A street is a road with houses on either side. We use street for roads in towns, but not for country roads.
- Cars can park on both sides of our street
Roads used for both town and country.
- Cars can park on both sides of our road
- There's a narrow winding road from our village to the next one. (NOT . . . a narrow winding street . . .).
Note that, in street names, we stress the word Road, but the word before Street.
- Marylebone' Road.
- 'Oxford Street.
After explain, we use to before an indirect object.
- I explained my problem to her (NOT / explained her my problem.)
- Can you explain (to me) how to get to your house? (NOT Can you explain me . . .?)
A past tense does not always have a past meaning. In some kinds of sentence we use verbs like I had, you went or I was wondering to talk about the present or future.
After if.
- If I had the money now I'd buy a car.
- If you caught the ten o'clock train tomorrow you could be in Edinburgh by supper-time.
Long is most common in questions and negative sentences, and after too and so.
- How long did you wait?
- I didn 't play for long.
- The concert was too long.
In affirmative sentences, we usually use a long time.
- I waited (for) a long time (I waited long is possible, but not usual.)
- It takes a long time to get to her house.
Much, many and far are also more common in questions and negative sentences.
We often use way ( = method) in expressions without a preposition.
- You're doing it (in) the wrong way
- You put in the cassette this way
- Do it any way you like.
In relative structures, we often use the way that . . .
- I don't like the way (that) you 're doing it.
After way, we can use an infinitive structure or of . . . -ing. There is no important difference between the two structures.
- There's no way to prove Iof proving that he was stealing.
- Don't confuse in the way and on the way.
If something is in the way, it stops you getting where you want to go.
- Please don't stand in the kitchen door — you're in the way.
- On the way means 'during the journey' or 'coming'.
- We'll have lunch on the way. Spring is on the way
A play is a piece of literature written for the theatre or television.
- Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeare's early plays.
A game is, for example, chess, football, or bridge.
- Chess is a very slow game. (NOT . . . a very slow play.)
Verbs: people act in plays or films, and play games.
- My daughter is acting in her school play.
- Have you ever played rugby football?
Enough comes after adjectives (without nouns) and adverbs. adjective/adverb + enough
- Is it warm enough for you? (NOT . . . enough warm . . .)
- You're not driving fast enough
Enough comes before nouns. enough (+ adjective) + noun
- Have you got enough milk? (NOT . .. enough of milk.)
- There isn 't enough blue paint left.
We use enough of before pronouns and determiners (for example the, my, this). enough of + pronoun We didn't buy enough of them enough of + determiner (+ adjective) + noun
- The exam was bad. I couldn't answer enough of the questions.
- Have we got enough of those new potatoes?
We can use an infinitive structure after enough. ... enough... + infinitive
- She's old enough to do what she wants.
- I haven't got enough money to buy a car.
.. . enough... + for+ object + infinitive
- It's late enough for us to stop work.
We do not use the present progressive to talk about 'general time'. For this, we use the simple present. Compare:
- My sister's living at home for the moment, (around now) You live in North London, don't you? (general time)
- Why is that girl standing on the table? Chetford Castle stands on a hill outside the town.
- The leaves are going brown.
- I go to the mountains about twice a year.
We often use the present progressive to talk about the future.
- What are you doing tomorrow evening?
Some verbs are not used in progressive forms.
- I like this wine. (NOT I'm liking . . .)
Verbs that refer to physical feelings (for example feel, hurt, ache) can be used in the simple present or present progressive without much difference of meaning.
- How do you feel? OR How are you feeling?
- My head aches OR My head is aching
We always use the before same.
- Give me the same again, please. (NOT Give mo seme again, please.)
- I want the same shirt as my friend's. (NOT / want a same shirt like my friend.)
We use the same as before a noun or pronoun.
- Her hair's the same colour as her mother's. (NOT . . . the same colour like her mother's.)
- We use the same that before a clause.
- That's the same man that asked me for money yesterday.
We can use musno say that we are sure about something (because it is logically necessary).
- If A is bigger than B, and В is bigger than C, then A must be bigger than С
- Mary keeps crying. She must have some problem.
- There's the doorbell. It must be Roger.
- 'I'm in love.' 'That must be nice.'
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