Excellent website: www.englishclub.com

Parts of Speech Table This is a summary of the 8 parts of speech*. You can find more detail if you click on each part of speech. part of speech function or "job" example words example sentences Verb action or state (to) be, have, do, like, work, sing, can, must EnglishClub.com is a web site. I likeEnglishClub.com. Noun thing or person pen, dog, work, music, town, London, teacher, John This is my dog. He lives in myhouse. We live in London. Adjective describes a noun a/an, the, 69, some, good, big, red, well, interesting My dog is big. I like big dogs. Adverb describes a verb, adjective or adverb quickly, silently, well, badly, very, really My dog eats quickly. When he isvery hungry, he eats really quickly. Pronoun replaces a noun I, you, he, she, some Tara is Indian. She is beautiful. Preposition links a noun to another word to, at, after, on, but We went to school on Monday. Conjunction joins clauses or sentences or words and, but, when I like dogs and I like cats. I like catsand dogs. I like dogs but I don't like cats. Interjection short exclamation, sometimes inserted into a sentence oh!, ouch!, hi!, well Ouch! That hurts! Hi! How are you?Well, I don't know. * Some grammar sources categorize English into 9 or 10 parts of speech. At EnglishClub.com, we use the traditional categorization of 8 parts of speech. Examples of other categorizations are: Verbs may be treated as two different parts of speech: Lexical Verbs (work, like, run) Auxiliary Verbs (be, have, must) Determiners may be treated as a separate part of speech, instead of being categorized under Adjectives Parts of Speech Examples »

Syllables!

Many pronunciations in dictionaries are broken down into syllables.
Syllables are the pieces or chunks that make words...
for example:


bedside - say the word out loud and you will hear 2 'parts' or pieces
bed - side


Try a longer word like:  representative


re-pre-sen-ta-tive
so there are 5 syllables.


Dictionaries break down words into syllables so that they are easier to pronounce.
Some syllables of a word are spoken with greater force, or stress, than others.


Listen to an English first language speaker and try to think of where they put the stress on a word and then practice yourself.


How many syllables are in these words:


1.  university
2.  Canadian
3.  social
4.  paper
5.  laptop


If you have any questions or ideas, please send an email.

There is, There are, It is

Ahh, everyone loves a bit of grammar.... especially the teachers!

Here's some rules about 'there is, there are, it is'

"When you talk about something for the first time, use THERE IS/THERE ARE

i.e. There's a box on the table.

       Are there any museums in town?

You can use an auxiliary (helping verb) and 'be':

i.e.  There must be a bus strike.

        There will be trouble.

If you have already mentioned something, use 'it/they' to refer to it/them:

i.e.  That's my car.  It's a lot older than yours.

        The books?  They're mine.

Here's a little practice exercise.

Complete the sentences using:  is there, there's, is it OR it's

1.  ______________ a wonderful beach two kilometres away from the hotel.

2.  Have you seen the Mr. Bean film?  _______very funny!

3.  ___________ anybody waiting for this little girl?

4.  Try using this key; I think ___________ the right one.

5.  I don't suppose ______________ enough bread left to make a sandwich.

6.  We could go to the Theatre Royal; ________ open this week?

Note:  IT is used impersonally with adjectives, not referring to any particular thing:  

It's difficult to give the right answer.

It's nice of you to say that.

There will be another lesson about 'it' because IT  causes so much trouble for so many people.

Remember, if you have any questions, click on comment and we'll answer your question.

Great Website!

Many newcomers are really good with grammar but the thing they lack is slang - what you would call 'street' language.
You can listen to t.v. programmes and wonder what they're saying... well, here's a fantastic website to learn a lot of slang!
North Americans use these words all the time.


http://www.ezslang.com/

A Good Blog for English Learners!

Teachers always tell their students that they need to own an English only dictionary but sometimes they are very expensive.  Here is a link to the MacMillan Dictionary and its blog.  
This will give you lots of information and assistance when learning new vocabulary and especially phrasal verbs and idioms.


http://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/

Don't forget.... if you have any questions, we'd be more than happy to help.  Click on comments and write your question.


Classes at BEST are Mondays and Wednesdays!  Bring a friend!
Telephone:  416-201-1653

Send us a message!

Perhaps you're wondering..... how do I ask the teachers a question or send them some homework?
Well, at the bottom of each posting there is a word, "Comments".
Click on that and type your question, or cut/paste your work and click in the box to paste it in.
Someone will get back to you with an answer and help.


If you want to attend a 'real' class then you can call:  416-201-1653 and get information about our classes.


They are on Mondays and Wednesdays.
1:00 - 4:00 p.m. for the intermediate (BM 3, 4)
5:00 - 8:00 p.m. for the advanced (BM 4,5,6)


Where?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Peter Robertson and Bramalea


HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

the indefinite article a/an

Everyone needs help using articles.  We will first start with the indefinite article a or an.


A.  We use 'a' before a consonant sound:
a baby (b is the consonant)
a dog (d is the consonant)
a university (u sounds like y)
a European (Eu sounds like y)


B. We use 'a/an' with a SINGULAR COUNTABLE NOUN


When we mention it FOR THE FIRST TIME and it doesn't mean any particular one:
They live in a house.


when it is one example of a type of things (class):
A dog needs exercise.  (All dogs need exercise.)


When we say what somebody or something is:
Bill is an actor.  
That was a bomb.


in exclamations:
What a hot day!
Such a long lineup in the bank!


in certain phrases of price, speed, etc.:
They cost $10 a kilo.
It's cheap at $2 a metre.
He drives at sixty kilometers an hour.
We eat three times a day.




Lots to think about.  There will be more about articles; definite and indefinite in the next few posts.  Keep coming back - your English will improve if you work it!