English Building Blocks

Front 1

Auxilliary verbs

Back 1

was
could
were

Front 2

Auxilliary verbs

Back 2

was (is,am)
could (can)
were

Front 3

What gives headlines impact?

Back 3

Alliteration
Clear visual images
Strong verbs

Maniac Manhandles Manager
Chicken Causes Chuckles in Church
Woman and Child Abducted from Shopping Centre!

Front 4

What is a sentence?

Back 4

A complete thought or idea

Front 5

What should each complete sentence have?

Back 5

Subject
Predicate

Front 6

What is the subject in a sentence?

Back 6

The subject in the sentence is what the sentence is about.

The subject is the person or thing that carries out the action of the verb and is either a noun or a pronoun.

Front 7

What does the predicate in the sentence contain?

Back 7

The verb and anything else that may be included in the sentence.

Front 8

What is the object of the sentence?

Back 8

The person or thing to which the action of the verb happens is called the object of the sentence.

The object is also a noun or a pronoun and is part of the predicate.

Front 9

Commas:

Back 9

break up long sentences into smaller groups of words which are more easily understood.

Front 10

Inverted commas: ('...')

Back 10

are used to show which words in a passage of direct speech are actually spoken.

Front 11

Commas:

Back 11

Extra information about someone or something may be enclosed in commas, such as 'My mother, who was very young, ...'

Front 12

Commas are also used:

Back 12

to separate items in a list or sequence, such as 'My mother listened carefully to the sound, rose from her chair, moved to the window and saw the figure standing there'.

Front 13

How do you end a letter to someone you do not know well:

Back 13

Yours sincerely

or

Kindest regards

Front 14

How do you end a letter to someone you are found of?

Back 14

Yours affectionately

With love

Fondest regards

Front 15

Nouns:

Back 15

Name things

Nouns are words that name places, things and people

Front 16

The verb:

Back 16

shows what is happening in the sentence

Front 17

The subject:

Back 17

performs the action of the verb

Front 18

The object of the sentence

Back 18

is affected by the action of the verb

Front 19

The subject and object will be either a...

Back 19

noun or a pronoun

Front 20

What is the word hadn't

Back 20

A contraction

Front 21

How would you present a counter-argument?

Back 21

I disagree because....

or

I support my argument with....

Front 22

Remember: Most nouns which end in -o form the plural by the addition of -es, but there are some exceptions.

Back 22

echoes
mosquitoes
potatoes
heroes
cargoes
rodeos
solos
photos
pianos
infernos

Front 23

If we joint 2 simple sentences using the conjunction AND or BUT, we will have created a ....

Back 23

Compound sentence

Front 24

Each part of a compound sentence contains its own complete verb and is called a...

Back 24

main clause.

I was trapped in them. I couldn't see what was holding me

BECOMES

I was trapped in them, but I couldn't see what was holding me.

Front 25

The sentence may be developed further by the addition of a sub-ordinate clause which depends on the main clause for its meaning.

A sentence that consists of a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses is called a...

Back 25

complex sentence

Although I tried to move, I was trapped in them.

Front 26

If a sentence has more than one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses, we call it a...

Back 26

compound-complex sentence.

I was trapped in them, but I couldn't see what was holding me as it was too dark.

Front 27

Conjunctions:

Back 27

but
when
although
while
if

Front 28

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming within phrases or sentences, and together with alliteration and consonance[1] serves as one of the building blocks of verse. For example, in the phrase "Do you like blue?", the /uː/ ("o"/"ou"/"ue" sound) is repeated within the sentence and is assonant.

Back 28

on a proud round cloud in white high night

Front 29

When you are trying to find examples of assonance, you need to concentrate on the....

Back 29

sound and NOT the letter

Front 30

Why are alliteration and assonance used together?

Back 30

It gives a greater effect.

Front 31

Statements

Back 31

Supply information

Shaun IS GOING to school

Front 32

Questions

Back 32

These ask for information

WHERE is Shaun going?

Front 33

Exclamations

Back 33

Express emotions such as surprise, fear, alarm or anger.

This work is unacceptable!

