I am starting this discussion for those who want to improve their knowledge of grammar. Dear learners! If you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer to them.
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Dear Yennguen! Sorry for not answering earlier. My country was celebrating Women's Day. So, here is your corrected text:
"I've been an English self-leaner for a long time. I can read quite well and i can communicate with people in English and we can understand each other although I know I make a lot of mistakes all the time. But I'm not confident of my English and I don't have many opportunities to practice it. You told us if we are not confident, we should revise our knowledge of grammar. I'll do it. After __ learning English, reading a lot of English books, I was bored to death :-) so I stopped and began to read English novels, watch Hollywood movies and my English's getting better. Now I know I have to improve my knowledge of grammar __. I just want to say thank you for all your kind help."
You see, your grammar is not that bad. There were only 2 grammar mistakes in your writing. What I have corrected were mistakes related to incorrect use of English vocabulary.
Hi Tanya. Could you help me to correct gramma of paragraph bellow? Thank you so much.
"I've been an English self-leaner for a long time. I can read quite well and i can communicate with somebody in English and we can understand each other although I know i've done making a lot of mistakes all the time. But I'm not confident in my English and I don't have many opportunities to practice it. You told us if we are not confident, restart to learn grammar again. I'll do it. After a while for learning English, reading a lot of English books, I was bored to death :-) so I stopped and began to read English novels, watch Hollywood movies and my English's getting better. Now I know I have to make my knowledge grammar stronger. I just want to say thank you for all your kind help."
would you please tell me when i use the present perfect and the past perfect?
My problem also is that some times forget some words though i know them before but in speaking i use simple words like:want ,need,like.... I hope that you understood me.I speak french better than english but i want to improve my english........
Dear Asma! I am glad to answer your questions. First, about the tenses you have mentioned.
1. We use The Present Perfect Tense when we want to say that some action has already taken place but its result is related to the present. In such sentences we never use the past time modifier. There are many so called "standard" cases when we use this tense. Here are a few of them:
a) there is no time modifier.
I have bought a car (I still have it)
b)There is a present time modifier
I have seen him this week
c) with the adverbs of uncertain time: just, ever, never, already, yet, recently, lately, before, etc.
I have just come in ( I am at home now) I haven't met him before (I don't know him in person) Hasn't he come yet? ( He is not here) I have seen that movie recently (I remember it)
d) when we want to say that some action has been taking place for some time till now.
I have known him for ages. I haven't smoked for a month. (I don't smoke now and it is OK with me) I have lived here since the childhood (I still live here and I am not going to move out)
e) when we mention the number of times.
I have been here twice.
f) there are a few special expressions:
This is the first time I have been here. It has been two years since we finished the school.
There are some other cases. But the principle thing is to realize what this or that tense for. Here is a very understandable example.
I have bought a new car. The meaning is that you still have it. I bought a car last year. It is only information. In the most of cases natives will ask you:"Are you still driving it?" It is not clear that you still have the same car.
2. We use The Past Perfect Tense when some action took place before some moment in the past. That moment can be described in a few different ways:
a) it can be indicated in a sentence like the following:
I had finished that translation by the end of the week.
By that time I had already known him well enough.
b) it can be described by some temporal clause (when, before, after, as soon as, until, until after):
She couldn't find the classroom until after the class had begun.
He called me as soon as he had received my letter.
c) it can be described by some other clause:
He gave her the flowers he had bought on the corner.
She met many interesting people she hadn't known before.
If it is not clear, just ask me more particular questions.
As to your vocabulary. To remember words you should use them all the time. The best way to remember words is to use them in your own sentences both in a written and oral forms.
Feel free asking me more questions if you have them.
Dear Faridahmad! I am glad to help you. As a matter of fact, it is a very interesting and useful question.
So, the word neither means noone of the two. It is negative.The word either means any of the two. It is affirmative or interrogative. If they are used without nor or or, they are singular, the third person:
Neither of you knows the right answer.
If either of you wants to ask me a question, he can.
We can also use these words in the constructions neither... nor... and either...or...
Such constructions can be used with any part of a sentence: subject, predicate, predicative (i.e, a part of a predicate), object, modifiers of action, time and place. For example:
I can't find this book either here or there. (modifier of place)
I will call you either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. (modifier of time)
I told neither you nor anybody else about that. (indirect object)
I'd like either to read or to watch TV. (verbal object, infinitive)
He usually reads either newspapers or magazines. (direct object)
Either speak or hang up! (predicate)
He could neither read or hear about that anywhere. (predicative)
It is neither cold nor warm. (predicative)
There should be the same parts (members) of a sentence in both parts of these constructions. And don't forget that neither is negative. So, if you use it, there can't be any other negation. Besides, if there are articles, prepositions or particle "to", they should be in both barts of the constructions:
I didn't see anything like that either in Europe or in America.
I was asked either to write or to type the report.
If you use these constructions with a subject, you should remember that a predicate must be the same person and number as the last word of the construction. Here are a few examples:
Neither my husband nor Iam going anywhere today.
Neither he nor his brother has been to that party.
Either he or his friends know that girl.
Well, that's all you should know about these constructions. If it is not clear enough, just ask me questions.
Dear Aspiandi! I am sorry for not replying earlier. My work keeps me very busy! Anyway, it is better later than never, agree?
Well, the English tenses describe not only the time of actions but also (and mostly) processes. There are four groups of tenses: Simple, Progressive, Perfect Simple and Perfect Progressive. As you can see, they are paired. Simple and Progressive describe actions at the moment of speech ( i.e., at the moment we are speaking about). Both Perfect tenses describe actions before the moment of speech. The English tenses are emotional, they emphasize either this or that aspect (moment, fact). The Simple tenses describe actions as facts without emphasizing their duration or incompleteness. On the other hand, the Progressive tenses emphasize either duration or incompleteness of actions. You may have heard the famous saying:"A verb is the king of English grammar". So, I can't write grammar books here. I can just recommend you a few. If you have some particular questions, I will gladly answer them. I am trying to attach one good grammar book.
Dear Pattpim! I am really sorry for not answering to your second question about "be". But there are so many usages of this verb! However, I have never seen a book that gives all information about "be" at one place, so to say. As usual, it is "scattered" all over a book and one should know grammar well to find necessary information. So, feel free asking me questions but they should be more particular, with examples. For example: "How to use "be" is the following construction?", "What does "be" mean in this sentence?" and so on.
As to your first question, you should use the modal verbs with an infinitive without "to" in the present and the future :
Replies
Dear Yennguen! Sorry for not answering earlier. My country was celebrating Women's Day. So, here is your corrected text:
"I've been an English self-leaner for a long time. I can read quite well and i can communicate with people in English and we can understand each other although I know I make a lot of mistakes all the time. But I'm not confident of my English and I don't have many opportunities to practice it. You told us if we are not confident, we should revise our knowledge of grammar. I'll do it. After __ learning English, reading a lot of English books, I was bored to death :-) so I stopped and began to read English novels, watch Hollywood movies and my English's getting better. Now I know I have to improve my knowledge of grammar __. I just want to say thank you for all your kind help."
You see, your grammar is not that bad. There were only 2 grammar mistakes in your writing. What I have corrected were mistakes related to incorrect use of English vocabulary.
Dear Tanya
Thank you for your correction.
Hi Tanya. Could you help me to correct gramma of paragraph bellow? Thank you so much.
"I've been an English self-leaner for a long time. I can read quite well and i can communicate with somebody in English and we can understand each other although I know i've done making a lot of mistakes all the time. But I'm not confident in my English and I don't have many opportunities to practice it. You told us if we are not confident, restart to learn grammar again. I'll do it. After a while for learning English, reading a lot of English books, I was bored to death :-) so I stopped and began to read English novels, watch Hollywood movies and my English's getting better. Now I know I have to make my knowledge grammar stronger. I just want to say thank you for all your kind help."
Hello.......
would you please tell me when i use the present perfect and the past perfect?
My problem also is that some times forget some words though i know them before but in speaking i use simple words like:want ,need,like.... I hope that you understood me.I speak french better than english but i want to improve my english........
Thank you.
Dear Asma! I am glad to answer your questions. First, about the tenses you have mentioned.
1. We use The Present Perfect Tense when we want to say that some action has already taken place but its result is related to the present. In such sentences we never use the past time modifier. There are many so called "standard" cases when we use this tense. Here are a few of them:
a) there is no time modifier.
I have bought a car (I still have it)
b)There is a present time modifier
I have seen him this week
c) with the adverbs of uncertain time: just, ever, never, already, yet, recently, lately, before, etc.
I have just come in ( I am at home now)
I haven't met him before (I don't know him in person)
Hasn't he come yet? ( He is not here)
I have seen that movie recently (I remember it)
d) when we want to say that some action has been taking place for some time till now.
I have known him for ages.
