💠 Busy as a bee
Meaning: Extremely busy ,but working with a purpose in a pleasant manner.
Example: My son is working on his science project. He’s been as busy as a bee all day.
#Idioms
Meaning: Extremely busy ,but working with a purpose in a pleasant manner.
Example: My son is working on his science project. He’s been as busy as a bee all day.
#Idioms
⚠️ 10 Grammar Mistakes You Should Avoid ⚠️ ( PART 4 )
Mistake 7️⃣ : Inappropriate use of reflexive pronoun forms
❌ INCORRECT: Jack and myself built the company from scratch.
✅ CORRECT : Jack and I built the company from scratch.
A pronoun that ends in -self or -selves is called a reflexive pronoun. This type of pronoun refers to a noun or personal pronoun that occurs elsewhere in the sentence. For example, “He cut himself shaving.” In this example, himself refers to the same person as the one meant by He. A typical error is to use a reflexive pronoun in place of a personal pronoun:
❌ INCORRECT: Thank you for everything you did for myself and my family.
✅ CORRECT : Thank you for everything you did for me and my family.
Note: A more polite usage is to put me last in the phrase: Thank you for everything you did for my family and me.
Mistake 8️⃣ : Incorrect use of did instead of had in certain “if clauses”
One use of the conjunction if is to introduce a clause that states an action that would have changed an outcome. For example, “If I hadn’t missed the train, I would be in London now.” A common error is to use did instead of had, as in this headline:
❌ INCORRECT: [Celebrity] thinks he would be dead now if he didn’t give up alcohol and drugs.
✅ CORRECT : [Celebrity] thinks he would be dead now if he hadn’t given up alcohol and drugs.
The person mentioned in the headline actually said (correctly), “I honestly don’t think I’d be alive if I hadn’t stopped drinking.” The tense required is the past perfect (had + past participle).
#Grammar
Mistake 7️⃣ : Inappropriate use of reflexive pronoun forms
❌ INCORRECT: Jack and myself built the company from scratch.
✅ CORRECT : Jack and I built the company from scratch.
A pronoun that ends in -self or -selves is called a reflexive pronoun. This type of pronoun refers to a noun or personal pronoun that occurs elsewhere in the sentence. For example, “He cut himself shaving.” In this example, himself refers to the same person as the one meant by He. A typical error is to use a reflexive pronoun in place of a personal pronoun:
❌ INCORRECT: Thank you for everything you did for myself and my family.
✅ CORRECT : Thank you for everything you did for me and my family.
Note: A more polite usage is to put me last in the phrase: Thank you for everything you did for my family and me.
Mistake 8️⃣ : Incorrect use of did instead of had in certain “if clauses”
One use of the conjunction if is to introduce a clause that states an action that would have changed an outcome. For example, “If I hadn’t missed the train, I would be in London now.” A common error is to use did instead of had, as in this headline:
❌ INCORRECT: [Celebrity] thinks he would be dead now if he didn’t give up alcohol and drugs.
✅ CORRECT : [Celebrity] thinks he would be dead now if he hadn’t given up alcohol and drugs.
The person mentioned in the headline actually said (correctly), “I honestly don’t think I’d be alive if I hadn’t stopped drinking.” The tense required is the past perfect (had + past participle).
#Grammar
Almost or nearly?
⚠️We use almost and nearly to refer to the progress of things, especially if we are measuring and counting things. In these examples, almost and nearly can both be used:
✨Don’t give up! You’re almost there.
✨It’s time for bed. It’s nearly 10 o’clock.
✨Their CD has sold almost 90,000 copies in the last week.
✨Nearly all my friends were in the photograph.
⚠️We also use almost and nearly with extreme adjectives such as perfect, impossible or frozen:
✨That guy is almost impossible.
✨The chicken is still nearly frozen. I thought you’d taken it out of the freezer.
⚠️We use almost (but not nearly) to soften statements:
✨I almost wish I hadn’t offered to pay his fine.
⚠️We use almost before any and before negative words such as no, none, never, nobody, nothing. We don’t use nearly in this way:
✨Using this special software, you can find the history of almost any building.
✨They’ve almost no confidence that they can use the new phone properly.
✨She almost never raises her voice.
📍Not: She nearly never raises her voice.
#Vocabulary
⚠️We use almost and nearly to refer to the progress of things, especially if we are measuring and counting things. In these examples, almost and nearly can both be used:
✨Don’t give up! You’re almost there.
