Common Mistakes/Common Mistakes 8

Academic English Structures - Common Mistakes.

The following are examples from students’ essays. Re-write them correctly. The number in brackets indicates how many mistakes or problem areas there are.

1) It is the danger for old people that they may become deaf. (two)

Please write your answer here:[ANSWER]

2) I have nearly never seen things of this type advertised on internet. (two) [ANSWER]



3) The type of features are used by this system are easily described. (one) [ANSWER]

4) It will make the users to touch the cellphones screen by mistake and not let them to operate successfully. (three) [ANSWER]

5) Most users are preferred this model, as shown in the chapter 2. (two) [ANSWER]

Do you need some hints and clues (pieces of helpful information)? Then scroll down...................

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Hints and clues:

1) It is the danger for old people that they may become deaf. (two)

1) "It" is a "backward reference" and must refer to something we have already talked about. What could be used instead?

Also:

There is a definite article ("the") used here in a situation where the indefinite article would probably be more usual. [ANSWER]

.

2) I have nearly never seen things of this type advertised on internet. (two)

2) "nearly never" is not an acceptable collocation. Use a suitable collocation with "ever".

Also:

Look for a problem connected with articles. [ANSWER]

.

3) The type of features are used by this system are easily described. (one)

3) Note, "subject + are used + are described" is not possible. The first verb needs to be included in a "defining relative clause": that is one which tells us what type of features are being talked about. A defining relative clause needs to start with a "w...." word, and is not marked by any sort of punctuation (unlike a "non-defining relative clause", which gives us extra information and is separated off by commas [, ,] or dashes [- -] or brackets [()].[ANSWER]

.

4) It will make the users to touch the cellphone's screen by mistake and not let them to operate successfully. (three)

4) What pattern is usually used with verbs "make" and "let"? Do they go with a gerund or an infinitive? What is unusual about them?

Also:

"operate", as it is used here, is a transitive verb, which needs an object, so.....? [ANSWER]

.

5) Most users are preferred this model, as shown in the chapter 2. (two)

5) Who performs the main verb here? If you know this, you know whether the verb should be active or passive voice.

Also:

When you use a number, you generally don't need an article. [ANSWER]

When you've rewritten the sentences, check further down the page to see if they're the same as the suggested answers..............

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Answers:

1) It is the danger for old people that they may become deaf.

1) There is a danger for old people that they may become deaf.

Note:

"There" acts as an artificial subject for purposes of correct grammar. It does not reference forwards or backwards, unlike "it". Also there are (unfortunately) many dangers for old people, and becoming deaf is only one of them. So use "a", meaning "one".

2) I have nearly never seen things of this type advertised on internet.

2) I have hardly ever seen things of this type advertised on the internet.

Note:

"Hardly ever" is a common collocation. "Almost never" is also possible. Also "internet" for "the internet" is a very common error.

3) The type of features are used by this system are easily described.

3) The type of features which are used by this system are easily described.

Or :

The type of features used by this system are easily described.

Note:

"used" can be substituted for "which are used". The past participle or the present participle can both be used in this way. For examples of the present participles used similarly, see the examples in the gap fill exercise further down the page.

4) It will make the users to touch the cellphone's screen by mistake and not let them to operate successfully.

4) It will make the users touch the screen by mistake and not let them operate it successfully.

Note:

The grammar pattern is "make + object + naked infinitive". The verbs "let" and "help" can be used in the same way. "Help" can sometimes be used with a full infinitive. Also the verb "operate" must have an object. You must operate something.

5) Most users are preferred this model, as shown in the chapter 2.

5) Most users (-) preferred this model, as shown in (-) chapter 2.

Note:

The noun before the verb (most users) performs the verb, so the verb should be in the active voice. See "General Grammar Exercises" for more on active and passive voices. Also "the" isn't needed because we have "2" to identify the chapter.

Photo Album:


Can you supply the missing words?

This picture by Banksy (Royal Gallery Bristol, August 2009) shows a small boy ___________ (what is he doing?) two overweight tourists in a ____________ . The couple, ____________ and ____________ photos (what two things are they doing?), are shown in colour, __________ contrasts with the colourless world __________ which the boy is forced to live.






