Comparative and Superlative forms-Short and long adjectives

Today we will talk about Comparative and Superlative forms-Short and long adjectives. 

»»»We form the Comparative and Superlative of short adjectives and long adjectives (cheap...expensive) in different ways.

Ex: cheap cheaper cheapest

       expensive more expensive most

       expensive.

»»»One-syllable adjectives(ex-small,nice) usually have the er,est ending.

§  Your car is smaller.

§  Eliza needs a bigger house now.

§  This is the nicest restaurant.

§  This zone is the warmest.

»»However, we use more, most with three-syllable adjectives (eg: ex-cit-ing) with longer ones.

§  The film was more exciting than the play.

§  The attire is more elegant.

§  We indulged in the most interesting project.

§  He is the most reliable of them all.

»»»Some two-syllable adjectives have we, est, and some have more, most.

Two-syllable adjectives:

»»»Words ending in consonant + y have er,est, e.g. happy, happier, happiest.

Like-busy, dirty, easy, tidy, silly, pretty, lucky, lovely, heavy, funny, easy.

»»»Some words have er, est or more, most, e.g, narrow, narrower, narrowest or more narrow, most narrow.

Like-clever, tired, stupid, simple, quiet, polite, pleasant, gentle, cruel, common.

»»»The below-mentioned words have more, most, e.g. useful, more useful, most useful.

§  Words ending in full or less, e.g. careful,helpful, useful, hopeless.

§  Words ending in ing or ed, e.g. surprised, annoyed, willing, boring.

§  Many others, e.g. afraid, recent, normal, nervous, modern, frequent, foolish, famous, exact, eager, correct, certain, afraid.

"Intrepid", "Trepidation" and "Scintillation".

Let us talk about the meaning and Latin origin of the words---"Intrepid", "Trepidation" and "Scintillation".

"Intrepid" derives from the Latin word trepido, to tremble. Intrepid people are audacious, exhibiting fearlessness, when confronted by dangers from which common mortals like us would run away.

"Intrepidity" is the noun.

David's intrepidity exacts admiration from all his friends and foes as well.

"Trepidation" means trembling, great fear or alarm.

When we saw a mighty lion in the forest at some distance,we fled from the spot in trepidation.

"Scintilla", in Latin, is a quick, bright spark; in English scintilla may also mean a spark, but more commonly refers to a very small particle.

There wasn't a scintilla of evidence to nail down the notorious criminal.

In the verb scintillate, the idea of the spark remains; someone who scintillates sparkles with charm and wit flashes brightly with humor.

Idioms by taking the word ‘LAY’?

Lay out (put into desired shape):

The new government has laid out gardens for public use.

Lay out (spend):

He laid out five hundred rupees in books.

Lay up (store for future use):

I have learned that he is laying up money for his future.

Lay up (confine to bed):

The child is laid up with tuberculosis.

Lay aside or Lay away (put away):

She laid aside all her apprehensions and inhibitions, and addressed the public.

Lay by (reserve):

Lay by something for future use.

Lay down (fix, prescribe):

The rebels laid down their arms.

Lay down (sacrifice):

The freedom fighters laid down their lives for the freedom of their country.

Lay on (to give blows with vigour):

The villagers laid on the thieves with their staves.

Idioms with the word "Make"?

Make up one's mind (determined): She has made up her mind to make her life happy.

Make up one's deficiency (remove one's shortcomings or weakness): Have you made up your deficiency in German?

Make after (run after): The police officer made after the thief and soon overtook him.

Make away with (get rid of, kill): The soldier was made away with secretly.

Make away with (steal): He made away with twenty thousand rupees.

Make for (lead to): Contentment makes for happiness.

Make straight (go directly towards): Hearing the report, we made straight for the scene of occurrence.

Make over (hand over): Make over the luggage to the porter.

Make out (discover, understand): I can't make out what this letter means.

Make off (carry away): The tiger pounced and seized the lamb and made off with it into the thicket.

Make up (end the misunderstanding and come together again): The four friends have made up their differences by now.

