Vocabulary
More problem prepositions arriving…
Prepositions with arrive and late: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download
Question from Cathy in Canada:
Can we say I arrive to work at 9 o’clock or do we need to use “at”? Also can we say I was late to class or do we need to use “in”? Thank you.
Answer:
Hi Cathy, thanks for your question. The worst thing about prepositions is that there are no nice simple rules to let you know how to use them with certain words. Your question, Cathy, demonstrates this. In most cases you just have to learn the prepositions that go with certain words. Let’s look at your two verbs : to arrive and to be late.
‘Arrive‘ can be followed by several prepositions depending on what is following, look at these:
- I arrived for work in the morning. (arrive + for where ‘work’ is a task or job to undertake)
- I arrived at work in the morning. (arrive + at where ‘work’ is a place)
- I arrived in time to see her. (arrive + in time where there is a temporal aspect)
So, in terms of your first question, I would say that you can use ‘for‘ or ‘at‘ depending on what sense you want to give ‘work’ (a place or a task).
Your second question with ‘to be late‘ is a bit different as I don’t think either of your options is correct.
- I was late for class.
is the correct usage … late for something.
Hope that’s helped!
Hear and Listen: Easy confusion
Hear and Listen : Easily Confused: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download
Question from Khadija in Morocco:
What is the difference between ‘hear’ and ‘listen’?
Answer:
Hi, Khadija. Thank’s for your question, I’m sure that the difference between ‘listen‘ and ‘hear‘ is not clear for a lot of English language learners.
Let’s have a look at them:
Listen is used to talk about or describe sounds that are being made around you and which you are making an active effort to focus on. For example:
- Did you listen to the news last night on television?
- She was listening to music on her iPod when I walked in.
- Mike listened to his teacher and then repeated what she had said.
- ‘Just listen to yourself! You talk such rubbish!’, she said angrily.
Note that ‘listen‘ is nearly always followed by ‘to‘ - you listen to some sound.
Just to repeat an important point; listening is active - that is you are making an active effort to listen to the sound.
Hear is used for sounds that come to our ears, but we do not, unlike listen, need to be actively engaged in trying to listen to the sound - it can just come to your ears! For example:
- Mike heard a bang in the night which woke him up.
- She heard someone screaming and called the police.
- I heard a loud explosion and then the building collapsed.
Note that ‘hear’ is not followed by ‘to’. But, to make it a little more complicated let’s look at this conversation:
- ‘Did you hear what I said’, asked John’s father.
- ‘No, I wasn’t listening‘, replied John.
- ‘Well, if you don’t listen you will never hear what I am telling you!’.
Now, that last sentence seems a little confused but also shows cleary how the two verbs are used - in this case, if John does not make an active effort to listen he will not hear his father’s advice (even if he may have heard sounds his father was making!)
Where hear and listen may seem very close is when you hear something like:
- Did you hear about Jane? She got married!
- I heard about the accident but I didn’t see it.
This is when information is passed to you from another source without you necessarily seeking it - in this case note that ‘hear’ is followed by ‘about’ - ‘to hear about’ something, someone or some action or event.
So, you can hear something without wanting to, but you can only listen to something intentionally.
‘How about’ vs ‘what about’ : same difference?
How about vs Waht about: Same difference?: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download
Question from English4Today member Khadija in Morocco
When can we use “how about” and when can we use “what about”?
Hi Khadija. This is another one of those situations, and we’ve discussed quite a few of them here, where you can use the two phrases interchangeably:
Both can be used to make suggestions.
- How about going to see a movie tonight?
- What about going to see a movie tonight?
Or, in the case of a non-suggestive question:
- Is Mike going with you? How about Pete?
- Is Mike going with you? What about Pete?
- Have you finished cleaning your room? How about your homework?
- Have you finished cleaning your room? What about your homework?
So, use either and the earth won’t open up and swallow you!
Acronyms : OMG they are everywhere!
Acronyms : OMG they are everywhere!: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download
Question from English4Today member Vin in the USA:
What is it called when letters are substituted for words, i.e., LOL stands for Laugh out loud.
