PAST TENSES FOR DISTANCING

·                Past tenses are sometimes used instead of present tenses when we want to sound less direct, and therefore more polite. We use past tenses in this way when asking a question or making a request.

·                The past simple is used instead of the present simple.

Did you want to add anything to the discussion?

(=’do you want to …?’)

Did you have a particular present in mind?

(=’do you have … in mind?’)

·                The past continuous is used instead of the present continuous with verbs such as hope, think and wonder.

Were you hoping to travel to Scotland on this visit?

(=’are you hoping to …?’)

What were you thinking of buying Jack for his birthday?

(=’what are you thinking of …?’)

·                Sometimes a sentence beginning with a past tense for distancing purposes contains a second clause. If so, the verb in the second clause is usually in a present tense, because we are asking someone about a present or future situation.

Were you hoping to travel to Scotland while you’re visiting the UK?

NOT Were you hoping to travel to Scotland while you were visiting the UK?

·                Another way to use distancing language is to introduce a question or request with the verb wonder in the past continuous. The question or request can be direct or indirect. Direct questions must follow a colon.

I was wondering: is there a picnic area around here?

We were wondering if you want to travel with us.

·                In an indirect question following was I were wondering, we can use the past simple to add another layer of distancing.

We were wondering if you wanted to travel with us.

·                We can use wonder in the past simple too, but the verb in the indirect question is usually in the past simple.

We wondered if you wanted to travel with us.

MODALS FOR DISTANCING

·                The modal verbs could, would and might are sometimes used instead of present tenses when we want to make a question or request sound less direct.

Questions with modals do not use an auxiliary. The word order is indirect.

Could you tell me where the nearest bank is?

NOT Could you possibly tell me where is the nearest bank?

·                A more tentative way of making a request is could … possibly. We only use this when we think that our interruption may be unwelcome for a particular reason.

Could you possibly tell me how to get to the station from here?

·                We use would and might in requests and offers. Might is more tentative.

Would you be interested in our latest promotion? (offer)

Might you prefer to sit near the window? (offer)

Might you take your feet off the seat, please? (request)

·                We can use might in the first person to introduce an indirect question, in expressions such as Might I ask …?

Might I ask who your meeting is with?

·                Would can also be used before verbs of saying and thinking to make a statement sound more tentative and an instruction less direct.

I would think we’ll reach the hotel by five o’clock.

We would ask that guests requiring breakfast in their rooms Infor us by midnight.

·                We can use would, could and might after the verb wonder.

I was wondering if you could do something for me.

We wondered if you would/might give a donation to charity. 

WORDS ABOUT WORDS

·                Acronym: a word, phrase or name formed with the initial letters of the words it includes.

WWW – World Wide Web

UNESCO – United Nation Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization

MK – Michael Kors

·                Alliteration: repetition of the first consonant sounds of words in a sentence.

Four figs fell from the fat fig trees.

Betty bought a bit of butter.

She sell seashell on a sea shore.

·                Anagram: a word or phrase made by rearranging letters from another word or phrase.

Orchestra – Carthorse

Listen – Silent

Curt Poem – Computer

·                Cliché: a saying or expressiong that has been used so often it has lost its effect.

There’s no place like home.

as green as grass

as blue as sea

·                Simile: a comparison using like or as.

The cat stalked the mouse like a detective with a magnifying glass.

She is as beautiful as the flowers.

The watermelon is sweet like candy.

PHRASAL VERBS: BREAK

·                Broke down: to stop working

Our bus broke down two kilometers from the school.

The washing machine broke down an hour ago.

If my computer breaks down, I can’t work.

·                Broke away: to escape

The prisoner broke away from the policeman and ran off.

The spy succeeded in breaking away from the detective.

The criminal broke away from the jail last night.

·                Broke off: to come off or to come apart

I was eating when part of my front tooth broke off.

A tire break off from its car.

My grandfather false teeth break off due to laughing so hard.

·                Broke into: to enter by force

The thief broke into the jewelry shop on the corner.

My dad break into my apartment without my consent.

She decided to break into her boyfriend house to see what he is doing.

·                Broke out: to start

A fire broke out in the factory last night.

A fight was broke out by my best pal in our school.

The factory that broke out last night is my uncle’s.

·                Broke up: to break something into smaller pieces.

The workers broke up the pavement with a pneumatic drill.

My sister ask me to break up the biscuit into two parts.

The vase has been break up by my younger brother.

STATIVE VERBS

·           Stative verbs are verbs that describe states. These include verb related to the senses (feel, hear, see, smell, sound, taste) and other verbs such as believe, cost, hate, hear, like, know, matter, prefer, realize, understand, want.

·           The following are further examples of stative verbs:

Be, appear, astonish, concern, consist, deny, doubt, disagree, deserve, dislike, fit, impress, include, involve, include, lack, mean, need, owe, own, please, promise, realize, recognize, remember, suppose, surprise, wish

·           Stative verbs are usually used in the simple, not the continuous form.

For example:

Sports cars cost a lot of money.

We don’t understand the question.

Did you hear me?

·           Some stative verbs have a different, active meaning that can be used in the simple or continuous form. These include feel, have, look, see, smell, taste, think, weigh.

VERB	STATIVE MEANING (simple only)	ACTIVE MEANING (simple or continuous)
Feel	This material feels soft. (sense)	Are you feeling ok? (emotion)
Have	They have two houses. (own)	Jo’s having a shower. (activity)
Imagine	I imagine it is cold in Oslo. (suppose)	I’m imagining what I’d do with a million pounds. (think about)
Look	You look lovely. (appearance)	I’m looking at some photos. (see)
See	Can you see anything? (sense)	You’re seeing Mr Day at 3.00. (have a meeting)
Smell	Your hair smells nice. (sense)	I’m smelling the milk to see if it is ok. (activity)
Taste	This soup tastes watery. (sense)	I’m tasting the soup to check if I need to add salt. (activity)
Think	I think this one is better. (opinion)	I’m thinking of dying my hair. (consider a plan)
weigh	How much do you weigh? (weight)	They’re weighing the package to see how much it will cost to send. (activity)