SOMETIME, SOME TIME, SOMETIMES

Sometime. (Adverb)
Meaning:

At some unsfecified or unknown time.
-I want to visit my uncle in Bali sometime.
-You must come and have fun with us sometime.

Some time. (Noun)
Meaning:

A period of some length.
-Give me some time to think of it.
-I spent some time having fun with my friends.

Sometimes. (Adverb)
Meaning:

Occasionally, rather than all of the time.
-Sometimes you look beautiful. (Kadang-kadang aja :D  )
-Sometimes I don't feel like doing anything.


MAY AND MIGHT.

MAY and MIGHT – Degree of Certainty

“Degree of certainty” refers to how sure we are; what we think the chances are; that something is probably true. If we are sure something is true in the present, we don’t need to use a modal.

MAY and MIGHT are used to express a weak degree of certainty.

Compare these examples:

• He is sick.

[I’m sure; I’m stating a fact that I’m sure he is sick.]

• He may be sick.

[Perhaps, maybe, possibly he is sick.]

MAY and MIGHT – Shows possibility

MAY and MIGHT both express the idea of possibility. MAY shows strong possibility, whereas MIGHT shows less possibility. Be aware that MAY can also be used for permission.

MAY and MIGHT have similar meaning to COULD to mean to suggest a possible outcome; they are interchangeable.

• She may change her mind.

• She might change her mind.

• She could change her mind.

However, COULD implies a slightly higher degree of likeness than MIGHT.


SOMEDAY VS. ONE DAY

This is a very simple article about the difference between Someday and One day. Both Someday and Oneday are adverbs.

Someday.
Meaning:

-At some unspecified time in the future.
If someday you lose your way, you know where I am.

One day.
Meanings:

-At some unspecified time in the future.
I'm sure that I'll succeed one day.

-At some unspecified time in the past.
I think I was here one day.

Taken from some trusted English dictionaries.

PHRASES WITH 'WELCOME'

Make someone welcome.
Meaning:

Receive and treat someone hospitably.
-As a receptionist, you have to make the guests welcome.

Outstay/overstay one's welcome.
Meaning:

Stay as a guest longer than the host expected.
-One more cup of tea and then we'll go. We don't want to outstay our welcome.

You are welcome.
Meaning:

Sama-sama in Indonesian. It's used as a polite response to 'thanks'
-If someone says "thank you" you can say "you are welcome" as a response. (There are many other ways to give a response to 'thanks').

Taken from some trusted dictionaries.

WHY DO WE SAY "THE ALARM WENT OFF"?

Go off is a phrasal verb meaning to become active or to begin to function. If a warning device goes off, it starts to ring loudly or make a loud noise.

• The alarm should go off automatically as soon as smoke is detected.

• Didn’t you hear your alarm clock going off this morning?

But why do we say “the alarm went off” to mean came on? Good question! You must have thought English is a crazy language. :D

Here’s the real deal:

An alarm system is usually set, so you need something to trigger it. When it is triggered, it has offset, so you say it has gone off. It’s the trigger that has gone off. It’s not the word , as in the opposite of on.


DON'T LIKE VS DISLIKE

Both Don't like and Dislike are used to make negative statements. Take a look at the following example:

-She dislikes/doesn't like any kind of the bad boys.

In this sentence, Don't like and Dislike are interchangeable. But in some cases, they are not interchangeable. Take a look at the following examples:

-She makes no secret of her dislike of the bad boys. (Not, she makes no secret of her doesn't like of the bad boys)

In this sentence, Dislike is a mass noun (a feeling of not liking something or someone)

-She knows all of my dislikes. (Not, she knows all of my don't like)

In this sentence, Dislike is a countable noun (something that you don't like)

Don't forget to like this article if you think it's useful. If you have any questions, just leave your comment on. Thanks.

Double Negative is a Big No-No

Double negative?? What’s a double negative?

Double negative sentence is a confusing and grammatically incorrect sentence that contains two negatives in the same clause.

Incorrect: I don’t have no money.

Correct   : I don’t have any money.

Correct   : I have no money.

Note: Negatives in two different clauses in the same sentence cause no problem.

Example:

• A person who doesn’t have love can’t be truly happy.

• I don’t know why he isn’t here.

Words such as “no” and “not” are obvious negations. However, there are some negations that are not as obvious, and are thus considered subtle negatives. Be careful when using the following adverbs implying negation:

• Hardly

• Scarcely

• Barely

Sentences using these words are at a greater risk of being combined with another negation because they are not as obvious. Consider the following examples:

Double Negative: I hardly have none.

