Relative Pronouns
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Conditionals
Zero conditional
(for always real situations)
| f clause | Main clause |
|---|---|
| If + Present tense | Present tense |
| If you freeze water If he takes an aspirin, If she comes here, | it turns into ice. he gets an allergy. she always sing. |
First conditional
(for real or possible situations)
| If clause | Main clause |
|---|---|
| If + Present tense | will / can / may / must + verb |
| If it rains today, If I have time, If they don´t invite you, | I'll stay at home. I will visit you in the afternoon. you must not go. |
Second conditional
(hipotetical situations)
| If clause | Main clause |
|---|---|
| If + Past Simple | would / could / might + verb |
| If I won the lottery, If I were you, If I were younger, | I would travel around the world. I would marry with him. I would travel a lot. |
Third conditional
(hipotetical past situation)
| If clause | Main clause |
|---|---|
| If + Past Perfect tense | would/could/might + have + past participle |
| If I had won the lottery, | I would have own the biggest shop in town. |
theory
2nd. conditional
Thursday, August 25, 2011
LOTS OF vs. A LOT OF
In spoken English we often use lots of or a lot of. In written English, it is more common to write many (for countable plural nouns) or a great deal of (for uncountable nouns) in positive statements.
A common mistake is to use lot of. For example, "There are lot of accidents on this road". To avoid making this mistake, remember either to use a before lot, or to makelot plural – lots.
We can say either a lot of or lots of before a noun. For example, "There are a lot of people here" or "There arelots of people here". There isn't any difference between the two expressions.
We can also use a lot as an adverb to say how much you do something. For example, "She talks a lot".
A lot is also used in short answers. For example, "Do you like swimming?", "Yes, a lot."
(5th. Level)
An English word can consist of three parts: the root, a prefix and a suffix.
The root is the part of the word that contains the basic meaning (definition) of the word. The root is the base element of the word.
ex. write
A prefix is a word element that is placed in front of a root. A prefix changes the word's meaning or makes a new word. A suffix is a word element that is placed after the root.ex. rewrite
The suffix changes the word's meaning as well as its function (use). Prefixes and suffixes are called affixes because they are attached to a root.ex. writer
PREFIX | MEANING | USAGE |
ab,abs | from, away from | abduct, abstinence |
ad, ac, af, ag, an, ap, ar, as, at | to, forward | accord, affliction, aggregation annexation addition |
ambi | both | ambiguous ambivalent |
an, a | without | anarchy amoral |
ante | before | antecedent antediluvian |
anti | against, opposite | antipathy antithetical |
arch | chief, first | archetype archbishop |
be | over, thoroughly | bedaub befuddle |
bi | two | bicameral biennial |
cata | down | catastrophe cataract catapult |
circum | around | circumnavigate circumspect circumscribe |
com, co, col, con, cor | with, together | combine coeditor collateral connected conference corroborate |
contra, contro | against | contravene controversy |
de | down, away | debase decadence deterioration |
demi | partly, half | demigod |
di | two | dichotomy dilemma |
dia | across | diagonal diameter |
dis, dif | not, apart | discord differ |
dys | faulty, bad | dysfunctional |
ex, e | out | exit exodus |
extra, extro | beyond, outside | extracurricular extraterritorial extrovert |
Suffix | Meaning | Usage |
able, ible | capable of (adjective suffix) | portable - able to be carried legible |
ac, ic | like, pertaining to | cardiac - pertaining to heart aquatic - pertaining to water |
acious, icious | full of | audacious - full of daring, avaricious - full of greed |
al | pertaining to | maniacal - insane portal - doorway logical - pertaining to logic |
ant, ent | full of | eloquent - pertaining to fluid, effective speech. verdant - green |
ary | like, connected with | dictionary - book connected with words honorary - connected with honor |
ate | to make (verb suffix) | consecrate - to make holy mitigate - make less severe |
ation | that which is (noun suffix) | irritation - that which is irritated |
cy | state of being (noun suffix) | democracy - ruled by people obstinacy - obstinate state, stubbornness |
eer, er, or | person who (noun suffix) | mountaineer - person who climbs mountains teacher - one who teaches advisor - person who advises |
escent | becoming (adjective suffix) | evanescent - tending to vanish pubescent - arriving at puberty |
fic | making, doing (adjective suffix) | fantastic - arousing great wonder terrific - arousing great fear |
fy | to make (verb suffix) | magnify - to enlarge petrify - turn to stone |
iferous | producing, bearing (adjective suffix) | pestiferous - carrying disease vociferous - having a loud voice |
il, ile | pertaining to, capable of (adjective suffix) | civil - polite docile - easily taught or led |
ism | doctrine, belief (noun suffix) | monotheism - belief in one God socialism - kind of governance |
ist | dealer, doer (noun suffix) | realist - one who is realistic dentist - deals with teeth |
ity | state of being (noun suffix) | sagacity - state of being wise |
ive | like (adjective suffix) | quantitative - concerned with number or volume |
ize, ise | to make (verb suffix) | harmonize - make harmonious revolutionize - make revolutionary |
oid | resembling, like (adjective suffix) | ovoid - like an egg anthropoid - resembling a human |
ose | full of (adjective suffix) | verbose - full of words |
osis | condition (noun suffix) | psychosis - diseased mental condition hypnosis - induced sleep |
ous | full of (adjective suffix) | nauseous - full of nausea ludicrous - foolish |
tude | state of (noun suffix) | fortitude - state of strength certitude - state of certainty |
If you want to play a prefixes and suffixes game, click here.
If you want to play another kind of game, click here.
if you want to practice, click here.
The following resources were used to create this article:
. vocabulary workshop
http://www2.southampton.liu.edu/academic/pau/course/webesl.htm
. Michigan Proficiency Exams
http://www.michigan-proficiency-exams.com/prefix-suffix.html
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