Irregular Verb Group 2: I-A-U

So here's Irregular Verbs Group 2.  As I already posted in Irregular Verb Group 1, it's best to learn English's 250 irregular verbs by groups, similar sounds and patterns. Our brains learn best when we can perceive a pattern.

*Note: These verbs are what linguists call "strong" verbs, which means they don't end in 't', for example "I burnt my toast." 

Group 2: I-A-U

BEGIN-BEGAN-BEGUN
DRINK-DRANK-DRUNK
RING-RANG-RUNG
SING-SANG-SUNG
SINK-SANK-SUNK
SWIM-SWAM-SWUM

*Be careful not to make the mistake that many of my students have made:

INCORRECT: bring-brang-brung
CORRECT: bring-brought-brought

GHOTI=FISH? Pronunciation in English is crazy!

So how in the world could GHOTI be pronounced FISH in English?

Well let's take a look at GH.  In English this sound used to be represented as X, coming from Gaelic.  For example, in all these words, the GH sound is an F sound:

laugh

cough

rough

tough

The second sound, O, in English, is at times pronounced as an I.  This is the only example I can think of in English where an O is  pronounced as an I.  

women

Now let's take a look at TI. This sound is like SH in English, and there are many examples of this because English has a ton of words ending in TION:

transportation

cautious

occupation

So to summarize:

GH (F) O (I) TI (SH)

Now we can see that English is NOT a phonetic language (a language in which letters represent the same sounds every time.)

10 CH- words (pronounced SH) that come from French.

Portuguese speakers have trouble pronouncing the CH phoneme as in "chair".  A Portuguese speaker will usually pronounce it "SHair."  Now, there DO exist words with the CH phoneme that are actually pronounced SH.  These words came to English through French.

To all my Portuguese speakers, feel free to say "SH" with this list of words!

1. chef  (cook)
2. chauffeur (driver)
3. chalet (big ski cabin)
4. chandelier (ornate lighting fixture)
5. chic (cool)
6. cliché (trite or banal saying)
7. crochet (similar to knitting)
8. charlatan (somebody who is a fake)
9. champagne (We all know what champagne is, right?)
10. machine (We all know this one too...)

There are many more words that entered the English language via French when William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England gained control of the British Isles. 

If I HAD HAD more money...Can I say HAD HAD?

Yes, you can.  In the grammar world it makes up part of what is called the third conditional.  What's that?  Well, it's a way of expressing something that didn't happen, in the past, of course.  It's what we call...

WOULD HAVE 
COULD HAVE 
MIGHT HAVE

Or in more informal speech...woulda, coulda...mighta...

So where does the HAD HAD come in?  The HAD HAD goes with the IF clause.  Let's take a look at the structure first:

If + SUBJECT + HAD (NOT)+ Past Participle, ...SUBJECT + WOULD/COULD/SHOULD + (NOT) HAVE + Past Participle...

If I HAD driven slower I WOULD NOT HAVE gotten in the accident.

Here is an example of each using HAD HAD in the IF clause.  The first HAD is the conditional past perfect, and the second HAD is the past participle.

1.  If I HAD had more money, I WOULD HAVE bought a faster car.
2.  If I HAD had more time, I COULD HAVE spent more time at the beach.
3.  If I HAD had more experience, I MIGHT HAVE gotten that job.

Just so you know, us native speakers usually don't say HAD HAD.  Instead we use the following contractions to make it flow better:

I had had= I'd had
You had had= You'd had
He had had= He'd had
She had had= She'd had
It had had= It'd had
We had had= We'd had
They had had= They'd had

Well, that's it for now.  I hope this clarifies your doubts about English's idiosyncratic HAD HAD.

Why is K silent in KNIFE? A Complete List of KN- Words...Bet you don't know them all!

The 'k' in knife wasn't always silent, and, in fact, when the English language was Old English almost 1,000 years ago, the 'k' in knife was most certainly pronounced.  It wasn't until the 16th or 17th century that English speakers began to drop the 'k' pronunciation, most likely or perhaps because it was easier to just say 'n' rather than a consonant cluster 'kn'.

Here's a list of 225 KN- words... Do you know them all?  Remember, don't pronounce the 'k'!

