February 29th, 2008

Say and tell have similar meanings. They both mean to communicate verbally with someone. But we often use them differently.

The simple way to think of say and tell is:

• You say something
• You tell someone something

But, of course, it is not always so easy. Here are a few rules to help you.

Personal object
We usually follow tell with a personal object (the person that we are speaking to). We usually use say without a personal object:

• She told me that she loved John.
• She said that she loved John.
• He told everybody that he had to leave.
• He said that he had to leave.

Say “to someone”
With say, we sometimes use “to someone”:

• He said to me that he was tired.
• Tara said to Ram that he had done very well.
• Anthony said to her, “I hope you come soon.”
• “I’d like to sleep,” she said to him quietly.

Direct speech
We can use say with direct speech. We use tell only with direct speech that is an instruction or information:

• Amanda said, “Hello John. How are you?”
• “That’s great’” she said.
• He told her: “Open the door quietly.”
• She told me, “I have never been to England.”

We can use say with direct questions, but we cannot use tell:

• She said: “Do you love me?”
• The policeman said to the prisoner, “Where were you at 8pm?”

Reported speech
We can use say and tell to talk about reported information:

• She said that it was raining.
• She told me that she would call at 2pm.

We cannot use say or tell to talk about reported questions. We must use ask (or a similar verb):

• She asked if I had ever been there.
• They asked what I wanted to eat.
• She asked where he lived.
• He asked if she wanted to go home.

Orders, advice
We use tell + object + infinitive for orders or advice:

• She told him to sit down.
• They told me not to wait.
• Tell Neil to have a holiday and forget her.

Phrases
Here are a few fixed phrases with tell. We cannot use say with these phrases:

• tell (someone) a story
• tell (someone) a lie
• tell (someone) the truth
• tell the future (= to know what the future will bring)
• tell the time (= know how to read a clock)

Right and wrong
Read these examples of correct and incorrect usage:

February 28th, 2008

When you ask someone to do something for you, or ask if you can do something, it’s important to sound polite. Here are some of the common ways that you can do this.

Asking someone to do something for you

“Could you open the door for me, please?”

“Would you mind opening the door for me, please?”

“Can you open the door for me, please?’

Speaking tip: could and can are followed by the verb without to. Would you mind is followed by the verb and -ing.

Asking if you can do something

“Can I use your computer, please?”

“Could I borrow some money from you, please?”

“Do you mind if I turn up the heating?”

“Would you mind if I turned up the heating?”

Speaking tip: Could is more polite that can.

Do you mind if…” is followed by the verb in the present tense, but would you mind if… is followed by the verb in the past tense.

When you’re using these two sentences, don’t use please. It’s already polite enough!

February 27th, 2008

Question tags are used to encourage someone to carry on talking. We use these question tags when we want to ask a question, or if we want someone to agree with us.

She doesn’t like swimming, does she?
(No, she doesn’t.)

He can’t cook, can he?
(No he can’t.)

He’s interesting, isn’t he?
(Yes, he is.)

We’ve been here before, haven’t we?

How to make question tags

To make a question tag, use the auxiliary verb (if there is one) in the sentence.

She doesn’t like… (doesn’t is the auxiliary)

He can’t cook… (can’t is the auxiliary)

He’s interesting… (is is the auxiliary)

We’ve been here… (have is the auxiliary)

Negative and positive tags

If the auxiliary is negative, the tag is positive.

NEGATIVE
She doesn’t like…

…does she?
POSITIVE

If the auxiliary is positive, the tag is negative.

POSITIVE
He’s interesting…

…isn’t he?
NEGATIVE

No auxiliary?

If there isn’t an auxiliary in the verb, use the right form of ‘do’ instead.

He likes tennis, doesn’t he?

You saw her last week, didn’t you?

We don’t know that for a fact, do we?

Pronunciation

If your voice goes up on the tag, you make a question. If your voice drops on the tag, then you aren’t making a question, but you are asking someone to agree with you.

February 26th, 2008

Direct questions - yes/no questions

1. He likes swimming.
2. He can swim long distances.
3. He is a good swimmer.

To make sentence 1 into a question, you need to add does. The does goes before he.

Does is only used if the subject is he, she or it - in all other cases, use do.

The verb like goes after the subject, but it doesn’t have an ’s’ on the end.

Remember: after auxiliary verbs (like do, does, have, can, etc.) the verb is in the infinitive, without ‘to’.

“Does he like swimming?” Not “Does he likes swimming?” or “Do he like swimming?”

If the sentence is in the past tense (he liked swimming), we use the past form of ‘do’ or ‘does’, which is did. The verb ‘like’ is still in the infinitive without ‘to’.