Correction            : I hardly have any.

Double Negative: The football players never scarcely had personal time.

Correction            : The football players scarcely had personal time.

Double Negative: I barely got no sleep last night.

Correction            : I barely got any sleep last night.

Try this exercise: Correct the following sentences.

1. He doesn’t like neither coffee nor tea.

2. I can’t hardly hear the radio. Could you turn it up?

3. The beach was deserted. We couldn’t see nothing but sand.

4. I can’t never understand him.

5. Methods of horse training haven’t barely changed at all in the last eight centuries.

JAIL VS. PRISON

A jail is a local lock-up for holding people awaiting local court appearances or serving time on local misdemeanor charges or sentences of less than one year. It is allowed to hold prisoners for up to one year. Any sentence over a year must be served in a prison.

The most notable difference is that prison inmates have been tried and convicted of crimes, while those in jail may be waiting for a trial. A prison is under the jurisdiction of either federal or state, while the jail holds people accused under federal, state, county and/or city laws. A jail holds inmates from two days to a year only.

That’s the difference between a jail and prison in the US. However, in Indonesia, there isn’t much of a difference between them. If we compare the condition between Indonesia’s prison with the America’s, there’s a huge difference. I said HUGE!

Inside Indonesia’s Female Cell

Oh, man! I don’t know how the inmates survive living in the hellhole – that’s how the foreign inmates called Indonesia’s prison – for a very long time. They live in an overcrowded condition – packed like sardines, bad sanitation and health care.

If you want a private cell – you don’t want to share cell, or if you want to have extra food, you have to pay for those things and I’m telling you they’re not cheap. If you want to get along with the other inmates, pack yourself with cigarettes. That’ll help you get to know people.

Cipinang Penitentiary, Jakarta

I had a relative who was sent to prison for drug charges. She was sentenced 20 years, but released on good behavior after 10 years serving. I visited her inside a few times and saw these conditions with my own eyes. And I know her mother paid a great deal of money to make sure she’s OK inside.

Anyway, last words from me stay away from drugs or any criminal activity if you don’t want to waste your life living in a hellhole called prison.

How to choose which tense to use in your sentence

Using the correct tense and verb form is important in English grammar. Which tense you use depends on how you see the event or action. Here are some simple rules to help you choose which tense to use:

1. Routine or permanent situation – use the simple form.

Examples:

• I live in Jakarta.

(It tells you that “live” is true all the time and Jakarta is my home.)

• I lived in the village when I was a child.

(This was a long-term situation in the past.)

2. Temporary or continuing situations – use the continuous form.

Examples:

• I’m working as a delivery man at the moment.

(The job isn’t permanent and maybe I’m doing it for a while until I get another job.)

• House prices are rising.

   (The prices are continuing to rise and haven’t stopped rising yet.)

• He was watching the news on TV.

(He watched the news before I saw him and he still watched it after I saw him – watching the news continued over a period of time.)

3. Connecting different times – use the perfect form to show that one event was completed before another, or to show that one situation continues from one time to another.

Examples:

• I have lived here for two years.

(I started to live here two years ago and I still live here.)

• I have been working in the garden all morning.

(I started working in the garden in the past and I’m still doing it now.)

• I will have finished the report before next week.

(Some time before next week, but I don’t know exactly when.)

• He had studied law before he met her.

(He studied law before he met her, but we don’t know exactly when.)

4. Talking about the future – use “will” for prediction and willingness and only “be going to” for prior plan.

Examples:

• Be careful! You’ll hurt yourself.

• Watch out! You’re going to hurt yourself. (We can also use “be going to” to express prediction.)

A: I don’t understand English grammar.

B: Ask Demi about English grammar. She’ll help you.

(Speaker B feels sure about Demi’s willingness to help.)

• I’m going to meet Barry at the library at seven. We’re going to study together.

(I have intention to meet Barry at the library. We have made plan to study together.)

INVERSION

We can use INVERSION to add emphasis in a number of different contexts, for example, to give strong advice, to express opinions clearly, to disagree, or to show concern.

Sentences with inversion are less common in everyday English. Using inversion in a sentence will make it sound quite formal. If you don’t intend to make an emphasis in your sentence, the normal order of words should be retained.

