Adjectives ending in ED and INGEnglish Grammar NotesThere are many adjectives that we have in English that end in-EDor-ING.Yes, that's correct, they are not only endings that we use for verbs!An adjective that ends in-INGis used to describe: thecharacteristicof a person or a thing.An adjective that ends in-EDis used to describe: afeeling.Compare the difference: My girlfriend isbored. - (My girlfriend feels bored) My girlfriend isboring. - (My girlfriend is a boring person)You can use these adjectives to describe people or situations but be careful that you are using the correct adjective. For example, there is a big difference in meaning between: I amconfused. - (I don't understand something) I amconfusing. - (I will cause you to be confused)Of course, you could also find both adjectives in the same sentence. Then you really need to concentrate on the intent / context of the sentence.Examples: I wasshockedby howshockingthe accident was last night. They werefrightenedby thefrighteningroller-coaster ride! I amannoyedby howannoyingthat person in front of us is. Sally wasconfusedby theconfusingstreet signs in the city.Note that the sentences above are to highlight how both adjectives can appear in the same sentence though it isn't common (because it sounds repetitive).Also see our article aboutthe Pronunciation of words ending in -ED.

List of Adjectives ending in -ED and -INGThere is quite a long list of adjectives ending in-EDand-INGin English, and most of them are based on a verb that can be changed into an adjective by adding either-EDor-ING.Some of the more common ones include: Alarmed - Alarming Aggravated - Aggravating Amused - Amusing Annoyed - Annoying Astonished - Astonishing Astounded - Astounding Bored - Boring Captivated - Captivating Challenged - Challenging Charmed - Charming Comforted - Comforting Confused - Confusing Convinced - Convincing Depressed - Depressing Disappointed - Disappointing Discouraged - Discouraging Disgusted - Disgusting Distressed - Distressing Disturbed - Disturbing Embarrassed - Embarrassing Encouraged - Encouraging Entertained - Entertaining Excited - Exciting Exhausted - Exhausting Fascinated - Fascinating Frightened - Frightening Frustrated - Frustrating Fulfilled - Fulfilling Gratified - Gratifying Inspired - Inspiring Insulted - Insulting Interested - Interesting Moved - Moving Overwhelmed - Overwhelming Perplexed - Perplexing Pleased - Pleasing Relaxed - Relaxing Relieved - Relieving Satisfied - Satisfying Shocked - Shocking Sickened - Sickening Soothed - Soothing Surprised - Surprising Tempted - Tempting Terrified - Terrifying Threatened - Threatening Thrilled - Thrilling Tired - Tiring Touched - Touching Troubled - Troubling Unsettled Unsettling Worried - Worrying

Question WordsEnglish Grammar Rules

The most commonquestion wordsin English are the following:

WHOWHOis only used when referring to people. (= I want to know the person) Who is the best football player in the world? Who are your best friends? Who is that strange guy over there?

WHEREWHEREis used when referring to a place or location. (= I want to know the place) Where is the library? Where do you live? Where are my shoes?

WHENWHENis used to refer to a time or an occasion. (= I want to know the time) When do the shops open? When is his birthday? When are we going to finish?

WHYWHYis used to obtain an explanation or a reason. (= I want to know the reason) Why do we need a nanny? Why are they always late? Why does he complain all the time?Normally the response begins with "Because..."

WHATWHATis used to refer to specific information. (= I want to know the thing) What is your name? What is her favourite colour? What is the time?

WHICHWHICHis used when a choice needs to be made. (= I want to know the thing between alternatives) Which drink did you order the rum or the beer? Which day do you prefer for a meeting today or tomorrow? Which is better - this one or that one?

HOWHOWis used to describe the manner that something is done. (= I want to know the way) How do you cook paella? How does he know the answer? How can I learn English quickly?

WithHOWthere are a number of other expressions that are used in questions:

How much refers to a quantity or a price (uncountable nouns) How much time do you have to finish the test? How much is the jacket on display in the window? How much money will I need?

How many refers to a quantity (countable nouns) How many days are there in April? How many people live in this city? How many brothers and sister do you have?

How often refers to frequency How often do you visit your grandmother? How often does she study? How often are you sick?

How far refers to distance How far is the university from your house? How far is the bus stop from here?

QuantifiersEnglish GrammarWhat are quantifiers?Quantifierstell us something about the amount or quantity of something (a noun).Some quantifiers express asmall or largequantity: Small: I have afewthings to do before finishing work. Large: I havemanythings to do before finishing work.Some quantifiers expresspart of or all ofa quantity: Part: It rainsmostdays in winter. All: It rainedallday yesterday.Quantifiers belong to a larger class calledDeterminer.Examples of quantifiersQuantifiers can be a single word (e.g. some) or a phrase (e.g. a lot of). Quantifiers that appear as a phrase are often calledComplex Quantifiers.Simple Quantifiers:all, another, any, both, each, either, enough, every, few, fewer, little, less, many, more, much, neither, no, several, some.Complex Quantifiers:a few, a little, a lot of, lots ofThe position of quantifiersWe put quantifiers at the beginning of noun phrases.quantifier + noun somepeoplequantifier + adjective + noun manyold booksquantifier + adverb + adjective + noun a lot ofvery crazy driversWe can also use quantifiers without a noun, like a pronoun. These books are old butsomeare still in good condition. (Somerefers to some books)Quantifier + NounCHART COMING SOONFormal and Informal QuantifiersSometimes we can make a sentence more formal or more informal (or natural) just by changing the quantifier.Manypeople where invited to the wedding. (formal)A lot ofpeople arrived late. (informal/natural)They madelittleprogress. (formal)They didnt makemuchprogress. (informal/natural)

Next activityTo learn more about when to use quantifiers see the following pages: (SOON) Another vs. other vs. others All vs. every vs. each Both, either, neither Little, less, least More, most Much, many, a lot, few No Several Some vs. Any, A vs. AnPrepositions of PlaceEnglish Grammar Rules

The chart demonstrates some of the most common prepositions of place in English.Prepositions of Place are used to show the position or location of one thing with another.It answers the question "Where?"Below we have some more examples of Prepositions of Place:In front of A band plays their musicin front ofan audience. The teacher standsin front ofthe students. The man standing in the linein front ofme smells bad. Teenagers normally squeeze their zitsin front ofa mirror.BehindBehindis the opposite ofIn front of.It means at the back (part) of something. When the teacher writes on the whiteboard, the students arebehindhim (or her). Who is that personbehindthe mask? I slowly down because there was a police carbehindme.BetweenBetweennormally refers to something in the middle of two objects or things (or places). There are mountainsbetweenChile and Argentina. The number 5 isbetweenthe number 4 and 6. There is a sea (The English Channel)betweenEngland and France.Across From / OppositeAcross fromandOppositemean the same thing. It usually refers to something being in front of something else BUT there is normally something between them like a street or table. It is similar to saying that someone (or a place) is on the other side of something. I liveacross froma supermarket (= it is on the other side of the road) The chess players satoppositeeach other before they began their game.(= They are in front of each other and there is a table between them)Next to / BesideNext toandBesidemean the same thing. It usually refers to a thing (or person) that is at the side of another thing. At a wedding, the bride standsnext tothe groom. Guards standnext tothe entrance of the bank. He walkedbesideme as we went down the street. In this part of town there isn't a footpathbesidethe road so you have to be careful.Near / Close toNearandClose tomean the same thing. It is similar tonext to / besidebut there is more of a distance between the two things. The receptionist isnearthe front door. This building isneara subway station. We couldn't park the carclose tothe store. Our house isclose toa supermarket.OnOnmeans that something is in a position that is physically touching, covering or attached to something. The clockonthe wall is slow. He put the foodonthe table. I can see a spideronthe ceiling. We were told not to walkonthe grass.Above / OverAboveandOverhave a similar meaning. The both mean "at a higher position than X" butabovenormally refers to being directly (vertically) above you. Planes normally flyabovethe clouds. There is a ceilingaboveyou. There is a haloovermy head. ;) We put a sun umbrellaoverthe table so we wouldn't get so hot. Our neighbors in the apartmentaboveus are rally noisy.Overcan also mean: physically covering the surface of something and is often used with the wordAllas inAll over. There waterall overthe floor. I accidentally spilled red wineall overthe new carpet.Overis often used as a Preposition of Movement too.Under / BelowUnderandBelowhave a similar meaning. They mean at a lower level. (Something is above it). Your legs areunderthe table. Monsters liveunderyour bed. A river flowsundera bridge. How long can you stayunderthe water? Miners workbelowthe surface of the Earth.Sometimes we use the wordunderneathinstead ofunderandbeneathinstead ofbelow. There is no difference in meaning those they are less common nowadays.Underis often used as a Preposition of Movement too.

