Similes with As - As merry as a lark/cricket

Meaning – very happy

Ø      Rick is definitely drunk. He’s as merry as a lark/cricket!

Ø      Mary strolled into the office with a huge grin on her face this morning. In fact, she was as merry as a lark/cricket. 

Grammar - Wh- Questions

Compiled from Grammar Builder Book 3

The rules are:

1. Every wh- question must have a finite verb to make it complete.

Ø      Who was the last president of The United States?   (Right)

Ø      The last president of The United States who?          (Wrong)

Ø      Which country is hosting(finite verb) the next

    Olympics?                                                       (Right)

Ø      Which country hosting (non-finite verb) the next 

     Olympics?                                                                  (Wrong)

Compiled from Grammar Builder Book 3

2. In a wh- question, the verb ‘to be’, the verb ‘to do’ or a main verb must match in tense (present, past or future) and number with the noun or pronoun (singular or plural) it points to.

    Present tense

                Singular                                                  Plural

Ø                  Where is the waiter?                           Where are the waiters?

Ø                  How does Sam go to work?                How do James and Erin go to work?                                                                                                                                                                            

    

     Past tense

Ø      What happened at the party last night?

     Future tense

Ø      What will happen at the party tomorrow?

3. The verb ‘to be’ can’t be used with a main verb in its present or simple past tense form. The verb ‘to be’ can be used with a main verb in its ‘-ing’ form.

Ø      Which countries are you visiting in Europe?  (Right)

Ø      Which countries are you visit in Europe?       (Wrong)

Ø      Who was helping Ryan with his homework?  (Right)

Ø      Who was helped Ryan with his homework?    (Wrong)

Ø      When will Danny be leaving for Singapore?   (Right)

Ø      When will Danny leaving for Singapore?        (Wrong)

4. When using the verb ‘to do’ in wh- questions, the main verb in the question has to be in its base form.

Ø      Which painting does the customer like?            (Right)

Ø      Which painting does the customer likes?          (Wrong)

Ø      Which painting does the customer liking?         (Wrong)

Ø      Why did they want your driving licence?           (Right)

Ø      Why did they wants your driving licence?         (Wrong)

Ø      Why did they wanted your driving licence?       (Wrong)

Homophones - Roll v Role

Roll

1.   (verb) – move

Ø      The glass rolled off the edge of the table and smashed into pieces.

Ø      My dog loves to roll over on its back so that we can stroke its tummy.

2.   (noun) – tube

Ø      We found an old roll of film in one of the drawers.

Ø      John bought a beautiful roll of cloth yesterday. He’s planning to use it as a table cloth.

3.   (noun) – bread

Ø      I had a cheese roll for breakfast today.

Role

1.   (noun) – duty

Ø      Parents and teachers play important roles in children’s lives.

Ø      What is Sam’s role in this project?

Ø      Two people have been jailed for their role (= involvement) in the robbery.

2.   (noun) – acting

Ø      Naomi was thrilled (= very pleased) that she got the leading role in the school play.

Ø      She plays the role of a tough lawyer in this movie.

Homophones - Which v Witch

Which

1.    as a question

Ø      Which dress are you going to buy?

Ø      Which cup is mine? The blue one or the red one?

2.    adds information

Ø     He showed me around the city, which was really nice of him.

Ø     The restaurant, which is at the corner of this block, serves great seafood.

Witch (noun) – a woman who is believed to have magical powers and uses them to harm or help other people

Ø      There are many tales of witches flying around on broomsticks.

Ø      In fairy tales, the good witches use magic to do help others while the evil ones use magic to harm others.

Common Idioms - To kill two birds with one stone

Meaning – to achieve two results by doing one thing.

Ø     I was already at the mall, so I thought I might as well kill two birds with one stone and watch a movie after I’m done with the shopping.

Ø     John always heads to the bar for a drink if he happens to leave the office around rush hour. He says he gets to kill two birds with one stone and enjoy a drink while waiting for the traffic to ease.

English Grammar....Simplified (Vol. 1) is now available on Google Play Store!

After more than 10 years of teaching the English language and amassing a stack of reference books, I have come to realize that the most sought after books have these few things in common:

i)  useful content

ii)  a structure that is easy to understand

iii) clear and concise notes

The constant challenge to find books that fulfill the above criteria has inspired me to write. I'm pleased to announce that my new ebook ‘English Grammar…Simplified (Vol. 1)’ is now available on Google Play Store! Below are samples of my ebook.

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Synonyms - Acceptable

Meaning – adequate, fair, satisfactory, tolerable

Ø      I barely had adequate time to prepare for the lesson.

