Adjectives ending in ED and INGEnglish Grammar NotesThere are
many adjectives that we have in English that end in-EDor-ING.Yes,
that's correct, they are not only endings that we use for verbs!An
adjective that ends in-INGis used to describe: thecharacteristicof
a person or a thing.An adjective that ends in-EDis used to
describe: afeeling.Compare the difference: My girlfriend isbored. -
(My girlfriend feels bored) My girlfriend isboring. - (My
girlfriend is a boring person)You can use these adjectives to
describe people or situations but be careful that you are using the
correct adjective. For example, there is a big difference in
meaning between: I amconfused. - (I don't understand something) I
amconfusing. - (I will cause you to be confused)Of course, you
could also find both adjectives in the same sentence. Then you
really need to concentrate on the intent / context of the
sentence.Examples: I wasshockedby howshockingthe accident was last
night. They werefrightenedby thefrighteningroller-coaster ride! I
amannoyedby howannoyingthat person in front of us is. Sally
wasconfusedby theconfusingstreet signs in the city.Note that the
sentences above are to highlight how both adjectives can appear in
the same sentence though it isn't common (because it sounds
repetitive).Also see our article aboutthe Pronunciation of words
ending in -ED.
List of Adjectives ending in -ED and -INGThere is quite a long
list of adjectives ending in-EDand-INGin English, and most of them
are based on a verb that can be changed into an adjective by adding
either-EDor-ING.Some of the more common ones include: Alarmed -
Alarming Aggravated - Aggravating Amused - Amusing Annoyed -
Annoying Astonished - Astonishing Astounded - Astounding Bored -
Boring Captivated - Captivating Challenged - Challenging Charmed -
Charming Comforted - Comforting Confused - Confusing Convinced -
Convincing Depressed - Depressing Disappointed - Disappointing
Discouraged - Discouraging Disgusted - Disgusting Distressed -
Distressing Disturbed - Disturbing Embarrassed - Embarrassing
Encouraged - Encouraging Entertained - Entertaining Excited -
Exciting Exhausted - Exhausting Fascinated - Fascinating Frightened
- Frightening Frustrated - Frustrating Fulfilled - Fulfilling
Gratified - Gratifying Inspired - Inspiring Insulted - Insulting
Interested - Interesting Moved - Moving Overwhelmed - Overwhelming
Perplexed - Perplexing Pleased - Pleasing Relaxed - Relaxing
Relieved - Relieving Satisfied - Satisfying Shocked - Shocking
Sickened - Sickening Soothed - Soothing Surprised - Surprising
Tempted - Tempting Terrified - Terrifying Threatened - Threatening
Thrilled - Thrilling Tired - Tiring Touched - Touching Troubled -
Troubling Unsettled Unsettling Worried - Worrying
Question WordsEnglish Grammar Rules
The most commonquestion wordsin English are the following:
WHOWHOis only used when referring to people. (= I want to know
the person) Who is the best football player in the world? Who are
your best friends? Who is that strange guy over there?
WHEREWHEREis used when referring to a place or location. (= I
want to know the place) Where is the library? Where do you live?
Where are my shoes?
WHENWHENis used to refer to a time or an occasion. (= I want to
know the time) When do the shops open? When is his birthday? When
are we going to finish?
WHYWHYis used to obtain an explanation or a reason. (= I want to
know the reason) Why do we need a nanny? Why are they always late?
Why does he complain all the time?Normally the response begins with
"Because..."
WHATWHATis used to refer to specific information. (= I want to
know the thing) What is your name? What is her favourite colour?
What is the time?
WHICHWHICHis used when a choice needs to be made. (= I want to
know the thing between alternatives) Which drink did you order the
rum or the beer? Which day do you prefer for a meeting today or
tomorrow? Which is better - this one or that one?
HOWHOWis used to describe the manner that something is done. (=
I want to know the way) How do you cook paella? How does he know
the answer? How can I learn English quickly?
WithHOWthere are a number of other expressions that are used in
questions:
How much refers to a quantity or a price (uncountable nouns) How
much time do you have to finish the test? How much is the jacket on
display in the window? How much money will I need?
How many refers to a quantity (countable nouns) How many days
are there in April? How many people live in this city? How many
brothers and sister do you have?
How often refers to frequency How often do you visit your
grandmother? How often does she study? How often are you sick?
How far refers to distance How far is the university from your
house? How far is the bus stop from here?
QuantifiersEnglish GrammarWhat are quantifiers?Quantifierstell
us something about the amount or quantity of something (a
noun).Some quantifiers express asmall or largequantity: Small: I
have afewthings to do before finishing work. Large: I
havemanythings to do before finishing work.Some quantifiers
expresspart of or all ofa quantity: Part: It rainsmostdays in
winter. All: It rainedallday yesterday.Quantifiers belong to a
larger class calledDeterminer.Examples of quantifiersQuantifiers
can be a single word (e.g. some) or a phrase (e.g. a lot of).
Quantifiers that appear as a phrase are often calledComplex
Quantifiers.Simple Quantifiers:all, another, any, both, each,
either, enough, every, few, fewer, little, less, many, more, much,
neither, no, several, some.Complex Quantifiers:a few, a little, a
lot of, lots ofThe position of quantifiersWe put quantifiers at the
beginning of noun phrases.quantifier + noun somepeoplequantifier +
adjective + noun manyold booksquantifier + adverb + adjective +
noun a lot ofvery crazy driversWe can also use quantifiers without
a noun, like a pronoun. These books are old butsomeare still in
good condition. (Somerefers to some books)Quantifier + NounCHART
COMING SOONFormal and Informal QuantifiersSometimes we can make a
sentence more formal or more informal (or natural) just by changing
the quantifier.Manypeople where invited to the wedding. (formal)A
lot ofpeople arrived late. (informal/natural)They
madelittleprogress. (formal)They didnt makemuchprogress.
(informal/natural)
Next activityTo learn more about when to use quantifiers see the
following pages: (SOON) Another vs. other vs. others All vs. every
vs. each Both, either, neither Little, less, least More, most Much,
many, a lot, few No Several Some vs. Any, A vs. AnPrepositions of
PlaceEnglish Grammar Rules
The chart demonstrates some of the most common prepositions of
place in English.Prepositions of Place are used to show the
position or location of one thing with another.It answers the
question "Where?"Below we have some more examples of Prepositions
of Place:In front of A band plays their musicin front ofan
audience. The teacher standsin front ofthe students. The man
standing in the linein front ofme smells bad. Teenagers normally
squeeze their zitsin front ofa mirror.BehindBehindis the opposite
ofIn front of.It means at the back (part) of something. When the
teacher writes on the whiteboard, the students arebehindhim (or
her). Who is that personbehindthe mask? I slowly down because there
was a police carbehindme.BetweenBetweennormally refers to something
in the middle of two objects or things (or places). There are
mountainsbetweenChile and Argentina. The number 5 isbetweenthe
number 4 and 6. There is a sea (The English Channel)betweenEngland
and France.Across From / OppositeAcross fromandOppositemean the
same thing. It usually refers to something being in front of
something else BUT there is normally something between them like a
street or table. It is similar to saying that someone (or a place)
is on the other side of something. I liveacross froma supermarket
(= it is on the other side of the road) The chess players
satoppositeeach other before they began their game.(= They are in
front of each other and there is a table between them)Next to /
BesideNext toandBesidemean the same thing. It usually refers to a
thing (or person) that is at the side of another thing. At a
wedding, the bride standsnext tothe groom. Guards standnext tothe
entrance of the bank. He walkedbesideme as we went down the street.
In this part of town there isn't a footpathbesidethe road so you
have to be careful.Near / Close toNearandClose tomean the same
thing. It is similar tonext to / besidebut there is more of a
distance between the two things. The receptionist isnearthe front
door. This building isneara subway station. We couldn't park the
carclose tothe store. Our house isclose toa supermarket.OnOnmeans
that something is in a position that is physically touching,
covering or attached to something. The clockonthe wall is slow. He
put the foodonthe table. I can see a spideronthe ceiling. We were
told not to walkonthe grass.Above / OverAboveandOverhave a similar
meaning. The both mean "at a higher position than X"
butabovenormally refers to being directly (vertically) above you.