Next activityOn another page we will explain when to useAtandInwhen referring to location. (Coming soon)You may want to check out our notes aboutPrepositions of TimeAnd see ourlist of prepositions in English.

If you found these English grammar rules about thePrepositions of Placeuseful, share them with others:More English GrammarCompound AdjectivesEnglish GrammarA compound adjective is sometimes called a hyphenated adjective. What are they?Let's look at the following sentences: I saw a man-eating alligator. I saw a man eating alligator.The first sentence contains a compound adjective.The second sentence doesn't.However the meaning of the two sentences are very different as can be seen in the picture below:

I saw a man-eating alligator.We are describing the alligator. What type of alligator is it? It is one that eats men (or people).I saw a man eating alligator.This sentence without the hyphen sounds like a man is eating an alligator.(man is the subject, eating is the verb, alligator is the object or thing that is being eaten).As you can see, the hyphen (or lack of it) makes a big difference in the meaning of the sentence.Before we explain in more detail why we put that hyphen between those two words in the first sentence, we need to do a quick review of Adjectives.What is an adjective?An adjective is a word that describes something.Aredcar (redis an adjective because it describes the car. How is the car? Red)Abigbook (bigis an adjective because it describes the book. How is the book? Big)See our other grammar notes about Adjectives in English. (LINK)But sometimes we use more than one adjective to describe something.

Compound adjectivesA compound adjective is an adjective that contains two or more words.In general we put a hyphen between two or more words (before a noun) when we want them to act as a single idea (adjective) that describes something. I live in an English-speaking country.English-speaking is an adjective (used to describe the country). We use a hyphen to connect the wordEnglishwithspeakingto show that it is one adjective (or one idea).This adjective with two words joined by the hyphen is called a compound adjective.Some more examples of compound adjectives are: Our office is in atwenty-storeybuilding. I have just finished reading a300-pagebook. He is awell-knownwriter.There are many types of Compound Adjectives. Here is a list of the most common types:Compound Adjectives + Periods of TimeWhen he have compound adjectives using numbers + a time period, that word referring to a time period is in singular form and is joined to the number with a hyphen. I work eight hours every day --> I work aneight-hourday I'm going on vacation for three weeks --> I have athree-weekvacation There was a delay of 5 seconds --> There was afive-seconddelayNotice how we normally write the number as a word, not in numerical form.Adverbs and Compound AdjectivesAdverbs modify a verb. She walksslowly.How does she walk? Slowly. Slowly is an adverb that modifies (or describes) the verb.Adverbs can also be used to modify an adjective. It isveryhot today. (Veryis an adverb) She isextremelyintelligent. (Extremelyis an adverb)Notice how we do not put a hyphen between an adverb and an adjective (not even before a noun). It is averyhot day. She is anextremelyintelligent girl.Adverb + Past ParticipleHowever when we have an Adverb + past participle, we put a hyphen between the two words to make it a compound adjective. This is abrightly-litroom. She is awell-knownactress. We live in adensely-populatedcity.Noun + Past ParticipleWhen we have a noun + past participle, we put a hyphen between the two words to make it a compound adjective. We should start usingwind-poweredgenerators to cut costs. I love eatingsun-driedraisins.Noun + Present ParticipleWhen we have a noun + present participle, we put a hyphen between the two words to make it a compound adjective. I bought somemouth-wateringstrawberries. That was arecord-breakingjump.Noun + AdjectiveWhen we have a noun + adjective, we put a hyphen between the two words to make it a compound adjective. She is aworld-famoussinger. This is asmoke-freerestaurant.Adjective + NounWhen we have an adjective + noun, we put a hyphen between the two words to make it a compound adjective. It was alast-minutedecision. We watched thefull-lengthversion of the movie.Adjective + Past ParticipleWhen we have an adjective + past participle, we put a hyphen between the two words to make it a compound adjective. That is anold-fashioneddress Reptiles arecold-bloodedcreatures.Adjective + Present ParticipleWhen we have an adjective + present participle, we put a hyphen between the two words to make it a compound adjective. She is agood-lookinggirl. It left along-lastingtaste in my mouth.Compound Adjectives with Proper NounsA proper noun is the name of something or someone (e.g. John, Susan Sanders).Compound Adjectives made from Proper nouns don't need a hyphen though must have capital letters. I bought the James Jackson tickets for us.James Jackson is a compound adjective describing the tickets (What type of tickets? James Jackson tickets). Since the adjective is a Proper noun, we don't need a hyphen between the two names.How do we know when to put a hyphen?If you can use the word and between the two adjectives or words, then a hyphen isn't necessary. She has a big blue book.(Big and Blue are adjectives)Can we say: She has a big and blue book. (Yes, it is possible) He is a world famous singerCan we say: He is a world and famous singer. No, it doesn't sound correct so we need a hyphen to join the wordsworldandfamous.Also, look at the following: It's an old coal-mining townNotice how we didn't put a hyphen between the word old and coal. If we had have done that, we would have been referring to old coal, as in coal that is old. We want to emphasis that the town in old and not the coal.Here we can say it isoldand acoal-miningone.Like vs. AsEnglish Grammar RulesWe generally use LIKE and AS to make comparisons.

LIKEThe structure of the sentence is usually: VERB + LIKE + NOUN / PRONOUN. He speakslikea native speaker. She lookslikea supermodel.

ASThe structure of the sentence is usually: AS + SUBJECT + VERB. Nobody singsasshe does. They went to the partyasthey were.It is very common in American English to use LIKE instead of AS. However, it is generally considered informal to use it in this way. We play footballlikechampions do.Another use of AS is to say what the role/function of a person/thing is. He started workasa carpenter. She used the tapestryasa decoration in her living room.

LIKE vs. ASBe careful, in similar sentences that use LIKE and AS, the meanings of each sentence are very different. For example: Asyour boss, I must warn you to be careful. (I am your boss.) Likeyour boss, I must warn you to be careful. (I am not your boss, but he/she and I have similar attitudes.)

AS IFIn English we also use as if to make comparisons. However it has a few distinct characteristics to its use:1. The verb after AS IF is always in the past subjunctive, no matter what tense the sentence is.2. If the verb BE directly follows AS IF, we usewerefor all personal pronouns. He looksas ifheknewthe answer.(The verbs LOOKS indicates this sentence is in the present but the verb after AS IF knew- is in the past subjuntive). She walksas ifshewerea supermodel.(The verb after AS IF be has been changed towereand notwas). He boarded the airplaneas ifhewerea seasoned traveller. He spends moneyas ifheowneda bank.

Whoever - Whatever - WheneverEnglish Grammar RulesWe can think about the W-ever words semantically as the 'W' word + the quantifier 'any'. The trick to understanding these terms is to realise that they apply to any single one of the referents, and at the same time refer to all of the referents. Whatever- Any thing (This could also be every thing) Whenever- Any time (This could also be 'every time') Wherever- Any 'where' (Anywhere or everywhere). Whoever- Anyone (Any person or every person, or sometimes used to refer to a person unknown to the speaker) Whichever- Any 'which' (Choice between a group or set). However- Any 'way' (In any manner or way, regardless of how).Basically each one means:"It does not matter what / when / where etc." OR"An unknown thing / time / place etc."

