Passed or past?

I haven't been posting here lately, busy with other things,  but I have been spurred to by reading a glossy publication of walks in my area. While it is generally well written, the author clearly has no idea of the difference between past and passed.

OK, both sound the same.

The -ed on passed should give a clue that this is a verb and indeed the past tense of the verb.

I passed an accident on the way here.

Past is a preposition

Go past the shops, then turn left.

Compare

I passed the church. I passed by the church.  ( both have the same meaning)
I walked past the church.  ( same meaning as above but the first could be in a vehicle)

We passed a farm.
The route runs past a farm.

The route continues along the river bank, past the football ground …  (you could say passing the football ground)

emigrate or immigrate?

This ties in with another passion of  mine - family history.

Which of the following is correct?

John Smith and his family emigrated to the USA in 1878.

or

John Smith and his family immigrated to the USA in 1878.


Answer - both are correct but they are from a different viewpoint.

to emigrate is to leave a country
and to immigrate is to come into a country.

So the first sentence would be written by someone in the old country and the second by someone in the USA.

The same with emigration and immigration.

Migration and to migrate are used with birds and animals.

I myself

A word about the use and misuse of myself (and yourself, himself, herself, oneself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves).  I'll give examples for myself to start with.

Use
• for emphasis

I myself would never do that!
I painted it myself
I'm not fond of shellfish myself

• reflexively ie when referring back to the person performing the action

I've hurt myself
I spilt coffee on myself
I cried myself to sleep

Note that in all the examples an "I" precedes "myself".

With that rule in mind, it is easy to spot MISTAKES such as:-

Please call John or myself for further information.
It should be: Please call John or me …

Never start a sentence with "Myself"

eg Myself and a friend went to Brazil.
It should be: I and a friend… or A friend and I…

Examples

You look pleased with yourself.
One must take care of oneself.
The militants themselves said …
Animals protect themselves from predators
The Queen admired a portrait of herself.

When does Y change to IE?

Most words with an "i" sound at the end end in -Y
The plural of nouns which end in -Y changes to -IES

a lady; many ladies
my family; many families
1 granny; both grannies
one city; all the cities
one fatality; many fatalities
the gallery; all the galleries
one theory; many theories
one pony; lots of ponies

If the -y is preceded by a vowel though, the plural is -ys

day; days
toy; toys
monkey; monkeys

You can put an ie at the ending of a word as a sign of affection

What a cutie!
She's a sweetie

Note - no apostrophes for plurals.

Comparatives and superlatives of adjectives which end in -Y

silly, sillier, silliest

funny, funnier, funniest

happy, happier, happiest

merry, merrier, merriest

Note - no apostrophes for comparatives and superlatives of adjectives!

Are you seeing a pattern here?

Apostrophe only 

1  for possession

Mary's brother

the pony's saddle

2 for a missing letter

Mary's late = Mary is late

don't be late - do not be late

More irregular verbs

Last time we looked at some irregular verbs. Although they are irregular they still have rules and many follow a similar pattern.

Principle parts: present/infinitive, simple past, past participle

swim swam swum
spring sprang sprung
shrink shrank shrunk
sink sank sunk
stink stank stunk
ring rang rung
begin began begun

No problem with these as the simple past is the same as the past participle.

fight fought fought
bring brought brought
find found found

here are some very common ones - practise saying the parts

go went gone
do did done
eat ate eaten
read read read - pronounced [reed]  [red]  [red
write wrote written
break broke broken
speak spoke spoken
see saw seen
fall fell fallen
run ran run
become became become

REMEMBER when using the past participle (the third part) you must have a helper verb with it.

Here are some wrong sentences. Can you say what is wrong and why?

1. Honey, I shrunk the kids.
2. He sprung into action.
3. The kitchen stunk of cabbage.
4. I seen them coming.
5. She has broke a tooth.
6. He has spoke too soon.
7. He has went and done it.

Complete the sentences

1. Several trees have f… in the storm.
2. I have wr… a letter of complaint to the manager.
3. He has bro… his arm.
4. I've … too many chocolates.
5. The bell has r….
6. My shirt shr… in the wash.

Scroll down for the answers……












Here are some wrong sentences. Can you say what is wrong and why?