Front 34

Commands (Imperative)

Back 34

These are used to give orders or instructions.

DO NOT ENTER through that door.

LEAVE the room immediately!

Front 35

Simple sentence

Back 35

This has one finite verb and deals with one idea

Anne READS a book.

Front 36

Compound sentence

Back 36

This has 2 or more finite verbs. It may be made up of 2 or more simple sentences joined by a co-ordinating conjunction.

Dan PLAYS soccer at school AND WORKS on his computer at home.

Front 37

Complex sentence

Back 37

This contains one main clause of thought and one or more subordinate clauses which provide additional information. They are joined by subordinating conjunctions.

Candice RECEIVED her results/WHILE she WAS RECUPERATING in hospital/AFTER she HAD BROKEN her leg.

Front 38

Subject

Back 38

The subject reflects WHO or WHAT we are talking about.

It is the person or thing who/that/which is performing the action.

The word that follows the linking verb (to be) is not the object: it is know as the COMPLEMENT.

Front 39

Complement

Back 39

The complement enlarges on the subject.

The race WAS exciting.
The author BECAME famous.

Front 40

Predicate

Back 40

The predicate is the rest of the sentence.

It expands on the subject and always BEGINS WITH THE VERB.

Anne BUILT THE SANDCASTLE

The boys WERE HAPPY TO GO FISHING

Front 41

Analysing the predicate

Back 41

In a fuller analysis, the predicate can be divided into:
Verb
Direct object
Indirect Object

Front 42

Direct object

Back 42

Answers WHO or WHAT after the verb.

Front 43

Indirect object

Back 43

Always tells you TO WHOM/WHAT or FOR WHOM/WHAT after the Direct Object

The dog (subject) brought (verb) the ball (direct object -what) TO his master (indirect object)

Matric (Subject) opens (verb) doors (direct object - what) FOR the future (indirect future)

Front 44

Phrases

Back 44

A phrase is a group of words without a finite verb.

A phrase:
Is sensibly arranged within the sentence and conveys a single idea.

Can never stand alone, but is always part of a sentence.

Is also referred to as a 'fragment' of a sentence.

The shop AROUND THE CORNER is open one hour a day.

The company, SPECIALISING IN TRAVEL, received the award.

Front 45

Conjunction

Back 45

A conjunction is a word that CONNECTS other words or groups of words.

In the sentence: Bob and Dan are friends the conjunction AND connects two nouns and in the sentence: He will drive or fly, the conjunction OR connects two verbs.

In the sentence :It is early but we can go, the conjunction but connects two groups of words.

Front 46

Coordinating conjunctions

Back 46

conjunctions which connect two equal parts of a sentence. The most common ones are AND, OR, BUT, and so which are used in the following ways:

AND is used to JOIN or ADD words together in the sentence They ate AND drank.

OR is used to SHOW CHOICE OR POSSIBILITIES as in the sentence He will be here on Monday OR Tuesday.

BUT is used to show OPPOSITE OR CONFLICTING IDEAS as in the sentence: She is small BUT strong.

SO is used to SHOW RESULT as in the sentence: I was tired SO I went to sleep.

Front 47

Subordinating conjunctions

Back 47

CONNECTS TWO PARTS of a sentence THAT ARE NOT EQUAL.

Front 48

Coordinating conjunctions

Back 48

And

Or

But

Front 49

Subordinating conjunctions

Back 49

after before

unless although

if until

as since

when because

than while

Front 50

Correlative conjunctions

Back 50

are PAIRS OF CONJUNCTIONS THAT WORK TOGETHER.

In the sentence: Both Jan and Meg are good swimmers, BOTH. . .AND are correlative conjunctions.

Front 51

Correlative conjunctions

Back 51

The most common correlative conjunctions are:

both . . .and

either . . . or

neither . . . nor

not only . . . but also

Front 52

There are four main types of if sentences in English, often called conditional sentences.

Back 52

These sentences are in two halves, with the IF part in one half and the other part where you can use words such as CAN, WILL, MAY, MIGHT, COULD and WOULD.

Front 53

If + present form + present form

"If you heat ice, it melts."

