What is the comparative?

 

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We use the English comparative to compare and describe things or people:

To do this, we need to use comparative adjectives:

• We need a bigger boat.
• I’m feeling better now.

Comparative adjectives

Let’s look at the formation of English comparative adjectives, there are several types:

Comparative adjectives with one syllable:  fast, great, quick, short, small, tall…

It is necessary to add -er

• cheap → cheaper 
• high → higher 

Comparative adjectives with one syllable ending in ‘e’:  close, huge, large, strange…

It is necessary to add -r

• nice → nicer
• wise → wiser

Adjectives that end in consonants /vowel/consonants:  fat, red, sad, thin…

it is necessary to add an additional consonant followed by -er

• big → bigger
• hot → the hotter 

Adjectives in two syllables ending with -y:   heavy, tiny…

you have to replace the -y by -ier

• happy → happier
• crazy → crazier 
• early → earlier 
• easy → easier 
• pretty → prettier

Adjectives in two or more syllables: important, delicious, generous…

It is necessary to add the word ‘more’

• beautiful → more beautiful 
• expensive → more expensive

Irregular comparative adjectives:

• good → better 
• bad → worse
• far → further 
• little → the smaller 

How to compare two things

To compare one thing with another you have to use THAN:

• He is three years older than me.
• New York is much bigger than Chicago.
• Zidane is a better football player than Ronaldo.
• Australia is a bigger country than Portugal.

When you want to describe how something or someone has changed you can use the same comparison twice with ‘and’ between them:

• The lake got bigger and bigger.
• Everything is getting more and more expensive. 
• My house is looking older and older. 

THE is often used with comparative adjectives to show that one thing depends on another:

• The faster you drive, the more dangerous it is.
• The higher he climbed, the colder it got. 
• The longer you wait, the harder it gets. 

How to say that two things are equal: As… as…

We use as + adjective + as to say that two things are similar or equal:

• He’s as tall as me.
• Tom’s bike is as fast as mine.

We use not as + adjective + as to say that two things are not equal:

• Danny’s car is not as fast as mine.

⚠️ We can modify the comparisons with by, far, easily and nearly:

• Burger King is by far better than Mac Donald.
• She’s nearly taller than him.

⚠️ Be careful not to confuse superlatives and comparative!

To see the lesson on superlatives click here.

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What is a superlative?

 

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Superlative is used to say that a thing, a person or an idea has more (or less) particularity than other similar things.

To do this, we use superlative adjectives:

Look at the following examples:

• The Everest is the highest mountain in the world. 
• Nathan is the best football player in the team.

Now let’s look at the formation of English superlative adjectives. There are several types:

Adjectives with one syllable:

Examples: fast, great, quick, short, tall…

it is necessary to add -est

• cheap → the cheapest 
• high → the highest

Adjectives with one syllable ending in “e”:

Ex: close, huge, large, strange…

it is necessary to add -st

• nice → the nicest 
• wise → the wisest

Adjectives that end in consonant/vowel/consonant:

Ex: fat, red, sad, thin…

it is necessary to add a consumption + -est

• big → the biggest
• hot → the hottest

Adjectives in two syllables ending with -y:

Ex: heavy, tiny…

it is necessary to replace the -y by -iest

• happy → the happiest
• crazy → the craziest 
• early → the earliest 
• easy → the easiest 
• pretty → the prettiest 

Adjectives in two or more syllables:

Ex: important, delicious, generous…

It’s necessary to add the most/the least 

• beautiful → the most beautiful 
• expensive → the most expensive 

Superlative irregular adjectives:

• good → the best
• bad → the worst
• far → the furthest 
• little → the smallest

To say that two things are equal: As… as…

We use as + adjective + as to say that two things are similar or equal:

• He’s as tall as me.
• Tom’s bike is as fast as mine.

We use not as + adjective + as to say that two things are not equal:

• Danny’s car is not as fast as mine.

⚠️ Superlatives can be modified with by, far, easily and nearly:

• Ti Amo is by far the best restaurant in town.
• She’s nearly the oldest in the class.

⚠️ If there is a possessive in the sentence, we do not use ‘the’ with the adjective superlative:

• Her strongest point is her ambition.

⚠️ Be careful not to confuse superlatives and comparisons!

 

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How to use the Passive Voice in English

 

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⚠️ In this lesson the passive, the passive form and the passive voice mean the same thing.

How to form the passive voice in English:

Subject + to be + past participle

• A letter was written.

Why use the passive form in English?

The active voice is used to say what the subject is doing. On the contrary, we use the passive voice (or form) to put more importance on the action performed:

• Active: He drove the car yesterday.
• Passive: The car was driven by him yesterday.

• Active: I clean my house once a week.
• Passive: My house is cleaned once a week.

Sometimes, we use the passive in English when we don’t know who did the action:

• My car was made in Japan.
• My phone has been stolen.

This is sometimes specified in the sentence with ‘by’, but it is not as important as the action that has been carried out:

• It was sent by Paul yesterday.
• I was told by Tina.

We often use the passive form to talk about the subject at the beginning of the sentence:

• The fruits are all grown by local farmers.
• This window should be replaced when you have time.

⚠️ Note:it is necessary to say ”I was born” and not ”I am born”:

• I was born in 1983 ✅    I am born in 1983. ❌
• She was born in the same year as me.

⚠️ Note: the passive voice of  ‘verb+ing’ is ‘being + past participle’:

• I don’t like him staring at me. (active)
• I don’t like being stared at. (passive)

• I hate people talking to me at the library. (active)
• I hate being talked to at the library. (passive)

When things happen or change, especially in everyday English, we can use ‘get’ instead of ‘be’ on the passive:

• There was an accident but nobody was hurt.
• There was an accident but nobody got hurt.

• I was offered the job but I didn’t take it.
• I got offered the job but I didn’t take it.

The impersonal passive

Impersonal passive is rarely used in everyday English, but it is sometimes found in texts. It is only possible with perception verbs (think, know, believe, believe, claim, say…).

The subject must be replaced by ‘it is + past participle + that’:

• Active: People say that he left the town two weeks ago.
• Passive: It is said that he left the town two weeks ago.

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Look, see or watch?

 

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These three verbs can be difficult to differentiate, here are their nuances:

LOOK

Look implies that you look at something deliberately. It requires an effort on the part of the subject:

• Don’t look at me like that… 
• Look! It’s snowing! 
• Look at me while I am talking to you. 

⚠️ When look has a direct object, it is followed by the preposition “at”:

• Look at the board.  ✅
• Look the board. ❌

⚠️ When there is no direct object, there’s no need for a preposition:

• Look here. ✅
• Look at here. ❌

When the thing seen is the subject of the sentence, “look” refers to an appearance, an external perception. It then translates the idea of appearing (we can also use the verb ‘seem’ instead sometimes):

• You look pale. 
• Do I look OK? 
• She’s 60, but she doesn’t look it. 

Look is the basis of many constructions such as look like :

• It looks like it’s going to rain. 
• It looks like they are leaving.

⚠️ Look is also the basis of many phrasal verbs:

• look after 
• look away 
• look for 
• look into 
• look out 
• look through
• look up 
• look up to 

SEE

We use see when something passes through the subject’s field of vision unintentionally, as soon as we open our eyes and without necessarily paying attention:

• I saw him at the party yesterday. 
• Did you see that bird? 
• I can’t see without my glasses. 
• Bats can see very well in the dark. 

⚠️ Be careful, the progressive form of see is not usually used with a name:

• I can see an elephant. ✅
• I am seeing an elephant. ❌

See is sometimes used with ‘if’:

• Let’s see if there is any food left. 

We use see in the expression “See you tomorrow!”

⚠️ See is also used in several phrasal verbs:

• see about → Paul likes photography, I’ll see about buying him a camera for his birthday.
• see out → Thank you very much for coming here. Mrs. Smith will see you out.
• see through → When Pete was depressed, all his friends saw him through.
• see in → The receptionist sees in our visitors. 
• see off → We all came to see Donald off and wish him the best of luck. 
• see over → She said she’d like to see over the house.
• see to → Don’t worry, I will see to the leak in the piping. 

WATCH

Watch implies that you are much more active, you focus your attention on something that is moving on a screen or changing for a specific amount of time (a sunset, sports…). It has more or less the same meaning as look.

• We watched the sunrise. 
• Don’t spend too much time watching TV. 
• I like watching soccer on TV. 

⚠️ Instead, we use see and not watch when we talk about a match or a public performance, such as a play, a concert or a movie in the cinema:

• We saw an interesting movie at the cinema last night. 

On the other hand, if we watch a movie at home, we will use watch instead:

• I watched ‘Phantom of the Opera’ last night on TV. (it means we were at home.)
• I saw ‘Phantom of the Opera’ last night. (it means that we were at the movies or the theater).

⚠️ Watch can also be translated as ‘to be careful about something or someone’.

• Can you watch my bag for a moment? 
• Watch him. I am certain he is up to something. 
• Watch your step 

We sometimes use the particle ‘out’ :

• Watch out! 
• Watch out for cars when you cross the road. 

 

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Make or do in English? 