For example, “Did he like swimming?” Not “Did he liked swimming?”

To make sentence 2 into a question, you don’t need to use ‘does’ because you already have an auxiliary verb - can. So you put the can before he.

“Can he swim long distances?” Not “Can swim he long distances?” or “Does he can swim long distances?”

To make sentence 3 into a question, use is as the auxiliary.

“Is he a good swimmer?” Not “Does he is a good swimmer?” or “Does he be a good swimmer?”

Direct questions - “wh” questions

What is your name?
Why do you want this job?
How much do you earn?
How soon can you start?
When did you see the advertisement?
Where do you live?
Which newspaper did you see the advertisement in?
Who gave you my name?

After the “wh word” (what, why, how, when, etc) comes the auxiliary (do, does, did or can), then the subject (you) , then the rest of the question.

Note: if ‘who’, ‘which’ or ‘what’ are the subject of the question, you don’t need an auxiliary.

For example, “What happened?” Not “What did happen?” The thing that happened is what - the subject of the question.

“Who saw you?” Someone saw you - who was it?

Compare with “Who did you see?” You saw someone - who was it?)

“Which company made a profit?” A company made a profit - which company was it?

Compare with “Which company did you work for?” You worked for a company - which one was it?

Indirect questions

If you want to ask a question that is quite sensitive, try using one of the indirect phrases below:

Can you tell me…
Could you tell me…
I’d be interested to hear…
I’d like to know…
Would you mind telling me…

These questions are followed by either about, a “wh word” or if. Then you add the subject, then the sentence.

You don’t need an ‘auxiliary’, such as ‘do’, ‘does’, ‘did’, or ‘can’.

“Can you tell me what you like most about your present job?” Not “Can you tell me what do you like?”

“I’d be interested to hear about your experiences.”

“Would you mind telling me if you have applied for a similar position before?”

Frebruary 25th, 2008

Vocabulary for making telephone calls in English.

Social talk on the phone

If you know the person, or have spoken before, it’s normal to chat for a few seconds before saying why you are calling.

You: “Hello, this is (Tom McIvor) speaking.” or “Hello, this is (Tom McIvor).”

You might also want to add your company name: “This is (Tom McIvor) from (McIvor Worldwide).”

The other person: “Hello, how are you?”

You: “Fine, thanks. And you?”

The other person: “Very well, thanks.”
or “Not bad.”
or “Can’t complain.”
or “A bit busy” etc.

You: “Oh good.”
or “Oh right.”
or “Glad to hear that.”

If someone asks you how you are, respond (positively!) and return the question. This social talk can be extended. You could ask about a project you know the person is working on, or a mutual friend, or the person’s family.

You: “Hello, this is (Tom McIvor). How are you?”

Other person: “Fine, and yourself?”

You: “Fine, thanks. How’s the restructuring going?”

Other person: “Well, we’re pretty busy, as you can imagine.”

You: “Yes, I can! Anyway, I’m calling about…”

To introduce the subject of your call, you can use words such as ‘anyway’, or ‘well’, or ‘right’.

Remember, if you haven’t spoken to the person before, or don’t know them, then social talk is inappropriate - get straight to the reason for your call.

Calling someone you don’t know

Perhaps a colleague has asked you to call someone. You don’t know the person, so you should introduce yourself and mention your colleague’s name.

You: “Hello, this is (Sarah Brown) calling, from (McIvor Worldwide).”

Other person: “Hello, what can I do for you?”
or “Hello, how can I help you?”

You: “I’m calling on behalf of (Tom McIvor)…”
or “(Tom McIvor) suggested that I call you.”
or “(Tom McIvor) asked me to call you.”

Remember…

* try to speak clearly and don’t be afraid to speak more slowly than normal.

* think about what you want to say before calling.

* don’t be afraid to ask your caller to repeat themselves if you don’t understand. You can say, “I’m sorry, could you repeat that please?” or “Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”

What to say when there’s a problem

When you can’t hear someone

“I’m sorry, could you speak up, please?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t hear you very well.”

“I’m sorry, the line’s bad - could you repeat what you just said?”

When you don’t understand what someone says

“I’m sorry, I didn’t get that. Could you say it again, please?”

“I’m afraid I don’t follow you. Could you repeat it, please?”

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure I understand. Would you mind explaining it again, please?”

When you want to correct what the other person has said

“Actually, it’s 16, not 60.” (Stress the two words where there is confusion - in this example the 16 and the 60.)

“I’m sorry, but I think there’s been a misunderstanding. The payment’s due next week, not next month.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s not quite right..” (When you refer back to what someone has just said. You then go on to say what IS right.)

