Using SO and SUCH

This frozen yogurt was SO yummy. It was SUCH a treat at the end of a long day.

We often use SO or SUCH when we want to intensify our descriptions and opinions of people or things. For example, we say, "This is SUCH a good restaurant. Their food is SO delicious." Another example: The students worked SO hard and did SUCH a great job.

Because these two words are quite common, learning how to use them correctly is a very good idea. It can easily and suddenly come in handy when you're talking to someone. Fortunately, the rules are not difficult at all.

• COME IN HANDY - be useful; be ready to use 

A grammar exercise on WISHING correctly

How good are you at WISHING in English? Have you read our four-part lesson on how to wish correctly? If you need a refresher, go to PART 1 to review wishing in the present, PART 2 to read about wishing someone the best, PART 3 for wishing about the future, and PART 4 for wishing about the past, also known as regret or blame. Once you're ready, try the following exercise. (You'll find the answers below.) GOOD LUCK!

1. Sarah wishes she _________ a larger oven. (She doesn't have a larger oven.)
2. Tom wishes Sarah _________ at the party. (Sarah was not at the party.)
3. John wished they __________ tear down the old, historic building downtown. (They will tear it down soon.)
4. Tom decided to go to the party. Now, he wishes he ___________; he's bored.
5. The Smiths own a beautiful boat, but sometimes they wish they ________. Maintenance is so expensive & they hardly use it.
6. They wish the kids __________ the horror movie. Now, they can't sleep.
7. When the job gets too stressful, Peter wishes he __________ the manager. (But he is.)
8. He wishes Sally __________ to his party. She's not going because she has to work.
9. She wishes she ________ to set her alarm. (She forgot to do it.)
10. John wishes he _______ sick. He'd be more productive. (He's not feeling well.)

How did you do? Did you find the practice helpful? Share it with friends! You can use the buttons below; you can also share it on Facebook and on Twitter. Just tag your posts #ilovenylc. Thanks!

ANSWERS: 1. HAD   2. HAD BEEN   3. WOULDN'T   4. HADN'T GONE   5. DIDN'T   6. HADN'T SEEN/HADN'T WATCHED    
7. WEREN'T   8. WERE GOING/WOULD GO   9. HADN'T FORGOTTEN   10. WEREN'T/DIDN'T FEEL

-- Joe Yu, ESL instructor 

Wishing in the past: regretting & blaming

Tom didn't do well in his exam. He now WISHES he HAD STUDIED & DONE his homework more.

This is the fourth lesson in our series on how to wish correctly. If you need a refresher on how to wish in the present, check out part one; if you need to brush up on wishing about the future, check out part 3. Part 2 talks about wishing someone the best.

In this lesson, we will go over how wishing works when we talk about the past. Wishing in the past usually takes the form of regrets or blame. We regret when we wish we HAD DONE or HADN'T DONE something, and we blame someone when we wish the person HAD DONE or HADN'T DONE something.

If you notice, we use the PAST PERFECT when we express regret or blame about the past.

1. I wish we HAD STAYED longer. (We didn't stay longer.)
2. I wish I HADN'T DRUNK so much. (I drank a lot.)
3. I wish you HAD CALLED me first. (You didn't call me first.)
4. She wishes she HAD STUDIED for the exam. (She didn't study.)
5. They wish they HADN'T FOUGHT with the cops. (They fought with the cops. :-|)

Let's talk about the future, part 2

Thanksgiving lunch at our Midtown branch STARTS at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow. ARE
you HANGING AROUND after your classes & PARTICIPATING in the feast? 

If you read our last blog lesson, you've gone through part 1 of my post on fine tuning (perfecting) your use of the future tenses. We focused on the simple future, the future with "be going to," and how one or the other is better in some situations.

In part 2, we'll focus on the use of the present tenses--the SIMPLE PRESENT and the PRESENT PROGRESSIVE--to talk about the future.

The good news is it couldn't be any simpler; there are just a couple of things to remember. First, if you also want to say that a future event is definitely going to happen because you've already made the decision, you can use the PRESENT PROGRESSIVE.

