Prepositional Phrase
20.00 | Author:

Prepositional phrase is a group of words made up of a preposition, it’s object, and any of the object’s modifiers.

Recognize a prepositional phrase when you see one.
          At the minimum, a prepositional phrase will begin with a preposition and end with a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause, the "object" of the preposition.
  The object of the preposition will often have one or more modifiers to describe it.

 These are the patterns for a prepositional phrase:
          preposition + noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause
          preposition + modifier(s) + noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause

Here are some examples of the most basic prepositional phrase:
          At home
At = preposition; home = noun.
          In time
In = preposition; time = noun.
          From Richie
From = preposition; Richie = noun.
          With me
With = preposition; me = pronoun.
          By singing
By = preposition; singing = gerund.
          About what we need
About = preposition; what we need = noun clause.

Most prepositional phrases are longer, like these:
          From my grandmother
From = preposition; my = modifier; grandmother = noun.
          Under the warm blanket
Under = preposition; the, warm = modifiers; blanket = noun.
          In the weedy, overgrown garden
In = preposition; the, weedy, overgrown = modifiers; garden = noun.

A prepositional phrase will function as an adjective or adverb. As an adjective, the prepositional phrase will answer the question Which one?
Read these examples:
          The book on the bathroom floor is swollen from shower steam.
Which book? The one on the bathroom floor!
          The sweet potatoes in the vegetable bin are green with mold.
Which sweet potatoes? The ones forgotten in the vegetable bin!

As an adverb, a prepositional phrase will answer questions such as How? When? or Where?
          Freddy is stiff from yesterday's long football practice.
How did Freddy get stiff? From yesterday's long football practice!
          Before class, Josh begged his friends for a pencil.
When did Josh do his begging? Before class!
          Feeling brave, we tried the Dragon Breath Burritos at Tito's Taco Palace.
Where did we eat the spicy food? At Tito's Taco Palace!
          Remember that a prepositional phrase will never contain the subject of a sentence.
          Sometimes a noun within the prepositional phrase seems the logical subject of a verb. Don't fall for that trick! You will never find a subject in a prepositional phrase.
Look at this example:
Neither of these cookbooks contains the recipe for Manhattan-style squid eyeball stew.
          Cookbooks do indeed contain recipes. In this sentence, however, cookbooks is part of the prepositional phrase of these cookbooks. Neither—whatever a neither is—is the subject for the verb contains.
          Neither is singular, so you need the singular form of the verb, contains. If you incorrectly identified cookbooks as the subject, you might write contain, the plural form, and thus commit a subject-verb agreement error.
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Preposition In, On, At
04.53 | Author:
Prepositions of Time: at, in, on
We use:
  • at for a PRECISE TIME
  • in for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS
  • on for DAYS and DATES
at in on
PRECISE TIME MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS DAYS and DATES
at 3 o’clock in May on Sunday
at 10.30am in summer on Tuesdays
at noon in the summer on 6 March
at dinnertime in 1990 on 25 Dec. 2010
at bedtime in the 1990s on Christmas Day
at sunrise in the next century on Independence Day
at sunset in the Ice Age on my birthday
at the moment in the past/future on New Year’s Eve
Look at these examples:
  • I have a meeting at 9am.
  • The shop closes at midnight.
  • Jane went home at lunchtime.
  • In England, it often snows in December.
  • Do you think we will go to Jupiter in the future?
  • There should be a lot of progress in the next century.
  • Do you work on Mondays?
  • Her birthday is on 20 November.
  • Where will you be on New Year’s Day?

Notice the use of the preposition of time at in the following standard expressions:
Expression Example
at night The stars shine at night.
at the weekend I don’t usually work at the weekend.
at Christmas/Easter I stay with my family at Christmas.
at the same time We finished the test at the same time.
at present He’s not home at present. Try later.
Notice the use of the prepositions of time in and on in these common expressions:
in on
in the morning on Tuesday morning
in the mornings on Saturday mornings
in the afternoon(s) on Sunday afternoons
in the evening(s) on Monday evening
When we say last, next, every, this we do not also use at, in, on.
  • I went to London last June. (not in last June)
  • He’s coming back next Tuesday. (not on next Tuesday)
  • I go home every Easter. (not at every Easter)
  • We’ll call you this evening. (not in this evening)
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Vocabulary Around The House
04.35 | Author:
Hy guys... we meet again. In this chapter, we will get the materials of English lesson about vocabs around the house.. These are the materials :D :: 
Other Rooms

Attic People store things in the attic.
Ballroom A room in stately homes where rich people dance and concerts are held.
Box Room A small room used for storage.
Cellar Underneath the house.
Cloakroom A small room where people put their coats.
Conservatory A greenhouse attached to a house for the display of plants.
Dining Room A room where people eat.
Drawing Room A room in stately homes where rich people entertain.
Games Room A room in large houses where games are played.
Hall The entrance passage to a house.
Larder A small room used for the storage of food.
Library A room where books are kept.
Lounge Another name for living room.
Music Room A room where people play music.
Office A room where people work.
Pantry A small room used to store kitchen and dining items.
Parlour Old fashioned word for living room.
Sitting Room Another name for living room.
Spare Room/
Guest Room
A room where guests sleep.
Toilet A room where people go to the toilet (often known as WC)
Utility Room A room where appliances such as washing machines are used.
Things you may find around the house
           
light bulb(s) plug(s) socket(s) torch(es)
        
ceiling light(s) lamp(s) curtain(s)

        

shelf (shelves) (tele)phone(s) box(es)
        
plug(s) battery (batteries) photo(graph)(s)

Naturally Speaking
Click on the words to hear the pronunciation


Dialogue
Here is a conversation between Mrs Smith (Joan) and husband Steve.
It’s Saturday and Joan and Steve are decorating.
Joan Steve, you missed a bit.
Steve Where?
Joan Here, on the wall just by the window, you can see a patch of white.
Steve Oh yes, I see it. It’s difficult in this light.
Joan I know, well at least we have finished this room, only five more to go.
Steve Are you sure you want to put wallpaper up in the lounge?
Joan Yes, but don’t worry, I’m really good at wallpapering. I just wish that John would decide on what he wants his room doing in.
Steve I know, it’s difficult when you’re a boy. At least he’s grown out of Star Wars, I keep thinking he’ll ask for red and black or something equally gruesome.
Joan Yes, but it is his room. I’m glad we decided not to move though. Maybe we should think about building an extension to the kitchen instead.
Steve One thing at a time please! Lets get this decorating over and done with first.
Joan Ha! Oh by the way you missed a bit by the door too!
Steve Hmmm, thanks. Here’s a brush
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Passive Voice
04.14 | Author:

Use of Passive

Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action.
Example: My bike was stolen.
In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.
Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:
Example: A mistake was made.
In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).

Form of Passive

Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)
Example: A letter was written.
When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:
  • the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence
  • the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)
  • the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)

Examples of Passive Level 2

Tense Subject Verb Object
Simple Present Active: Ritawritesa letter.
Passive: A letteris writtenby Rita.
Simple Past Active: Ritawrotea letter.
Passive: A letterwas writtenby Rita.
Present Perfect Active: Ritahas writtena letter.
Passive: A letterhas been writtenby Rita.
Future I Active: Ritawill writea letter.
Passive: A letterwill be writtenby Rita.
Hilfsverben Active: Ritacan writea letter.
Passive: A lettercan be writtenby Rita.

Examples of Passive Level 4

Tense Subject Verb Object
Present Progressive Active: Ritais writinga letter.
Passive: A letteris being writtenby Rita.
Past Progressive Active: Ritawas writinga letter.
Passive: A letterwas being writtenby Rita.
Past Perfect Active: Ritahad writtena letter.
Passive: A letterhad been writtenby Rita.
Future II Active: Ritawill have writtena letter.
Passive: A letterwill have been writtenby Rita.
Conditional I Active: Ritawould writea letter.
Passive: A letterwould be writtenby Rita.
Conditional II Active: Ritawould have writtena letter.
Passive: A letterwould have been writtenby Rita.

Passive Sentences with Two Objects Level 3

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.

Subject Verb Object 1 Object 2
Active: Ritawrotea letterto me.
Passive: A letterwas writtento meby Rita.
Passive: Iwas writtena letterby Rita.
. As you can see in the examples, adding by Rita does not sound very elegant. Thats why it is usually dropped.

Personal and Impersonal Passive

Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that needs an object (transitive verb) can form a personal passive.
Example: They build houses. – Houses are built.
Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal passive sentence (as there is no object that can become the subject of the passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an impersonal construction – therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.
Example: he says – it is said
Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages (e.g. German, Latin). In English, Impersonal Passive is only possible with verbs of perception (e. g. say, think, know).
Example: They say that women live longer than men. – It is said that women live longer than men.
Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more common.
Example: They say that women live longer than men. – Women are said to live longer than men.
The subject of the subordinate clause (women) goes to the beginning of the sentence; the verb of perception is put into passive voice. The rest of the sentence is added using an infinitive construction with 'to' (certain auxiliary verbs and that are dropped).
Sometimes the term Personal Passive is used in English lessons if the indirect object of an active sentence is to become the subject of the passive sentence.
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Example :
a :Do you remember where you put my scissors ?

