Why is English So Important?

Do you want to:

earn good grades

be able to speak comfortably with your teachers, fellow students, and neighbors?
have a good relationship with your academic adviser?
be able to carry out normal administrative procedures without stress?
be able shop, talk on a telephone, and use the public transportation system without difficulty?
get an internship in your field of study
make presentations at professional meetings?
make a positive impression on prospective employers?
make friends with people who are not Indian?

All of these worthy goals require using English. Everything will be easier for you, and you will be
able to accomplish more of what you want to accomplish, if you speak English well. Much of your
success in the ENGINEERING will depend on your ability to communicate with seniors in English.
There will be times when you need to know how to use a machine, obtain information on getting a
job, or convince another person of your ideas. To accomplish these goals you will need English.
Students constantly share ideas and information in informal conversations. If you miss out on these
conversations, your chances for professional and personal success will be limited compared to your
peers.

Obstacles to Improving English

Not Realizing the Importance of Good English

Some new students focus entirely on their academic studies, believing that working hard
on their studies will compensate for their English-language problems.

Later, when they have to write research papers or a thesis or dissertation, or take an oral
examination, or give an oral defense of a thesis or dissertation, they realize that they
should have worked on their English from the beginning. In addition, when they try to
find a job on campus or after graduation, they find that they are at a major disadvantage.

Being in a Hurry to Finish

Many students are so intent on earning a degree as quickly as possible that they avoid
taking English classes. Later, they realize to their regret that taking time to improve their
English when they first arrived would have made all their studies (and their lives in
general) easier, and probably have saved them time.

Shyness and Fear

Some individuals are naturally shy. They are cautious in social situations. They do not
like to draw attention to themselves. They fear being embarrassed or misunderstood. They
fear not being able to understand what people say to them in another language.

Such people have much more difficulty practicing and learning a foreign language than
do people who are more willing to speak up and less bothered by making a “mistake” in
another language.

Age

College and university students are beyond the age when learning a new language is easy
and natural. Generally, but not always, it is more difficult for people older than about 12
years to learn a new language—to remember vocabulary, develop new pronunciation
habits, and feel at ease using a new language.

Ways to Improve English

There are many ways to improve your level of English:

READ IT

Read as many English books, newspapers and magazines as you can find.
We also recommend the English version of the monthly magazine READERS DIGEST.
It has short stories and articles.

LISTEN TO IT

Try some of the radio stations (BBC/CNN/AIR(English). Also to the BBC Overseas
Service. They have a very good website designed to help English learners and teachers.

LOOK AT OTHER LEARNING MATERIAL ON THE WEB

EDUNET International in Britain offers online English Grammar with audio, grammar
clinic, students magazine, language teaching in other languages plus many links to other
resources.

TALK IT

Talk to friends who are also learning English. Make a rule that perhaps for an hour, or
when you go out together, you will only speak English to each other! Find native English-
speaking people who will give you conversation practice.

Vocabulary Power

Discover the astonishing power of words today!

Picture all the people you know who are dynamic, successful and self-confident. The ones
who are the stars of every gathering. The people who are witty, intelligent and
entertaining. The scintillating personalities who can be relied upon to light up every
occasion.

These super confident people are never tongue-tied, never shy, never afraid to express an
opinion.
You will never see them cowering in their seats too shy to express their views or sitting
quietly in a corner while others are making all the important decisions. They will never be
lost for a friend or short of admiring companions.

But, what is their secret? What amazing source of power have they uncovered that
enables them to dazzle and impress everyone they meet?

Easy?. They have discovered the ASTONISHING POWER of WORDS.

They always know what to say and how to say it. They use words to control and take
command of every situation.

So, is it any wonder they're so confident?

Now it's your turn to join them, to become a master of words.

Words will transform your image and boost your impact in every area of your life.

Every day we judge the intelligence, education, and status of complete strangers simply
on the basis of hearing them utter a sentence or two. We accept or dismiss them on the
evidence of the words they use. It is important to remember that other people judge YOU
in exactly the same way!

What a powerful vocabulary will do for you ?

A powerful vocabulary will :

* maximise your powers of persuasion

* help you to win friends and influence people
* transform your powers of expression
* energize your thinking power
* give you added poise
* pay you real dividends in business and social advancement
* impress your fellow professionals, clients, customers, etc.
* increase your earning power
* enhance your social status
* make you more dynamic
* enable you to become a fluent and popular conversationalist
* do wonders for your image
* enable you to articulate your most complex thoughts and ideas
* impress friends and strangers
* build your self-confidence
* lend colour to your personality.
* transform your negotiating skills
* bring you instantaneous respect

In short, A powerful vocabulary will guarantee your success in life!

So a strong command of English vocabulary is critical to your professional success. A

broad and precise vocabulary, will enable you to communicate at the high level needed to
succeed in today's competitive environment. Executive Vocabulary teaches English
vocabulary words with proper grammatical usage in a business context.

The result: you expand your English vocabulary and greatly improve your
communication with a focus on your professional success.

Improve Written English

Improve Your English Writing Skills

Get the most out of your dictionary by understanding how to use it well. You can use
your dictionary to find words, for meaning, for pronunciation, to check your spelling and
to understand explanations.

Copy out short passages of English text from newspapers, magazines or books.

Write letters to editors of English newspapers/magazines.

There are many forums on the net, find one about your interests or hobbies. Apologise if
you think you have made any mistakes and politely ask for feedback. Be careful when
using abbreviations when writing on forums, they are fun but can cause bad habits to
form.

Find English speaking pen friends:-

You can find ePals on the Internet!

!On this site:- Use the Learn English Network Forum pages to practise your writing.

How to improve your English writing in 5 minutes

Below is an excerpt from Michal's story, but it is purposefully written in an ugly way. Do
you find this excerpt pleasant to read?

Today , I can understand the beatles very clearly.Each time I hear a Beatles song,I am
delighted and proud becouse i have mademy childhood dream come true. I listen to
many rock bands , all in English,and I listen every day ,sometimes forover seven hours a
day.I ma constantly aware ofmy success with english because i cna understand the
lyrics ofthe songs i listen to.and taht gives me pleasure and Satisfaction for many hours
every day .

Now you can read the original version of the excerpt. It's the same text but it's much more
pleasant to read, don't you think?

Today, I can understand The Beatles very clearly. Each time I hear a Beatles song, I am
delighted and proud because I have made my childhood dream come true. I listen to many
rock bands, all in English, and I listen every day, sometimes for over seven hours a day. I
am constantly aware of my success with English because I can understand the lyrics of
the songs I listen to. And that gives me pleasure and satisfaction for many hours every
day.
There are three kinds of typing errors in the ugly version:

wrong use of spaces (a missing space or an unnecessary space)

incorrect capitalization (lower case instead of upper case or upper case instead of lower
case)
incorrect spelling
Today , I can understand the beatles very clearly.Each time I hear a Beatles song,I am
delighted and proud becouse i have mademy childhood dream come true. I listen to
many rock bands , all in English,and I listen every day ,sometimes forover seven hours a
day.I ma constantly aware ofmy success with english because i cna understand the
lyrics ofthe songs i listen to.and taht gives me pleasure and Satisfaction for many hours
every day .

How to avoid writing in an ugly way

Be careful. Put spaces between words. Use proper capitalization: The first word in
every sentence should start with a capital letter. So should every proper name (such as
English and The Beatles).
"You" and "I". Remember that the word "I" is spelled "I", not "i", and the word "you" is
spelled "you", not "u".
Put a space after every comma and every period; never before it.

The wrong way:

I listen to many rock bands , all in English,and I listen every day ,sometimes for over
seven hours a day . I am constantly aware of my success with English .

The right way:

I listen to many rock bands, all in English, and I listen every day, sometimes for over
seven hours a day. I am constantly aware of my success with English.

Use a spellchecker. With a spellchecker, you can easily avoid mistakes like becouse,
ma (instead of am), cna (instead of can), and taht (instead of that).

Common Mistakes and Confusing Words in English

accept vs Accept is a verb, which means to agree to take something .
except
For example: "I always accept good advice."

Except is a preposition or conjunction, which means not including.

For example: "I teach every day except Sunday(s)."

advice vs Advice is a noun, which means an opinion that someone offers you about
advise what you should do or how you should act in a particular situation.

For example: "I need someone to give me some advice."

Advise is a verb, which means to give information and suggest types of

 action.

For example: "I advise everybody to be nice to their teacher."

!Often in English the noun form ends in ...ice and the verb form ends in
...ise.
affect vs effect Affect and effect are two words that are commonly confused.

affect is usually a verb (action) - effect is usually a noun (thing)

Hint: If it's something you're going to do, use "affect." If it's something
you've already done, use "effect."

To affect something or someone.

Meaning: to influence, act upon, or change something or someone.

For example: The noise outside affected my performance.

