Posts tagged verbs
English Lesson: Bring Vs Take
Jun 5th
I went to an international pot luck party last night. Have you ever been to one? At this kind of party, each guest is asked to bring a dish that is common to their country. I had a hard time deciding what to bring, but finally I made a decision. I brought pizza. I like pizza. Sometimes I keep some pizza in the freezer. The best way to heat up frozen pizza is to take it out of the freezer 30 minutes before putting in the oven. Then, when the cheese starts to bubble, take it out of the oven and enjoy!
Today we will look at bring and take. Sometimes, these two words can be interchangeable, but in some cases they can not. Do you know how to use them? Have a look at the paragraph above and then check out today’s lesson:
In general, we bring something to somewhere and we take something from somewhere:
- I brought pizza to the party (from my house to the party)
- Please bring a dish that is common in your country to the party (from where you are to the party)
- Can you bring me a pen? (from where you are to where I am)
- I took the pizza out of the freezer (from the freezer)
- I need to take the trash out (from the house to outside)
- These books are heavy. Can you take them? (from me)
How we use bring and take can also depend on the point of view of the speaker. In cases like this, bring and take are interchangeable, but have a slightly different nuance:
- I bring my dog to the beach (the emphasis is “to the beach)
- I take my dog to the beach (the emphasis is “from my home”)
- I am going to bring an umbrella today (the emphasis is “to my destination)
- I am going to take an umbrella today (the emphasis is “from my home”)
So, as in the above four examples, either bring or take can be used.
Bring is used when the speaker wants or needs something where they are. The structure is bring + me +something or bring + something + to me. In these cases we cannot use take:
- Can you bring me the remote for the TV?
- Please bring that book to me when you visit.
Take out and take away mean remove, and in cases like this we cannot use bring:
- Take the pizza out of the oven. Not,
Bring the pizza outof the oven. - Can you take away the trash? Not, Can you
bring awaythe trash.
So, let me ask, what brought you to my blog today? I hope you can take this information and use it in your daily English conversation.
English Lesson: Borrow Vs. Lend
Jun 4th
My neighbor came over today and asked if he could borrow my lawn mower. I usually don’t like to lend garden tools to him because it takes too long for him to return them. I think that if you are going to borrow something, you should return it promptly after using it. I did lend him the lawn mower, and much to my surprise he returned it with a full tank of gas!
Today we will look at borrow and lend. These words are similar, but they are used differently. Do you know how to use them? Take a look at the paragraph above and then check out today’s lesson:
Borrow
When you borrow something, you take it for a short amount of time.
You can borrow something from someone, and you can borrow someone’s something. Here are a few examples:
- I borrowed a pen from George (borrow something from someone)
- My neighbor borrowed my lawn mower (borrow someone’s something)
- Can I borrow your pen? ← This is how we ask to borrow something
Lend
When you lend something, you give it to someone for a short amount of time.
You can lend someone something or lend something to someone. Remember that lend is an irregular verb and the past tense form is lent. Here are a few examples:
- George lent me his pen (lend someone something)
- I lent my lawn mower to my neighbor (lend something to someone)
- Can you lend me your pen? ← This is how we ask someone to lend us something
Please be careful!
- Can I borrow your pen? Not, Can I
lendyour pen - Can you lend me your pen? Not, Can you
borrowme your pen
Rent
Some people confuse the past form of lend (lent) with rent. When you rent something, you pay money to use that think for a short amount of time.
- I rented a car for the weekend
- My sister rents a house near the beach every summer
Well, thank you for lending me your time today by reading my blog lesson. I hope it was helpful. Does your neighbor borrow your things?
English Lesson: Present Progressive
May 23rd
I’m sitting in my office typing on an old keyboard. As I am writing this lesson, I am listening to the radio. Someone is talking about books. What are you reading these days? I’m reading a book about social media. It’s pretty interesting. After work today, I’m going to meet a friend for coffee. He’s helping me get my sailboat ready for the summer. I am launching the boat on Saturday.
Have a look at the paragraph above. You’ll notice I used the present progressive tense (that’s Verb+ing) three different ways. Can you find them?
1. What I am doing right now
We use present progressive to talk about what we are doing right now, at the moment of speaking:
- I’m sitting in my office.
- As I am writing this lesson, I am listening to the radio.
- Someone is talking about books.
2. What I am doing these days
We also use present progressive to talk about what we are doing these days, but not necessarily at the moment of speaking:
- I’m reading a book about social media. (I am reading it these days, but I’m not reading it at the moment)
- My friend is helping me get the boat ready. (He is helping me these days, but he’s not helping me at the moment)
- George is working on his MBA. (These days, George is working on his MBA, but perhaps not at the moment)
3. What I am doing in the near future?
We also use present progressive to talk about what we are doing in the near future. This is how we talk about our plans :
- After work today, I’m going to meet a friend for coffee.
- I’m working this Saturday.
- Joe is meeting his sister at JFK tomorrow.
So, to summarize, we use this tense to talk about right now, these days, and plans in the near future. What are you doing tomorrow?
