What are they?

Modal verbs are verbs that behave in a way which is different from other verbs. Modal verbs tell you more about the verb, but unlike an adverb a modal verb further describes how the verb relates to the rest of the sentence. To put it more simply, the modal verb gives you a reason as to why the verb is important.

What kind of importance does it describe?

There are all kinds of different modal verbs which describe all different kinds of importance. You might allow something with a modal verb, you might describe it as being unnecessary, or even make it someone's obligation. There’s countless more examples, and I think it’s time we moved on to some examples.

“You can’t have the last slice of pizza”

In this sentence, the main verb is have and the modal verb is can’t. We are denying this individual the right or ability to take the verb have and apply it to the object pizza.

“You should get your eyes checked.”

In...

What are they and why should I care?

 Both infinitives and gerunds are when a verb is acting like a noun. An easy way to understand how grammar works in English is to ask what the word is doing, not what it is. We use words differently in different situations and this is a great example of that. Maybe you want to talk about your opinion on doing a particular verb, maybe you’re giving an explanation on how to do a particular verb. Both of these are why we use gerunds and infinitives.

How do they work?

Gerunds

 Gerunds and infinitives are similar in use, but are very different in how they’re made and they’re never used together. When using a gerund we end the verb with “-ing.” Examples of this would be “Walking, talking, and thinking.” You may be wondering “how do I know that this isn’t just the present continuous form of the verb?” The answer is as clear as whether or not there is a form of “be” with...

Then versus than

When you see the words “then” and “than,” you might think they’re pretty similar. If you were just talking about spelling, you’d be right. One thing to remember about English grammar however, is that it’s more about what the word is doing rather than how it looks. Both “then” and “than” are words that we use quite often in English, sadly they’re both misused just as often. To simplify the difference “then” is used to show a reaction or one event happening after another, “than” is used to show preference or to make a comparison.

Why does it matter?

One of the most common mistakes I’ve seen with these two words is accidentally saying they want to do or have everything rather than one particular thing. Here’s an example:

“I’d rather brush my teeth, then have coffee.”

In this sentence we’re saying that first I’ll brush my teeth, and...

What is an adverb?

 An adverb is a word which can describe a verb, but it can also modify an adjective. It may sound complicated because it’s so flexible, but that’s actually why we use them so much.

How can I use them with verbs?

 Two weeks ago we talked about verbs and what they are, adverbs tell us how. Adverbs are an opportunity for us to talk about the way in which something is done, whether that’s slowly, quickly, gracefully, or foolishly. There are countless more examples, and many of them end with the suffix -ly. One thing to remember about adverbs is that you want to put them as close to what you’re describing as possible.

Here’s an example:

“The idol sat silently in the ruins until it was found by the archeologist.”

 If you remember my first blog, an “idol” can be a symbol of something spiritual or divine. Moving on from that, our example “silently” can be understood by removing the -ly to...

What are adjectives?

 An adjective is a word used to describe or modify a noun. In the last blog we discussed nouns. In case you missed it or need a refresher, a noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.

What they are NOT

 An adjective cannot be used to describe a verb. Simply put, an adverb describes a verb. Additionally, an adjective cannot be used to describe another adjective. 

Where are they in a sentence?

 Normally adjectives can be found before the noun, but that isn’t always the case. Nouns can also link with verbs or after a stative verb. The latter is known as a predicate adjective.

 Here are some examples

• The wheels on that car look worn.
• That guy smells awful! 
• The happy dog wagged its tail.
• The bored lady checked her phone.

Yesterday’s verbs are today’s adjectives

 You may have noticed in that first example that I used the past tense form of the word “wear” to describe tires that have seen better days....

What is a Verb?

It’s what you do!

A verb is an action of some kind, it’s something which is done. This would be the doing of a noun. As we discussed in the previous blog, a noun a person, place thing or idea. The verb is what that noun is doing. You do verbs everyday, you awaken at some point. You eat food, you drink liquids. Words like awaken, eat, and drink are all verbs.