Examples of WhateverWhateveryou do, pay attention to the road when you are driving.(You can do anything as long as you pay attention to the road)They say you can buywhateveryou desire in Harrods, as long as you have the money.(You can buy anything in Harrods, if you have enough money)The student was so intelligent thatwhateverwe taught, she understood.(She understood everything that she was taught)The criminal said he would dowhateverhe could in order to get out of jail.(He would do everything or anything he could to get out of jail)

Examples of WheneverWheneverthe neighbours flush the toilet, water comes through our ceiling.(Every time they flush the toilet it happens)Whenevershe calls, the landlord is busy.(Every time she calls the landlord, he/she is busy)Call mewheneveryou need something.(Call me any time you need something)Wheneverhe comes home, he acts like a hungry dog.(Ever time he comes home, she is like that)WheneverI go to sleep early, I have extraordinary dreams.(Every time I go to sleep early, I have these dreams)

Examples of WhereverWhereveryou go in the world, remember where you came from and where you are going.(Anywhere you go in the world, remember those things)With a good education in English,whereveryou go, you will have a good time.(If you are taught well, you will have a good time anywhere)Whereverwe put the TV in the room, the reception is bad.(Anywhere we put the TV the reception is bad)You can put the present that she gave youwhereveryou want, just don't let her know if you put it in the trash.(You can put that present anywhere)

Examples of WhoeverWhoeverbroke the vase, can you please replace it?(Any specific person who broke the vase, please replace it)Whoevergoes to the shop, please don't steal anything.(Any one or more of the people who will go to the shop, don't steal anything)Whoeverit was that knocked on the door last night must have been drunk, because they dropped twenty dollars as they ran away.(The unknown person who knocked on the door dropped twenty dollars)Whoeveryou just spoke to, she must have some special powers, because you look like you fell in love.(The unknown person who you spoke with must have some special powers)

Examples of WhicheverYou can drivewhicheverof the cars you want.(You can choose to drive any of the cars)Whicheverdress I wear tonight, I'm worried that my butt will look fat. What do you think?(Person is worried that the person's butt looks fat in any of the selected dresses)Whicheverroad you take to Rome, you will need to drive carefully.(There are a number of roads to take, and it is necessary to drive carefully on any one that you take)Whicheverpizza you ordered for her, it must have had some very delicious ingredients.(The pizza that was ordered from those available had some special ingredients)

Examples of HoweverYou can dresshoweveryou like for the party, it's not formal.(You can dress the way that you want for the party)Howevermuch she eats, she never puts on weight.(It doesn't matter how much she eats, she never gets fat)You can do ithoweveryou like, I don't really care as long as it gets done.(you can do it any way that you want)Howeverrich they may be, it still isn't enough for them.(It doesn't matter how rich they may be)Sometimes we usemore than oneadjective in front of a noun:He was aniceintelligentyoungman.She had asmallroundblackwoodenbox.Opinion adjectives:Some adjectives give ageneral opinion. We can use these adjectives to describe almost any noun:goodbadlovelystrange

beautifulnicebrilliantexcellent

awfulimportantwonderfulnasty

Some adjectives give aspecific opinion. We only use these adjectives to describe particular kinds of noun:Food: tasty; deliciousFurniture, buildings: comfortable; uncomfortablePeople, animals: clever; intelligent; friendlyWe usually put ageneralopinionin front of a specificopinion:Nicetastysoup.AnastyuncomfortablearmchairAlovelyintelligentanimalUsually we put an adjective that gives anopinion in frontof an adjective that isdescriptive:a nice red dress; a silly old man; those horrible yellow curtainsWe often havetwoadjectives in front of a noun:a handsome young man; a big black car; that horrible big dogSometimes we havethreeadjectives, but this isunusual:anicehandsomeyoungman;abigblackAmericancar;thathorriblebigfiercedogIt isvery unusualto havemore than threeadjectives.Adjectives usually come in this order:12345678

GeneralopinionSpecificopinionSizeShapeAgeColourNationalityMaterial

We use some adjectives onlyafter a link verb:afraidalivealoneasleep

contentgladillready

sorrysureunablewell

Some of the commonest-edadjectives are normally used onlyafter a link verb:annoyed; finished; bored; pleased; thrilledWe say:Our teacher was ill.My uncle was very glad when he heard the news.The policeman seemed to be very annoyedbut we do not say:We had anillteacher.When he heard the news he wasa very glad uncleHe seemed to be avery annoyed policemanA few adjectives are usedonly in front of a noun:northsoutheastwestnorthernsoutherneasternwesterncountlessoccasionalloneeventfulindooroutdoor

We say:He lives in theeasterndistrict.There werecountlessproblems with the new machinery.but we do not say:The district he lives in is easternThe problems with the new machinery were countless.Try these tasks to improve your adjective ordering.A lot of adjectives are made from verbs by adding-ingor-ed:-ing adjectives:The commonest-ingadjectives are:amusingshockingsurprisingfrightening

interestingdisappointingexcitingtiring

worryingboringterrifyingannoying

If you call somethinginterestingyou mean itinterestsyou.If you call somethingfrighteningyou mean itfrightensyou.I read a veryinterestingarticle in the newspaper today.That Dracula film was absolutelyterrifying.-ed adjectives:The commonest ed adjectives are:annoyedboredfrightenedworried

tiredclosedexciteddelighted

disappointed

If somethingannoysyou, you can say you feelannoyed. If somethinginterestsyou, you can say you areinterested.The children had nothing to do. They werebored.We usecomparative adjectivesto describe people and things:This car is certainlybetterbut its muchmore expensive.Im feelinghappiernow.We need abiggergardenWe usethanwhen we want to compare one thing withanother:She is two years olderthanme.New York is much biggerthanBoston.He is a better playerthanRonaldo.France is a bigger countrythanBritain.When we want to describe how something or someonechangeswe can usetwo comparativeswithand:The balloon gotbigger and bigger.Everything is gettingmore and more expensive.Grandfather is lookingolder and older.We often use the with comparative adjectives to show that one thingdepends on another:When you drive faster it is more dangerous> The faster you drive, the more dangerous it is.When they climbed higher it got colder>The higher they climbed, the colder it got.Superlative adjectives:We usethewith a superlative:It wasthe happiestdayof my life.Everest isthe highestmountainin the world.Thatsthe bestfilmI have seen this year.I have three sisters, Jan isthe oldestand Angela isthe youngest.

We use words likevery,reallyandextremelyto makeadjectivesstronger:Its averyinteresting storyEveryone wasveryexcited.Its areallyinteresting story.Everyone wasextremelyexcitedWe call these wordsintensifiers. Other intensifiers are:amazinglyexceptionallyincredibly

remarkablyparticularlyunusually

We also useenoughto say more about an adjective, butenoughcomesafteritsadjective:If you are seventeen you areoldenoughto drive a car.I cant wear those shoes. Theyre notbigenough.Intensifiers with strong adjectives:Strong adjectives are words like:enormous, huge= very bigtiny= very smallbrilliant= very cleverawful; terrible; disgusting; dreadful= very badcertain= very sureexcellent; perfect; ideal; wonderful; splendid= very gooddelicious= very tastyWe donotnormally useverywith these adjectives. We do not say something is "very enormous" or someone is "very brilliant".

With strong adjectives, we normally use intensifiers like:absolutelycompletelytotallyutterly

reallyexceptionallyparticularlyquite

The film wasabsolutely awful.He was anexceptionally brilliantchild.The food smelledreally disgusting.Mitigators are theopposite of intensifiers. When we want to make an adjectiveless strongwe use these words:fairly -rather -quiteBy the end of the day we wererathertired.The film wasnt great but it wasquiteexciting.and in informal English:prettyWe had aprettygood time at the party.We call these wordsmitigators.Warning

quite

When we usequitewith astrong adjectiveit means the same asabsolutely:The food wasquiteawful. = The food was absolutely awful.As a child he wasquitebrilliant. = As a child he was absolutely brilliant.