Planes normally flyabovethe clouds. There is a ceilingaboveyou.
There is a haloovermy head. ;) We put a sun umbrellaoverthe table
so we wouldn't get so hot. Our neighbors in the apartmentaboveus
are rally noisy.Overcan also mean: physically covering the surface
of something and is often used with the wordAllas inAll over. There
waterall overthe floor. I accidentally spilled red wineall overthe
new carpet.Overis often used as a Preposition of Movement too.Under
/ BelowUnderandBelowhave a similar meaning. They mean at a lower
level. (Something is above it). Your legs areunderthe table.
Monsters liveunderyour bed. A river flowsundera bridge. How long
can you stayunderthe water? Miners workbelowthe surface of the
Earth.Sometimes we use the wordunderneathinstead
ofunderandbeneathinstead ofbelow. There is no difference in meaning
those they are less common nowadays.Underis often used as a
Preposition of Movement too.
Next activityOn another page we will explain when to
useAtandInwhen referring to location. (Coming soon)You may want to
check out our notes aboutPrepositions of TimeAnd see ourlist of
prepositions in English.
If you found these English grammar rules about thePrepositions
of Placeuseful, share them with others:More English GrammarCompound
AdjectivesEnglish GrammarA compound adjective is sometimes called a
hyphenated adjective. What are they?Let's look at the following
sentences: I saw a man-eating alligator. I saw a man eating
alligator.The first sentence contains a compound adjective.The
second sentence doesn't.However the meaning of the two sentences
are very different as can be seen in the picture below:
I saw a man-eating alligator.We are describing the alligator.
What type of alligator is it? It is one that eats men (or people).I
saw a man eating alligator.This sentence without the hyphen sounds
like a man is eating an alligator.(man is the subject, eating is
the verb, alligator is the object or thing that is being eaten).As
you can see, the hyphen (or lack of it) makes a big difference in
the meaning of the sentence.Before we explain in more detail why we
put that hyphen between those two words in the first sentence, we
need to do a quick review of Adjectives.What is an adjective?An
adjective is a word that describes something.Aredcar (redis an
adjective because it describes the car. How is the car?
Red)Abigbook (bigis an adjective because it describes the book. How
is the book? Big)See our other grammar notes about Adjectives in
English. (LINK)But sometimes we use more than one adjective to
describe something.
Compound adjectivesA compound adjective is an adjective that
contains two or more words.In general we put a hyphen between two
or more words (before a noun) when we want them to act as a single
idea (adjective) that describes something. I live in an
English-speaking country.English-speaking is an adjective (used to
describe the country). We use a hyphen to connect the
wordEnglishwithspeakingto show that it is one adjective (or one
idea).This adjective with two words joined by the hyphen is called
a compound adjective.Some more examples of compound adjectives are:
Our office is in atwenty-storeybuilding. I have just finished
reading a300-pagebook. He is awell-knownwriter.There are many types
of Compound Adjectives. Here is a list of the most common
types:Compound Adjectives + Periods of TimeWhen he have compound
adjectives using numbers + a time period, that word referring to a
time period is in singular form and is joined to the number with a
hyphen. I work eight hours every day --> I work aneight-hourday
I'm going on vacation for three weeks --> I have
athree-weekvacation There was a delay of 5 seconds --> There was
afive-seconddelayNotice how we normally write the number as a word,
not in numerical form.Adverbs and Compound AdjectivesAdverbs modify
a verb. She walksslowly.How does she walk? Slowly. Slowly is an
adverb that modifies (or describes) the verb.Adverbs can also be
used to modify an adjective. It isveryhot today. (Veryis an adverb)
She isextremelyintelligent. (Extremelyis an adverb)Notice how we do
not put a hyphen between an adverb and an adjective (not even
before a noun). It is averyhot day. She is anextremelyintelligent
girl.Adverb + Past ParticipleHowever when we have an Adverb + past
participle, we put a hyphen between the two words to make it a
compound adjective. This is abrightly-litroom. She is
awell-knownactress. We live in adensely-populatedcity.Noun + Past
ParticipleWhen we have a noun + past participle, we put a hyphen
between the two words to make it a compound adjective. We should
start usingwind-poweredgenerators to cut costs. I love
eatingsun-driedraisins.Noun + Present ParticipleWhen we have a noun
+ present participle, we put a hyphen between the two words to make
it a compound adjective. I bought somemouth-wateringstrawberries.
That was arecord-breakingjump.Noun + AdjectiveWhen we have a noun +
adjective, we put a hyphen between the two words to make it a
compound adjective. She is aworld-famoussinger. This is
asmoke-freerestaurant.Adjective + NounWhen we have an adjective +
noun, we put a hyphen between the two words to make it a compound
adjective. It was alast-minutedecision. We watched
thefull-lengthversion of the movie.Adjective + Past ParticipleWhen
we have an adjective + past participle, we put a hyphen between the
two words to make it a compound adjective. That is
anold-fashioneddress Reptiles arecold-bloodedcreatures.Adjective +
Present ParticipleWhen we have an adjective + present participle,
we put a hyphen between the two words to make it a compound
adjective. She is agood-lookinggirl. It left along-lastingtaste in
my mouth.Compound Adjectives with Proper NounsA proper noun is the
name of something or someone (e.g. John, Susan Sanders).Compound
Adjectives made from Proper nouns don't need a hyphen though must
have capital letters. I bought the James Jackson tickets for
us.James Jackson is a compound adjective describing the tickets
(What type of tickets? James Jackson tickets). Since the adjective
is a Proper noun, we don't need a hyphen between the two names.How
do we know when to put a hyphen?If you can use the word and between
the two adjectives or words, then a hyphen isn't necessary. She has
a big blue book.(Big and Blue are adjectives)Can we say: She has a
big and blue book. (Yes, it is possible) He is a world famous
singerCan we say: He is a world and famous singer. No, it doesn't
sound correct so we need a hyphen to join the
wordsworldandfamous.Also, look at the following: It's an old
coal-mining townNotice how we didn't put a hyphen between the word
old and coal. If we had have done that, we would have been
referring to old coal, as in coal that is old. We want to emphasis
that the town in old and not the coal.Here we can say it isoldand
acoal-miningone.Like vs. AsEnglish Grammar RulesWe generally use
LIKE and AS to make comparisons.
LIKEThe structure of the sentence is usually: VERB + LIKE + NOUN
/ PRONOUN. He speakslikea native speaker. She lookslikea
supermodel.
ASThe structure of the sentence is usually: AS + SUBJECT + VERB.
Nobody singsasshe does. They went to the partyasthey were.It is
very common in American English to use LIKE instead of AS. However,
it is generally considered informal to use it in this way. We play
footballlikechampions do.Another use of AS is to say what the
role/function of a person/thing is. He started workasa carpenter.
She used the tapestryasa decoration in her living room.
LIKE vs. ASBe careful, in similar sentences that use LIKE and
AS, the meanings of each sentence are very different. For example:
Asyour boss, I must warn you to be careful. (I am your boss.)
Likeyour boss, I must warn you to be careful. (I am not your boss,
but he/she and I have similar attitudes.)
AS IFIn English we also use as if to make comparisons. However
it has a few distinct characteristics to its use:1. The verb after
AS IF is always in the past subjunctive, no matter what tense the
sentence is.2. If the verb BE directly follows AS IF, we usewerefor
all personal pronouns. He looksas ifheknewthe answer.(The verbs
LOOKS indicates this sentence is in the present but the verb after
AS IF knew- is in the past subjuntive). She walksas ifshewerea
supermodel.(The verb after AS IF be has been changed towereand
notwas). He boarded the airplaneas ifhewerea seasoned traveller. He
spends moneyas ifheowneda bank.
Whoever - Whatever - WheneverEnglish Grammar RulesWe can think
about the W-ever words semantically as the 'W' word + the
quantifier 'any'. The trick to understanding these terms is to
realise that they apply to any single one of the referents, and at
the same time refer to all of the referents. Whatever- Any thing
(This could also be every thing) Whenever- Any time (This could
also be 'every time') Wherever- Any 'where' (Anywhere or
everywhere). Whoever- Anyone (Any person or every person, or
sometimes used to refer to a person unknown to the speaker)
Whichever- Any 'which' (Choice between a group or set). However-
Any 'way' (In any manner or way, regardless of how).Basically each
one means:"It does not matter what / when / where etc." OR"An
unknown thing / time / place etc."
