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It's summer in Boston! ☀️😎🏖
Let's take a look at some of the words that are most common after summer. Remember, a collocate is a word that is often used with another word. Focusing on collocation is a very good way to learn common English phrases and expressions.
Here are some of the most common words after summer that we hope you find useful as you learn English!
This, that, these, and those are called demonstratives.
Demonstratives are grammar words that we use to show if an object or idea is close to or far from the person speaking. You can say that we use demonstratives to demonstrate where things are and how many there are.
This and that are both singular demonstratives. These and those are both plural.
This hat is Jayne's.
That scarf is Ennio's
These sneakers are Santiago'sThose gloves are Maya's
This and these are used for things that are here, close to the speaker. That and those are used for things that are there, far from the speaker. Close and far here can mean physical distance or psychological distance.
This pen here is Jayne's
These keys I'm holding are Ennio's
That stapler over there is Santiago'sThose books on the table are Maya's
There are two ways that we use the determiners this, that, these, and those. We can use them as pronouns or as determiners.
Demonstrative determiners come before a noun, as part of the noun phrase. Because they come before a noun, demonstrative determiners are sometimes inaccurately called demonstrative adjectives.
this fish
that squid
these clams
those crabs
Demonstrative determiners give us information about the quantity and location of nouns. If we say this apple, we know there is one apple, and it's right here. If someone says those apples, it usually means many apples, and they are over there, not close to the speaker.
This and that are both singular, meaning they only talk about one thing. This is for a thing that is close to us, and that is for a thing that is far away. These and those are both plural, used to talk about many things. These is for things that are close to us, and those is for things that are far away.
This, that, these, and those are all demonstratives: they demonstrate where things are and how many there are. In the examples above, they all come before nouns, which makes them determiners. But these same four words can also be used without nouns, acting as pronouns. In that case they are called demonstrative pronouns.
Today, we will take a look at another, similar way to use this, that, these, and those. We can also use these words without a noun after them. For example, we can say, "This is a hammer." Here, this doesn't go before the subject of the sentence; it is the subject of the sentence. It works takes the place a noun and represents the thing, the hammer. Words that stand in place of a noun are called pronouns. So in these sentences, this, that, these, and those are called demonstrative pronouns. See the graphic below for some more examples.
One more time, if they come directly before a noun, this, that, these, and those are called demonstrative determiners. If they replace a noun, acting as a subject or object, they are called demonstrative pronouns.
Notice that the meanings are the same for demonstrative determiners and demonstrative pronouns. This and that are both singular. These and those are both plural. This and these are both for things that are close. That and those are both for things that are over there.
Demonstrative determiners are this, that, these, and those. They come before a noun to indicate quantity and location.
If you’re looking for explanations and examples of words with silent N, you’ve come to the right place. Charts, definitions, word lists, and the history of how silent N became silent.
Learning a new language isn’t always fun and easy. Sometimes, it can be exhausting, frustrating and even infuriating! Here are some inspirational quotes about learning a new language that will hopefully cheer you up and might even remind you of why you’re learning a new language in the first place!
If you’re looking for explanations and examples of words in English with silent B, you’ve come to the right place. Charts, definitions, word lists, and the history of how silent B became silent.
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Choosing Where to Study Abroad
I just stumbled across an article from The Economist and had to share this quote about one of the most important strategies for achieving fluency in language learning: chunking. Chunking is thinking about and studying the language in common phrases, instead of single words.
A common example is good morning . We don't have to learn the word good and then the word morning and put them together: we simply learn it as a phrase, and we can say it quickly, without thinking much.
This can be applied deliberately to other phrases, too though. Here are some common phrases you might want to study as chunks:
on the other hand
contrary to popular belief
the thing about that is
http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2015/10/johnson-language-pedagogy
Check out the sounds that roosters make in different languages around the world!
Need to know what a gerund is? You've come to the right place!
Ginseng English commits 1 in every 10 class seats to those in need, completely free. They get the same classes as everyone else. We donate textbooks and materials to these students. By 2020, we want to increase that to 50% of students. We call this Ginseng Impact.
Duolingo is huge, counting over 170 Million users around the world. You can study over 20 different languages on Duolingo, but over 50% of users are studying English.
Many students ask, is Duolingo a good way to become fluent in English. The answer is not so simple. There are positive and negative aspects to the popular language-learning app.
Remember:
Participles (or participial adjectives) are verbs with -ED and -ING endings that can work like adjectives, describing people and things.
-ED participles (past participles) usually describe how we feel, as in, "I feel exhausted."
-ING participles (present participles) usually describe things that make us feel that way, as in, "That hike was exhausting."
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The punctuation you use at the end of an email greeting is important!
If you found this Ginseng English tip helpful, please share with #ginsenglish and follow @ginsenglish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! Also, consider signing up for our online English courses!