To have an effect on something or someone

Note: effect is followed by the preposition on and preceded by an article

(an, the)

Meaning: to have an impact on something or someone.

For example: His smile had a strange effect on me.

!Effect can also mean "the end result".

For example: The drug has many adverse side effects.

a lot / alot / A lot, meaning a large amount or number of people or things, can be used
allot to modify a noun.

For example:-

"I need a lot of time to develop this web site."

It can also be used as an adverb, meaning very much or very often.

For example:-

"I look a lot like my sister."

It has become a common term in speech; and is increasingly used in

writing.

Alot does not exist! There is no such word in the English language. If
 you write it this way - imagine me shouting at you - "No Such Word!"

Allot is a verb, which means to give (especially a share of something) for

a particular purpose:-

For example: "We were allotted a desk each."

all ready vs All ready means "completely ready".
already
For example: "Are you all ready for the test?"

Alreadyis an adverb that means before the present time or earlier than the
time expected.

For example: "I asked him to come to the cinema but he'd already seen
the film."
Or
"Are you buying Christmas cards already? It's only September!"

altogether vs All together (adv) means "together in a single group."

all together
For example: The waiter asked if we were all together.

Altogether (adv) means "completely" or "in total ".

For example: She wrote less and less often, and eventually she stopped
altogether.

!To be in the altogether is an old-fashioned term for being naked!

apart vs Apart (adv) separated by distance or time.
a part
For example: I always feel so lonely when we're apart.

A part (noun) a piece of something that forms the whole of something.

For example: They made me feel like I was a part of the family.
been vs gone been is the past participle of be

gone is the past participle of go

Been is used to describe completed visits. So if you have been to

England twice, you have travelled there and back twice. If you have gone
to England, you have not yet returned.

! Now you've been and gone and done it!

bored vs bored is an adjective that describes when someone feels tired and
boring unhappy because something is not interesting or because they have
nothing to do.

For example: She was so bored that she fell asleep.

 boring is an adjective that means something is not interesting or exciting.

For example: The lesson was so boring that she fell asleep.

!Note Most verbs which express emotions, such as to bore , may use
either the present or the past participle as an adjective, but the meaning of
the participles is often different.
borrow vs To lend:
lend
Meaning: to hand out usually for a certain length of time.

Banks lend money.

Libraries lend books.

For example: "My mother lent me some money, and I must pay her back
soon."

To borrow:

Meaning: to take with permission usually for a certain length of time.

You can borrow money from a bank to buy a house or a car.

You can borrow books for up to 4 weeks from libraries in England.

For example: "I borrowed some money off my mother, and I must pay her
back soon."

! For a happy life - Never a borrower nor a lender be.

bought vs bought past tense of the verb to buy
brought For example: "I bought a newspaper at the newsagents. "

brought past tense of the verb to bring

For example: "She brought her homework to the lesson."

!There is an 'r' in brought and an 'r' in bring = they belong together.

by vs until Both until and by indicate “any time before, but not later than.”

Until tells us how long a situation continues. If something happens until

a particular time, you stop doing it at that time.

For example:

They lived in a small house until September 2003.

(They stopped living there in September.)

I will be away until Wednesday.

 (I will be back on Wednesday.)

We also use until in negative sentences.

For example:

Details will not be available until January.

(January is the earliest you can expect to receive the details.)

If something happens by a particular time, it happens at or before that

time. It is often used to indicate a deadline.

For example:

You have to finish by August 31.

(August 31 is the last day you can finish; you may finish before this date.)

We also use by when asking questions.

For example:

Will the details be available by December?

(This asks if they will be ready no later than December.)

check (v) To check means to examine. To make certain that something or someone
vs is correct, safe or suitable by examining it or them quickly.
control (v)
For example: "You should always check your oil, water and tyres before
taking your car on a long trip."

To control means to order, limit, instruct or rule something, or someone's

actions or behaviour.

For example: "If you can't control your dog, put it on a lead!"

What you shouldn't do is use the verb control in association with people
and the work they do.

For example: "I check my students' homework, but I can't control what
they do!"

!Note

In Business English there is often a lot of confusion because of the term

control in accounting.

In most organizations the controller is the top managerial and financial

accountant. The controller supervises the accounting department and
assists management in interpreting and utilizing managerial accounting
 information.

complement vs Complement is a verb, which means to make something seem better or

compliment more attractive when combined.

For example: "The colours blue and green complement each other
perfectly."

