Confusing Verbs
Some of you have learned that you need to use “a” in front of words beginning with consonants, and “an” with words beginning with vowels. While the rule is easy, it’s not quite right: you need to use “a” with words beginning with consonant sounds and “an” with words beginning with vowel sounds. I drive […]
This word, rooted in Latin, is used in Spanish to talk about setting something, making it stick or permanent, and that definition is also used in English. However, we also use “fix” to mean “repair”, both as a noun and a verb. I need to take the car to garage to get it fixed. […]
Counting and numbers can sometimes present difficulties in English, especially with numbers over 1,000,000, since both languages have similar names, but which refer to different numbers. As in Spanish, 1,000,000 is “one million” in English. However, 1,000,000,000 is not “one thousand million” but rather “one billion”! And 1,000,000,000,000 is not “one billion” but rather “one […]
Read the text and choose the best option:
Well, Christmas 1) is coming up/will come up, and we 2) should all be thinking/should all think about how we’re going to celebrate such a wonderful event. Yes, I know, 3) we’ve been having/we’ve had the decorations up since September, but now that it’s less than a month away, we’re really going to have to focus!
James, earlier you 4) had said/used to say that we should really push the discounts this coming long weekend, and I have to agree with you. So 5) could/do you write me up a report about what should go on sale and for how much and 6) get/to get it back to me by tomorrow? …
Put the verb in parentheses in the right tense for each second- or third-conditional sentence
If I 1)___(win) the lottery tomorrow, it 2___(help) me a lot! See, I’m in debt. A lot of debt. Part of my problem was university: I was told that if I 3)___(go) to a great school, I (4)___(get) a great job, and then I (5)___(can) pay off my debts quickly. But in this economy, there are no jobs to be had. I wish I (6)___(go) to …
Choose the correct tense from the choices.
Ursula: 1) Have you heard/Did you hear the latest news about our boss?
Frank: No! Tell me everything!
Ursula: Well, it seems that the police 2) have pulled him over/pulled him over last night because he 3) used to drive/was driving erratically.
Amid all the confusion surrounding how to use the word “news”, “notice”, etc., there’s something else Spanish speakers need to be aware of regarding the tenses we use when talking about news.
– When we first introduce news, we tend to use the present perfect tense.
– However, after that, we switch immediately to the past tense.
– Keep in mind, this type of tense usage is limited to news giving, and is not really used in other contexts.
The word dejar is quite useful in Spanish, but for English learners, it’s a bit more difficult, because there are various translations for it. Let’s look at two of them: to leave and to let. So, what’s the difference between these verbs? How do we tell them apart? Leave has two main meanings: 1) […]
Verb Tenses: Choose the right one With my birthday less than two weeks away, I am about to enter / would enter my 30s. Yes. I’m going to be 30. Please give me a moment as I have mourned / mourn the loss of my youth. (mourn=lament) Okay, I’m exaggerating / I exaggerate. I really […]
Choose the right option: I am meeting / meet some friends tonight for dinner. James is working / works for a construction company—he’s been there since 1990. Mary and I aren’t understanding / don’t understand rocket science. Now I am wanting / want to try the new steakhouse they opened down the street. I just […]