks Italian.

Sometimes the verb changes a little for HE, SHE and IT (third person).
Look at this verb: HAVE
We say:

  • I have a good idea.
  • You have black hair.

BUT, for He / She / It we use HAS.
We do NOT say Haves… because the verb is irregular.
Look at these examples:

  • She has a dictionary.
  • John has blue eyes.

Negative Sentences – Present Simple Tense

Look at this sentence:

  • They speak English.

This is an affirmative sentence.
How can I make this a NEGATIVE sentence?

In English, we use don’t and doesn’t to make a negative sentence in present simple tense.*

  • They speak English. … becomes …
  • They don’t speak English.

* Exceptions: Negative sentences that use To Be or Modal Verbs (can, might, must, etc.)

When the subject is I, YOU, WE or THEY … we use don’t before the verb.
When the subject is HE, SHE or IT … we use doesn’t before the verb.
DON’T is a contraction of DO NOT.
DOESN’T is a contraction of DOES NOT.

After don’t and doesn’t we have a VERB.
This verb is the base form of the infinitive.
The infinitive is the original form of the verb before it is conjugated or changed.
The infinitive is to go, to need, to speak, to live.
But we want the BASE form of the infinitive… this is without the TO at the beginning.

  • Instead of TO GO, only GO.
  • instead of TO NEED, only NEED.
  • Instead of TO SPEAK, only SPEAK.
  • Instead of TO LIVE, only LIVE.

Let’s look at the example of the verb SPEAK. We say:

  • I don’t speak …
  • You don’t speak …
  • We don’t speak …
  • They don’t speak …

BUT, look at this affirmative sentence:

  • He speaks Spanish.

What is the negative form of this sentence?

  • He doesn’t speak Spanish.

Questions – Present Simple Tense

Look at this sentence.

  • You speak English.

This is an affirmative sentence. What is the question?

  • DO you speak English?

In English, we use DO and DOES to make questions in present simple tense.*

* Exceptions: Questions that have To Be or Modal Verbs (can, might, must, etc.)

  • You speak English. (Affirmative sentence)
  • Do you speak English? (Question)

The word DO at the beginning tells us it is a question.

Do is used for questions with I, you, we, and they.
Does is used for questions with he, she, and it.

Also the same rules apply to the verb in questions.
We use the base form of the infinitive.
For example, the affirmative sentence:

  • He speaks German.

There is an S at the end of speaks because the subject is HE and it is an affirmative sentence.
What is the question?

  • Does he speak German?

Exercises – Present Simple Tense

My daughter and “I” or “me”?

Posted by

0

It depends.

  • MY DAUGHTER AND I had a great time together.
  • THEY PREPARED A NICE DINNER FOR MY DAUGHTER AND ME.

A SUBJECT PRONOUN is the PERFORMER of the action in a sentence.

The OBJECT PRONOUN is the RECEIVER of the action in a sentence.

“I” is a Subject Pronoun, and “ME” is an Object Pronoun. 

  • I like chocolate.
  • The call is for me.

ONE SUBJECT OR OBJECT:

  • I called Steve.
  • I talked to Mary.
  • Steve called me.
  • Mary talked to me.
  • These shoes are too big for me.

CLUE 1  AFTER A PREPOSITION, use an OBJECT PRONOUN

We get confused when we use a PRONOUN IN A PAIR, which it’s called:

MULTIPLE OR COMPOUND SUBJECTS AND OBJECTS:

  • Sarah and I are friends.
  • The gift is from Sarah and me.

CLUE 1 after a preposition, use an object pronoun

CLUE 2 REMOVE the OTHER PERSON

  • The gift is from me.

IMPORTANT: IT IS CONSIDERED POLITE TO MENTION ONESELF LAST IN DOUBLE SUBJECTS OR OBJECTS

  • Bob and I had lunch.
  • They promoted Bob and me.

NOTICE that it is possible that the object comes in the beginning of the sentence.

It is me who proofread the content before it was submitted.

CLUE 3 very often, AFTER THE VERB TO BE WE USE THE OBJECT PRONOUN

  • It is you and me in this old photo.
  • I am me, and you are you.
  • That person over there is me in the photo.

