TALKING ABOUT THINGS YOU ARE INTERESTED IN DOING

TALKING ABOUT THINGS YOU ARE INTERESTED IN DOING

To say that you are interested in doing something or to say that you want to do something, you can use the expression ‘I would like to..’ or ‘I feel like…’

I would like to + (verb)

The structure ‘I would like to’ is used to talk about things you are interested in doing.

·         I’d like to be the next Prime Minister.

·         I’d like to become a scientist.

·         I’d like to learn the piano.

·         I’d like to invite him to dinner.

·         I’d like to meet the manager.

·         I’d like to take a look at the house.

I would like can be followed by a noun. This structure is used to talk about things we would like to have.

·         I’d like some tea.

·         I’d like an answer.

·         I’d like some rest.

·         I’d like some advice.

I feel like + (verb-ing)

‘Feel like’ can mean ‘want’ or ‘would like’. After ‘feel like’, you can use a noun or an –ing form.

·         I feel like a drink. (= I would like a drink.)

·         I feel like going to the beach. (= I would like to go to the beach.)

·         I feel like singing. (= I want to sing.)

·         I feel like reading a novel.

·         I felt like crying. (= I wanted to cry.)

You can use the expression ‘don’t feel like’ to talk about things you don’t want to do.

·         I don’t feel like leaving yet. (= I don’t want to leave yet.)

·         I don’t feel like going out with him. (= I don’t want to go out with him.)

·         I don’t feel like talking about it. (= I don’t want to talk about it.)

This structure can also be used to talk about your fears and concerns.

·         I don’t feel like we are doing the right thing. (= I don’t think that we are doing the right thing.)

FARTHER VS. FURTHER

FARTHER VS. FURTHER

The terms farther and further are sometimes used interchangeably by some writers because they both denote “at a greater distance.” However, there are different uses of the word further in which farther cannot be substituted. This post will help you determine which of these terms to use in a particular situation.

As an adjective, the word farther means “more distant in space than another item of the same kind.”

“Faster, Farther, More Frequent: Ultramarathon Runners Keep Pushing Limits”
New York Times

“When it comes to vacationing with these Guardians Of The Quirks, things can’t seem farther from right.”
India Times

“Then they lighten, and steam is visible rising from the coats of the horses at the farther side of the twenty-acre field.”
The Guardian

However, as an adverb, farther shares the same use as further which denotes “at, to, or by a greater distance,” indicating the extent to which one thing or person is or becomes distant from another.

“Developers in Montgomery County will pay more to build farther from transit, jobs”
Washington Post

“Indigenous in Mexico Take Consultation Farther Than Expected”
teleSUR English

“Many New Orleans voters are still driving farther to vote than before Katrina”
The Lens

Notice that even if you substitute the word further in the sentences above, they will still retain their meaning. However, there are several other uses for this term. As an adjective, further may mean “additional to what already exists or has already taken place, been done, or been accounted for.”

“Fitch: China Power Companies Face Further Margin Erosion in 2017”
Reuters

“Further floods threaten travel chaos across Britain”
The Guardian

“Japan supports further sanctions against Russia”
Interfax

Further may also be used as a verb meaning “to help the progress or development of something” or “to promote.”

“Trump’s Twitterfests are meant to further the culture wars that helped win him the presidency”
Los Angeles Times

“Mohammad Amir ‘should be free to further career’ says Essex chief executive”
BBC Sport

“AHN announces $6M grant to further diabetes care”
Pittsburgh Business Times

An easy way to remember which word to use is to choose farther if you are talking about a physical distance while further is considered more appropriate to use when discussing metaphorical or figurative distance.

HOW TO MAKE OFFERS IN ENGLISH?

HOW TO MAKE OFFERS IN ENGLISH?

Here are a few phrases you can use.Offers often begin Would you like…?

·         Would you like some more cherries?

·         Would you like something to drink?

·         Would you like some coffee?

·         Would you like another cake?

In a more formal style, you can say Can I get…? or May I get…? Expressions like Can I offer you…? or May I offer you…? are also possible.

·         May I bring you some coffee?

·         Can I help you?

·         May I offer you something to drink?

·         May I help you with this?

·         Offers to do things for people often begin Would you like me to…?

·         Would you like me to type your letters for you?

·         Would you like me to make some coffee for you?

More examples are given below.

·         Shall I get you something to drink?

·         You look tired. Would you like a cup of tea?

·         How about a coffee?

·         Can I get you some juice?

·         Can I help you?

·         Can I do something for you?

Learners should be able to make offers as well as accept or reject them. The following are useful expressions to do so.

Accepting the offer

Here are some phrases you can use to show your willingness to accept the offer.

·         That would be very kind of you.

·         Yes please. I’d like to.

·         Yes please. That would be nice / lovely.

