Friday, 28 February 2014
Commas With Independent Clauses Joined By a Conjunction
- A conjunction is a word used to join sentences: and, but, or, for, nor, so or yet.
- If a conjunction joins two or more independent
clauses to form a compound sentence, place a comma after the first clause.
- I went to bed late last night, so I feel so sleepy right now.
- The country’s economy has shown signs of
improvement, but many people
are still jobless.
- Sam forgot his house keys this morning, and now he can’t enter the house.
Note:
If an independent clause is joined without a conjunction, they are separated
by a semicolon instead of a comma.
- I went to bed late last night; I feel so sleepy
right now.
- The country’s economy has shown signs of
improvement; however, many people are still jobless.
- Sam forgot his house keys this morning; now he
can’t enter the house.
Common Idioms - Up In Arms
The employees were up in arms (=protesting angrily) when the company announced they
were planning to slash 5000 jobs within the next 3 years.
Fair V Fare
Fair
- Sally’s beautiful fair hair and skin never fails to get people’s attention.
- I don’t think that’s a fair assessment of the situation.
- My family always looks forward to the travel fair held in
Fare
·
Peter had to borrow some money from his friend to pay
for the bus fare today as he had
left his wallet at home.
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Confusing and Misused Words - Elicit V Illicit : When and How to Use Them
Elicit - to get/produce information or reaction
· After hours of
interrogation, the detective was able to elicit information from the kidnapper.
Illicit
· The CEO of that company was forced to step down after
his illicit (=unlawful)
relationship with an under-aged girl was leaked to the media.
·
The illicit (=illegal) trade of stolen vehicles remains a lucrative business in many countries.
Common Idioms - All In
All In
·
We were all in
(=exhausted) after the long flight.
·
This trip will cost $1600 all in (=with everything included).
Commas With Appositives
An appositive
1. is a word or
group of words that follows right after a noun or pronoun.
2. makes a noun or
pronoun clearer or more definite by explaining or identifying it.
·
Randy won the first prize, an expense-paid trip to Shanghai for four days.
·
Rome , the capital of Italy
·
One of the nicest individuals in this company is Jack
Hill, manager of the finance department.
*appositives are highlighted.
Note:
Sometimes, a proper name that identifies or further explains will follow
right after a noun or pronoun. Though this is also a kind of appositive, it is
not set off by commas.
·
My sister Sally
lives 10 minutes away.
·
The noted author Ben
Kingsley writes about murder and mystery.
·
The president of the company Sam Goodman will visit this site next Monday.
Monday, 24 February 2014
Common Idioms - Alive and kicking
·
I heard my former lecturer is still alive and kicking and living in Melbourne
·
Unfortunately, sexism is still alive and kicking.
Phrasal Verbs - Bank
Bank on
- I wouldn’t bank on (=expect or rely on) James helping you out with your assignment.
Homophones - Does V Dose V Doze
Does
- Does your mother know you’re
not going home for dinner?
Dose
·
What John needs right now is a dose of antibiotics.
·
Everyone’s keeping a distance from Sean as he’s got a
bad dose of flu.
Doze
·
A doze
(=light sleep) in the afternoon keeps me fresh and alert for the rest of the
day.
·
Sam dozed
off (=fell asleep) half-way through the movie.
Saturday, 22 February 2014
Phrasal Verbs - Approve ( Approve and Approve Of)
Approve - give formal agreement to go ahead
- After
months of delay, the manager finally approved the project.
Approve of (someone or something) - accept
- John doesn’t approve of smoking or drinking.
- I’m so glad my parents approve of my new boyfriend.
- Many people don’t approve of what the government is doing.
Discreet V Discrete
Discreet
·
Sam was very discreet
(=secretive) when I asked him about
his new job.
Discrete
·
These plants were once classified together, but are
now regarded as discrete (=separate) species.
Exercise 22 - Commas Following Introductory Words, Phrases and Clauses
PRACTICE 1
PRACTICE 2
ANSWERS
Practice 1
1.
A
2.
B
3.
B
4.
A
5.
A
Practice 2
1.
Inside, the house was clean and tastefully decorated.
2.
After running, the greyhounds settled back into their
boxes.
3.
Alone at night, time seems endless.
4.
As he watched, the game slowly came to an end.
Friday, 21 February 2014
Commas Following Introductory Words, Phrases and Clauses
 |
Compiled from Goodwill's Skill Builders Writing Skills |
A comma is used to:
- set off introductory words, phrases and clauses
from the main part of a sentence.
- help save the reader’s time and reduce the
chances of misinterpreting what you write.
The examples below show how introductory words,
phrases and clauses are set off with commas.
Words
·
Disappointed, we left the party shortly after we
arrived.
·
Annoyed, John stomped back to his room and slammed the
door.
Phrases
·
Expecting the worst, we stopped spending and started
saving.
·
Badly injured in the accident, the actor was absent
for more than three months.
Clauses
·
If we plan carefully for our trip, we can see and do a
lot of things.
·
While we were having lunch, an important call came.
