صفحات ۹۹ تا ۱۰۹

Note; To repair a watch is to put it in good condition again, but to correct a watch is to set it to the right time.

424 Dust for Cover with dust.

Don’t say: A sandstorm dusted our clothes. Say: A sandstorm covered our clothes with dust.

To dust doesn’t mean to cover with dust, but to remove dust from: After sweeping, she dusted the furniture.

425 Please for Ask or Thank.

Don’t say: I pleased him to do me a favour; or: I pleased him for his lovely present. Say: I asked him to do me a favour; and: I thanked him for his lovely present.

To please means to give pleasure to. I worked hard to please my teacher.

426 Could for Was able to.

Don’t say: Because Laura worked hard she could finish the job in time.

Say: Because Laura worked hard she was able to finish the job in time.

If the meaning is managed to or succeeded in doing, use was able to, and not could.

427 Learn for Teach.

Don’t say: Graham learned us how to play hockey. Say: Graham taught us how to play hockey.

Teach means to give instruction, learn means to receive instruction. He taught me English, and I learned it quickly.

428 Win or Beat.

Don’t say: We’ve always won your team.

Say: We”ve always beaten your team.

To win is to get something you wanted, to beat is to overcome an opponent: The girls beat the boys, and won the prize.

Remember: the principal parts of each verb: beat. beat. beaten. and win, won, won.

429 Accept for Agree.

Don’t say: The teacher accepted to go with us.

Say: The teacher agreed to go with us.

Accept means to take something that is offered to you. Maria accepted the bunch of flowers. It also means to believe something you’re told: Ken accepted his explanation. Agree to means to do what one is asked to do: David agreed to come to London on Monday but agree with means to have the same opinion as someone else. The Long family never agree with each other.

Note: We agree with a person, but to a thing. I agree with Luke, but I can’t agree to this plan.

430 Leave for Let.

Don’t say: Penny didn’t leave me to get my book. Say: Penny didn’t let me get my book.

Let means to allow. Leave means to abandon or to go away from: Do you leave your books at school?

431 Bring for Take.

Don’t say: The astronauts are bringing plants to the moon.

Say: The: astronauts are taking plants to the moon.

Using bring or take depends on where the speaker or doer is. We use bring for things coming to where we are and take for things going somewhere else: Take these cakes to your grandmother and bring (back) some flowers from her garden.

Note: To fetch means to go somewhere else and come back with something: Please fetch me a glass of water (means go and come back with a glass of water).

432 Drownfor Sink.

Don’t say: The ship drowned in the ocean. Say: The ship sank in the ocean.

To be drowned refers to living things, and means to die in water, to sink refers to people or things, and means to go down to the bottom of water.

433 See for Look.

Don’t say: Neil was seeing out of the window. Say: Neil was looking out of the window.

To see is to notice with the eyes, but to look is to direct the eyes in order to see: I looked up and saw the plane.

434 Hear for Listen.

Don’t say: I was hearing her CDs. Say: I was listening to her CDs.

To listen to may also mean to think carefully about what someone says: Gerry always listens to his mother.

435 Remember for Remind.

Don’t say: Please remember me to give it back. Say: Please remind me to give it back.

To remember is to have in mind: I remember what you told me. To remind is to make a person remember something.

436 Leave for Let go.

Don’t say: Leave the other end of the string. Say: Let go of the other end of the string.

Leave isn’t usually used in the sense of let go. but you will hear the idiom leave go in very informal English to mean let go.

437 Sleep for Go to Bed.

Don’t say: I’ll sleep early tonight.

Say: I’ll go to bed early tonight.

To ge to bed denotes the act of lying down on a bed in preparation for going to sleep, We can say that a person went to bed at nine o’clock, but that he didn’t sleep until eleven o’clock. Then he slept soundly. Go to sleep means to fall asleep: He went to sleep while he was in the cinema.

438 Be found for Be.

Don’t say: The man was found in his office.

Say: The man was in his office.

In English, the verb be found generally means he discovered: Diamonds are

found in Africa and in India. Therefore, He was found in his office would suggest that the man had hidden himself in his office and was later discovered.

439 Be with for Have.

Don’t say: My English book is with my brother. Say: My brother has my English book.

Avoid using be with in the sense of have. Be with means to be together or in company of: He is with his parents.