How to construct an inversion? Take a look at these examples:

• I had never seen such a horrible accident in my life. (normal sentence)

Never had I seen such a horrible accident in my life. (inversion)

“Never” is what is known as a ‘negative adverbial’. In inversion structure, “never” has been taken away from the sentence’s main verb phrase and inserted at the beginning. Additionally, the past auxiliary “had” is placed in front of the subject, “I”.

The basic formula for transforming common sentences into more emphatic statements is as follows:

Negative Adverbial or ‘Only’/’No’ Expression + Auxiliary or Modal Verb + Subject + Main Verb + Object

NEGATIVE ADVERBIALS include: never, rarely, not since, hardly, never before, not until, little, at no time etc.

• We had never heard such a fascinating story.

Never had we heard such a fascinating story.

• I will rarely eat chocolate during the week.

Rarely will I eat chocolate during the week.

NO / NOT ONLY expressions include: under no circumstances, not only, no sooner, in no way, only when etc.

• You shouldn’t leave your children unsupervised under no circumstances.

Under no circumstances should you leave your children unsupervised.

• Fruit and vegetables are not only good for your health, but they are also extremely delicious.

Not only are fruit and vegetables good for your health, but they are also extremely delicious.

• The cyclist was in no way held responsible for the recent accident.

In no way was the cyclist held responsible for the recent accident.

Composite Subjects

Do compound subjects linked by and usually take a singular or plural noun? – Two nouns linked by and usually form a plural subject, so that the verbs and pronouns must also be plural.

Examples:

• Julie and Philipe are the only students in the class who can speak French.

• Bolivia and Paraguay are the only two landlocked countries in South America.

However, some nouns linked by and have become so strongly connected that they form a composite subject (or double subject), expressing one idea rather than two. In such cases, we usually choose notional rather than grammatical agreement by using singular verbs and pronouns.

Examples:

• Washing-and-drying with our new automatic takes only half the time it used to.

• The looting was a reminder of how appallingly people can behave when law and order breaks down.

• Bread and butter is included in the price.

• Gin and tonic is my favourite tipple.

In other circumstances, of course, we use grammatical agreement. Compare the following sentences:

• Bread and butter are always the first two items on my shopping list.

  (There are two shopping items: bread and butter.)

• Bread and butter is included in the price.

  (“Bread and butter” is a paired word; plural in form, but singular in meaning.)

• Tom and Jerry were cycling along the park.

  (There were two people cycling along the park: Tom and Jerry.)

• Tom and Jerry was my favorite cartoon film.

  (“Tom and Jerry” is the name of a famous cartoon film.)

Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by such words as “along with”, “as well as”, “besides”,“not”, etc. These words and phrases are not part of the subject. Ignore them and use a singular verb when the subject is singular.

Examples:

• The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.

[The subject the politician is singular takes a singular verb is.]

• Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.

[The subject excitement agrees with the verb is. They both are singular.]

Common Dishes for Fast-breaking in English

In fasting month of Ramadan, we usually make special dishes for fast-breaking, which are mostly sweet dishes sort of like dessert. We eat them before we have the main meal.
What are the common dishes you have for fast-breaking in your country?

Here are some dishes we have in Indonesia for fast-breaking:
• kurma = dates
• cendol = rice dumplings with coconut milk and brown sugar syrup
• kolak pisang = banana with coconut milk and brown sugar syrup
• kolak ubi / singkong = sweet potato / casava with coconut milk and brown sugar syrup
• bubur ketan hitam = black sticky rice pudding
• bubur kacang hijau = mung bean porridge
• kolak biji salak = sweet potato balls with coconut milk and brown sugar syrup
• lumpia = spring roll

Ada yang mau nambahin kosakatanya lagi? Jangan lupa dicatat ya...

Pronoun Rule after “than” and “as”

To decide whether to use the subject or object pronoun after the words “than” or “as”, mentally complete the sentence.

Examples:

• Sonali is as smart as she/her.

— If we mentally complete the sentence, we would saySonali is as smart as she is. Therefore, she is the correct answer.

• Rina is taller than I/me.

— Mentally completing the sentence, we have Rina is taller than I am.

• Graham would rather talk to her than I/me.

We can interpret this sentence in two ways:

– Graham would rather talk to her than (talk) to me. 

OR

– Graham would rather talk to her than I would (talk to her). 

The meaning of a sentence can change considerably, depending on the pronoun you choose.

