English Grammar in Use

2024-04-29 07:00:21 #Unit-34 Should 2 Open / Comment

2024-04-09 20:05:57 Because you are a precious part of our family here in this channel, to all our Muslim brothers and sisters, as well as every and each one reading this:

I'm here sending each of you and your family my best wishes on the auspicious occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, praying for everyone’s good health and well-being.

'Sending you warm wishes on Eid Al-Fitr. May Allah shower His blessings upon you and your loved ones, now and always.'


Eid Mubarak,
Admiral Open / Comment

2024-03-01 19:28:51 #Unit-33 Exercises || Answered Open / Comment

2024-01-23 12:54:31 The last poll we posted was as follows:

She acts as if she ________ everything.
A- knows
B- knew
C- both 'A' and 'B'

How can we decide which is the correct answer?

The phrase "as if she ______ everything" is a subordinate clause that is a part of bigger sentence "She acts......" . This subordinate clause depends on the main clause ["She acts"] to make sense.


The expression "as if" introduces a condition that is hypothetical (unreal). It often triggers the use of the subjunctive mood, which deals with wishes, or conditions contrary to reality or fact.

The subjunctive mood in such contexts is usually formed using the past tense for, of the verb, even when the main verb is in the present tense.
"He talks as if he were a king."
"He talks" = indicative mood (reality)
"he were a king" = subjunctive mood (not real / contrary to fact)


Back to our example:
A- "knows" [ indicative mood - closer to fact ]
She acts as someone who actually knows everything.

B- "knew" [ subjunctive mood - contrary to fact ]
She imagines / thinks she knows everything.

Grammatically, "knew" is more appropriate after "as if" but, in everyday English, the indicative mood is commonly used.

People often say things like: "He acts as if he owns the place."
Since he doesn't actually own the place, it should be subjunctive mood verb [owned], but the common use after "as if" nowadays is the indicative mood verb [owns], especially for real-world comparisons.


Thus, both 'A' and 'B' are correct here. There is a slight grammatical difference between the two in terms of their formality.

A- knows
B- knew

Kudos to those who chose "C- both 'A' and 'B'".


https://t.me/English_Skills_Plus Open / Comment

2024-01-17 17:54:58 #Unit-33 Should 1 Open / Comment

2024-01-03 09:55:48 [ insure ] or [ ensure ] or [ assure ]

ensure: to make sure that something will happen [ event or condition ] / make certain that something will occur

assure: to remove doubt or fear from [ a person ] / to convince or give confidence to someone

insure: protect against loss, damage, or injury / provide or obtain insurance on / to provide financial protection against loss.


For example:
Before the trip, I wanted to assure my family of my safety, ensure all preparations were complete, and insure my belongings against loss.

The manager assured the team of their capabilities, ensured all resources were in place, and insured the equipment against damage.

1- ensure: Emma set her alarm for 6 a.m., ensuring she wouldn’t sleep in.

2- assure: I assure you that I’ll be on my best behavior.

3- insure: If you don’t insure your car, you can’t drive it!


https://t.me/English_Skills_Plus Open / Comment

2023-11-16 23:28:52 #Unit-32 Exercises || Answered Open / Comment

2023-10-26 21:34:45 now that
conjunction

"Now that" is used to indicate a cause-and-effect relationship between two events or situations. It is typically used to explain that something is happening or has become possible in the present because of a recent change, condition, or event.


Meaning:
"Now that" implies that a particular action, event, or circumstance in the present is a consequence or result of something that happened or changed in the past.


Usage:
To use "now that" in a sentence, you generally follow this structure: "Now that + clause with a past event or condition, main clause indicating the current result or action."


For example:
1- "Now that I have a driver's license, I can drive to work." (Past event: Obtaining a driver's license, Current result: Ability to drive to work)

2- "Now that the rain has stopped, we can go for a walk." (Past event: Rain stopping, Current result: Opportunity to go for a walk)

3- "Now that the exam is over, I can relax and enjoy my weekend." (Past event: Completion of the exam, Current result: Ability to relax and enjoy the weekend)


In each of these examples, "now that" is used to connect a past event or condition with a present result or action, showing the cause-and-effect relationship between them. It has the same meaning of: as a consequence of the fact that; since; inasmuch as.

More examples:
4- Now that I live only a few blocks from work, I walk to work and enjoy it.

5- Of course, now that she's eighteen, she can make these decisions for herself.

6- We don't see much of Elliot now that he's in London.

7- Now that you're here, you might as well stay for dinner.

8- All right, now that I'm full in the picture (thoroughly understand the issue), what can I do for you?


https://t.me/English_Grammar_in_Use_5th Open / Comment

2023-09-23 23:05:20 Further reading on the differences between of must, mustn't and needn't

1. The modals must, must not and need not have the same form regardless the subject. There is no ending with he/she/it.

► If you want to say that something is necessary or obligatory, use "must":
I must a doctor now.



► If you want to say that something is less necessary, use "need":
- I need to wash my car soon.



must vs. mustn't

You must do something = it is necessary that you do it:
- Don’t tell anybody what I said. You must keep it a secret.
- We don’t have much time. We must hurry.


You mustn’t do something = don’t do it:
- You must keep it a secret. You mustn’t tell anyone. (= don’t tell anyone)
- We must be very quiet. We mustn’t make any noise.



needn’t and don’t need to
You needn’t do something = it’s not necessary to do it (but you can if you want):
- We have plenty of time. We needn’t hurry. (= it is not necessary to hurry)
- Joe can stay here. He needn’t come with us. (= it is not necessary for him to come)

You can also use don’t/doesn’t need to:
- We don’t need to hurry.


Note that we say ‘don’t need to do’, but ‘needn’t do’ (without to).


► However, if you want to say that something is unnecessary, use need not, not must not. (The negation of must means not allowed to.)

- I must play football. = I have to play football.

- I need not play football. = I do not need to play football. = I do not have to play football.

- I must not play football. = I am not allowed to play football.

Compare needn’t and mustn’t:
- You needn’t tell Steve. I can tell him myself. (= it is not necessary)
- You mustn’t tell Steve. I don’t want him to know. (= don’t tell him)


needn’t have (done) and didn’t need to (do)
He needn’t have done something = he did it, but now we know that it was not necessary:

- Why did he get up at 5 o’clock? He needn’t have got up so early. He could have stayed in bed longer.

He didn’t need to do something = it was not necessary to do it. It doesn’t matter whether he did it or not:

- He didn’t need to get up early, so he didn’t.
- He didn’t need to get up early, but it was a beautiful morning, so he did.
You can also say ‘He didn’t have to get up’ in these examples.

Although they both express an absence of necessity in the past, "didn’t need to" and "needn’t have" can have very different meanings.

When referring to an action that happened in the past that was unnecessary, it is more common in British English to use "needn’t have done". Using didn’t need to in this way is also OK.

- You needn’t have brought dessert. (This form is more common in the UK.)

- You didn’t need to bring dessert.



However, when referring to an action that didn’t happen in the past, we can only use "didn’t need to".

- He started to feel better, so I didn’t need to call the doctor.

- He started to feel better, so I needn’t have called the doctor.


https://t.me/English_Grammar_in_Use_5th Open / Comment

2023-04-03 15:19:40 #Unit-32 must - mustn't - needn't Open / Comment