Back 53

In this type of sentence, you could use when instead of if. It's always true that when you heat ice it melts. This is why this type of sentence is sometimes called a zero conditional.

Front 54

If + present form, + will, can or may

"If I am late, I will call you."

"If you need me, you can call me at home."

"If it gets any hotter, we may have a thunder storm."

Back 54

In these sentences (or first conditional sentences), there is a strong possibility that the first part (coming after if) is going to happen. The second part says what will happen as a result.

Front 55

If + past form + would, could or might

"If I got a pay rise, I would buy a new car."

"If you left your job, you could travel around the world."

"If you were nicer to him, he might lend you the money."

Back 55

In these sentences, the first part with if shows that the event is unlikely to happen. In English, we often use this type of sentence (called a second conditional) to talk about hypotheses, or imaginary future events.

For example, "If I was President of the United States, I would change some laws." But I know that I'll never be the President of the USA – I'm just saying what I would do if I was in his/her position. Note: in American English, it is correct to use "if I were…" In British English, it's more common to say "if I was…"

Front 56

If + past perfect + would/might/could have done

"If I had revised, I would have passed my exams."

"If we had gone out earlier, we might have got to the cinema on time."

"If you had told me there was a problem, I could have helped."

Back 56

In these sentences (or third conditional sentences), the first part of the sentence with if didn't happen. So there is no possibility of the second part of the sentence happening. I didn't revise, so I didn't pass my exams and there is nothing I can do about it now. English speakers use this type of sentence to show how things could have been different.

Front 57

Giving examples

Back 57

For example
For instance
Namely

The most common way of giving examples is by using for example or for instance.

Namely refers to something by name.

"There are two problems: namely, the expense and the time."

Front 58

Adding information

Back 58

And
In addition
As well as
Also
Too
Furthermore
Moreover
Apart from
In addition to
Besides

Front 59

Summarising

Back 59

In short
In brief
In summary
To summarise
In a nutshell
To conclude
In conclusion

We normally use these words at the beginning of the sentence to give a summary of what we have said or written.

Front 60

Sequencing ideas

Back 60

The former, … the latter
Firstly, secondly, finally
The first point is
Lastly
The following

The former and the latter are useful when you want to refer to one of two points.
"Marketing and finance are both covered in the course. The former is studied in the first term and the latter is studied in the final term."

Front 61

Giving a reason

Back 61

Due to / due to the fact that
Owing to / owing to the fact that
Because
Because of
Since
As

Due to and owing to must be followed by a noun.

Front 62

Giving a result

Back 62

Therefore
So
Consequently
This means that
As a result

Therefore, so, consequently and as a result are all used in a similar way.

Front 63

Contrasting ideas

Back 63

But
However
Although / even though
Despite / despite the fact that
In spite of / in spite of the fact that
Nevertheless
Nonetheless
While
Whereas
Unlike
In theory… in practice…

But is more informal than however. It is not normally used at the beginning of a sentence.

Front 64

Linking words

Back 64

Help you to connect ideas and sentences, so that people can follow your ideas.

Front 65

Like

Back 65

Like is followed by a noun or pronoun.

For example, "I'm like my sister", or "Like my sister, I have brown eyes."

Front 66

As

Back 66

As is followed by a subject and verb.

For example, "She's a good student, as her brother was before her."

Front 67

As is used with a preposition,

Back 67

such as, "As in the 1960's, the population explosion will cause some problems."

Front 68

We can use as in certain expressions, such as ...

Back 68

"as you know", "as you requested", "as we agreed".

Front 69

We also use as….

Back 69

as to give comparisons. For example, "He's as clever as his sister."

Front 70

black and white

Back 70

something which is extremely clear: "He told her in black and white that she couldn't leave the house while he was out."

Front 71

dos and don'ts

Back 71

the rules: "There are various do's and don'ts about driving in the UK."

Front 72

haves and have nots

Back 72

people who are rich and those who are not: "In London you can find the haves and have nots of the population."

Front 73

ins and outs

Back 73

the details: "I don't know the ins and outs of the situation, so I can't really advise you."