Suggested answers:


This picture by Banksy (Royal Gallery Bristol, August 2009) shows a small boy pulling two overweight tourists in a carriage (or "rickshaw"). The couple, smiling (or grinning) and taking photos, are shown in colour, which contrasts with the colourless world in which the boy is forced to live.


Grammar Note

pulling - short form of "who is pulling"

carriage - used for transporting people. A cart is used for moving things. A carriage pulled by a person often has the specialist name of "rickshaw")

smiling (or grinning) - short form of "who are smiling"

taking - short form of "who are taking"

which - a link which provides a noun for the verb "contrasts". Writing a verb without an associated subject is a common mistake.

in - preposition + which is often needed. For example in which, on which, through which.







Do you get it?








Vocabulary:

chauffeur - driver (for a rich person?). It's a French word.

mayor - most senior (important) official position in a town

vintage - very old (car)

a mile - a measure of distance (1.609344 kilometers!)

wail of sirens - (noise made by) warning device on a police car, ambulance, etc.

to pull over - to go to the side of the road and stop your car (see also: pull off - start moving / pull up - stop moving / pull out - move into the road and join the traffic)

to do a double take - to look twice, suggesting you can't quite believe what you saw the first time

reckless - very careless

Chief Constable - most senior policeman in a district or county

good grief! - expression of surprise






The royal chauffeur went to Buckingham Palace to pick up the Queen of England and take her to an official dinner with the Mayor of London. He drove up in his vintage Rolls Royce Silver Cloud and the queen said, "Ooh - I've always loved this car. I'll tell you what, my man," (because that's how the queen talks) "why don't you sit in the back and let me drive it for a mile or so?"

Of course the chauffeur had little choice but to accept, so he climbed into the back of the car and the queen raced off at high speed. But she had only gone a couple of blocks when there was a wail of sirens and a police car pulled the Rolls Royce over to the side of the road. The queen lowered the window and the policeman began to speak as he bent down to the window.

"Do you realise what speed you were doing, Ma.... er, Madam?" said the policeman, doing a double take as he saw the queen and the chauffeur sitting in the back.

"Oh, I do apologise," said the queen. "Please forgive me for this disgraceful display of reckless behaviour."

"Hm, well, I'm afraid I'll need to talk to my superior about this matter, Madam," answered the fellow. Moving away from the car he got on his radio to the chief constable. "Sir - I'm afraid I've just stopped someone for speeding, and the truth is it's someone very important, and I don't know what to do."

"Oh really" responded the Chief Constable. "And exactly how important is this person?"

"Very important, Sir," came the reply

"More important than the Mayor of London?"

"Yes, Sir, more important than the Mayor of London.

"Hmmm. Well are they more important than the Prime Minister?"

"I'm afraid so, yes."

"Good grief! Well, tell me man - is this person more important than the Queen of England?"

"I think he must be, Sir...... he's sitting in the back of the car and the Queen is driving him around!"

Specific Grammar Exercises/Linking Devices - Participles

Linking Structures: Participles.

Problem Students are often confused by what they think is a verb tense, but is in fact a special linking structure. In addition to this, the matter is further confused by the fact that it looks like a gerund. But the gerund is used in a different way in grammatical terms (see separate exercise to be added later).

Remedy Study the following humorous(?) explanation and then try the exercise which follows.



.......................................................................................................................................................................

Examples which use participles and could have been made by joining two sentences:

1. Present Participle Active.

My girlfriend made fun of me. She poked me with a sharp pencil. (Becomes....)

Example A: My girlfriend made fun of me, poking me with a sharp pencil.
(Simultaneous actions - both happening at the same time. The participle can come at the start instead. The active verb replaced would be "She poked..."

Example B: Opening the drawer I took out my gun.
(Consecutive actions - one after the other - but there is no possible confusion about which action came first and which second. You couldn't take out your gun until you had opened the drawer!)


