Sunday, May 20, 2007

Practices

Exercises:1
In the following sentences the prepositions we have learnt were wantonly left to make you remember the suitable ones. Underneath the sentences the answers were given. Offer marks for yourselves if you have filled them up correctly.

1.John is driving -------- the speed limit
2.Who would like to work ----------- their capacity?
3.A cloud was passing -------- the mountain.
4.The frame was fixed ------------ the picture
5.You can't climb -------- the roof
6.The officer's signature was found --------------the document.
7.She came ---------- me.
8.I swam---------the lake
9.They threw the ball --------- the ground.
10.She could watch the fire works -------- the road.
11.We see a hotel building --------- the road.
12.They shoot a deer found----------- the pond
13.It is a song ----------the King
14.Never leak a secret -------------the officer
15.She wrote the story --------- Alexander
16.Lena is------six feet height
17.Prem is --------to join the club until yesterday
18.A squirrel ran ---------- the road
19.She passed the salt --------- the dining table road
[Answers:1 to 6 ---above, 7-12----across, 13--17--about , 18-19--across]

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Preps

English language and its parts of speech
English language has eight parts of speech. Among them preposition is the most confusing one. The confusion comes in deciding which preposition should be used at one place. The same preposition may suit at other places too. Even native speakers too make mistakes in the choice of correct usage. They too need to be corrected by the parents and the teachers.

Knowing the elaborate list of prepositions found in usage might be somewhat useful and serve some purpose. But any list is dreadful. It scares of people; and they pay a yawning attention to it. Rules remind us our negligence and make us self conscious. But there is no other go except adhering to them.

A small dose of grammar would not make much harm. A spoonful? Okay. It's enough. Better if we add some exercises as adding butter to the bread.

Now follows the long train of Prepositions, but compartment after compartment. I again guarantee only a little you have to watch and practice. I arrange them alphabetically.

About:
This preposition is used in two places
(1) On the topic of : It is a film about Alexander
(2)More or less (an approximation) Lena is about six feet height.

above
This preposition is used in two places
(1)higher than, over: Bird is flying above the roof
(2) To indicate a place: The title was given above the summary

across:
This preposition is used in two places
(1) From one side to the other: They ran across the road
(2) On the opposite side: You can see a hotel building across the road.

Enough. Now let us have a little practice on the next post.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Time prepositions

Prepositions

Many of us are not native English speakers. English is neither spoken in our homes nor it was taught by our mothers. In the modern world this cannot be said as an excuse. We have to strive on to learn English. We are compelled to be English Students. The whole of technical and business world... why even the world of sports too speak English and understands when English is spoken. English has become the language of the Universe. So we should keep on engaged in learning.

One of the main drawback is of a native speaker is he/ she is unable to use an appropriate prepostion. Prepositions are used in many different contexts. Now we shall see' Time prepostions.' That means the kind of prepositions we use with time.

How to use an appropriate prepositon?

Simple.

Observe.

Watch.

Use.

Make mistakes.

Get corrected.

Be confident

Some examples are given below.

1. He leaves on January 26 at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

2.Monsoon rains come here every year in November.

.3.They always go outside with umbrellas on a rainy day.

3. Jeeva is leaving on Saturday at afternoon.

4. Dharya started studying for her P.G examinations in 2007

5. Zulfigar began concentrating on the project (NO PREP }yesterday.

6. Generally on New Year's Eve, it's good to bless the one you love at midnight.

7 Don't be false. Socrates did not live in the seventeenth century! He lived in the B.C.Era.

8.The train passes our town (NO PREP )tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM.

9. The hills here are covered with snow in winter

10. She met me at the restaurant at 8:30 P,M. and stayed in my room until 11:30 P.M.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

English learners

English sails
This is a blog set up for learning English by exposing what we have learnt. In a way it is learning by doing. Correcting by making mistakes.In the future this blog entitled English Student may turn to learn some other language with the confidence of having become an English Student. Then the Englished student may learn some other language.

Wait. Another idea!

Are there only languages to be learnt in the world?

No, there are many things. Arts , Science etc...etc... '

But let us first get confined ourselves now with English learning.

We all know and fully aware that there are hundreds of English teaching websites and blogs in the Internet. I don't know whether there is any English teaching blog. There might be. The possibilities are immense.

Ours is quite simple a humble attempt to learn English by sharing what we have learnt.

English is an ocean.

We don't know whether the ocean we sail on with high waves and tides, winds and gales land us on the shore or lead us to many other beaches. We sail on with the good hope of visiting many lands.