Lets do a quick review,

“Did you drink enough water today?”

 What is the verb in this question? If you said “drink” you’d be right, good job!

Let’s try one more,

 “Don’t tell her that I ate the last cookie!”

 This one has two verbs, can you tell me which words are the verbs? If you said “tell” and “ate” you’d be correct. Very good! You’ve got this!

Do I even need them?

 Sentences without verbs

 Sentences without verbs are rare, generally speaking you will need verbs to form a...

What is a noun?

Person, place, thing, or idea!

 When someone asks “what is that?” or “what are those?” We generally answer with a noun or a proper noun of some kind. A noun is just a the above describes, a person, place, thing, or idea.

 This can be just about anything you may have encountered. Shops, merchants, and buildings are nouns. Man, woman, and potato are also nouns. Nouns can also include animals and inanimate objects. Horse, donkey, and chair are nouns.

 Earlier I mentioned places. Examples of places which are nouns could be city, town, or lake. We can also get into specifics like I did earlier with shops but some more examples could be bathroom, bedroom, boardroom. These are all examples of concrete nouns, that is to say they’re nouns which we can taste, touch, hear, see, or smell.

Abstract Nouns

 Earlier I also mentioned ideas as nouns, but these are usually what we refer to as abstract nouns. These are nouns which you...

En el idioma siempre usamos diferentes tiempos que nos permiten expresar y describir situaciones, ideas, momentos, o historias con fluidez y sentido. Estos tiempos son el Pasado, El presente y El futuro. Por supuesto que cada uno tiene sus modos y estructuras, en este artículo veremos dos modos del tiempo futuro que nos servirán para dos usos diferentes y con distintas funcionalidades y reglas.

Will

Inicialmente, entendemos en español a Will como una Voluntad que tendrá siempre lugar en el tiempo futuro, será muy común ver la palabra “Will” como parte habitual de una oración que nos cuenta algo que aún no ha sucedido pero puede suceder. Es específicamente en el Futuro simple “Simple Future” donde el Will toma la forma para determinar situaciones en el futuro, siendo positivas, o negativas, o argumentativas.

Para tener una perspectiva más clara, el “Will”  tomará...

En la gramática existen distintos componentes que aportan diferentes estructuras, matices, y sentidos a una oración. Podemos identificar inicialmente los sujetos, verbos, y los complementos, y luego bien, habremos escuchado un poco sobre los adjetivos, sustantivos y por supuesto, los adverbios.

¿Cuáles son Los Adverbios en Inglés?

Los adverbios son aquellos verbos y/o adjetivos que han sido modificados o también informalmente dicho “alterados” para aportarle un sentido diferente al resto de una oración. Los adverbios nos suman precisión, información o bien una variable diferente que acomoda o cambia el significado de un verbo, o un adjetivo que componen a una oración. Estas determinaciones que se le dan a un adverbio se utilizan para adaptarse a una necesidad propia de cierta oración, y por eso se categorizan en diferentes clases de adverbios: Adverbios de Tiempo, Adverbios de Lugar,...

Diferentes Partes de Cada Persona y Cómo Podemos Describirlas

En primer lugar podemos categorizar las edades en Inglés, a alguien que tiene pocos meses y años de vida le llamamos BEBÉ –a baby- y podremos decir “A Little baby” Un pequeño bebé; podemos usar este término para una persona de cero a cinco años y puede ser usado para género femenino, masculino o no binario. Alguien que tiene entre seis y once años le podemos llamar NIÑO o NIÑA –a child- y podremos decir “A happy child” Un niño feliz, ó una niña feliz. Luego sí una persona tiene entre once y trece años le llamamos PRE-ADOLESCENTE –a preteen- y podríamos decir “A Smart preteen” Un pre-adolescente inteligente, este término también comprende a todos los géneros. Comprendemos ahora a alguien que oscila entre los trece y los...