LISTENING AND PRACTICE 1

PRACTICE 2  https://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-27939.php

PRACTICE 3  https://www.grammarbook.com/grammar_quiz/i_vs_me.asp

DIVIDED USAGE Some forms have always existed in the language, but have been eradicated by eighteenth and nineteenth century British grammarians, often because they thought that English grammar should imitate Latin, which was considered a superior language. Examples:

  • John and me went to the cinema.
  • between you and I

People are now more tolerant of such forms, so they are becoming more common.

They are, however, restricted to a very informal style. They are not correct in formal speech or writing.

‘Home’, ‘at home’ and ‘from home’

Posted by

0

A student said: “I’ve just arrived at home.”

Home or at home?

His sentence isn’t fine. It should be:

“I’VE JUST ARRIVED HOME.”

Home in this example is behaving like an adverb expressing direction. We do not need a preposition with home when it is used with any verb referring to direction:

  • I will ARRIVE / GO / COME / LEAVE home late this evening.

Note that most verbs expressing direction require the preposition to before the noun:

  • I ran to the theatre so that I wouldn’t be late.
  • I’m going to walk to work from now on. It’s healthier.

Now, once you arrive home, then you are at home, and no more direction is suggested, so at is then the appropriate preposition to use with home:

  • Will you be at home tonight, or are you going out? ~ No, I’ll be at home.

However, even here, at is often omitted, especially in American English.

So AT HOME / FROM HOME / GO HOME / LEAVE HOME are common fixed expressions with prepositions where no article is required:

  • Working from home continues to be a popular choice among employees, even after the pandemic.

PRACTICE 1 – LISTENING: Listen to vocabulary related to working from home, from announcements to buying and setting up computers to work from home.

PRACTICE 2 – SPEAKING: answer the questions

  1. Three years later, what’s the future of remote work?
  2. What kind of work environment do you think employees expect in 2023?
  3. Do you think remote workers are more productive than the ones working in an office?

Studies show promising results for hybrid work, especially for those who enjoy face-to-face interactions and the excitement of office environments.

What’s the difference between near and close?

Posted by

0

When you are talking about PHYSICAL DISTANCES, you can use either word:

  • The hospital is near.
  • The hospital is close.

Both these sentences are correct and mean the same thing, a SHORT DISTANCE.

NEAR and CLOSE have also this same meaning when referring to TIME:

  • Summer is near.
  • Summer is close.

When close has this meaning, it is pronounced /kləʊs/.

And notice that close is often followed by the preposition to:

  • The hospital is close to the park.
  • The hospital is near the park.

Be Careful! Don’t confuse the adjective close with the verb close /kləʊz/. If you close something, you move it so that it fills a hole or gap.

Close near

Now, when you are talking about something that deals with ABSTRACT IDEAS OR QUALITIES, like RELATIONSHIPS, you use CLOSE instead of near:

  • My friend and I live in different countries, but we are very close.

Here, I am saying that my friend and I are not in the same physical area, but we are emotionally connected. We are good friends.

However, if I say, “My neighbor and I live in the same apartment building, but we are not close,” I mean we occupy the same physical area, but we are not emotionally connected. My dog tried to bite his dog once, and he has never spoken to me again!

You can refer to someone you know well as a close friend.

  • Mike and I are very close friends.
  • His father was a close friend of my father.

You can refer to someone who is directly related to you as a `close relative.

  • She had no very close relatives.

You can also refer to someone as a `near relative, but this is less common. 

You can say:

  • They’re a close family.
  • My dad was closer to his brother than to his sister.

Close is also used in the following collocations:

  • a close encounter
    The mountaineer Joe Simpson has had several close encounters with death.
  • a close race
    After a close race, Obama won the election.
  • a close finish
    It was a close finish – only a tenth of a second separated the two runners.

Near close

  • a near miss
    The asteroid passed 27,700 km from the surface of Earth – a near miss.
  • in the near future
    The volcano could erupt in the near future, according to scientists.
  • in the near distance
    We could see someone in the near distance.

https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/english-usage/what-is-the-difference-between-near-and-close