Hi Vin, they are everywhere and they are called ‘acronyms‘!
An acronym was originally a pronounceable word made from the initial letters of other words. For example, NATO for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
As acronyms have invaded our lives more and more we have started to coin other shorthand versions such as TV for Television, USA for United States of America, IOU for I Owe You (a debt), MD for Medical Doctor, or CEO for Chief Executive Officer which are not acronyms in the original sense of being a ‘new pronounceable word’ made up of the first letters but which we still pull into our bulging bag of acronyms.
Acronyms are often used as mnemonics, a device for helping you remember something. You’ll often see this sort of usage in training manuals and self-help manuals. An illustration of this sort of acronym would be one that I found on a quick trawl of the Internet; taking the word ‘HOPE’ as an acronym for ‘Hanging Onto Positive Expectations’. You may remember other similar acronyms from your school days designed to help you remember a spelling rule, historical event or math equation. I remember, for example, ROYGBIV, a mnemonic acronym for remembering the colors of the rainbow - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet - a pretty senseless sounding acronym but one that has stuck in my mind since I was around seven years old!
But where acronyms have really exploded and become a sub-language of their own is through text messaging, the Internet and email where the ‘need for speed’ has led to the creation of hundreds of new acronyms that are used globally by millions of people. Your example, LOL for ‘Laugh Out Loud’ is one of the most used of these Internet acronyms. Here is a list of some of the other common Internet acronyms used in emails, SMS and text messaging. Hope it helps, CU!
Common Acronyms Used in SMS, Text and Internet Chat:
| A | |
| AFAIK | As far as I know |
| AFK | Away from keyboard |
| AKA | Also known as |
| AOL |
America Online |
| ASAP | As soon as possible |
| ASL | Age, sex, location |
| ATM | At the moment |
| B | |
| B/C | Because |
| B4 | Before |
| BBIAB | Be back in a bit |
| BBL | Be back later |
| BCC | Blind carbon copy |
| BF | Boyfriend |
| BFF | Best friends forever |
| BFN | Bye for now |
| BOT | Back on topic |
| BRB | Be right back |
| BTW | By the way |
| C | |
| CC | Carbon copy |
| CTN | Can’t talk now |
| CU | See you |
| CUL | See you later |
| CYA | See ya |
| CYE | Check your e-mail |
| D | |
| DIY | Do it yourself |
| DL | Download |
| DW | Don’t worry |
| E | |
| EG | Exempli gratia (Latin: For example) |
| EOD | End of discussion |
| ETA | Estimated time of arrival |
| F | |
| F | Female |
| FAQ | Frequently Asked Questions |
| FOFL | Falling on the floor laughing |
| FUBAR | Fouled up beyond all recognition |
| FWIW | For what it’s worth |
| FYI | For your information |
| G | |
| G2G | Gotta go |
| GB | Goodbye |
| GF | Girlfriend |
| GG | Good game |
| GJ | Good job |
| GL | Good luck |
| GM | Good match |
| GR8 | Great |
| H | |
| H/O | Hold on |
| HH | Ha-ha |
| HOAS | Hold on a second |
| HTH | Hope this helps |
| I | |
| IAC | In any case |
| IC | I see |
| IDK | I don’t know |
| IE | Id est (Latin: That is) |
| IIRC | If I remember correctly |
| IK | I know |
| IM | Instant Message |
| IMHO | In my humble opinion |
| IMO | In my opinion |
| IOW | In other words |
| IRT | In reply to |
| J | |
| J/K | Just kidding |
| JC | Just curious |
| JK | Just kidding |
| K | |
| K | OK |
| KIT | Keep in touch |
| KWIM | Know what I mean |
| L | |
| L8 | Late |
| L8R | Later |
| LMAO | Laughing my a** off |
| LOL | Laugh out loud |
| M | |
| M | Male |
| MMA |
Meet me at |
| MMB | Message me back |
| MSG | Message |
| MYOB | Mind your own business |
| N | |
| N/A | Not Available |
| NC | No comment |
| NE1 | Anyone |
| NM | Not much |
| NP | No problem |
| NRN | No reply necessary |
| NW | No way |
| O | |
| OMG | Oh my gosh |
| OT | Off topic |
| OTOH | On the other hand |
| P | |
| PDA | Public display of affection |
| PHAT | Pretty hot and tempting |
| PIR | People in room |
| PK | Player Killing |
| PLZ | Please |
| POS | Parent over shoulder |
| PPL | People |
| Q | |
| QT | Cutie |
