Wednesday 16 May 2018


Both - Either - Neither



We use botheither and neither to refer to two people or things.

BOTH

Both = the two; that one AND the other one; this one AND that one
Both can be used as a pronoun to refer to two things that we have already mentioned.
  • A: Do you want the blue shirt or the red one?
    B: I’ll buy both (= the blue shirt AND the red shirt = both shirts)

Both X and Y

= not only X but also Y
Both + Adjective + and + Adjective
  • He’s both tall and handsome.
  • I’m both happy and confused at the same time!
  • I have had a long, hard day and I’m both tired and hungry.
Both + Noun + and + Noun
Both can be used with a singular noun + and + singular noun
  • She speaks both English and Arabic.
  • They have both a cat and a dog.
  • He is both an actor and a director.
We can also use Both + plural noun (see more below)
  • She speaks both languages.

Both or Both of?

Both or Both of can be used without a difference in meaning though Both of is more common in the United States.

Both (of) + determiner + plural noun

You can use Both or Both of before a determiner (my, his, these, the etc.) and a plural noun.
  • Both (of) my friends arrived late to class.
  • Both of the wheels wobble too much.
  • A prize was given to both of the players.
When we use Both (without of), we drop the article the.
  • Both of the parents were nervous.
  • Both parents were nervous.

Both of + Object Pronoun

When using Both with an object pronoun (me, you, him, her, it, us them), we need the preposition OF before that pronoun.
  • He has invited both us. (incorrect)
  • He has invited both of us. (correct)
  • I’ll take both of them. (correct)
  • I need to speak to both of you. (correct)

Verb + Object pronoun + both

We can use both after an object pronoun
  • I hope they invite us both (= I hope they invite both of us)
  • Do you need them both? (= Do you need both of them)
  • The teacher sent them both to the principal’s office.

To be + both

Both comes after To Be (or an auxiliary such as have or modal verbs).
  • He is both intelligent and agile.
  • My sister and I are both ready for the trip.
  • We were both happy with our exam results.

Modal verb + both + verb

  • My parents can both speak French.
  • They should both try harder.
  • My brothers would both be shocked if they knew the truth.

Both + other verbs

Both goes before the other verbs. If there is an accompanying auxiliary verb, then it goes in the middle of the two verbs (i.e. auxiliary + both + verb)
  • We both wanted to stay in bed and not go to work.
  • They both liked the surprise.
  • My parents both work in the same building.
  • They have both studied a lot.

Both - Negative

We don’t use both in negative structures. Instead, we normally use Neither.
  • We don’t say: Both of them are not ready (incorrect)
  • We say: Neither of them are ready (correct)
See more about Neither below:


NEITHER

Neither = not one and not the other
Neither is a negative word and is accompanied by an affirmative singular verb.

Neither X nor Y

Neither … nor … is used as a conjunction. It is the opposite of “Both … and …” If a verb comes after this phrase, that verb is in the singular form (Sometimes you will hear it used in the plural form though it is not grammatically correct)
  • Neither John nor Fred likes doing the dishes. (= “Both John and Fred don’t like doing the dishes”)
  • I want neither the red shirt nor the blue shirt.
  • neither smoke nor drink.

Neither + singular noun

Neither is used as a determiner before a single noun.
  • Neither team wanted to lose.
  • That tennis game was very close. Neither player had a clear advantage.
  • Neither parent knew about the accident.

Neither of + determiner + plural noun

You can use Neither of before a determiner (my, his, these, the etc.) and a plural noun.
  • Neither of my friends came to class today.
  • Neither of the parents understood what the baby was trying to say.
  • Neither of our cars has enough petrol so we have to take the bus.

Neither of + Pronoun

When using Neither + of + pronoun (you, us, them), we need the preposition OF before that pronoun. (If a verb comes after this phrase then it is in singular form)
  • The present is for neither of us.
  • Neither of them is married.
  • Neither of us expected to be fired.

Neither in short responses

Neither is frequently used as part of a short response when someone says something negative and you agree with them.
  • A: I have never been to Switzerland
  • B: Neither have I.
  • A: I don’t want to go.
  • B: Neither do I.
Neither can also be used alone.
  • A: Would you like a blue tie or a green tie?
  • B: Neither. (= Neither tie)

Neither vs. Either

You can use Either with a negative verb to replace Neither with a positive verb
  • have neither time nor money
  • don’t have either time or money.
See more about Either below.


