English Lesson: Suppose Vs. Suppose to

It’s the end of the sailing season. Even though I’m supposed to pull my boat out of the water by the end of the month, I brought it to the marina yesterday. I suppose I can accept the fact that the summer is over, but I just don’t want to! Suppose I lived in a warmer place than New York. In that case I suppose I could sail all year round. Maybe I am not supposed to think that way, but I suppose it is going to be a long winter.

Today I want to look at how we use the word suppose. Do you know how to use suppose? Have a look at the paragraph above and then check today’s lesson:

Suppose is used to mean “guess” or “assume.”  We usually use suppose + sentence in this way:

  • Jack is an hour late. I suppose he is not coming. I assume he is not coming.
  • I suppose it is going to be a long winter. I guess it is going to be a long winter.
  • Do you suppose the supermarket is open late tonight?

Supposedly is the adverb form of suppose. It can sometime be used to indicate the speaker has some doubt about the topic

  • Supposedly, the Italian restaurant downtown makes excellent lasagna.
  • Frank Johnson is supposedly the best candidate for the new management position.
  • Supposedly all of the students in the class didn’t do their homework.

Supposed to is used when we want to talk about something which is an obligation or duty.

  • Jack is supposed to be at work at 9:00 every morning.
  • In the Northeast, we are supposed to take the boats out of the water by the end of October.
  • All of the students in the class are supposed to do their homework.

I suppose you enjoyed this lesson, and I am supposed to ask you to please let me know your suggestions for a one point lesson here J

English Lesson: Still Vs Yet

It was pretty warm here in New York yesterday. In fact, it is still warm today. We have had some summer-like weather even though it is not officially summer yet. Actually, it is still spring. I do love the summer weather, especially since I live close to the beach. Up until this weekend the weather has been cool and rainy, so I haven’t been to the beach yet this year. I loved going to the beach when I was a child, and I still do. Maybe I haven’t grown up yet!

Today we will look at still and yet. Do you know the difference? Have another look at the paragraph above and see how I used these two words.

We use still when we want to show that some situation started in the past and continues to now. We use still in in sentences and questions, like this:

It was warm yesterday and it is still warm today. (the warm weather has continued since yesterday)
I started working on this blog last year, and I am still writing lessons here.
I was born in New York and I still live here.
I remember you played tennis in high school. Do you still play?

We use yet when we want to refer to something that did not happen before now, but we think or know it will happen in the future. We use yet in negative sentences and questions, like this:

It’s warm outside, but it is not summer yet. (summer will happen sometime in the future)
My friends tell me I have not grown up yet.
I went to Vietnam once, but I haven’t been back yet.
Have you bought a new cell phone yet?

Are you still reading? Thanks! I hope you are not still confused about these two words. Don’t worry, I’m not finished teaching English on my blog yet. See you tomorrow. I hope you still can come back and visit.



Really ← Learn How to Pronounce this English Word

Really? Can you say that word easily? Many students have a lot of trouble saying the word “really” because it contains an “r” and “l” sound. In this video Englsih Lesson, Michael will show you how to pronounce this word correctly. Check it out! Music by Kevin MacLeod

If you have a request for a one-point lesson, contact me, and I’ll make a lesson for you!

English Idiom Lesson “Like” From Happy English NY

He's like really cool!


  

In this English idiom lesson, we are going to look at the word like. I am sure you know how to use like as a verb meaning fondness or enjoyment. For example, I like pizza! But the word like has some very interesting uses in colloquial, everyday SPOKEN English. Here are a few examples of how like is used these days:

Reported Speech
We can use like to introduce reported speech instead of the word said. In this usage, we say was like to mean said. This use of like is very casual and used more by teenagers and young adults. Here is an example:

  • My mom was like, “Where are you going?” and I was like, “To the movies with Jenny” and so she was like, “What time are you coming home” and I was like, “At midnight I guess” and she was like, “Isn’t that a bit late?” and I was like…..

As an Adverb
We can also use like as an adverb, to mean sort of or nearly like this:

  • I couldn’t go to the party last night because I was like, really tired.
  • The boss is like, really upset with something today.
  • I am like, so bored with TV these days.

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About
Like can also be used to mean about or approximately

  • The Jones Beach is like fifteen miles from here.
  • The Lady Gaga concert was like three hours long!
  • I’m like ten pounds overweight. I need to exercise more

These are some of the most common uses of the word like in spoken English. Have you ever heard like used this way? Do you know other ways like is used? Leave a comment and let us know!