Examples of WhateverWhateveryou do, pay attention to the road
when you are driving.(You can do anything as long as you pay
attention to the road)They say you can buywhateveryou desire in
Harrods, as long as you have the money.(You can buy anything in
Harrods, if you have enough money)The student was so intelligent
thatwhateverwe taught, she understood.(She understood everything
that she was taught)The criminal said he would dowhateverhe could
in order to get out of jail.(He would do everything or anything he
could to get out of jail)
Examples of WheneverWheneverthe neighbours flush the toilet,
water comes through our ceiling.(Every time they flush the toilet
it happens)Whenevershe calls, the landlord is busy.(Every time she
calls the landlord, he/she is busy)Call mewheneveryou need
something.(Call me any time you need something)Wheneverhe comes
home, he acts like a hungry dog.(Ever time he comes home, she is
like that)WheneverI go to sleep early, I have extraordinary
dreams.(Every time I go to sleep early, I have these dreams)
Examples of WhereverWhereveryou go in the world, remember where
you came from and where you are going.(Anywhere you go in the
world, remember those things)With a good education in
English,whereveryou go, you will have a good time.(If you are
taught well, you will have a good time anywhere)Whereverwe put the
TV in the room, the reception is bad.(Anywhere we put the TV the
reception is bad)You can put the present that she gave
youwhereveryou want, just don't let her know if you put it in the
trash.(You can put that present anywhere)
Examples of WhoeverWhoeverbroke the vase, can you please replace
it?(Any specific person who broke the vase, please replace
it)Whoevergoes to the shop, please don't steal anything.(Any one or
more of the people who will go to the shop, don't steal
anything)Whoeverit was that knocked on the door last night must
have been drunk, because they dropped twenty dollars as they ran
away.(The unknown person who knocked on the door dropped twenty
dollars)Whoeveryou just spoke to, she must have some special
powers, because you look like you fell in love.(The unknown person
who you spoke with must have some special powers)
Examples of WhicheverYou can drivewhicheverof the cars you
want.(You can choose to drive any of the cars)Whicheverdress I wear
tonight, I'm worried that my butt will look fat. What do you
think?(Person is worried that the person's butt looks fat in any of
the selected dresses)Whicheverroad you take to Rome, you will need
to drive carefully.(There are a number of roads to take, and it is
necessary to drive carefully on any one that you
take)Whicheverpizza you ordered for her, it must have had some very
delicious ingredients.(The pizza that was ordered from those
available had some special ingredients)
Examples of HoweverYou can dresshoweveryou like for the party,
it's not formal.(You can dress the way that you want for the
party)Howevermuch she eats, she never puts on weight.(It doesn't
matter how much she eats, she never gets fat)You can do
ithoweveryou like, I don't really care as long as it gets done.(you
can do it any way that you want)Howeverrich they may be, it still
isn't enough for them.(It doesn't matter how rich they may
be)Sometimes we usemore than oneadjective in front of a noun:He was
aniceintelligentyoungman.She had asmallroundblackwoodenbox.Opinion
adjectives:Some adjectives give ageneral opinion. We can use these
adjectives to describe almost any noun:goodbadlovelystrange
beautifulnicebrilliantexcellent
awfulimportantwonderfulnasty
Some adjectives give aspecific opinion. We only use these
adjectives to describe particular kinds of noun:Food: tasty;
deliciousFurniture, buildings: comfortable; uncomfortablePeople,
animals: clever; intelligent; friendlyWe usually put
ageneralopinionin front of a
specificopinion:Nicetastysoup.AnastyuncomfortablearmchairAlovelyintelligentanimalUsually
we put an adjective that gives anopinion in frontof an adjective
that isdescriptive:a nice red dress; a silly old man; those
horrible yellow curtainsWe often havetwoadjectives in front of a
noun:a handsome young man; a big black car; that horrible big
dogSometimes we havethreeadjectives, but this
isunusual:anicehandsomeyoungman;abigblackAmericancar;thathorriblebigfiercedogIt
isvery unusualto havemore than threeadjectives.Adjectives usually
come in this order:12345678
GeneralopinionSpecificopinionSizeShapeAgeColourNationalityMaterial
We use some adjectives onlyafter a link
verb:afraidalivealoneasleep
contentgladillready
sorrysureunablewell
Some of the commonest-edadjectives are normally used onlyafter a
link verb:annoyed; finished; bored; pleased; thrilledWe say:Our
teacher was ill.My uncle was very glad when he heard the news.The
policeman seemed to be very annoyedbut we do not say:We had
anillteacher.When he heard the news he wasa very glad uncleHe
seemed to be avery annoyed policemanA few adjectives are usedonly
in front of a
noun:northsoutheastwestnorthernsoutherneasternwesterncountlessoccasionalloneeventfulindooroutdoor
We say:He lives in theeasterndistrict.There
werecountlessproblems with the new machinery.but we do not say:The
district he lives in is easternThe problems with the new machinery
were countless.Try these tasks to improve your adjective ordering.A
lot of adjectives are made from verbs by adding-ingor-ed:-ing
adjectives:The commonest-ingadjectives
are:amusingshockingsurprisingfrightening
interestingdisappointingexcitingtiring
worryingboringterrifyingannoying
If you call somethinginterestingyou mean itinterestsyou.If you
call somethingfrighteningyou mean itfrightensyou.I read a
veryinterestingarticle in the newspaper today.That Dracula film was
absolutelyterrifying.-ed adjectives:The commonest ed adjectives
are:annoyedboredfrightenedworried
tiredclosedexciteddelighted
disappointed
If somethingannoysyou, you can say you feelannoyed. If
somethinginterestsyou, you can say you areinterested.The children
had nothing to do. They werebored.We usecomparative adjectivesto
describe people and things:This car is certainlybetterbut its
muchmore expensive.Im feelinghappiernow.We need abiggergardenWe
usethanwhen we want to compare one thing withanother:She is two
years olderthanme.New York is much biggerthanBoston.He is a better
playerthanRonaldo.France is a bigger countrythanBritain.When we
want to describe how something or someonechangeswe can usetwo
comparativeswithand:The balloon gotbigger and bigger.Everything is
gettingmore and more expensive.Grandfather is lookingolder and
older.We often use the with comparative adjectives to show that one
thingdepends on another:When you drive faster it is more
dangerous> The faster you drive, the more dangerous it is.When
they climbed higher it got colder>The higher they climbed, the
colder it got.Superlative adjectives:We usethewith a superlative:It
wasthe happiestdayof my life.Everest isthe highestmountainin the
world.Thatsthe bestfilmI have seen this year.I have three sisters,
Jan isthe oldestand Angela isthe youngest.
We use words likevery,reallyandextremelyto
makeadjectivesstronger:Its averyinteresting storyEveryone
wasveryexcited.Its areallyinteresting story.Everyone
wasextremelyexcitedWe call these wordsintensifiers. Other
intensifiers are:amazinglyexceptionallyincredibly
remarkablyparticularlyunusually
We also useenoughto say more about an adjective,
butenoughcomesafteritsadjective:If you are seventeen you
areoldenoughto drive a car.I cant wear those shoes. Theyre
notbigenough.Intensifiers with strong adjectives:Strong adjectives
are words like:enormous, huge= very bigtiny= very smallbrilliant=
very cleverawful; terrible; disgusting; dreadful= very badcertain=
very sureexcellent; perfect; ideal; wonderful; splendid= very
gooddelicious= very tastyWe donotnormally useverywith these
adjectives. We do not say something is "very enormous" or someone
is "very brilliant".
With strong adjectives, we normally use intensifiers
like:absolutelycompletelytotallyutterly
reallyexceptionallyparticularlyquite
The film wasabsolutely awful.He was anexceptionally
brilliantchild.The food smelledreally disgusting.Mitigators are
theopposite of intensifiers. When we want to make an adjectiveless
strongwe use these words:fairly -rather -quiteBy the end of the day
we wererathertired.The film wasnt great but it wasquiteexciting.and
in informal English:prettyWe had aprettygood time at the party.We
call these wordsmitigators.Warning
quite
When we usequitewith astrong adjectiveit means the same
asabsolutely:The food wasquiteawful. = The food was absolutely
awful.As a child he wasquitebrilliant. = As a child he was
absolutely brilliant.
Mitigators with comparatives:We use these words and phrases as
mitigators:a bit - just a bit- a little- a little bit- just a
little bit - rather - slightly
Shesa bityoungerthan I am.It takes two hours on the train but it
isa little bitlongerby roadThis one isratherbigger.We
useslightlyandratheras mitigators withcomparative adjectives in
front of a noun:This is aslightly more expensivemodelthan that.This
israther biggeronethan that.Adjectives as intensifiers:We use some
adjectives as intensifiers:absolutetotal - completeutter -
perfectrealWe say:Hes acomplete idiot.They were talkingutter
nonsense. but we do not say:The idiot was complete.The nonsense
they were talking was utter.Task 1noun modifiersbacknextWe often
usetwo nouns togetherto show thatone thingis a part of something
else:thevillage church; thecar door; thekitchen window; thechair
leg;mycoat pocket;London residentsWarning
We do not use a possessive form for these things. We do not talk
about:The cars door;the kitchens window;the chairs leg
We can use noun modifiers to showwhat something is made
of:agoldwatch; aleatherpurse; ametalboxWe often use noun modifiers
with nouns ending in-erand-ing:an office worker; a jewellery maker;
a potato peeler; a shopping list; a swimming lesson; a walking
holiday.We usemeasurements,ageorvalueas noun modifiers:athirty
kilogramsuitcase; atwo minuterest; afive thousand europlatinum
watch; afifty kilometrejourney;We often put two nouns together
andreaders/listeners have work outwhat they mean. So: an ice bucket
= a bucket to keep ice in an ice cube = a cube made of ice an ice
breaker = a ship which breaks ice the ice age = the time when much
of the Earth was covered in ice.Sometimes we findmore than two
nounstogether:London office workers; grammar practice
exercisesPosition of noun modifiers
Noun modifiers comeafter adjectives:The old newspaper sellerA
tiring fifty kilometre journeyTask 1adverbials of
locationbacknextLocationWe useprepositionsto talk aboutwheresomeone
or something is:aboveamongatbehindbelowbeneath
besidebetweenbyinin betweeninside
nearnext toonoppositeoutsideover
roundthroughunderunderneath
He was standingby the table.She lives in a villagenear
Glasgow.Youll find itin the cupboard.We usephraseswithofas
prepositions:at the back ofat the top ofat the bottom ofat the end
of
on top ofat the front ofin front ofin the middle of
There were some flowersin the middle of the table.Sign your name
here at the bottom of the page.I cant see. Youre standingin front
of me.We can userightas anintensifierwith some of these
prepositions:He was standingrightnext to the table.There were some
flowersrightin the middle of the table.Theres a woodrightbehind our
house.Activities
superlative adverbsbacknextWe can use superlative adverbs to
make comparisons:His ankles hurt badly, but his knees hurtworst.It
rainsmost oftenat the beginning of the year.Intensifiers:When we
intensify a superlative adverb we often usethein front of the
adverb, and we use these words and phrases as intensifiers:easily -
much - far - by farcommon problems with count/uncount
nounsbacknext1:Uncount nouns used as count
nounsAlthoughsubstancesare usuallyuncountnouns...Would you like
somecheese?Coffeekeeps me awake at night.Winemakes me sleep....
they can bealsoused ascountnouns:Id like a coffee please.=Id like a
[cup of] coffee.
May I have a white wine.=May I have a [glass of] white wine.
They sell a lot of coffees.=They sell a lot of[different kinds
of] coffee.
I prefer white wines to red.=I prefer [different kinds of] white
wine to red.
They had over twenty cheeses on sale.=They had over twenty
[types of] cheese on sale.
This is an excellent soft cheese.=This [kind of] soft cheese is
excellent.
2: Some nouns havebotha count and an uncountform:We should
always havehope.George hadhopesof promotion.Travelis a great
teacher.Where did you go on yourtravels?3: Nouns with two
meaningsSome nouns havetwo meanings, one count and the other non
count:His life was indanger.There is a seriousdangerof
fire.Linguistics is the study oflanguage.Is English a
difficultlanguage?Its made ofpaper.The Times is an
excellentpaper.Other words like this
are:businessdeathindustrymarriagepowerproperty
taxtimevictoryusework
4: Uncount nouns that end in-sSome uncount nouns end in-sso they
look like plurals even though they are singular nouns.These nouns
generally refer to:Subjects of study:mathematics, physics,
economics, etc.
Activities:gymnastics, athletics, etc.
Games:cards, darts, billiards, etc.
Diseases:mumps, measles, rabies, etc.
Economics isa very difficult subject.Billiards iseasier than
pool or snooker.5:Group nounsSome nouns, likearmy,refer to groups
of people, animals or things, and we can use themeitheras singular
nounsoras plural nouns.armyaudiencecommitteecompanycrewenemy
familyflockganggovernmentgroupherd
mediapublicregimentstaffteam
We can use these group nounseither as singular nouns or as
plural nouns: My familyisvery dear to me.I havea large family.They
arevery dear to me. (= The members of my family) The
governmentisvery unpopular.The governmentarealways changing their
minds.Sometimes we think of the group as a single thing: The
audiencealwaysenjoysthe show. The groupconsistsof two men and three
women.Sometimes we think of the group as several individuals; The
audienceclappedtheirhands. The largest grouparethe boys.
The names of manyorganisationsandteamsare also group nouns, but
they areusually pluralin spoken English: Barcelonaarewinning 2-0.
TheUnited Oil Companyareputting prices up by 12%.6: Two-part nounsA
few plural nouns, likebinoculars,refer to things that have two
parts.glassesjeansknickerspincerspantspliers
pyjamasscissorsshortsspectaclestightstrainers
trouserstweezers
Thesebinocularswere very expensiveThosetrousersare too long.To
make it clear we are talking aboutoneof these items, we usea pair
of I needa new pair ofspectacles.Ive boughta pair ofblue jeans.If
we want to talk aboutmore than one, we usepairs of :Weve gotthree
pairs ofscissors, but they are all blunt.I always carrytwo pairs
ofbinoculars.ctives ending in -ed or -ing.-ed:excited, interested,
bored, annoyed, surprised.-ing:exciting, interesting, boring,
annoying, surprising.The words above are a few of the adjectives
that end in-edor-ing. Their meaning can sometimes be
confusing.Adjectives ending in-edshow what has happened to a person
or thing.He was surprised by the result of his test.Adjectives
ending in-ingshow the effect which something has on a person or
thing.The test results were surprising to him.If you are watching a
film on television and the film is good it will be interesting. You
will be interested in it. If the film is boring then you are
bored.If you meet someone who makes you laugh then he is amusing.
You are always amused when you speak to him.Lesson by Tristan,
English teacher at ECMalta English schoolDecide which form should
go in the following: 1) Peter was __ when he missed the start of
the film.
annoyedannoying 2) Have you read the book 'Life of Pi'? It's a
great book, especially if you are __ in that genre.
interestinginterested 3) The results of the game were __. The
best team didn't win.
surprisedsurprising 4) I just can't speak to Tom for more than
five minutes. He's the most __ person I know.
boringbored 5) The children were so __ when we told them we were
going to Disneyland.
excitedexciting 6) Trying to understand English grammar can be
so __.
frustratedfrustrating 7) John was __ when he went parachute
jumping for the first time.
terrifyingterrified 8) When there are the sales Sarah is not __
in anything except shopping.
interestedinterestingESDAY, JUNE 8, 2010Participial Adjective
Endings: "ed" or "ing" ?"Two Cranes by a Pine Tree" Maruyama Okyo,
18th Century
It's confusing! What's confusing? This grammar is confusing. How
does it make you feel? I feel confused.
The "ing" ending for an adjective describes the person, or thing
that causes a feeling or reaction. Examples: The trip wasexciting.
The lecture wasinteresting. The comedian
wasentertainingandamusing.