 

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Do in English

Do can be either a main verb or an auxiliary verb (to indicate the tense or appearance of another verb).

The verb DO

We use DO to talk about work, tasks, professions:

• What are you doing? 
• I always do the gardening. 
• Have you done your homework?
• I’m doing the housework now. 
• He did a good job.

DO is used to talk about non-specific activities, with words like thing, something, nothing, nothing, anything, everything etc….

• I’ve got a lot of things to do.
• Do something! 
• Is there anything I can do to help you? 
• I did nothing! 

DO is sometimes used to replace a verb when the meaning is obvious (more often orally):

• I need to do my hair.
• I’ll do the dishes.

Do is sometimes used as the verb “to go” :

• How are you doing? 
• I’m doing well, thank you.
• That will do!

Do + without means ‘to manage without having something’ :

• I can’t do without my phone.

Do as an auxiliary verb

Do can also be an auxiliary verb for making negative questions or sentences in the present tense (with do or does) or in the preterite (with did) :

• What time does the train leave? 
• He doesn’t like soccer. 
• Do you speak english? 
• I don’t know. 
• What did she do? 
• She didn’t like the movie. 

Do helps to reinforce an affirmation:

• I do know her. 

Do allows you to make a short answer with Yes or No (less direct than if you only put Yes or No) :

• Do you like soccer? Yes, I do.
• Do you like tennis? No, I don’t.

At the end of the sentence, so as not to repeat the verb that has just been used :

• ‘I love cooking.’  ‘So do I.’ 

Make in English

The verb Make also means to do, more in the sense of “to manufacture” : it is mainly used for the creation, construction, manufacture or production of something new:

• make a fire 
• make a mistake 
• make money 
• make a phone call 

Make is used to indicate the origin of a product or the material that is used to make something:

• This wall is made of concrete.
• This watch is made in China.
• Wine is made from grapes.

We also use Make to talk about a reaction : 

• You make me happy.
• This music makes me sleepy.
• She made me do it! 
• It makes me smile.

We use make to talk about preparations and decisions :

• He made the arrangements.
• I have to make a decision.
• Blue or red? You must make a choice! 
• We are making a plan for the holidays.

Make is used with sound or sound names :

• make a comment 
• make a noise 
• make a suggestion 
• make a speech 

We use make to talk about cooking and eating :

• make a cake 
• make breakfast / make lunch 
• make some coffee 
• Tom makes his own bread 

 

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How to use the genitive in English?

 

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The genitive in English (‘s and of)

In English, the genitive (or possessive case) makes it possible to indicate possession, origin, that there is a relationship between two things, a family relationship, or that one thing belongs to another:

The genitive can be indicated by:

• the addition of the apostrophe S after the name:       Paul‘s car
• the addition of OF before the name:               a pack of cigarettes 

How to use it:

The addition of the apostrophe depends on whether the name is singular, plural or ends with an S:

• Singular name → the boy‘s room
• Plural name → the boys’ room
• Singular name ending in -s → Thomas’ car or Thomas’s car  (both are correct)
• Irregular plural → children‘s books

In a sentence with several names, add one ‘ or ‘s only to the last name:

• I’m going on a two weeks‘ trip to Vietnam.
• Sam and Lucy‘s friend. 

If each name has something, you have to put ‘ or ‘s to both names:

• Scott and Simon‘s factory 
• Scott‘s and Simon‘s factories 

Sometimes the name after ‘s is not necessary, if the context is familiar or clearly implied (or to avoid repetitions!):

• My car is older than Patrick’s. (= Patrick’s car)
• We ate at Sam’s last night. (= Sam’s restaurant or Sam’s house) 
• She’s at her mother’s (= her mother’s place) 
• Whose phone is this? It’s Kevin’s. (= Kevin’s phone) 
• Is it your turn? No, it’s Linda’s (= Linda’s turn) 

Be careful of the position of the adjective:

• The beautiful girl’s hair 
• The girl’s beautiful hair 

You don’t need ‘s to be with things:

• a door handle 
• the tool box 
• a tennis shoe 
• a kitchen table

We use the possessive ‘s with words like one, anyone, someone, someone, anybody, somebody:

• I’ve just found someone’s phone on the table.

When we use else with these words, the ‘s is added to else:

• Everyone else’s opinion is not important to me. 

⚠️ We don’t use ‘s with possessive pronouns:

• Is that book yours?  ✅
• Is that book your’s?  ❌

• That car is theirs.  ✅
• That car is theirs’  ❌

Some examples

• I like Betty’s hair 
• Jason’s father 
• This is Karen’s jacket. 
• Three hours’ delay 
• Friday’s party. 

