English Lesson: Take, Cost, & Spend

I live near the beach. It takes about 20 minutes by car. On a hot summer day, there is nothing better than spending time at the beach. I can spend a whole day at the beach. I usually pack a cooler with drinks and food for lunch, because food at the beach is overpriced. A hot dog costs around five dollars! Plus, you have to spend a lot of time waiting on line. I don’t want to take time standing on line to buy overpriced junk food!

Today, let’s look at using take, cost, and spend. Do you know how to uses these words? Have a look at the paragraph above, then check out today’s lesson:

Take

We use take to talk about using time. Here are some examples:

  • It takes about 20 minutes by car
  • I don’t want to take time standing on line
  • Flying from New York to Seoul takes twelve hours
  • How long does it take to get to Washington by train?

Cost

We use cost to talk about using money. Here are some examples:

  • At the beach, a hot dog costs around five dollars.
  • An iPad costs less in New York than it does in Tokyo.
  • I usually compare the cost of something in different stores before I buy.
  • How much does it cost to get from New York to Washington?

We can also use cost to talk about time, when we feel that we wasted our time doing something. When we want to comlain about wasting time, we can use cost, and we do so using the past tense, like this:

  • That meeting cost me three hours. Now I need to work overtime.
  • I missed my flight, so it cost me a whole day.
  • The traffic jam cost me an extra half an hour this morning.

Spend

We use spend to talk about using both money and time. Here are some examples:

  • I can spend the whole day at the beach.
  • I spent an hour in traffic this morning
  • Bob spent a lot of money on that watch.
  • We spend three hundred dollars a month on groceries.

So there you have it. I hop you can spend a lot of time studying English! Thanks for studying today. Feel free to suggest a topic for a one-point lesson anytime!

English Lesson: Active vs Passive Voice

I like sweets. I know, I shouldn’t eat a lot of sweets, but tonight my sister brought some cupcakes to my house for dessert. Ever since the TV show Sex in the City became popular, cupcakes became a really popular treat in the USA. How about in you r country? Now, lots of bakeries make cupcakes. If you’ve never had a cupcake, they are tiny cakes with very delicious and sweet frosting on top. Today’s cupcakes were made by my sister. They were yummy!

Today we will look at the difference between the active and the passive voice. Do you know the difference? Have a look at the paragraph above and then check out today’s lesson.

Let’s compare the following sentences:

  • My sister made the cupcakes                 ← active voice
  • The cupcakes were made by my sister  ← passive voice

Both of these sentences mean the same thing. However, there is a huge difference in how they are used. The active voice is more conversational than the passive voice.  It is clear to the listener because it focuses on who did the action. The active voice is more common in everyday English conversation.

  • My sister made the cupcakes
  • Jane found a wallet on the bus
  • Frank won the race.

The passive voice is less conversational than the active voice.  It is less clear to the listener because it focuses on action and takes more words to explain. The passive voice is more common in scientific or technical writing or reporting. The passive voice is more common when discussing a process:

  • The cupcakes were made by my sister
  • A wallet was found by Jane.
  • The race was won by Frank.

When you speak or write in your journal, try to use the active voice for clearer communication. Thanks for reading today!

English Lesson: Care Vs. Worry

As you know, I have a Jack Russell Terrier named Happy. She is just turned 12 years old, with makes her about 65 human years old. It is hard to imagine that I have been caring for her for this long. Where does the time go? Since it’s the summer, I need to take extra care that she has enough water. I worry that she will get to exhausted if she goes outside, so I try to keep her inside as much as I can. Caring for an animal is hard work, but I don’t mind doing it.

Today we will look at two words which are often confused in English – Care & Worry. Do you know how to use these words? Take a look at the paragraph above and then check out today’s lesson:

Care

Care is a verb and it is used to show a certain feelings like affection and concern. It is also used when we want to show that something is important to us. Finally, care is used when we talk about living things, making sure that they have food, water, etc. Here are some examples:

You can use care for or care about + a person. Here, care for/about means feel affection.

  • Joe really cares for Linda. I think they will get married.
  • Don’t you care about her anymore?

You can use care about + a situation or circumstances. Here, care about means feel concern.

  • We need to care about the environment, so don’t litter!
  • I don’t think Joe cares about how he dresses.

Here, care about means have feelings that something is important.

  • I don’t think Jane cares about her job any more
  • Do you care about learning English?

You can use care for + living thing Here, care about means looking after [living thing’s] needs

  • Caring for an animal is hard work.
  • Angela is caring for her 95 year old grandmother.
  • Jane cares for her garden as much as she cares for her kids!

In more formal speaking, care for is also used when we offer food and drink, and when we talk about food or drink we don’t like. Care for is not used to show preference for a food or drink

  • Would you care for a cool glass of iced-tea?
  • I don’t really care for beer. I prefer wine.
  • I like red wine. Not, I care for red wine.

Worry

Worry is a verb and it is used to show a certain feelings of anxiety, unease,  or concern for difficult or negative situations. We generally use worry + about + person/thing/situation. Here are some examples:

  • I am worried about passing the exam tomorrow. I need to study more.
  • Sam is always worrying about money, even though he has a good job.
  • We are all worrying about the economy these days.
  • Jane is worrying about her son who just joined the army.

Care vs worry

Note the differences between care and worry in these examples:

  • I care about Jane very much. This means I have strong feelings of love and affection for Jane.
  • I worry about Jane very much. This means I have strong feelings of anxiety for Jane. Perhaps she is sick or going through a difficult time in her life.
  • I care about passing the exam. Passing the exam is important to me.
  • I worry about passing the exam. I am concerned that I may not pass the exam.

Well, please don’t worry if you don’t understand this lesson the first time you read it. Check it once more and I am sure you’ll have nothing to worry about. Thanks for studying today. I care about your progress in English!

English Lesson: Phrasal Verbs with “Fill”

I bought gas today. I usually fill up the tank, but these days the gas prices are falling, so I just filled it up halfway. The guy at the gas station told me if I had their charge card, I could get a small discount on Tuesdays. He said all I needed to do was to fill out the application and he could get me the approval soon. I filled in my name, address and other info and I was good to go.

Today we will look at some phrasal verbs that use fill – fill up, fill in, an fill out. Do you know how to use these words? Take a look at the paragraph above and then check out today’s lesson:

Fill in and fill out are similar, but they are used differently. You can fill out an application or a form, but you fill in your name and address on the form. The structure is fill out + [some form] and fill in + [some information].  For example, these sentences refer to completing a form:

  • I filled out an application for a gas card.
  • If you want to study at Happy English, please fill out this questionnaire.  

The following sentences refer to entering information on a form:

  • There is a lot of information to fill in on a passport application.
  • This form says to fill in your name, address, and phone number.

Fill up means to put something into a container so that all the space in the container is used:

  • I usually fill up the tank with gas.
  • When I cleaned up my attic, I filled up three boxes of stuff that I donated to the red cross

You can also fill something up halfway or part of the way. If you do not mention the amount of the container being filled up, we will assume it is filled up completely.

  • You should fill up the pool halfway and check for leaks.
  • Don’t fill up the box too much, it may break.

Well, I hope I didn’t fill up your head with too much English today. Thanks for reading and feel free to suggest a topic for me to cover here (^0^)