Wander or Wonder?

To ‘wander’ is to walk around without a clear purpose.

An elephant wandered into the garden.

‘Wonder’ refers to feeling curious.

I wonder why the elephant is there.

Flickr CC: muzina_shanghai

Advice or advise?

‘Advice’ is the noun.

'You should follow your doctor’s advice.'

‘Advise’ is the verb.

'I advise you to listen carefully.'

'My doctor advised me to stop smoking. '

Flickr CC: Vic

'Used to' or 'Used for'?

‘Used to’ refers to something that was true in the past.

'I used to ride to work every day, but I live too far away now.'

‘Used to’ also means to be accustomed to.

'By the end of summer, I'm used to the heat.'

‘Used to’ refers to the purpose of something.

'Pens are used to write.'

You can also say ‘used for’ to mean the same thing, but you say ‘for writing’ and not ‘for write’.

'Pens are used for writing.'

Flickr CC: Daniel López

Lend and borrow

Borrow something [from someone]

Lend something [to someone]

Lend someone [something]

We use borrow to say that we take something temporarily with the intention of giving it back.

Do you mind if I borrow a few dollars for the bus?

That book looks great, may I borrow it once you have finished?

We use lend to say that we give something temporarily with the understanding that it will be returned.

Can you lend me your car?

Her father lent her some money to buy a house.

Flickr CC: Simon Cunningham

‘Stay in touch’ means to keep contact.

I will be leaving today to go camping and will be away for a month, but don’t worry I will stay in touch.

‘Drop me a line’ means to send someone a note or a message in an informal way.

'As soon as you settle in to your new house, drop me a line.'

‘A shoulder to cry on' is someone who is willing to listen to your problems and offer advice.

She needed a shoulder to cry on and went to visit a close friend.

Flickr CC: Kevin Dooley

Loud / aloud / allowed

‘Loud’ is an adjective and means to make a lot of noise.

Turn the music down, it is so loud.

And it can also refer to bright clothes.

Wow, look at his shirt, it sure is loud.

‘Aloud’ is an adverb and means to speak out, so you can be heard.

The teacher told the students to read aloud.

And ‘allowed’ is a verb meaning to have permission.

We are not allowed to ride our bikes in there, look at the sign on the gate.

Flickr CC: Sam Leighton

Debate and discussion

A discussion is a detailed conversation.

‘We had a long discussion about which school I should go to next year.’

‘The discussion was very helpful. I think I’m ready to make a decision.’

A ‘debate’ is a discussion in which people argue or consider opposing points.

‘We debated whether to have pizza or sushi for dinner.’

‘The meeting went on for hours as we debated the benefits of both sides.’

The word ‘debate’ can also describe a formal speaking contest in which two teams argue a given question. Formal ‘debates’ are most likely to take place at school or university.

‘Our team won the debating contest.’

Debates also take place in politics.

‘Parliament sat late into the night as members debated the bill.’

Flickr CC: Simon Blackley

Concern and Sympathy

There are many ways we can express concern and sympathy.

We could say:

‘That’s terrible.’

I had a car accident on the weekend.

That’s terrible, are you OK?

‘I am sorry to hear that.’

I can’t come to the party on Saturday night.

I’m sorry to hear that.

‘I know how you feel.’

I’m so upset this morning. I lost my wallet on the way to work.

I know how you feel, that happened to me a few years ago.

‘I hope you feel better soon.’

I’m going to leave early. I’ve got a bad headache.

I hope you feel better soon.

Asking for advice.

There are many ways to ask for advice, here are some of the more common ones:

What do you think I should do about _____?

‘What do you think I should do about the broken window?’

What should I do about _____?

‘What should I do about John? He never does his homework.’

What would you do about____?

‘What would you do about finding a new job? I don’t know where to start.

What do you think I should do?

‘I can’t decide which car to buy. What do you think I should do?’

What do you think I should do about_______?

‘What do you think I should do about a new hair style?’

Can you give me some advice about_______?

‘Can you give me some advice about how to apply for a new course?’

Flickr CC: Rita M.

Past continuous

You use the past continuous tense to talk about something that occurred in the past.

Past continuous tense is used when the action you’re talking about started before the moment you’re describing, but had not finished.

For example, in past tense, you might say:

‘I watched a film on TV yesterday. The film started at 7pm and finished at 9pm.’

When we use the past continuous we say:

‘At 8pm yesterday I was watching TV.’

The past continuous can be used to say that something happened in the middle of something else.

For example, in past tense, you might say:

‘I cooked dinner yesterday. My sister called me.’

When we use the past continuous we say:

‘I was cooking dinner when my sister called.’

Flickr CC: Dwight Sipler