Asking if someone remembers or not  
1. Formal expressions:
- I wonder if you remember.....
- You remember...., don’t you?
- You haven’t forgotten...., have you?
- Don’t you remember.....?
- Do you happen to remember it now?
• Ways to respond:http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8250020700536643501
- Let me think, yes, I remember.
- I remember especially the scenery.
- I’ll never forget that
- I’ll always remember.
- I can remember it clearly.

2. Informal expressions:
- Remember the old house we used to live in?
- Remember that?
- I’m sorry I don’t remember
• Ways to respond:
- Hold on. Yes, got it!
- I know.....
- It’s coming back to me now.
• Respond if you forget:
- Sorry, I’ve completely forgotten.
- I’m afraid I forget.
- I really can’t remember.
- I’m afraid I have no memory of him
- Emmm, let me think. No, it’s gone.
- Sorry, it slipped off my mind.

Example :
It was Sunday morning, Tia got dressed and had breakfast quickly. She was ready to leave for school. Her mother was a little puzzled.
Mother : Hey...hey.... are you going to school?
Tia : Yes, Mom. I overslept. I’m in a hurry
Mother : You remember Sunday, don’t you?
Tia : Oh, my goodness. I thought it’s a school day !
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Offering
04.07 | Author:
The expression of “ Would you like….”is normally used for offering something to someone.
Dhina: Would you like a fried rice Yen?
Yensy : Yes, please. Thank you. Hmmm…that is my favourite food.
Zean : Thank you. I’m glad you like it.


Ways to say it
* Would you like a cup of tea, Fivi?
* Should I get you a bottle of water?
* Could I offer you a glass of milk, Mr. john?
* Would you care some salad?

Ofering to friends:
* Want some?
* Have some?
* Chocolate?
* Grab some for yourself

Less formal expressions:
* Would you like to have a pancake?
* Why don’t you have some lemonade?
* What can I get for you?
* What will you have?Declining an offering
* No, thanks
.* No, really won’t, thanks
* Not for me, thanks.

Accepting an offering:
* Thank you.
* Yes, please
* I’d like it very much
* That would be very nice
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Simple Future
03.19 | Author:
Simple Future has two different forms in English: "will" and "be going to." Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two very different meanings. These different meanings might seem too abstract at first, but with time and practice, the differences will become clear. Both "will" and "be going to" refer to a specific time in the future.

FORM Will

[will + verb]
Examples:
  • You will help him later.
  • Will you help him later?
  • You will not help him later.

FORM Be Going To

[am/is/are + going to + verb]
Examples:
  • You are going to meet Jane tonight.
  • Are you going to meet Jane tonight?
  • You are not going to meet Jane tonight.
Complete List of Simple Future Forms

USE 1 "Will" to Express a Voluntary Action

"Will" often suggests that a speaker will do something voluntarily. A voluntary action is one the speaker offers to do for someone else. Often, we use "will" to respond to someone else's complaint or request for help. We also use "will" when we request that someone help us or volunteer to do something for us. Similarly, we use "will not" or "won't" when we refuse to voluntarily do something.
Examples:
  • I will send you the information when I get it.
  • I will translate the email, so Mr. Smith can read it.
  • Will you help me move this heavy table?
  • Will you make dinner?
  • I will not do your homework for you.
  • I won't do all the housework myself!
  • A: I'm really hungry.
    B: I'll make some sandwiches.
  • A: I'm so tired. I'm about to fall asleep.
    B: I'll get you some coffee.
  • A: The phone is ringing.
    B: I'll get it.

USE 2 "Will" to Express a Promise

"Will" is usually used in promises.
Examples:
  • I will call you when I arrive.
  • If I am elected President of the United States, I will make sure everyone has access to inexpensive health insurance.
  • I promise I will not tell him about the surprise party.
  • Don't worry, I'll be careful.
  • I won't tell anyone your secret.

USE 3 "Be going to" to Express a Plan

"Be going to" expresses that something is a plan. It expresses the idea that a person intends to do something in the future. It does not matter whether the plan is realistic or not.
Examples:
  • He is going to spend his vacation in Hawaii.
  • She is not going to spend her vacation in Hawaii.
  • A: When are we going to meet each other tonight?
    B: We are going to meet at 6 PM.
  • I'm going to be an actor when I grow up.
  • Michelle is going to begin medical school next year.
  • They are going to drive all the way to Alaska.
  • Who are you going to invite to the party?
  • A: Who is going to make John's birthday cake?
    B: Sue is going to make John's birthday cake.

