Grammar Lessons – Lingoisms

What’s the difference between even if and even though?

ShaunMunro — Sun, 21 Mar 2021 23:23:28 +0000

Even, even if, even though, and even so frequently get misused or used to mean the same thing in the English

language. However, they are quite different and sometimes have a opposite meaning so it’s important to get these right.

Let’s start with the two that get most often confused; even if and even though.

Even if

“Even if” is a conjunction. A conjunction connects two sentences or clauses or thoughts. “Even if” is used to describe something that is unreal or imaginary. You can also describe “even if” as meaning “whether or not”. Let’s look at some examples…

“Even if I become a millionaire, I will always lead a simple life.”
In this sentence, we are not a millionaire now, so saying “even if I become a millionaire” is an imaginary statement. Also when using “even if” in this sentence, you mean that whether or not you become a millionaire, you will have a simple lifestyle.

“I’m going out tomorrow, even if it’s raining.”
In this sentence, “even if” means that whether or not it is raining, the person is going to go out.

Even though

“Even though” is used in a sentence when talking about a real situation. Even though can be used to mean “despite that fact that.” “Even though” is also a conjunction, just like “even if”. Let’s look at the same examples we used before but substitute in even though.

“Even though I became a millionaire, I still lead a simple life.”
In this sentence, even though gets used to show that despite that the person is a millionaire now (fact), they still choose to keep a simple lifestyle.

“I’m going out tonight, even though it is raining.”
In this sentence, even though gets used because the speaker is saying that despite the fact that it is currently raining, they are going out.

For both of these examples, you can see that the meaning of the sentence changed from the situation being a possibility, meaning it might happen, to a reality, meaning it is or did happen.

Even

Even is an adverb. An adverb is used to describe a verb, and adjective, or another adverb. It is used when you are talking about something that is surprising or extreme or if it is something that you did not expect.

“They even served champagne at breakfast.”
In this sentence, even is describing the verb, or action, “served”. Normally you would not get champagne with breakfast, so this is surprising and unexpected.

Even So

“Even so” is actually quite similar to “even though.” However, “even so” is used at the beginning of a main clause either a the start of a sentence or after “but.” Even so gets used after a fact is stated but something is done in spite of that fact. This means that the statement following “even so” may be the opposite of the fact given. For example…

“I know her English isn’t very good, but even so I can understand her.”
The fact given is that her English is not good. However, the speaker can understand her in spite of this fact. (You could also say…”Even though her English isn’t good, I can still understand her.” Both sentences mean the same thing, just the grammar is different with “even though” and “even so.”

“The weather wasn’t great. Even so, we enjoyed our trip.”
The fact given in the sentence is that the weather was bad. However, they still had a good time in spite of the weather.

Here you could also say…”We enjoyed our trip even though the weather wasn’t great.”

Let’s Review

When you are speaking or writing and trying to figure out which phrase to use between even, even if, even though, and even so, think about the meaning of the sentence you are forming.

Use the term “even” by itself when describing something that is surprising.
Use the term “even if” when you are talking about something that is unreal or an imaginary situation or event. A

situation or event that may or may not occur.

Use the term “even though” when talking about a real situation. You can also think of using this term to mean ‘despite the fact that…’

Use the term “even so” to mean in spite of a fact. Think of using even so to mean the opposite of the fact that is given.

Let's test your knowledge (answers below)

I’m going to study tonight _____ I’m really tired. (even if / even though / even / even so)
I want to travel everywhere _____ the moon. (even if / even though / even / even so)
_______ you were taller, you still couldn’t play basketball in the NBA. (even if / even though / even / even so)
Canada is a huge country, but ______ it has a small population.
I will pass the test ______ I have to study for 2 days straight. (even if / even though / even / even so)
______ he is my best friend I wouldn’t want to live with him. (even if / even though / even / even so)
The food was so delicious. _____ is was so cheap. (even if / even though / even / even so)
Their house is amazing. It _____ has a swimming pool with a waterfall. (even if / even though / even / even so)

Well, I hope this lesson helped you understand “even, even if, even though and even so” more.

