<div style='background-color: 000000;'><a href='http://www.rsspump.com' title='rss ticker'>rss news ticker</a></div>
A great site at Once?
Click here!
SWAC COLLECTIONS A great website where you can find a thousand and one pronunciations in English and in French. 100% reliable!
GRAMMAR TIPS
► Adjectives never take plural
► About a text:
The text deals with; the text reads; the text is about
► Modal verbs:
CAN/COULD/SHOULD/
MIGHT/MAY
+ INFINITIVE FORM

Welcome!

"English at Once" is a blog that intends to become a guide for students, offering help and showing tips to avoid the most common grammar mistakes. You will find, once a week, an entry with an error and how it must be corrected. You will also find tips for the writing or the oral, the typical "False Friends" and everything you need to speak a better English. Welcome on board! Welcome to English at Once!
English at Once. A better English © 2009

To help + infinitive or ING?

Both cases are correct. But they have different meaning.

To help + infinitive:
- I help Mary to do her homework (to assist)

To help (negative/interrogative) + ING:
- I can't help falling in love with you (to avoid)

Let's listen to an Elvis Presley song, performed by UB 40: "I can't help falling in love with you"

Lyrics
"Wise men say - Only fools rush in,
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay - Would it be a sin,
If I can't help falling in love with you.
As a river flows
Gently to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand - Take my whole life too,
For I can't help falling in love with you.
As a river flows
Gently to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand - Take my whole life too,
For I can't help falling in love with you.
For I can't help falling in love with you"

English at Once. A better English © 2009

Beside/Besides

Sometimes a single letter may make a big difference in meaning. Look at these two words: "beside" and "besides". Do they have the same meaning?

Beside means "next to", "close":
- Stay beside me, close to me. Please don't go!

Besides, on the other hand, stands for "also", "in addition":
- I don't like going to that restaurant; it's very expensive and besides, service is not good at all.

English at Once. A better English © 2009

The form of the possessive/genitive case

What should I use? "'s form" or "of sthg form" to express possession?
Here is the answer:
's
- A 's is used with singular nouns and plural nouns not ending in s:
► a man 's job
► the people 's choice
► men' s work
► the crew' s quarters
► a woman' s intuition
► the horse' s mouth
► Russia 's exports

- A simple apostrophe (') is used with plural nouns ending in s:
► a girls' school
► the students' hostel
► the eagles' nest
► the Smiths' car

- Classical names ending in s usually add only the apostrophe:
► Pythagoras' Theorem
► Archimedes' Law
► Sophocles' plays

- Other names ending in s can take 's or the apostrophe alone:
► Mr Jones 's (or Mr Jones' house)
► Yeats 's (or Yeats ') poems

of + noun:

- When the possessor noun is followed by a phrase or clause:
► The boys ran about, obeying the directions of a man with a whistle.
► I took the advice of a couple I met on the train and hired a car.

- With inanimate 'possessors', except those listed in above:
► the walls of the town
► the roof of the church
► the keys of the car

- It is often possible to replace noun X + of + noun Y by noun y + noun X:
► the car keys

- The first noun becomes a sort of adjective and is not made plural:
► the roofs of the churches = the church roofs

Unfortunately noun + of + noun combinations cannot always be replaced in this way and the student is advised to use of when in doubt.

Sources: A Practical English Grammar. Thomson & Martinet. Oxford University Press, 1986.

English at Once. A better English © 2009

Classic/classical - Economic/economical

Classic or classical? Economic or economical? Which one is correct?

CLASSIC: something that it is among the best or most typical of its class; serving as a standard or model.

CLASSICAL: something that belongs to a traditional style or set of ideas. Classical music. Beethoven, Mozart's music.

ECONOMIC: something related to trade, industry, economics.

ECONOMICAL: something not wasteful, money-saving

Try these:

English at Once. A better English © 2009

ON + days or dates / IN months

First of all, don't forget that days and months are always written with capital letters.

And when you are using days or dates, the right preposition used is ON:


ON with Days and Dates

ON Monday, ON Wednesday.
ON January the 1st, ON the 10th of March.

BUT:
IN with Months
IN February, IN July...

I was born ON April 21st but my wifes' birthday is IN August.

What about you? When were you born? When is your best friend's birthday?

English at Once. A better English © 2009

Avoiding the word "important"

Students usually use the word "important" so many times that they flood oral and written productions with this term.

This may occur because they don't realize they can paraphrase this expression by using words they already know.

Therefore, if you are a student, when you are about to use the expression "it's important", think of all these other expressions in order to paraphrase it:

It's essential, crucial, considerable, critical, decisive, determining, imperative, meaningful, necessary, substantial, and so on and on. More synonyms here!

English at Once. A better English © 2009

Skill/Ability

Many times, students ask about the difference between skill and ability. How must we use them?


SKILL: an ability acquired through practice. It makes you think of something learned, something you worked hard to be good at. It's more "physical".
-What you've learnt
- Permanent changes in behaviour
- Aimed at achieving a goal
- Learning of the skill is demonstrated by changes in the consistency of performance, making it more efficient and successful


ABILITY: the state of being able to do something; something you are born with. It makes you think more of a natural talent and about mental tasks.

- Co-ordination
- Flexibility
- Balance
- Muscular power
- Muscular endurance

Is it clear? Try these examples. Choose the correct answer: