English Grammar Lesson & Mp3 Podcast: Want Vs. Want to & Need Vs Need to
Feb 18th
I want to eat something yummy
Want and need have a similar grammatical pattern. Let’s have a look at these today. Listen to the lesson as you read along:
[powerpress url="http://blog.myhappyenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/English-lesson-need-want-need-to-want-to.mp3" ]
We use want + noun, like this:
- I want pizza for lunch.
- Jack said he wants pepperoni pizza.
- The students wanted the university lateness policy changed, so they met with the dean.
- I wanted a new hat, so I went to the mall
We use want + to VERB. In a past sentence, the pattern is wanted + to VERB. like this:
- I want to have pizza for lunch.
- Jack said he wants to eat pepperoni pizza.
- The students said they wanted to see they the lateness policy of the university changed.
- I wanted to buy a new hat, so I went to the mall
In a similar way, we use need + noun, like this:
- I need a new computer. This one is broken.
- Jack said he needs time to repair the broken server.
- The students needed flexibility in the lateness policy, so they met with the dean.
- I needed a new hat, so I went to the mall.
We use need + to VERB. In a past sentence, the pattern is needed + to VERB, like this:
- I need to get a new computer. This one is broken.
- Jack said he needs to have more time to repair the broken server.
- The students said the university needed to have flexibility in the lateness policy.
- I needed to pick up a new hat, so I went to the mall.
What do you want to have for dinner tonight? Do you need to buy anything today? Leave a comment here and let me know.
If you know anyone who has trouble with this English language point, why not help them out! Just share this lesson with them.
Thanks for studying today!
One Point English Lesson: Gerunds Vs. Participles
Feb 17th
Listen to the audio:
[powerpress url="http://blog.myhappyenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/English-Lesson-Gerunds-Vs-Participles.mp3"]
Download the Mp3
Today we will have a look at the difference between gerunds and participles. Basically, gerunds function as nouns and participles function as adjectives. Read the paragraph below and see if you can find the gerunds and participles. Then, check the examples given after the dialog.
Reading Practice: Grammar in Context
Exercising is an important part of staying healthy. While some people enjoy exercising in a gym, I prefer walking. It’s because I don’t like exercising in a hot building. I like to walk on the beach or in the park. I find enjoying nature while exercising makes the time pass quickly…and more enjoyably! When I was walking this morning in my neighborhood, I saw a barking dog. He wasn’t barking at me, thank goodness. Maybe he was barking because someone disturbed his nap. Like the old saying goes, let sleeping dogs lie.
Dialog: Grammar in Context
Jack: I love running in Central Park in the morning. This morning my running partner was sick, so I ran alone.
Jen: Exercising in the morning doesn’t work for me. I prefer to do it at night. I do a cycling class at the gym.
Jack: So does that mean you don’t want to go running with me tomorrow if my partner is still sick?
Jen: No, thanks.
Grammar Point
A gerund is a verb+ing that works like a noun. Here are some examples:
- Exercising is an important part of staying healthy.
- My wife always complains about my snoring.
- George got in trouble for napping in his office.
- I like skiing.
A participle is a verb+ing that works like an adjective. Here are some examples:
- You shouldn’t disturb a sleeping dog.
- There was a crying baby on my flight to New York.
- My skiing holiday was cancelled because there was not enough snow.
- The students played a drinking game, called Beer Pong.
Practice
Do you like to exercise? Do you like exercising in a gym? What do you do to keep healthy? Leave a comment here and let me know.
If you know anyone who has trouble with this English language point, why not help them out! Just share this lesson with them.
Thanks for studying today!
One English Idiom Lesson: Phrasal Verbs Using “Turn”
Feb 15th
[powerpress url=http://blog.myhappyenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Turn-phrasal-verbs.mp3]
It was a rainy night. Joe was driving for a long time and he was tired. He saw a motel, but they were full and so they turned him away. When Joe found out they didn’t have a room, he turned away from the clerk in shock. Joe had to turn back to the highway and keep driving. To help him stay awake, he turned on the radio in his car. One of his favorite songs was playing, so Joe turned up the radio. Then an old love song came on the radio. That song reminded Joe of a lost love. Joe asked her to marry him, but she turned him down. Joe couldn’t stand hearing that song anymore, so he turned down the radio. He finally found a motel with a vacancy. He pulled in to the parking lot and turned off the car. It was time to turn in for the night.
Dialog
Jack: I started driving out of town last night to go see a friend, but the weather was so bad I had to turn back.
Jen: I don’t like to drive long distances at night because I always get sleepy.
Jack: That’s not a problem for me. I just turn on the radio and turn the volume up loud.
Jen: So will you still get to see your friend?
Jack: I don’t know. I invited him to come see me here in New York, but he turned me down. He’s got a really busy job.
Let’s look at the vocabulary:
When you turn [someone] away, you refuse them. You can be turned away from a theater if the show is sold out.
- …and so they turned him away.
When you turn away [from someone], you move your body so your face is not looking at them. If you are disappointed with someone, you might just turn away from them.
- He turned away from the clerk.
When you turn back, you return. You can turn back when you have gone the wrong way.
- Joe had to turn back to the highway.
When you turn on a machine, you push the power button to the “on” position. You can turn on a light, an iPod, or any other electric appliance.
- He turned on the radio in his car.
When you turn up music or sound, you increase the volume. You can turn up a TV, or a stereo.
- Joe turned up the radio.
When you turn down someone, you reject them. You can turn someone down if they ask you for a date.
- She turned him down.
When you turn down music or sound, you decrease the volume. You can turn down a TV, or a stereo.
- He turned down the radio.
When you turn off a machine, you push the power button to the “off” position. You can turn off a light, an iPod, or any other electric appliance.
- He turned off the car.
When you turn in, you go to sleep.
- Time to turn in for the night.
Other meanings:
If you are turned on by something, you are excited by that thing.
- I am turned on by TV shows about space.
If you are turned off by something, you don’t feel good about that thing.
- I am turned off by raisins. (yes, true!)