Checking that you understand something

“So if I understand you correctly…”

“When you say… do you mean…?”

February 22nd , 2008

Useful vocabulary for making telephone calls in English.

Spelling

If you need to spell your name, or take the name of your caller, the biggest problem is often saying vowel sounds:

‘a’ is pronounced as in ‘may’
‘e’ is pronounced as in ‘email’ or ‘he’
‘i’ is pronounced as in ‘I’ or ‘eye’
‘o’ is pronounced as in ‘no’
‘u’ is pronounced as ‘you’

Saying consonants
‘g’ is pronounced like the ‘j’ in ‘jeans’
‘j’ is pronounced as in ‘DJ’ or ‘Jane’
‘w’ is pronounced ‘double you’
‘x’ is pronounced ‘ex’
‘y’ is pronounced ‘why’
‘z’ is pronounced ‘zed’ (rhymes with ‘bed’ in British English), or ‘zee’ (rhymes with ’sea’ in American English).

Tip: Keep a note of how you say these letters by your telephone.

Giving numbers

Here’s a phone number: 0171 222 3344

And here’s how to say it:
“Oh-one-seven-one, triple two, double three, double four.”

OR

“Zero-one-seven-one, triple two, double three, double four.”

Pausing
When you say a seven digit number, separate the number into two blocks of three and four, pausing after each block.

Each digit is spoken separately, unless it’s a double or triple. If the second part of the number was ‘5555′, you’ll probably find it easier to say ‘double five - double five’.

Saying email addresses

@ is pronounced ‘at’. For instance, caimin@clara.net is “caimin, at, clara, dot, net”.

/ is “forward slash”.

- is called a “hyphen” or a “dash”.

_ is an “underscore”.

Example telephone dialogues

Here are examples of typical telephoning language:

Getting through

You: “Can I speak to (Mr Smith), please?” or “Is (Mr Smith) there, please?”

Receptionist: “May I ask who’s calling?” or “Could I have your name, please?”

You: “Yes, this is Tom McIvor speaking.”

Many British people don’t identify themselves when they make or receive a phone call. Even at home, they normally pick up the phone and say “Hello”. But they won’t be offended if you ask for their name.

Leaving or taking a message

Receptionist:

“I’m afraid Mr Smith is…
… out of the office today.”
… off sick today.”
… in a meeting.”
… on holiday.”
or “I’m afraid his line is engaged.”

“…Would you like to leave a message?”

You: “Could you ask him to call me back?” or “Could you ask him to return my call?”

Receptionist: “Does he have your number?” or “What’s your number, please?”

The receptionist uses “I’m afraid” or “I’m sorry” if he or she can’t connect you.

If the receptionist doesn’t offer to take a message, you can ask to leave one.

You: “Could I leave a message, please?”

Receptionist: “Yes, certainly.” or “Yes, of course.”

February 21st ,2008

High Speed One opens

A new high speed rail link between London and Paris has brought the two capitals closer together, shaving 20 minutes off the journey time. The link that starts at London’s St Pancras station also cuts 25 minutes off the journey time to Brussels.

The French opened their stretch of the high speed line back in 1993, a year before the tunnel under the English Channel itself opened. The high speed line to Brussels was finished in 1997; and now, ten years after that, Britain has finally caught up with its 12 billion dollar line High Speed One.

At 11:01 the First Eurostar, named “Tread Lightly” to emphasise the environmental advantage of rail travel, edged smoothly out of the station heading for Paris. Just minutes later, the first fast train arrived from Brussels and passengers spilled out onto the platform to give their first impressions of the journey:

PASSENGERS: Great, yeah, very fast and… it’s fantastic. Great, you said right - it was a wonderful journey.

But much of the excitement here has focused not on the fast links to Europe but on the lovingly refurbished Victorian train-shed - a jewel from the age of steam - now sporting what claims to be the longest champagne bar in Europe, and it sits under what was when built the largest single span roof in the world.

But most of Britain’s mainline trains trundle along at nothing like the 186 miles per hour of the Eurostar. Rail enthusiasts are already asking, if this is High Speed One, when will there be a High Speed Two? The answer is still, no time soon.

caught up with
here, got, received (’to catch up’ means to do something you couldn’t do earlier)

Tread Lightly
behave carefully to avoid upsetting or causing offence to anyone or anything (here, to be environmentally friendly)

to emphasise the environmental advantage of rail travel
to make sure people understand that taking a train causes less harm to the environment than some other means of transportation, e.g. an airplane

edged smoothly out of
left/departed from with no interruption or difficulty

heading for
going to

spilled out
came out (here, of the train) in large numbers

lovingly refurbished
rebuilt and redecorated by builders with fondness

a jewel from the age of steam
a unique and remarkable building that was built when trains were still powered by steam engines

sporting
featuring, having

trundle along at nothing like
move at speeds far less than

February 20th, 2008

Fractions

We say fractions like this:
1/6 one sixth 2/9 two ninths 3/5 three fifths 9/14 nine fourteenths

We use a singular verb after fractions below 1
Two thirds of a kilo is not enough.