2. Perfect Participle Active.

Having shot her pet dog, I carried it outside to put it in the rubbish bin.
(Consecutive actions. This makes it clear that the first action happened before the second, to avoid possible confusion. "Shooting her dog, I carried it outside....." suggests I was shooting it repeatedly as I carried it outside, which would be very cruel!)


3. Past Participle Passive.

Infuriated by the cruelty of my action, she strangled my parrot and flushed it down the toilet.

(This can be used for simultaneous or consecutive actions where there is no doubt which came first and which came second. The passive verb structure replaced is "She was infuriated....")


4. Perfect Participle Passive.

Having been beaten up by her many times before, I fled the house.

(The first action happened before the second. In addition, the first action had happened many times before; also it carried on over a long period of time. Both of these factors will require us to use a perfect participle, whether active or passive.)

If you understand everything above, try to use the structures below......

Exercise

Use an appropriate participle structure to join the following sentences:

1) The businesswoman drank a bottle of wine. She was unfit to drive.

Please write your answer here:[ANSWER]






2) The farmer was exhausted after his day's work. He threw himself on the bed.
[ANSWER]





3) The old lady offered to show us the way home. She realised we were lost
[ANSWER]





4) He was warned several times by his doctor about the dangers of smoking. He decided to give it up.
[ANSWER]

If you need some hints and clues, scroll down the page......

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Hints and Clues

1) The businesswoman drank a bottle of wine. She was unfit to drive.

* Are the actions simultaneous or consecutive? (i.e. happening at the same time or one after the other?)
* If consecutive, then the first action is the one that needs to be converted into a participle.
* Would it be possible to drive and drink wine at the same time?
* If it is, then you need to make it clear that the first action is finished, to avoid confusion. You can do this by using a perfect participle.
* Don't forget, an active participle is used to replace an active verb, and a passive participle is used to replace a passive verb.
[ANSWER]








2) The farmer was exhausted after his day's work. He threw himself on the bed.

* Are the actions simultaneous or consecutive?
* If consecutive, then the first action is the one that needs to be converted into a participle.
* Do we need to make it clear that the first action is finished? Is there possible confusion about which action is first?
* If not, then the perfect participle is not necessary. More than that, it would sound strange to use it.
* Don't forget, an active participle is used to replace an active verb, and a passive participle is used to replace a passive verb.
[ANSWER]

3) The old lady offered to show us the way home. She realised we were lost.

* Are the actions simultaneous or consecutive?
* If consecutive, then the first action is the one that needs to be converted into a participle. And it would be natural for that one to go at the start. Be careful!
* Is the first action finished at the time of the second?
* If not, then the perfect participle is not necessary. More than that, it would sound strange to use it.
* Don't forget, an active participle is used to replace an active verb, and a passive participle is used to replace a passive verb.
[ANSWER]






4) He was warned several times by his doctor about the dangers of smoking. He decided to give up.

* Are the actions simultaneous or consecutive?
* If consecutive, then the first action is the one that needs to be converted into a participle.
* If consecutive, then is the first action long-lasting or repeated?
* If it is, then it is normal to use a perfect participle.
* Don't forget, an active participle is used to replace an active verb, and a passive participle is used to replace a passive verb.
[ANSWER]

When you're happy with your answers, scroll down the page to see if they're the same as the ones I've suggested.......

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Answers:



1) Having drunk a bottle of wine, the businesswoman was unfit to drive. (Perfect participle active, replacing an active verb and showing that the drinking finished before the driving.)


Note 1: The verb goes "drink, drank, drunk". "Drunk" is in the same form as the past participle, and that's what we need here. It's the perfect participle active, and if you see the word "perfect", you can be pretty sure the past participle will be at the end of it. In this case the form is "having + past participle".

Note 2: The subject is more "comfortable" in the second part of the sentence.

Note 3: "The businesswoman having drunk a bottle of wine, she was unfit to drive", is also possible. It's more formal. But participles are quite formal anyway, so it's not necessary. And it's a bit of a "mouthful"; that is to say, it's not very smooth-sounding and natural English.

Note 4: "After drinking a bottle of wine, the businesswoman was unfit to drive", is also possible. Here we're using a preposition + gerund form.





