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Adjective Formation: Common Prefixes and Suffixes

Adjectives are words that describe nouns. We can make adjectives by adding prefixes and suffixes.

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Suffixes to form adjectives

Suffixes go on the end of words. They change a word from one part of speech, such as a noun or a verb, to another, such as an adjective. For example, if you add ‘-able’ to ‘solve’, you create the adjective ‘solvable’. They told me the problem was not solvable, but I thought it was easy.The professional secretary was very helpful. She immediately understood what I needed. The word ‘professional’ comes from ‘profession’, and ‘helpful’ comes from ‘help’. The most common adjective suffixes and their meaning: SuffixMeaningExamples-able/-ibleWorth, abilitySolvable, accessible, believable, reliable-al, -ial, -ical Quality, relationProfessional, structural, national, legal-ent/-antHaving a certain qualityImportant, dependent, relevant-edHaving the quality of Bored, interested, fascinated-icQuality, relationGeneric, archaic, idealistic, historic-ingReferring to an activityBoring, interesting, fascinating-ishHaving the character of, about, almostNewish, reddish-fulHaving a characteristicHelpful, colorful, useful -lessWithout, missingWorthless, careless, useless, hopeless-ousHaving the quality of, relating toAdventurous, courageous, advantageous-iveHaving the quality ofFestive, cooperative, sensitive Thus, suffixes can determine the word's part of speech. Certain suffixes make the base or root word a noun, a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. For example, if you know suffixes that are typical for adjectives you will easily differentiate the adjectives from other parts of speech or determine the meaning of a word: history (noun) - historic (adjective)hopeful (giving hope) - hopeless (without hope) Note: Some words can be two parts of speech. This is true for words that end in ‘-ed’ and ‘-ing’, such as 'bored' and 'boring'. In the first and third sentences below, the words are verbs, while in the others they are adjectives. In the second sentence, ‘bored’ describes the person ´I´, and in the last sentence ‘boring’ describes the word ´subject´. His lecture bored the class so everyone fell asleep.I was so bored in his class that I fell asleep.You are boring me with all this information about insects.This is a very boring subject. Here's an interesting video about how to use adjectives with suffixes '-ing' and '-ed' correctly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtbGbH64mJs

Prefixes to form adjectives

Prefixes go at the beginning of words. The most common adjective prefixes and their meaning: Prefix Meaning Examples il-, im-, ir-, in-Not/opposite of Illegal, Illegible, imperfect, impolite, irrelevant, irrational, inconvenient, inactiveun- Not/opposite of Unusual, unhappy, uninterested, unpleasantdis-Not/opposite ofDishonest, disloyal, dissimilar, disabledultra-, super-, -hyper-ExtremeUltra-compact, ultrasound, hyperactiveinter-BetweenInternational, interdisciplinarytrans-AcrossTransatlantic, transmarine I cannot read anything she writes; her writing is illegible.Companies don't like to work with dishonest employees.

Spelling rules for il-, im-, ir-, in-

Use ‘il-’ for words starting with ‘l’, such as legal (illegal) and legible (illegible).Use ‘ir-’ for words starting with ‘r’, such as relevant (irrelevant) and rational (irrational). Use ‘im-’ for words starting with ‘m’ or ‘p’, such as mature (immature) and polite (impolite). For other adjectives, use ‘in-’, such as convenient (inconvenient) and active (inactive). Note: Not all prefixes can go on all words, so it is important to use your dictionary to help you learn which prefixes are used with which words. In this video from Shaw English Online, you'll see how different adjectives are formed using prefixes and suffixes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aET7ax8UM3w Read more on this topic: How to Form Adverbs Verb Formation: Common Prefixes and Suffixes Noun Formation: Common Prefixes Noun Formation: Common Suffixes Read the full article

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Countable and Uncountable Nouns: the Complete Guide (2019)

You probably already know that nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas. You might also remember that there are different categories of nouns based on certain features they share. For example we can distinguish abstract and concrete nouns. Another way we can categorize nouns is whether they are countable or uncountable. In this article, we'll explain the difference between these two categories, look at the examples of both and see why it is important to know whether a noun is countable or uncountable. So, as we've already mentioned, nouns in English can be countable or uncountable.

via https://www.kidsworldfun.com/learn-english/countable-and-uncountable-nouns.php

Countable Nouns

As their name suggests, countable nouns are those that refer to something that can be counted. For example, we can count cars: one car, two cars, three cars… Even if the number might be extraordinarily high (like counting all the stars in the sky), countable nouns can be individually counted. Some more examples of countable nouns: car, man, bottle, house, key, idea, accidentdog, cat, animal, man, personcup, plate, forktable, chair, suitcase, bag, etc. Concrete nouns may be countable. New cars are very expensive.I got some books from the library yesterday. Collective nouns (words that denote a group of people or things) are countable. She attended three classes last week.This house is perfect for two families. Even some proper nouns are countable. There are many Italians in New York.There are five Johns in the room. Singular and Plural Since countable nouns can be counted, they can be singular (=one) and plural (=two or more): singularpluralaccidentaccidentsbananabananascouchcouchesdreamdreamsneighbourhoodneighbourhoods You probably remember that plural forms of nouns usually have the '-s' ('-es') ending. For example: There is an egg.There are four eggs.They've got great toys for babies here.We need to get some new dishes for this evening. Learn more about how to form the plural forms here. Note that singular verbs are used with singular countable nouns, while plural verbs are used with plural countable nouns. Your book is on the kitchen table.How many candles are on that birthday cake? Determiners Countable nouns can be used with articles such as a/an and the, numbers or quantifiers such as a few, a lot and many. These words in general are called determiners because they describe nouns, i.e. make it clear what a noun refers to. For example: I bought a jacket and a shirt.My house is near the center.There's a lot of flowers in the garden.She’s got two sisters and a younger brother. You can't use singular countable nouns alone, i.e. without a/the/my, etc. We can't get into the house without a key. (not key)I want a banana. (not banana)Paris is an interesting city. A/an We use ‘a’ and ‘an’ with singular countable nouns when we do not need to make clear which person or thing we are talking about: an accident, a banana, a couch, a dream, a neighbourhood. Learn more about using a/an with nouns here. The When people can understand which person or thing we mean, we use 'the' with singular and plural countable nouns: The pie won the prize but the judges didn't like the cookies. Learn more about using the with nouns here. No Article We use no article (the so-called 'zero article') with plural countable nouns and with uncountable nouns when we are talking in general: Dogs usually don't like cats.Good health is more important than money. Unlike singular countable nouns, plural countable nouns can be used alone: I like bananas.Accidents can be prevented. We can use ‘some’ and 'any' with plural countable nouns meaning 'a bit, a quantity of'. We use 'some' in affirmative sentences and 'any' in negative sentences and questions: I’d like some bananas, please.Did you buy any apples? We use 'many' and 'few' with plural countable nouns. We didn't take many pictures.I have a few words to say.

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns are seen as a whole or mass. They cannot be separated or counted and come in a state or quantity that is impossible to count. For example, we cannot count air: one air, two airs, three airs… Examples of uncountable nouns include: - abstract nouns: homework, knowledge, money, permission, research, traffic, travel - ideas and experiences: advice, information, progress, news, luck, fun, work - materials and substances: water, rice, cement, gold, milk - food and drinks: juice, wine, meat, rice, bread, cheese, coffee - weather words: weather, thunder, lightning, rain, snow - names for groups or collections of things: furniture, equipment, rubbish, luggage Uncountable nouns are always considered to be singular. They have no plural, even if they end in '-s'. The verb form is singular and we can use some. Put some sugar.How much wine is there?Your hair is really long!The news was a complete shock! NOT: advices, informations, moneys, musics, waters. Thus, uncountable nouns have always only one form: money — the money — my money — some money — much money etc. I've got some money.There isn't much money in the box.Money isn't everything. There are, however, some uncountable nouns that are plural and are followed by a plural verb. Be careful with the following words: clothesYour clean clothes are on the bed. jeansYour new jeans look great! Determiners Uncountable nouns can stand alone or be used with determiners (e.g. my, her, some, any, no, the, this, that) and expressions of quantity (e.g. a lot of, (a) little, some, much): She’s been studying hard and has made a lot of progress.This coffee is a bit old, I’m afraid.I’d like some water, please.There is a lot of snow on the road.They gave me some information about the courses. Since uncountable nouns have no plural, we can’t use ‘a’ and ‘an’ with them: NOT: an advice, an information, a money, a music, a water. As we have seen, some determiners can be used with all nouns whether countable or uncountable. For example, the word 'some' can be used with both: I would like some crackers.He would like some water. However, other determiners can only be used with countable nouns and some can only be used with uncountable nouns. For example, the article 'a' is used with singular countable nouns and isn't used with uncountable nouns: I would like a sandwich.I would like some juice. (Not: I would like a juice.) With uncountable nouns we use the determiners 'much' and 'little': There isn't much milk in the bottle.They have little money. Making Uncountable Things Countable - Quantity Expressions Uncountable nouns can be paired with words expressing plural concept. These are words and phrases like ‘a glass of’, ‘a bottle of’ or ‘a piece of’ or words for containers and measures. We cannot say 'an information' or 'a music'. But we can say a 'something' of. In short, uncountable nouns can become countable when the noun is in a container. For example: some sugar — a bag of sugarsome water — a bottle of watersome cereal — a bowl of cereal Thus, you can't say 'two waters' but you can say 'two bottles of water'. Try to drink at least eight glasses of water each day. I’d like a glass of water, please.We bought two bottles of wine.This is a beautiful piece of music.I bought you a bar of chocolate. Note: In informal English, we can say 'a coffee', 'three waters', etc. with the meaning 'a cup of coffee', 'three glasses/bottles of water', etc. Sometimes uncountable nouns are used as countable, to mean ‘a measure of something’ or ‘a type of something’: Can I have two teas and one coffee, please? (two cups of tea and one cup of coffee …?)There are some juices on the table. (different types of juice)

