ADJECTIVES vs ADVERBS. When do we use them, what for?

Which Type are you?

Ready for some "BE" Phrasal Verbs??

Mumbo Jumbo-Poem

Mumbo Jumbo is his name

He loves playing lots of games

And he really is my friend

So on him I can depend.

He's got two great big ears

And a trunk that really curves

So he can reach the trees

With such grace and ease.

But he doesn't go to school

As he's broken all the rules

He knocked down their big gates

And scared off all my mates.

He shocked my teacher white

Oh he gave her such a fright

When he sat down in a chair

She told the class "Beware!"

But I like Mumbo Jumbo

And he really doesn't grumble

As he's happy to be here

And I'll always want him near.

My elephant.

My Big Adventure-Poem

This morning when I woke

I decided that today

I would have a big adventure

Exactly where I lay.

So I pulled up the duvet

And dived underneath

It was dark and it was warm

There beneath my sheets.

I got out my torch

(As all explorers do!)

And crawled deep below

To where, I had no clue

And way down there

With my torch I did go

And I found something strange

Scratched my head, I didn't know...

...what it was I had found

Way down here all alone

It was soft, it was smooth

Could it be my dressing gown?

I'd lost that last week

I'd looked high, I'd looked low

But on my big adventure

I found it down below!

My Cousin Fred-Poem

He came, he saw, he trashed my room,

He pushed, he shoved, he broke a broom!

He sniffed, he snarled, I stood stock still,

He biffed, he bashed, my drink did spill!

He mumbled, he grumbled, he kicked my door,

He grunted, he groaned, he stamped on the floor!

He's evil, he's mean, but I like him this way,

It's funny when my cousin Fred comes to stay!

He's trouble, he's bad, but it works out for me,

His thrashing and bashing just fills me with glee!

As my mum and dad think that Fred's the bad egg,

So I can be naughty and blame him instead!

THE SUN-Poem

Don't you think the sun is bright?

I wonder where it goes at night?

Does it sleep or does it hide?

Or is the moon its other side?

Does it hide behind the hills?

Late at night as outside chills?

Do you think it needs to rest?

From all that warming it does best?

Could it even have a home?

Maybe in London or even in Rome?

Or does it just float around?

Moving slowly from town to town?

Yes, I think it must do that!

After all the earth's not flat.

So the sun goes round and round

Spreading sunshine on the ground!

WHAT ARE RELATIVE PRONOUNS?

Relative Pronouns

A relative pronoun is a pronoun that introduces a relative clause. It is called a "relative" pronoun because it "relates" to the word that it modifies. Here is an example:

• The person who phoned me last night is my teacher.

In the above example, "who":

• relates to "person", which it modifies
• introduces the relative clause "who phoned me last night"

There are five relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that*

Who (subject) and whom (object) are generally only for people. Whose is for 

possession. Which is for things. In non-defining relative clauses, that is used for things. 

In defining relative clauses (clauses that are essential to the sentence and do not simply add extra information) that can be used for things and people**.

Relative pronouns can refer to singular or plural, and there is no difference between male and female.

Look at these examples showing defining and non-defining relative clauses:

	example sentences S=subject, O=object, P=possessive		notes
defining relative clauses	S	- The person who phoned me last night is my teacher. - The person that phoned me last night is my teacher.	That is preferable
		- The car which hit me was yellow. - The car that hit me was yellow.	That is preferable
	O	- The person whom I phoned last night is my teacher. - The people who I phoned last night are my teachers. - The person that I phoned last night is my teacher. - The person I phoned last night is my teacher.	Whom is correct but formal. The relative pronoun is optional.
		- The car which I drive is old. - The car that I drive is old. - The car I drive is old.	That is preferable to which. The relative pronoun is optional.
	P	- The student whose phone just rang should stand up. - Students whose parents are wealthy pay extra.
		- The police are looking for the carwhose driver was masked. - The police are looking for the car of which the driver was masked.	Whose can be used with things. Of which is also possible.
non-defining relative clauses	S	- Mrs Pratt, who is very kind, is my teacher.
		- The car, which was a taxi, exploded. - The cars, which were taxis, exploded.
	O	- Mrs Pratt, whom I like very much, is my teacher. - Mrs Pratt, who I like very much, is my teacher.	Whom is correct but formal. Who is common in spoken English and informal written English.
		- The car, which I was driving at the time, suddenly caught fire.
	P	- My brother, whose phone you just heard, is a doctor.
		- The car, whose driver jumped out just before the accident, was completely destroyed. - The car, the driver of which jumped out just before the accident, was completely destroyed.	Whose can be used with things. Of which is also possible

GERUND AND INFINITEVES (-ING)

Gerunds and Infinitives

1. A gerund is a noun made from a verb by adding "-ing." The gerund form of the verb "read" is "reading." You can use a gerund as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence.

Examples:

• Reading helps you learn English. subject of sentence
• Her favorite hobby is reading. complement of sentence
• I enjoy reading. object of sentence

Gerunds can be made negative by adding "not."

Examples:

• He enjoys not working.
• The best thing for your health is not smoking.

2. Infinitives are the "to" form of the verb. The infinitive form of "learn" is "to learn." You can also use an infinitive as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence.

Examples:

• To learn is important. subject of sentence
• The most important thing is to learn. complement of sentence
• He wants to learn. object of sentence

Infinitives can be made negative by adding "not."

Examples:

• I decided not to go.
• The most important thing is not to give up.

3. Both gerunds and infinitives can be used as the subject or the complement of a sentence. However, as subjects or complements, gerunds usually sound more like normal, spoken English, whereas infinitives sound more abstract. In the following sentences, gerunds sound more natural and would be more common in everyday English. Infinitives emphasize the possibility or potential for something and sound more philosophical. If this sounds confusing, just remember that 90% of the time, you will use a gerund as the subject or complement of a sentence.

Examples:

• Learning is important. normal subject
• To learn is important. abstract subject - less common
• The most important thing is learning. normal complement
• The most important thing is to learn. abstract complement - less common

4. As the object of a sentence, it is more difficult to choose between a gerund or an infinitive. In such situations, gerunds and infinitives are not normally interchangeable. Usually, the main verb in the sentence determines whether you use a gerund or an infinitive.

Examples:

• He enjoys swimming. "Enjoy" requires a gerund.
• He wants to swim. "Want" requires an infinitive.

How to Read Years in English

Algorithm for Reading Years

1. If there there are no thousands’ or hundreds’ digits, read the number as-is. Examples:
   • 54 – “fifty-four”
   • 99 – “ninety-nine”
   • 0 – “zero”
   • 8 – “eight”
2. If there is a thousands’ digit but the hundreds’ digit is zero, you can read the number as “n thousand and x”. If the last two digits are zero, you leave off the “and x” part. Examples:
   • 1054 – “one thousand and fifty-four”
   • 2007 – “two thousand and seven”
   • 1000 – “one thousand”
   • 2000 – “two thousand”
3. If the hundreds’ digit is non-zero, you can read the number as “n hundred and x”. If the last two digits are zero, you leave off the “and x” part. Examples:
   • 433 – “four hundred and thirty-three”
   • 1492 – “fourteen hundred and ninety-two” (who sailed the ocean blue?)
   • 1200 – “twelve hundred”
   • 600 – “six hundred”
4. The above rule produces some formal and old-fashioned names. Where it exists, it is acceptable to omit “hundred and”. If you do, and the tens’ digit is zero, you must read that zero as “oh”. Examples:
   • 432 – “four thirty-two”
   • 1492 – “fourteen ninety-two”
   • 1908 – “nineteen oh eight”
   • 1106 – “eleven oh six”
5. Finally, though uncommon it is possible to read the years in rule #2 using the systems for rules #3 and #4. Examples:
   • 1054 – “ten hundred and fifty-four” (if this sounds wrong to you, imagine you are watching a documentary on the history channel and the stiff narrator begins: “In the year ten hundred and fifty-four, Pope Leo IX died.”)
   • 1054 – “ten fifty-four”
   • 3026 – “thirty twenty-six”
   • 2007 – “twenty oh seven” (if this sounds wrong to you, imagine you live in 1972 and you are reading a science fiction story that starts: “In the year twenty oh seven, the world was overrun by blood-thirsty robots.”)