USE 4 "Will" or "Be Going to" to Express a Prediction

Both "will" and "be going to" can express the idea of a general prediction about the future. Predictions are guesses about what might happen in the future. In "prediction" sentences, the subject usually has little control over the future and therefore USES 1-3 do not apply. In the following examples, there is no difference in meaning.
Examples:
  • The year 2222 will be a very interesting year.
  • The year 2222 is going to be a very interesting year.
  • John Smith will be the next President.
  • John Smith is going to be the next President.
  • The movie "Zenith" will win several Academy Awards.
  • The movie "Zenith" is going to win several Academy Awards.

IMPORTANT

In the Simple Future, it is not always clear which USE the speaker has in mind. Often, there is more than one way to interpret a sentence's meaning.

No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, the Simple Future cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of Simple Future, Simple Present is used.
Examples:
  • When you will arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Not Correct
  • When you arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
  • You will never help him.
  • Will you ever help him?
  • You are never going to meet Jane.
  • Are you ever going to meet Jane?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:
  • John will finish the work by 5:00 PM. Active
  • The work will be finished by 5:00 PM. Passive
  • Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. Active
  • A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight. Passive
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Noun Phrases
03.06 | Author:
Noun phrases or noun phrase is a phrase consisting of a noun or pronoun (as head) and modifiers.
Modifiers that normally accompanies the noun is:

  • Determiners (articles, demonstratives, numbers, Possessives, quantifiers) 
  •  Adjectives, adjective phrases, adjective clauses
  •  Relative clauses
As with nouns, noun phrases also have a function as subject or object in a sentence. Consider the following example below: 
  •  My coach is happy. 
  •  I like the cars over there. 
  • The WHO woman is my aunt lives there. 
  • Frankenstein is the name of the scientist not the monster.
  •  I Consider my favorite cat Meow.
  •  Small children INSIST Often That They can do it by Themselves.
  •  To Quickly and accurately read is John's goal.
  •  Two of my guests have arrived.
  •  Mr. Jones spoke to Dr. James.
  •  My friend works with her father.

Noun phrase always has a noun as the head. And determiners and adjective phrases generally occupy a position as a pre-or pre-head modifiers. Example:

  •  The children 
  • Happy children 
  • The happy children
After the head, put a long post-modifiers are not limited to, for example: 
" the dog That chased the cat That killed the mouse That ate the cheese That was made from the milk from the cow That CAME that ..."
In fact, the use of post-modifiers along the example above is rarely used, not even once.
Head of the noun phrase is not necessarily a noun, can also be pronouns (pronouns).Example: 

  • I like coffee. 
  • The waitress gave me the wrong dessert. 
  • This is my car.
If acting as head of pronouns, the noun phrase that generally has a head (of pronouns) that's all. This is because the pronoun does not require determiners or adjectives, so pre-modifiers are not required. However, some pronouns, makes it possible to add post-modifiers.[Those WHO arrive late] can not be admitted until the interval.
So is the numbers, can occupy the position as head of the noun phrase.[Two of my guests] have arrived.[The first to arrive] was John.

 


Note::





The ability to understand the noun phrase well is important to recognize the idea in a sentence, rather than just knowing the meaning of the word per word. Knowledge of the possible variations of expanded forms of the noun phrase is very useful in understanding the precise and specific meaning contained in a sentence.
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Finite Verbs
02.57 | Author:
A finite verb is a verb that is inflected for person and for tense according to the rules and categories of the languages in which it occurs. Finite verbs can form independent clauses, which can stand on their own as complete sentences.
The finite forms of a verb are the forms where the verb shows tense, person or number. Non-finite verb forms have no person or number, but some types can show tense.
  • Finite verb forms include: I go, she goes, he went
  • Non-finite verb forms include: to go, going, gone
 In the Indo-European languages (such as English), only verbs in certain moods are finite. These include:
  • the indicative mood (expressing a state of affairs); e.g., "The bulldozer demolished the restaurant," "The leaves were yellow and stiff."
  • the imperative mood (giving a command); e. g., "Come here!", "Be a good boy!"
  • the subjunctive mood (typically used in dependent clauses); e. g., "It is required that he go to the back of the line." (The indicative form would be "goes".)
  • the optative mood (expressing a wish or hope). Non-existent as a mood in English.

Verb forms that are not finite include:
It might seem that every grammatically complete sentence or clause must contain a finite verb. However, sentences lacking a finite verb were quite common in the old Indo-European languages. The most important type of these are nominal sentences.[1]
Another type are sentence fragments described as phrases or minor sentences. In Latin and some Romance languages, there are a few words that can be used to form sentences without verbs, such as Latin ecce, Portuguese eis, French voici and voilĂ , and Italian ecco, all of these translatable as here ... is or here ... are. Some interjections can play the same role. Even in English, a sentence like Thanks for your help! has an interjection where it could have a subject and a finite verb form (compare I appreciate your help!).

IN OTHER WORDS ::
A finite verb (sometimes called main verbs) is a verb that has a subject, this means that it can be the main verb in a sentence. It shows tense (past / present etc) or number (singular / plural).
For example:-
I live in Germay. (I is the subject - live describes what the subject does - live is a finite verb).
Non-Finite Verbs
A non-finite verb has no subject, tense or number. The only non-finite verb forms are the infinitive (indicated by to), the gerund or the participle.
For example:-
I travelled to Germany to improve my German. (To improve is in the infinitive form).
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News Item
02.47 | Author:
News Item is related to the type of text message. We can find the text of News Item in the event of news coverage, in the form of listening texts, be it on radio or on television. For a written text can be found in newspapers or magazines.
News Item has function to inform the reader or listener. A clear purpose is to inform the news to the reader or listener.

So that the resulting text can be easily understood by the reader or listener, there are three steps that must exist in the text, namely:

A. Core write news or events that are considered important (Newsworthy Event).

2. Writing out the background or cause the occurrence of the event (Event Background).

3. Write a news source, usually contains about a quote from the resource persons who usually witness,

or officials associated with the event (Sources).


 
Usually the news about the accident, but there are also other themes. To distinguish the type of text News Item and other text that is easy for News Item has a unique feature that is preceded by a city or place. Another feature that is the quote from the speaker.

Example::
Text 1
SINGAPORE: A supervisor was jailed for two months for repeatedly striking his Indonesian maid on the head and back with a television remote. (Ini namanya newsworthy event, inti berita ini adalah tentang seorang supervisor yang dipenjara)
Muhammad Shafiq Woon Abdullah was brought to court in Singapore because he had physically hurt the woman on several occasions between June and October 2002, the Straits Time said. (Ini bisa juga termasuk ke dalam source, ada kata “the Strait Time said”, sebagai sumber berita)
The magistrate’s court heard that Shafiq, 31, began striking Winarti, 22, about a month after she started working for him. (Paragraf 2 dan 3 adalah background event, karena menyebutkan latar belakang penyebab kejadian tersebut)
He hit her on the head with the TV sets remote control because he was unhappy with her work. On the occasion, he punched her on the back after accusing her of daydreaming.
S.S. Dhillon, Shafiq’s lawyer, said that his client had become mad when he saw his daughter’s face covered as she was lying in bed. He said his client thought the maid had put the child in danger. (paragraf ini juga merupakan source, ada kata “…lawyer, said”

Text 2
BEIJING (AFP): China denied yesterday that any dispute existed between itself and Indonesia over the South China Sea’s Natuna Island, but said it was willing to hold talks with Jakarta to settle demarcation. (newsworthy event)
There is no dispute between China and Indonesia on possession of the Natuna Islands,’ said foreign ministry spokesman Chen Jian when asked about reports of growing concerns in Jakarta over Chinese interest in a gas-rich zone near the archipelago. (source)
“We’re willing to hold talks with the Indonesian side to settle demarcation of this area.” Chen added, without elaborating. China is one of the six nations which claims all or part of the Spratly Island in the South China Sea and its interpretation of that claim includes part of the large Indonesian maritime zone of Natuna, between Borneo and the Malaysian Peninsula. United States oil giant Exxon signed a contract in November with the Indonesia state owned firm Pertamina to exploit a natural gas field, 250 kilometres northeast of Natuna, in a zone apparently claimed by China. (background event)
China has lodged no official protest over the deal. Indonesia has sent a diplomatic note to Beijing expressing its condemn the moment it found out that the latest Chinese official map showed Natuna as within dotted line of its boundary.

Text 3
Yogyakarta: Two chidren in Yogyakarta died of dengue fever at Sardjito Hospital Monday, raising to 12 the number of deaths caused by the disease in the last four moths. “They were very ill when they arrived. We did our best.” The head of the hospital’s pediatric ward, Ida Safitri, said on Tuesday.
Sadjito spokesman Trisno Heru Nigroho said there had been a significant increase in the number of dengue fever patients at the hospital in recent months. In January, 69 patients were treated at the hospital, 88 in February and 102 in March.
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