Don't run out of words! (1: 'big,' 'small,' 'good,' 'bad,' 'nice')

You are writing you essay and you have run out of words... Don't worry! I'm here to help you out.

Don't say big.
Say sizeable, immense, enormous, massive, vast, gigantic.

Don't say small.
Say little, tiny, mini.

Don't say good.
Say fine, superior, excellent, outstanding, magnificent, exceptional, marvellous, wonderful.


Don't say bad.
Say unsatisfactory, poor, inferior, deficient, faulty, shoddy.

Don't say nice.
Say enjoyable, pleasant, agreeable, satisfying, entertaining, amusing.

To be continued...

Dani.

Wishes and hopes

This is a quick guide to express our wishes and hopes. Bare in mind that it is important to know if we are expressing our wishes in present (now), in past (regrets) or future (hopes):

Present:

I wish + past simple
I wish I earned a lot of money.
This structure is used to talk about wishes in general in the present. It works as a second conditional.

I wish I could...
I wish I could speak Arabic.
It is used to talk about a difficult or impossible wish.

(*) We can replace I wish with if only for emphasis.

Past:

I wish + past perfect
I wish you had come to my party.
It not only refers to wishes about the past but also about regrets in the past. It works as a third conditional.

(*) We can replace I wish with if only for emphasis.

Future:

I hope + present simple
I hope she is on time.

I hope + will
I hope Melanie will pass her exam.
This structure does not follow a conditional form.

Dani.

Offering and suggesting

Some weeks ago we listed some ways to give advice. Today, check these useful ways to offer or suggest.

Offering

- SHALL I/WE + infinitive ?
   Shall I help you?

- CAN/MAY + subject + infinitive ?
   Can I help you?
   May I help you?

- WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO + infinitive ?
   Would you like me to help you?


Suggesting

- LET'S + infinitive !
   Let's go to the cinema!

- WHAT ABOUT + -ing ?
   What about going to the cinema?

- WHY DON'T WE + infinitive ?
   Why don't we go to the cinema?

- WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO + noun ?
   What would you say to a film?

- DON'T YOU THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO + infinitive ?
   Don't you think it's a good idea to go to the cinema?

- I SUGGEST + -ing
   I suggest going to the cinema.

Dani.

The guide to Reported Speech (4: Imperatives)

You will probably need to read part one, part two and part three of this 'Guide to Reported Speech' before continuing...

In this entry, we will focus on how to make reported speech from imperatives:

Reporting verbs in commands and requests:

Commands: TELL
Mary told Sam to drive slowly.

Requests: ASK
Mary asked Sam not to speak Spanish..

Two types of commands and requests:

AFFIRMATIVE COMMANDS AND REQUESTS

DS: Mary told Sam, 'Drive slowly!'

[REPORTING VERB] + ['TO'] + [INFINITIVE]
RS: Mary told Sam to drive slowly. 

NEGATIVE COMMANDS AND REQUESTS

DS: Mary told Sam, 'Don't speak Spanish!'

[REPORTING VERB] + ['NOT TO'] + [INFINITIVE]
RS: Mary told Sam not to speak Spanish..

There are more entries about Reported Speech.

Dani.

The guide to Reported Speech (3: Questions)

You will probably need to read part one and part two of this 'Guide to Reported Speech' before continuing...

In this entry, we will focus on how to make reported speech from direct questions:


Reporting verbs in questions:

TO ASK
ASK - ASKED - ASKED

ASK SOMETHING
Mary asked if he would play.
ASK SOMEONE SOMETHING
Mary asked Sam if he would play.

TO WONDER
WONDER - WONDERED - WONDERED

WONDER SOMETHING
Mary wondered if he would play.

TO WANT TO KNOW
WANT TO - WANTED TO - WANTED TO

WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING
Mary wanted to know if he would play.

Two types of questions:

YES/NO QUESTIONS

DS: Mary asked Sam, 'Will you play?'