I haven't smoked for a month. (I don't smoke now and it is OK with me)
I have lived here since the childhood (I still live here and I am not going to move out)
e) when we mention the number of times.
I have been here twice.
f) there are a few special expressions:
This is the first time I have been here.
It has been two years since we finished the school.
There are some other cases. But the principle thing is to realize what this or that tense for. Here is a very understandable example.
I have bought a new car. The meaning is that you still have it.
I bought a car last year. It is only information. In the most of cases natives will ask you:"Are you still driving it?" It is not clear that you still have the same car.
2. We use The Past Perfect Tense when some action took place before some moment in the past. That moment can be described in a few different ways:
a) it can be indicated in a sentence like the following:
I had finished that translation by the end of the week.
By that time I had already known him well enough.
b) it can be described by some temporal clause (when, before, after, as soon as, until, until after):
She couldn't find the classroom until after the class had begun.
He called me as soon as he had received my letter.
c) it can be described by some other clause:
He gave her the flowers he had bought on the corner.
She met many interesting people she hadn't known before.
If it is not clear, just ask me more particular questions.
As to your vocabulary. To remember words you should use them all the time. The best way to remember words is to use them in your own sentences both in a written and oral forms.
Feel free asking me more questions if you have them.
Have a nice day!
Thanks soooooooooooooooo much Tanya........
Dear Faridahmad! I am glad to help you. As a matter of fact, it is a very interesting and useful question.
So, the word neither means no one of the two. It is negative. The word either means any of the two. It is affirmative or interrogative. If they are used without nor or or, they are singular, the third person:
Neither of you knows the right answer.
If either of you wants to ask me a question, he can.
We can also use these words in the constructions neither... nor... and either...or...
Such constructions can be used with any part of a sentence: subject, predicate, predicative (i.e, a part of a predicate), object, modifiers of action, time and place. For example:
I can't find this book either here or there. (modifier of place)
I will call you either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. (modifier of time)
I told neither you nor anybody else about that. (indirect object)
I'd like either to read or to watch TV. (verbal object, infinitive)
He usually reads either newspapers or magazines. (direct object)
Either speak or hang up! (predicate)
He could neither read or hear about that anywhere. (predicative)
It is neither cold nor warm. (predicative)
There should be the same parts (members) of a sentence in both parts of these constructions. And don't forget that neither is negative. So, if you use it, there can't be any other negation. Besides, if there are articles, prepositions or particle "to", they should be in both barts of the constructions:
I didn't see anything like that either in Europe or in America.
I was asked either to write or to type the report.
If you use these constructions with a subject, you should remember that a predicate must be the same person and number as the last word of the construction. Here are a few examples:
Neither my husband nor I am going anywhere today.
Neither he nor his brother has been to that party.
Either he or his friends know that girl.
Well, that's all you should know about these constructions. If it is not clear enough, just ask me questions.
Have a nice day!
Dear Aspiandi! I am sorry for not replying earlier. My work keeps me very busy! Anyway, it is better later than never, agree?
Well, the English tenses describe not only the time of actions but also (and mostly) processes. There are four groups of tenses: Simple, Progressive, Perfect Simple and Perfect Progressive. As you can see, they are paired. Simple and Progressive describe actions at the moment of speech ( i.e., at the moment we are speaking about). Both Perfect tenses describe actions before the moment of speech. The English tenses are emotional, they emphasize either this or that aspect (moment, fact). The Simple tenses describe actions as facts without emphasizing their duration or incompleteness. On the other hand, the Progressive tenses emphasize either duration or incompleteness of actions. You may have heard the famous saying:"A verb is the king of English grammar". So, I can't write grammar books here. I can just recommend you a few. If you have some particular questions, I will gladly answer them. I am trying to attach one good grammar book.
[Martin_Hewings]_Advaced_Grammar_is_Use(BookFi.org).pdf
Hi Tanya,
Thanks for your answer, and I will read additionally the gramma.
Thanks,
Pattpim
Dear Pattpim! I am really sorry for not answering to your second question about "be". But there are so many usages of this verb! However, I have never seen a book that gives all information about "be" at one place, so to say. As usual, it is "scattered" all over a book and one should know grammar well to find necessary information. So, feel free asking me questions but they should be more particular, with examples. For example: "How to use "be" is the following construction?", "What does "be" mean in this sentence?" and so on.
As to your first question, you should use the modal verbs with an infinitive without "to" in the present and the future :
I can swim well.
He should be there tomorrow.
I might be wrong.
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