2) Exhausted after his day's work, the farmer threw himself on the bed. (Past participle passive, replacing a passive verb and showing that the first action was - clearly - finished before the second. Because it is obvious which action is first, the perfect form is not needed.)


Note 1: The verb is (again) the same as the past participle of a regular verb, ending in -ed.

Note 2: The subject is (again) more "comfortable" in the second part of the sentence.

Note 3: "Being exhausted after his day's work, the farmer threw himself on the bed", is also possible. This form emphasises the action rather than the result: see also the difference between continuous and non-continuous tenses (verb tense quiz 1).





3) Realising we were lost, the old lady offered to show us the way home. (Present participle active, replacing an active verb and showing that the "realising" was - clearly - the first action. Because it is obvious which action is first, the perfect form is not needed.)


Note 1: The verb is in the same form as the present participle. It also looks like the gerund, but the different names just depend on the different grammatical uses.

Note 2: The first action ("realising") is more "comfortable" at the beginning of the sentence. That's because it happens first, and that is the action that usually goes at the start. However, the "realising" hasn't stopped before the "showing", so the perfect form is unlikely. The same pattern would often be seen with sentences starting with words like "thinking, knowing, believing, wanting, lacking, feeling, seeing" and other verbs of the mind, needs, emotions or senses. We might call these "personal" verbs.

Note 3: "The old lady offered to show us the way home, realising we were lost", is possible, but less likely. A complete change in word order gives a more natural form. That's why I warned you to be careful!





4) Having been warned several times by his doctor about the dangers of smoking, he decided to give up. (Perfect participle passive, replacing a passive verb and showing that the first action was long lasting and repeated.)


Note 1: The perfect participle active would be "having warned". The passive form is "having been warned". This conversion follows the normal process for transformation of active to passive, namely: put the verb "to be" in the same form and add the past participle. See the exercise entitled "passive voice structures" for more information on this.

Note 2: Perfect participles are used when one of the following three conditions is true: a) You want to make it clear that the first action is completed before the second. b) The first action is repeated. c) The first action is long lasting.

Note 3: Here are a couple of examples to illustrate a) above:

i) Having eaten his breakfast he ran for the bus. (He finished his breakfast at home.)

ii) Eating his breakfast, he ran for the bus. (He's still eating his toast as he's running!)









Photo Album







We saw this turtle in a fish pond in Croatia. I dipped my hand into the water, but then the turtle swam towards my outstretched fingers with its mouth open. I quickly withdrew the hand as the creature looked hungry. Hardly had I done so, when he seized a little fish which was swimming past. Not only did he grab the fish, but he also started to eat it greedily. Only when he had swallowed it all down, did I realise how lucky I had been to keep my finger!


Grammar note

The examples highlighted show "inversion constructions". These show an inversion of the verb, which means that it ends up taking a question form, as in: had i done / did he grab / did I realise. Of course there is no question mark, because no question is being asked.

It's a very advanced grammar form, and will be dealt with on another page to be added later. Rarely used in speaking, it is still useful for written English and good academic form. The structures are:

Hardly had I done so, when......

Not only did he grab the fish, but he also......

Only when he had swallowed it all down, did I realise......

Note that the inversion constructions are associated with the expressions underlined. They often have a "negative" sense. Notice also that in the last of these the inversion construction is actually in the second part of the sentence. The grammar form in this last one is very unusual, though the construction is in fairly common use.

Photo: Tristeno arboretum (tree park), north of Dubrovnik in Croatia, Eastern Europe. The turtle is called a "red-eared slider".








Do you get it?













Vocabulary

starved - short of food, but can be used for other things (e.g. "The business has been starved of cash.")

water hole - pool where animals drink

French kiss - kiss with the mouth open (in England people always kiss with the mouth shut)

can't stand it - can't bear it, can't take it, can't tolerate it any longer.

far from ("X") - exactly the opposite to ("X")

advances - loving approach

furious - very angry

chases - runs after

charging - running very fast

undergrowth - trees, bushes and other vegetation

gaining on - getting closer to

exhaustion - complete tiredness

deserted - empty of people

grab - pick up quickly and violently

helmet - protective hat

snog - French kiss



A gentleman gorilla has been high on the mountain for three months and has been starved of the company of other gorillas. In the end he can't stand it any longer, and decides to go down to the water hole in search of a lady gorilla to give him some love and affection. But when he finally arrives a the water hole there are no other animals there except for a rhinoceros.

