Aprendiendo inglés

Fuente: englishclub

What is a collocation?

A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations just sound "right" to native English speakers, who use them all the time. On the other hand, other combinations may be unnatural and just sound "wrong". Look at these examples:

Why learn collocations?

• Your language will be more natural and more easily understood.
• You will have alternative and richer ways of expressing yourself.
• It is easier for our brains to remember and use language in chunks or blocks rather than as single words.

How to learn collocations

• Be aware of collocations, and try to recognize them when you see or hear them.
• Treat collocations as single blocks of language. Think of them as individual blocks or chunks, and learn strongly support, not strongly + support.
• When you learn a new word, write down other words that collocate with it (remember rightly,remember distinctly, remember vaguely, remember vividly).
• Read as much as possible. Reading is an excellent way to learn vocabulary and collocations in context and naturally.
• Revise what you learn regularly. Practise using new collocations in context as soon as possible after learning them.
• Learn collocations in groups that work for you. You could learn them by topic (time, number, weather, money, family) or by a particular word (take action, take a chance, take an exam).
• You can find information on collocations in any good learner's dictionary. And you can also find specialized dictionaries of collocations.

Types of Collocation

There are several different types of collocation made from combinations of verb, noun, adjective etc. Some of the most common types are:

• Adverb + Adjective: completely satisfied (NOT downright satisfied)
• Adjective + Noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating joy)
• Noun + Noun: a surge of anger (NOT a rush of anger)
• Noun + Verb: lions roar (NOT lions shout)
• Verb + Noun: commit suicide (NOT undertake suicide)
• Verb + Expression With Preposition: burst into tears (NOT blow up in tears)
• Verb + Adverb: wave frantically (NOT wave feverishly)

In this lesson we look at some sample collocations, and end with quizzes to check your understanding:

• Sample Collocations
• Collocation Lists
• Collocation Quizzes

Advanced students and teachers may also be interested in the Further Information page.

Fuente: grammar-quizzes.com

Will / Would

Expressing intent: determination and refusal

Intent vs. Scheduled

WILL – INTENT	WILL – SCHEDULED
Use will to express determination to do something (volition). In the negative form, intent becomes is refusal. Using will for intent indicates the person will take action to cause something to happen.	Use will to indicate that something is scheduled, expected to happen, or a predictabe and reoccurring event. Using will for scheduled events indicates the event will happen as a matter of course without any particular action taken.
Next month, I will get a raise in salary. I am  determined to do so.	Next month, I will get a raise. It's scheduled in my contract.
I will try harder to achieve my goals. I am  determined to do so.	Next week, we will change to daylight savings time. It is scheduled.
Our team will win the championship!  We intend to do it.	Our team will win the championship!  We are by far the best team in the league.
He won't help us!   He intends NOT to help us. (refusal)	He won't visit us.  We don't expect it. It is not scheduled.

as a matter of course – due to schedule or unplanned life events (passive), not due to volition or will (active)

Past Intent

WOULD – REFUSAL	WOULD HAVE – FAILURE / EXPECTATION LOST / EXCUSE
Use would to indicate that someone refused to do something (negative only – the opposite of intent).  Would is not used for intent (volition) in a postitive past tense sentence.	Use would have to indicate a failed plan, a disappointment, or an excuse (failed intent).
Last month, my boss wouldn't give me a raise though I asked. (refusal)	I would have gotten a raise, but I didn't do well enough. (failure)
He would promise me a raise.  (Intent is not expressed in the past tense.)	I would have gotten a raise, but our profits went down. (expectation lost)
When pressed, I wouldn't give in. (refusal)	I would have gotten my work done, but I didn't have enough time.   (excuse)

Related pages: Would ( preference, request, habit, excuse) |  Would vs Used to (habits)

Many people feel something should be done to protect the ozone layer before things reach a crisis

I've been a little bit concerned about him recently. He's been knocking around with some well known local criminals. to spend time with people as a friend

The two personal pronouns I and me are often used wrongly, usually in sentences in which Iis being used with another noun. Here are some tips to help you get it right:

• • Use the pronoun I, along with other subjective pronouns such as we, he, she, you, and they, when the pronoun is the subject of a verb:

Event Verb / State Verb

• English verbs can be placed in various classes depending on their meaning. In other words, they can be classified “semantically.” The most important of these classes are: event verbs and state verbs.

• Event verbs refer to events—happenings that begin and end at a definite time. For example, the verb build as it is used in the sentence Jack built a beautiful house by the beach is an event verb.

• State verbs refer to states—conditions or situations that are seen as not having any definite beginning or end; they are seen as permanent, in other words. For example, the verb own as it is used in the sentence Jack owns a beautiful house by the beach is a state verb.

• Some examples of event verbs: eat, break, fly, fall, begin, watch, boil, drink, explode, kick

• Some examples of state verbs: work, be, live, know, believe, contain, belong, matter, last, depend, deserve

• It is important for students, and teachers, of English to have an understanding of the distinction between event verbs and state verbs because without a grasp of this idea, it is difficult to understand or to explain the correct use of the basic verb tenses. For example:

(1) The present perfect is commonly used with state verbs and an adverbial referring to a period of time coming up to the present, as in Jack has worked for the same company for seventeen years. However, the present perfect of an event verb is not commonly used in this context and if it is, in a sentence like Jack has eaten in that restaurant for six years, there is an important change of meaning: the verb now refers, not to a constant state, but to a series of repeated events. (The present perfect continuous is more commonly used to express this sort of fact as in, Jack has been eating in that restaurant for six years.)

(2) State verbs are not normally used with any of the continuous tenses. In other words, they are "non-continuous" (or "non-progressive"). Sometimes, these non-continuous verbs can be put into a continuous tense, but when this happens there is a change in meaning as well as a change in tense. For example, Harry thinks reading books is a waste of time refers to Harry's permanent opinion but in Be quiet. Harry is thinking the verb refers to a temporary activity with a definite beginning and end.

Fuente: http://flesl.net/Grammar/Grammar_Glossary/eventVerb_stateVerb.php

Nunca te acostarás sin saber una cosa más:

Fuente: euroresidentes

"Difícil de precisar"

Better grammar sounds like a great idea, but better is tough to pin down.