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2021-10-01 23:37:17 Useful English words and expression with examples and meanings!
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2017-07-09 10:26:24 Verbs often confused

402. Rise and Raise.

(a) Rise
Don't say: Val raises very early in the morning.
Say: Val rises very early in the morning.

(b) Raise
Don't say: She rose their salaries too often.
Say: She raised their salaries too often.

"Rise" is an intransitive verb and means to go up, stand up, or get out of bed. It doesn't require an object. Raise is a transitive verb and means to lift up something. Their principal parts are: rise, rose, risen, and raise, raised, raised.

Note: "Arise" is often used for "rise", but it is better to use arise only in the sense of begin :A quarrel (a discussion, an argument, a difficulty, etc.) may arise. This is formal but is still used.

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2017-07-09 10:26:24 Verbs often confused

401. Sit and Seat.

(a) Sit
Don't say: We seat at a desk to write a letter.
Say: We sit at a desk to write a letter.

(b) Seat
Don't say: He sat the passengers one by one.
Say: He seated the passengers one by one.

Use "sit" as an intransitive verb. "Seat" is a transitive verb and requires an object. Very often the object of "seat" is a reflexive pronoun: He seated himself near the fire. The principal parts of the two verbs are: sit, sat, sat, and seat, seated, seated.

Note: Don't confuse "sit" with "set", which usually means: to place. Common idioms with "set": to set the table, to set on fire, to set off (or out), to set a trap, to set a clock, to set a price, to set your heart on, to set free, to set an example, to set a broken bone, to set to work (= to start work).

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2017-07-04 08:30:14 Verbs often confused

400. Lie and Lay.

(a) Lie
Don't say: I'm going to lay down for an hour.
Say: I'm going to lie down for an hour.

(b) Lay
Don't say: Please lie the exam papers on the desk.
Say: Please lay out the exam papers on the desk.

Lie (= to rest) is an intransitive verb and never has an object.
Lay (= to put) is a transitive verb and always requires an object.
Their principal parts are lie, lay, lain, and lay, laid, laid.

Note: Lie, lied, lied is to tell an untruth: He has lied to me. Lay, laid, laid also means to produce eggs: The hen has laid an egg.
(Idiom: Lay the table is to prepare the table for a meal.)

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2017-07-04 08:30:14 Verbs often confused

399. Make and Do.

(a) Make
Don't say: The carpenter did a large table.
Say The carpenter made a large table.

(b) Do
Don't say: You must make your work carefully.
Say: You must do your work carefully.

"To make" primarily means to construct or manufacture something, while "to do" mean to accomplish a thing.

Note: Common exceptions with make and do:
(a) To make a mistake, to make a promise, to make a speech, to make an excuse, to make haste, to make fun of, to make progress, to make a noise, to make a bed(= to prepare the bed for sleeping on)
(b) To do good, to do evil, to do your best, to do your duty, to do someone a favour, to do wrong, to do a puzzle, to do business, to do away with, to do gymnastics, to do exercises.

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2017-07-01 20:51:32 Verbs often confused

398. Say and Tell.

Don't say: He told, 'I will/'ll go home.'
He told that he'd go home.

Say: He said, 'I will/'ll go home.'
He said that he'd go home.

Use "to say" (1) when referring to a person's actual words, and (2) in indirect speech if the sentence doesn't contain an indirect object.

Note: Common idioms with "say" and tell:
Say a prayer. Who says? I must say! You can say that again! If you say so!
Tell the truth. Tell a lie. Tell a story. Tell the time. Tell your fortune. Tell someone your name.

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2017-07-01 20:51:32 Verbs often confused

397. Shall and May.


Distinguish between:

(a) May I shut the door? and (b) Shall I shut the door?

May I shut the door? Means that I wish the door closed and I ask your permission to shut it.
Shall I open the door? Means that I want to know whether you wish the door closed.

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2017-06-27 20:53:16 Verbs often confused

396. Shall and Will.

(a) To express simple futurity:

In the first person:
Don't say: I will go tomorrow if it's fine.
Say: I shall go tomorrow if it's fine.

In the second person:
Don't say: She tells me you shall go tomorrow.
Say: She tells me you will/'ll go tomorrow.

In the third person:
Don't say: He shall go if he has permission.
Say: He will/'ll go if he has permission.


(b) To express something more than simple futurity:

In the first person:
Don't say: I have determined that I shall go.
Say: I have determined that I will/'ll go.

In the second person:
Don't say: You will/'ll go out if you are good.
Say: You shall go out if you are good.

In the third person:
Don't say: My mind is made up: he will/'ll go.
Say: My mind is made up: he shall go.

To form the simple future, use "shall" with the first person and "will" with the second and third persons. "Will" in the first person denotes resolution or personal determination, and "shall" in the second and third persons denotes either a command or a promise.

Note: "Should", the past tense of "shall", and "would", the past tense of "will", have the same differences of meaning and use as the present forms "shall" and "will": I was afraid that I should fail. I promised that I would help him.

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2017-06-27 20:53:16 Have another look...

Use of certain prepositions

Prepositions of Place:

TO and AT
Use TO for movement from one place to another. Example: I walk to school every day.
Use AT to denote position or rest.
Example: He's waiting at the door.

IN and INTO
IN denotes position or rest inside something.
Example: The pencil is in the box.
INTO denotes movement towards the inside of.
Example: They walk into the room.


Prepositions of Time:

AT, IN, ON
Use AT with the exact time.
Example: She arrived at 8 o'clock in the morning.
Use ON with days and dates.
Examples: On Sunday we go to church. My birthday is on the third of December.
Use IN with a period of time.
Example: In summer the weather is warm.

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2017-06-26 09:47:09 Prepositions often confused

395. In for Within.

Don't say: I'll come back in an hour - if you mean before the end of an hour.

Say: I'll come back within an hour.

"In" means after the end of, "within" means before the end of.

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