Mitigators with comparatives:We use these words and phrases as mitigators:a bit - just a bit- a little- a little bit- just a little bit - rather - slightly

Shesa bityoungerthan I am.It takes two hours on the train but it isa little bitlongerby roadThis one isratherbigger.We useslightlyandratheras mitigators withcomparative adjectives in front of a noun:This is aslightly more expensivemodelthan that.This israther biggeronethan that.Adjectives as intensifiers:We use some adjectives as intensifiers:absolutetotal - completeutter - perfectrealWe say:Hes acomplete idiot.They were talkingutter nonsense. but we do not say:The idiot was complete.The nonsense they were talking was utter.Task 1noun modifiersbacknextWe often usetwo nouns togetherto show thatone thingis a part of something else:thevillage church; thecar door; thekitchen window; thechair leg;mycoat pocket;London residentsWarning

We do not use a possessive form for these things. We do not talk about:The cars door;the kitchens window;the chairs leg

We can use noun modifiers to showwhat something is made of:agoldwatch; aleatherpurse; ametalboxWe often use noun modifiers with nouns ending in-erand-ing:an office worker; a jewellery maker; a potato peeler; a shopping list; a swimming lesson; a walking holiday.We usemeasurements,ageorvalueas noun modifiers:athirty kilogramsuitcase; atwo minuterest; afive thousand europlatinum watch; afifty kilometrejourney;We often put two nouns together andreaders/listeners have work outwhat they mean. So: an ice bucket = a bucket to keep ice in an ice cube = a cube made of ice an ice breaker = a ship which breaks ice the ice age = the time when much of the Earth was covered in ice.Sometimes we findmore than two nounstogether:London office workers; grammar practice exercisesPosition of noun modifiers

Noun modifiers comeafter adjectives:The old newspaper sellerA tiring fifty kilometre journeyTask 1adverbials of locationbacknextLocationWe useprepositionsto talk aboutwheresomeone or something is:aboveamongatbehindbelowbeneath

besidebetweenbyinin betweeninside

nearnext toonoppositeoutsideover

roundthroughunderunderneath

He was standingby the table.She lives in a villagenear Glasgow.Youll find itin the cupboard.We usephraseswithofas prepositions:at the back ofat the top ofat the bottom ofat the end of

on top ofat the front ofin front ofin the middle of

There were some flowersin the middle of the table.Sign your name here at the bottom of the page.I cant see. Youre standingin front of me.We can userightas anintensifierwith some of these prepositions:He was standingrightnext to the table.There were some flowersrightin the middle of the table.Theres a woodrightbehind our house.Activities

superlative adverbsbacknextWe can use superlative adverbs to make comparisons:His ankles hurt badly, but his knees hurtworst.It rainsmost oftenat the beginning of the year.Intensifiers:When we intensify a superlative adverb we often usethein front of the adverb, and we use these words and phrases as intensifiers:easily - much - far - by farcommon problems with count/uncount nounsbacknext1:Uncount nouns used as count nounsAlthoughsubstancesare usuallyuncountnouns...Would you like somecheese?Coffeekeeps me awake at night.Winemakes me sleep.... they can bealsoused ascountnouns:Id like a coffee please.=Id like a [cup of] coffee.

May I have a white wine.=May I have a [glass of] white wine.

They sell a lot of coffees.=They sell a lot of[different kinds of] coffee.

I prefer white wines to red.=I prefer [different kinds of] white wine to red.

They had over twenty cheeses on sale.=They had over twenty [types of] cheese on sale.

This is an excellent soft cheese.=This [kind of] soft cheese is excellent.

2: Some nouns havebotha count and an uncountform:We should always havehope.George hadhopesof promotion.Travelis a great teacher.Where did you go on yourtravels?3: Nouns with two meaningsSome nouns havetwo meanings, one count and the other non count:His life was indanger.There is a seriousdangerof fire.Linguistics is the study oflanguage.Is English a difficultlanguage?Its made ofpaper.The Times is an excellentpaper.Other words like this are:businessdeathindustrymarriagepowerproperty

taxtimevictoryusework

4: Uncount nouns that end in-sSome uncount nouns end in-sso they look like plurals even though they are singular nouns.These nouns generally refer to:Subjects of study:mathematics, physics, economics, etc.

Activities:gymnastics, athletics, etc.

Games:cards, darts, billiards, etc.

Diseases:mumps, measles, rabies, etc.

Economics isa very difficult subject.Billiards iseasier than pool or snooker.5:Group nounsSome nouns, likearmy,refer to groups of people, animals or things, and we can use themeitheras singular nounsoras plural nouns.armyaudiencecommitteecompanycrewenemy

familyflockganggovernmentgroupherd

mediapublicregimentstaffteam

We can use these group nounseither as singular nouns or as plural nouns: My familyisvery dear to me.I havea large family.They arevery dear to me. (= The members of my family) The governmentisvery unpopular.The governmentarealways changing their minds.Sometimes we think of the group as a single thing: The audiencealwaysenjoysthe show. The groupconsistsof two men and three women.Sometimes we think of the group as several individuals; The audienceclappedtheirhands. The largest grouparethe boys.

The names of manyorganisationsandteamsare also group nouns, but they areusually pluralin spoken English: Barcelonaarewinning 2-0. TheUnited Oil Companyareputting prices up by 12%.6: Two-part nounsA few plural nouns, likebinoculars,refer to things that have two parts.glassesjeansknickerspincerspantspliers

pyjamasscissorsshortsspectaclestightstrainers

trouserstweezers

Thesebinocularswere very expensiveThosetrousersare too long.To make it clear we are talking aboutoneof these items, we usea pair of I needa new pair ofspectacles.Ive boughta pair ofblue jeans.If we want to talk aboutmore than one, we usepairs of :Weve gotthree pairs ofscissors, but they are all blunt.I always carrytwo pairs ofbinoculars.ctives ending in -ed or -ing.-ed:excited, interested, bored, annoyed, surprised.-ing:exciting, interesting, boring, annoying, surprising.The words above are a few of the adjectives that end in-edor-ing. Their meaning can sometimes be confusing.Adjectives ending in-edshow what has happened to a person or thing.He was surprised by the result of his test.Adjectives ending in-ingshow the effect which something has on a person or thing.The test results were surprising to him.If you are watching a film on television and the film is good it will be interesting. You will be interested in it. If the film is boring then you are bored.If you meet someone who makes you laugh then he is amusing. You are always amused when you speak to him.Lesson by Tristan, English teacher at ECMalta English schoolDecide which form should go in the following: 1) Peter was __ when he missed the start of the film.

annoyedannoying 2) Have you read the book 'Life of Pi'? It's a great book, especially if you are __ in that genre.

interestinginterested 3) The results of the game were __. The best team didn't win.

surprisedsurprising 4) I just can't speak to Tom for more than five minutes. He's the most __ person I know.

boringbored 5) The children were so __ when we told them we were going to Disneyland.

excitedexciting 6) Trying to understand English grammar can be so __.

frustratedfrustrating 7) John was __ when he went parachute jumping for the first time.

terrifyingterrified 8) When there are the sales Sarah is not __ in anything except shopping.

interestedinterestingESDAY, JUNE 8, 2010Participial Adjective Endings: "ed" or "ing" ?"Two Cranes by a Pine Tree" Maruyama Okyo, 18th Century

It's confusing! What's confusing? This grammar is confusing. How does it make you feel? I feel confused.

The "ing" ending for an adjective describes the person, or thing that causes a feeling or reaction. Examples: The trip wasexciting. The lecture wasinteresting. The comedian wasentertainingandamusing.

The "ed" ending describes asubjectiveresponse. It tells how I feel about the thing or person. Examples: I wasannoyedwhen I had to wait in line. I wasexcitedabout the new class. I'minterestedin the new book. I'mfascinatedby Japanese art.