Although for most people the “than me” (using object pronoun) version sound more natural than the “than I”(using subject pronoun) version, the previous runs the highest risk of being considered wrong. It’s because the“than I” version has been around longer and seems more grammatically correct. The “than I” version is falling out of favor and now sounds a bit stilted though.

Evidently, the dilemma between the “than I” and “than me” is not clear cut. So, the best thing to do is to consider your audience (listeners/readers). In formal situations, it would be best to stick with the “than I”(subject pronoun). Otherwise, you may need to be prepared to fight your corner.

Ways of saying "I don't know"

Using different ways to say “I don’t know” would make your conversation far more interesting and natural.

• Dunno (informal)

Where do you put the car keys? – Dunno. I can’t remember.

• Beats me (informal)

Who was the 35th president of the United States? – Beats me! Why don’t you Google it?

• I have no idea

I have no idea why she did that.

• I haven’t a clue (OR I haven’t got a clue)

Do you know the answer to that question? – I have no clue.

• I haven’t the faintest idea

Could somebody explain how this happened? – I haven’t got the faintest idea.

• How should I know? (when you feel annoyed that someone is asking you something)

Who ate the leftover pizza in the fridge? – How should I know? I just got home.

• Don’t ask me (I’m always the last to know)

• Who knows? (use to say that you don’t know something because it is impossible for anyone to know it)

Will they ever find the missing plane? – Who knows? The search has been going on for over three months now.

• Your guess is as good as mine (use this when you know as little about something as the person who asked you about it)

• Not as far as I know (use this to say something may be true, but you don’t have enough information)

Is Julie and Barry going for a divorce? – Not as far as I know, but Julie told me that Barry has moved out.

The Key to Recognizing the English Tenses: Adverbs of Time

English tenses are used with adverbs and adverbial phrases that indicate the time of the action, for example,yesterday, now, often, tomorrow, an hour ago, last week. Adverbs of time and adverbial phrases of time are often called “time expressions”.

Certain adverbs of time and adverbial phrases of time require certain tenses. For example, if you sayyesterday or last week, you will use the past tense, not the present, right? The connection between the tense and its adverbs and adverbial phrases of time is something that can’t be ignored. In fact, understanding this connection is the key to correct use of English tenses.

Examples:

• I have just seen him.

• I saw him a minute ago.

Maybe “I have just seen him” happened earlier than “I saw him a minute ago”. We use the present perfect in the first sentence, and use the simple past in the second sentence because just and a minute ago show the necessity to use these tenses.

So, there is a clear connection between the tense and its adverbs of time and adverbial phrases of time. This connection will help us to understand how English tenses are used.

Examples:

• usually: simple present

• now: present continuous

• already: present perfect

• for three hours, already: present perfect continuous

• yesterday: simple past

Not all adverbs and adverbial phrases of time call for certain tenses. For example, the adverb soon. You can say: He left soon. He will leave soon. The adverbsoon doesn’t call for a specific tense and doesn’t help us to choose the tense correctly.

Native speakers sometimes omit expressions indicating time (if the context is clear) because the tense form itself conveys general information about the time of the action. For example, the sentences in the following pairs have practically the same meaning:

I buy bread in this store. (usually)

I usually buy bread in this store.

She’s watching TV. (now)

She’s watching TV now.

He has left. (already)

He has already left.

However, language learners can’t allow themselves such familiarity with tenses. You need to establish a clear connection between the tense and its adverbs of time. Always analyze why this or that adverb of time is used in the sentence and in what meaning, and what adverb of time you should put in if it is not there. This will help you to understand what English tenses mean and how they work, and you will quickly learn how to use them correctly and confidently.

Good knowledge of various expressions denoting time is necessary for understanding and using English tenses.

"ONE-NIGHT STAND" OR "ONE NIGHTSTAND"?

Don’t write “Wanted: One-night stand” when what you really need is actually a table by the bed, or you will end up humiliating yourself, and I bet you don’t want to see anybody else for like … FOREVER! :D

What is so wrong with writing “one-night stand” anyway? In this lesson, I’m going to save you from making yourself look like a fool.

One-night stand (noun)

Meaning: A sexual relationship with someone (a stranger) lasting for one night. It’s a no-strings attached kind of relationship. You dont’ want to see them again when it ends.

Nightstand (noun)

Meaning: A small table that is placed at the side of the bed. People usually put an alarm clock, a table lamp, and a photo on a nightstand.