[REPORTING VERB] + ['IF'/'WHETHER'] + [STATEMENT]
RS: Mary asked Sam if/whether he would play.
Note that after 'if' or 'whether' the clause is in affirmative or negative order, not in interrogative order.

WH- QUESTIONS


DS: Mary asked Sam, 'Where did you live last year?'

[REPORTING VERB] + [WH-WORD] + [STATEMENT]
RS: Mary asked Sam where he had lived the year before.



Dani

The guide to Reported Speech (2: 'Say' and 'tell')

You will probably need to read part one of this 'Guide to Reported Speech' before continuing...

In this entry, we are going to see the difference between the most frequent reporting verbs in statements: say and tell:

TO SAY:
SAY - SAID - SAID

SAY SOMETHING
Mary said (that) she loved music.
SAY TO SOMEONE SOMETHING
Mary said to Sam (that) she loved music.

TO TELL:
TELL - TOLD - TOLD

TELL SOMEONE SOMETHING
Mary told Sam (that) she loved music.

The guide to Reported Speech (1: Changes)

Direct speech vs Reported speech:

Direct speech:  Bill said, 'I lived here last year.'
We use the exact words someone said with inverted commas.

Reported speech:   Bill said (that) he had lived there the year before.
We introduce what someone said to our speech. Some changes are probably required since we are not with the same person, in the same day, in the same place...

Tense changes:

Generally speaking, when reporting someone's message, tenses tend to go back in time (one step to the past)
PRESENT SIMPLE   ->   PAST SIMPLE
PRESENT CONTINUOUS   ->   PAST CONTINUOUS
PRESENT PERFECT   ->   PAST PERFECT
PAST SIMPLE   ->   PAST PERFECT SIMPLE (it can also stay in past simple)
PAST CONTINUOUS   ->   PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
PAST PERFECT   ->   PAST PERFECT (no change is possible)
WILL   ->   WOULD
IS/ARE/AM GOING TO   ->   WAS/WERE GOING TO
CAN   ->   COULD
MAY   ->   MIGHT
MUST / HAVE TO   ->   HAD TO
SHOULD   ->   SHOULD
DS: Mary said, 'I'm finishing in a while.'
RS: Mary said (that) she was finishing in a while.

We do not change the tense with universal truths or when we are reporting something said at the same moment.
DS: Mary said, 'The Earth is round.'
RS: Mary said (that) the Earth is round.

Personal pronoun and adjective changes:

Subjects and objects have to change according to the circumstances and context.
DS: Mary told Sam, 'I will love you forever.'
RS: Mary told Sam (that) she would love him forever.

Place changes:

HERE   ->   THERE
DS: Mary said, 'I will be here.'
RS: Mary said (that) she would be there.

Time changes:

NOW / AT THE MOMENT   ->   THEN / AT THAT MOMENT
TODAY   ->   THAT DAY
YESTERDAY   ->   THE DAY BEFORE / THE PREVIOUS DAY
THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY   ->   TWO DAYS BEFORE
TOMORROW   ->   THE NEXT DAY / THE FOLLOWING DAY
THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW   ->   IN TWO DAYS TIME / TWO DAYS LATER
NEXT WEEK, MONTH, YEAR...   ->   THE FOLLOWING WEEK, MONTH, YEAR...
LAST WEEK, MONTH, YEAR...   ->   THE PREVIOUS WEEK, MONTH, YEAR...
[...] AGO   ->   [...] BEFORE
THIS (for time)   ->   THAT (for time)
DS: Mary said, 'I went to Morocco last year.'
RS: Mary said (that) she had gone to Morocco the previous year.

We do not change the time when the action reported happens at the same moment.

Other changes:

THIS   ->   THAT / THE
THESE   ->   THOSE / THE
DS: Mary said, 'I want this necklace.'
RS: Mary said that she wanted that necklace.'