Front 74

kiss and tell

Back 74

when someone sells a story of themselves and a famous person: "The British tabloids are famous for publishing kiss and tell stories."

Front 75

odds and ends

Back 75

small pieces of various items: "She made a stew with the odds and ends she found in the fridge."

Front 76

P's and Q's

Back 76

manners (such as please and thank you): "Mind your P's and Q's when you visit them!"

Front 77

pros and cons

Back 77

advantages and disadvantages: "There are a few pros and cons that we should consider before buying a new house."

Front 78

rights and wrongs

Back 78

all the good points and bad points of a situation: "Regardless of the rights and wrongs of company policy, you need to give a month's notice."

Front 79

tried and tested

Back 79

something which has been well tested: "Using salt is a tried and tested way of getting red wine out of a carpet."

Front 80

ups and downs

Back 80

very good times and very bad times: "They have a lot of ups and downs in their relationship."

Front 81

come and go

Back 81

use somewhere as your base: "Feel free to come and go as you please!"

Front 82

back and forth

Back 82

not to stay still, but to keep travelling between two places: "I'm so glad I'm moving. I was getting sick of going back and forth every day. Now my journey to work will be a lot quicker."

Front 83

dribs and drabs

Back 83

not a steady amount of something: "The marathon runners finished in dribs and drabs."

Front 84

said and done

Back 84

to have the final word on something: "When it's all said and done, the new reception area is going to be a credit to the company."

Front 85

cat and mouse

Back 85

doing something in the same way that a cat plays with a mouse: "The guerillas played a cat and mouse game with the much better-equipped army."

Front 86

trial and error

Back 86

to do something new by making experiments and occasionally failing: "The new computer system has been installed. But it's a bit trial and error at the moment – nobody really knows how to use it."

Front 87

flesh and blood

Back 87

your family: "I have to help him if I can – he's my flesh and blood."

Front 88

down and out

Back 88

someone who has no money at all who has to live on the street: "There are too many young down and outs in London."

Front 89

by and large

Back 89

generally: "By and large, our customers prefer good service to low prices."

Front 90

Up and running

Back 90

in operation: "The new company is now up and running."

Front 91

Noughts and crosses

Back 91

a game where you take it in turns to put your symbol (either a nought or a cross) into one of nine spaces. The idea is to have a row of either three noughts or three crosses, but your opponent tries to block you. The game looks like this:

O X O
X O X
X O X

Front 92

Bring and buy

Back 92

a fair where people try to raise money for a cause by bringing something that other people might want to buy: "I'm making a cake for the school's bring and buy next week."

Front 93

Hide and seek

Back 93

a children's game where one child hides and the others try to find him / her: "Someone's been playing hide and seek with the TV remote control again!"

Front 94

Around and about

Back 94

a vague phrase to avoid saying where you have been exactly: "Where have you been – I've been worried!"
"Oh, around and about, you know."

Front 95

To and fro

Back 95

another way of saying "back and forth": "I'm exhausted – I've been going to and fro all week!"

Front 96

Over and out

Back 96

something you say to show you have come to the end of your message: "The last thing they heard from the pilot was 'over and out'."

Front 97

Done and dusted

Back 97

properly finished: "Well, that's this project done and dusted. We need a holiday now."

Front 98

Dead and buried

Back 98

something that will not happen: "That idea is now dead and buried – the Executive Committee decided some time ago to go with another proposal."

Front 99

Wine and dine

Back 99

to entertain someone lavishly: "He's well-known for wining and dining his business partners."

Front 100

Wine and dine

Back 100

to entertain someone lavishly: "He's well-known for wining and dining his business partners."

Front 101

Spick and span

Back 101

very tidy and clean: "Her house is spick and span at all times."

Front 102

Wheel and deal

Back 102

to make deals when buying and selling things: "If you need a new car, try speaking to John. He's a bit of a wheeler and dealer!"

Front 103

so-so

Back 103

= OK:
"How was the meeting?" "So-so – it was nice to see everyone, but we didn't get anything decided."

Front 104

on-off

Back 104

= not constant: "They have a very on-off relationship."

Front 105

love-hate

Back 105

= having feelings for someone / something which swing from love to hate: "I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with my car."