1. knack
2. knacked
3. knacker
4. knackered
5. knackeries
6. knackers
7. knackery
8. knacking
9. knacks
10. knackwurst
11. knackwursts
12. knap
13. knapped
14. knapper
15. knappers
16. knapping
17. knaps
18. knapsack
19. knapsacked
20. knapsacks
21. knapweed
22. knapweeds
23. knar
24. knarred
25. knarry
26. knars
27. knaur
28. knaurs
29. knave
30. knaveries
31. knavery
32. knaves
33. knavish
34. knavishly
35. knawel
36. knawels
37. knead
38. kneadable
39. kneaded
40. kneader
41. kneaders
42. kneading
43. kneads
44. knee
45. kneecap
46. kneecapped
47. kneecapping
48. kneecappings
49. kneecaps
50. kneed
51. kneehole
52. kneeholes
53. kneeing
54. kneel
55. kneeled
56. kneeler
57. kneelers
58. kneeling
59. kneels
60. kneepad
61. kneepads
62. kneepan
63. kneepans
64. knees
65. kneesock
66. kneesocks
67. knell
68. knelled
69. knelling
70. knells
71. knelt
72. knesset
73. knessets
74. knew
75. knickerbocker
76. knickerbockers
77. knickers
78. knickknack
79. knickknacks
80. knife
81. knifed
82. knifelike
83. knifepoint
84. knifepoints
85. knifer
86. knifers
87. knifes
88. knifing
89. knight
90. knighted
91. knighthood
92. knighthoods
93. knighting
94. knightliness
95. knightlinesses
96. knightly
97. knights
98. knish
99. knishes
100. knit
101. knits
102. knitted
103. knitter
104. knitters
105. knitting
106. knittings
107. knitwear
108. knives
109. knob
110. knobbed
111. knobbier
112. knobbiest
113. knobblier
114. knobbliest
115. knobbly
116. knobby
117. knobkerrie
118. knobkerries
119. knoblike
120. knobs
121. knock
122. knockabout
123. knockabouts
124. knockdown
125. knockdowns
126. knocked
127. knocker
128. knockers
129. knocking
130. knockoff
131. knockoffs
132. knockout
133. knockouts
134. knocks
135. knockwurst
136. knockwursts
137. knoll
138. knolled
139. knoller
140. knollers
141. knolling
142. knolls
143. knolly
144. knop
145. knopped
146. knops
147. knosp
148. knosps
149. knot
150. knotgrass
151. knotgrasses
152. knothole
153. knotholes
154. knotless
155. knotlike
156. knots
157. knotted
158. knotter
159. knotters
160. knottier
161. knottiest
162. knottily
163. knottiness
164. knottinesses
165. knotting
166. knottings
167. knotty
168. knotweed
169. knotweeds
170. knout
171. knouted
172. knouting
173. knouts
174. know
175. knowable
176. knower
177. knowers
178. knowing
179. knowinger
180. knowingest
181. knowingly
182. knowingness
183. knowingnesses
184. knowings
185. knowledge
186. knowledgeabilities (I doubt that this word is an actual word...)
187. knowledgeability
188. knowledgeable
189. knowledgeableness
190. knowledgeablenesses (And I doubt this one too!...)
191. knowledgeably
192. knowledges
193. known
194. knowns
195. knows
196. knubbier
197. knubbiest
198. knubby
199. knuckle
200. knuckleball
201. knuckleballer
202. knuckleballers
203. knuckleballs
204. knucklebone
205. knucklebones
206. knuckled
207. knucklehead
208. knuckleheaded
209. knuckleheads
210. knuckler
211. knucklers
212. knuckles
213. knucklier
214. knuckliest
215. knuckling
216. knuckly
217. knur
218. knurl
219. knurled
220. knurlier
221. knurliest
222. knurling
223. knurls
224. knurly
225. knurs

ALTERIOR is NOT a Word. You must be thinking of ULTERIOR...

A simple mistake to make because there is little difference between the pronunciation of alterior and ulterior, many English learners and native speakers assume that alterior is actually a word meaning alternate or alternative when in fact, it is not.

Often we hear phrases such as:

WRONG:

"Be careful with that client because he has alterior motives."
(The man has different or alternative motives.)

RIGHT:

"In marrying him, she had ulterior motives other than true love."
(The woman has secret or hidden motives, such as money or status.)

As you can see in these examples, the correct word is ulterior with a 'u', which means secret or hidden motives or intentions.  It does not mean other or alternative motives.  So the next time you're writing, don't forget to use ULTERIOR rather than ALTERIOR!

5 MORE Common Mistakes Portuguese Speakers Make

I've already posted about common mistakes the Portuguese make, but here are some more! Yay! As I wrote before: When we try to speak in a foreign language we translate directly and literally from our own, but sometimes translating does not work, as in the following examples.

1. assist/attend

• I'm going to assist attend a conference about international business this weekend.

Note: Assist means to help somebody or provide assistance.  Ex. I need somebody to assist me in deciphering this cell phone bill!

2. coffee/café

• I want to go to a outdoor coffee café with a view of the river. 

Note: We only use coffee for the drink...this mistake is SO common!

3. yet/still

• Are you still working yet?

Note: We could also ask the question: "Have you gotten off of work YET?"

4.  anybody/nobody

• Anybody  Nobody wants to take vacation in August.  Everybody wants to take vacation at the end of July. 

5. are/there are

• Are There are lots of people here!

I hope this helps!

EXPAND your Vocabulary: LACKADAISICAL

This is one of my favorite words because the sound of the word reflects its meaning, in my humble opinion.  And again, I use Dictionary.com to define the word.  I hope you like it as much as I do!

Ex.  This post is rather lackadaisical because all I did was quote Dictionary.com!

lackadaisical

\lak-uh-DEY-zi-kuhl\ adjective 1. without interest, vigor, or determination; listless; lethargic: a lackadaisical attempt. 2. lazy; indolent: a lackadaisical fellow. Quotes He had for a moment been very angry when his friend had told him that he could not sympathise with a lackadaisical lover. It was an ill-natured word. He felt it to be so when he heard it, and so he continued to think during the whole of the half-hour that he sat in that chair. -- Anthony Trollope, The Small House at Allington, 1864 Origin Lackadaisical stems from the archaic term lackadaisy, a variant of lackaday. These in turn came from an alteration of the phrase alack the day, an interjection used as an exclamation of sorrow, regret, or dismay.

What's the difference between HIS and HE'S? It's not as simple as you may think...

There is always a confusion with my students concerning HIS and HE'S.  Why?  Because, to ESL speakers ears, they hear and pronounce these words in the same way [HEES].

You can read about the correct pronunciation on my older post about the most difficult vowel sound for ESL speakers.

As I've already explained the pronunciation in a previous post, here we will focus a tiny bit more on pronunciation and then on the grammar.

Pronunciation: HIS vs. HE'S

• HIS is pronounced with the (I) sound according to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) (as in it, live, ship, tin, bin, etc...)
• HE'S is pronounced with the (i:) sound according to the IPA, (as in see, free, tea, leave, etc...)

Again, if you want to learn more about the difference between (I) and (i:), visit my old post clicking on the link above.

Grammar: HIS vs. HE'S

HIS is a possessive adjective (or a possessive determiner):

• my
• your
• his
• her
• its
• our
• their

We use these possessive adjectives with nouns. 

• Ex. That is not your book!  That's his book!
• Ex. His i-Phone is older than my i-Pad. 

HE'S is a contraction.

• HE'S=HE IS
• Ex. He's my best friend!
• Ex. He's my colleague from France who has just joined our team.
• Ex. He's my puppy, and she's my cat.

I hope this clarifies the confusion between he's and his.  Remember: there are two differences, one is the pronunciation and the other is the grammar.  I hope this helps!

Did you know OBSOLESCENCE is a word? I sure didn't...

Dictionary.com has a Word of the Day that you can subscribe to, and there are always new and interesting words to learn.  I would recommend it to my readers of all levels!  Even if you are a beginner, it's great to challenge oneself.

You can subscribe here for FREE...if you like: http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/list

First of all, let's take a look at the more common word OBSOLETE.

As most of my readers know obsolete is something that is no longer used or out-of-date.  These days, this word is a useful because of the rapid pace of technological development.  

For example, tape cassettes are media to listen to music, and these days they are obsolete because nobody uses them. (Except for DJ Mada, and actually...I have been trying to find some to buy because my 2000 Golf has a tape cassette player!)  I can't manage to find a place to buy cassettes, so there you go!...It's a perfect word to describe my dilemna:

Ex. "As tape cassettes are obsolete, I can't manage to find any for my 2000 Golf cassette player!"

So there you have it.  Can you think of other obsolete items?  There are so many, like my 2006 Mac laptop, which is so outdated it has completely shut down or rotary telephones...or records...or VHS tapes...If you're a child of the 70s like me, the list is endless...

But this is the thing: Obsolete things are always the coolest, right?  

What does OBSOLETE mean again? (...I still don't understand...)

Well, then, here's the defnition of obsolete according to Dictionary.com:

adjective:

1. no longer produced or used, out of date.  Synonyms: OUT OF DATE, OUTDATED, OUTMODED, OLD-FASHIONED

2. BIOLOGY: (of a part or characteristic of an organism) less developed than formerly or in a related species.  Synonyms: RUDIMENTARY, VESTIGIAL

What does OBSOLESCENCE mean?

I'm going to use the help of Dictionary.com once again to take a look at this new word.  Basically, it is the noun of obsolete.

