🍃 Eco English

2018-11-20 02:41:36 blend in 

phrasal verb

if someone or something blends in with people or objects,
they match them or are similar, and you do not notice them.

Examples:

The old house blends in perfectly with the countryside.

I'm looking for some pale green curtains that will blend in with the walls.

We tried to blend into the crowd.

They have adopted local customs and tried to blend in with the community.


Origin:

Middle English: probably of Scandinavian origin and related to Old Norse blanda ‘to mix’. Open / Comment

2017-06-30 22:50:10 . Open / Comment

2017-02-25 21:45:37 English of the day

keep your cool
/ˈkiːp ˈjoɚ ˈkuːl/
idiom

keep your cool informal also chiefly US maintain your cool
: to remain calm

He kept/maintained his cool [=he didn't get angry or upset] even though it was clear that he was being unfairly treated. Open / Comment

2017-02-21 20:02:42 What's the difference between "awhile" and "a while?".mp4 (7.02MB) Open / Comment

2017-01-23 22:40:29 bring and take
When do we use bring and when do we use take?

1 speaker’s/hearer’s position

We mostly use bring for movements to the place where the speaker or hearer is, and take for movements to other places. Compare:
–
This is a nice restaurant. Thanks for bringing me here (not … thanks for taking me here.)
Let’s have another drink, and then I’ll take you home (not … and then I’ll bring you home.)
–
(on the phone) Can we come over on Sunday? We’ll bring a picnic
Let’s go and see Aunt May on Sunday. We can take a picnic

2 speaker’s/hearer’s past or future position
We can also use bring for a movement to a place where the speaker or hearer already was or will be. Compare:
–
Where’s that report?’‘I brought it to you when you were in Mr Allen’s office. Don’t you remember ?
I took the papers to Jack’s office
–
I’ll arrive at the hotel at six o’clock. Can you bring the car at six-thirty?
Can you take the car to the garage tomorrow? I won’t have time (not Can you bring the car to the garage tomorrow? …)

3 joining a movement
Bring (with) can be used to talk about joining a movement of the speaker’s/hearer’s, even if take is used for the movement itself.
I’m taking the kids to the circus tonight. Would you like to come with us and bring Susie?

4 somebody else’s position
Sometimes when we are talking about somebody else (not the speaker or hearer), that person can become the centre of our attention. In that case, we use bring for movements to the place where he/she is (or was or will be). This often happens in stories.
He heard nothing for months. Then one day his brother brought him a letter

5 American English
Americans often use bring where British English has take.
Let’s go and see Aunt May on Sunday. We can bring a picnic

Practical English Usage
by Michael Swan

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2017-01-06 18:20:18 ‘Affect’ or ‘effect’

Affect and effect are different in meaning, though frequently confused. Affect is chiefly used as a verb and its main meaning is ‘to influence or make a difference to’, as in the following example sentences:

The pay increase will greatly affect their lifestyle.

The dampness began to affect my health.

The weather will affect my plans for the weekend.

Effect, on the other hand, is used both as a noun and a verb, although is more commonly used as a noun. As a noun it means ‘a result or an influence’, as in:

Move the cursor until you get the effect you want.

The beneficial effects of exercise are well documented.

Over time the effect of loud music can damage your hearing.

When used as a verb effect means ‘to bring something about as a result’. It’s most often used in a formal context as oppose to everyday English:

Growth in the economy can only be effected by stringent economic controls.

The new policies did little to effect change.

The prime minister effected many policy changes.

The key thing to remember is that effect is most commonly used as a noun, whereas affect is typically used as a verb.

@ecoenglish Open / Comment

2016-12-29 11:16:06 Person, persons or people?


We use person in the singular to refer to any human being:

examples:
Joel is such a nice person.

She’s a person I have a lot of respect for.


Persons (plural) is a very formal word. We only use it in rather legalistic contexts:

[notice in a lift]

Any person or persons found in possession of illegal substances will be prosecuted.

To refer to groups of human beings or humans in general, we use people:

I saw three people standing on the corner.

Not: I saw three persons …

Jim and Wendy are such nice people.

People are generally very selfish.

Three people were interviewed for the job, but only one person had the right qualifications and experience.

@polyglossiaenglish Open / Comment

2016-12-19 23:21:14 Someday vs. Some Day

Someday means “at an indefinite time in the future.”

Some day refers to one day that is perhaps unknown or unspecified.

Someday and some day are easy expressions to confuse because they differ by just one space. Learn how to keep them straight in this article.

What Does Someday Mean?

Someday is an adverb. It refers to future events that will occur at an indefinite time. Here are two examples of someday in a sentence:

Someday I will invest in a new laptop, but until then I will make do with the old one.


She told me that I would be an adult someday

What Does Some Day Mean?
Now, let’s look at some day with a space between the two words. We have an adjective (some) and a noun (day). Some means “unspecified” in this context. When it describes day, it means a single day that is unknown or unspecified. Let’s clarify with two examples of “some day” in a sentence.

I have a doctor’s appointment some day next month.

Examples

You’ll learn from them, if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you.
J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye


The BYU football team weighed in after practice on Election Day on Tuesday on which of the Cougars might be the most likely to someday be moving into the White House.
CougarBlue


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2016-12-06 01:16:24 Their, There, and They’re

The triumvirate of their , there , and they’re can flummox writers at all levels. The confusion stemming from these words is that they are homophones meaning they have the same pronunciation but differ in meaning and derivation. Today we explore the differences between their, there, and they’re.

Their is the possessive case of the pronoun they, as in They left their cell phones at home. Their is generally plural, but is increasingly accepted in place of the singular his or her after indefinite singular antecedent, such as someone: Someone left their book on the table.

There is an adverb that means “in or at that place,” as in She is there now. In this sense, there is essentially the opposite of here. There is also used as a pronoun introducing a sentence or clause, as in There is still hope.

They’re is a contraction of the words they and are, as in They’re mastering the differences between their, there, and they’re.

If you find yourself coming up blank when trying to determine which one to use, take a hint from the spelling of each: Their has the word heir in it, which may remind you that the term indicates possession. There has the word here within it. This should serve as a reminder that it is appropriate for talking about places, whether figurative or literal. And the apostrophe in they’re should tip you off that it’s the product of two words: they are. If you can substitute they are into your sentence and retain the meaning, then they’re is the correct homophone to use.

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2016-12-06 01:09:14 Their, There, and They’re Open / Comment