Make it up (reconcile): The two brothers shook hands and made it up.

Can you come up with some more!!

When do we use for, since, ago and before?

• Mom: You have been playing that computer game for five hours, Tim.
• Tim: No, mom. Not that long, surely.
• Mom: You have been playing since lunch. And we finished lunch at one. That was five hours ago.

We use 'for' and 'since' with the present perfect.

We often use 'for' and 'since' with the present perfect to talk about something continuing up to the present.

FOR:

We use 'for' to say how long something has continued.

• I've been waiting for you for two hours.
• We've known about the class for two days.

Michelle has been living here for a year now.

SINCE:

We use 'since' to say when something began.

• I've been waiting since ten past seven.
• We've known about it since Monday.
• Michelle has been living here since last year.

We can also use 'for' with other tenses.

• I'm staying in Greece for a year.
• We played for a long time.

We can often leave out 'for' (but not from some negative sentences).

• We've had this house (for) seven months.
• I haven't seen Dennis for a day or two.

AGO WITH THE PAST:

We can use the adverb 'ago' to talk about a past time measured from the present.

• Eight months ago means eight months before now.
• I passed my driving test four months ago NOT since four months.
• Emma wrote a letter to the authorities weeks ago.
• David first met Clair a long time ago.

BEFORE WITH THE PAST PERFECT:

We use before (not ago) with the past perfect, e.g. had done.

• I bought a car in August. I'd passed my driving test four months before.
• Emma finally received a reply to the letter she had written weeks before.

Why do we always say" Everybody is happy" & not "Everybody are happy"?

Do you ever wonder why a hamburger is called a hamburger if there is not ham in it? Or how could the letters "ough" be pronounced nine different ways in English?! (rough, dough, thoughtful, through, ploughman, slough, coughed, hiccoughed, Scarborough)


Let's look at the words everybody, somebody, anybody and nobody.

In the sentence, “The apple is on the table," we use the singular verb "is" because there is only one apple. 

In the sentence, “The apples are on the table" you will notice we use the verb "are" because there is more than one apple. Easy, right? 

But with words like, everybody, somebody, anybody and nobody, we never use the plural verb "are" even though those words usually means more than one person. 

These words always act as singular not plural. 

That's just a rule you must remember. 

So, you would always say, "everybody is happy" or "somebody is late." Never say, "everybody are happy" or "somebody are late"

Happy Learning!

'Wish' and 'If only'

We use 'I wish' or 'if only' to express a wish.

• Raima wishes she was acknowledged.

'If only' is stronger and more emphatic than wish.

We can use a clause with 'if only' on its own, or we can add another clause.

• 'If only' I wasn't present there.
• 'If only' I were agile, I would be able to play basketball.

Wish---would

Look at these illustrations:

• I wish you would put those shelves up soon.
• Timmy wishes his neighbors wouldn't make so much noise.

If only you'd try to keep the place tidy. Wish /If only....would expresses a wish for something to happen, or to stop happening.

Wish---the past.

Look at the illustrations:

• I wish I lived in a big city. It's so boring in the country.
• We all wish we had more money, don't we?
• If only I was taller, I might be better at basketball.

'Wish' and 'If only' with a past tense verb express a wish for things to be different.

We can use 'were' instead of 'was'

• If only I were taller, I might be better at basketball.

We cannot use 'would' in these sentences, but we can use 'could'.

• I wish I could swing (but I can't).
• I feel so helpless. if only I could speak the language.

Compare 'Wish' with 'would' and with the past.

• I wish something exciting would happen.( I wish for an action in the future.)
• I wish our farm was bigger.( My farm is small).

'Wish'---the past perfect.

We use 'Wish' and 'If only' with the past perfect to express a wish about the past.

• I wish you had told me about the dance performance. I would have gone.
• I wish I'd got up earlier. I am behind with everything today.
• I wish you hadn't lost that dress. It was a really good one.
• If only Jimmie had been a bit careful, he'd have been all right.

We do not use 'would have' for the past, but we can use 'could have'.

• I wish I could have been at the concert, but I wasn't well.