Lecture Notes: Understanding English Language Nuances

Homophones: 'there', 'their', and 'they're'

• 'Their'
  • Plural possession
  • Example: "It is their laptop."
• 'There'
  • Identifying something for the first time
  • Often followed by the verb 'to be'
  • Example: "There is a cafe near our office."
• 'They're'
  • Contraction of 'they are'
  • Often followed by an adjective
  • Example: "They're late."

Word Usage: 'Fall'

• As a Verb
  • To descend from a high place
  • Example: "Leaves start to fall in Autumn."
  • To go down suddenly, often accidentally
• As a Noun
  • The act of falling, especially in learning
  • Example: "Toddlers have falls."
  • Decrease in size, amount, or strength
  • Example: "A fall in house prices."
• Change in Condition
  • Examples: "fall asleep, fall ill"

Grammar Focus: 'Stop to do' vs 'Stop doing something'

• 'Stop + -ing'
  • Cessation of the activity in question
  • Example: "I have stopped drinking coffee."
• 'Stop + infinitive'
  • Cessation of one action to begin another
  • Example: "I stopped to buy a tea."

Verb Usage: 'Try'

• With -ing Verb
  • Attempt as a new experience
  • Example: "I tried baking a cake."
• With 'to' Verb
  • Describes a difficult task or failure
  • Example: "I tried to bake a cake."

Giving Reasons: 'Because', 'As', 'Since'

• 'Because'
  • Focus on the reason
  • Example: "I'm tired because I didn't sleep well."
• 'As' and 'Since'
  • More formal, focus on the result
  • Example: "Noodles are popular since they're easy to cook."

Word Usage: 'Hard'

• As an Adjective
  • Opposite of 'soft': "Wood is hard."
  • Opposite of 'easy': "The exam was hard."
  • Involves effort: "Running a marathon is hard."
• As an Adverb
  • With energy: "She works hard."
  • Using force: "He hit the ball hard."
• Difference from 'Hardly'

Word Usage: 'Contact'

• As a Verb
  • To speak or write to someone
  • Example: "The doctor contacted me."
• As a Noun
  • In contact: regular communication
  • Make contact: initiate communication
  • Lose contact: stop communicating
  • As a reference person
  • Stored information in phones

Comparisons: 'As if' and 'As though'

• Imaginary Situations
  • Use past tense after 'as if'/'as though'
  • Example: "He acted as if he didn't hear anything."
• Possible Situations
  • Use present tense
  • Example: "He speaks as if he knows a lot about cooking."

Appearance: 'Look' vs 'Look like'

• 'Look'
  • With adjectives
  • Example: "You look really tired."
• 'Look like'
  • With nouns or noun phrases
  • Example: "I look like my mother."
• Related Verbs
  • Sound, smell, taste, feel

Expression: 'If Only'

• For Past Situations
  • 'If only' + past perfect
  • Example: "If only I hadn't left my keys."
• For Present Situations
  • 'If only' + past simple
  • Example: "If only I understood maths."
• For Future Situations
  • 'If only' + 'would' + verb
  • Example: "If only he would call."