1. Honey, I shrunk the kids. I know it is a film title. It should be I shrank the kids or I have shrunk the kids. Shrunk is the past participle and needs "have" in front of it.
2. He sprung into action. He sprang into action. Simple past tense.
3. The kitchen stunk of cabbage. The kitchen stank … Simple past tense.
4. I seen them coming. I saw them coming. Simple past tense.
5. She has broke a tooth.  She has broken a tooth. Past participle after has
6. He has spoke too soon. He has spoken too soon. Past participle after has. Or He spoke too soon.
7. He has went and done it.  He has gone and done it. Past participle after has

Complete the sentences

1. Several trees have fallen in the storm.
2. I have written a letter of complaint to the manager.
3. He has broken his arm.
4. I've eaten too many chocolates.
5. The bell has rung.
6. My shirt shrank in the wash.

Trouble with past tenses

Nowadays mistakes with past tenses of irregular verbs are so commonplace that I even have to sometimes stop and think myself. I'm talking about "the bell has went" "the ship sunk" "I have swam"





All verbs have 3 principal parts

to look - look,  looked, looked is a regular or weak verb

to sink - sink sank sunk is an example of an irregular or strong where the 3 parts are different
The 3 principle parts are
Present tense and infinitive:  sink
Simple Past:   sank
Past Participle:  sunk

The difference between sank and sunk:
"Sank" is often used when it should be "sunk"

sank 

the ship sank
he sank all his savings into a holiday home

sunk needs another "helper" verb in front of it, such as: have / has  /had or am/ is/ was /were

a small yacht has sunk
the trawler had sunk by the time the lifeboat arrived
the ship was sunk by a torpedo
we have sunk a well
I'm sunk
it hasn't sunk in yet
it could have been sunk by a wave

other verbs with the same vowel change pattern as to sink

drink, drank, drunk
sing, sang, sung
begin, began, begun
swim, swam, swum
ring, rang, rung

so

I have drunk gallons of tea
much tea was drunk
he has sung professionally
it has begun
they have swum
the bells were rung at midnight

TIP
Practice saying the principal parts to yourself.

Test yourself. Which is correct?
REMEMBER when using the past participle (the third part) you must have a helper verb with it

1. I have (sang/sung) in a choir
2. We all (drank/drunk) too much. 
3. The children (sang/sung) loudly.
4. Lots of coffee was (drank/drunk)
5. The church bells were (rang/rung) for the wedding.
6. The bells (rang/rung) out for New Year.
7. Tom (swam/swum) 30 lengths.
8. I could have (swam/swum) further.
9. The programme has (began/begun)
10. It (began/begun) to rain.

Scroll down for the answers ……

1. I have sung in a choir.
2. We all drank too much. 
3. The children sang loudly.
4. Lots of coffee was drunk.
5. The church bells were rung for the wedding.
6. The bells rang out for New Year.
7. Tom swam 30 lengths.
8. I could have swum further.
9. The programme has begun.
10. It began to rain.

More here

Which is right?

My ears pricked up in a clothes shop today. An assistant was replacing a promotional poster because of a "spelling mistake"!  It wasn't me who complained, honestly! Well done to Viyella/Country Casuals for reprinting and replacing.

Someone cost the company because they didn't know the difference between complimentary and complementary! I enjoyed a complimentary glass of shloer. They didn't offer me any styling tips though. I'm obviously a lost cause.

Confusing words ending in -s or 's

Compare: Plural - There are 2 churches in the village.
's standing for "is" - The church's at the top of the hill. 's standing for "of" or "of the"(possession) The church's steeple is in a dangerous condition. (The steeple of the church) Try this game for more examples

Click here for larger version

Spot the mistakes

Planning a short break online has provided me with lots of material.

What is wrong with the following? There may be more than one error per item.

1
Double rooms are equipped with double bed, complimentry tray with coffee/tea and shortbread, TV, en suite bathroom with complimentry toiletries supplied from Arran Aromatics.

2
Twin/Double rooms have tea and coffee facilities free use of our spa facilities and hair dryer’s in each room Public parking is possible on site (reservation is needed please call to book)

3
We are located on Sauchiehall Street within easy reach of both Glasgow City Centre, close to Glasgow University and Glasgow’s Famous West End, within Walking distance of:

• Kelvingrove Art Gallery

 4
Situated just 50 yards from The George is the Paymasters House. Dating back to 1780 when it was the home of Provost James Campbell. It is now decorated and furnished to 4 star standard.
We are able to offer the individual apartments or rooms within the Paymaster's apartments on an accommodation only basis with breakfast available at The George if requested.

• The Paymaster Master Bedroom
• The Paymasters Annexe
• The Generals Master Bedroom
• The Cornals Master Bedroom
• Miss Marys Apartment
• Peggys Apartment

  

 



Answers
1
Double rooms are equipped with double bed, complimentry tray with coffee/tea and shortbread, TV, en suite bathroom with complimentry toiletries supplied from Arran Aromatics.

They got the tricky bit right complimentary (not complementary - see this post) but mispelt the ending.

2
Twin/Double rooms have tea and coffee facilities, free use of our spa facilities and hair dryer's in each room. Public parking is possible on site. (A reservation is needed. Please call to book.)

Lack of punctuation - I've corrected it.
hairdryer's (ugh) instead of plural hairdryers (see this post)

3
We are located on Sauchiehall Street within easy reach of both Glasgow City Centre, close to Glasgow University and Glasgow’s Famous West End, within Walking distance of:

• Kelvingrove Art Gallery

Random capital letters - see this post

 4
Situated just 50 yards from The George is the Paymasters House. Dating back to 1780 when it was the home of Provost James Campbell, it is now decorated and furnished to 4 star standard.
We are able to offer the individual apartments or rooms within the Paymaster's apartments on an accommodation only basis with breakfast available at The George, if requested.

• The Paymaster Master Bedroom
• The Paymasters Annexe
• The Generals Master Bedroom
• The Cornals Master Bedroom
• Miss Marys Apartment
• Peggys Apartment

The part beginning "Dating" is not a sentence. Fix it with a comma after Campbell and continue the sentence.
And lack of apostrophes denoting possession apart from one correct use in the third line! (See this post.)


I am happy to note that most websites I looked at were well done!

hopefully

My fiftieth post and a bugbear of mine.

Hopefully - I hate this word! It is overused in speech.

Hopefully the train will be on time. Why not say, "I hope the train will be on time."

Hopefully. On its own = I hope so.

hopefully has 2 meanings

1 in a hopeful manner eg It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive.

2 it is to be hoped   This is the controversial one. A lot of people, myself included, find this bad usage. It is accepted widely in informal chat but you should avoid it in any kind of formal writing.

Here are some recent examples gleaned from the BBC news site.

Norfolk / 5 January 2012

Tim Phillips, head teacher at Acle High, said the damage at the school would hopefully be repaired later so it could reopen on Friday.

Oxford/ 9 January 2012 "Hopefully in the future I can make amends” Antony Worrall Thompson

Suffolk/ 8 January 2012  "Hopefully, these signs will prompt motorists who see anything suspicious to get in touch immediately, after finding a safe place to stop and make a call to us."

On the northern bottlenose whale:  They had their population significantly reduced by whaling, but are now a protected species and their numbers will hopefully recover.


Ho-hum! I think I am in a minority with this one.

off the wall

of or off?

I think this just boils down to carelessness since they are pronounced differently.

"off" pronounced with F sound, can refer to something detached or apart from something else

the picture fell off the wall
the island is off the coast of Cornwall
to start off
to finish off

some idioms use off: with explanations for foreign readers

to give someone the brush off  = to snub or disregard someone especially in boy/girl relationships
to knock off = to steal ( as well as the usual meaning)
off the wall = crazily unusual
push off! = go away (not rude)
a one-off = one of a kind  (I've never understood why it is not a one "of"!)

"of" pronounced withV sound, has many functions
a pint of beer
days of the week
to think of something or someone
people of America


Compare:

a round of golf
he rounded off the evening with a

a piece of cake
he knocked a piece off the statue

These mistakes were spotted recently:

                          xxxx Jimmy Carr rounds of the present series. xxxx

Well, one of them was right, M&S!


Test yourself

Click here for larger version

thunder and lightning

Although the two words can sound the same, there is no E in lightning, so you should really pronounce it differently.  Say it as fast as lightning!


Lightning, the weather.

thunder and lightning

a bolt of lightning

a lightning strike 

he runs like lightning

Lightening comes from the verb to lighten, to make light in the sense of colour, brightness or weight

the sky is lightening

lightening the load

I used to get this one wrong myself. Just think about the meaning.  

emotive v emotional

emotive and emotional are not interchangeable

emotive is used to describe issues which are sensitive or controversial

emotive language is when words are chosen to excite emotions and are used frequently in newspaper reports

eg "slaughtered" is a more emotive word than "killed"

This headline regarding photos of a model with a bruised eye:

Phtotographer behind emotive pictures of Glee start Heather Morris issues an apology. The photo shoot caused much controversy …

This advice about when not to use email:

avoid emotive topics – like appraisals or requests for a pay rise. These are far better dealt with face-to-face. 

The issues of the sectarian and offensive singing both by Celtic and Rangers supporters and Green Brigade's poppy protest predictably proved the most emotive subjects raised during Celtic's AGM.

compare -

emotional is used to describe people's feelings, often sad ones

an emotional day eg at a wedding or funeral

she was emotional means she was in tears or on the verge of tears

eg the headline "Angelina Jolie gets emotional at awards ceremony"

spot the mistakes

Even while out for a meal in the West End, I have been toiling on your behalf.

Can you spot the mistakes in the publicity below?

Answers on ANSWERS PAGE.

1. Monday night's, Quiz Night.
2. Yes it isn't really long until Christmas, Have you still to book your works night out etc..
3. Progressive, Seasonal, fresh pub food …
4. Wee one's. Our children's licence runs until 8pm.
5. Our Fantastic Festive drinks range
6. Why not Host your own roast?

personal pronouns

We've previously looked at I or me.  

The same rules apply to other pronouns.

I, we, he, she & they are the subject forms; 

me, us, him, her & them are the object forms.

you is the same for both subject and object. 

There is no such word as yous or youse! 

Use of I we he she they- the subject of a verb

I will be late.

Jim and I will be late.

We will be late. 

He and she will be married in June.

We buy our clothes in designer stores, we young things. (The second we is still the subject of buy.)

I went shopping. 

My friends and I went shopping. 

We went shopping.

They went shopping.

You can't start a sentence with me or us or him or her or them (unless her mother…  Here, her is an adjective not a pronoun)

Me and Jim were late. xxxxx wrong

Him and me were late. xxxxx wrong

Jim and I were late.

He and I were late

Normally you put the other person before yourself. It's polite!

Use of me us him her them as the object of a verb.

Did you see me in town?

Did you see us in town?

Did you see Mary and me in town?

The object form is used after a preposition: for, with, to etc

with me, after us, between you and me, for John and us,  by them.

Test yourself

Fix the mistakes in the following. 

1. Is this present for Tom and I?
2. Me and Annie are going to London.
3. Us oldies like our comforts. 
   
4. Him and me are very happy.
5. Are yous coming? 
6. He asked you and I for lunch.
7. We like our curries, us young ones.
8. Her and her mother are fond of shoes.
9. He took her and I to the seaside. 
10. Between you and I, she's a cheat.

Answers

1. Is this present for Tom and me?
2. Annie and I are going to London.
3. We oldies like our comforts. 
   
4. He and I are very happy.
5. Are you coming? 
6. He asked you and me for lunch.
7. We like our curries, we young ones.
8. She and her mother are fond of shoes.
9. He took her and me to the seaside. 
10. Between you and me, she's a cheat.

subject verb object

We've talked about subject and verb before in What is a sentence?

Today we'll expand on that. 

To find the object in a sentence, if it has one, first you need to find the subject and verb. Remember not all sentences have an object, but all statement sentences have a subject and a verb.

Mary likes chocolate.

Verb = likes

Subject (the person or thing doing the verb)= Mary

Object (ask what does Mary like?) = chocolate.

Andy and his wife bought a beautiful old house.

Verb = bought

Subject (who bought?)= Andy and his wife

Object (what did Andy and his wife buy?) = a beautiful old house

My dog Titch chased a cat today in the park.

Verb = chased

Subject = my dog Titch

Object = a cat
(today is an adverb of time and in the park an adverbial phrase of place)

Firemen rescued a frightened horse from a disused swimming pool.
Verb = rescued

Subject = firemen

Object  = a frightened horse

The government could force companies to make our food healthier.
Verb = could force
Subject = the government
Object = companies

Test yourself

Find the object

1. Cows eat grass.
2. Thieves stole lead from the church roof.
3. The children saw lots of animals at the zoo.
4. The train is leaving the station.
5. John ate all of his dinner.
6. The gas fire heats the room efficiently.
7. Dreaming eases painful memories.

Answers

1. grass
2. lead
3. lots of animals
4. the station
5. all of his dinner
6. the room
7. painful memories

Understanding rules about subject (=nominative) and object (accusative) is important when learning other languages such as German.

Test number 2

Can you spot the myriad of mistakes in the genuine selections below.

1. We don't need no education.  (from song Another Brick in the Wall)
2. We first discovered that Mango the dog was up for surfing when she followed my wife and I right out into the surf one day. (quote on BBC news site)
3. And just looking up and seeing the red and the black going over the top. (quote on BBC news site)
4. You need to practice as hard as you can to qualify! (CBBC website)
5.  Guest's wishing to Dine in room, Our Daily Menu's are available upon request. (in hotel room)
6.  Not so much a grammar question; what does this door sign mean?? 

AMBULANT USER WC UNISEX

Answers

1. double negative - We don't need (any) education.
2. my wife and  me (object of verb followed)
3. non sentence - no verb and subject, would need to be, "We just looked up and saw…"
4. "to practise" verb
5. Where to begin? non sentence, wrong plurals, misuse of capitals, generally garbled. Should be something like "If you wish to dine in your room, please ask for the daily menu."
6. Toilet (next door to disabled toilet, so, presumably, toilet for anyone else) ambulant means walking. This is from a council facility somewhere in Ayrshire.

definitely

There is definitely no A in definitely!

I think the tendency to put an A in place of the second I is linked to the tendency to put the emphasis on the third syllable, when speaking, for effect. The stress should be on the first syllable.

Related words are all from the same Latin root finire to finish and definire to set bounds.

finish

finite

definite

definition

NB always …INI…

Which is better?

Comparatives and Superlatives

the sign of the compartive is -er  or more and the superlative -est or most

A comparative compares 2 things or 2 sets of things

This load of washing is dirtier than that load.

This photo is more appealing than the other.

A superlative compares lots of things

This is the dirtiest towel in the pile.

This photo is the most appealing of them all.

Often the superlative is used when it should be the comparative.

Which is better? Which is best?

better is the comparative form of the adjective good. It compares 2 things or 2 sets of things. 

Brand A is good, but brand B is better. Which is better? Brand B.

best is the superlative form of good. It compares a lot of things.

Brand A is good,  brands B and C are better, but brand D is the best.

Which is best? Brand D.

More examples:

You have 2 children, don't you? Which is the older?

Tom likes both apples and oranges. Which does he like better?

Don like lots of fruit. Which does he like the best?

 

Marriage notice

On the 3rd November, Jane, youngest daughter of Jim and Freda, was married to Robert, older son of Michael and Ann.

What does this tell you about the number of brothers and sisters of the happy couple?

Jane has at least 2 older sisters  and may also have brothers.

Robert has 1 younger brother and may have sisters.

Test yourself

1. I have 2 sons, James and David. James is the old…
2. Granny has 10 grandchildren. Amy is the young…
3. Which of the twins is the bright…?
4. Who in the class is the mo… intelligent?

Answers:

1. I have 2 sons, James and David. James is the older.
2. Granny has 10 grandchildren. Amy is the youngest.
3. Which of the twins is the brighter?
4. Who in the class is the most intelligent?

continuous

Continuous(ly) and continual(ly) 

These two words have similar meanings and are often used interchangeably,  but there is a difference. 

continuous means unbroken, uninterrupted, non-stop

a continuous line

continuous play of music or a film

in continuous use

in a continuous movement

cameras in taxis will run continuously

a feeling of being continuously under surveillance

continual means often repeated

continual disruption

she continually asked for money

Sometimes the distinction is blurred.

continual improvement or continuous improvement?

Test yourself

1. the film played in a ………… loop
2. he …………ly failed his driving test
3. the castle has been …………ly occupied for 4 centuries
4. we can see a ………… improvement

 

Answers: paste them into FLIP

 ʇuǝɯǝʌoɹdɯı snonuıʇuoɔ ɐ ǝǝs uɐɔ ǝʍ 4
sǝıɹnʇuǝɔ 4 ɹoɟ pǝıdnɔɔo ʎlsnonuıʇuoɔ uǝǝq sɐɥ ǝlʇsɐɔ ǝɥʇ 3
ʇsǝʇ ƃuıʌıɹp sıɥ pǝlıɐɟ ʎllɐnuıʇuoɔ ǝɥ 2
dool snonuıʇuoɔ ɐ uı pǝʎɐld ɯlıɟ ǝɥʇ 1