Nouns That Can Be Countable and Uncountable

Sometimes, the same noun can be both countable and uncountable, often with a change of meaning. The meaning will depend of the context. Consider the following examples: Our house has seven rooms. - Is there room for me to sit here? ('rooms' vs 'space')Have you got a paper to read? - I want to write a letter. Have you got some paper? ('magazine' vs 'paper')There are four lights in our bedroom. - Close the curtain. There's too much light! ('lamps' vs 'light')I had some interesting experiences while I was travelling. - They offered me the job because I had a lot of experience. ('things that happened to me' vs 'not experiences') TIP: Some words that are uncountable in English may be countable in other languages. In English these words are uncountable - that means that we can't say 'a/an' ... (a bread, an advice) and they can't be plural (advices, furnitures): accommodationadviceinformationfruit homework newstransporttrafficluggagemusicpastamoneydamagebehaviorweather

How to Use Countables and Uncountables

Why is it so important to know whether a noun is countable or uncountable? That's because we use different words with countables and uncountables — see the rules below. Countable Nouns Statements In positive sentences, we use: A / AN + singular countable noun SOME + plural countable noun There is a cat in the garden. There are some birds in the trees. I'll have a cup of coffee.He has some great ideas. Note: Though 'any' is mainly used in negative sentences and questions, we can use it in positive statements with the meaning 'not important which'. - You can have any three items of clothing you like for $30. - They should be here any minute. Negatives In negative sentences, we use: A / AN + singular countable noun ANY + plural countable nounThere isn’t a dog in the garden.There aren’t any birds in the tree. He hasn't got a car.We didn't take any pictures. See more examples: To make pancakes… … you need a frying pan.… you don’t need an electric mixer.… you need some plates. … you don’t need any chopsticks. Questions In questions, we use a/an, any and how many: A / AN + singular countable noun ANY + countable nounHOW MANY + plural countable noun Is there an apple on the tree? Are there any chairs in the garden? How many books are there? Do you have a car?Are any of your friends here?How many lessons will you have tomorrow? Uncountable Nouns Statements In positive sentences, we use: SOME + uncountable noun I need some sugar in my coffee. There is some milk on the floor. Negatives In negative sentences, we use: ANY + uncountable noun He didn't buy any apple juice.He doesn't have any money left. Questions In questions, we use any and how much: ANY + uncountable nounHOW MUCH + uncountable noun Is there any sugar? How much wine is there? Do you have any luggage?How much luggage do you have? Compare: How many + plural countable noun How much + uncountable noun How many eggs are there? - Six. How much milk is there? - A litre. How many plates are there? - Four. How much flour is there? - 500g. LET'S SUMMARIZE:

https://slideplayer.com/slide/4115666/ Note the verb forms. Singular nouns take singular verbs, while plural nouns take plural verbs: There is a frying pan. (singular noun)There aren’t any eggs. (plural noun)There is some milk. (uncountable noun)There isn’t any flour. (uncountable noun) Grammar in Action So, how should we use expressions with countable and uncountable nouns in everyday situations? 1. We use a/an, some and any with nouns to talk or ask about the quantity of something, for example, when talking about food: Have you got any cheese or meat? I could make a pasta dish. - Great idea. I've got some tomatoes and a chilly pepper. We could add them, too. 2. We use a/an and some with nouns to make requests, for example, when we are at a restaurant: We'll have some water and some bread, please. - I'd also like a glass of orange juice. 3. We use some with nouns when we offer something, for example, to our guests: Would you like some toasts or some cake? - Yes, with pleasure. Here's a good video from mmmEmglish explaining what countable and uncountable nouns are and how they are used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjPoypKI11g See also: Abstract and Concrete Nouns Plural and Singular Nouns Pronouns and Determiners: Quantifiers Read the full article

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60+ Adjectives That Start with Q: a List of Words with Definitions and Examples

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Adjectives That Start with P: 1240+ Popular Words with Explanation and Examples

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Present Perfect Passive - Rules and Examples

The Present Perfect is one of the most challenging verb tenses for English learners. It is used in certain situations and often with quite different meanings. But with some good reference at hand and regular practice, you can easily get into using it! Let’s review when we should use the Present Perfect in the Active voice and then see how it can be used in the Passive.

Present Perfect: meaning

First of all, let's see what Present Perfect means. The Present Perfect tense denotes an action or state that occurred at an indefinite time in the past (e.g., we have met before) or began in the past and continued to the present time (e.g., I’ve worked here for five years). These actions have started in the past but continue up to the present moment.

image via https://parentingpatch.com/past-perfect-passive-english-verbs/ See? It's always related to the past and irrespective of its name 'Present Perfect' expresses a past event. But why is it called "Present Perfect"? Present Perfect is called like that because it combines the present grammatical tense (she has) and the perfect grammatical aspect (done). The Present Perfect is used to denote a link between the present and the past. It expresses actions in the past that still have an effect on the present moment. My new bicycle has been delivered already, so now I can ride it all day long.Your dog looks sad, has it been fed today?Old chairs in the hall have been replaced with the new ones. The time of the action is before now but not specified, and we are often more interested in the result than in the action itself. Why is she sad?She has read your letter. Why are you going outside?My boyfriend has arrived. Use of time expressions The Present Perfect uses time adjuncts referring to the present and does not allow the use of time adjuncts referring to the past. We have completed our project by now.We have finished our work last week. (incorrect)We finished our work last week. (Past Simple should be used instead)

Present Perfect: structure

Let's revise how Present Perfect Active is formed. The construction of the Present Perfect is simple. The first element is the auxiliary (helping) verb 'have' or 'has' depending on the subject the verb is connected with. The second element is the past participle of the verb.

via https://www.onlinemathlearning.com/present-perfect-tense.html In most cases (for regular verbs), to form the Past Participle we add ‘-ed’ to the base form of the verb: to listen → listenedto like → likedto drop → dropped See spelling rules for verbs when adding ‘-ed’ here. Some common verbs in English have irregular Past Participle forms:- go - went - gone - be - was/were - been - feel - felt - felt, etc. You should remember them or consult a dictionary or irregular verb list. Read the examples with Present Perfect: We have worked here since 2008.We have seen this movie already. I have made you a cup of tea.He has cut his finger.

Present Perfect: usage

When is the Present Perfect tense used? Present Perfect tense for unfinished past We may use the Present Perfect to talk about actions or events that started in the past but continue to the present or to describe something we have done several times in the past and continue to do: I’m a teacher.I started teaching five year ago.I’ve been a teacher for five years. I have a bike.My Dad gave it to me a long time ago.I’ve had it for ages. Present Perfect tense with 'just'/'already' and 'yet' We use the Present Perfect to talk about actions or events in the past that still have an effect on the present moment. These actions have started in the past but continue up to the present moment. We can use ‘just’ or 'already' to talk about something that happened a short time ago: I have just came from school.They have just cooked dinner. We often use ‘yet’ with negative and question forms of the Present Perfect. It means something like ‘until now’. It usually comes at the end of the sentence. Has he arrived yet? I haven’t seen Susan yet. Present Perfect Tense for Experience We use the Present Perfect to ask about life experiences. We often use the adverb ‘ever’ to talk about experience up to the present: I’ve been to India twice.She hasn’t eaten sushi. This tense expresses actions of duration that occurred in the past (before now) but are of unspecified time: Tom has been to London. Have you ever met George?Yes, but I’ve never met his wife. Other common usages of Present Perfect are: To put emphasis on the result: – She has broken a cup.To express an action that started in the past and continues up to the present: – I have worked for this company for 10 years.To talk about life experiences: – I’ve never traveled alone.To say about an action repeated in an unspecified period between the past and now: – I have visited them many times.When the precise time of action is not important or unknown: – Someone has stolen my bike! Remember: the focus of the Present Perfect is mainly the result we have in present. We've revised the Present Perfect tense in the Active voice. Let's see what's the difference between Present Perfect Active and Present Perfect Passive.