Compliment is a noun, which means a remark that expresses approval,

admiration or respect.

For example: "I am often complimented on this web site."

data vs datum This isn't so much a common mistake as a common cause for arguments
(as is often the case with words of Latin origin).

The dictionaries treat data as a group noun, meaning information,

especially facts or numbers, collected for examination and consideration
and used to help decision-making, or meaning information in an
electronic form that can be stored and processed by a computer.

Then they go on to confuse matters by giving the following kind of

example:-

The data was/were reviewed before publishing.

So, which is it, was or were? Strictly speaking 'datum' is the singular
form of and 'data' is the the plural form.

If you're writing for an academic audience, particularly in the sciences,

"data" takes a plural verb.

For example:-

The data are correct.

But most people treat 'data' as a singular noun, especially when talking
about computers etc.

For example:-

The data is being transferred from my computer to yours.

don't have to Don't have to = Do not have to We have to use don't have to to say that
vs mustn't there is no obligation or necessity to do something.

For example: "You don't have to do the exercises at the end of this
page."

Mustn't = must not is a modal verb used to show that something is not
allowed. When you use mustn't you are telling people not to do things. It
 has the same force as don't , as in: Don't do that!

For example: " You mustn't drink if you're going to drive."

either vs too Either is used with a negative verb when you are agreeing with
something someone doesn't do or like etc.

For example:- B agrees with A in the negative

A - "I don't like cheese." B - "I don't like it either."

A- "I haven't seen Lord of the Rings." B - "I haven't seen it either."

Too is used with an affirmative verb when you are agreeing with
something someone does or likes etc.

For example:- B agrees with A in the positive

A - "I love ice-cream." B - "I love it too."

A- "I've seen Gladiator." B - "I've seen it too."
every day vs Every day - here every is a determiner and day is a noun.
everyday
When you say every day you mean each day without exception.

For example: You have been late for school every day this week.

Everyday is an adjective.

When you say everyday you mean ordinary, unremarkable.

For example: My culture pages offer an insight into the everyday life of
Britain.

excited vs excited is an adjective that describes when someone feels happy and
exciting enthusiastic about something.

For example: She was so excited that she couldn't sleep.

exciting is an adjective that means something is making you excited.

For example: The football match was so exciting that she couldn't wait
to tell everyone about it.

fewer vs less Everyone gets this wrong - including native speakers. The general rule is
to use fewer for things you can count (individually), and less for things
you can only measure

For example:
 There were fewer days below freezing last winter. (Days can be counted.)

I drink less coffee than she does. (Coffee cannot be counted individually
it has to be measured).

!Note - "Less" has to do with how much. "Fewer" has to do with how
many.

See the grammar pages for more information on countable/uncountable

nouns.
for vs since The prepositions for and since are often used with time expressions.

For indicates a period of time.

For example:

I have been working here for 2 years.

Since indicates a point in time.

For example:

I have been working here since the year before last.

See the grammar pages for more information on prepositions of time.

good vs well Good is an adjective. We use good when we want to give more
information about a noun.

For example:

My dog Sam is very good. He's a good dog.

She didn't speak very good English. Her English isn't very good.

Well is usually used as an adverb. We use well when we want to give

more information about a verb.

For example:

He usually behaves very well.

She didn't speak English very well.

Note! The exception to this can be when you talk about someone's
health:

For example:-

She wasn't a well woman.

 and when you describe sensations:

For example:-

This pizza tastes/smells/ looks good.

If you say "You look good." It means they look attractive.

If you say "You look well." It means they look healthy.

Note! Younger people might reply to the question "How are you?" with
"I'm good." This is what I call MTV English.
heroin vs Heroin is a noun, it is a powerful illegal drug, obtained from morphine
heroine and is extremely addictive.

For example: "He was arrested for supplying heroin, a class A drug."

Heroine is a female person who is admired for having done something

very brave or having achieved something great. The male equivalent is
hero.

For example: "Grace Darling is one of England's best known heroines."

For Elfish on the forum.

he's vs his He's is the short form of 'he is' or 'he has'.

For example: " Don't be scared - he's very friendly."

His is a possesive pronoun, it is used to show something belonging to or

connected with a man, boy or male animal that has just been mentioned.

For example: " Mark just phoned to say he'd left his coat behind. Do you
know if this is his?"

See the grammar pages for more information on possessive pronouns.

"How do you If I had a Euro for every time someone got this one wrong - I'd be a rich
do?" bunny!
vs
"How are How do you do?
you?"
This is not a question. It is another, very formal way of saying "Hello."
It is also very British.

