Phrasal Verbs - Give away v Give in v Give off v Give up

Give (sth) away - to sell it really cheap.

Ø      Daniel had to literally give his car away as it was old and giving a lot of problems.

Give in – to admit you have been beaten by

someone or sth.

Ø      My brother pestered me for a new guitar for months, and I finally gave in.

Ø      If we give in to his threats, he just might make it a habit to threaten us every time he wants something from us.

Give off – to produce.

Ø      You should get a bigger radiator. There’s no way that tiny radiator can give off much heat.

Give (oneself) up – to surrender.

Ø      The kidnapper finally gave himself up to the police after realizing he had nowhere to run or hide.

Give (sth) up – to stop eating, drinking or using it.

Ø     We were all secretly relieved when Daniel announced that he had given up drinking.

Ø     When Randy first told us he had given up smoking, no one believed him.

Homophones - Whether v Weather

Whether (conjunction)

1.  used in reporting questions and expressing doubts

Ø                  I wonder whether Gary can join us for dinner on Friday.

Ø                  We weren’t sure whether Esther would like the present we got her.

Ø                  Damian secretly doubts whether this project would get approved.

2.  used to introduce more than one possibility

Ø                 I’m going to the concert, whether James joins me or not.

Ø                 Just admit it, we’re going to be late for work whether we drive or take the train.

Weather (noun) – the conditions in the air such as wind, rain or temperature in a particular area

Ø      The weather is just lovely today. We just might go for a swim later.

Ø      The weather in Melbourne can change very quickly, so be sure to bring suitable clothing.

Similes with As - As mad as a hornet

Meaning – very angry

Ø      John was as mad as a hornet when came home and saw the mess the dog had made.

Ø      Sam was as mad as a hornet when he came home from work this evening. Apparently, someone had slashed all four of his car tyres!

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.