Common signal words

Present Perfect is often used with the words like ‘just‘, 'already‘, recently‘, lately‘, ‘still‘, ‘this week/month/year‘, today’, etc. to denote a recent activity or event. In statements showing an event or situation which began in the past and continues now, we often use time expressions with since and for, e.g. for a week, since yesterday, for a long time, since 2010: We use: for +ages / ten years / six months / two weeks / fifteen minutesa period of time since +2015 / March / last summer / yesterday / this morning / 10.00a point in time I love my new office, I’ve worked there for five months already.Today we celebrate our anniversary, we’ve been married since 2007.

Present Perfect Passive: meaning

The Present Perfect Passive is an English verb form that has the present tense, perfect aspect, and passive voice. In the Passive, a subject of the sentence is not the doer - it is acted upon. We focus attention on what or who receives an action (the object). Compare: Lise has recorded a song. - A song has been recorded by Lisa.Everybody has approved Joana's suggestion. - Joana's suggestion has been approved by everybody. We use Present Perfect Passive with the same meaning as Present Perfect in the active voice except for the fact that Present Perfect Passive makes focus on the effect (or the object) rather than the doer (the subject) of an action. Read more about the uses of Present Perfect in our articles Present Perfect Tense for Unfinished Past, Present Perfect Tense with 'Just' and 'Yet' and Present Perfect Tense for Experience. In the picture below, you can see the word order changes in the Passive voice - the subject and the object of the sentence change places.

image via http://passivevoicebydanilo.blogspot.com/2015/11/present-perfect-passive-exercises-pdf.html Thus, the main difference between the Present Perfect Active and the Present Perfect Passive in terms of grammar and semantics is that the Present Perfect Passive allows for an object of an active sentence to move into the subject position of a passive sentence.

Present Perfect Passive: usage

We use the Present Perfect in the passive form for all the same reasons we use it in the active form — to talk about (1) experiences and achievements, (2) changes over time, (3) incomplete actions with expected ends, (4) continuous actions started in the past, (5) past actions with results in present, and (6) multiple actions at different times. For example: All the sandwiches have been eaten.Maths has been studied for many years.The light has been turned on already.All the patients have been treated by Dr Philips. In general, we use Passive voice instead of Active voice when: 1. The subject is unknown. We don’t know who or what is the subject. An amazing surprise has been prepared for you. 2. We want to emphasize the subject. Only 'she' has been known to be always in time. 3. We are unclear or vague about the subject or the subject is irrelevant. The results of the degree examination have been announced. 4. To talk about general truths. These lands have been cultivated for as long as we know it. 5. In formal writing (such as scientific reports) when the emphasis is on process and results, rather than on who did the action. Water has been poured into the flask in order to acquire the desired mixture.

Present Perfect Passive: structure

The structure of the Present Perfect in the passive voice is very similar to the Present Perfect in the active voice. The only difference is adding 'been' after the helping verb 'have'/'has'. Thus, in Present Perfect Passive, we always use ‘has/have been’ + the past participle form. Here are some examples: This house has been sold to some foreigners.The children have been given their medicine. Statements To make statements with the Present Perfect Passive, use: have/has been + the Past Participle form of the verb SingularPluralI have been seen You have been seen He/she/it have been seenWe have been seen You have been seen They have been seen Negative forms of Present Perfect Passive To make a negative form of Present Perfect Passive, insert 'not' between 'have/has' and 'been' (you can also use 'hasn't' or 'haven't). This long test has n't been translated yet.This old violin hasn’t been played for ages. Questions in Present Perfect Passive The structure for asking questions in Present Perfect Passive is: have/has + + been + Past Participle Haven't the documents been submitted yet?Has the patient's temperature been taken? Look this video from Smrt English explaining how to use passive voice with present perfect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26NhDja68T0 See also: Present Perfect: Statements Present Perfect Tense with 'Just' and 'Yet' Present Perfect for Unfinished Past Present Perfect for Experience Passive Voice: Overview Read the full article

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