·         Thank you. That would be great.

Rejecting an offer

Here are some phrases you can use.

·         No, thank you.

·         No, thanks.

·         It’s OK. I can do it myself.

·         Don’t worry, I’ll do it myself.

SUPPOSE VS. SUPPOSED

SUPPOSE VS. SUPPOSED

While suppose and supposed are two different terms based on their functions, many people still find it confusing to decide when to use one over the other. This may be understandable as these terms are two different forms of the word suppose.

Suppose is a word used as a verb meaning “to assume that something is the case on the basis of evidence or probability but without proof or certain knowledge.”

“NELSON: No good deed goes unpunished, I suppose”
Journal Review

“A Jewish ‘Christmas’: ‘I suppose my mother had explained the cross-cultural situation to Santa Claus'”
TheJournal.ie

“Letter: Suppose Trump could eliminate the CIA”
New Bern Sun Journal

It may also be used as a verb meaning “to be required to do something because of the position one is in or an agreement one has made.”

“It was supposed to be a marriage made in heaven, but Ronald Koeman’s Everton reign could end in divorce after just six months”
The Sun

“‘Is that supposed to hurt my feelings?’: Patriots shrug off what Mike Tomlin said about them”
The Washington Post

“How am I supposed to find the perfect Christmas ‘party look’?”
The Telegraph

On the other hand, supposed is a term used as an adjective meaning “generally assumed or believed to be the case, but not necessarily so.”

“‘A Disgrace … Nonsense’: Trump, Allies Blast Reports On Supposed Info Held By Russia”
Fox News

“Trump calls supposed delay in hacking intel briefing ‘very strange'”
Politico

“What Barcelona think about Man City’s supposed offer for Rakitic”
Sport English

One way to remember which term you should use in a sentence is to use the following mnemonic. If you want to use the term as a verb, then you should choose suppose since both have an “e” in their spelling. Meanwhile, you should use supposed if you want an adjective as both words have a “d” in their spelling.

EMPATHY VS. SYMPATHY

EMPATHY VS. SYMPATHY

The terms empathy and sympathy are two words that people are often confused with. This may be attributed to the fact that both terms focuses on a person’s relationship with the feelings and experiences of another person. This post will help you distinguish between the two and enable you to properly use them in your writing.

Both empathy and sympathy are rooted from the greek word pathos which means “suffering” or “a quality that evokes pity or sadness.” The prefix em- means “in” or “within” while the prefix sym- means “with.”

As a noun, empathy refers to “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” It is often used to denote the ability of a person to imagine himself in the situation of another person, including his emotions, ideas, or opinions. For example, if a friend of yours tells you news about a death in her family and it made you feel as if it’s also your loss, then you have empathy.

“A Sad Liberal’s Extremely Short Thanksgiving Plea for Empathy”
Huffington Post

“Why the country is having a big debate about empathy after Donald Trump’s election”
Vox

“Empathy by the Book: How Fiction Affects Behavior”
Wall Street Journal

On the other hand, sympathy as a noun denotes “feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s misfortune” or “understanding between people; common feeling.” It does not require you to have the same feelings with the person you symphatize with but it enables you to have compassion for that person and understand his suffering.

“Nicolas Sarkozy: France reaction veers from sympathy to sarcasm”
BBC News

“Refugee survivor has no sympathy for Springvale Commonwealth Bank asylum seeker blast suspect”
Herald Sun

“Clinton Offers Support, Sympathy to Mayors After Iowa Shootings”
Bloomberg

A simple trick to determine which term to use is to assess what kind of emotion you are feeling towards the emotions or experience of another person. If you can only feel pity, sadness, or compassion towards the difficulty of that person, then you have sympathy for him. However, if you can genuinely put yourself in his situation, then you have empathy for him.

IT’S VS. ITS

IT’S VS. ITS

 While these two words contain only a meager three letters, people often get confused with the use of it’s and its. It is actually commonplace to find this error as it may result from both grammatical and typographical error.

The term it’s is a contraction or an abbreviated form of either “it is” or “it has.” This is the same with the contractions of she is and they have as “she’s” and “they’ve.”

“The Long-Term Jobs Killer Is Not China. It’s Automation.”
New York Times

“No more excuses. It’s time to change abortion laws in NSW and Queensland”
The Guardian

“It’s Time To Give Up On Getting A Mini NES Classic Edition This Christmas”
Forbes

On the other hand, the term its the possessive form of “it”used as an attributive adjective. This form is consistent with other possessive pronouns such as “our” which is the possessive form of “we” and “his” which is the possessive form of “he.” Possessive pronouns no longer require an apostrophe since they already changed  in form to denote possession.

“Here’s Why India Might Benefit From Some Protectionism For Its Startups”
Forbes

“EU gives Poland two months to scrap changes to its highest court”
The Guardian

“As Dow climbs to 20,000, its ETF sees big inflows and trading”
MarketWatch

It would be easier to remember which word to use by using this simple tip. When in doubt, try replacing the term with “it is” or “it has” in the sentence. If it sounds right, then go ahead and use it’s. If it doesn’t seem correct, then you should opt for its.

Examples:

I saw her artwork yesterday. ___ fabulous!

✓ I saw her artwork yesterday. It is fabulous!

✓ I saw her artwork yesterday. It’s fabulous!

The team lost ___ star player to a freak injury.

✗ The team lost it is star player to a freak injury.

✓ The team lost its star player to a freak injury.

EMIGRATE VS. IMMIGRATE VS. MIGRATE

EMIGRATE VS. IMMIGRATE VS. MIGRATE

The difference between emigrate and immigrate are subtle but important because using one of these words depends on the sentence’s point of view. This small difference in meaning creates confusion among writers. However, it is important to focus first on the word migrate because it encompasses both emigrate and immigrate.

The term migrate is a verb meaning “to move from one region or habitat to another, especially regularly according to the seasons” in the case of animals, particularly birds and fishes, but in this discussion, we will take in consideration its meaning “to move from one area or country to settle in another, especially in search of work,” which is applicable to people.

“Are you planning to leave, or no longer migrate to, the US?”
The Guardian

“Sex with Neanderthals helped our ancestors live out of Africa”
International Business Times UK

“Japan companies and investors migrate to Vietnam”
VietNamNet Bridge

Meanwhile, the term emigrate is a verb used to mean “to leave one’s own country in order to settle permanently in another.” It has an implication that a person or persons are permanently moving from his former location.

“These are the best countries for Americans to emigrate to as Donald Trump becomes President”
Mirror.co.uk

“Americans google ‘how do I emigrate?’ as searches for ‘end of the world’ rise around the planet”
Telegraph.co.uk

“Celebrities in political campaigns who threaten to emigrate”
BBC News

On the other hand, the term immigrate is a verb meaning “to come to live permanently in a foreign country.” It also implies a permanent movement of a person to another place.

“Melania Trump Will Share Her Experience Immigrating to the US in Campaign Speech”
ABC News

“9 countries to which Americans can easily immigrate”
SFGate

“McCool: Americans are going to find it hard to immigrate to Canada if Trump wins”
Ottawa Citizen

In order to determine which term to use in a sentence, you can keep in mind the following:

·         Migrate is a term that covers both emigrate and immigrate since it refers to the movement FROM one place TO another.

·         Emigrate is the term used when your point of view is leaving or moving FROM your country or place of origin.

·         Immigrate is the term used when your point of view is arriving or moving TO your destination country.

DISINTERESTED VS. UNINTERESTED

DISINTERESTED VS. UNINTERESTED

        Traditionally, the words disinterested and uninterested have different meanings. While cautious writers still observe this distinction in formal writing, other people use these two terms in the same manner nowadays. This may be understandable since both prefixes dis- and un- mean “not.”

The term disinterested is an adjective that traditionally means “not influenced by considerations of personal advantage.”

“Mr Walsh is not exactly a disinterested observer.”
The Economist

“Presidents, in recognizing that responsibility accompanies this latitude, have traditionally turned their business and financial interests over to a disinterested third party.”
Bloomberg

“Even if he had a disinterested party manage it, he’d still know what his assets were and he could undertake policies that would make those assets more valuable”
NBC News

The confusion between the two terms may be attributed to disinterested‘s more popular use as an adjective denoting “having or feeling no interest in something.”

“Role of IPU: War industry-boosting nations disinterested in peace: Rabbani”
The Express Tribune

“City disinterested in managing councillor conflict”
The Peterborough Examiner

“Man City pedestrian and disinterested in embarrassing loss to Southampton”
ESPN

This meaning of disinterested is very similar with uninterested, which is an adjective referring to “having or showing no feeling of interest; indifferent” or being “not personally concerned in something.”

“Donald Trump Declares Gay Marriage Debate ‘Settled,’ Uninterested in Overturning Supreme Court Decision”
The Christian Post

“Conor McGregor uninterested in facing undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov”
FanSided

“Biden uninterested in serving in Clinton administration”
Dhaka Tribune

In the traditional context, a disinterested person is someone who is impartial or unbiased in a particular issue or case while an uninterested person is someone who is unconcerned or indifferent about the said issue or case. While many writers still follow the traditional use of disinterested, it is not uncommon to see the word being used in place of uninterested nowadays. To avoid confusion, you may use synonyms of disinterested in its traditional sense, such as unbiased, impartial, and neutral.

The n th term of a quadratic sequence

How to do Nth term of a Quadratic sequence, GCSE Maths revision and prac...