The correct response is; "Pleased to meet you." or "How do you do." or
just "Hello."

We only really use it the first time we meet someone.

How are you?

 This is a question.

A polite response is; "I'm fine thanks. And you?"

For more on this topic see here.

I vs me Usually we choose the correct form by instinct.

For example;-

I am a teacher. (not me)

Give that to me. (not I)

There are other times when people make mistakes with these two
pronouns. I/me is difficult when it is coupled with another pronoun or
with a noun. This is when you have to think about the subject/object in a
sentence.

For example;-

"It was I who did the homework," or "It was me who did the homework."

Make the statement simpler:-

"I did the homework." so "It was I who did the homework," is correct.

The teacher gave the homework to my friend and me. (Not I)

!If you don't understand why the above sentence is correct, simplify the
sentence again.

Deal with the two people separately.

The teacher gave the homework to my friend.

+
The teacher gave the homework to me.

= The teacher gave the homework to my friend and me.

interested vs Interested is a past participle. When used as an adjective it says how
interesting someone feels.

For example: "I was very interested in the lesson."

Interesting is a present participle. When used as an adjective it describes

the people or things that cause the feelings.

For example: "It was an interesting lesson ."

lay vs lie Lay is an irregular transitive verb (lay / laid/ laid - laying). It needs a
 direct object. It means to put something or someone down (often in a
horizontal postion).

For example: "Lay your head on the pillow."

Lie is an irregular intransitive verb (lie / lay / lain - lying). It does not
take a direct object. It means to rest in a horizontal position1 or to be
located somewhere2.

For example: "If you are tired lie here and have a rest."1
"Nottingham lies in the Midlands." 2

!Lie also means to say something that isn't true but it takes the following
form (lie / lied / lied - lying).

lay down vs lie Lay down has several different meanings.

down
If you lay something down it can mean you officially establish a rule, or
officially state the way in which something should be done.

For example:-

Please follow the rules laid down by the administrator.

If you lay something down your weapons it means you stop fighting.

For example:-

They laid down their guns and surrendered.

If you lay wine down it means you are storing it for drinking in the
future.

For example:-

I laid down this bottle in 1998, it should be perfect for dr inking now.

Lie down means to move into a position in which your body is flat,
usually in order to sleep or rest.

For example: "If you are tired lie down and have a rest."

look after vs To look after; means to take care of or be in charge of something or

look for someone.

For example: "I often ask my mother to look after the children."

To look for; means to try to find something or someone.

For example: "I am looking for my keys. Have you seen them?"
 look at vs In this context look is usually followed by the preposition at.
watch
When you look at someone or something you are interested in the
appearance.

Generally we look at things that are static.

For example:

Look at these photos, they're really good.

I went to the art gallery to look at the exhibition of paintings.

Watch is a verb.

When you watch someone or something you are interested in what

happens.

Generally we watch things that move or change state.

For example:

I watch TV every night.

The security guard watched the shoplifter steal the clock.

!If I say to you "Look at him!" I mean for you to check out his
appearance. But, if I say to you "Watch him!" I mean it as a warning.
look over vs Look over is is a phrasal verb.
overlook
When you look over something or someone you quickly examine it or
them.

For example:-

I asked my teacher to look over what I had written.

Overlook is a verb.

When you overlook someone or something you fail to notice or consider

it or them.:

For example:

I think my teacher overlooked some of my mistakes.

!Look over is two separate words, overlook is one word.

nor vs nor (conjunction) nor is always used in the negative, usually before the
or second or last of a set of negative possibilities, after 'neither'.

For example: He drinks neither wine nor beer.

 or (conjunction) or is used to connect different possibilities.

For example: Is it Tuesday or Wednesday today?

me vs my As in I vs me we usually choose the correct form by instinct.

Me is used as the object of a verb or preposition. You use me to refer to

yourself.

In short answers, we usually use this form.

For example:-

Knock at the door - "Who's there?" ~ "It's me!"

"I want to buy that new DVD." ~ "Me too!"

My is a possessive adjective.

For example:-

My mother loves me.

Now consider the following sentences:-

"I'm going to me and Margaret's room." or "I'm going to my and

Margaret's room."

Which is correct? Me or my?

Simplify the sentence by removing the second person:-

"I'm going to my room." So, "I'm going to my and Margaret's room," is

correct.

A real point of confusion arises when considering the use of "my" or

"me" as the "subject" of a gerund.