Ø      Will future oil supplies be adequate to meet global demand?

Ø      We agreed to work with John as we felt his terms were fair.

Ø      We hope to find a satisfactory solution to this problem as soon as possible.

Ø      The conditions in these prisons are barely tolerable.

Ø      The great in-flight services of this airline made the long journey tolerable.

Homonyms - Well (As a noun, adjective and adverb)

1.   (adverb) – to a high or satisfactory standard

Ø      I must admit that these photos were very well taken.

Ø      Many dream of securing a well-paid job in a big company, but only a handful succeed.

2.   (adverb) – to a great degree

Ø      Gary is lucky he speaks the language well enough to pass for a local.

Ø      Sarah sang so well at the audition. It’s no surprise she won first prize.

3.   (adj) – healthy

Ø      Despite being in his 80s, Mr Johnson looks very well for his age.

4.   (noun) – a deep hole in the ground where you can get water, oil or gas

Ø      I can’t imagine having to fetch water from the well every day.

Ø      What are we going to do when our wells dry up and we run out of oil?

Similes with As - As hungry as a wolf/as a bear

Meaning – very hungry

Ø      After a huge workout at the gym, Gary was as hungry as a wolf/as a bear. In fact, he started eating without waiting for the rest of us!

Ø      I skipped breakfast this morning just so that I could sleep in a little longer. However, I was as hungry as a wolf/as a bear by lunch time. 

Enough Already! Stop Using Those Resume Words by Uptin Saiidi....Revisited

I’d just like to add on to some of the things mentioned in the article I highlighted in my last post.

1.      Saying that you are result-driven doesn’t tell future employers anything. However, if you, for instance, describe in great detail what you did to get promoted at the previous company/companies you worked for, that will definitely capture your potential employer’s attention.

2.      It’s also important that you only highlight the key skills that are relevant to the job you are after.  For example, having great cooking skills won't help you secure a position in a law firm.

3.      For those of you who need help with your social media presence, I personally recommend 30 Days to Social Media Success by Gail Z. Martin.  Whether you’re an entrepreneur or employee, this book can help shed some light on how you boost your social media presence for free! Pay close attention to the tips on ‘exercise page’ which is located on the last page of every chapter. I’ve personally followed some of her tips and it’s definitely helped boost traffic to my antiques blog and website. My advice would be to focus on at least four social media platforms that your target audience uses. I, for one, capitalize on Facebook, Linkedin, forums, blogs and websites. You can also get free advice on social media from www.quicksprout.com.

 Anyway, I hope that helps!

Enough Already! Stop Using Those Resume Words by Uptin Saiidi

So you say you're motivated? Well, so is everyone else.

According to a recent LinkedIn study assessing profiles last year, the most overused buzzwords by members are the words "motivated" and a host of other terms experts say job seekers should stop using in their searches. The findings revealed other top finishers, including the words "creative," "passionate" and "driven."

The adjectives were in slight contrast to the previous year in which the top three included creative, responsible and strategic.

2014 U.S. List – Top 10 Most Overused LinkedIn Buzzwords

1.     Motivated

2.     Creative

3.      Passionate

4.      Driven

5.      Extensive experience

6.      Organizational

7.      Strategic

8.      Track record

9.      Responsible

10.    Problem-solving

CareerBuilder's Jennifer Sullivan Grasz warns that using popular buzzwords can make resumes get lost and sound too similar to everyone else's. "Instead of saying you're results-driven, talk about the actual results," she said.

 

Build that profile

Grasz suggests thinking of your resume as a series of headlines that could get a potential employer excited about hiring you. For instance, writing, " 'Seasoned Sales Pro Who Generates $1 million in Revenue Annually' sounds better than 'I sold products for this company,' " she said.

While adding an element of creativity to your profile picture is encouraged, Catherine Fisher, a LinkedIn career expert, suggests first assessing if the image actually fits into your industry before getting too colorful. "You don't want a photo of you and your dog unless you're a veterinarian."

And using a profile photo in today's marketplace can pay off. According to the LinkedIn study, your online profile is 14 times more likely be viewed if you include a photo.

Instead of using buzzwords, Fisher suggests showing over telling. She says including your volunteer experience to show you're actually motivated and interested in more than just a paycheck. The study found that 41 percent of professionals surveyed stated they consider volunteer work equally as valuable as paid work experience.

The biggest mistake on their professional footprint according to Fisher? Staying out of date.

"People build their profile and they never come back. You need to engage with your connections, like, share, publish and be active with your connections."

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102383977