Let's talk about the future, part 1

Their neighbors had a nice picnic at a nearby park last weekend, so with the nice weather coming up, they
ARE GOING TO DO the same thing. They've invited some friends, who WILL BRING some sandwiches.

When you learn English in the lower levels, you are taught that the simple future with "will" and the future using "be going to + verb" mean the same thing and that you can use either of them to talk about the future. Do you remember? The following sentences are examples. 

• The party this weekend WILL BE awesome.
• The party this weekend IS GOING TO BE awesome.

For a lot of situations, including the examples above, this is true. The simple future and the future with "be going to" are often interchangeable. However, there are times when one of them sounds more idiomatic or more natural than the other.

This is why when you're in the intermediate levels, you start studying the nuances (slight, subtle differences) between these two tenses and learn that in some situations, one is, in fact, better than the other. 

Wishing for something different in the future

Tina, Beryl, Margaux, and others prepare for the TOEFL. Do you WISH universities
WOULD STOP requiring the TOEFL for admission? Well, they probably won't change
their policy anytime soon, but that's actually a good thing. Doing well on the
TOEFL helps ensure you will do well in college. The test is a gauge not only for
universities but also for you on how prepared you are for college coursework.

Now that you've WISHED your friends the best and learned how to WISH for something better or different in the present, let's look at how to WISH for something different for the future.

If you're in the intermediate levels, you know that you can talk about the future using a few different tenses. The future can be expressed with the simple future with "will," the future using "be going to + the ing-form of the verb," the present progressive, and the simple present. (Btw, look for a lesson in a week or two on how to use these tenses correctly to talk about the future.)

Do you order "beers"?

Why do people ask for "beers" when the word "beer" is a noncountable noun? 

Do you stop by the corner store on your way home sometimes and grab "a couple of beers"? In the morning, do you walk into a coffee shop close to work or school and grab "a coffee"? If you've recently studied countable and noncountable nouns, you've learned that neither "beer" nor "coffee" can be counted and, therefore, should not be in the plural or have an indefinite article (a/an) in front of them. However, if this is a grammatical rule, why do so many native speakers break it? You've probably heard your American friends ask the waiter for "five waters." 

BREAK THE RULE - not follow it

Well, here's the skinny on this. When people ask for "two beers," what they mean is "two bottles or two glasses of beer"; when they ask for "a water" or "a coffee," they mean "a bottle of water" or "a cup of coffee." You're simply hearing a shortened version of a longer phrase. 

THE SKINNY - the information you need (slang)

Tips on using MODALS the right way

These guys are picking up bicycles from New York City's new bike-sharing program. They
MUST BE saving money on transportation costs, & they MUST BE getting a lot of exercise.
Biking to work CAN BE sweaty, so riders SHOULD probably BRING a change of clothes.

Did you notice the modal verbs in the caption above? How good are you at using modals? (Will, might, could, should, would, must, can, et al.) Can you use them easily when you're having a conversation or when you're writing?

Modal verbs can be tricky for a couple of reasons. First, they don't follow tense rules like other verbs, so students can have a bit of trouble using them, especially to talk about the past. Also, some of them have more than one meaning, which makes it sometimes tough to decide which one to use correctly.

To help you make sense of modal verbs and help you master them, here are some tips to keep in mind.

1. To talk about the present or the future, use this structure: [MODAL + base form of the verb].

• We MIGHT GO to the beach this weekend.
• You SHOULD COME to the party.
• She MUST LIKE ice cream. She ate the whole tub.

LITTLE or A LITTLE interest in fish

At the New York Aquarium in Coney Island. Do you have A LITTLE interest in fish?

Did you know saying you have "A LITTLE" interest in something and saying you have "LITTLE" interest in something are completely different? For example, if you have A LITTLE interest in fish and the ocean, you'll probably like looking at the photo above and you might even want to check out the aquarium. On the other hand, if you have LITTLE interest in fish or the ocean, you probably won't care much about this photo, and you probably find aquariums boring. So, which one are you?