440 Take for Get.

Don’t say: Clare took a good mark in chemistry. Say: Clare got a good mark in chemistry.

To take means to obtain something intentionally or by force: I took a book from the library; The army took the city To get or to receive means to obtain something which is given such as a gift, a letter, money, or a mark in an exam.

441 Like for Want, etc.

Don’t say: Do you like to see my collection? Say: Do you want to see my collection?

Do you like to do something? means do you enjoy doing it as a habitual action. Do you want to do something? means do you wish to do it now.

Note: I would/’d like means I want: I would/’d like (means I want) to play tennis today. Would you like or do you want to go for a walk with me? Would/’d like is more polite than want.

442 Know for Learn, etc.

Don’t say: Dan went to school to know English. Say: Dan went to school to learn English.

Use know when learning is finished: She knows how to swim. Similarly, avoid using know to mean find out or realise.

443 Read for Study.

Don’t say: Lucy is reading algebra in her room. Say: Lucy is studying algebra in her room.

To study means to try to learn, to read doesn’t imply any effort. A student studies English, maths, history and other subiects, he/she reads a story, a letter, or a newspaper. She is reading for a degree is also correct.

444 Learn for Study.

Don’t say: Kevin is learning at Gordon College. Say: Kevin is studying at Gordon College.

The expression I learn at (Gordon College, etc.) is incorrect. Say I study at (Gordon College, etc.) or I am a student at (Gordon College, etc.).

445 Take for Buy.

Don’t say: I went to the baker’s to take bread. Say: I went to the baker’s to buy bread.

Never use take in the sense of buy.

446 Take out for Take off.

Don’t say: Chris took out his hat and coat. Say: Chris took off his hat and coat.

The opposite of put on is take off, and not take out.

447 Leave for Give up, etc

Don’t say: I’ve now left football.

Say: I’ve now given up football.

Or: I’ve now stopped playing football.

Never use leave in the meaning of give up, or stop something.

448 Symparthise for Like.

Don’t say: I don’t sympathise him very much.

Say: I don’t like him very much.

Sympathisse isn’t synonymous with like. To sympathise with means to share some feeling with another person: Isympathise with you in your sorrow.

449 Put for Keep.

Don’n say: Do you put your money in the bank? Say: Do you keep your money in the bank?

It’s better t:o use keep for a more or less permanent resting place, and put for a temporary one.

450 Care aibout, Care for, for Take care of.

Don’t say: Oliver cares about or cares for his brother’s investments.

Say: Oliver takes care of his brother’s investments.

Care about means to like and be concerned about something or someone. Take care of means to look after someone or something: You should take care of your children, or do something to remedy a problem: I think I should take care of that broken pane of glass. Care for means to look after: I cared for you when you were ill. Care for can also mean to be fond of someone or something: William really cares for geraniums, though this use is rather old-fashioned.

Note: Avoid also such expressions as: (1) He doesn’t care for my advice, (2) He doesn’t care for his work, (3) He took no care of him, (4) No one cared for him during his illness. Say: (1) He pays no attention to my advice, (2) He takes no care over his work, (3) He took no notice of him, (4) No one took care of him during his illness.

451 Let for Make (means to force).

Don’t say: The examiner let me sit quietly until everyone had finished.

Say: The examiner made me sit quietly until everyone had finished.

Don’t use let, in the sense of make, meaning to force.

452 Flown for Flowed.

Don’t say: The river has flown over its banks. Say: The river has flowed over its banks.

Flown is the past participle of fly, the past participle of flow ( to move as water) is flowed. The principal parts of the two verbs are: fly, flew, flown - flow, flowed, flowed.

Note: Flee, fled, fled is formal but we still use it to mean to run away: We flee from danger. Float, floated, floated means to stay on the surface of water or other liquid: Ships float on the water.

453 Fall for Fell.

Don’t say: John fall down and broke his leg. Say: John fell down and broke his leg.

The past tense of this verb is fell, not fall. It’s principal parts are fall, fell, fallen.

Note: Fell, felled. felled means to knock or cut down: The wood-cutter felled a large tree.

454 Found for Find.

Don’t say: Rosie tried to found her lost book. Say: Rosie tried to find her lost book.

To find is a very common verb meaning to get back a thing lost. It’s principal parts: find, found, found.