EITHER

Either = any one of the two = this one or the other one
Either is accompanied by an affirmative singular verb and is mostly used in questions or negative sentences

Either X or Y

Either … or … is used as a conjunction. It is used to express alternatives and or a choice between two (and sometimes more) things. It is used a verb in singular form (Sometimes you will hear it used in the plural form though it is not grammatically correct).
  • Either you or John has to finish the report before 5pm.
  • You can have either the red shirt or the blue shirt. (= but not both)
  • Either you leave the building now or I call the security guards.

Either + singular noun

Either is used as a determiner before a single noun.
  • There are only two options and I’m not interested in either film.
  • A: Do you want it ready for Thursday or Friday? B: Either day is fine for me.

Either of + determiner + plural noun

You can use Either of before a determiner (my, his, these, the etc.) and a plural noun.
  • We’ve been dating for 6 months and I haven’t met either of her parents.
  • I haven’t read either of these books.
  • I don’t want either of those apples. Do you have one that is not rotten?

Either + of + Pronoun

When using Either + of + object pronoun (you, us, them), we need the preposition OF before that pronoun.
  • I don’t think he is going to invite either of us.
  • A: Which photo do you prefer? B: I don’t like either of them
  • I think I left my keys and wallet at the office. I don’t want to lose either of them.
Either can also be used alone. It means it doesn’t matter which alternative. Sometimes it is accompanied by the pronoun “one”.
  • A: Would you like a coffee or a tea?
  • B: Either (one). (= I don’t mind if it’s coffee or tea, both alternatives are fine)

Either in short responses

Either can be used at the end of a negative sentence when you agree with something negative someone else has said. It is similar to meaning TOO and ALSO (which are used in affirmative sentences).
  • A: I wasn’t thirsty. B: I wasn’t either. (You cannot say “I wasn’t too”)
  • A: I’ve never been to Portugal. B: I haven’t either.
  • A: I didn’t go to class yesterday. B: I didn’t either

Pronunciation of Either and Neither

You will hear the word Either pronounced two different ways:
  • /ˈaɪðər/ (eye-ther – with a long I sound at the beginning) – British English
  • /ˈiːðər/ (ee- ther – with a long E sound at the beginning) – American English
Both forms of pronunciation are correct and supposedly one is British English and the other American English. However within each country you may hear both forms used.
The same happens with the pronunciation of the word Neither:
  • /ˈnaɪðər/ – British English
  • /ˈniːðər/ – American English

Both, Either, Neither Summary Chart

The difference between Both, Either and Neither - English Grammar 

Next activity

Try our interactive game to practice the difference between Both, Either and Neither.

Tuesday 21 November 2017

LISTENING PRACTICE FOR KIDS

Maybe you are a teacher in search for materials for your class. Maybe you are a parent in search for listening practice for your kid. In m opinion, children should be exposed to the English language on a regular basis: daily if possible. 

Here you will find a list of websites where you will find lots of useful podcasts for children and beginners:

Rong-chang.com Easy short stories for children and ESL/EFL beginners. 

Hello-World.com Simple dialogues for non-native speaking children.

eslfast.com. A free site with lots of short stories and conversations.

Real EnglishOriginal videos and interactive lessons with some sample listenings.

Adele's corner. Easy online listening activities with blank filling exercises.

About.com English listening comprehension exercises for basic listening skills.

EnglishLingQ.com  Graded podcasts. 

Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab. See the section "Basic Listening Quizzes" with short listening activities for beginning and intermediate students.

Select-Language.com is an interesting site with graded audio-postcards from different English speaking communities.

Finally, these sites are also quite interesting:








Friday 3 November 2017

WRITING A LETTER OF COMPLAINT

Letter/email of complaint

STRUCTURE:

Dear Sir/ Madam,

(INTRODUCTION)
 On (date), I (bought, leased, rented, or had repaired) a (name of the product, with serial or model number, or service performed) at (location and other important details of the transaction).