The "ed" ending describes asubjectiveresponse. It tells how I
feel about the thing or person. Examples: I wasannoyedwhen I had to
wait in line. I wasexcitedabout the new class. I'minterestedin the
new book. I'mfascinatedby Japanese art.
In the following exercises, use the correct form of the
adjective. Click the drop down menu for the correct answer.
1. I saw a veryexhibit of Japanese painting yesterday.
2. The children were veryby the clowns at the circus.
3. I couldn't stand the movie last night. It was one of the
mostmovies I've ever seen.
4. Aren't those cranes? They're also graceful and beautiful.
5. Tom wasbecause the application form was difficult to
read.
6. Jose isn'twith his progress in English this semester. He
wants to repeat Level Five.
7. We don't want to bebecause we're trying to finish our
homework.
8. The acrobats performed somesomersaults and balancing
acts.
9. I'm veryto say that I forgot your birthday.
10. The score I received on my last exam was somewhat. I thought
I had done better.
11. I wasthis morning because I didn't sleep well last
night.
12. We want to paint our house, but we can't decide what color
to paint it. It's very
13. They'rebecause they want to go to the beach but it's
raining.
14. I had to take the kids out of the movie theater yesterday
because the film we were watching was too.
15. That singer was sothat we wanted to listen to her all
evening.
16. The cars were going so fast on the freeway that theyus.
17. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are looking forward to having
aholiday.
18. I wasto learn that I was accepted to the University of
California. I didn't think my grades were good enough.
19. I heard that Joe and Carol are getting married. Isn't
that?
20. I didn't even know they werein each other.
21. If I don't have the chance to use my computer for a while, I
get restless and.
22. I'm getting verywith my browser. It keeps quitting while I'm
working on my blog.
23. The cranes in the picture seem very peaceful and.
24. After doing some of these exercises, are you stillabout when
to use "ed" or "ing"?
25. Please, don't beabout your English. It's natural to make
mistakes when you're learning a new language.
26. I listened to the lawyers at the trail, but I didn't think
their arguments were very.
27. I'm notat all that Mr. Donald Bennet is guilty of any
crime.
28. The situation on the Gulf Coast is absolutely. How long will
it take to clean up that oil spill?
29. Louise and Jeffery have a veryhouse in the country. They
stay there every summer.
30. The food and service at our restaurant seems to be pretty
good because we have a lot ofcustomers.
Principio del formularioEnglish is Confusing: -ing or -ed?.Look
at these sentences: The moviewe saw yesterday evening
wasboring.Wewere allbored. Doing yogais veryrelaxing. When you do
it,youfeelrelaxed.Read the text. Fill in the blanks.Good evening,
everybody! said the teacher, Donna. Where is everybody? That was
sort of ajoke by Donna. Usually the class started with only two or
three students present, and then filled up as the minutes went by.
It was summertime. Summer school was only eight weeks long.
Classwas always smaller than during fall and spring semesters.I
dont know, teacher. Maybe they late or no come, said one student.
Maybe watching TV football tonight.Is there a soccer game tonight?
It seems like theres a soccer game every night. Oh, well. Lets get,
okay? Were on page 36 in the workbook. Tonight wereparticiples as
adjectives. Students are always confused when they learn about the
present and past participles, so we will practice this a lot.
Tonight, were just going to practice the present participle.The
present participle tellswhat emotion or feeling the subject is
causing. For example, Grammar is boring means that the subject -
grammar - causes an emotion of boredom. If we say, The movie is
interesting, we are saying that the movie causes a feeling of
interest. If we say, The roller coaster is exciting, we are saying
that the roller coaster causes a feeling of excitement.questions so
far? Am I confusing you? Is everyone confused?The classroom was.
Donna looked at blank faces. They were. She knew this would take a
while. But eventually, the faster students would grasp it, and then
they would help the slower students. By the end of the evening,
most of the class would feel comfortable using the present
participle.Donnathe board and put some new examples on it. She
loved guiding her studentsdifficult topics like this one. She
always felt a little bit thrilled when the look of understanding
came to their faces.Do the exercise: -ing or -ed?1. I studied hard
for my exams but I didn't do very well. I was very.2. The
difference between the words 'borrow' and 'lend' is.3. Studying can
be very.4. A friend of mine collects coins and wanted to show them
to me, but I told him I wasn't.5. I was verywhen my girlfriend
forgot our dinner date.6. The fact that so more and more teens are
taking drugs is.7. Riding a rollercoaster is.8. My parents werewhen
my sister didn't come home on time last night.9. Liverpool has had
aseason so far this year.10. I heard somereallynews yesterday.11.
It's verywhen people don't listen when you're tlaking to them.12.
Mr Jones is the mostteacher I've ever had.13. I was completelyafter
running the London marathon.14. My parents werewhen I told them I
didn't want to become a doctor.15. T think the octopus is the
mostcreature in the ocean.domingo, junio 17, 2007 Adjetivos
terminados en -ing -ed Los adjetivos que acaban en -ing
"Ing" no es slo un banco holands, sino tambin un sufijo (una
forma de terminar las palabras) que puede tener muchos usos y
significados.
Uno de esos usos es el de adjetivar sustantivos. Es decir, a un
sustantivo se le agrega la terminacin -ing y zas! no slo sirve para
identificar a un objeto, sino tambin para describir cmo es un
objeto determinado.
Veamos algunos ejemplos:
- Alarm Alarma
The alarm went off at 7 a.m. La alarma son a las 7 a.m.
Ahora, le aadimos -ing y la convertimos en--> "Alarming"
Alarmante
- That was an alarming sound. se era un sonido alarmante.
Te has fijado en lo que he hecho? Rebobinemos (Let's rewind). En
el primer ejemplo, "alarm" es un objeto que en ese caso es tambin
sujeto (realiza la accin de sonar).
En el segundo ejemplo, aado -ing a "alarm" y convierto la
palabra en un adjetivo que me sirve para describir cmo era un
sonido---> El sonido era alarmante.
Pero, ojo!: No slo convertimos "sustantivos" en adjetivos
aadiendo la terminacin -ing, tambin podemos hacerlo con verbos.
Por ejemplo: "to entertain" ---> es un verbo que significa
"entretener".
Le aado -ing y tengo "entertaining " entretenido.
Problemas que presenta la terminacin -ing
1) Si no sabes cul es el uso y significado de una palabra
concreta terminada en -ing, puedes pensar que se trata de una forma
verbal y no de un adjetivo.
Por ejemplo:
-That's a crying shame. [dats a craing sheim]
Es "crying" un verbo, o un adjetivo? Cmo lo podemos saber?
Una solucin es buscar las palabras en el diccionario y si
tenemos suerte, encontramos el significado correcto. En este caso
(pincha en las palabras arriba) vers que "crying" es un adjetivo,
no un verbo, que "shame" [sheim] es un sustantivo (nombre) y que la
expresin significa: "sa es una verdadera lstima".
No obstante, muchas veces, no es tan fcil porque no aparece en
el diccionario el significado y has de "crearlo" t mismo; igual que
lo hicieron las primeras personas que decidieron hacer un
diccionario. Para estos casos, ayuda mucho leer. Aunque no
entiendas el significado preciso de una expresin, leyendo te
empapas de palabras (verbos, adjetivos, sustantivos) y de tanto
leer, de repente, zas! se gran ordenador que es el cerebro, da con
el significado correcto; encuentra el archivo adecuado en una
biblioteca aparentemente desordenada.
Los adjetivos que acaban en -ed
2) Por otro lado, una misma palabra puede convertirse en
adjetivo aadindole la terminacin -ing, o alternativamente, la
terminacin -ed. Cul es la diferencia entre ambos adjetivos?
Por ejemplo, Cul es la diferencia entre "boring" e "bored"?
- He is a boring person. [hi Is a boringperson] l es una persona
aburrida.
- I'm bored. [am bored]. Estoy aburrido.
En espaol el adjetivo es "aburrido/a" para ambas casos. Por qu
en ingls es diferente? Igual podramos preguntar Por qu en espaol
ambos adjetivos son iguales? Ja! Da igual, lo importante, es
intentar encontrar la regla para que puedes entender el significado
y no equivocarte al hablar. "Boring" describe cmo es una persona o
situacin. "Bored", en cambio, se utiliza para describir un
"estado".
