WARISAN SYNERGY LEARNING CENTRE

Sunday, 8 June 2014

PRESENT CONTINOUS TENSE

The present continuous is used to talk about present situations which we see as short-term or temporary. We use the present simple to talk about present situations which we see as long-term or permanent.

In these examples, the action is taking place at the time of speaking.

It's raining.
Who is Kate talking to on the phone?
Look, somebody is trying to steal that man's wallet.
I'm not looking. My eyes are closed tightly.

In these examples, the action is true at the present time but we don't think it will be true in the long term.

I'm looking for a new apartment.
He's thinking about leaving his job.
They're considering making an appeal against the judgment.
Are you getting enough sleep?

In these examples, the action is at a definite point in the future and it has already been arranged.

I'm meeting her at 6.30.
They aren't arriving until Tuesday.
We are having a special dinner at a top restaurant for all the senior managers.
Isn't he coming to the dinner?

Thursday, 5 June 2014

COMMON MISTAKES IN SPEAKING AND WRITING

Common Mistake 1

At lunchtime, I often hear students asking each other if they want to go outside and eat together.

INCORRECT:
A: "Do you like to eat lunch with us today?"
B: "Yeah, sure. Where do you go?"

What's wrong with this dialog? To ask someone to join you for lunch, we would say,

CORRECT:
A: " Would you like to eat lunch with us today?" OR "Do you want to eat lunch with us today?" (more informal)
B: "Yeah, sure. Where are you going/are you going to go?"

EXPLANATION:
In English, the present simple using 'do you like to...' is not a request form. Also, B's response asking for more information using the simple present sounds odd because the speakers are talking about 'right now.' Thus, the appropriate question asking for more information about the plan for lunch would be "Where are you going/are you going to go?" (present continuous/future plan)

Common Mistake 2

Another common error especially in speaking for the Cambridge or for the iBT (TOEFL) test is

INCORRECT:
"I would prefer to study by my own rather than study with others."

CORRECT:
"I would prefer to study on my own/by myself rather than study with others."

EXPLANATION:
Prepositions are such a pain in the you-know-what, aren't they? I always tell advanced level students that prepositions are the last thing to master in English. These little words (in, on, at, by, for, to, and so on) quickly mark people - even those who have lived in the U.S. for decades - as foreign-born (including British English speakers, e.g., 'on the weekend' vs. 'at the weekend'). ;-)

Common Mistake 3

Students need to be able to express their opinions. Of course, the easiest way to start off your sentence is to say, "In my opinion, ....." However, there are other ways to begin a discourse about your personal views.

INCORRECT:
"In my point of view, we should raise taxes on gasoline."

CORRECT:
"From my point of view, we should raise taxes on gasoline."
"In my view, we should raise taxes on gasoline."

To try to give a visual image of how to use these last two expressions correctly, I often draw a mountain peak with a little person standing on top. From that point, the person can see a lot, but (s)he is not in that point.

PHRASAL VERBS

act up (no object): misbehave (for people); not work properly (for machines).

"The babysitter had a difficult time. The children acted up all evening."
"I guess I'd better take my car to the garage. It's been acting up lately."

act like (inseparable): behave in a way that's like _____ .

"What's wrong with Bob? He's acting like an idiot."

Note: This phrasal verb is very informal.

add up (1. no object): logically fit together.

"His theory is hard to believe, but his research adds up."

Note: This phrasal verb is often negative.
"His theory seems, at first, to be plausible, but the facts in his research don't add up."

add up (2. separable): find the total.

"What's the total of those bills? Could you add them up and see?"

add up to (inseparable): to total.

"The bills add up to $734.96. That's more than I expected!"

ask out (separable): ask for a date.

"Nancy has a new boy friend. Joe asked her out last night."

Tuesday, 3 June 2014

Today's proverbs

Appearances are deceptive – Internal truth of a person is usually different from what is visible outside.
You should not believe strangers immediately. Appearances can be deceptive.

Never judge by appearances – Don’t use looks as the criteria to assess someone.
I saw the CEO of a big blue chip company hanging out with his friends at a local market in casual attire. Its true that you can’t judge someone by their appearance.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away – An apple eaten everyday keeps you in good health.
My father has always stayed in a good health with his habit of eating an apple everyday. For him, An apple a day keeps the doctor away has worked well.

Actions speak louder than words – What people do shows more about them than what they just say.
Hearing about her friend’s illness, she directly reached the hospital with a cheque of 50,000 Rs/-. Her concern was evident – after all, actions speak louder than words.

Sunday, 1 June 2014

An unforgettable experience

Carrying a passenger on a bicycle is an offence punishable by law. Everyone knows that but still some of us do it.I had done it many times before until something happened to teach me never to do it again. It was not the police. Rather it was an unforgettable, and unpleasant, experience.
It happened one evening when my friend Segaran and I wanted to go and visit another friend who lived some distance away. I had a bicycle. Segaran did not. So, as usual, he sat side-saddle on the horizontal bar of the bicycle while I pedalled. We had done it many times before, so it should not be any problem.
Near my friend's house, we got onto a gravel path made slippery by the recent rain. Still we managed to wobble along, thoroughly enjoying the rough ride.
As we passed by a stream, I made the mistake of going too near the bank. The rain had softened the soil and it could not hold our combined weight. One moment we were going along merrily, the next we were tumbling head over heels into the stream as the bank gave way beneath us.
Splash! Splash! Splash! We plunged into the river bicycle first, followed by Segaran, then me. Normally the stream is only a few centimetres deep with clear water. When we fell in, it was a metre deep with foul black water. The water prevented us from getting badly injured but we also had to pay the price of gulping some of it. It tasted horrible. Segaran got the worst of it for being sandwiched between the bicycle and me, but it was not too bad. We had only a few cuts and bruises. Our pride was far more hurt.
We retrieved ourselves and the bicycle from the stream. We were both dirty and soaking wet. Obviously we were in no condition to visit anyone. So we decided to go home.
We walked all the way home. I had to push the bicycle because its front wheel was bent out of shape. From that moment I vowed never to carry anyone on a bicycle again. Never again do I want to be dirty and wet with cuts and bruises all over my body. Once was enough.


gravel		small rounded stones, often mixed with sand

wobble		shake or move from side to side in a way that shows a lack of balance

tumble		to fall quickly without control