·
Because we left before the seminar ended, we were not
eligible for the free trip to Shanghai
Note:
In the sentences above, the first part of each
sentence, also known as the subordinate/dependent
clause is followed by a comma. However, if you reverse the sentence parts,
making the independent clause the first clause in the sentence, you would
NOT need a comma.
- The actor was absent for more than three months
after the he was badly injured in the accident.
- An important call came while we were having
lunch.
- We were not eligible for the free trip to
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Phrasal Verbs - Answer (Answer To, Answer For)
Answer to
- If I miss this project deadline, I will have my
boss and client to answer to (=
be responsible for something or
someone).
- The police have recently arrested someone answering to (=matching description of a description)
the description of the kidnapper.
Answer for
·
The CEO will have to answer for (= take blame/punishment
for) the company’s poor performance at the next general meeting with the
shareholders.
Die V Dye
Die
- John was so ill for months that he thought he was
going to die.
Dye
- What colour are you going to dye (verb) your
hair?
- I’d advise you not to use hair dye (noun) too often as it may
damage your hair.
Monday, 17 February 2014
Homophones - Desert V Dessert
Desert
·
Very few animals and plants can survive in the desert.
·
I would never desert
(=leave without permission) my family and friends.
Dessert
·
Chocolate and ice-cream are two of my favourite desserts.
Grammar - Modals: Can, Could, May, Might
 |
Compiled from Grammar Builder Book 3 |
The rules:
- In a statement, can, could, may or might is used in this way:
Subject + can/could/may/might +
base form of main verb/ the verb ‘to be’
- You may sit
with us.
- Jason
might be the new manager.
- In a question, can, could, may or
might is used at the beginning of the sentence.
Can/Could/May/Might
+
subject + base form of main verb/the verb ‘to be’
·
Can ducks fly?
·
Could you be nicer to
your sister?
- Could and might are used to express the possibility
of an action or event in the
past:
Subject
+ could/might + have
+ past participle form of main
verb/ the verb ‘to be’
·
John could
have seen
this movie.
·
Peter might have fed the dog.
 |
Compiled from Grammar Builder Book 3 |
Friday, 14 February 2014
Exercise 20 - Revision (Future Perfect Tense)
ANSWERS
1. be move – have moved
4. be
joined – will have joined
6. review
– will review
8. already
tidy – have already tidied
10. be
complete – have completed
Phrasal Verbs - Allow
Allow for - take into consideration
- You must allow for the possibility that you might caught in traffic on the way to the airport tomorrow.
- We must allow for the possibility that sales may drop after the Christmas holidays.
Exercise 19 - Confusing Words
Tip: This exercise requires you to utilize the words beside, besides, changeable, changing, childish and childlike.
ANSWERS
- Besides
- NE
- NE
- NE
- NE
- NE
- NE
- childlike
- childish
Homophones - Dependent V Dependant
Dependent - needing the support of something or someone in order to continue existing or operating
·
My children are still financially dependent (adjective)
on me and my wife despite having graduated from college.
·
Mrs Brown is completely dependent (adjective) on her multilingual son when they travel as she only
speaks English.
Dependant - someone who is depends on you for financial support, like a child or family family
- My youngest
daughter is my only dependant (noun). My two sons have already
started working and are financially independent.
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
Phrasal Verbs - Agree (Agree With, Agree To, Agree On, Agree About, Agree With)
Agree with
·
Peter seldom agrees
with anything John says.
·
Sam and Rachael rarely travel together as they rarely agree with each other.
Agree to
(a proposal or suggestion)
·
Tim was unhappy that we didn’t agree to his suggestion on going skiing this winter.
Agree on
(a date or agenda)
·
I’m glad everyone’s agreed on a date to meet for lunch.
·
We’ve finally agreed
on where to go for our next holiday.
Agree
about
- My family
and I agreed about not
travelling during the peak season.
Agree with
·
I fall sick whenever I consume peanut butter. It
obviously doesn’t agree with me.
Compliment V Complement
Compliment
- I’d like to compliment
(verb) you on your good taste in
wine.
- Sarah was all smiles after receiving a compliment (noun) from her manager.
Complement
·
Coffee and pastries complement each other perfectly.
·
This dress really complements
your figure.
Exercise 18 - Derivative Words
ANSWERS
- introduction
- education
- examination
- permission
- explanation
- collection
- hesitation
- reaction
- conversation
- invitation
- information
- imagination
Monday, 10 February 2014
Homophones - Coarse V Course: What and How to Use Them
Coarse
·
Fine sugar generally sells better than coarse sugar in Malaysia
Course
·
Last night’s 3-course
dinner was very filling.
·
My uncle likes playing at this golf course as it is very well-maintained.
·
Tears coursed (=ran)
down his cheeks as Sam cried quietly over his broken toy.
Phrasal Verbs - Account For
Account
for
·
John was unable to account for (=explain or give a reason for) his mistake when
questioned by his manager.
·
Exports to China
Exercise 17 - Derivative Words
Tip: Form new words by combining the prefix 'over-', 'en-', or 're-' with the verbs below.
Eg. overload, recycle, enlarge
ANSWERS
1.
overhear
2.
recycled
3.
recovered
4.
enrich
5.
overload
6.
encircle
7.
overtake
8.
entitled
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