TP 3 Subject Verb Inversion

Here are notes on Subject Verb Inversion that you all asked for ....


Inversion is used in normal everyday English :
 
    To make questions :  Does he?   Can you?

    After 'so' 'neither', 'nor'  :  So do I, neither do I, nor do I.



In written English and in a very formal style, inversion is used in the following cases :
 

After negative adverbial expressions  :
        Under no circumstances can we accept cheques.
        In no way can he be held responsible.
        At no time did she say she would come. 

 After adverbial expressions of place :
        Round the corner came the postman.
        On the doorstep was a bunch of flowers. 

After 'seldom', 'rarely', 'never', in comparisons :
        Seldom have I seen such a beautiful view.
        Rarely did he pay anyone a compliment.
        Never had I felt so happy.

After 'hardly', 'scarcely', 'no sooner', when one thing happens after another.

        Hardly had I begun to speak when I was interrupted.
        Scarcely had we started our meal when the phone rang.
        No sooner had I arrived than they all started to argue.

    After adverbial expressions beginning with 'only' :
        Only after the meeting did I realize the importance of the   subject.

    After exclamations with 'here' and 'there' :
        Here comes the winner!
        There goes all our money!


In formal English, the subject and the auxiliary (verb) can be inverted in the if-clause with if omitted :


Should you see Kate, say hi from me. (if you should see Kate)
    
Were he to propose to you now, what would you say? (if he were to propose to you)

Were I you, I would stop smoking. (if I were you)

Were it not for Miguel, we wouldn't know what to do now. (if it weren't for Miguel)

Had we booked our flight earlier, it would have been cheaper. (if we had booked our flight earlier)

Had it not been for your foolishness, we wouldn't have got lost. (if it hadn't been for your foolishness)



Source : grammaring.com and learn-english-today.com

CV 4 Complaints, complaints.....

Hi everyone, in this post I embedded four videos for you to watch. The first three videos are for class discussion [maybe you're watching them now ? :) ], and the last one, VIDEO 4, is for you to watch and enjoy after the lesson. We will discuss the last video next week, Okay !

VIDEO 1

Video from YT by HotelQualityMgmt 

Discussion :

Where do you think this dialogue took place ?

What happened to the customer ?

Which waiter do you like better , the first one or the second one ?

Why do you like her better ?

VIDEO 2

Video from YT by courtneymeehan

Discussion :

Where do you think this dialogue took place ?

What seems to be the problem ?

Do you think the couple has a right to be angry ? Why ?

Do you like the way the front desk clerk handled the problem ?

What would you have done if you were him ?

VIDEO 3

Video from YT by Peggy Tung

Discussion :

How did the front front desk clerk handle the problem ?

Did she do something to make the guest feel better ?

Lets watch the video and identify the expressions for making a complaint, 

apologizing and making suggestion !

VIDEO 4

Video from YT by lara viquera

TOEFL iBT prep - ETS Videos, Speaking

We have watched some of these videos in class, 
but I'm putting the links here for you also.


SPEAKING QUESTIONS  1 & 2 

SPEAKING QUESTIONS  3 & 5

SPEAKING QUESTIONS  4 & 6


Okay, happy practicing, and I'll see you in class !

ps. I'm still waiting for your audio files to correct :)

TP 3 Phrases, Clauses, Sentences and Moods

The last time in class there was not enough time to answer your questions, 
so I'm discussing them here :

- The difference between a Phrase and a Clause

- Types of Sentences

- Subjunctive and Indicative moods in adverb clauses.

First I'd like to talk about Phrase and Clause Comparison

A clause is  a group of related words that contains a subject and a verb.
 

                                e.g. he left.


A phrase is a group of related words that does not contain a subject and a verb.
 

                                e.g. at the store.


Let's look at the following example.

                              He is laughing at the clown.

The sentence above has two parts, “he is laughing” and “at the clown”.

The first part of the sentence “he is laughing” is a clause because it has a subject (he) and a verb (is laughing). The second part of the sentence “at the clown” is a phrase because it does not contain subject and verb.

 
Source : studyandexam.com

Now.....about Types of Sentences, to save time, 
I'd like you to click HERE so you will be taken to a great site.
There you can read the clear explanation about Sentence Types.

And the third one is about the "Moods"....please click HERE to read all about it. There you will read about all kinds of "Moods".

You will see that the Indicative Mood states facts, describes what happens, or gives details about reality...while the Subjunctive Mood indicates a hypothetical state or a state contrary to reality, such as a wish, a desire, or an imaginary situation.

We will discuss this again when we meet in class...
feel free to ask questions tomorrow, Okay !

PS. I am embedding a video about English Sentence Structure below, 
I hope it could be of help to you ....

 

Video from YT by englishfuntime 

 

TP 3 Collective nouns...and "waters" :)

I seem to remember a question about Collective Nouns when we were talking about Subject Verb Agreement, I've explained in class...but to enforce the lesson, you can click on the below link and read again.

It depends on how you think of the noun, do you think of the "group" as people or not.

CLICK HERE

Another discussion was about the word "waters"...why not use "water" instead. 

Well, the uncountable water is used generally of any water, whether it is in small quantities ["a glass of water"] or in large quantities ["We went swimming but the water was too cold."].

The plural waters, on the other hand, is used especially of an area of seawater, and tends to appear in more formal contexts ["shipping lanes in international waters"] and in literary contexts ["the azure skies and clear waters of the Pacific"].

If you are not sure which one to use, choose water as it is the more versatile and less formal of the two.

 

Source :  Merriam-Webster's learnersdictionary.com

TP 2 Other, Others, Another....

The last time we were talking about the above topic,

HERE is a link for you to click on....OK !

I hope this helps you to understand the use of Other,Others and Another.

TP 4 Structure Review

Last time we reviewed Adverb Clause, and one of you asked me about subordinate conjunctions for Adverb Clause of Contrast...specifically the difference between Concessive and Adversative. 

Well, the answer is:  

A concessive adverbial clause of contrast shows unexpected result.

 

An adversative adverbial clause of contrast shows direct opposition.

Examples [ some are from the TP-2 book that you have]  :

Concessive 

Even though it was cold outside, the little boy walked around with out a coat on.

[ it was cold outside, so the little boy walking around with out a coat is something unexpected  ]

Although I'm only a small animal, I also want to do my share in conserving our environment, let's not litter !

Adversative

While she was dissatisfied with the ending of the movie, she still enjoyed the performance thoroughly.

[ "dissatisfied" and "enjoyed" are direct opposition ]


I hope the explanation above answers your question about Concessive and Adversative Adverb Clause of Contrast.

While our parents are enemies, the two of us are great friends :)

There was also a question about the If-clause.....well..I don't have enough time to discuss it here...and we won't have time in class ....so, here are two links for you to click on and read. I hope they will help you to remember about If-clauses :)



FIRST LINK


SECOND LINK



 Okay, see you later in class, guys !


Photo Credits : first photo by Tanja Askani a German photographer and artist taken from petsfoto.com. 
Second picture taken from petwildanimalswallpapers.blogspot.com .