Posts tagged adverbs
English Lesson: Using Even, Even Though & Even If
Feb 26th
I have even met Kitty in NYC!
We use even when we want to show that something is surprising, or more than what was expected. The structures are even + noun (or) even + verb (or) even + adjective. In a negative sentence you can use not even
- The boss is mean to everyone, even his personal assistant.
- He even yells at his wife on the telephone.
- He is even rude to the delivery guys.
- He is not even nice at Christmas time!
- Nobody like the boss. Even Bob doesn’t like him, and Bob likes everyone!
When we use even with an auxiliary verb (like can, has, may, etc) even usually goes between the auxiliary and the main verb.
- I don’t even know why I still work for that boss.
- He can’t even be kind in the meetings.
- He has even been rude to his boss!
We use even though to show unexpected results. The structure is even though + subject + verb. As you know, we use because to show expected results. Let’s compare because with even though:
- Because it was raining, I didn’t go to the beach. (on a rainy day, not going to the beach is expected)
- Even though it was raining, I went go to the beach. (on a rainy day, going to the beach is unexpected)
- Because I was full, I didn’t have dessert.
- Even though I was full, I had had dessert.
We use even if when we talk about conditions. Even if shows that the condition does not matter and that the result will not change despite the condition. The structure is even if + subject + verb.
- I have plans to go to the beach today. Even if it rains, I am going to go to the beach.
- This restaurant is famous for its delicious dessert. Even if I am full, I am going to order dessert!
- I’m still not good at playing ping-pong. Even if I practice every week, I’m still not improving.
Do me a favor? Please try to make a sentence using even by leaving a comment below.
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: Hard Vs Hardly
Dec 9th
He can hardly believe it!
Hard and hardly can be confusing for a lot of students. Let’s have a look at these two words today!
Hard is an adjective and has the opposite meaning of “soft.”
- A bagel has a hard crust and a soft inside.
- If you don’t put that bread in a bag it will become hard.
- Steel is harder that wood.
In addition, hard is used to mean “difficult” or “requiring a lot of effort.”
- The final exam was harder than I expected.
- Some people find it hard to used the subway in Tokyo.
- She’s a good teacher, but sometimes she gives us hard questions to think about.
Hard is also used as an adverb and means, “using a lot of effort or with a lot of energy.” Hard generally comes after the verb.
- He said he studied very hard to pass the exam.
- We worked hard on the report and finally finished it on time.
- It rained hard for two days.
Hardly is also an adverb but means “scarcely,” “barely,” and “slightly.” Hardly generally comes before the verb.
- It hardly rained this summer, so the water supply is low.
- The trains hardly come between midnight and 6:00am.
- Because of the poor sound system, we could hardly hear the CEO when he gave his speech.
Thus, in a way, hardly can have the opposite meaning of hard, when used as an adverb. Compare these two sentences:
- Jack worked hard on the project all day. Jack used a lot of effort.
- Jack hardly worked on the project all day. Jack used very little effort.
Did you work hard on something today or were you hardly working? 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: When Vs While in the Past
Nov 6th
I saw this spider when I was in Tokyo
We use both while and when to refer to the past time. Let’s check out the basic rules for using these words.
We use when in a past time clause with the simple past tense, like this:
- When the hurricane hit, I was on vacation.
- Jack was in the middle of a meeting when his cell phone rang.
- When I saw Jane she was working on her project.
- I was about to leave the house when it started raining.
We use while in a past time clause with the past progressive tense, like this:
- While I was cooking dinner, the power went out.
- Jim said he lost his keys while he was jogging.
- While we were walking home, it started raining.
- I met up with Tommy while I was shopping in the mall.
I wrote this lesson at 10pm NYC time. What were you doing when I wrote it? Leave a comment 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!
