Expressing Comparisons
Expressing Comparisons
1.
Comparatives are formed by either adding -er or -ier ( -ier
if the word ends in a y by changing the y to i and add -er)to
the end of a word.
2.
Add more or
less is: if the word is three or more syllables
3.
Superlatives
are formed by adding -est to the end of the word or by using most or
least before the word. The same syllable rule applies here in deciding to
use -est or most or least
4.
This rule is a
guide only and some words do not follow it.
·
Big – bigger –
the biggest
·
Small – smaller
– the smallest
·
Busy – busier –
the busiest
·
Wise – wiser-
the wisest
·
Beautiful –
more beautiful – the most beautiful
·
Diligent – more
diligent – the most diligent
·
Good – better -
the best
·
Bad – worse - the
worst
Ex:
A. Where do you think is the best place to go on a
vacation?
B.
Bali, without a
doubt.
A.
Why Bali?
B.
Because it has
the most beautiful beaches in the country.
A.
That may be
true, but it is also one of the most expensive places to vacation.
B.
What place do
you think is best?
A.
Lombok. Lombok
also has some great beaches, and it is less expensive.
B.
Maybe, but it
takes less time to get to Bali than Lombok.
A.
Maybe, but once
we get there we would have cleaner, fresher air to breath, unlike Bali. And the
streets are safer to walk on in Lombok.
B. I'll admit that's true.
Expressing
Prohibition
The act of prohibiting /no allowing/
forbidding something
- It is prohibited to ...
- You aren’t allowed to ...
- You mustn’t ...
- You aren’t permitted to ...
- It is forbidden to ...
Examples:
- Parking
is strictly prohibited in front of the
gate. (No Parking!)
- Students
are not allowed to come late to school.
- You
must not park your car here.
- It
is forbidden to walk on the grass.
- Smoking
is not permitted in the office. (No Smoking!)
·
Smoking is
prohibited in this area.
Expressing
obligation
In the present:
- I
have to finish my work today.
- You
have got to learn English if you want to study
in Australia.
- I
must see the doctor soon because I don't feel
well.
- It
is obligatory that you stop when the traffic
light turns red.
- It
is necessary that we take a taxi. We are late.
In the past:
- Last
month, I had to work extra hours to
pay my bills / studies.
In the future:
- You
will have to work harder if you want to pass
the exam.
The differences between “Have to” and “must” is that “have to”
indicates that someone else has imposed conditions on us.
The difference
between must / have to and should:
- Must / have to = 100% obligation.
Ex:
When the traffic light turns red,
you must stop.
- Should = 50% obligation. It's more an
advice than an obligation.
Ex:
You look tired. You should have a rest.
Asking for /
giving advice
Asking for advice:
I've got a toothache. What do you suggest? If I were you, I would
go to the dentist. / Any solution?
·
Why don't you go to the dentist?
·
You'd better brush your teeth regularly.
·
You should avoid eating sweets
My English is horrible and I think I should do something about it. What
do you advise me to do? / What should I do?
·
You'd better
start with taking lessons.
·
It might be a good idea to read more English books.
·
I advise you to listen to English conversations.
·
Have you thought about taking lessons?
Declining to give advice
- I
don't know what to advise, I'm afraid.
- I
wish I could suggest something, but I can't.
- I
wish I could help.
- I'm
afraid I can't really help you.
Complaining
Expressions of "displeasure or annoyance" in response to
an action that is seen by the speaker as unfavorable.
·
I have a complaint to make. Your salad is too salty.
·
I'm sorry to say this but your food is inedible.
·
I'm afraid I've got a complaint about your child. He's too noisy.
·
I'm afraid there is a slight
problem with the service in this shop.
·
Excuse me but you’re parking in front of my house.
·
I want to complain about the
noise you are making.
·
I'm angry about the way you treat me.
Responses
Positive
- I'm
so sorry. It will never occur / happen again.
- I'm
sorry, we promise never to do the same mistake again.
- I'm
really sorry; we'll do our best not to do the same mistake again.
Negative
- Sorry,
but there is nothing I can do about
it.
- I'm
afraid; there isn't much we can do about it.
- We
are sorry but the food is just alright.
- Sorry,
but I did nothing wrong.
Expressing
cause and effect
Talking about an effect resulting from a certain cause
Examples
- He is absent because he’s sick.
- I
was not there since I was too busy.
- She
can't read the letter as she is illiterate.
- He
can't run fast for he is too old.
- Owing to
his intelligence, he managed to solve the problem.