The teacher didn't like me telling jokes in class.

The teacher didn't like my telling jokes in class.

But which is correct? Well they both are - sort of, but the use of the
possessive, "my telling jokes in class " serves to isolate the telling of
jokes as the object of my teacher's anger. It's hopefully not "me" at
whom she/he has become upset, but the telling of jokes. In the sentence,
"me telling jokes in class", it might seem as though the teacher doesn't
like me personally. The rule is that the subject of a gerund is supposed to
be in the possessive case.

Remember though that this is a purists view. Both are now becoming
 acceptable through common usage. However, you can avoid any
confusion by writing the sentence in a different way:-

"The teacher didn't like the way I told jokes in class."

most vs the Most without an article is usually used as an adjective, which means
most almost all.

For example:-

They ate most of the cake.

Most days I go for a jog.

The most is usually used to form the superlative of many adjectives and
adverbs.

For example:-

Paul earns the most money.

The Miss World competition is held every year to find the most beautiful
woman in the world.

!Note - This is only a general rule - as ever there are exceptions.

personal vs Personal is an adjective.

personnel
It can mean relating to or belonging to someone.

For example: Your personal belongings are the things that belong to
you.

It can relate to the private parts of someone's life, including their

relationships and feelings.

For example: If you have personal problems, it means you have problems
that are private and sensitive to you. Perhaps problems in a relationship.

It can also mean something that is designed for or used by one person.

For example: a personal computer or stereo.

And it can relate to your body

For example: when talk about personal hygiene.

!If you are rude about or offensive towards someone it could be said that
 you are being personal.

Personnel is a noun.

The people who work for an organisation are the personnel.

For example: military personnel are the members of an army.

The department of an organisation that deals with finding people to work

there, keeping records about them, etc is the Personnel Department. The
head of that department is the personnel manager.

For example: "I need to speak to someone in Personnel."

!Many businesses have renamed their Personnel Department to 'The

Human Resources Department' or HRD for short.
practice vs
practise
Practice is a noun

For example: We need to put these ideas into practice.

Practise is a verb

For example: To learn English well you have to practise.

!Note - This is only true in British English.

!Often in English the noun form ends in ...ice and the verb form ends in
...ise.
raise vs rise When used as a verb they both have the same general meaning of "to
move upwards", the main difference is that rise is an intransitive verb (it
does not take an object), while raise is a transitive verb (it requires an
object):

As you can see from these examples, (nobody is pushing up the sun!),
whereas (Mary moved her hand upwards/The government make laws to
increase taxes).

rise (v) Something rises by itself

For example:-
The sun rises in the east.
The chairman always rises to the occasion.
I will rise tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. to walk the dog.
 Rise is an irregular verb: rise / rose / risen

raise (v) Something else is needed to raise something.

For example:-
Lynne raised her hand.
The government is going to raise taxes.
They can't raise the Titanic.
Raise is a regular verb: raise / raised / raised
say / said Said v. is the past simple and past participle of to say.
vs It can be used in direct speech:
tell / told For example: "I am sorry", said the criminal.
It can be used in indirect (reported) speech (followed by that).
For example: "The criminal said that he was sorry.

Said adj. is used before the name of a person or thing you have already
mentioned:
For example: "The said party denied the charges"

Told v. is the past simple and past participle of to tell.

It is normally used in reported speech, i.e. it is used to talk about what
people say (followed by an object + that:):
For example: I told him that I would be late.

When told has the meaning of "instruct", it can be followed by an object

and an infinitive.
For example: He told me to leave.
to see vs To see means to be aware of what is around you by using your eyes.
to watch
For example: "I can see the smoke from here."

To watch means to look at something for a period of time, especially

something that is changing or moving.

For example: "I watched the cricket."

!Note - We watch things that move, such as TV, a film, sport. We look
at static things, such as a photograph, a painting, the stars.
shortage vs Shortage is a noun meaning when there is not enough of something.
shortness
For example: There is a shortage of skilled workers in the industry.

Shortness is a also a noun meaning the condition of being short spatially.

For example: Shortness in children and young adults nearly al ways

results from below-average growth in childhood.
so vs such So when used as in front of an adjective or an adverb means very.
For example: "My English teacher is so patient. She teaches us so well."
 Such when used as a determiner can be used in front of a noun or an
adjective and a noun to show extremes, you can't use it in front of
adverbs.

For example: "She is such a patient teacher."