In the following exercises, use the correct form of the adjective. Click the drop down menu for the correct answer.

1. I saw a veryexhibit of Japanese painting yesterday.

2. The children were veryby the clowns at the circus.

3. I couldn't stand the movie last night. It was one of the mostmovies I've ever seen.

4. Aren't those cranes? They're also graceful and beautiful.

5. Tom wasbecause the application form was difficult to read.

6. Jose isn'twith his progress in English this semester. He wants to repeat Level Five.

7. We don't want to bebecause we're trying to finish our homework.

8. The acrobats performed somesomersaults and balancing acts.

9. I'm veryto say that I forgot your birthday.

10. The score I received on my last exam was somewhat. I thought I had done better.

11. I wasthis morning because I didn't sleep well last night.

12. We want to paint our house, but we can't decide what color to paint it. It's very

13. They'rebecause they want to go to the beach but it's raining.

14. I had to take the kids out of the movie theater yesterday because the film we were watching was too.

15. That singer was sothat we wanted to listen to her all evening.

16. The cars were going so fast on the freeway that theyus.

17. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are looking forward to having aholiday.

18. I wasto learn that I was accepted to the University of California. I didn't think my grades were good enough.

19. I heard that Joe and Carol are getting married. Isn't that?

20. I didn't even know they werein each other.

21. If I don't have the chance to use my computer for a while, I get restless and.

22. I'm getting verywith my browser. It keeps quitting while I'm working on my blog.

23. The cranes in the picture seem very peaceful and.

24. After doing some of these exercises, are you stillabout when to use "ed" or "ing"?

25. Please, don't beabout your English. It's natural to make mistakes when you're learning a new language.

26. I listened to the lawyers at the trail, but I didn't think their arguments were very.

27. I'm notat all that Mr. Donald Bennet is guilty of any crime.

28. The situation on the Gulf Coast is absolutely. How long will it take to clean up that oil spill?

29. Louise and Jeffery have a veryhouse in the country. They stay there every summer.

30. The food and service at our restaurant seems to be pretty good because we have a lot ofcustomers.

Principio del formularioEnglish is Confusing: -ing or -ed?.Look at these sentences: The moviewe saw yesterday evening wasboring.Wewere allbored. Doing yogais veryrelaxing. When you do it,youfeelrelaxed.Read the text. Fill in the blanks.Good evening, everybody! said the teacher, Donna. Where is everybody? That was sort of ajoke by Donna. Usually the class started with only two or three students present, and then filled up as the minutes went by. It was summertime. Summer school was only eight weeks long. Classwas always smaller than during fall and spring semesters.I dont know, teacher. Maybe they late or no come, said one student. Maybe watching TV football tonight.Is there a soccer game tonight? It seems like theres a soccer game every night. Oh, well. Lets get, okay? Were on page 36 in the workbook. Tonight wereparticiples as adjectives. Students are always confused when they learn about the present and past participles, so we will practice this a lot. Tonight, were just going to practice the present participle.The present participle tellswhat emotion or feeling the subject is causing. For example, Grammar is boring means that the subject - grammar - causes an emotion of boredom. If we say, The movie is interesting, we are saying that the movie causes a feeling of interest. If we say, The roller coaster is exciting, we are saying that the roller coaster causes a feeling of excitement.questions so far? Am I confusing you? Is everyone confused?The classroom was. Donna looked at blank faces. They were. She knew this would take a while. But eventually, the faster students would grasp it, and then they would help the slower students. By the end of the evening, most of the class would feel comfortable using the present participle.Donnathe board and put some new examples on it. She loved guiding her studentsdifficult topics like this one. She always felt a little bit thrilled when the look of understanding came to their faces.Do the exercise: -ing or -ed?1. I studied hard for my exams but I didn't do very well. I was very.2. The difference between the words 'borrow' and 'lend' is.3. Studying can be very.4. A friend of mine collects coins and wanted to show them to me, but I told him I wasn't.5. I was verywhen my girlfriend forgot our dinner date.6. The fact that so more and more teens are taking drugs is.7. Riding a rollercoaster is.8. My parents werewhen my sister didn't come home on time last night.9. Liverpool has had aseason so far this year.10. I heard somereallynews yesterday.11. It's verywhen people don't listen when you're tlaking to them.12. Mr Jones is the mostteacher I've ever had.13. I was completelyafter running the London marathon.14. My parents werewhen I told them I didn't want to become a doctor.15. T think the octopus is the mostcreature in the ocean.domingo, junio 17, 2007 Adjetivos terminados en -ing -ed Los adjetivos que acaban en -ing

"Ing" no es slo un banco holands, sino tambin un sufijo (una forma de terminar las palabras) que puede tener muchos usos y significados.

Uno de esos usos es el de adjetivar sustantivos. Es decir, a un sustantivo se le agrega la terminacin -ing y zas! no slo sirve para identificar a un objeto, sino tambin para describir cmo es un objeto determinado.

Veamos algunos ejemplos:

- Alarm Alarma

The alarm went off at 7 a.m. La alarma son a las 7 a.m.

Ahora, le aadimos -ing y la convertimos en--> "Alarming" Alarmante

- That was an alarming sound. se era un sonido alarmante.

Te has fijado en lo que he hecho? Rebobinemos (Let's rewind). En el primer ejemplo, "alarm" es un objeto que en ese caso es tambin sujeto (realiza la accin de sonar).

En el segundo ejemplo, aado -ing a "alarm" y convierto la palabra en un adjetivo que me sirve para describir cmo era un sonido---> El sonido era alarmante.

Pero, ojo!: No slo convertimos "sustantivos" en adjetivos aadiendo la terminacin -ing, tambin podemos hacerlo con verbos.

Por ejemplo: "to entertain" ---> es un verbo que significa "entretener".

Le aado -ing y tengo "entertaining " entretenido.

Problemas que presenta la terminacin -ing

1) Si no sabes cul es el uso y significado de una palabra concreta terminada en -ing, puedes pensar que se trata de una forma verbal y no de un adjetivo.

Por ejemplo:

-That's a crying shame. [dats a craing sheim]

Es "crying" un verbo, o un adjetivo? Cmo lo podemos saber?

Una solucin es buscar las palabras en el diccionario y si tenemos suerte, encontramos el significado correcto. En este caso (pincha en las palabras arriba) vers que "crying" es un adjetivo, no un verbo, que "shame" [sheim] es un sustantivo (nombre) y que la expresin significa: "sa es una verdadera lstima".

No obstante, muchas veces, no es tan fcil porque no aparece en el diccionario el significado y has de "crearlo" t mismo; igual que lo hicieron las primeras personas que decidieron hacer un diccionario. Para estos casos, ayuda mucho leer. Aunque no entiendas el significado preciso de una expresin, leyendo te empapas de palabras (verbos, adjetivos, sustantivos) y de tanto leer, de repente, zas! se gran ordenador que es el cerebro, da con el significado correcto; encuentra el archivo adecuado en una biblioteca aparentemente desordenada.

Los adjetivos que acaban en -ed

2) Por otro lado, una misma palabra puede convertirse en adjetivo aadindole la terminacin -ing, o alternativamente, la terminacin -ed. Cul es la diferencia entre ambos adjetivos?

Por ejemplo, Cul es la diferencia entre "boring" e "bored"?

- He is a boring person. [hi Is a boringperson] l es una persona aburrida.

- I'm bored. [am bored]. Estoy aburrido.

En espaol el adjetivo es "aburrido/a" para ambas casos. Por qu en ingls es diferente? Igual podramos preguntar Por qu en espaol ambos adjetivos son iguales? Ja! Da igual, lo importante, es intentar encontrar la regla para que puedes entender el significado y no equivocarte al hablar. "Boring" describe cmo es una persona o situacin. "Bored", en cambio, se utiliza para describir un "estado".

-Cmo es Juan? Juan es aburrido. What is John like? John is boring.

Describo cmo es Juan como persona. Nota: Fjate que no es "How" sino "What" is John like?

- Cmo est Juan? Juan est aburrido. How is John? John is bored.

Describo el estado de nimo de Juan. Lo ves?

Hay otros adjetivos en ingls que son ms fciles de diferenciar al compararlos con sus equivalentes en ingls. Por ejemplo, "interesting"

-I saw an interesting movie/film. Vi una pelcula interesante. Describo cmo fue la pelcula que vi.

Nota: Te has fijado cmo suena "interesting"? No es "interesting", sino "intristing". Nos comemos la "e" que va despus de la "t".

- I'm interested in politics. [am intrestid in politics]Estoy interesado en la poltica. Describo qu es lo me interesa.

Nota: Te has fijado cmo suena "interested"? Hay que comerse la "e" que va detrs de la "t", no es "interested", sino ["intrestid"]

Pero insisto, no todo es tan fcil. En este foro hay un ejemplo de las dificultades que presentan estas terminaciones. El problema que veo de los foros es que, a veces, con tanta discusin no se llega a saber qu era lo correcto.

Pero tambin hay pginas que aclarar oscuridades. Por ejemplo en esta pgina explican muy bien la diferencia entre los adjetivos terminados en -ing y los terminados en -ed. Adems, puedes hacer ejercicios.

Y ahora, para realmente, aprender cmo se forman y cundo se usan los adjetivos terminados en -ing y en -ed, nos vamos a matar a hacer ejercicios. Si te resultan muy complicados, echa mano de un buen diccionario.holiday was relaxing. I felt really relaxed.'Few, but common, adjectives end in either-edor-ing:worried/worrying, interested/interesting, excited/exciting'-ed' adjectivesAdjectives that end in-edare used to describe how people feel:'He wassurprisedto find that he had been upgraded to first class.''I wasconfusedby the findings of the report.''She felttiredafter working hard all day.''-ing' adjectivesAdjectives that end in-ingare used to describe things and situations. Compare these example sentences to the ones above:'Being upgraded to first class issurprising.'The findings of this report areconfusing.''Working hard all day istiring.'example table:-ed and -ing adjectives tables

Feel '-ed'describe '-ing'

annoyedannoying

boredboring

confusedconfusing

depresseddepressing

excitedexciting

frustratedfrustrating

frightenedfrightening

satisfiedsatisfying

shockedshocking

Extreme Adjectives LessonConfusing Words Lesson

Now complete the sentences below using the correct adjective: Dogs often feel ___ during fieworks.

frighteningfrightened The metro can be ___ the first time you use it.

confusingconfused Satoru was ___ to hear about the earthquake.

shockedshocking I think that rainy days in winter are ___.

depresseddepressing She's ___ of doing the same thing every day.

boringbored It was the most ___ I have been watching a film.

excitedexciting The meals at Immigrant's Cafe are ___.

satisfyingsatisfiedme adjectives have the characteristic of ending in ed and ing. Lets ltake a look at the rules. We use adjectives ending in ING to describe something or someone.Examples:Maria is watching a veryinterestingmovie.I hate that teacher. He is reallyboring. We use adjectives ending in EDwhen we want to describe how people feel.Examples:Thismovieisnt interesting. I ambored.Juan is veryexitedbecause he is going to travel to Miami for the first time.Conclusions- We can use adjectives ending in ing for things or people. Remember that when we use ing it is describing the person or thing.- We can use the edONLYfor people (or animals) because THINGS CANNOT FEEL.We can say:Felipe isboring. (describes his personality).Felipe isbored. (he feels bored at the moment)Wecantsay:TheTV programisboredINCORRECT(because things cant feel).***Queda claro que para cosas, situaciones u objetos usamos la terminacin ing y no es posible usar ed. La razn es porque se usa la terminacin ed para expresar lo que uno siente y est claro que las cosas sin vida no pueden sentir. Para personas uno puede usar ed (cuando uno siente) o ing pero esta ltima se usa para DESCRIBIR a la persona. As que si yo digo Juan isdepressed quiere decir que se encuentra deprimido ya que describo la situacin actual porque por algina razn se siente asi. En cambio si decimos Juan isdepressing entonces describimos a Juan. Es una persona depresiva.Adjectives ending in-edand-inglistADJECTIVES (ING ED)Spanish translation

alarmingalarmedAlarmante / alarmado

amusingamusedDivertido

annoyingannoyedFastidioso / fastidiado

boringboredAburrido

concerningconcernedPreocupante / preocupado

confusingconfusedConfuso / confundido

embarrassingembarrassedEmbarazoso / avergonzado

encouragingencouragedAlentador / animado

entertainingentertainedEntretenido

excitingexcitedEmocionante / emocionado

exhaustingexhaustedAgotador / agotado

frighteningfrightenedAterrador / aterrado

frustratingfrustratedFrustrante / frustrado

humiliatinghumiliatedHumillante / humillado

interestinginterestedInteresante / interesado

intriguingintriguedIntrigante / intrigado

overwhelmingoverwhelmedAbrumador / abrumado

perplexingperplexedPerplejo

pleasingpleasedAgradable / complacido

relaxingrelaxedRelajante / relajado

satisfyingsatisfiedGratificante / satisfecho

shockingshockedChocante / estupefacto

surprisingsurprisedSorprendente / sorprendido

tiringtiredCansador / cansado

*** Lista mas completa aqu :http://www.trussel.com/eding.htmExercises / Ejercicios (Las respuestas estn en el audio)Choose the correct form of the adjective according to the context.1) Monday is verybored / boring. It is the firstday of the week.2) Imbored / boringwith my job. Its always the same.3) When we lost the football game, we feltdepressed/ depressing.4) My team never wins. It is verydepressed/ depressing.5)Reading a bookis veryrelaxed / relaxing.6) I am veryrelaxed / relaxingat the weekend.7) ThemovieI watched yesterday was veryinterested / interesting.8) Im not very interested / interestingin studying French. I prefer English.9) Julio is veryexited / exitingabout hisbrand new car.10) TheBarcelona Intermatch was veryexited / exiting.-INGthe cause

-EDthe effect

Fill the gaps with the adjectives in brackets.

1He's such a monotonous speaker. I was ________________ stiff. (bored / boring)

2Most sequels are ________________. (disappointed / disappointing)

3I had such a ________________ day I went straight to bed. (tired / tiring)

4Everyone's very ________________ about the news. (excited / exciting)

5That lamp produces a very ________________ effect. (pleased / pleasing)

6The whole school was ________________ by the tragic event. (saddened / saddening)

7I don't like watching ________________ films on my own. (depressed / depressing)

8I was ________________ when she told me she'd got divorced. (amazed / amazing)

9He's such a ________________ guy. He only ever talks about himself. (bored / boring)

10I'm very ________________ in films and theatre. (interested / interesting)

11No one knew what would happen next. We were all ________________ . (intrigued / intriguing)

12It was a very ________________ situation. (interested / interesting)

13There's been some very ________________ news. (surprised / surprising)

14His mother was ________________ by what she found under his bed. (disgusted / disgusting)

15Their hamburgers are ________________ . (disgusted / disgusting)

16Dad always arrives home from work thoroughly ________________ . (exhausted / exhausting)

17He's always showing off. It's really ________________ . (annoyed / annoying)

18I think Alex is one of the most ________________ people I've ever met. He can't keep still for a second. (annoyed / annoying)

19I walked into this restaurant and there was Andy with a strange woman. He seemed really ________________ . (embarrassed / embarrassing)

20She kept talking about her boyfriend problems all night. It was rather ________________ . (embarrassed / embarrassing)

Completa las siguientes cuestiones y haz clic en el botn -Corregir Ejercicio- para obtener la correccin de este ejercicio.Principio del formularioQ1 of 10:Peter thought the marathon was __________ (challenge).