- Due to
the bad weather, we didn’t go for a picnic. / Due to his
laziness, he didn't pass the exam.
- The
cause of global warming is pollution. / Global warming is caused by / is
due to pollution.
- Thanks
to his hard work he passed the exam / he
succeed.
Notes
1.
Due to, because
of, owing to and thanks
to: followed by a noun.
2.
Because, since,
as,
for:
followed by a verb.
3.
Owing to
and due to are used
interchangeably by native speakers although some state that there is a
difference.
·
Due to: If you can use caused
by then you can also use due to: The cancellation of the
flight was due to (caused
by) high winds.
·
Owing to: If you can use because
of then you should use owing to rather than due to: The
flight was cancelled owing to (because
of) high winds.
Expressing
lack of understanding
·
Pardon?
·
Excuse me, but
I don’t understand.
·
I beg your
pardon, but I don't quite understand.
·
Excuse me; I'm
not quite sure I know what you mean.
·
I'm not quite
sure I follow you.
·
I don't quite
see what you mean.
·
I'm not sure I
got your point.
·
Sorry, I didn't
quite hear what you said.
·
Sorry, I didn't
get your point.
·
I don't quite
see what you're getting at.
Asking for
clarification
When you don't understand what someone has said, you can ask for
clarification using the following expressions:
- What
do you mean by...?
- Do
you mean...?
- Could
you say that again, please?
- Could
you repeat, please?
- Could
you clarify that, please?
- Would
you elaborate on that, please?
- Could
you be more explicit?
- Could
you explain what you mean by...?
- Could
you give me an example?
- I
wonder if you could say that in a different way.
- Could
you put it differently, please?
- Could
you be more specific, please?
Asking /
giving directions
Asking about
directions:
·
How can I get
to the bus station from here?
·
How can I get
to the town center?
·
Can you show me
the way to the nearest bank from here?
·
Can you tell me
how to get to . . . ?
·
Where is . . .
?
·
What's the best
way to get to . . . ?
·
Excuse me. Is there a grocery store around here?
Giving directions:
Prepositions
of location most commonly used when giving directions:
·
go
straight
go
to
turn
right
turn left
·
cross
on your
right
on your
left
beside
·
next
to
behind
across
from
in front of
·
Go straight on
·
Turn left/right
·
Take the first
(turning) to the left/right.
·
Go past the (restaurant/school)...
·
The ... is
beside/in front of/next to (the)...
·
Take this road go down there
·
Take the…( second on the right turn at the crossroads)
·
Continue straight ahead for about… (a mile)
·
Keep going for another… (two
hundred meters)
·
Yeah. There's … (one right across the street).
·
Sorry. I don't live around here.
It’ll be ... on your left / on your right /straight ahead of you.
How far is
it?
·
How far is it to the airport?
·
How far is it to the beach from here?
·
How far is it?
·
Is it far?
·
Is it a long way?
Responses
·
It’s not far.
·
Quite close.
·
Quite a long way.
·
A long way on foot. you
·
A long way to walk.
·
About a mile / 200 meters from here.
Ex:
A.
Excuse me! Excuse
me. Is there a post office around here?
B.
Go to the next
light and turn left. It’s on the right.
A.
Is it far?
B.
No, it’s about
200 m.
A.
Thank you. Have
a nice day!
B.
You’re welcome.
You too.
·
Really?
·
Indeed?
·
That’s very surprising.
·
What a surprise!
·
My goodness
·
I find that very surprising.
·
I must say it surprises me.
·
I find it extraordinary.
·
Did / do you?
·
Have you?
Ex 1:
A. There
is a new movie in cinema.
B. I've
seen that movie already.
A. Have
you?
B. Yes,
with my brother. He loves Jackie Chan.
Ex2:
A. Last
week, I was in Lombok, with my family.
B. Really?
A. Yeah,
it was a nice vacation.
Expressing Condolence
·
Please accept my/our sincere condolences.
·
I would like to express my sincere condolences on (the death
of................)
·
I am so sorry to hear about your loss.
·
I was heartbroken by this sad news.
·
I was shocked and saddened to hear about it.
Responses
·
Thank you for all the concerns and sympathies
·
Thank you for your care and love in this matter.
·
Thank you; it is greatly appreciated at this sad time.
Saying ‘good bye”
·
It's been nice talking to you.
·
Nice talking to you too.
·
(I'm sorry, but) I have to go now.
·
Good bye
·
Goodbye!
Have a fun journey.
·
See you later / soon.
·
Catch you later
So
long
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar