Thursday, March 31, 2011

Below

Below = at or to a lower level than something: ‘My room is on the third floor, and John’s is on the floor below.’ ‘Our helicopter hovered just below the summit so that we could film the rescue.’

Under (or beneath/underneath) = directly below something, and something touching or covered by it: ‘Come and stand under my umbrella.’ ‘I eventually found the letter under a pile of old newspaper.’

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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Been

Been in = been living or staying in: ‘I’ve been in Paris since the beginning of June.’ ‘How long has Wendy been in hospital?’

Been to = gone to and come back from; visited: ‘I’ve been to Paris thrice.’ ‘I’ve been to the hospital to see Wendy.’

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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Bed

(1) A piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep: ‘He sat on the edge of the bed.’(2) A plot of ground in which plants are growing:The gardener planted a bed of roses.’(3) Put to bed; prepare for sleep: ‘The children were bedded at ten o'clock’. ‘I go to bed at 5 o'clock in the morning.’

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Monday, March 28, 2011

Base

Base = (1) the main part of something: ‘Most of the paints we produce have an oil base.’

(2) The lowest part of something: ‘The base of the column is made of marble.’

Basis = the very important thing from which something else develops or is made possible: ‘The basis of a successful marriage is mutual respect.’ ‘Newton’s discoveries provide the basis for future research.’

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Saturday, March 26, 2011

Bad

Bad is an adjective: (1) Having undesirable or negative qualities: ‘I tried to ignore his bad behaviour.’ (2) Very intense: ‘I have a bad headache.’

Badly is an adverb: ‘The child behaves badly in school.’

The phrase bad things/s is generally over-used and often sounds unnatural.

Badly + past participle: ‘The car was badly damaged.’

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Friday, March 25, 2011

Avoid

Avoid (doing) sth = be careful not to do something: ‘These drugs are dangerous and should be avoided.’

Prevent sb/sth (from doing sth) = stop someone or something from doing something; stop something from happening: ‘The wall is supposed to prevent dogs from getting into the garden.’ ‘It is hoped that the new speed limit will help to prevent accidents.’

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Thursday, March 24, 2011

Audience

Audience = The people who go to watch/listen to a film, play, concert, public lecture, etc: ‘The group has played to vast audiences all over the world.’ ‘At the end of the talk, members of the audience were invited to ask questions.’

Congregation = The people who attend a church service: ‘The vicar is always pleased to see new faces in the congregation.’

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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Athletic

(1) Physically active and strong; good at athletics: ‘I’ve never been very athletic.’

(2) Athletics = sports such as running, jumping, and throwing the javelin: ‘I’ve never been very good at athletics.’ The noun athletics (WITH – s) is often used in front of another noun: ‘He’s been selected for the athletics team.’

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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Ashamed

Ashamed
(1) To show guilt and disgusted with yourself because of something (bad) that you have done: ‘Are you ashamed for having lied?’ (2) Feel distressed or embarrassed, unwilling or restrained or reluctant because of fear of shame, ridicule, or disapproval: ‘He is ashamed to ask for help’; ‘He felt ashamed for having spoken so cruelly’; ‘They were ashamed to show their work themselves.’

Embarrassed
(1) Feeling socially uncomfortable or anxious: ‘you can imagine how embarrassed I was when I couldn’t pay the bill.’(2) To humiliate or disrupt somebody's composure with acting publicly or to disconcert or to abash: ‘The crowd's laughter and jeers embarrassed him.’


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Monday, March 21, 2011

As

In comparisons, the word that is usually used in front of a noun or noun phrase is like (NOT as): ‘James is very tall, just like his father.’ ‘Their car is like ours – old and full of rust.’

As is used in the patterns (not) as...as, not so ... as, and the same (...) as: ‘James is as tall as his father.’ ‘Their car is the same colour as ours.’

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Saturday, March 19, 2011

Arouse

Arouse is a transitive verb: (1) To evoke or stir to action (a feeling, emotion, or response): His mischievous behavior aroused suspicion’; ‘The chairman’s resignation aroused new fears about the company’s future.’ (2) To awaken; wake up from sleep: ‘Her footsteps aroused the dog’; ‘She had been aroused by the telephone.’

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Friday, March 18, 2011

Approximately - English editing.

(1) Imprecise but close to correct or exact (in quantity or amount):

Approximately is mainly used in formal written styles: ‘The accident occurred approximately at 9 am.’ ‘This new drug lasts approximately an hour.’ ‘It is estimated that approximately 47,000 cars were stolen in the London area last year.’

Unless you wish to sound formal, use about, nearly, around or roughly.

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Thursday, March 17, 2011

Appreciate - English editing.

Appreciate = like or enjoy something because you have studied it and understand the value of it: ‘I’ve never appreciate modern art.’ ‘It was during my years in Paris that I learned to appreciate good wine.’

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Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Appointment

Appointment = (1) A fixed mutual agreement for a meeting; engagement: ‘You can’t see the manager without an appointment.’(2) The act of designating, or placing in office: ‘He is honored to accept the appointment to the president's cabinet.’ (3) A meeting set for a specific time or place: ‘I am late for my appointment with the dentist.’

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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Any

We use “any” with uncountable nouns and plural countable nouns (Not with singular countable nouns). Compare: ‘Do you have any money?’ (Money is an uncountable noun). ‘Do you have any fifty-cent coins?’ (Coin is a plural countable noun). ‘Do you have a fifty-cent coin?’ (Coin is a singular countable noun).

The general rule is that we use "any" in negative sentences and questions. For example:I don't have any ideas.’
‘Do you have any ideas?’

When we use "any" in a question, we don’t restrain the choice.

For example: ‘Would you like anything to drink?’(It includes a whole range of things to drink.)
‘Do you have any questions?’
(You can ask me anything you like!)

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Monday, March 14, 2011

English Common Errors: worried – English editing.

Worried = unhappy because you have (or expect that you are going to have) a problem: ‘The business is losing money and the boss is very worried.’

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Saturday, March 12, 2011

English common errors: Annoyed - English editing.

Something unpleasant that happens repeatedly or continuously over a long period of time tends to irritate or frustrate people; especially because they know that they can do nothing to stop it: ‘I felt so tense that even the ticking of the clock began to irritate me.’ ‘I am constantly frustrated by all the niggling little jobs I have to do.’

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Friday, March 11, 2011

English Common Errors: anger –English Editing

Anger is a noun and a verb: ‘The workers who lost their jobs expressed anger and resentment.’ ‘The government’s handling of the affair has angered local residents’. The adjective is angry: ‘Some of the women felt angry about the way they were treated.’

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Thursday, March 10, 2011

English Common Errors: amusing –English Editing

Amusing = causing you to laugh or smile: ‘The speaker was clearly embarrassed when the microphone stopped working, but the audience found the situation very amusing.’

Enjoyable = causing you to feel happy; pleasant: ‘It was one of the most enjoyable holidays we’ve ever had.’ ‘Exercise may be hard work, but it can also be enjoyable.’

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

English Common Errors: ambition - English Editing

Ambition = something very important that you have wanted to do or achieve for a very long time: ‘Sandro’s one ambition is to play for Italy in the World cup.’ Aim = what you hope to achieve when you do something: ‘The aim of the course is to develop the students’ writing skills.’

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Tuesday, March 8, 2011

English Common Errors: already –English Editing

Already is usually used with the present perfect tense (NOT the past tense): ‘If he’s already seen the film, he won’t want to see it again.’ Instead of using not + already, use not + yet: ‘We haven’t been paid yet.’ ‘The plane hasn’t landed yet.’

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Monday, March 7, 2011

English Common Errors:almost- English editing

Almost comes immediately before the word it modifies. 'He was working in Hungary for almost ten years.’ Instead of saying almost/no/nobody/never etc: ‘it is more usual to say hardly any/anybody/ever etc: ‘it was so early that there was hardly any traffic.’

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Saturday, March 5, 2011

English Common errors: Aged – English editing.

When it means ‘very old’, aged (pronounced) is mainly used in formal style, usually in the phrase the aged: ‘The poor and the aged are entitled to free health care.’

The usual word for this meaning is elderly, which also sounds polite: ‘The photograph was of an elderly gentleman with a white moustache.’

‘The building has been converted into a retirement home for the elderly.’

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Friday, March 4, 2011

English Common Errors: Afterwards - English editing.

Afterwards suggests that the next thing happens as soon as the last thing has finished: ‘on Saturday morning I went to see Adrian in hospital. Afterwards I drove into town to do some shopping’.

When there is a long interval or delay between two actions or events, use later on: ‘I couldn’t understand why she hadn’t answered my letters. Later on I discovered that she had moved to a new address’.

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Thursday, March 3, 2011

English Common Errors : advantage - English editing.

Something that puts you in a better position than other people: ‘A healthier lifestyle is just one of the advantages of living in the country’. The main advantage of using word processors is the amount of time you save’.

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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

English Common Errors : adore – English Editing

Adore usually expresses a very strong feeling: ‘She adores her grandchildren and is always buying them presents.’ ‘The one singer I absolutely adore is Whitney Houston.’ If you use adore to mean ‘like/enjoy/love’, you may sound insincere.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

English Common Errors : actual – English Editing

Actual = real (as opposed what is believed, planned or expected): ‘People think he is over fifty but his actual age is forty-eight.’ ‘Although buses are supposed to run every fifteen minutes, actual the waiting time can be up to an hour.’ present/current = happening or exiting now: ‘No one can drive that car in its present condition.’ ‘Her current boyfriend works for Shell.’

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