!Note - Remember that without the noun you need to use "so."

such + a + patient + teacher

so + patient

stationary vs Stationary means standing still or not moving

stationery For example: "The car was stationary."

Stationery means the items needed for writing, such as paper, pens,
pencils and envelopes.
For example: "It is the secretary's job to order the stationery?"

!'e' is for envelopes 'a' is for automobiles.

there, their, There can be used as an adjective of place:-
they're For example: "The car is over there in the car park."

There can also be used as the introductory subject in sentences:-

For example: "There are some grammar pages on this web site."

They're is the a contraction of "they are".

For example: "They're always surfing the Internet."

Their is a possessive pronoun like "her" or "our".

For example: "Have they done their homework?"

Example: "There's a large family in this town. Look they're over there by
their car."

!If you've written "they're," ask yourself whether you can substitute "they
are." If not, you've made a mistake. There" has "here" inside it to remind
you it refers to a place, while "their" has "heir" buried in it to remind you
that it has to do with possession.
trainee vs A trainee is a person who is learning and practising the skills of a
trainer particular job.

For example: "There is a shortage of trainee dentists in the UK."

A trainer is a person who teaches skills for a particular job, activity or

sport.

For example: "I like to think of myself as an English trainer, not an

English teacher."
to, too or two? To is the most common form. When to is used before a verb it forms part
of the infiinitive:-

For example: to learn, to do, to be, to drink...

"I need to visit the dentist."

To is also a preposition, often used to indicate direction, which begins a

prepositional phrase.

For example: to the limit, to hell and back

Example: "I need to go to the dentist."

Too is an adjective meaning "extra or more than necessary" - after all it

has 2 Os - 1 too many?

For example: too much, too big, too small...

"The film was too long."

Too is also an adjective meaning "also"

For example: me too

"I thought it was too long, too."

Two is a number.

For example: one, two, three...

"I only drank two pints of beer."

More examples: We went to a football match. (preposition)

We like to watch a good film. (infinitive)

We ate too much. (meaning "excessively")

I like baseball, too. (meaning "also")

Six divided by three is two. (number)

They own two cars. (number)

! Many other words in English which reflect the number two are spelled
with tw.

For example: twin, twice, twenty, between, tweezers, etc.

Try this famous song if you are still confused about to and too!
travel, trip
Travel (v) is used in general terms as a verb - it usually means to change
voyage or
location. The word travel is very rarely used as a noun.
journey?
 For example: I have to travel a lot for work.

Trip (n) is often substituted for the word 'holiday' when the travelling
distance was short.

For example: How was your trip?

It is often used in connection with business.

For example: I have to travel a lot for work. I am off on another business
trip next week.

Trip (v) has a totally different meaning. It means to nearly fall over.

For example: I tripped over the carpet and sprained my ankle.

Voyage (n) is usually a long journey by boat. The word voyage is very
rarely used as a verb.

For example: The voyage to South Africa took over six weeks.

Journey (n) is used more in British English than American English. It

means the 'piece' of travel between 2 or more points. The word journey is
very rarely used as a verb.

For example: The journey from Darmstadt to Nottingham takes 12 hours.

used to vs used Used to can be used as an adjective and we use it to talk about things that
to do have become familiar, and are no longer strange or new.

For example: "I am used to mistakes now."

You can also be used to doing something.

For example: "I am used to making mistakes now."

More here

Used to do - If we say something used to happen we are talking about

repeated events and actions in the past, usually things that happened a
long time ago and are now finished.

For example: "I used to smoke."

More here
what vs which Which and what are both used in questions:-

What is used to ask a question when there are an unknown number or

infinite possibilities for an answer. You know that there are many, many
ways that exist to address your question, and you want to find out—from
 all those possibilities that you might not even know about—the best way.

For example: "What movie did you go to see?"

Which is used if you are choosing between two items, already defined, in
a different sentence, like this:

For example: "Which shoes should I wear with this dress—my blue ones
or my black ones?"

You can use which when you have a very small or limited field to choose
from. Certainly use which, not what, when there are only two choices, or
if both speaker and listener can visualize all the items under
consideration:

For example: "Which foot did you break?"

Often, either which or what can be used for several choices, depending
on what is in the speaker’s mind:

For example:-

a - "Which bus goes into the centre?"

b - "What bus shall I take?"

Both sentences are fine. The speaker is probably thinking about fewer
buses in sentence (a) than in sentence (b).
who vs whom Who is used as the subject of a verb. Basically anytime "I", "she" or "he"
'feels' right, who can be used.

