ENNglish

Auxiliary Verbs  "Will/Would" and "Shall/Should" The verbs will, would, shall, should, can, could, may, might, and must cannot be the main (full) verbs alone. They are used as auxiliary verbs only and always need a main verb to follow.  Will Used to express desire, preference, choice, or consent: • I will take this duty. • Will you stop talking like that? Used to express the future: • It will rain tomorrow. • The news will spread soon. Used to express capacity or capability: • This bucket will hold two gallons of water. • This airplane will take 200 passengers. Used to express determination, insistence, or persistence: • I will do it as you say. ---------- Would (past form of will) Often used in auxiliary functions with rather to express preference: • I would rather go shopping today. • We’d rather say something than stay quiet. Used to express a wish or desire: • I would like to have one more pencil. Used to express contingency or possibility: •...

Wishes We use the verb  wish   or the phrase   if only   to talk about things which we want but which are not possible: I wish  I could see you next week. If only  we could stop for a drink. I wish  we had a bigger house. They are always busy.  If only  they had more time. Prakash was very lazy at school. Now  he wishes  he had worked harder.   We use  wish  and  if only  with  past tense forms : We use past tense  modals   would  and  could  to talk about  wishes for the future : I don't like my work.  I wish I could  get a better job. That's a dreadful noise.  I wish it would  stop. I always have to get home early.  If only my parents would  let me stay out later. We use  past simple  and  continuous  to talk about  wishes for the present : I don't like this place. ...

  Ergative Verbs   Ergative verbs are both transitive and intransitive. The object when it is transitive is the same as the subject when it is intransitive: I boiled some water. Transitive: N + V + N The water boiled. Intransitive: N + V      ____   Ergative verbs are found in sentences where the verb affects the subject:   The sun melted the butter.   Here, we have a sentence with a standard subject, a transitive verb and a direct object.   The butter melted.   Here, the subject was the object of the original sentence.   The butter didn't melt itself- it required the heat of the sun.   This is an ergative verb use, where the subject of the intransitive form of the verb would be the object of the transitive form of the verb.     Common ergative verbs are: ·          begin ·        ...

These English idioms are extremely common in everyday conversation. You will hear them in movies and TV shows and can use them to make your English sound more like that of a native speaker.  Idiom Meaning Usage A blessing in disguise a good thing that seemed bad at first as part of a sentence A dime a dozen Something common as part of a sentence Beat around the bush Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable as part of a sentence Better late than never Better to arrive late than not to come at all by itself Bite the bullet To get something over with because it is inevitable as part of a sentence Break a leg Good luck by itself Call it a day Stop working on something as p...