Front 106

mish-mash

Back 106

= when things are combined together and so appear untidy: "The new policy is a bit of a mish-mash of the last two policies we've had."

Front 107

riff-raff

Back 107

= quite a 'snobby' expression to describe people you think are lower in class than you: "Lets send out invitations for the party. We don't want the town's riff-raff turning up and eating all the food."

Front 108

chit-chat

Back 108

= small talk or unimportant conversation: "He asked us to stop our chit-chat and get on with our work."

Front 109

knick-knack

Back 109

= an ornament: "She's got a lot of knick-knacks – I'm always afraid I'm going to break one."

Front 110

ship-shape

Back 110

= everything in its right place: "I want to leave the place ship-shape when we go on holiday."

Front 111

zig-zag

Back 111

= diagonally: "He lost control of the car and it zig-zagged across the road."

Front 112

ding-dong

Back 112

= an argument: "They've had a bit of a ding-dong and they're not talking to each other at the moment."

Front 113

higgledy-piggledy

Back 113

= in a mess: "That bookshelf is all higgledy-piggledy!"

Front 114

wishy-washy

Back 114

= weak opinion, argument or person: "His argument is a bit wishy-washy – I don't get the impression that he really knows what he wants to think."

Front 115

easy-peasey

Back 115

= something that children often say to emphasise how easy something is: "This program is easy-peasey – I understood it in half an hour!"

Front 116

flip-flops

Back 116

= rubber sandals with a thong that goes between your big and second toe: "I lived in my flip-flops when I was staying on the beach."

Front 117

see-saw

Back 117

= something that goes up and down (like the piece of wood in a playground – a child sits on each end and these ends go up an down): "The English pound has see-sawed against the American dollar for the last two weeks."

Front 118

Using 'just'

Back 118

1. We can use "just" to refer to something which happened only a few minutes before. To do this, use the present perfect tense:

The postman has just been.
I've just phoned the school.

"Just" goes before the auxiliary and the main verb.

You can also use "already" here, although "already" doesn't give the idea that the action happened only very recently.

Because we use "just" to mean only very recently, we can also use it in the past simple with "before":

"We got home just before the rain started."

We can also use "just" to refer to the immediate future. Follow "just" with either "about to" or "going to":

"Don't go out now – we're just about to / we're just going to have lunch.

2. "Just" also means "enough – but with a very small margin".

For example, "I've got just enough time to buy a paper before the train leaves."
(I only have a minute or so – certainly not enough time to buy a paper and a sandwich!)

Front 119

It's – its

Back 119

"It's" is the abbreviated form of "it is" or "it has".
"Its" is the possessive adjective.

Examples:
"It's time to go." (It is time to go.)
"The company has changed its hiring policy." (possessive – "its" refers to the policy of the company.)

Front 120

You're – your

Back 120

"You're is the abbreviated form of "you are".
"Your" is the possessive adjective.

Examples:

"You're funny!" (You are funny.)
"Your jacket is too big." (The jacket that belongs to you.)

Front 121

They're – their – there

Back 121

"They're" is the abbreviated form of "they are".
"Their" is the possessive adjective.
"There" refers to place or as the subject in a sentence, as in "There are five people in my class."

Front 122

They're – their – there

Back 122

"They're" is the abbreviated form of "they are".
"Their" is the possessive adjective.
"There" refers to place or as the subject in a sentence, as in "There are five people in my class."

Examples:
"They're leaving now." (They are leaving now.)
"Their car is new." (The car that belongs to them.)
"She lives there."

Front 123

Who's – whose

Back 123

"Who's" is the abbreviated form of "who is" or "who has".
"Whose" is a pronoun.

Examples:
"Who's coming to the party tonight?" (Who is coming to the party?)
"Whose book is this?" (Who does this book belong to?)

Front 124

Should have

Back 124

Example:
"You should have left sooner."