 

©Englishfornoobs.com

The Imperative in English

 

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Imperative is used to give instructions, orders, instructions, advice, warn or invite someone to do something:

To use the imperative in English, we use an infinitive verb:

• Clean the kitchen. 
• Open the window. 
• Leave me alone!
• Wear a jacket, its too cold outside! 

To the negative form it is necessary to add ‘do not’ or ‘don’t’ (do not is more insistent than don’t).

• Do not smoke! 
• Don’t go! 
• Don’t leave the door open. 
• Don’t talk to me. 

Using the imperative

1. To give instructions

• Push the red button.
• Turn right after the post office.

2. To give an order

• Come here!
• Sit down! 
• Stop talking!
• Go out 

3. To give advice

• Stay home if you are sick.
• Tell him what you really think.

4. To invite someone to do something (preferably with Please)

• Please, come to the party! 
• Please hold the line. 
• Please, have a drink.
• Please wait here. 

English people use the word Kindly in writing to make a request:

• Kindly send me a copy of the last email as soon as possible.

We can also use just, please or if you wouldn’t mind to make the imperative less brutal and more polite:

• Come with me, please, if you wouldn’t mind. 
• Just give me a minute, please. 

5. To warn

• Stop! 
• Help! 
• Watch out! / Look out! 
• Don’t move!

Using DO with the imperative

DO can be used before the imperative to emphasize what you mean:

• Do drink plenty of water.

You can also accentuate imperative sentences by using Never or Always before the main verb:

• Never drive without a seatbelt. 
• Always wash your hand before lunch. 

The imperative with let’s (= contraction of let us)

• Let’s have a break. 
• Let’s not tell him about it.
• Let’s ask this man. 
• Let’s not forget to close the door. 

Some common phrases to the imperative

• Have fun
• Hurry up 
• Enjoy your meal. 
• Don’t be late. 
• Keep quiet. 
• Give me a minute 
• Don’t worry 
• Please take a seat. 

 

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Preposition of place in English

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The prepositions of place in English allow you to locate in space. They are always followed by a nominal group:

• accross the street 
• around the lake 
• at the park 
• along the river 
• behind the wall 
• between the bank and the post office 
• down the hill 
• from Paris 
• in the garden 
• in front of the train station 
• next to the hospital 
• on the table 
• the dog jumped onto the roof 
• opposite the cinema
• off Costa Rica
• through the forest 
• towards the bus stop 
• I go to bed 
• under the chair 

⚠️ We use at or in when there is no movement, and to when there is a verb of movement:

• He is at the bank. 
• He is going to the bank. 
• She is in London. 
• He went to London. 

⚠️ In or Into? We use in to locate someone or something, and into to indicate that we are entering a place:

• Tina went into the bank. 
• Kevin lives in an appartment. 

We put in in front of a city, a street name or a country:

• He lives in Roma. 
• She lives in Murray Street. 

To say ‘at some place‘, we use at +’s or to +’s:

• She is at the doctor‘s. 
• I’m going to Paul‘s. 

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Prepositions of time in English (for, ago, since)

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1. FOR

For is used to tell how long an action has been going on. For may be followed by a duration like 20 minutes, 2 hours, two weeks, three years, three days, six months, a long time…

• I have lived in Paris for three years.

For employed with the present perfect (have been… + v-ing) in front of a time word indicates a length of time (the action is not over as we speak):

• I have lived in Japan for 3 years.
• He has been working for two hours.
• I have been waiting at the train station for 20 minutes.

Employed with the preterite, for means that the action is finished:

• He worked in New York for six years.
• She worked in Italy for one year.
• This book kept me busy for a few days.

Be careful ! No need to use for with ‘all day‘, ‘all the time‘ or ‘all night‘:     I was there for all day.

During or For ?

During does not indicate a duration: during is used to locate something in a specific period, and answers the question “when? (when?). During is usually followed by a name (New Years’ Eve, Christmas, the holidays, the night…).

• He went to Tokyo during the holidays.
• He went to Tokyo for three weeks.

You don’t say : He went to Tokyo during three weeks.

During is not followed by duration (10 minutes, one month…), unless you put it just before the first or the last:

• During the first months of the year, I lost 10 kilos.
• I haven’t been to school during the last week.

2. AGO 

We use the adverb Ago to say how much time has passed as we speak since an event occurred. It is often at the end of the sentence, and always preceded by a verb in the preterite (or simple past tense).

• I arrived in Tokyo two years ago.
• She went to China six years ago.
• It happened a very long time ago.
• He started French classes not very long ago.
• How long ago did she start cooking classes?

Ago or before ?

Before is used with the perfect past to count how long ago an event occurred from a specific point in the past:

• We had received their invitation for the wedding three days before.

≠

• We received their invitation for the wedding three days ago.

Do not confuse Ago with There is/ There are

• It happened two days ago ≠ It happened there is two days.

3. SINCE 

Since is used to indicate when an event started (with a starting point). It is used with the present perfect or the past perfect:

• We’ve been friends since high school.
• I haven’t seen her since Monday.
• l’ve lived in Paris since 2005.
• I’ve been learning Spanish since the beginning of the year.

Since maybe an adverb. We can also say since then, which has the same meaning as since:

• I broke up with Julia in May and I haven’t contacted her since then.

Ever reinforces the meaning of since, in the sense of’continuously’:

• He’s been depressed ever since he got divorced.
• We’ve been friends ever since we met in Italy.

Since can also be a synonym of ‘because’:

• Since she is tired, she should stay at home.
• Since you ask, I’ll tell you what happened.
• Tom couldn’t visit Sam since she wasn’t at home.

4. AGO, FOR or SINCE ?

Here are some examples to remember to understand the difference between ago, since and for:

• I lived in Korea 3 years ago.
• I’ve lived in Korea for 3 years.
• I have been living in Korea since 2010.

 

©Englishfornoobs.com

How to use ing verbs ?

 

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In this lesson about the -ing form in English we will see its formation and use (ex: playing, living, washing…)

What is the purpose of -ing in English?

The English -ing is used for the English gerund and for the present participle. That’s why the gerund and the present participle are called “-ing form”. However, there are differences between the two. -Ing is mainly used to talk about activities.

1. Used as the subject of a sentence:

• Flying makes me nervous.
• Eating fast food is bad for your health.

2. Used as a complement:

• He likes playing soccer.
• I love watching anime.
• I enjoy reading books.

3. Used as an adjective:

• it’s disgusting
• this TV program is interesting
• it’s discouraging
• she is boring
• my job is tiring
• running water

4. Used as a name:

• a wedding
• a painting

5. For activities:

• swimming
• surfing
• fishing
• skate-boarding
• traveling
• reading

6. We can use it withwith while or by :

• I listened music while going to the supermarket
• He reads a book while watching TV
• You should find it by using internet

7. Used after a preposition:

• I’m interested in teaching french to foreigners.
• He’s good at playing video games.

8. With the progressive form of a verb :

• present progressif → I am watching TV
• present perfect progressive → I have been watching TV
• past progressive → I was watching TV
• past perfect progressive → I had been watching TV
• futur progressive → I will be watching TV
• futur perfect progressive → I will have been watching TV

9. After some phrasal verbs:

• I look forward to hearing from you soon. (at the end of a letter)
• He wants to give up smoking.

10. In compound names:

• bird-watching
• a swimming pool
• a developing country
• shaving cream
• good looking
• a washing machine
• a driving lesson
• a frying pan
• a sleeping bag

11. After some expressions :

can’t stand, can’t help, don’t mind, it’s no use/good, be + worth:

• He couldn’t help falling in love with her.
• I can’t stand being late for the movie.
• I don’t mind waiting for her.
• It’s no use/good lying to her.
• It might be worth visiting the park at night.

or expressions that end with a preposition:

• There’s no point in driving to the party, the road is jammed.
• In spite of missing the plane, she arrived on time.
• what about having dinner now ?

12. After No… to express the prohibition:

You may have already seen those signs:

• No smoking
• No parking
• No skateboarding
• No littering

How the verb & ing is formed in English

The -ing can be added to the verbal base:

• be → being
• do → doing
• want → wanting
• ski → skiing
• call → calling
• read → reading
• say → saying

Verbs that end in a silent -e- lose it if you add a -ing:

• love → loving
• come → coming
• make → making
• dance → dancing
• dive → diving
• have → having
• move → moving

If the verb ends in -ie, it must be replaced by -ying:

• die → dying
• tie → tying
• lie → lying

If the verb ends in consonant – vowel – consonant, and is fully accented or at the end, the end consonant must be doubled and -ing added:

• begin → beginning
• stop → stopping
• sit → sitting
• get → getting
• plan → planning
• run → running

If the accent is not on the end, simply add -ing:

• happen → happening
• listen → listening
• open → opening
• visit → visiting

If the verb ends in w, x or -y, we simply add -ing:

• play → playing
• snow → snowing
• fix → fixing
• spy → spying
• spray → spraying

Beware of verbs ending in -c (there are not many of them):

• panic → panicking
• mimic → mimicking

 

©Englishfornoobs.com