He sits for a while watching the rhino, with a yearning desire growing inside him. In the end he can't take it any more. He runs across to the rhinoceros, grabs its ears in both hands and gives it a big French kiss. Far from returning his advances, the rhinoceros is furious. It throws him off and chases after him. Terrified, the gorilla runs into the jungle and tries to escape the charging rhino. But the rhinoceros is surprisingly fast, smashing through the undergrowth and gaining on the gorilla. The chase goes on, the rhinoceros getting ever closer and the gorilla nearing the point of exhaustion, when suddenly he bursts into a clearing where there is a deserted white hunter's camp. The gorilla grabs the hunter's helmet, picks up a newspaper that is lying on the ground and sits in the hunter's chair. Seconds later the rhino thunders into the clearing and looks around it until she sees the gorilla sitting there.

"Hey!" says the rhinoceros. "Have you seen a gorilla anywhere round here?"

"What," says the gorilla as he hides behind the newspaper, "you mean the one that snogged the rhinoceros?"

"Oh, my God," says the rhino, "don't tell me it's in the newspapers already!"

Specific Grammar Exercises/Linking Devices - Sentence Adverbs.

Linking Structures: Sentence Adverbs

Problem: Students often wrongly use the structures both in terms of meaning and form.

Solution: Try the following exercise and read the notes which follow.



What are sentence adverbs?

* The girls in the class laughed loudly. (Here the adverb only describes the verb. It is not a sentence adverb.)

* Naturally , the boys didn’t think it was so funny. (Here the adverb describes the whole sentence. It’s a sentence adverb.)

* Sentence adverbs don't link sentences. They do link the general sense of your writing, and guide the reader through it. They usually come at the beginning, but can also come at the end. The beginning use is more emphatic (stronger).

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Instructions: (follow the three steps one by one to improve your reading techniques)



>Scan the black and the red print in the story below for the general meaning of this true story from when the author was young(er). Don't spend more than one minute.



>.. Re-read with the words in red and check any difficult vocabulary given further down below the story.


>Choose a sentence adverb from the alternatives given.




.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Practically/Ideally/If I may say so, you should wear waterproof clothes when you

Select one of the words or expressions in blue and write your answer here:[ANSWER]

go climbing mountains, and it is essential to take emergency supplies of food and water. You should let someone know your planned route and, obviously / officially / evidently, you should avoid going up the mountain on a day [ANSWER]

when the weather forecast is not good. Badly / Understandably / Unfortunately, we had done none of these things.[ANSWER]

And so it was that the three of us set off to climb Mount Rannoch, one of the highest hills in Scotland. We thought it would take about two hours to get to the top; in fact / roughly / generally speaking it was more like a four hour trip.[ANSWER]

After / On top of that / Added there was the journey back down the mountain to be made. [ANSWER]

Eventually / Technically / Lastly we reached the top, but [ANSWER]

at that point / now / currently, Michael started to behave very strangely. He was [ANSWER]

muttering to himself and staggering about like a drunken man. These are typical signs of exhaustion, and it soon became clear he was completely incapable of climbing back down the mountainside. In theory / Strictly speaking / Apparently we could call [ANSWER]

the mountain rescue force, but in reality / clearly / factually this was before the days [ANSWER]

when everyone carried mobile phones, so this was not an option.

Vocabulary:

waterproof – keeping out water / rain

route - way, road,course, direction, path

weather forecast - prediction of future weather

set off - start a journeymuttering - talking quietly to himself (in an unclear way, difficult to understand)

staggering - walking from side to side (like a drunken man)

drunken - drunk, after too much alcohol (used when the adjective is directly before the noun)

exhaustion - great tiredness

clear - obvious ("clearly" can be used as a sentence adverb, and is an alternative to "obviously")

incapable of - unable to

option - choice or possibility.

Do you need some hints and clues (pieces of helpful information)? Then scroll down...................








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Hints and Clues:




Decide if you want to change any of your answers. If you do, scroll back up the page and enter your new answer.




Practically / Ideally / If I may say so you should wear waterproof clothes when you go climbing mountains: One of these needs to go together with another word. One of them is used to introduce a slightly impolite or unwelcome comment. The other is the correct answer.

obviously / officially / evidently you should avoid going up the mountain on a day when the weather forecast is not good: One of these means "according to the (government or organisational) rules". One of them means "according to the information I have been given". The other is the correct answer.

Badly / Understandably / Unfortunately we had done none of these things: One of these is not a sentence adverb. One has the wrong meaning in the context of the answer. The other is the correct answer.

in fact / roughly / generally speaking it was more like a four hour trip: One of these means "approximately" or "more or less" and should usually be used with another word. One has the wrong meaning in the context of the situation. The other is the correct answer.

After /On top of that / Added there was the journey back down the mountain to be made: One of these needs to be used with another word. One of them needs to be used with two other words. The other is the correct answer.

Eventually / Technically / Lastly we reached the top: One of these needs to be used with another word. One of them has to be the final thing in a sequence. The other one is the correct answer.

at that point / now / currently, Michael started to behave very strangely: Two of these can only be used for the present time, and this story is in the past. The other is the answer.

In theory / Strictly speaking / Apparently we could call the mountain rescue force: One of these suggests something which is possible in the present (impossible) situation. One of them means "according to information I have been given". The other is the correct answer.

in reality / clearly / factually this was before the days when everyone carried mobile phones: One of these suggests information which everyone should know. One of them is unlikely to be used - at least on its own. The other goes with the answer to the choice above this one and is the correct answer.






When you've rewritten the sentences, check further down the page to see if they're the same as the suggested answers..............









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Answers:

Ideally, you should wear waterproof clothes when you go climbing mountains, and it is essential to take emergency supplies of food and water. You should let someone know your planned route and, obviously, you should avoid going up a mountain on a day when the weather forecast is not good. Unfortunately, we had done none of these things.

And so it was that the three of us set off to climb Mount Rannoch, one of the highest hills in Scotland. We thought it would take about two hours to get to the top; in fact it was more like a four hour trip. On top of that, there was the journey back down the mountain to be made.

Eventually we reached the top, but at that point Michael started to behave very strangely. He was muttering to himself and staggering about like a drunken man. These are typical signs of exhaustion, and it soon became clear he was completely incapable of climbing back down the mountainside. In theory, we could call the mountain rescue force, but in reality this was before the days when everyone carried mobile phones, so this was not an option.

Notes



1. The sentence adverbs are usually followed by commas, but not always. Read the sentence aloud to yourself. If you pause then that will be where a comma comes. Sometimes a sentence can be read in more than one way, and a comma is optional.

2. Here are some common examples, in the order they are given in the passage, of sentence adverbs which should usually be used with "speaking". They are: practically speaking, roughly speaking, technically speaking.

3. The following are given in full as alternatives, though they don't have the correct meaning in the context of the passage. a) Generally speaking: same meaning as in general - which means it is usually true. b) Strictly speaking: means something which is possible, but maybe involves "bending or breaking the rules". For example, "Strictly speaking, we shouldn't drink alcohol in the college, but since it's the Christmas party we'll open a bottle of wine or two." Officially is used in the same way, but for more formal contexts.

4. Here are other examples from the passage which need to be used with additional words: after that, added to that.

5. Apparently is slightly less formal than evidently. Roughly speaking, they both mean "according to the information I have been given".

6. Understandably means something is easy to understand. For example, "Last year my wife left me, my house burned down and my dog ran away. Understandably, I was very upset!" Naturally and obviously could also be used in be used in this example. Clearly is similar, but relies more on the evidence being obvious at the moment, rather than the situation which caused it.

7. At that point, at that stage and then all suggest a past meaning. At this point, at this stage, currently and now are used with present meaning.

8. In theory....... in reality often go together. In theory....... in practice is a more formal version of the same.







And the end of the story?