Front 125

Alternatives to "fat"

Back 125

overweight / heavy / plump / a bit chubby (chubby is especially used for children)
curvy /curvaceous (for women) / statuesque (i.e. tall and well-built)
well-built / a big man (for men)

Front 126

Alternatives to "thin"

Back 126

slim
slender / petite (especially for women)
wiry / without an inch of fat

Front 127

Alternatives to "old"

Back 127

(Note: definitions of old vary. Anyone under the age of 60 – 65 might not be considered particularly old in the UK.)
a pensioner / elderly (75+) / a senior citizen
middle-aged (50 +)

Front 128

Adjective order

Back 128

If you have more than one adjective, what order do you put them in? For example, is it "a green leather chair" or "a leather green chair"?

Here are some guidelines for adjective order.

1. The closer the adjective to the noun, the more it defines the noun. So we'd say "an antique engagement ring" rather than "an engagement antique ring" because "engagement" defines what sort of ring it is.

The further from the noun, the less closely the adjective defines the noun.

2. We separate two adjectives with a comma (not "and"). So, "she had a small, yappy dog" and not "She had a small and yappy dog".

3. We use "and" after the verb "to be" and with colour adjectives.
"The dog was small, white and vicious. It wore a red and white jacket when it went out for walks."

Adjective order

Opinion, size, shape, age, colour, origin, material, defining

Examples:
She wore a beautiful, white, wedding dress.
Her mother wore an ugly, big, square, green hat.
The groom wore a stylish, grey, Italian suit.

Front 129

Past Simple or Past Perfect?

Back 129

Most of the time, when you talk about an event in the past, you can use the Past Simple and Past Continuous. If you need to give a flashback in this story, you can use the past perfect. (You can review the grammar of the past perfect here.)

It's important to remember that if you're sequencing your story (telling it in chronological order, from beginning to end) you don't need the past perfect. You only need to use it if you want to say that something happened before – perhaps to give extra explanation.

If you have sequencing words like after or before (which make the order of the story clear) you don't need to use the past perfect.

Before I left the house, I checked my emails. (we know that you checked the emails, then left.)

Here's an example of how to use the Past Simple, Past Continuous and Past Perfect together in a story.

This story happened when I was living in Paris. (both events set in the past).

I had come to Paris because my office had transferred me there. (reason why I was in Paris – the transfer happened before the story takes place.)

One day, I left my flat as usual. I took the metro to get to my office, then walked the few metres to my office. (All events in the past simple, as you're going back to the story, telling it in chronological order.)

Front 130

Describing films

Back 130

If you've just seen a great film, you might want to tell your friends about it. Here are some tips for doing that.

First of all, see our advice for telling a good story in English. Make sure you know how to sequence your story, and use linking words to help others understand you.

Telling a story about a film

Here are some ways you can tell the story (plot) of a film you've seen.

It's set in…(New York / in the 1950's).
The film's shot on location in Arizona.
The main characters are … and they're played by…
It's a mystery / thriller / love-story.

You can tell the story of the film in the present simple tense.

Well, the main character decides to… (rob a bank)
But when he drives there…

Giving your opinion

I thought the film was great / OK / fantastic…
The actors / costumes / screenplay are/is …
The special effects are fantastic / terrible
The best scene / the worst scene is when…
The plot is believable / seems a bit unlikely

Not telling all

You don't want to spoil the film for your friends, so you can say something like:

"I don't want to spoil it for you, so I'm not going to tell you what happens in the end."
"You'll have to go and see it for yourself."
"I don't want to ruin the surprise for you."

Useful adjectives

All these are useful words and phrases to spice up your description:

true-to-life (a real story)
the real story of
remarkable (unusual, good)
masterpiece (the best work someone has done)
oscar-winning

Answers to last week's English exercise

Choose just, already, yet or still to fill the gaps in the sentences below.

1. Have you sent that letter?
No, I haven't been to the Post Office yet.

2. I've just seen Paul at the bus stop. He's looking really well.

3. Do you want me to get you a newspaper when I'm out? No thanks, I've already / just read it online. (2 possibilities)

4. She's a great traveller. She's already been to most European countries, and now she's going to South America.

5. I'm supposed to be going to an interview tomorrow, but I still haven't had confirmation about the time.

6. Do you want to work an extra day tomorrow? No thanks, I've just come back from holiday.