We use a plural noun with fractions and decimals over 1
One and a half hours
1.6 millimetres

Decimals

We say decimal fractions like this:
0.65 zero point six five 4.2 four point two

Percentages

Read percentages as the number followed by ‘percent’
37% thirty seven percent

0

The figure 0 is usually called nought in British English and zero
in American English.

When we say numbers one at a time, 0 is often called oh (like the
Letter o).

The order number is five seven oh four.

In temperature measurements, 0 is called zero.

Last night the temperature was zero degrees centigrade.

Zero scores in team games are called nil ( American zero)

Argentina won the game 2 – 0 (two nil) (American two zero)

Don’t forget the famous spy James Bond 007 ( double o seven)!

Measurements

We use be in measurements

It is three metres high. She is sixty kilos. What shoe size are you?

Telephone numbers

We say each number separately. When the same number is repeated, we usually say double or triple.

499 3577 four double nine three five double seven
0171 222 3344 oh-one-seven-one, triple two, double three, double four

Pausing

When you say a seven digit number, separate the number into two blocks of three and
four, pausing after each block.

Each digit is spoken separately, unless it’s a double or triple. If the second part of the
number was ‘5555′, you’ll probably find it easier to say ‘double five - double five’.

And

In British English we use and between the hundreds and the tens in a number.

280 two hundred and eighty (American two hundred eighty).
4,862 four thousand, eight hundred (and) sixty two.

Plurals without -s

After a number or determiner, hundred, thousand and million have no final –s.

Four thousand euros but thousands of euros
Many hundred times but hundreds of times

Numbers as adjectives

When expressions of measurement, amount and quantity are used as adjectives, they are singular.

a two-kilometre walk a four-year-old girl a 20-euro note

We can use possessives in expressions of time.

a weeks’ work two days’ journey

Dates

1 Writing

A common way to write the day’s date is like this:

20 October 2007 31 December 1999

It could also be written:

20th October, 2007 October 20(th) 2007 20-10-2007

In British and American English ‘all figure’ dates are written differently: British puts the day first, American puts the month first.

7-4-2005 = 7 April in British, 4 July in American

2 Speaking

20 October 2007 = (British) The twentieth of October two thousand and seven.

(American) October twentieth two thousand-seven.

Listen to the article again to see how many numbers are used and if it is British or American English.

Download sound here

The car has become a big part of our daily lives. The biggest developments in car making were made by Henry Ford for the Ford Motor Company. It was on this day October 1st 1908, that Henry Ford introduced his model T which changed the way we travel, work and live.

Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile changed transportation and American industry. He was a prolific inventor and was awarded 161 U.S. patents. As owner of the Ford Company he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. He created “Fordism”, that is, the mass production of large numbers of inexpensive automobiles using the assembly line which could finish a car in 98 minutes, and also high wages for his workers—especially the $5.00 per day pay he introduced in 1914.

• Founder - one who starts a company.
• Assembly line - an arrangement of workers, machines, and equipment in which the product being assembled passes consecutively from operation to operation until completed.
• Mass production - the production of large amounts of standardized products on assembly lines.
• Prolific - producing a lot of works or results.
• Award - something given for victory or superiority in a contest or competition.
• Patent - a document granting an inventor rights to an invention.

Ford was born on July 30, 1863, on a farm next to a small town west of Detroit, Michigan. His father, William Ford, was born in County Cork, Ireland. His mother, Mary Litogot Ford, was born in Michigan; she was the youngest child of Belgian immigrants.
Henry took this passion about mechanics into his home. His father had given him a pocket watch in his early teens. At fifteen, he had a reputation as a watch repairman, having dismantled and reassembled timepieces of friends and neighbours many times.
In 1891, Ford became an engineer with the Edison Illuminating Company, and after his promotion to Chief Engineer in 1893, he had enough time and money to devote attention to his personal tests on gasoline engines. These tests ended in 1896 with the completion of his own self-propelled vehicle named the Quadricycle, which he test-drove on June 4. After many test-drives, Henry Ford thought of ways to improve the Quadricycle.