 (MAIN BODY)
Unfortunately, your (product or service) has not performed well (or the service was inadequate) because (state the problem). I am disappointed because (explain the problem: for example, the product does not work properly; the service was not performed correctly; I was billed the wrong amount; something was not disclosed clearly or was misrepresented; etc.).
 (CONCLUSION)
To resolve the problem, I would appreciate your (state the specific action you want: money refunded, charge card credit, repair, exchange, etc.). Enclosed are copies of my (receipts, guarantees, warranties, canceled checks, contracts, model and serial numbers, or any other documents).

I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem and will wait until (set a time limit) before seeking help from a consumer protection agency. Please contact me by phone at (home and/or office numbers with area code).

Yours faithfully,

Your name.


HERE YOU WILL FIND LOTS OF EXAMPLES



Tuesday 10 October 2017

USE IDIOMS AND "CLICHÉS"!


An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own.
cliché is a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought: “time heals all wounds” or “all is well that ends well” are quite recurrent in English.
Using clichés and idioms will help you expand your vocabulary and sound more native like.
You can find a list of clichés here, and a list of idioms here.

Image result for idiom and cliches

Tuesday 6 June 2017

KEY TO THE ENGLISH PAU EXAM 2017 (ILLES BALEARS)


OPCIÓ A





1 a) This statement is FALSE, as the text says: " ...is replacing some of its assembly line robots with more capable humans".

   b) This statement is FALSE, as the text says: "...make technological change our ally, not our enemy".

2 (Possible answer): Malinda Kathleen Reese has become popular on the Internet because she has translated some song lyrics into different languages using Google Translate and then has translated them back into English, -using the same service-, before recording them with the resulting lyrics. Some of the songs are dramatically different after this process, and sound quite funny!

3 1- GLOOMY
   2- GLIMPSE
   3- TO WORK OUT
   4- FATE




4.1: A) HAVE you HAD A LOOK....?/ DID you HAVE A LOOK...? (AmE)
       B) .... robots ARE currently STEALING....

4.2: A) ...the HARDER....the EASIER...

4.3: People CAN'T (It is not allowed)/ MUST NOT or MUSTN'T (It is not allowed; it is prohibited)/ MAY NOT (It is formally / strictly not allowed) work....

4.4: Pamela told me not to believe (that) robots would do all the office work.


5.1 OTHER
5.2 WOMAN
5.3 ON
5.4 FOLLOWED



  • Organiza las ideas teniendo en cuenta que la redacción debe expresar tu opinión personal.
  • Comienza presentando el tema del que vas a escribir y tu opinión sobre él. 
  • Divide las ideas en párrafos (responde a las preguntas).
  • Utiliza expresiones para organizar, relacionar o añadir ideas: In addition, First, Therefore, Furthermore, I strongly believe, I think...
  • Conclusión: incluye una predicción acerca del futuro, por ejemplo.

En este ENLACE tenéis un ejemplo de OPINION ESSAY.



OPCIÓ B



1a) This statement is TRUE, as the text says: "To a certain extent, the answer to these questions may depend on your gender."
  b) This statement is TRUE, as the text says: "...people who have a rigid view of themselves and believe that personality cannot be changed are more likely to take rejection more personally,..."

2 (Possible answer): According to the text, people who suffer from anxiety or depression frequently experience problems in their relationships. Therefore, people who are emotionally unstable have a greater chance of breaking up than those who are positive and can work problems out by reaching an agreement.

3.1 SPLITS
3.2 TO GO THROUGH
3.3 LIKELY
3.4 DISTRESSING


4.1 A) What SHOULD I DO?
      B) If I were you, I WOULD TAKE a brief holiday....

4.2 A) There is no point in TRYING to convince him.
      B) ...in case Mark PHONES home.

4.3 A) ....he hasn't GOT (or GOTTEN in US and Canadian English) OVER his divorce yet.
      B) He really LET her DOWN.

4.4 The divorce papers are being signed.

5.1 LAUNDRY
5.2 NO
5.3 YOUNG
5.4 ASKED



  • Organiza las ideas teniendo en cuenta que la redacción debe expresar tu opinión personal.
  • Comienza presentando el tema del que vas a escribir y tu opinión sobre él. 
  • Divide las ideas en párrafos (responde a las preguntas).
  • Utiliza expresiones para organizar, relacionar o añadir ideas: In addition, First, Therefore, Furthermore, I strongly believe, I think...
  • Conclusión: incluye una predicción acerca del futuro, por ejemplo.

En este ENLACE tenéis un ejemplo de OPINION ESSAY.