Q2 of 10:I was __________ (annoy) by his attitude.

Q3 of 10:Are you __________ (confuse)? Don't worry, I'll explain.

Q4 of 10:That movie was really __________ (depress).

Q5 of 10:It was an __________ (exhaust) day.

Q6 of 10:The children were __________ (frighten) by the storm.

Q7 of 10:You must be __________ (relieve) not that your exams are finished.

Q8 of 10:The news was __________ (discourage).

Q9 of 10:She is __________ (overwhelm) with work.

Q10 of 10:Could this situation be any more __________ (frustrate).

ED and ING Adjectives Exercise 1 Choose the correct adjective: 1. My nephew was (amusing / amused) by the clown. 2. Its so (frustrating / frustrated)! No matter how much I study I cant seem to remember this vocabulary. 3. This lesson is so (boring / bored)! 4. Im feeling (depressed / depressing), so Im going to go home, eat some chocolate, and go to bed early with a good book. 5. I thought her new idea was absolutely (fascinated / fascinating). 6. This maths problem is so (confusing / confused). Can you help me? 7. The teacher was really (amusing / amused) so the lesson passed quickly. 8. The journey was (exhausting / exhausted)! Twelve hours by bus. 9. The plane began to move in a rather (alarming / alarmed) way. 10. He was (frightening / frightened) when he saw the spider. 11. I was really (embarrassing / embarrassed) when I fell over in the street. 12. That film was so (depressing / depressed)! There was no happy ending for any of the characters. 13. Im sorry, I cant come tonight. Im completely (exhausting / exhausted). 14. We are going in a helicopter? How (exciting / excited)! 15. Dont show my baby photos to people, Mum! Its so (embarrassing / embarrassed)! 16. Its okay, its only me. Dont be (alarming / alarmed). 17. My sister is so (exciting / excited) because she is going on holiday tomorrow. 18. I hate long flights, Im always really (boring / bored). 19. She looked very (confusing / confused) when I told her we had to change the plan. 20. John was (fascinated / fascinating) by Mandarin when he first started learning

languages. He decided to study more and now he can speak it fluentlys: 1. My nephew was amused by the clown. 2. Its so frustrating! No matter how much I study I cant seem to remember this vocabulary. 3. This lesson is so boring! 4. Im feeling depressed, so Im going to go home, eat some chocolate, and go to bed early with a good book. 5. I thought her new idea was absolutely fascinating. 6. This maths problem is so confusing. Can you help me? 7. The teacher was really amusing so the lesson passed quickly. 8. The journey was exhausting! Twelve hours by bus. 9. The plane began to move in a rather alarming way. 10. He was frightened when he saw the spider. 11. I was really embarrassed when I fell over in the street. 12. That film was so depressing! There was no happy ending for any of the characters. 13. Im sorry, I cant come tonight. Im completely exhausted. 14. We are going in a helicopter? How exciting! 15. Dont show my baby photos to people, Mum! Its so embarrassing! 16. Its okay, its only me. Dont be alarmed. 17. My sister is so excited because she is going on holiday tomorrow. 18. I hate long flights, Im always really bored. 19. She looked very confused when I told her we had to change the plan. 20. John was fascinated by Mandarin when he first started learning languages. He decided to study more and now he can speak it fluently. tesuffix Stress and PronunciationThe complex and versatile-atesuffix is used to create nouns, adjectives, and verbs. While the primary stress of most words containing the-atefalls on the third-from-last syllable, the suffix itself is pronounced differently depending on the part of speech the word is used in.-atesuffix: nouns and adjectivesWhen a word containing an-atesuffix is a noun or an adjective, the vowel sound of the suffix is unstressed and is pronounced with ashort i//.-atesuffix nouns and adjectives

3-syllable:delicate

Play/dl kt/

4-syllable:certificate

Play/s tf kt/

5-syllable:inconsiderate

Play/n kn sd t/

-atesuffix: verbsWhen a word containing an-atesuffix is a verb, the vowel sound of the suffix is given a secondary stress and is pronounced with along a/e/.-atesuffix verbs

3-syllable:celebrate

Play/sl bret/

4-syllable:communicate

Play/k mjun ket/

5-syllable:rehabilitate

Play/ri (h) bl te

The following sentence demonstrates the difference in pronunciation between-atesuffix nouns, adjective, and verbs.They had toevaluate(verb)thecertificate(noun)to be certain that it wasaccurate(adjective).Play

-ate+-lysuffixAdjectives ending in-atecan have an additional-lyadded to them, creating an adverb. The primary stress of the word remains two syllables before the-atesuffix. However, the consonant of the-atesuffix adapts to thel soundfollowing it and is usually pronounced as theglottal stop//, at soundallophone.-ate + -ly suffix

delicately

Play/dl k li/

immediately

Play/ mi di li/

approximately

Play/ prks m li/

-atesuffix HeteronymsSome words containing the-atesuffix areheteronyms, meaning that a single spelling can have more than one pronunciation. When this occurs in words containing the-atesuffix, the suffix retains the pattern of nouns and adjectives being pronounced with ashort iand verbs being pronounced with along a.I'd like toelaborate(verb)on my proposal.PlayTheelaborate(adjective)house had twelve bedrooms and sixteen fireplaces.Play-atesuffix heteronym examples

advocate(noun)(verb)PlayPlay/d v kt//d v ket/

alternate(noun/adj.)(verb)PlayPlay/l t nt//l t net/

elaborate(adjective)(verb)PlayPlay/ lb () rt// lb ret/

initiate(noun)(verb)PlayPlay/ n i t// n i et/

graduate(noun)(verb)PlayPlay/gr u t//gr u et/

separate(noun)(verb)PlayPlay/sp () rt//sp ret/

Consonant + /r/: Initial Consonant ClustersThe following consonant clusters including /r/ can occur at the beginning of a word in English.Practice blending smoothly from one consonant sound into the next without adding a vowel sound between the consonants.1./br/a.breakPlay

b.bringPlay

c.brotherPlay

2./kr/a.cryPlay

b.createPlay

c.crazyPlay

3./dr/*a. drawPlay

b. drivePlay

c. dreamPlay

4./fr/a.freePlay

b.friendPlay

c.fromPlay

5./gr/a.greatPlay

b.greenPlay

c.growPlay

6./pr/a.pricePlay

b.practicePlay

c.privatePlay

7./r/-a.shrimpPlay

b.shrinkPlay

c.shrugPlay

8./skr/a.scratchPlay

b.screamPlay

c.screenPlay

9./spr/a.springPlay

b.spreadPlay

c.sprayPlay

10./str/*a.streetPlay

b.strongPlay

c.stressPlay

11./tr/*a.tryPlay

b.treePlay

c.truePlay

12./r/a.threePlay

b.throwPlay

c.throughPlay

*Allophones of /t/ and /d/ before /r/ often cause the /tr/ and /dr/ cluster to be pronounced similarly to /r/ and /r/, respectively. In addition to the stops becoming affricate-like, the /r/ also takes on the qualities of a fricative as it blends with the consonant before it. This is also true with the /tr/ of the /str/ cluster.Because most dictionaries do not transcribe individual allophones, the first transcription shown below is the more common dictionary transcription. The second transcription can help non-native English speakers better understand the common pronunciation used by native English speakers.1./tr//r/tree:/tri//ri/

2./dr//r/dream:/drim//rim/

3./str//r/street:/strim//srit/

Introduction toAmerican English ConsonantStopsThe six English stop sounds (theb sound,p sound,g sound,k sound,d sound, andt sound) initially appear simple, but quickly reveal intricate details as learners become more familiar with their characteristics.

