Saturday, May 7, 2011

Phrasal Verbs

Hye everyone :)
In the previous entry, you're asked to fill the gas in the lyric.
All th answers are as below:
1) getting up
2) holding on
3) break out
4) stay out
5) falls apart
6) wake up
7) get into

Based on the answers given, what can you conclude about phrasal verb?
Here, i would like to share with you details about phrasal verbs together with several other examples for your further understanding.

1. A phrasal verbs is a verb + a preposition/adverb which creates a meaning different from the original verb.
Examples:
  • I ran into my teacher at the movies last night. (run + into = meet)
  • He ran away when he was 15. (run + away = leave home)

2. Some phrasal verbs are intransitive. An intransitive verb cannot be followed by any object.
Example:
  • He suddenly showed up. ('show up' = cannot take an object)

3. Some phrasal verbs are transitive. A transitive verb can be followed by any object.
Example:
  • I made up the story. (story is a subject of 'make up')

4. Some transitive verbs are separable. The object is placed between the verb and the preposition.
Examples:
  • I talked my mother into letting me borrow her car.
  • She looked the phone number up.

5. Some transitive phrasal verbs are inseparable.
Examples:
  • I ran into an old friend yesterday.
  • They are looking into the problem.

6. Some transitive phrasal verbs can take an object in both places.
Examples:
  • I looked the number up in the phone book.
  • I looked up the number in the phone book.

7. WARNING! Although many phrasal verbs can take an object in both places, you must put the object between the verb and the preposition if the object is a pronoun.
Example:
  • I looked the number up in the phone book.
  • I looked up the number in the phone book.

  • I looked it up in the phone book. *correct
  • I looked up it in the phone book. *incorrect

p/s: All of the explanations are adapted from http://www.englishpage.com/prepositions/phrasaldictionary.html

Let's Break Out!

Hello people out there :)

We are going to explore about another aspect in English grammar in this entry.

Before I proceed with that, let's let loose a bit and watch this video.

This is a song sang by Miley Cyrus entitled Breakout. Enjoy!





Do you like the song as much as I do?
Can you catch up with the lyrics, no?
Now, I would like you to fill in the gaps in the lyric below:


Every week's the same
Stuck in school, so lame
My parents say that I'm lazy
__________(1) at 8am's crazy
Tired of being told what to do
So unfair, so uncool

The day's too long
And I'm __________(2)
Till I hear the bell ring
'Cause that's the time when we're gonna
Time when we're gonna

_________(3)
Let the party start
We're gonna __________(4)
Gonna break some hearts
We're gonna dance
Till the dance floor __________(5)
Uh oh, all over again
We're gonna __________(6)
Everyone we know
We're gonna have some fun
Gonna lose control
It feels so good
To let go oh oh (go oh oh)

Hanging outs
Just something we like to do
My friends and the mess we _________(7)
These are the lessons that we choose
Not a book full of things we'll never use

The day's too long
And I'm holding on
Till I hear the bell ring
'Cause that's the time when we're gonna
Time when we're gonna

Breakout
Let the party start
We're gonna stay out
Gonna break some hearts
We're gonna dance
Till the dance floor falls apart
Uh oh, all over again
We're gonna wake up
Everyone we know
We're gonna have some fun
Gonna lose control
It feels so good
To let go oh oh (go oh oh)

Wish it would never end
Spending time with my friends
Oh with my friends

(Repeat 2x)
Breakout
Let the party start
We're gonna stay out
Gonna break some hearts
We're gonna dance
Til the dance floor falls apart
Uh oh, all over again
We're gonna wake up
Everyone we know
We're gonna have some fun
Gonna lose control
It feels so good
To let go...

The answers will be discussed in the next entry.
to be continued..... :)

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Preposition


Definition: Prepositions are a class of words that indicate relationships between nouns, pronouns and other words in a sentence. Most often come before a noun.

The following tables contain rules for some of the most frequently used prepositions in English:
Prepositions of Time:
EnglishUsageExample
  • on
  • days of the week
  • on Monday
  • in
  • months / seasons
  • time of day
  • year
  • after a certain period of time(when?)
  • in August / in winter
  • in the morning
  • in 2006
  • in an hour
  • at
  • for night
  • for weekend
  • a certain point of time(when?)
  • at night
  • at the weekend
  • at half past nine
  • since
  • from a certain point of time (past till now)
  • since 1980
  • for
  • over a certain period of time (past till now)
  • for 2 years
  • ago
  • a certain time in the past
  • 2 years ago
  • before
  • earlier than a certain point of time
  • before 2004
  • to
  • telling the time
  • ten to six (5:50)
  • past
  • telling the time
  • ten past six (6:10)
  • to / till / until
  • marking the beginning and end of a period of time
  • from Monday to/till Friday
  • till / until
  • in the sense of how long something is going to last
  • He is on holiday until Friday.
  • by
  • in the sense of at the latest
  • up to a certain time
  • I will be back by 6 o’clock.
  • By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.

Prepositions of Place:
EnglishUsageExample
  • in
  • room, building, street, town, country
  • book, paper etc.
  • car, taxi
  • picture, world
  • in the kitchen, in London
  • in the book
  • in the car, in a taxi
  • in the picture, in the world
  • at
  • meaning next to, by an object
  • for table
  • for events
  • place where you are to do something typical (watch a film, study, work)
  • at the door, at the station
  • at the table
  • at a concert, at the party
  • at the cinema, at school, at work
  • on
  • attached
  • for a place with a river
  • being on a surface
  • for a certain side (left, right)
  • for a floor in a house
  • for public transport
  • for television, radio
  • the picture on the wall
  • London lies on the Thames.
  • on the table
  • on the left
  • on the first floor
  • on the bus, on a plane
  • on TV, on the radio
  • by, next to, beside
  • left or right of somebody or something
  • Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car.
  • under
  • on the ground, lower than (or covered by) something else
  • the bag is under the table
  • below
  • lower than something else but above ground
  • the fish are below the surface
  • over
  • covered by something else
  • meaning more than
  • getting to the other side (alsoacross)
  • overcoming an obstacle
  • put a jacket over your shirt
  • over 16 years of age
  • walk over the bridge
  • climb over the wall
  • above
  • higher than something else, but not directly over it
  • a path above the lake
  • across
  • getting to the other side (alsoover)
  • getting to the other side
  • walk across the bridge
  • swim across the lake
  • through
  • something with limits on top, bottom and the sides
  • drive through the tunnel
  • to
  • movement to person or building
  • movement to a place or country
  • for bed
  • go to the cinema
  • go to London / Ireland
  • go to bed
  • into
  • enter a room / a building
  • go into the kitchen / the house
  • towards
  • movement in the direction of something (but not directly to it)
  • go 5 steps towards the house
  • onto
  • movement to the top of something
  • jump onto the table
  • from
  • in the sense of where from
  • a flower from the garden

In order to see your level of understanding, let's put that into practice.
Please accomplish the exercise as linked below:
(note: this game requires you to have Flash plug-in)

Happy reading and answering :)