Re: 1 English idioms

MurielB Dim 27 Aoû - 22:05

Please keep in mind the différences between American English and British English when you study the irregular verbs

In American English the verbs burn, dream, lean, learn, smell, spell, spill and spoil are all regular.
Burn / burned / burned
Dream / dreamed / dreamed
Lean / leaned / leaned
Learn / learned / learned
Smell / smelled /smelled
Spell / spelled /spelled
Spill / spilled / spilled
Spoil / spoiled / spoiled
In British English, these verbs are usually irregular with past tenses and past participle forms ending in –t.
Burn / burnt / burnt
Dream / dreamt / dreamt
Lean / leant / leant
Learn / learnt / learnt
Smell / smelt / smelt
Spell / spelt / spelt
Spill / spilt / spilt
Spoil / spoilt / spoilt
Note that regular forms are also used in British English, but they are much less common.
In American English, spit has both spit and spat as past tense and past participle.
Quit and wet are regular in British English.
Quit / quitted / quitted
Wet / wetted / wetted
In American English these verbs are irregular
Quit / quit / quit
Wet / wet / wet
Dive is regular in British English, but can be irregular in American English.
Dive / dived / dived (GB)
Dive / dove / dived (US)
In American English, the past participle of get can be got or gotten.

gerardM Dim 27 Aoû - 22:09

As a matter of facts, in any language (but French Very Happy

), irregular verbs tend to become regular.

MurielB Lun 28 Aoû - 16:30

Gérard, everyone !
Do you find difficult to choose the right translations ?
1. I't's a long time since I saw you.
2. It's a long time since I've seen you.
3. It's been a long time since I saw you.
4. It's been a long time since I've seen you.
I would choose number 3 because "saw" is detached from the present and "it 's been a long time" is not. What about you ?

MurielB Mer 30 Aoû - 15:32

gerardM a écrit:
Thanks Gérard for the useful Words to Use Instead of VERY…! I have searched about the word "gaunt"

adjective
adjective: gaunt; comparative adjective: gaunter; superlative adjective: gauntest

adjective

adjective: gaunt; comparative adjective: gaunter; superlative adjective: gauntes

gerardM Sam 2 Sep - 20:21

I don't remember my schoolmaster asking us to avoid "très" but I do remember her asking to ban "faire".
What about you?

MurielB Sam 2 Sep - 22:03

Gérard I remember my schoolmaster asking us to avoid "être" and "avoir"

gerardM Sam 2 Sep - 22:25

MurielB a écrit:Gérard I remember my schoolmaster asking us to avoid "être" and "avoir"

Difficult to avoid "être" and "avoir" due to "passé composé" and other tenses.
Regarding "faire", I remember very well in the CE1 class, pupills were often using "faire" when they were asked "What did you do in the week-end?" and the answers were: "j'ai fait de la trottinette, j'ai fait des dessins, j'ai fait un gâteau...".

gerardM Dim 3 Sep - 16:15

Vocabulary: RAIN! Smile

U.S. English would use "it's coming down in buckets" rather than "it's bucketing down," and "it's lashing" would be rare. We'd say, "it's really coming down" or "it's pouring" for heavy rain.

MurielB Dim 3 Sep - 21:22

gerardM a écrit:
MurielB a écrit:Gérard I remember my schoolmaster asking us to avoid "être" and "avoir"
Difficult to avoid "être" and "avoir" due to "passé composé" and other tenses.

I agree but it was about descriptive texts. "Il y a" is no good and "to be" is no good either. In descriptive writing when you use "to be " and 'il y a" all the time your text is poor isn't it ?

gerardM Lun 4 Sep - 21:56

Notice, remember and use "on a train", "in a boat", "on a ship", "on a plane", "in a newspaper".
Now, "on the street" and "in the street" exist but with a slightly different meaning.

MurielB Lun 4 Sep - 23:27

Tx Gérard for the expression to twist someone's arm

Fig. to pressure someone. (Fig. on the image of hurting someone until they agree to cooperate.) I had to twist her arm a little, but she agreed.

gerardM Jeu 7 Sep - 21:21

Common Expressions with make and do

You must not make any mistakes.
Don't learn by heart, use what we now call "répétiion espacée"
ie read periodically and let your brain record the "music"
so that whn you need an expression, your brain will respond:
No I never heard ~~do love~~ but "make love" sounds perfect

It's exactly what you often do with your native language..

gerardM Ven 8 Sep - 20:42

How to Learn English Through Songs and Movie!

How to Learn English Through Songs and Movie
While there are many great tools which can help you teach English easier as well as increase the retention of the lessons, the best and most proven techniques by far is Learning English through Songs, games and even movies. Movies are a fun way…

MurielB Ven 8 Sep - 20:52

Gérard thanks to music and poetry you learn the language rhythm which is very important !

gerardM Ven 8 Sep - 21:19

MurielB a écrit:Gérard thanks to music and poetry you learn the language rhythm which is very important !

Yes Muriel... Quebeckers lose their accent when they sing; would I get a perfect American accent when I sing?

or

MurielB Ven 8 Sep - 23:47

I am sure you will. any way I like the songs you have posted especially the first one. It was the Beatles ' favourite.

gerardM Lun 11 Sep - 14:37

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MurielB Mar 12 Sep - 14:39

gerardM a écrit:
Tx, I didn't know that to make up with something meant to escape with something, especiallysomething stolen

gerardM Mer 13 Sep - 23:00

MurielB a écrit:...
Speak to oneself is a very good tip!

Except that you won't be corrected nor advised.

MurielB Jeu 14 Sep - 18:00

Here are 3 other idioms meaning to be expensive
http://englishteacherfred.com/english-idioms-for-expensive/
We paid a pretty penny
We paid through the nose
We paid top dollar,

gerardM Sam 16 Sep - 12:28

I often say here that being fluent or even an advanced speaker, you need to own a series of words with similar meanings, opposites are parts of the series.

MurielB Dim 17 Sep - 11:23

gerardM a écrit:

This is the American vocabulary.
There're many differences compared to British English.
Will you find the English terms?

Tx Gérard, you are right, it is very interesting to note that British English and American English vocabulary is different

gerardM Dim 17 Sep - 12:02

MurielB a écrit:...
Tx Gérard, you are right, it is very interesting to note that British English and American English vocabulary is different

Thanks for your video Muriel. Its vocabulary is also American English and, fortunately, the guy has an easy accent for an American.

I guess that the differences b/w Am and Br English are due to the fact the US were not open to other countries from the 1920s to the 60s so that the words created during this period of time were created separately in England and in the USA hence industrial period terms, crops, consumer society, clothes, etc.
(this is my theory; I don't know what a grammar specialist would say)

gerardM Dim 17 Sep - 12:35

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