Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Quick Tip: Adverbs + Focusing Auxiliaries

Here's one quick tip about "focusing" ADVERBS with AUXILIARY VERBS:

NOT: This only will help to lessen your burden... :-(

BUT: This will only help to lessen your burden... :-)

"This only helps lessen..." becomes "This will only help lessen..."

So, what are "focusing" adverbs?

They are adverbs which "point to" one part of a clause, and include only, also, just, even, mainly, mostly, either, neither.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Hard and Soft Sounds: Pronunciation Practice - Part 2

SOFT SOUNDS are marked with an asterisk * HARD SOUNDS have no asterisk

P* Pip, pop, pip, pop Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers – a peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers – where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

B Black, babbling brooks broke brawling o’er their bounds.

T* A tell tale tattling torment that troubled all the town.

D Down dingy doorways dived the dastard.

Ch* Cherish cherries.

J Judge not that ye be not judged.

K* Sink; think; wink.

G Gregory going gaily, galloped gallantly to the gate.

F* Four-fifths of the fifers are famed for their fun.

V The vile vision lived vividly. Nephew (note the “ph” is pronounced as “v”). The voice of many waters and the noise of thunder.

Th* The Thane saw the thief in the thicket and thrashed and thumped him on the path.

Th These then are the Father and the Mother of thy Brother.

S* She sells sea shells on the sea shore.

Z The zeal was blazoned from zone to zone.

Zh* Measure; pleasure; treasure.

M* Minim; minimum;

N Noun; night; new

Ng* Singing; playing; dancing.

R Round and round the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran.

Here are two more tongue-twisters for you to practise:

  • The Leath Police dismisseth us.
  • Lord Long’s library is literally littered with literature.

David Hurley

http://succeed-in-english.com