We had been "sledging" on big plastic sacks earlier in the day, so we put Michael on one of these and repeatedly pushed him down the slope of the hillside wherever this was possible. Sadly it wasn't a total success, as he would bounce off down the hill then roll over so that he was lying face down in the snow. Naturally we were very worried for his safety and ran off to rescue him. But although the snow seemed level, it had been blown by the wind. Consequently we would sometimes be running "on top of it" and the next second we would sink up to our waists.

Once we reached the bottom of the mountain we still had three kilometers to get back to the car. By this time we were hoping the other people back at our cottage would have phoned for help, but none came. We had no choice but to keep going. Certain we were completely lost in the darkness, it was more by luck than judgement that we finally stumbled on our vehicle. Unfortunately we had lost the keys on the mountain and had to break the window, "hot wire" the ignition and steal our own car.

When we got back to the cottage we expected tears of joy. In reality what we got was a noisy "telling off" from Michael's wife, who was convinced we had all been off drinking in the local pub.










Photo Album:

Vocabulary:


bees - the brown striped insects

wasp - the yellow and black striped insect

melon - the fruit they're eating

market stall - table used to display things

aggressive - likely to attack others

docile - peaceful and not aggressive

nectar - sweet liquid produced by plants



Bees and a wasp on a melon displayed on a market stall. The three bees at the back are feeding on the melon, but the wasp seems to be attacking the nearest bee. Wasps are very aggressive, and eat a variety of other insects. Bees, on the other hand, are more docile and collect nectar from plants in order to make honey.


Grammar note: Articles

"Bees..." - no article. The noun is plural and being introduced for the first time. If the bees in the picture are mentioned again, they will have been identified, and will be referred to as "The bees".

"...and a wasp on a melon displayed on a market stall." - indefinite articles are used. The nouns are all singular and being introduced for the first time. The indefinite article here means "one in number". The indefinite article can only be used with the singular. The plural form is "some".

"The three bees at the back are feeding on the melon, but the wasp seems to be attacking the nearest bee." - definite articles are used. They have all now been introduced, so we have identified the bees, the melon, the wasp and the nearest bee. In other words, you know the one(s) I'm talking about. The definite article can be used when the noun is singular (one) or plural (more than one).

"Wasps are aggressive........Bees, on the other hand, are more docile and collect nectar from plants in order to make honey." - no articles. It means "wasps in general... bees in general... plants in general." We can't identify the wasps, bees or plants we're talking about, because we're talking about all wasps, bees and plants. Similarly for the nouns "nectar" and "honey". Which nectar? Which honey? We don't know, and it doesn't matter, so we don't use an article.






Do you get it?

Vocabulary:

stroll - walk slowly

stable(s) - place where horses are kept

trainer - man who prepares a horse for a race

grey - (U.S. spelling "gray") the colour you get when you mix black with white

suspicious - believing something bad is being done

sugar lump - piece of sugar (which could be drugged, to make a horse run faster)

nanny - woman who looks after children

contentedly - happily wander - similar to "stroll"

jockey - (usually small) man who rides a racehorse

dig your heels in - push the back of your foot in (to the sides of the horse)

gallop - run (for horses)

bloody - mild (not very strong) swearword (bad or insulting word)

The Duke of Norfolk strolls into the stables just before the race to make sure his horse is fit and well. As he approaches he sees a trainer giving something to the grey horse next to his. Suspicious, he goes up to the man and says, "Hey - what are you up to? What's that you're giving to your horse?"

"Oh," says the man, "it's nothing, Sir, only a sugar lump. Look - if you don't believe me, have one yourself. And I'll do the same." The trainer pops one in his mouth and hands another to the Duke.

"Hm," says the Duke. "I love sugar lumps. My nanny used to give them to me when I was a boy!" Chewing contentedly, he wanders off and inspects his own horse.

The trainer then takes the grey horse outside and the jockey jumps on his back. "Now listen," the trainer says to his jockey, "just stay in behind the others until you get to the last corner. As soon as you see the winning post, dig your heels in and get him into a hard gallop. If anything passes you after that it'll be either me or the bloody Duke of Norfolk!"