As always, thanks for reading.

Improving your English involves taking action. It also helps you remember. So try writing some example sentences, type them in the comment box below to get some practice.

The post What’s the difference between even if and even though? appeared first on Lingoisms.

What’s the difference between everyone and everybody?

ShaunMunro — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 20:13:30 +0000

A question I get a lot is…”Is there a difference between everyone and everybody? The short answer to this question is…no. 99% of the time you can use either one and no one, even native speakers, will know the difference. However, there is actually a small difference between these words in some situations. To understand these differences, keep reading. Let’s go!

As a bonus, we will also look at the difference between “everyone/everybody” and “anyone/anybody” at the end of the lesson.

Let’s start with how to use “everyone.”

“Everyone” is an indefinite pronoun

It is used to talk about all people doing something individually in a group

It is a little more formal than “everybody”

Next’s let’s look at how to use “everybody.”

“Everybody” is also an indefinite pronoun

It is used to talk about all people doing something together in a group

It is a little less formal than “everyone”

Ok, so when do I use each one?

We use “everyone” when we are talking about a group of people. All people in the group are doing something but each one is doing that thing individually or singularly. That’s why it includes “one” – they are not doing it at the same time.

We use “everybody” also when we are talking about a group of people. All people in the group are also doing something but this time they are doing it at the same time.

Now, this will also make more sense once I create some example sentences with each word.

Example 1

I was happy that everyone in class did their homework. – this means all the students did their homework but they all did it at home, on their own, at different times. They did not do it together.

Everybody did their homework after class in the park. – Here all the students are doing their homework at the same time in the park after class.

Example 2

I called everyone yesterday about the party. – I called all people but I talked with each person individually at different times. I didn’t talk to them at the same time.

I told everybody about the party yesterday while we were shopping at the mall. – This means that I told all people about the party at the same time while we were at the mall.

Example 3

Everyone sent me a birthday card. – This means all people sent a card, but at different times.

Everybody sang “Happy Birthday” at my party. – All people at the party sang “Happy Birthday” at the same time.

In summary…

Basically, “everyone” is used to talk about all people in a group doing something individually and not at the same time.

When we use, “everybody” we are talking about all people in a group doing something at the same time.

However, as I mentioned at the beginning, 99% of the time you can use either one and it will make no difference. So, don’t worry too much about this one because you won’t be making a mistake either way.

Bonus..."everyone" or "anyone"

Now, you may not make a mistake when choosing between the words “everyone” or “everybody” but you might make a mistake when choosing between the words “everyone” and “anyone.” (Remember you can also use everybody and anybody, but as I mentioned before they are basically the same so I will be using only “everyone” and “anyone” from now).

"Everyone"

We have already talked about “everyone” and the main thing to remember here is that all people in the group are doing some action.

Lets say, for example, we have 10 people in a group and we want to know if all people can come to a party, we would use “everyone”

“Can everyone come to my party?” – In this case, we want all 10 people to come to the party. If only 8 people can come, the answer would be NO and we would say…

”No, only 8 people can come, not everyone.”

Lets compare to "anyone"

When we compare “everyone” to “anyone” we can see that with “anyone” not all people need do the action.

Let’s say we have the same 10 people in a group and we want to know if some of (or how many of) the people can come to the party. In this case we would use “anyone.”

eg. Can anyone come to my party? – Here, we just want to know how many people of the 10 people can come, we don’t need all 10 people to come. – If only 8 people can come the answer would be YES, we would say…

”Yes, 8 people can come.”

To summarize...

When you use “everyone,” you need all people to do some action. When you use “anyone,” you don’t need all people to do some action, just part of a group.

I hope that makes sense.

Be sure to remember...

One last thing to remember about “anyone.” – It is used only in questions and in the negative.

For example:

Is anyone anyone coming to the party?

No, there isn’t anyone coming. (Here you could also say, “No one is coming.”)

Quiz: Let’s see how much you learned. (Answers below)

1. After class, (everyone/everybody) gave me their homework.

2. Can (everyone/anyone) sing? I only need 1 person from the group.

3. (Everyone/Everybody) went to the concert in the same bus.

4. “Everyone” is more formal than “everybody.”

a. true b. false

5. There are enough tickets for (everyone/anyone) so you will all get one.

6. We use “everyone” to talk about all people doing something together.

a. true b. false

7. We don’t need (everyone/anyone) to go on the trip, just 50 people would be ok.

8. (Everyone/Everybody), please turn off your phones because the show is starting now.

Answers. 1. everyone 2. anyone 3. everybody. 4. true. 5. everyone. 6. false. 7. everyone. 8. everybody

Well, I hope this lesson helps “everyone” understand more about the difference between “everyone/ everybody” and “everyone/anyone” and how to use them.

As always, thanks for reading!

The post What’s the difference between everyone and everybody? appeared first on Lingoisms.

What’s the difference between while and during?

ShaunMunro — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 17:27:59 +0000

In today’s lesson we will be looking at how to use the words “during” and “while”. These two words are often confused but after this lesson, I’m sure you’ll be able to use them correctly.

Let’s first look at the word “during”.

During is a preposition and it is used before a noun or pronoun.

You usually use “during” with and action and a time period.

Action + Time

Examples of some actions are: cheer, relax, study English

Examples of time periods are: lunch (time), my vacation, the baseball game (the time watching the game)

Let’s make some sentences…

I cheered during the baseball game.

I studied English during lunch.

I relaxed a lot during my vacation. (You can also use “on + vacation”)

Practice:

Write down 3 actions and 3 time periods and then write some sentences using during. Please write an example or two in the comment box below for extra practice.

Next let’s look at “while.”

While can be used in many ways. As a noun, adverb, or even a verb but today we will look at “while” as a conjunction, which joins two phrases together.

You use “while” here with two actions happening at the same time.

Action + Action

Actions 1: lose your wallet, chew gum, text your friend

Actions 2: drive, listen to music, snorkel in the ocean

Let’s make some sentences…

While listening to music, I like to chew gum.

In Hawaii, I lost my wallet while snorkelling in the ocean. (True story)

You shouldn’t text while driving.

Practice:

Write 4 or 5 actions down and make some sentences using while. Please write some sentences in the comment box below.

But be careful…

Make sure you use “during” and “while” with the correct part of speech. Sometimes this can be difficult. For example…

I drank soda during the game.

I drank soda while I watched the game.

Both sentences have the same meaning but in the first sentence we use “during” plus the noun “the game” which is a time period and in the second we use “while” plus the phrase “I watched the game” which is an action.

Bonus:

The word “for” is also mistaken sometimes with “during” and “while.”

The word “for” is used with a length of time like “1 hour”, “10 years” or “a long time.”

Action + length of time

Actions: watch tv, do homework, live in Tokyo

Lengths of time: 2 hours, 10 minutes, 2 years

Let’s make some sentences…

On Saturday I watched tv for 2 hours.

She only did homework for 10 minutes.

He lived in Tokyo for 2 years.

Here is a look at “during”, “while” and “for” in a short conversation.

Jim: Are you studying while watching TV?

Sarah: Yeah, it’s more fun.

Jim: I don’t think you can study well that way.

Sarah: Sure I can, I just study longer. I’ve been studying for 3 hours already.

Jim: Well, if you watch too much TV you won’t be able to sleep during the night.

Sarah: I don’t believe you because I always see you sleeping while watching baseball games on TV.

Jim: Hmmm, good point.