It's interesting how the article "A" can make a huge difference in meaning. "A LITTLE" means an amount of something, while "LITTLE" means not much. For example, if you say you have A LITTLE money in your bag, you're simply saying you have a small amount of money. You may want to say that there's enough for the day or that there's enough of it if you need to buy something. Whatever the context, you're just announcing that you have a bit of money.

On the other hand, if you say you have LITTLE money, you're saying that you don't have much or enough and that it's probably insufficient to buy anything. It could even mean that you're poor. When you don't use the article A, the sentence has a negative meaning.

Here are a few examples.
1. I have A LITTLE bit of money left. Let's grab some lunch. (a small amount)
2. I have LITTLE money left, so I have to watch my spending. Let's go someplace less expensive. (not much)
3. I have A LITTLE water. Would you like some?
4. I have LITTLE water left in my bag. I want to save it for later when it gets really hot.
5. · Do you have A LITTLE time to talk? 

    · Sorry, I have very LITTLE time before my plane leaves. Let's talk when I get back.

Incidentally, the same goes for "A FEW" and "FEW". A FEW means a small number of or about four of something, while FEW means not many. If you saw A FEW people, you probably saw about four or a small number of people. On the other hand, if you saw FEW people, it means you didn't see many people.

Here are a few examples.
1. We thought we'd be the only ones on the highway at 3 a.m., buy there were A FEW other cars on the road. (a small number of cars)
2. We thought traffic would be heavy, but there were actually FEW cars on the road. (not many cars)
3. FEW customers came in the store, so the manager decided to close early. (not many customers)
4. A FEW customers bought their newest product, so the manager decided to order more of it. (a small number of customers)
5. · I hear FEW people are interested in the event, so I don't think it will be packed. 

    · Actually, I know A FEW who are interested in it; we should still get there early, just in case.

TIME TO PRACTICE:

Try to finish the following sentences. 

• I have A LITTLE interest in ... (learning German, sky diving, moving overseas)
• I have LITTLE interest in ... (bungee jumping, learning how to dance)
• There are A FEW ... (cafes, restaurants) in my neighborhood.  (a small number of)
• There are FEW ... (apartment buildings) in my neighborhood. (not many)

Alright, folks. Share your sentences here, on NYLC's page on Facebook, or on Twitter at NYLangCenter. Add the HASHTAG #ilovenylc with your Tweets. Good luck! :-)

-- Joe Yu, ESL instructor

Talking about the FUTURE

Some students ARE HEADING TO the Cloisters this weekend to check out some Medieval 
art. It's supposed to be a nice day, so they ARE GOING TO walk from the subway to the
museum to enjoy the weather. They'LL probably take a lot of pictures. A museum guide
WILL WAIT for them to show them around. Their tour STARTS at 11 a.m. What about you?
What ARE you DOING this weekend? ARE you SPENDING time outdoors to enjoy the weather? 

If you read the caption above, you probably noticed that I used four different ways to express the future: the SIMPLE FUTURE (WILL WAIT), the future with BE GOING TO (ARE GOING TO WALK), the present progressive (ARE HEADING TO; ARE DOING; ARE SPENDING), and the simple present (STARTS). Are you familiar with how to use these tenses to talk about the future?

When you study English in the lower levels, you learn there are two ways of talking about the future. There's the simple present (WILL + verb), and there's BE GOING TO + verb, and you're told that they mean the same thing, like the two sentences below.

• I AM GOING TO MOVE to a new apartment.
• I WILL MOVE to a new apartment.

Well, your teachers are right. Most of the time, the simple future and BE GOING TO + verb mean the same thing. However, there are some situations where one of them is better than the other. Don't worry; this usually doesn't mean that the other way is wrong. It simply means that one way is more appropriate depending on what the speaker wants to say. So if you're speaking, it all depends on you.

Here are a couple of things to remember:
1. Use BE GOING TO + verb if the subject of your sentence has spent some time making a decision. In the following examples, the subjects seem like they have thought about their decisions before making them.

• They'RE GOING TO extend their vacation because they're having so much fun.
• She told me she WAS GOING TO quit her job. I wonder is she actually did it.
• We'RE NOT GOING TO move to a new apartment after all. We realized our apartment now is not too bad.

2. Use WILL + verb if the subject hasn't spent a lot of time making a decision or if you're just presenting your information as fact, such as in the following examples.

• We'll be there in five minutes.
• She'll call us when she arrives.
• I'll be back.

Keep in mind that if you want to say, "She'S GOING TO call us when she arrives," instead of "She WILL CALL us when she arrives," it's not wrong. However, the idea of "She'S GOING TO" is that she will decide to call us, while "She WILL CALL" just tells us what will happen in the future. Remember, you can use either form to express the future most of the time; both BE GOING TO + verb or WILL + verb are correct. It often depends on the speaker and what he or she is thinking and would like to convey. 

Of course, some situations sound better with BE GOING TO + verb because they seem like big decisions, while others sound better with WILL + verb because they seem like actions that don't require much thinking or are just presented as information. Take a look at these examples.

• She'S GOING TO spend the weekend in Montauk. [It sounds like she thought about this decision.]
• She'LL probably take the Long Island Railroad. [This sounds like it is simply presented as a fact.]
• They'RE GOING TO build a house. [They spent some time thinking and making this decision.]
• They'LL call us when they decide where to build it. [They don't have to think about calling us; they'll just call us when they've reached their decision.]

In addition to BE GOING TO + verb and WILL + verb, did you know that you can also use the present progressive and the simple present to talk about the future? Here's the deal: If an activity or an appointment is already confirmed or decided, you can use the present progressive. For example, if you say, "I'M MOVING to Alaska after graduation," it means you have already decided to do it, and it's definitely going to happen. Similarly, if you say, "I'M GOING straight to bed when I get home," you're also saying that you've already made the decision, and this is definitely what you're doing.

Last but not the least, the SIMPLE PRESENT is also used to talk about the future when you mention schedules. The following sentences are examples of this.

• Our train LEAVES at 3 tomorrow afternoon.
• My class STARTS at 10 tomorrow morning.
• The Fall semester BEGINS next month.

There you have it. Learn and master the four ways of expressing the future, and your English will begin to sound more and more natural. Until next time. Good luck! :-)


-- Joe Yu, ESL instructor 

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON & other adverbs of frequency

Tom is ALWAYS in a rush, but he does stop to listen to musicians performing
in the subway NOW & THEN. He also drops a few bucks in their basket ONCE
IN A WHILE, especially when he's impressed with the performance. What about
you? Do you SOMETIMES stop to enjoy music by local artists around town? 

If you've been following our lessons on gerunds and infinitives, you've read about our main character Tom and have gotten to know him a little. In our first three episodes, Tom went on a couple of dates with Maria, got on the Staten Island Ferry for the first time, and met with Igor for language exchange.

For this lesson, let's get to know Tom a bit more while also practicing ADVERBS AND EXPRESSIONS OF FREQUENCY. As you read about Tom, notice these adverbs and expressions in capital letters.

OUR STORY CONTINUES: About Tom
Tom is so busy these days. Between his job as an office assistant and applying to medical school, he has very little free time. He doesn't go out on the town as much as he used to, but he still makes time to hang out with a couple of friends. He spends time with them at least ONCE A MONTH, and they USUALLY either check out a concert by a local band or head out to Yankee Stadium to watch a game. He and his friends are diehard Yankee fans. Tom also enjoys music and is ALWAYS eager to check out local artists performing around town. In fact, he stops to listen to the small concerts in the subway EVERY SO OFTEN and even gives them a few bucks if he enjoys the show.

            GO OUT ON THE TOWN - go out to have fun

            DIEHARD - strong supporters; stubborn

            EVERY SO OFTEN - sometimes, from time to time

Language Exchange - gerunds & infinitives

The view from the second floor of Whole Foods Market on Union Square, where
Tom & Igor decided to meet for their language exchange. Both of them think the
Empire State Building seen all the way from Midtown makes the view spectacular. 