✨It’s time for bed. It’s nearly 10 o’clock.
✨Their CD has sold almost 90,000 copies in the last week.
✨Nearly all my friends were in the photograph.
⚠️We also use almost and nearly with extreme adjectives such as perfect, impossible or frozen:
✨That guy is almost impossible.
✨The chicken is still nearly frozen. I thought you’d taken it out of the freezer.
⚠️We use almost (but not nearly) to soften statements:
✨I almost wish I hadn’t offered to pay his fine.
⚠️We use almost before any and before negative words such as no, none, never, nobody, nothing. We don’t use nearly in this way:
✨Using this special software, you can find the history of almost any building.
✨They’ve almost no confidence that they can use the new phone properly.
✨She almost never raises her voice.
📍Not: She nearly never raises her voice.
#Vocabulary
Grateful or thankful?
⚠️ We use “ grateful “ to talk about how we feel when someone is kind to us or does us a favour:
✨ I would be very grateful if you could send me more information about your company for my school project.
Not: I would be thankful …
⚠️ We usually use “ thankful “ when we are relieved that something unpleasant or dangerous didn’t happen:
✨ A: I heard you were in an accident. Are you okay?
B: I’m fine. There was some damage to the car. I’m just thankful that no one was injured.
#Vocabulary
⚠️ We use “ grateful “ to talk about how we feel when someone is kind to us or does us a favour:
✨ I would be very grateful if you could send me more information about your company for my school project.
Not: I would be thankful …
⚠️ We usually use “ thankful “ when we are relieved that something unpleasant or dangerous didn’t happen:
✨ A: I heard you were in an accident. Are you okay?
B: I’m fine. There was some damage to the car. I’m just thankful that no one was injured.
#Vocabulary
💠 ( 1 ) Synonyms:
The semantic qualities or sense relations that exist between words (lexemes) with closely related meanings (i.e., synonyms).
Contrast with antonymy.
#Word_relationships
The semantic qualities or sense relations that exist between words (lexemes) with closely related meanings (i.e., synonyms).
Contrast with antonymy.
#Word_relationships
💠 Synonyms:
✨ The Productivity of Synonymy
The productivity of synonymy is clearly observable. If we invent a new word that represents (to some extent) the same thing that an existing word in the language represents, then the new word is automatically a synonym of the older word.
For example, every time a new slang term meaning 'automobile' is invented, a synonym relation is predicted for the new slang term (say, ride) and the standard and slang terms that already exist (car, auto, wheels, etc.).
Ride does not need to be inducted as a member of the synonym set--no one has to say 'ride means the same thing as car' in order for the synonym relation to be understood. All that must happen is that ride must be used and understood to mean the same thing as car--as in My new ride is a Honda."
(M. Lynne Murphy, Semantic Relations and the Lexicon. Cambridge University Press, 2003)
#Word_relationships
✨ The Productivity of Synonymy
The productivity of synonymy is clearly observable. If we invent a new word that represents (to some extent) the same thing that an existing word in the language represents, then the new word is automatically a synonym of the older word.
For example, every time a new slang term meaning 'automobile' is invented, a synonym relation is predicted for the new slang term (say, ride) and the standard and slang terms that already exist (car, auto, wheels, etc.).
Ride does not need to be inducted as a member of the synonym set--no one has to say 'ride means the same thing as car' in order for the synonym relation to be understood. All that must happen is that ride must be used and understood to mean the same thing as car--as in My new ride is a Honda."
(M. Lynne Murphy, Semantic Relations and the Lexicon. Cambridge University Press, 2003)
#Word_relationships
⚠️ 10 Grammar Mistakes You Should Avoid ⚠️ ( PART 5 )
Mistake 9️⃣ : Incorrect irregular verb forms
Most English verbs form the past and past participle by adding -ed to the base form. For example:
• walk, walked, (has) walked
• believe, believed, (has) believed
• jump, jumped, (has) jumped
However, a few high-frequency verbs have irregular past forms, for example:
• run, ran, (has) run
• go, went, (has) gone
• come, came, (has) come
Errors with irregular verb forms are becoming common in the media and in articles written by university graduates. Such errors are perhaps evidence that elementary school teachers no longer drill their students on the irregular verb forms. Here are typical errors:
❌ INCORRECT:
Mary loves to read, has ran for office and has an articulate way of telling it like it is.
✅ CORRECT :
Mary loves to read, has run for office and has an articulate way of telling it like it is.
❌ INCORRECT:
Deluna-Martinez is alleged to have went into one student’s account and dropped that student’s classes.
✅ CORRECT :
Deluna-Martinez is alleged to have gone into one student’s account and dropped that student’s classes.
❌ INCORRECT:
Deep Impact could have just so happened to hit one of these cometesimals, while the gas seen before impact might have came from a different region on the comet with different chemistry.
✅ CORRECT :
Deep Impact could have just so happened to hit one of these cometesimals, while the gas seen before impact might have come from a different region on the comet with different chemistry.
⚠️ Note: A cometesimal is a “mini-comet.”
#Grammar
Mistake 9️⃣ : Incorrect irregular verb forms
Most English verbs form the past and past participle by adding -ed to the base form. For example:
• walk, walked, (has) walked
• believe, believed, (has) believed
• jump, jumped, (has) jumped
However, a few high-frequency verbs have irregular past forms, for example:
• run, ran, (has) run
• go, went, (has) gone
• come, came, (has) come
Errors with irregular verb forms are becoming common in the media and in articles written by university graduates. Such errors are perhaps evidence that elementary school teachers no longer drill their students on the irregular verb forms. Here are typical errors:
❌ INCORRECT:
Mary loves to read, has ran for office and has an articulate way of telling it like it is.
✅ CORRECT :
Mary loves to read, has run for office and has an articulate way of telling it like it is.
❌ INCORRECT:
Deluna-Martinez is alleged to have went into one student’s account and dropped that student’s classes.
✅ CORRECT :
Deluna-Martinez is alleged to have gone into one student’s account and dropped that student’s classes.
❌ INCORRECT:
Deep Impact could have just so happened to hit one of these cometesimals, while the gas seen before impact might have came from a different region on the comet with different chemistry.
✅ CORRECT :
Deep Impact could have just so happened to hit one of these cometesimals, while the gas seen before impact might have come from a different region on the comet with different chemistry.
⚠️ Note: A cometesimal is a “mini-comet.”
#Grammar
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❗️❗️Commonly confused prepositions ❗️❗️
📌 About and On
Both about and on can mean ‘regarding’. There is a slight difference of meaning.
🔍Compare:
🔘We had a discussion about money.
🔘He gave a lecture on finance.
About used in the first sentence suggests that the discussion was ordinary.
On used in the second sentence suggests that the lecture was serious or academic, suitable for specialists.
📌 Above and over
Above and over can both mean ‘higher than’.
🔘The water came up above / over our waist.
Above is preferred when one thing is not directly over another.
🔘There is a temple above the lake. (The temple is not directly over the lake.)
Over is preferred when one thing covers or touches another.
🔘He put on a sweater over his shirt. (NOT He put on a sweater above his shirt.)
In measurements of temperature and height we use above. In measurements of ages and speeds we use over.
🔘The temperature never rose above 5 degrees Celsius.
You have to be over 18 to see that film.
📌 Across and through
The difference between across and through is similar to the difference meaningon and in.
Through is used for movement in a three dimensional space, with things on all sides. Across cannot be used with that meaning.
🔍Compare:
🔘We went through the wood. (We were in the wood.)
🔘The road goes through the forest.
🔘We walked across the desert. (We were on the desert.)
Across and over can both be used to mean ‘on the other side of a line / road / bridge etc’.
🔘There is a hospital across / over the border. (= There is a hospital on the other side of the border.)
🔘His shop is across / over the road. (= His shop is on the other side of the road.)
Across and over can also be used to talk about movement to the other side of a line / road etc.
🔘He jumped across / over the stream.
We prefer over when we say ‘on/to the other side of something high’.
🔘He climbed over the wall. (NOT He climbed across the wall.)
We prefer across when we say ‘on / to the other side of something flat’.
🔘We swam across the river. (NOT We swam over the river.)
📌Along
The preposition along is used with nouns that refer to things with a long thin shape. Examples are: road, river, corridor, line
🔘She ran along the road.
🔘There are trees along the riverside.
📌 Along and through
To talk about periods or activities, we prefer through.
🔘She was silent all through the journey. (NOT She was silent all along the journey.)
Note that along can also be used as an adverb particle.
Come along. (= Come with me.)
Run along now. (= Go away.)
#Prepositions
📌 About and On
Both about and on can mean ‘regarding’. There is a slight difference of meaning.
🔍Compare:
🔘We had a discussion about money.
🔘He gave a lecture on finance.
About used in the first sentence suggests that the discussion was ordinary.
On used in the second sentence suggests that the lecture was serious or academic, suitable for specialists.
📌 Above and over
Above and over can both mean ‘higher than’.
🔘The water came up above / over our waist.
Above is preferred when one thing is not directly over another.
🔘There is a temple above the lake. (The temple is not directly over the lake.)
Over is preferred when one thing covers or touches another.
🔘He put on a sweater over his shirt. (NOT He put on a sweater above his shirt.)
In measurements of temperature and height we use above. In measurements of ages and speeds we use over.
🔘The temperature never rose above 5 degrees Celsius.
You have to be over 18 to see that film.
📌 Across and through
The difference between across and through is similar to the difference meaningon and in.
Through is used for movement in a three dimensional space, with things on all sides. Across cannot be used with that meaning.
🔍Compare:
🔘We went through the wood. (We were in the wood.)
🔘The road goes through the forest.
🔘We walked across the desert. (We were on the desert.)
Across and over can both be used to mean ‘on the other side of a line / road / bridge etc’.
🔘There is a hospital across / over the border. (= There is a hospital on the other side of the border.)
🔘His shop is across / over the road. (= His shop is on the other side of the road.)
Across and over can also be used to talk about movement to the other side of a line / road etc.
🔘He jumped across / over the stream.
We prefer over when we say ‘on/to the other side of something high’.
🔘He climbed over the wall. (NOT He climbed across the wall.)
We prefer across when we say ‘on / to the other side of something flat’.
🔘We swam across the river. (NOT We swam over the river.)
📌Along
The preposition along is used with nouns that refer to things with a long thin shape. Examples are: road, river, corridor, line
🔘She ran along the road.
🔘There are trees along the riverside.
📌 Along and through
To talk about periods or activities, we prefer through.
🔘She was silent all through the journey. (NOT She was silent all along the journey.)
Note that along can also be used as an adverb particle.
Come along. (= Come with me.)
Run along now. (= Go away.)
#Prepositions
💠 ( 2 ) Antonyms:
The semantic qualities or sense relations that exist between words (lexemes) with opposite meanings in certain contexts (i.e., antonyms).
Contrast with synonymy.
#Word_relationships
The semantic qualities or sense relations that exist between words (lexemes) with opposite meanings in certain contexts (i.e., antonyms).
Contrast with synonymy.
#Word_relationships
💠 Antonyms:
✨ Antonymy and Word Classes
"Oppositeness . . . has an important role in structuring the vocabulary of English. This is especially so in the adjective word class, where a good many words occur in antonymous pairs:
e.g.
long-short,
wide-narrow,
new-old,
rough-smooth,
light-dark,
straight-crooked,
deep-shallow,
fast-slow.
While antonymy is typically found among adjectives ,it is not restricted to this word class:
bring-take (verbs),
death-life (nouns),
noisily-quietly (adverbs),
above-below (prepositions),
after-before (conjunctions or prepositions).
"English can also derive antonyms by means of prefixes and suffixes.
Negative prefixes such as dis-, un- or in- may derive an antonym from the positive root, e.g. dishonest, unsympathetic, infertile.
Compare also: encourage-discourage but entangle-disentangle, increase-decrease, include-exclude."
#Word_relationships
✨ Antonymy and Word Classes
"Oppositeness . . . has an important role in structuring the vocabulary of English. This is especially so in the adjective word class, where a good many words occur in antonymous pairs:
e.g.
long-short,
wide-narrow,
new-old,
rough-smooth,
light-dark,
straight-crooked,
deep-shallow,
fast-slow.
While antonymy is typically found among adjectives ,it is not restricted to this word class:
bring-take (verbs),
death-life (nouns),
noisily-quietly (adverbs),
above-below (prepositions),
after-before (conjunctions or prepositions).
"English can also derive antonyms by means of prefixes and suffixes.
Negative prefixes such as dis-, un- or in- may derive an antonym from the positive root, e.g. dishonest, unsympathetic, infertile.
Compare also: encourage-discourage but entangle-disentangle, increase-decrease, include-exclude."
#Word_relationships