For example:-

She is the one who built that funny English website.

In questions who is used when asking which person or people did

something, or when asking what someone's name is. In fact in informal
writing and speech who is used most of the time.

For example:-

"Who is that girl over there?"

"Who let the dogs out?"
"She asked me if I knew who had got the job."

Whom is used in formal writing as the object of a verb or preposition.

For example:-

"He took out a photo of his son, whom he adores."

 "There were 500 passengers, of whom 121 drowned."

!Note - Whom is rarely used in questions. For example:

"To whom do you wish to speak?" (This sounds very old-fashioned and
stilted.)

! If in doubt, try the “he or him” test:-

Try rewriting the sentence using “he or him ”.

For example:

"He took out a photo of his son, whom he adores." - "He adores he"
should 'feel"'wrong. So it must be "He adores him."

If you're still not sure, go with who, 99.9% of the time you'll be right.

Tips & Tricks

The most commonly used words in written English

1. The
2. Of
3. And
4. A
5. To
6. In
7. Is
8. You
9. That
10. It
11. He
12. For

-ize or -ise

Many people in the UK believe that words ending in “-ize” such as “organize” are US
spellings, and that the correct spelling is “organise”. However, the Oxford University
Press insists that words such as computerize, capitalize, capsize, organize, organization,
privatize, publicize, realize should take the -ize ending, but that others, eg analyse,
advertise, advise, arise, compromise, disguise, despise, enterprise, exercise, merchandise,
revise, supervise, surprise should take the -ise ending.

In the Concise Oxford Dictionary you will often find that both options are possible in
British English - 'realise' or 'realize', 'organise' or 'organize' - whilst for other entries -ize
is listed as unmistakably American, e.g. 'analyse' = British English, 'analyze' = American
English.
Here's a checklist you can use:

Noun and verb: Where the noun and verb are the same (like “exercise”), use -ise.

Pronounciation: Anything that doesn't sound like “-eyes” uses -ise, such as “promise”.

Stem: Where the stem word (usually Latin or Greek) ends in “is”, then use -ise, as in vis
(to see) gives “televise”.

Anything else: Use -ize.

Learning new vocabulary

If you find it difficult to remember the meaning of a word write it on a card - then look it
up in Wiki or Google and copy out (with pen and paper on the other side of the card) a
few sentences that you find relating to the word.

For example: squirrel

On Wiki - One well-known trait of some species of squirrel is the gathering and storing of
nuts for the winter.

On Google - Squirrel is the common name for rodents of the family Sciuridae, and can
sometimes be used to describe someone who is a 'goof' or 'clown'.

Practise

Learning a word won't help very much if you promptly forget it. Research shows that it
takes from 10 to 20 repetitions to really make a word part of your vocabulary.

It helps to write the word - both the definition and a sentence you make up using the word
- perhaps on an index card that can later be reviewed.

Do a search on a word using Google, first find the definition by searching for "define:
word", then do a general search and write down 3 examples of how the word has been
used in different sentences.

As soon as you learn a new word, start using it. Review your index cards periodically to
see if you have forgotten any of your new words.

Take part

No one can teach you English. Rather, you have to learn it. In order to do this you have to
participate. To get the full benefits, of any learning experience you need to be active:-

Get involved, participate in discussions - don't be shy.

Ask your teacher to organise some role-plays or 10 minutes free speaking time in the
lesson.
Join forums, you can make friends and practise your English. There's probably a forum
for every hobby or interest.
Ask for help - don't be too proud to admit you don't know everything.
Learn from your mistakes

We all make them, so we need to learn to accept them as a fact of life. Making a genuine
mistake does not make you any less of a person.

If anyone gives you an unnecessarily stressful time about making a mistake, remember
they will have made just as many mistakes as you, if not more. The question 'May I
congratulate you on never having made a mistake in your life?' is a useful answer here
(just not to your teacher)!

Never making a mistake means never living life to the full. More useful lessons are
learned from mistakes than from success. Children learn to walk because they get up
when they fall, not because they stay down. Repeat each morning that to risk failure is to
court success.

Talk to yourself

Talking to yourself is no longer the first sign of madness - it's the first sign of excellence.
"Self-talk" can help you to become more fluent. And the great thing is - you can do it
anywhere: in the bath, in the car, while you're taking the dog for a walk. Try to put a
regular time aside everyday when you can talk to yourself in English. Talk about
interesting things which have happened to you and the things you're planning to do in the
future.