Our story continues as we look at more examples of gerunds and infinitives. On our last episode, Tom got on the Staten Island Ferry to accompany Maria, who had to head home and get ready for work. They had just participated in the free yoga session at Bryant Park and stopped by a cafe for some tea and coffee afterwards. We begin this episode with Tom heading back to Manhattan.

If you missed the first two episodes, you can click on the following titles: The First Couple of Dates; After Yoga. You can also check out the Introduction for an overview of gerunds and infinitives.

OUR STORY CONTINUES:  Language Exchange

Tom was on the ferry on his way back to Manhattan when his phone rang. It was his new friend Igor from Russia. The two of them had been doing language exchange meetings twice a week for about two months now. Tom's friend Joe, who is an English instructor at NYLC, introduced them to each other. Igor is a student of Joe's and is always EAGER TO PRACTICE his English, and Tom WANTED TO BRUSH UP on his Russian. He had studied Russian in college and may have to travel to Russia on business in the future. As it turned out, Tom and Igor HIT IT OFF (quickly became friends) right away; they are both EAGER TO LEARN from each other and are always ready TO TEACH each other.

"Do you want meet for 2 hours?" Igor asked. "I'm in Union Square." 

     [Igor made a small mistake here. He should've said: Do you want TO MEET for 2 hours?]

Tom had THOUGHT OF GOING straight home AFTER RETURNING from Staten Island. He had some work that NEEDED TO BE done, but a two-hour detour couldn't hurt, he thought. He'd been noticing his Russian improving and had also noticed an improvement in Igor's English. They had both been trying out a technique that Joe had mentioned in Igor's class.

AFFECT vs EFFECT

Are you easily AFFECTED by the movies you watch? Do the movies that you
watch usually have an EFFECT on how you think about your life and the world?

Some words in English sound so much alike that they're confused with each other a lot. Because of this, they're often used incorrectly. AFFECT and EFFECT are examples of this. However, the explanation is usually quite simple that if you remember, you'll never be confused again. After going through this lesson, you should know exactly which of these two words to use if you have to use either of them in the future.

With AFFECT and EFFECT, it's just a matter of which part of speech you need to use because these two words mean the same. AFFECT is a verb, while EFFECT is a noun, but both of them mean to have some influence on something or on someone.

Here's an example of two pairs of questions and answers that mean the same. However, one uses AFFECT (the verb), while the other uses EFFECT (the noun).

     a. How did the movie AFFECT you?
         It really AFFECTED me emotionally. I cried for hours after watching it.

     b. What kind of EFFECT did the movie have on you?
         It really had an emotional EFFECT on me. I cried for hours after watching it. 

After Yoga - gerunds & infinitives

Tom & Maria STOPPED TO GET some coffee after their yoga session and chatted
for hours. They STOPPED TALKING when it was time for Maria to get home to
Staten Island & get ready for work. This is a shot of Lower Manhattan from the ferry.

In this lesson on GERUNDS & INFINITIVES, we'll talk about verbs that can be followed by EITHER a gerund OR an infinitive. For some of these verbs, it doesn't matter if they are followed by a gerund or an infinitive; the meaning of the sentence stays the same. For some of these verbs, on the other hand, the meanings of the sentences change depending on whether they are followed by a gerund or an infinitive.

Read the story below and note the capitalized phrases. Can you tell which verbs can be followed by a gerund or an infinitive without a change in meaning? If the meaning changes, can you tell the differences in their meaning?

Btw, if you haven't seen our previous posts on gerunds and infinitives, check them out first: The Introduction explains this grammar point, and The First Couple of Dates is where our story begins, and it has some basic examples with commonly used verbs. 

The First Couple of Dates - gerunds & infinitives

Mass yoga at Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan just a few blocks from New
York Language Center and where Tom and Maria, in our story below, happened to
go on their second date. Read the story and practice using GERUNDS & INFINITIVES!

A couple of lessons ago, we introduced the concept of gerunds and infinitives in English grammar, a challenging issue even for advanced English language students. If you missed that lesson, check it out first to BRUSH UP on (review) the basic rules of gerunds and infinitives.

This lesson will help you practice specific verbs and phrases that require either a gerund or an infinitive. Note the capitalized phrases in our story below to see whether gerunds or infinitives are used--remember, it depends on each verb or phrase. Then practice by using the verbs, yourselves.

USED TO vs BE USED TO - part 3: using GET

Tom'S GOTTEN USED TO reading the news in English, so he's helping a friend
who IS still NOT USED TO it. He told his friend that he should GET USED TO
reading without looking up every single word he doesn't know.

This is part 3 of our series on USED TO + verb and BE USED TO + noun/gerund. If you haven't read part 1 or part 2, please check those lessons out first to review the main differences between these two phrases in structure and meaning, as well as how to form negative sentences and questions.

In part 3, we will talk about using GET in one of these phrases. When we use GET in this context, we emphasize the process of becoming accustomed to something or someone.

The first thing I want to POINT OUT (emphasize; highlight) is that we DON'T use GET with USED TO + verb. Never. Remember that USED TO + verb only talks about the past that's no longer true in the present. It has nothing to do with being accustomed to anything or anyone.

     1. I USED TO run every morning. (correct!)

     2. I get used to run every morning. (WRONG!)

Gerunds and Infinitives - the Introduction

To master using gerunds & infinitives, you either need an excellent memory or
you need to practice a lot. Either way, if you work on it, you'll eventually get a
better sense of which one sounds best, & with time, it will become second nature. 

Deciding whether to use gerunds (verb+ing) or infinitives (to + verb) is not always easy. English learners usually begin practicing this grammar point in the intermediate levels. Unfortunately, the rules are so specific to each verb or phrase and you have to remember whether a verb or phrase is followed by a gerund or an infinitive that even advanced students still find it TRICKY (challenging; tough).

Here are a couple of examples:

• He ENJOYS SMOKING, but he doesn't WANT TO SMOKE when his parents are around.
• (The verb ENJOY has to be followed by a gerund, while the verb WANT has to be followed by an infinitive. In other words, "enjoy to smoke" is wrong, and "want doing" is also wrong.)

• She knows IT'S IMPORTANT TO SPEAK English in the classroom, but she CAN'T HELP SPEAKING Spanish because it's much easier and faster.
• (The phrase "IT'S IMPORTANT" or "IT + BE + adjective" must be followed by an infinitive, while the verb CAN'T HELP must be followed by a gerund. Just like the first example, you can't say "It's important speaking" or "can't help to speak" because they are simply wrong.)

USED TO vs BE USED TO - part 2: negatives & questions

I DIDN'T USE TO eat sushi because I didn't like the idea of eating raw fish. Now,
I  love it, but I know some people who ARE STILL NOT USED TO eating it.

This is part 2 of our lesson on the differences between USED TO + verb and BE USED TO + noun/gerund. In this lesson, we'll talk about how to form negatives and questions with these two phrases. If you haven't read part 1, please check that out first, so you can BRUSH UP (review) on how they differ in meaning and structure.

First, let's talk about USED TO + verb. Because it is only about the past, there is only one way to form the negative: using DIDN'T. Remember that whenever we use the auxiliary verb DO, the main verb is always in the simple form. So the negative of USED TO is simply DIDN'T USE TO.

1. I DIDN'T USE TO work out everyday; now, I do.
2. He DIDN'T USE TO like English; now, he does.

USED TO vs BE USED TO - part 1

If you've lived in New York City for awhile, I'm sure you'RE now USED TO
TAKING the subway and NAVIGATING the major transit hubs like this one in
Times Square. However, when you first arrived, you probably USED TO GET
lost or USED TO GET on the wrong train now and then until you figured it out.

USED TO & BE USED TO are easily confused because they look so much alike. However, their meanings and their structures are completely different from each other. Fortunately, it's not that difficult to distinguish these two phrases, and once you've read this lesson, I'm sure it'll be a PIECE OF CAKE. :-)

(A PIECE OF CAKE - very easy)