So, once again make sure you write the right words for the “thing” that you really want. Do you want one-night stand or one nightstand? Make up your mind! :D

“What do you do?” or “What is your job?”

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When someone asks you “What do you do?“, they’re asking about your job. In English, people don’t actually say “What is your job?“. Instead they say “What do you do?“ and the correct response is “I’m a/an + a job title”.

Examples:

• I’m an English teacher.
• I’m a dentist.
• I’m a lawyer.

“What is your job?“ is still used in English textbooks, but in real life native English speakers almost never say that. They will mostly say:

• What do you do?
• What do you do for a living?
• What do you do exactly?

"Between you and me" or "Between you and I"

“Let’s keep this between you and I.” [x]
“Let’s keep this between you and me.” [√]

Why? … Because between is a preposition and the pronouns following prepositions are always in the objective case which would be the pronoun me and not I.

Kenapa? ... Karena "between" adalah preposisi dan kata ganti orang (pronoun) yang mengikuti preposisi harus berbentuk objek pronoun "me", bukan "I".

• Just between you and me, Julie is cheating on her husband.
• Don't tell anyone else. It's just between you and me. OK?

Take a look at the use of prepositions with, to, from, and between with objective case:

• She went with me. (She went with I.)
• She went with Barry and me. (She went with Barry and I.)
• Graham gave it to me. (Graham gave it to I.)
• He wants to talk to you and me. (He wants to talk to you and I.)
• This is from your mom and me. (This is from your mom and I.)
• This is between Michelle and me. (This is between Michelle and I.)

Can you answer this quiz? After answering the quiz, you can read the explanation below.

Here’s the explanation to the quiz:

When to use “he were“ instead of “he was“?

In the following examples, you can see that we sometimes use the were-subjunctive (instead of was) after:

if

as if

wish

suppose

Although it sounds strange, we use were for all pronouns, including the first and third person pronouns:I, you, they, we, he, she, it.

• I wish I were rich.

  (Contrary to the fact: I’m not rich.)

• I wish he/she were here now.

Ailments, Symptoms, and Injuries

AILMENTS, SYMPTOMS, and INJURIES - Penyakit ringan, Gejala penyakit, dan Luka-luka

• headache = sakit kepala
• earache = sakit telinga
• toothache = sakit gigi
• stomachache = sakit perut
• backache = sakit punggung
• sore throat = sakit tenggorokan
• fever = demam
• cold = pilek
• cough = batuk
• virus = virus
• infection = infeksi
• rash = ruam
• insect bite = gigitan serangga
• sunburn = terbakar matahari
• stiff neck = leher kaku
• runny nose = ingusan
• bloody nose = mimisan
• cavity = gigi berlubang
• wart = kutil
• hiccups = cegukan
• chills = meriang
• cramp = kram
• diarrhea = diare
• chest pain = sakit di bagian dada
• shortness of breath = napas pendek
• laryngitis = radang tenggorokan

So, how do we tell people we are sick with something? Don't say "I am flu" or "I am headache". "Flu" and "headache" are nouns. Use the verb have with diseases or symptoms to tell people you suffer from sickness.

Examples:

• I have a headache.
• She had a nosebleed, but she's fine now.
• He's having a fever. (Also: He's running a fever.)

ADJECTIVE IN ORDER

We sometimes use more than one adjective before the noun:

Examples:

• I like big black dogs.

• She was wearing a beautiful long red dress.

What is the correct order for two or more adjectives?

1. The general order is: Opinion, Fact.

“Opinion” is what you think about something. “Fact” is what is definitely true about something.

• A nice French car. (not a French nice car)

[You have an opinion that the car is nice; and the fact that it was made in France.]

2. The normal order for fact adjectives is size, age, shape, color, material, origin. Other references place ‘age’ after ‘shape’ (just like in the picture). Both references are correct. I prefer OPSHACOM (Opinion, Shape, Age, Color, Origin, Material) because this pattern is easy to remember.

• A big, old, square, black, wooden Chinese table.

Watch this video. Professor Grammar will explain more about OPSHACOM.

3. Determiners usually come first, even though they are fact adjectives.

• articles (a, the)

• possessives (my, your…)

• demonstratives (this, that…)

• quantifiers (some, any, few, many…)

• numbers (one, two, three…)

Now try this: Arrange these adjectives into a good order.

a – chest – it’s – beautiful – ivory – antique.