Basic User - Stage 3
As a fluent, native English speaker, I tried taking the TEFL Language course online. (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) However, I found the course very tedious, formal, definitely hard work and in no way was it fun.
In creating this website, I am trying to explain how to write in English in a fun, easier way without making it seem long, boring, worn-out and just a chore. 'Back to Basics', I thought.
Please feel free to advise me of any spelling mistakes (though the red, underlined spelling error markers do help me out when typing too fast) or just not paying attention enough.
This website currently only hosts the Basic User levels, but in the future an Intermediate and/or Advanced levels will be incorporated.
Here are a few more pointers to help your grammer and how to build proper sentences.
01
Ed / ing / ality/ ly
Predict - Predicted - Predicting - predictability
Practical - practicality
Punctual - punctuality
Scale - d - ing - scalable - scalability
Avail - d - ing - available - availability
Quick - quickly
Slow - slowly
Gentle - gently
Firm - firmly
Light - lightly
Dangerous - dangerously
Awkward - awkwardly
Inherent - Inherently
Temporary - Temp - Temporarily
Unfortunate - Unfortunately
Undecide - Undecided
Unnecessary - Unnecessarily
Undesirable
Unreliable
Unreactive
Unattractive
Spelling & ...tions
Break down longer words. Notable ones are:
Beautiful - Beauty. B-e-a-ut-i-ful
No masculine or feminine, but Beauty is used for a woman or an item like a ship/boat.
Handsome is masculine.
Attractive is used for both genders.
Umbrella - Brolly (slang/singular) - Brollies (plural).
...tions is used for more than one. As is the word Multiples.
Accommodate - accommodation - accommodating - accommodated.
So .. Accommodate - accommodation - accommodating - accomodated
train station, calculation, abbreviation, repetition, competition, cooperation, continuation, condemnation, reputation, quotation, isolation, desolation, revelation.
Abbreviations/Acronyms. (2 full stops are required sometimes.)
E.g. - Example
I.e. - In other words
N.B. - A note that here...
Etc. - etcetera - so on and so forth, on and on in a simple way
A.K.A - Otherwise Know As
R.S.V.P - Retourné s'il vous plait. Please return.
02
Who, Why, What, Where, Which, When, Won't? And How!
All are to ask a question, so the full stop . is not used at the end of the sentence, the question mark ❓ is.
Where are my dog's leads? Dog leads?
There they are!
My dog's leads are over there. See? There!
Why are they there? They don't belong there.
(Here, the exclamation mark❗ is used to mean to make a point. Said with a higher accent on the meaning of the point.)
Who is going to play first?
What are we going to do now?
What time is the next bus?
Won't the man be cross if we leave early?
When will we be able to leave, as it's getting late?
How can be used when questioning something.
How are we going to get there today? We have missed the last train.
How do I/we get there? What's the quickest route/way?
How did the magician make your card disappear?
If you are writing a story with a character, a person who is saying something or in an article, if you are quoting what a person has said, you use
Quotation Marks at the beginning and end of the quote.
"Look! There are the horses. In the field over there", said Steve. Maria couldn't see them.
"See by that large tree, to the right of the church? Can you see them?"
"Oh, yes. There's lots of them taking shelter under the tree from the rain."
03
This, They, Then , That.
They are both five months old. (days, months, weeks, years)
That's a very large house.
This menu is cheaper than that one.
Then we went to the beach. We went swimming in the sea and then, as it started to rain, we decided to go home.
04
Their/There. Now/Know/Knew.
Their dog leads are in the top (bottom) cupboard drawer.
Here, 'their' means the leads belong to the dogs. Their coat, their bags.
Something or someone that 'is over there' means they are at a place. The man is standing over there. You have arrived there, at a destination or to a solution or answer.
They're just coming. They shouldn't be too long now.
I'm not sure I know the answer. Yes, I do! 8 x 5 is 40! I knew I'd get there in the end. I'm great at maths.
05
Short links in a sentence to link/join words.
The, of, on, a, an, and, as, or, it/it's, to, very, not, but.
A European.
A Frenchman.
An easier route.
Is there another way to get there?
For example. (E.g.) - The lady decided to wear her hat to the beach today, as it's very hot, but it it rains, then her hair won't get wet.
Please excuse me, but I'm new to this city. Which way is it to the city centre?
06
Could/Would/Should. (Questions)
Unlike French, there's no 'Tu' for you, as a person you know or one person and no 'Vous' for a person you don't know or a number of people.
It's just 'you'.
Could I please kindly ask you...Could you...
Should you need a ..wear a jacket?
Shouldn't you be more careful... go that way instead?
Would you be better off... mind, like to,
Could you tell me the way to the toilets please?
Would you mind if I sit here?
Should I come back later, if you're busy?