• Passion - strong feeling or emotion.
• Mechanics - design, construction, and use of machinery or mechanical structures.
• Teens - the time of life between the ages of 12 and 20.
• Reputation - the general opinion that the public has for a person.
• Dismantle - take off or remove.
• Reassemble - to fit or join the parts of (something) together again.
• Promotion - progress, growth.
• Devote - to give or apply (one’s time, attention, or self) entirely to a particular activity, cause, or person.
• Self-propelled – having the ability to move alone.

At age 40, Ford, with 11 other investors and $28,000, started the Ford Motor Company in 1903. In a newly-designed car, Ford gave an exhibition on the ice of Lake St. Clair, driving one mile (1.6 km) in 39.4 seconds, setting a new land speed record at 91.3 miles per hour (147.0 km/h). Convinced by this success, the race driver Barney Oldfield, took the car around the country, making the Ford brand known around the United States.
Ford surprised the world in 1914 by offering a $5 per day wage which more than doubled the rate of most of his workers.
The Model T was introduced on October 1, 1908. It had many important innovations—such as the steering wheel on the left, which every other company soon copied. The entire engine and gearbox were enclosed.

• Invest - to commit money hoping to gain a financial return.
• Exhibition - a public showing.
• Record - the known history of performance, activities, or achievement.
• Convinced - very sure.
• Double - to make twice the size.
• Innovation - something introduced for the first time.
• Steering wheel - a wheel that controls the course of a boat or automotive vehicle.
• Copy - an imitation or reproduction of an original.
• Gearbox - an automotive assembly of gears and associated parts by which power is transmitted from the engine to a driving axle.

The car was very simple to drive, and—more importantly—easy and cheap to fix. It was so cheap at $825 in 1908 (the price fell every year) that by the 1920s a majority of American drivers learned to drive on the Model T.
Always looking for more good production and lower costs, in 1913 Ford introduced the moving assembly belts into his plants, which enabled an enormous increase in production.
By 1918, half of all cars in America were Model T’s. As Ford wrote in his autobiography, “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black”. Until the development of the assembly line which used black because of its quicker drying time, Model T’s were available in other colours including red. The design was passionately promoted and defended by Henry Ford, and production continued as late as 1927; the final total production was 15,007,034. This was a record which stood for the next 45 years.
In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson personally asked Ford to run for the United States Senate. Although the nation was at war, Ford ran as a peace candidate and was a strong supporter of the suggested League of Nations. In December 1918, Henry Ford turned the presidency of Ford Motor Company over to his son Edsel Ford. Henry, however, kept final decision authority. Henry and Edsel bought all other parts from other investors, giving the family ownership of the company.

• Autobiography - the biography of a person written by that person.
• Candidate - a person who seeks or is nominated for an office, prize, or honour.
• Ownership - the state or fact of being an owner.

By the mid-1920s, sales of the Model T began to go down because of rising competition. Other auto makers offered payment plans through which customers could buy their cars, which usually included more modern mechanical features and style not available with the Model T. Despite pressure from Edsel, Henry refused to add new features into the Model T or to form a customer payment plan.
By 1926, slowing sales of the Model T finally convinced Henry to make a new model car. Henry entered the project with a great deal of technical experience in design of the engine, chassis, and other mechanical parts, while leaving the body design to his son.

• Feature - a prominent or distinctive aspect, quality, or characteristic.
• Payment plan - a credit system by which payment is made in small amounts over a fixed period of time.
• Chassis – the part that holds the body and motor together

Henry Ford was a pioneer of “welfare capitalism” designed to employ and keep the best workers . On January 5, 1914 Ford announced his five-dollar per day program. The revolutionary program called for a lowering in the length of the workday from 9 to 8 hours, a 5 day work week, and a raise in minimum daily pay from $2.34 to $5.
Ford had been criticized by businesses for starting the 40 hour work week and a minimum wage. He showed, however, that paying people more would enable Ford workers to afford the cars they were producing and so be good for the economy. Ford called the higher compensationprofit-sharing rather than wages.

• Pioneer - one who opens up new areas of thought, research, or development.
• Welfare capitalism - the practice of businesses providing services to employees.
• Announce - to make known publicly.
• Program - a system of services, opportunities, or projects, usually designed to meet a social need.
• Revolutionary – making a big change.
• Criticize – To find a problem with.
• Minimum wage - the lowest hourly, daily or monthly wage that employers may legally pay to employees or workers.
• Enable – make possible.
• Compensation - Something, such as money, given or received as payment or reparation, as for a service or loss.
• Profit-sharing - various plans introduced by businesses that give direct or indirect payments to employees that depend on company’s profits in addition to employees’ regular salary and bonuses.