Quiz (Answers at the bottom)

Don’t talk (while/during/for) the movie.
She can sing (while/durning/for) playing the guitar.
You shouldn’t eat (while/during/for) talking on the phone.
I could live here (while/during/for) the rest of my life.
Drinks are cheaper (while/during/for) happy hour.

Answers: 1. during 2. while 3. while 4. for 5. during / for

I’ve had fun while writing this lesson. I hope you will remember it for a long time

Thanks for reading!

The post What’s the difference between while and during? appeared first on Lingoisms.

What’s the difference between Good and Well?

ShaunMunro — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 20:02:25 +0000

What exactly is the difference between ‘good’ and ‘well’?

Good and well are one of the most commonly misused words in the English language. Though both good and well sound like they would have the same or similar meaning, they are different parts of speech and therefore get used differently within a sentence.

Good is an adjective, meaning it describes a noun. Good can also be used as a noun. Well is an adverb or an adjective, meaning it is used to modify a verb, adverb, or adjective. If this sounds confusing, don’t worry we will explain more on this topic.

Let's look at "good" first

Good as an adjective

Adjectives are used to describe nouns which consist of people, places, things or ideas. Some examples of nouns include the words “movie”, “Mr. Jones”, “English”, or “book”.

When good is used as an adjective, it is describing a “noun” as being positive. For example, you would use good with the above nouns by saying:

● That was a good movie.

● Mr. Jones is a good teacher.

● Your English is good.

● This is such a good book.

In all of these examples, the noun is being described as beneficial or helpful.

Good as a noun

When good is used as a noun, it is referring to a work or a service or an idea as being positive or morally correct. Some examples may help clarify this function…

● Superman always fights on the side of good.

Good in this sentence is being used as an idea, which is a noun.

● We should recycle for the good of the environment.

Here, good is conveying the idea that there is better situation for the environment.

Now let's look at "well"

Well as an adverb

Adverbs are words that modify or describe a verb or adjective. Adverbs express manner, place, time or degree. Well is also used when describing an action verb, or a word that tells of someone physically doing something. For example:

● We don’t know our neighbour very well.

Here, well is describing the degree or the amount of which they know their neighbour. In this sentence, “know” is the verb that well is describing.

● He plays golf well.

Well is describing the manner or the way that he plays golf. “Plays” would be the action verb in this sentence.

Well as an adjective

Adjectives are words that describe or modify a noun or pronoun. Typically, when using the word well as an adjective it is describing someone’s health or well-being. Some examples include…

● Since he lost his job, he is not doing so well.
Here, well is being used to describe another person’s well-being. Well is being used as an adjective to describe “he”, a pronoun.

● I don’t feel well.

In this sentence, well is an adjective because it is describing a person or “nouns” current health.

Exceptions

When talking about well-being there is one exception. That is when someone asks you the common question: “How are you doing?”

In this case, a very common answer is just… “Good.” You can also answer with “I’m doing well.

Another exception is using “good” or “well” is after the verb “look.” After the verb “look,” when talking about appearance, we use an adjective.

For: example: “She looks happy.” NOT “She looks happily.”

So…

You can say “He looks good.” OR “He looks well” and they are both correct. But…they have different meanings.

“He looks good” means “He has a nice appearance.”

“He looks well” means “He looks to be in good health or feeling well.”

These can be a little confusing so I hope this helps.

So how do I know when to use "Good" or "well?"

When trying to decide between using good or well, ask yourself a couple of questions:

Is the word I am describing a verb or action? Then you would use well.
Are you describing a noun, like a person, place, thing, or idea? If so, you would use good.

This may take a moment for you to pause and decide if good or well is the correct word to use, but the more you practice, the more natural and quickly you can decide between the two. If you do that, you’ll make fewer mistakes and of course that’s our goal for you!

Quick Conversation

Peter: Hey Sally, how are you doing?

Sally: Good, thanks. How are you?

Peter: Actually, I’m not feeling well today.

Sally: That’s too bad. You should just relax and read a good book today.

Peter: Good idea. What do you recommend?

Sally: Well, I know you are on the tennis team so maybe a book about that.

Peter: Actually I’m not playing well these days so it might be for the good of the team too. Thanks

Quiz (Answers below)

1. Your English has gotten so (good/well).

2. She writes very (good/well).

3. You look so (good/well) in that picture.

4. They did it for the (good/well) of the country.

5. He didn’t go to school because he’s not feeling (good/well) today.

6. Could you tell me how to get to the supermarket? I don’t know this town very (good/well).

Answers: 1. Good 2. Well 3. Good 4. Good 5. Well 6. Well

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What’s the difference between affect and effect?

ShaunMunro — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 20:16:16 +0000

We are going to learn about a tricky [hard] grammar point today that even has many native English speakers stumped [confused] a lot. We are going to look at what’s the difference between affect and effect. (There is a quiz at the bottom so read through carefully).

It’s tricky to understand which word to use for 2 main reasons. One is that they sound very similar. Secondly, they are both used as verbs and nouns sometimes. Hmmm…so how do you know which word to use and when?

Well, first let’s start with a basic definition of each.

How to use affect...

Affect is usually used as a “verb” and it means “to change,” “to alter,” or “to influence” something.

eg. Staying up late and not getting enough sleep the day before your test will negatively affect your score.

The action of staying up late and not sleeping changes [affects] your score in a bad way. The result is you will get a bad score.

Here are a few more examples:

Every year hurricanes affect the east coast of the United States by causing a lot of damage and flooding.

The wind affected my golf shot.
The tides [changing sea and ocean levels] are affected by the pull of gravity from the moon.

How to use effect...

Effect is usually a “noun” and is the result of a change or some kind of influence.

eg. The effect of not getting enough sleep the day before my test was getting a low score and feeling upset.

you didn’t get enough sleep so the result [effect] is a low score

Here are a few more examples:

The effect of drinking a lot of coffee is that you can stay awake longer.
Eating too much sugar has a negative effect on your body.
You can use photoshop to add interesting effects to your photos.

But be careful! There are exceptions to the rule.

Sometimes affect can be a “noun” and sometimes effect can be a “verb.” Let’s look at a couple examples.

Affect as a noun is used to talk about a feeling, an emotion or an emotional response to something.

eg. Having a bath at night has a calming affect on me before I sleep.

Effect is used as a verb to mean “bring about” or “cause”. It is also sometimes used with the noun “change.”

To effect change in government policies some people create petitions [a formal request signed by many people who agree] and get thousands of people to sign.

A quick summary

If you want to to talk about a change something has on something else, then you are probably going to use the word “affect.”

If you want to talk a result of some action or change, then you are probably going to use the word “effect.”

Quiz (answers at the bottom)

1. What is correct about “affect”?

a. It is only a noun.

b. It is only a verb.

c. It is usually a noun and sometimes a verb.

d. It is usually a verb and sometimes a noun.

2. What is correct about “effect”?

a. It is only a noun.

b. It is only a verb.

c. It is usually a noun and sometimes a verb.

d. It is usually a verb and sometimes a noun.

3. Which statement is correct?

a. The terrible weather this month has had a bad effect on my mood.

b. The terrible weather this month has had a bad affect on my mood.

4. Which statement is correct?

a. I was nervous because of the large crowd and it effected my performance.

b. I was nervous because of the large crowd and it affected my performance.

5. Which one is correct?

a. How can you effect positive change in your company policy?

b. How can you affect positive change in your company policy?

6. Which statement is correct?

a. Failing my test had a depressing effect on me for the past 2 weeks.

b. Failing my test had a depressing affect on me for the past 2 weeks.

Answers: 1. d 2. b 3. a 4. b 5. a 6. b

What about you?

What are some things that have affected you this year? What effects did those things have on you?

Please leave your comments below.

As always, thanks for reading!

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