Note: There is, however, another verb to found, meaning to establish: He founded the school fifty years ago.

Have another look at …

Use of will and shall

The short form ‘ll can be used for both will and shall. We usually use the long form in writing and the short in speech, but when we are writing informally we also use the short form.

The future auxiliary will has several different meanings:

1 It can be used for things which we expect to happen: He(‘ll) will speak to you about it tomorrow.

2 It can be used as a conditional with an if or whether clause: Jane will give you a lift if you need one.

3 We use will or shall for requests and offers: Will you help me sort out these books?

4 When will is stressed it often means that someone insists on or persists in doing something: Barry will keep handing in his homework late.

5 Shall is always used in the first person in the question form: Shall I leave the door open? Shall we have lunch now?

6 Shall is sometimes used in modern English with the first person (I or we) when we are speaking or writing formally: We shall never forget your kindness. Shall isn’t generally used in other contexts nowadays, though it used to be quite common.

Adverbs often confused

455 Very and Too.

(a) Very.

Don’t say: It’s too hot in Rome in the summer. Say: It’s very hot in Rome in the summer.

(b) Too. Don’t say: It’s now very hot to play football. Say: It’s now too hot to play football.

Very simply makes the adjective or adverb stronger. Too means more than enough, or so much that something else happens as a result.

456 Very and Much.

(a) Very.

Don’t say: He’s a much strong man. It’s a much interesting book. Say: He’s a very strong man. It’s a very interesting book.

(b) Much.

Don’t say: He’s very stronger than I am. Say: He’s much stronger than I am.

Use very with adjectives and adverbs in the positive, and with present participles used as adjectives like interesting, Use much with comparatives.

457 Too much for Very much.

Don’t say: She likes the cinema too much. He’s too much stronger than I am. Say: She likes the cinema very much. He’s very much stronger than I am.

Use very much instead of much for greater emphasis. Too much denotes an excessive quantity or degree: She ate too much, and felt ill.

458 Beforer for Ago.

Don’t say: I saw your friend before two weeks.

Say: I saw your friend two weeks ago.

We use ago in counting from the time of speaking to a point in the past: half an hour ago. three days ago, four months ago, five years ago, a long time ago. We use before in counting from a distant to a nearer point in the past: Napoleon died in 1821, he had lost the battle of Waterloo six years before.

Note: When we use ago, the verb is always in the simple past tense: He came five minuires ago.

459 Hardly for Hard.

Don’t say: She rubbed her eyes hardly. Say: She rubbed her eyes hard.

Hard means severely. Hardly means not quite or scarcely: The baby can hardly walk.

460 No so lfor Not very.

Don’t stay: I hear that he’s not so rich. Say: I hear that he’s not very rich.

We can’t use not so in the sense of not very, The expression He’s not so rich implies a comparison: He’s not so rich as you are.

461 just now for Presently, etc.

Don’t say: The messenger will arrive just now. Say: The messenger will arrive presently.

If we are speaking of a near and immediate future time, we must use presently, immediately, in a minute, or soon, Just now refers to present or past time, and not to future time. He’s not at home just now ( at this moment), He /eftjust now ( a little time ago).

462 Presently for At present.

Don’t say: His uncle is in London presently. Say: His uncle is in London at present.

At present and presently are not synonymous. At present means now, but presently means soon: She will come back presently.

463 Scarcely for Rarely.

Don’t say: Zoe scarcely comes to see me now. Say: Zoe rarely comes to see me now.

Scarcely isn’t synonymous with rarely. Rarely means not often. scarcely means not quite. I had scarcely finished when he came.

464 Lately for Late.

Don’t say: Last night I went to bed lately. Say: Last night I went to bed late.

The opposite of early is late, not lately. Lately means in recent times: I haven’t been there lately.

Adjectives often confused

465 Many and Much.

(a) Many.

Don’t say: My brother hasn’t much books. Say: My brother hasn’t many books.

(b) Much.

Don’t say: Is there many dust in the room? Say: Is there much dust in the room?

Use many with plural nouns: many books or many boys. Use much with uncountable nouns: much water or much bread.

Note: In affirmative sentences many and much are generally replaced by a lot (oil. a great deal (on, plenty (of). a good deal (of), a good many (of). a great number (of). a large quantity (of), etc.