-Cmo es Juan? Juan es aburrido. What is John like? John is
boring.
Describo cmo es Juan como persona. Nota: Fjate que no es "How"
sino "What" is John like?
- Cmo est Juan? Juan est aburrido. How is John? John is
bored.
Describo el estado de nimo de Juan. Lo ves?
Hay otros adjetivos en ingls que son ms fciles de diferenciar al
compararlos con sus equivalentes en ingls. Por ejemplo,
"interesting"
-I saw an interesting movie/film. Vi una pelcula interesante.
Describo cmo fue la pelcula que vi.
Nota: Te has fijado cmo suena "interesting"? No es
"interesting", sino "intristing". Nos comemos la "e" que va despus
de la "t".
- I'm interested in politics. [am intrestid in politics]Estoy
interesado en la poltica. Describo qu es lo me interesa.
Nota: Te has fijado cmo suena "interested"? Hay que comerse la
"e" que va detrs de la "t", no es "interested", sino
["intrestid"]
Pero insisto, no todo es tan fcil. En este foro hay un ejemplo
de las dificultades que presentan estas terminaciones. El problema
que veo de los foros es que, a veces, con tanta discusin no se
llega a saber qu era lo correcto.
Pero tambin hay pginas que aclarar oscuridades. Por ejemplo en
esta pgina explican muy bien la diferencia entre los adjetivos
terminados en -ing y los terminados en -ed. Adems, puedes hacer
ejercicios.
Y ahora, para realmente, aprender cmo se forman y cundo se usan
los adjetivos terminados en -ing y en -ed, nos vamos a matar a
hacer ejercicios. Si te resultan muy complicados, echa mano de un
buen diccionario.holiday was relaxing. I felt really relaxed.'Few,
but common, adjectives end in either-edor-ing:worried/worrying,
interested/interesting, excited/exciting'-ed' adjectivesAdjectives
that end in-edare used to describe how people feel:'He
wassurprisedto find that he had been upgraded to first class.''I
wasconfusedby the findings of the report.''She felttiredafter
working hard all day.''-ing' adjectivesAdjectives that end
in-ingare used to describe things and situations. Compare these
example sentences to the ones above:'Being upgraded to first class
issurprising.'The findings of this report areconfusing.''Working
hard all day istiring.'example table:-ed and -ing adjectives
tables
Feel '-ed'describe '-ing'
annoyedannoying
boredboring
confusedconfusing
depresseddepressing
excitedexciting
frustratedfrustrating
frightenedfrightening
satisfiedsatisfying
shockedshocking
Extreme Adjectives LessonConfusing Words Lesson
Now complete the sentences below using the correct adjective:
Dogs often feel ___ during fieworks.
frighteningfrightened The metro can be ___ the first time you
use it.
confusingconfused Satoru was ___ to hear about the
earthquake.
shockedshocking I think that rainy days in winter are ___.
depresseddepressing She's ___ of doing the same thing every
day.
boringbored It was the most ___ I have been watching a film.
excitedexciting The meals at Immigrant's Cafe are ___.
satisfyingsatisfiedme adjectives have the characteristic of
ending in ed and ing. Lets ltake a look at the rules. We use
adjectives ending in ING to describe something or
someone.Examples:Maria is watching a veryinterestingmovie.I hate
that teacher. He is reallyboring. We use adjectives ending in
EDwhen we want to describe how people feel.Examples:Thismovieisnt
interesting. I ambored.Juan is veryexitedbecause he is going to
travel to Miami for the first time.Conclusions- We can use
adjectives ending in ing for things or people. Remember that when
we use ing it is describing the person or thing.- We can use the
edONLYfor people (or animals) because THINGS CANNOT FEEL.We can
say:Felipe isboring. (describes his personality).Felipe isbored.
(he feels bored at the moment)Wecantsay:TheTV
programisboredINCORRECT(because things cant feel).***Queda claro
que para cosas, situaciones u objetos usamos la terminacin ing y no
es posible usar ed. La razn es porque se usa la terminacin ed para
expresar lo que uno siente y est claro que las cosas sin vida no
pueden sentir. Para personas uno puede usar ed (cuando uno siente)
o ing pero esta ltima se usa para DESCRIBIR a la persona. As que si
yo digo Juan isdepressed quiere decir que se encuentra deprimido ya
que describo la situacin actual porque por algina razn se siente
asi. En cambio si decimos Juan isdepressing entonces describimos a
Juan. Es una persona depresiva.Adjectives ending
in-edand-inglistADJECTIVES (ING ED)Spanish translation
alarmingalarmedAlarmante / alarmado
amusingamusedDivertido
annoyingannoyedFastidioso / fastidiado
boringboredAburrido
concerningconcernedPreocupante / preocupado
confusingconfusedConfuso / confundido
embarrassingembarrassedEmbarazoso / avergonzado
encouragingencouragedAlentador / animado
entertainingentertainedEntretenido
excitingexcitedEmocionante / emocionado
exhaustingexhaustedAgotador / agotado
frighteningfrightenedAterrador / aterrado
frustratingfrustratedFrustrante / frustrado
humiliatinghumiliatedHumillante / humillado
interestinginterestedInteresante / interesado
intriguingintriguedIntrigante / intrigado
overwhelmingoverwhelmedAbrumador / abrumado
perplexingperplexedPerplejo
pleasingpleasedAgradable / complacido
relaxingrelaxedRelajante / relajado
satisfyingsatisfiedGratificante / satisfecho
shockingshockedChocante / estupefacto
surprisingsurprisedSorprendente / sorprendido
tiringtiredCansador / cansado
*** Lista mas completa aqu
:http://www.trussel.com/eding.htmExercises / Ejercicios (Las
respuestas estn en el audio)Choose the correct form of the
adjective according to the context.1) Monday is verybored / boring.
It is the firstday of the week.2) Imbored / boringwith my job. Its
always the same.3) When we lost the football game, we
feltdepressed/ depressing.4) My team never wins. It is
verydepressed/ depressing.5)Reading a bookis veryrelaxed /
relaxing.6) I am veryrelaxed / relaxingat the weekend.7) ThemovieI
watched yesterday was veryinterested / interesting.8) Im not very
interested / interestingin studying French. I prefer English.9)
Julio is veryexited / exitingabout hisbrand new car.10)
TheBarcelona Intermatch was veryexited / exiting.-INGthe cause
-EDthe effect
Fill the gaps with the adjectives in brackets.
1He's such a monotonous speaker. I was ________________ stiff.
(bored / boring)
2Most sequels are ________________. (disappointed /
disappointing)
3I had such a ________________ day I went straight to bed.
(tired / tiring)
4Everyone's very ________________ about the news. (excited /
exciting)
5That lamp produces a very ________________ effect. (pleased /
pleasing)
6The whole school was ________________ by the tragic event.
(saddened / saddening)
7I don't like watching ________________ films on my own.
(depressed / depressing)
8I was ________________ when she told me she'd got divorced.
(amazed / amazing)
9He's such a ________________ guy. He only ever talks about
himself. (bored / boring)
10I'm very ________________ in films and theatre. (interested /
interesting)
11No one knew what would happen next. We were all
________________ . (intrigued / intriguing)
12It was a very ________________ situation. (interested /
interesting)
13There's been some very ________________ news. (surprised /
surprising)
14His mother was ________________ by what she found under his
bed. (disgusted / disgusting)
15Their hamburgers are ________________ . (disgusted /
disgusting)
16Dad always arrives home from work thoroughly ________________
. (exhausted / exhausting)
17He's always showing off. It's really ________________ .
(annoyed / annoying)
18I think Alex is one of the most ________________ people I've
ever met. He can't keep still for a second. (annoyed /
annoying)
19I walked into this restaurant and there was Andy with a
strange woman. He seemed really ________________ . (embarrassed /
embarrassing)
20She kept talking about her boyfriend problems all night. It
was rather ________________ . (embarrassed / embarrassing)
Completa las siguientes cuestiones y haz clic en el botn
-Corregir Ejercicio- para obtener la correccin de este
ejercicio.Principio del formularioQ1 of 10:Peter thought the
marathon was __________ (challenge).
Q2 of 10:I was __________ (annoy) by his attitude.
Q3 of 10:Are you __________ (confuse)? Don't worry, I'll
explain.
Q4 of 10:That movie was really __________ (depress).
Q5 of 10:It was an __________ (exhaust) day.
Q6 of 10:The children were __________ (frighten) by the
storm.
Q7 of 10:You must be __________ (relieve) not that your exams
are finished.
Q8 of 10:The news was __________ (discourage).
Q9 of 10:She is __________ (overwhelm) with work.
Q10 of 10:Could this situation be any more __________
(frustrate).
ED and ING Adjectives Exercise 1 Choose the correct adjective:
1. My nephew was (amusing / amused) by the clown. 2. Its so
(frustrating / frustrated)! No matter how much I study I cant seem
to remember this vocabulary. 3. This lesson is so (boring / bored)!
4. Im feeling (depressed / depressing), so Im going to go home, eat
some chocolate, and go to bed early with a good book. 5. I thought
her new idea was absolutely (fascinated / fascinating). 6. This
maths problem is so (confusing / confused). Can you help me? 7. The
teacher was really (amusing / amused) so the lesson passed quickly.
8. The journey was (exhausting / exhausted)! Twelve hours by bus.
9. The plane began to move in a rather (alarming / alarmed) way.
10. He was (frightening / frightened) when he saw the spider. 11. I
was really (embarrassing / embarrassed) when I fell over in the
street. 12. That film was so (depressing / depressed)! There was no
happy ending for any of the characters. 13. Im sorry, I cant come
tonight. Im completely (exhausting / exhausted). 14. We are going
in a helicopter? How (exciting / excited)! 15. Dont show my baby
photos to people, Mum! Its so (embarrassing / embarrassed)! 16. Its
okay, its only me. Dont be (alarming / alarmed). 17. My sister is
so (exciting / excited) because she is going on holiday tomorrow.
18. I hate long flights, Im always really (boring / bored). 19. She
looked very (confusing / confused) when I told her we had to change
the plan. 20. John was (fascinated / fascinating) by Mandarin when
he first started learning
languages. He decided to study more and now he can speak it
fluentlys: 1. My nephew was amused by the clown. 2. Its so
frustrating! No matter how much I study I cant seem to remember
this vocabulary. 3. This lesson is so boring! 4. Im feeling
depressed, so Im going to go home, eat some chocolate, and go to
bed early with a good book. 5. I thought her new idea was
absolutely fascinating. 6. This maths problem is so confusing. Can
you help me? 7. The teacher was really amusing so the lesson passed
quickly. 8. The journey was exhausting! Twelve hours by bus. 9. The
plane began to move in a rather alarming way. 10. He was frightened
when he saw the spider. 11. I was really embarrassed when I fell
over in the street. 12. That film was so depressing! There was no
happy ending for any of the characters. 13. Im sorry, I cant come
tonight. Im completely exhausted. 14. We are going in a helicopter?
How exciting! 15. Dont show my baby photos to people, Mum! Its so
embarrassing! 16. Its okay, its only me. Dont be alarmed. 17. My
sister is so excited because she is going on holiday tomorrow. 18.
I hate long flights, Im always really bored. 19. She looked very
confused when I told her we had to change the plan. 20. John was
fascinated by Mandarin when he first started learning languages. He
decided to study more and now he can speak it fluently. tesuffix
Stress and PronunciationThe complex and versatile-atesuffix is used
to create nouns, adjectives, and verbs. While the primary stress of
most words containing the-atefalls on the third-from-last syllable,
the suffix itself is pronounced differently depending on the part
of speech the word is used in.-atesuffix: nouns and adjectivesWhen
a word containing an-atesuffix is a noun or an adjective, the vowel
sound of the suffix is unstressed and is pronounced with ashort
i//.-atesuffix nouns and adjectives
3-syllable:delicate
Play/dl kt/
4-syllable:certificate
Play/s tf kt/
5-syllable:inconsiderate
Play/n kn sd t/
-atesuffix: verbsWhen a word containing an-atesuffix is a verb,
the vowel sound of the suffix is given a secondary stress and is
pronounced with along a/e/.-atesuffix verbs
3-syllable:celebrate
Play/sl bret/
4-syllable:communicate
Play/k mjun ket/
5-syllable:rehabilitate
Play/ri (h) bl te
The following sentence demonstrates the difference in
pronunciation between-atesuffix nouns, adjective, and verbs.They
had toevaluate(verb)thecertificate(noun)to be certain that it
wasaccurate(adjective).Play
-ate+-lysuffixAdjectives ending in-atecan have an
additional-lyadded to them, creating an adverb. The primary stress
of the word remains two syllables before the-atesuffix. However,
the consonant of the-atesuffix adapts to thel soundfollowing it and
is usually pronounced as theglottal stop//, at soundallophone.-ate
+ -ly suffix
delicately
Play/dl k li/
immediately
Play/ mi di li/
approximately
Play/ prks m li/
-atesuffix HeteronymsSome words containing the-atesuffix
areheteronyms, meaning that a single spelling can have more than
one pronunciation. When this occurs in words containing
the-atesuffix, the suffix retains the pattern of nouns and
adjectives being pronounced with ashort iand verbs being pronounced
with along a.I'd like toelaborate(verb)on my
proposal.PlayTheelaborate(adjective)house had twelve bedrooms and
sixteen fireplaces.Play-atesuffix heteronym examples
advocate(noun)(verb)PlayPlay/d v kt//d v ket/
alternate(noun/adj.)(verb)PlayPlay/l t nt//l t net/
elaborate(adjective)(verb)PlayPlay/ lb () rt// lb ret/
initiate(noun)(verb)PlayPlay/ n i t// n i et/
graduate(noun)(verb)PlayPlay/gr u t//gr u et/
separate(noun)(verb)PlayPlay/sp () rt//sp ret/
Consonant + /r/: Initial Consonant ClustersThe following
consonant clusters including /r/ can occur at the beginning of a
word in English.Practice blending smoothly from one consonant sound
into the next without adding a vowel sound between the
consonants.1./br/a.breakPlay
b.bringPlay
c.brotherPlay
2./kr/a.cryPlay
b.createPlay
c.crazyPlay
3./dr/*a. drawPlay
b. drivePlay
c. dreamPlay
4./fr/a.freePlay
b.friendPlay
c.fromPlay
5./gr/a.greatPlay
b.greenPlay
c.growPlay
6./pr/a.pricePlay
b.practicePlay
c.privatePlay
7./r/-a.shrimpPlay
b.shrinkPlay
c.shrugPlay
8./skr/a.scratchPlay
b.screamPlay
c.screenPlay
9./spr/a.springPlay
b.spreadPlay
c.sprayPlay
10./str/*a.streetPlay
b.strongPlay
c.stressPlay
11./tr/*a.tryPlay
b.treePlay
c.truePlay
12./r/a.threePlay
b.throwPlay
c.throughPlay
*Allophones of /t/ and /d/ before /r/ often cause the /tr/ and
/dr/ cluster to be pronounced similarly to /r/ and /r/,
respectively. In addition to the stops becoming affricate-like, the
/r/ also takes on the qualities of a fricative as it blends with
the consonant before it. This is also true with the /tr/ of the
/str/ cluster.Because most dictionaries do not transcribe
individual allophones, the first transcription shown below is the
more common dictionary transcription. The second transcription can
help non-native English speakers better understand the common
pronunciation used by native English
speakers.1./tr//r/tree:/tri//ri/
2./dr//r/dream:/drim//rim/
3./str//r/street:/strim//srit/
Introduction toAmerican English ConsonantStopsThe six English
stop sounds (theb sound,p sound,g sound,k sound,d sound, andt
sound) initially appear simple, but quickly reveal intricate
details as learners become more familiar with their
characteristics.
The twomajorpoints that beginnerESL/ELLstudents should
understand about stop sounds are:1. The air is briefly stopped at
the beginning of the sound, then released (the release of the air
is called theaspiration)2. The sounds occur in voiced/unvoiced
pairsThe subtle aspects of stop sounds to be aware and attempt
mastery of include:1. Aspiration (the puff of air as the stop is
released) is greater for unvoiced stops than for voiced stops2. The
aspiration of stops is the greatest at the beginning of words and
the beginning of stressed syllables3. The duration of a vowel sound
before avoicedstop is greater than the duration of a vowel sound
before anunvoicedstop
Voiced and unvoiced soundsOf the eight stop sounds in English,
four are voiced (meaning that the vocal cords vibrate while
producing the sound) and four are unvoiced (meaning that the vocal
cords do not vibrate while producing sound). Voiced and unvoiced
sounds often occur in pairs of sounds with similar vocal tract
shape, with the major difference between the pairs being the use of
the vocal cords or not.
Key wordsThe table below includes a key word to demonstrate each
stop sound and an audio example of that word. The stop sound of
each word isunderlined. The voiced sound of each pair is listed
first .Stop Key Words
b soundp sound/b//p/boypenPlayPlayair is stopped between the
lips
g soundk sound///k/gocatPlayPlayair is stopped between the back
of the tongue and the soft palate
d soundt sound/d//t/dotopPlayPlayair is stopped between tip of
the tongue and the tooth ridge
AspirationWhile the question of the involvement of the vocal
cords is the greater difference between voiced and unvoiced sounds,
the amount of aspiration plays a secondary role in articulating
each sound. In general,the aspiration is greater in unvoiced sounds
than voiced sounds. This characteristic is complicated by the fact
that, additionally, the aspiration is greater at the beginning of
words and the beginning of stressed syllables than in other
locations within words.Compare the aspiration of the following stop
sounds at the beginning of words.There is more of a puff of air
during the aspiration of unvoiced stops.Aspiration comparison
Unvoiced stopVoiced stop
pigPlaybigPlay
coldPlaygoldPlay
timePlaydimePlay
Vowel lengtheningThe vowel sound before voiced consonant sounds
has a longer duration than the vowel sound before unvoiced
counterparts. Since a stop sound at the end of a word has little
aspiration, the change in vowel duration subtly helps listeners of
English determine which stop sound was spoken. Some dictionaries
will use a colon-like symbol of stacked triangles // to note a
vowel with increased duration.Notice the difference in vowel
duration in the following minimal pairs.Vowel length comparison
Unvoiced stopVoiced stop
wordIPAwordIPA
rope/rop/Playrobe/rob/Play
hit/ht/Playhid/hd/Play
buck/bk/Playbug/b/Play
NOTE:Since vowel duration is also influenced by word stress
within a sentence, vowel duration due to voicing/unvoicing can be
difficult to notice during a conversation.
-ic,-ical,-icallysuffixesWords containing the-ic,-ical,
and-icallysuffixes have rather straightforward syllable stress
patterns: the syllable previous to the-icreceives the primary
stress of the word.Non-native English speakers should give special
attention to the pronunciation of the-ical-icallysuffixes.
Thealportion of the-icalsuffix is pronounced as asyllablic l, so
there is not usually any vowel sound included in that syllable.
Then, due to syllabic compression, the-icallysuffix is often
pronounced as two syllables (instead of three). This means that a
base word containing the-icalsuffix is pronounced with the same
number of syllables as the same base word containing
the-icallysuffix.-icsuffix-ical/-icallysuffix
classic
Play/kls k/classical
classically
PlayPlay/kls kl//kls k li/
electric
Play/ lk trk/electrical
electrically
PlayPlay/ lk trkl// lk trk li/
economic
Play/k nm k/economical
economically
PlayPlay/k nm kl//k nm k li/
Second-from-last syllable stressThere are two commonly used
suffixes that cause words to be stressed on the second-from-last
syllable:-icand-tion. A more flexible description of this pattern
is to say that the stress falls on the syllable previous to the
suffix. This convenient structure of word stress allows the
prediction of stress patterns for any multi-syllable word that
contains either of these suffixes.-icsuffix-tionsuffix
2-syllable:classic
Playsection
Play
3-syllable:specific
Playcondition
Play
4-syllable:economic
Playdefinition
Play
While both descriptions 1) "the stress falls on the
second-from-last syllable," and 2) "the stress falls on the
syllable previous to the suffix" are accurate, they fail to account
for the wide range of patterns that surround these two suffixes. By
including expansions and variations on them, however, the stress
patterns of a huge number of English words can be accurately
predicted with this general rule.Expanding
the-icand-tionsuffixesBoth-icand-tionare frequently extended with
suffixes themselves. For instance,-aland-allyoften exist as an
extension of both of these suffixes, greatly increasing the number
of words to which the same rule can be applied. When these extended
suffixes are used, the pattern of being stressed one syllable
before the-icand-tionis retained.expanding suffixes
suffix +-al:electrical
Playnutritional
Play
suffix +-ally*:identically
Playtraditionally
Play
*Note that the-icallysuffix is often compressed to two
syllables.-tion/-sionsuffixThe-tionand closely
related-sionand-ationsuffixes are among the most frequently used
stress-controlling suffixes in American English. All of these
suffixes cause the syllable previous to the-tionor-sionto carry the
main stress of the word. This hugely important pattern provides a
formula to determine which syllable is likely to be the stressed
syllable in an enormous number of words in English.In addition to
studying the following example words to learn these stress
patterns, note other commonalities in their pronunciation to help
learn the characteristics of pronouncing the suffixes themselves
correctly.-tionsuffix:sh soundandch soundThe-tionis pronunced with
ansh soundunless the sound preceding the suffix is ans sound; then
the suffix is likely to be pronounced with ach sound. Of the two
options, thesh soundpronunciation is much more common.-tionsuffix
pronounced withsh sound
sectionPlay/skn/
positionPlay/pzn/
acquisitionPlay/wzn/
-tionsuffix pronounced withch sound
questionPlay/kwsn/
digestionPlay/dsn/
exhaustionPlay/zsn/
-sionsuffix:sh soundandzh soundThe-sionsuffix is likely to be
pronounced with azh soundwhen it is preceded by anr soundor a vowel
sound (this often aligns with thessionspelling). In most other
circumstances, thesh soundis the more likely pronunciation for
the-sionsuffix. Since both of these pronunciation patterns are
common in American English, care should be taken with the
pronunciation of all words containing the-sionsuffix.-sionsuffix
pronounced withsh sound
tensionPlay/tnn/
expressionPlay/ksprn/
apprehensionPlay/prhnn/
-sionsuffix pronounced withzh sound
visionPlay/vn/
conclusionPlay/knklun/
decisionPlay/dsn/
Variations of
the-tion,-sionand-ationsuffixesThe-tion,-sionand-ationsuffixes can
be viewed as base suffixes for still more related suffixes,
namely-tional,-tionally,-sional,-sionally,-ationaland-ationally.
The syllable stress pattern remains consistent, even when more
syllables are added to the word: the syllable previous to
the-tionor-sioncarries the word's primary
stress.-tional,-tionally,-sional,-sionally,-ationaland-ationallystress
examples
-tionaland-tionally:additional
Playemotionally
Play
-sionaland-sionally:professional
Playoccasionally
Play
-ationaland-ationally:sensational
Playeducationally
Play
-itysuffix Stress and PronunciationThe noun-forming-itysuffix is
relatively straightforward compared to other derivational suffixes
in English. This suffix typically does not attach to other
derivational suffixes, nor do other derivational suffixes attach to
it. Since the-itysuffix creates nouns, it does have the
inflectional-ssuffix added during the creation of plurals, but that
is as complicated as this suffix gets.-itysuffix pronunciationOne
of the patterns that lead to thet soundbeing pronounced as a quickd
sound(also called thealveolar tap) is when thetis not the first
sound of a stressed syllable and occurs between vowel sounds. Since
the-itysuffix fits within this pattern, the consonant sound of this
suffix is almost always pronounced as the quickd sound(transcribed
as /t/).-itysuffix stress patternThe-itysuffix is a
stress-controlling suffix and causes words that include it to be
stressed on the third-from-last syllable.-itypronunciation and
stress
3-syllable:quality
Play/kwl t i/
4-syllable:majority
Play/m r t i/
5-syllable:opportunity
Play/p tun t i/
6-syllable:responsibility
Play/r spn s bl t i/
Final del formularioFinal del formulario