| R | |
| RE | Regarding |
| ROFL | Rolling on the floor laughing |
| ROTFL | Rolling on the floor laughing |
| RPG | Role Playing Game |
| RT | Real-time |
| RTFM | Read the flippin’ manual |
| S | |
| SMH | Shaking my head |
| SOS | Someone over shoulder |
| SOSO | Same old, same old |
| SP? | Spelling? |
| STR8 | Straight |
| SUP | What’s up |
| T | |
| TBC | To be continued |
| TBH | To be honest |
| TC | Take care |
| TGIF | Thank goodness it’s Friday |
| THX | Thanks |
| TIA | Thanks in advance |
| TIC | Tongue in cheek |
| TISNF | That is so not fair |
| TLC | Tender love and care |
| TMI | Too much information |
| TOH | Typing one-handed |
| TTFN | Ta-ta for now |
| TTYL | Talk to you later |
| TY | Thank you |
| U | |
| U2 | You too |
| UR | You are |
| V | |
| VBG | Very big grin |
| W | |
| W/ | With |
| W/E | Whatever |
| W/O | Without |
| W8 | Wait |
| WB | Write back (e-mail) |
| WOOT | Way out of topic |
| WTG | Way to go |
| X | |
| XOXO | Hugs and kisses |
| Y | |
| Y | Why |
| YRG | You are good |
| YW | You’re welcome |
| Z | |
| ZZZ | Sleeping |
Insure or Ensure : As long as you’re covered!
Insure or Ensure : As long as you’re covered!: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download
Question from English4Today member, Irene in Canada:
Using the services of my company ENSURES the task is completed correctly, on time & on budget!
OR
2) Using the services of my company INSURES the task is completed correctly, on time & on budget!Also please explain how I can make this determination on my own in the future.
Hi Irene and thanks for your question as this seems to be a set of those easily confused words that we have not included in our list on the English4Today Grammar Pages. We’ll make sure it is there soon though as assure, insure,ensure are, as you’ve pointed out, a group of words that we often confuse.
To assure something is to make certain that it will happen or has happened or to promise that something will be done as said:
- I assure you that I will be on time for work tomorrow.
- Economic prosperity is assured by the Presidential candidate if he is elected.
- The Presidential candidate assured his listeners that there would be no more poverty once she was elected
- They assured me that there was no danger swimming with the crocodiles.
- She assured me that she loved me even though she had forgotten my name.
To ensure something is to take steps to make sure that something happens:
- He ensured his own defeat in the election by failing to argue convincingly on any topic.
- Including air bags in cars ensures that you are protected when your car crashes.
- The captain ensured the safety of all of his passengers by double-checking the aircraft before takeoff.
To insure something is to take precautions against something undesirable happening and, of course, is best remembered when you think of an ‘insurance policy‘:
- You can insure yourself against losing your home by taking out a home insurance policy.
- The hostages were held by the terrorists as insurance against government attacks.
Now for the complications!
Ensure and insure are often used interchangeably to mean ‘to make sure of something‘. Practically, this means that as long as the meaning is ‘making sure of something‘ you can get away with using either one. Which means, of course, that both of your sentences would be correct. However, there are people who will insist upon using only ensure in this sense, using insure for talking about legal and financial protection and if you decided to follow this (rather small!) group then only your first sentence would be correct.
Insure is always used when referring to matters of legal and financial protection (e.g., insurance) :
- Insuring your car against theft is important if you live in a big city.
- I have insured myself against accidental death so that my children have some money if I die.
In terms of remembering all of this, Irene, I don’t know of any handy memory trick or mnemonic for this group but what I will do is put together an exercise for you over the next few days and post it to the members’ web with the link to it here so that you can do that a few times to reinforce your understanding of the words.
View Also: