5 12, 2012

One-Point English Lesson: Using “One of” with Superlatives

The Empire State Building is one of the tallest buildings in New York City

We use the superlative form when we talk about the biggest, or the most important thing or person among a group of things or people, like this:

  • The Empire State Building is the tallest building in New York City.
  • Jack is the best baseball player in our school.
  • Tokyo is the biggest city in Japan.

When you want to mention that the thing or person is a member of a group containing the biggest, or the most important things or people, you can use one of. We use one of + adjective + plural noun, and we use this combination with a singular verb, like this:

  • The Empire State Building is one of the tallest buildings in the world.
  • Jack is one of the best baseball players in our city.
  • One of the biggest cities in Asia is Tokyo.

Do you live in one of the biggest cities in your country, or one of the smallest? Leave a message here and let me know!



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4 12, 2012

One-Point English Lesson: Different, Similar, The Same

He has the same dog as her!

When we compare things or people, we can use different, similar, and the same. Let’s have a look at these three today. All three are used as adjectives.

Different means not the same. We use different + noun:

  • New York and San Francisco are different cities.
  • Jack and Jenny have different ideas about decorating the living room.
  • We have different classes on Tuesdays.

We also use different + from:

  • New York is different from San Francisco.
  • Jack’s ideas about decorating the living room are different from Jenny’s.
  • My classes on Tuesdays are different from yours.

Similar means almost identical or very close to the same. We use similar + noun:

  • A taco and a burrito are similar foods.
  • Jack and Jenny have similar ideas about painting the house.
  • Biology and Chemistry majors often take similar classes.

We also use similar + to:

  • A taco is similar to a burrito.
  • Jack’s ideas about painting the house are similar to Jenny’s.
  • Biology majors’ required classes are similar to Chemistry major’s classes.

The same means identical. Because the same is a unique and specific relationship, we use the same, so the structure is the same + noun:

  • Norma Jean and Marilyn Monroe are the same people.
  • Jack and Jenny have the same ideas about painting the house.
  • Biology and Chemistry majors often take many of the same classes.

We also use the same as:

  • Tom’s house is the same as mine.
  • Jack’s ideas about painting the house are the same as Jenny’s.
  • Biology majors’ required classes are the same as Chemistry major’s classes.

We also use the same noun as:

  • Tom’s house is the same size as mine.
  • You have the same pen as I have.
  • Biology majors’ take the same classes as Chemistry major’s do.

Have you studied the same lesson as this in your school this week? Leave a comment here and let me know.



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3 12, 2012

One-Point English Lesson: Telephone Vocabulary

Today, let’s have a look at the various words and phrases we use when we use the telephone.

Call is used as a verb to mean “communicate by telephone.” The structure is someone + call + someone:

  • Jane called me this morning.
  • I have to call Jack. Today’s his birthday.

When someone calls you, you need to answer the phone. This means you begin talking to the other person who called you. When we answer the phone, we usually say hello. When you are finished talking to the person, you hang up the phone or just hang up. If someone hangs up the phone before you finish the conversation, you can say they hung up on you.  It’s generally rude to hang up on someone, so that generally happens when someone is angry (ouch!)

When you want to talk to someone using a home phone, you pick up the receiver, which is the part of the phone you talk into and listen to. You then listen for the dial tone. The dial tone is the sound you hear in the receiver before you dial, which means to press the numbers on the keypad. Of course, there is no dial tone on a cell phone (US English)/ mobile phone (UK English). The keypad has the digits 0 to 9, and two special symbols. These are called the star (*) key and the pound (#) key.

If the person you are calling is already talking to someone, you might hear a beeping tone called the busy signal. Otherwise, your call may go to voicemail. Voicemail is also called an answering machine and is a machine or system that lets you leave a message. If there is any kind of technical problem you may find that your call does not go through. Sometimes this happens if you are in a bad cell zone which is an area where the cell phone signal is weak.



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2 12, 2012

Sunday quick grammar tip: “even if” vs “even though”

How’s your weekend going? Are you studying for TOEIC or TOEFL? Remember this important point:

We use “even though” to describe a real situation:

  • Even though I waited on line for 2 hours, I could not buy a ticked for the movie.
The real situation is that I did in fact wait on line for 2 hours.

We use “even if” to describe an unreal or imaginary situation:

  • Even if I send her roses and love letters, she will never go on a date with me.

The unreal/imaginary situation is that I did not really send her roses or love letters. I was just imagining doing so.



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