The twomajorpoints that beginnerESL/ELLstudents should understand about stop sounds are:1. The air is briefly stopped at the beginning of the sound, then released (the release of the air is called theaspiration)2. The sounds occur in voiced/unvoiced pairsThe subtle aspects of stop sounds to be aware and attempt mastery of include:1. Aspiration (the puff of air as the stop is released) is greater for unvoiced stops than for voiced stops2. The aspiration of stops is the greatest at the beginning of words and the beginning of stressed syllables3. The duration of a vowel sound before avoicedstop is greater than the duration of a vowel sound before anunvoicedstop

Voiced and unvoiced soundsOf the eight stop sounds in English, four are voiced (meaning that the vocal cords vibrate while producing the sound) and four are unvoiced (meaning that the vocal cords do not vibrate while producing sound). Voiced and unvoiced sounds often occur in pairs of sounds with similar vocal tract shape, with the major difference between the pairs being the use of the vocal cords or not.

Key wordsThe table below includes a key word to demonstrate each stop sound and an audio example of that word. The stop sound of each word isunderlined. The voiced sound of each pair is listed first .Stop Key Words

b soundp sound/b//p/boypenPlayPlayair is stopped between the lips

g soundk sound///k/gocatPlayPlayair is stopped between the back of the tongue and the soft palate

d soundt sound/d//t/dotopPlayPlayair is stopped between tip of the tongue and the tooth ridge

AspirationWhile the question of the involvement of the vocal cords is the greater difference between voiced and unvoiced sounds, the amount of aspiration plays a secondary role in articulating each sound. In general,the aspiration is greater in unvoiced sounds than voiced sounds. This characteristic is complicated by the fact that, additionally, the aspiration is greater at the beginning of words and the beginning of stressed syllables than in other locations within words.Compare the aspiration of the following stop sounds at the beginning of words.There is more of a puff of air during the aspiration of unvoiced stops.Aspiration comparison

Unvoiced stopVoiced stop

pigPlaybigPlay

coldPlaygoldPlay

timePlaydimePlay

Vowel lengtheningThe vowel sound before voiced consonant sounds has a longer duration than the vowel sound before unvoiced counterparts. Since a stop sound at the end of a word has little aspiration, the change in vowel duration subtly helps listeners of English determine which stop sound was spoken. Some dictionaries will use a colon-like symbol of stacked triangles // to note a vowel with increased duration.Notice the difference in vowel duration in the following minimal pairs.Vowel length comparison

Unvoiced stopVoiced stop

wordIPAwordIPA

rope/rop/Playrobe/rob/Play

hit/ht/Playhid/hd/Play

buck/bk/Playbug/b/Play

NOTE:Since vowel duration is also influenced by word stress within a sentence, vowel duration due to voicing/unvoicing can be difficult to notice during a conversation.

-ic,-ical,-icallysuffixesWords containing the-ic,-ical, and-icallysuffixes have rather straightforward syllable stress patterns: the syllable previous to the-icreceives the primary stress of the word.Non-native English speakers should give special attention to the pronunciation of the-ical-icallysuffixes. Thealportion of the-icalsuffix is pronounced as asyllablic l, so there is not usually any vowel sound included in that syllable. Then, due to syllabic compression, the-icallysuffix is often pronounced as two syllables (instead of three). This means that a base word containing the-icalsuffix is pronounced with the same number of syllables as the same base word containing the-icallysuffix.-icsuffix-ical/-icallysuffix

classic

Play/kls k/classical

classically

PlayPlay/kls kl//kls k li/

electric

Play/ lk trk/electrical

electrically

PlayPlay/ lk trkl// lk trk li/

economic

Play/k nm k/economical

economically

PlayPlay/k nm kl//k nm k li/

Second-from-last syllable stressThere are two commonly used suffixes that cause words to be stressed on the second-from-last syllable:-icand-tion. A more flexible description of this pattern is to say that the stress falls on the syllable previous to the suffix. This convenient structure of word stress allows the prediction of stress patterns for any multi-syllable word that contains either of these suffixes.-icsuffix-tionsuffix

2-syllable:classic

Playsection

Play

3-syllable:specific

Playcondition

Play

4-syllable:economic

Playdefinition

Play

While both descriptions 1) "the stress falls on the second-from-last syllable," and 2) "the stress falls on the syllable previous to the suffix" are accurate, they fail to account for the wide range of patterns that surround these two suffixes. By including expansions and variations on them, however, the stress patterns of a huge number of English words can be accurately predicted with this general rule.Expanding the-icand-tionsuffixesBoth-icand-tionare frequently extended with suffixes themselves. For instance,-aland-allyoften exist as an extension of both of these suffixes, greatly increasing the number of words to which the same rule can be applied. When these extended suffixes are used, the pattern of being stressed one syllable before the-icand-tionis retained.expanding suffixes

suffix +-al:electrical

Playnutritional

Play

suffix +-ally*:identically

Playtraditionally

Play

*Note that the-icallysuffix is often compressed to two syllables.-tion/-sionsuffixThe-tionand closely related-sionand-ationsuffixes are among the most frequently used stress-controlling suffixes in American English. All of these suffixes cause the syllable previous to the-tionor-sionto carry the main stress of the word. This hugely important pattern provides a formula to determine which syllable is likely to be the stressed syllable in an enormous number of words in English.In addition to studying the following example words to learn these stress patterns, note other commonalities in their pronunciation to help learn the characteristics of pronouncing the suffixes themselves correctly.-tionsuffix:sh soundandch soundThe-tionis pronunced with ansh soundunless the sound preceding the suffix is ans sound; then the suffix is likely to be pronounced with ach sound. Of the two options, thesh soundpronunciation is much more common.-tionsuffix pronounced withsh sound

sectionPlay/skn/

positionPlay/pzn/

acquisitionPlay/wzn/

-tionsuffix pronounced withch sound

questionPlay/kwsn/

digestionPlay/dsn/

exhaustionPlay/zsn/

-sionsuffix:sh soundandzh soundThe-sionsuffix is likely to be pronounced with azh soundwhen it is preceded by anr soundor a vowel sound (this often aligns with thessionspelling). In most other circumstances, thesh soundis the more likely pronunciation for the-sionsuffix. Since both of these pronunciation patterns are common in American English, care should be taken with the pronunciation of all words containing the-sionsuffix.-sionsuffix pronounced withsh sound

tensionPlay/tnn/

expressionPlay/ksprn/

apprehensionPlay/prhnn/

-sionsuffix pronounced withzh sound

visionPlay/vn/

conclusionPlay/knklun/

decisionPlay/dsn/

Variations of the-tion,-sionand-ationsuffixesThe-tion,-sionand-ationsuffixes can be viewed as base suffixes for still more related suffixes, namely-tional,-tionally,-sional,-sionally,-ationaland-ationally. The syllable stress pattern remains consistent, even when more syllables are added to the word: the syllable previous to the-tionor-sioncarries the word's primary stress.-tional,-tionally,-sional,-sionally,-ationaland-ationallystress examples

-tionaland-tionally:additional

Playemotionally

Play

-sionaland-sionally:professional

Playoccasionally

Play

-ationaland-ationally:sensational

Playeducationally

Play

-itysuffix Stress and PronunciationThe noun-forming-itysuffix is relatively straightforward compared to other derivational suffixes in English. This suffix typically does not attach to other derivational suffixes, nor do other derivational suffixes attach to it. Since the-itysuffix creates nouns, it does have the inflectional-ssuffix added during the creation of plurals, but that is as complicated as this suffix gets.-itysuffix pronunciationOne of the patterns that lead to thet soundbeing pronounced as a quickd sound(also called thealveolar tap) is when thetis not the first sound of a stressed syllable and occurs between vowel sounds. Since the-itysuffix fits within this pattern, the consonant sound of this suffix is almost always pronounced as the quickd sound(transcribed as /t/).-itysuffix stress patternThe-itysuffix is a stress-controlling suffix and causes words that include it to be stressed on the third-from-last syllable.-itypronunciation and stress

3-syllable:quality

Play/kwl t i/

4-syllable:majority

Play/m r t i/

5-syllable:opportunity

Play/p tun t i/

6-syllable:responsibility

Play/r spn s bl t i/

Final del formularioFinal del formulario