Here's the definition of obsolescence:

1. The state, process or condition of becoming obsolete.

Origin: This expression came into the English language in the 1820s.  Thanks to Latin, we have this word, which means "to fall into disuse."

So now, you have one more word checked off on your vocabulary list!

What's the difference between WAS and WERE?

Here is another post for my beginning ESL students about the difference between WAS and WERE, a very simple concept, yet many of my students still have a bit of trouble remembering the conjugations and often confuse the pronouns.

Past Tense: TO BE

I           WAS

You     WERE

He        WAS

She      WAS

It          WAS

We       WERE

They    WERE

As you can see here, we have two groups of pronouns for each conjugation.  (I, he, she and it take on WAS, while (you, we and they) take on WERE.  Now let's take a look at negative statements and their abbreviations with apostrophes:

Negative Past Tense: TO BE

I was not= I wasn't

You were not=You weren't

He was not=He wasn't

She was not=She wasn't

It was not=It wasn't

We were not=We weren't

They were not=They weren't

A quick note about apostrophes: Apostrophes take the place of a letter or letters.  In this case it's only one letter...the letter 'o'.

Interrogative Past Tense: TO BE (Interrogative is a fancy word for question...)

Now remember that with the verb form TO BE and forming questions, we just switch the subject and the verb.   (I was tired./Was I tired?)  Also remember that we don't need to use any auxiliary verbs with the verb TO BE (such as do, does or did...)

Wasn't I a great speaker?

Were you not at work today?

Was he eating dinner?

Was she calling you?

Was it the final decision?

Were we late?

Were they at the police station?

Now we can add (Who, What, When, Where, Why) to these questions:

Why wasn't I a great speaker?

When were you at work today?

Where was he eating dinner?

What was she calling you about?

Why was it the final decision?

When were we late?

Why were they at the movies?

Here is an old post about interrogative present tense TO BE in case you're curious. 

I hope this helps!

What's the difference between AM, IS and ARE?

While this may seem easy, at times it can be tricky for beginning and even intermediate ESL Learners...so it's definitely worth taking a closer look.

Let's begin with the basics of the verb TO BE:

I            AM
You       ARE
He         IS
She        IS
It            IS
We        ARE
They      ARE

Now as you can see we use AM only with "I."  We use IS with "he," "she," and "it."  Finally, we use ARE with "you," "we," and "they."

How about the negative forms of the verb TO BE?

Well, there are actually two forms of the negative in English with the verb TO BE, except in the first person singular:

I'm not 
You're not OR You aren't
He's not OR He isn't
She's not OR She isn't
It's not OR It isn't
We're not OR We aren't
They're not OR They aren't

The verb TO BE is the most important verb in any language, so it's very important to learn these conjugations. If you have trouble remembering them, write each form down 5 times in your notebook.  You can do it!

QUICK TIP: The difference between THeN and THaN.

A friend of mine recommended this post as many excellent English as a Second Language (ESL) speakers (such as himself) have trouble with these little words because the only difference is one, little, itty-bitty letter.

THEN: 

Usage=Next, after OR used in a sequence of events.

Examples:

• "After baking the cake at 220 degrees for 20 minutes, leave to cool.  Then add the frosting."
• "I will go to work early, and then, after lunch I will meet you at the café to catch up on the current projects your office is doing."
• "First you must call the agency and request an extension; then, you must effect payment online as soon as possible.  After that, your request will have been processed.

THAN:

Usage=Comparisons 

Examples:

• Everyone is shorter than I am.
• Group A was better than Group B.
• Comparatives are more difficult than superlatives.

Does the difference between THeN and THaN make sense now?  

I sure hope so...Don't forget how important those little, itty-bitty letters are!

PORTUGUESE SPEAKERS: You know more in ENGLISH than you may think...

As English possesses Latin, brought to England by the Roman Empire, there are tons of words in the English Language that have the ending (tion), which can be easily replaced with the Portuguese ending (ão).  This vocabulary is more advanced, as Latin words were brought to England by clergy who could read and write.

Here is a short list just to demonstrate that you (Portuguese speakers) probably know more than you think!...And if you English speakers are learning Portuguese, you already know 20 words:

1. transportation--transportação
2. information--informação
3. education--educação
4. determination--determinação
5. excavation--escavação
6. ovulation--ovulação
7. verification--verificação
8. laceration--laceração
9. petition--petição
10. classification--classificação
11. notion--noção
12. potion--poção
13. rendition--rendição
14. lotion--loção
15. cognition--cognição
16. inflammation--inflamação
17. congregation--congregação 
18. limitation--limitação
19. configuration--configuração
20. nation--nação

5 more (American) IDIOMS and their Origins.

Idioms are the heart of languages because they are expressive and reveal the nature of the people who speak the language.

Here are five of my favorite IDIOMS in English:

• "Close but no Cigar":  This idiom means that you've almost accomplished something or guessed something.  

Example:
--"Where are you from?" 
--"Guess!"
--"England?"
--"Close but no cigar...I'm from the United States."

Origins:  This expression is from the end of the 19th century when fairs were very popular.  Kids and their parents would go to play games and win prizes, except back in those days, the prizes weren't stuffed animals (as is the case today.)  Rather than giving a prize to the kids, the carnival workers would give the parents a cigar.  Thus the expression was born when somebody almost won the prize: a cigar!

• "A New York Minute": This idiom means a minute that passes very quickly!

Example:
--"When will you arrive?...I've been waiting for a half-hour!"
--"Don't worry...I'm on my way...I'll be there in a  New York minute."

Origin:  Obviously this idiom lends itself to the fast-paced atmosphere and life style of New York City.

• "In the Same Boat":  This idiom means that we're all in the same situation or facing the same challenges. It's a great idiom to express solidarity.

Example:

--"Have you finished your evaluations yet?"

--"No,...I have to write 207, and I've only written 24!"

--"Oh my goodness!  Well, I'm in the same boat...I have to write 150, and I've only finished 4!"

Origin: As I'm sure you know, this expression owes itself to traveling by boat upon dangerous open seas and oceans.  In the old days, people traveled by boat instead of planes, so this expression was born then. 

• "Backseat Driver":  This idiom is funny...It describes a person who, as a passenger in a car, tells the driver exactly what to do and when.  These people are annoying!

Example:

--"Don't drive so fast!"

--"You're going to hit the wall if you don't turn sharply right now!"

--"You have to turn wider around the corners otherwise you'll get in an accident!"

--"Please!  Enough of being the backseat driver!"

Origin:  This expression's origins are fairly obvious.  A person who isn't in the driving seat is usually riding shotgun (in the front) or he or she is in the backseat.

• "Bite my Tongue": To try very hard NOT to talk or say something explosive or rude.

Example:

--"Here are the final drafts...I spent the last two weeks working on this.  Isn't it great?"

--"Well, actually, I don't like the fact that there are no videos of monuments, just of the children."

--"Well, I think the children are more important than the monuments."

--"Well, I don't.  Do it over, now!"

--(Thinking: I have to bite my tongue...otherwise I will get in trouble with my boss!")

Origin: As with in the same boat, bite my tongue's origins are fairly obvious.  A synonym, hold your tongue, expresses the same idea: Don't speak!

I hope you like these expressions as much as I do...You will sound like a native speaker!

How to write GOOD...(shouldn't that be well...?!)

DEAR READERS,

This is a joke, so don't take any notes.  Of course, you all know, first of all...we don't say "how to write GOOD..."  We say "how to write WELL."  This is the difference between an adjective (GOOD) and an adverb (WELL)...which I will explain in detail at a later post.

For now, if you don't get the jokes, don't worry, just leave a comment or ask a native English speaking friend.

Native Speakers: You should get this!

HOW TO WRITE GOOD

1. Avoid alliteration. Always.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid clichés like the plague. (They're an old hat.)
4. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
5. One should never generalize.
6. Comparisons are as bad as clichés.
7. Be more or less specific.
8. Sentence fragments?  Eliminate.
9. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
10. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
11. Who needs rhetorical questions?

Taken from the metapicture.com.

The PAST PERFECT: The past before the past.

The past perfect grammar structure is as follows:

HAD + past participle

Remember:  Regular verbs have the same past participle as the past tense:
        Ex. walk/walked/walked, talk/talked/talked, create/created/created
                     Irregular verbs have a different past participle than their past tense:
        Ex. go/went/gone, do/did/done, eat/ate/eaten

We use the past perfect to express an action that happened in the past before another action that happened in the past.  Imagine the two events happening in time:

Alice broke up with her boyfriend Christopher.
Alice kissed Mason.

Isn't it important to know which happened first?  Let's imagine both scenarios and the implications using the past perfect:

        Alice had kissed Mason before she broke up with Christopher.  (Alice cheated on her boyfriend.)

        Alice had broken up with her boyfriend Christopher before she kissed Mason.  (Alice did not cheat on her boyfriend.)

The past perfect can clarify the order of events in the past tense.  This is why we use this grammar structure.

QUICK TIP: Would, could OR should?

What's the difference between would, could and should?  A reader of mine sent in this question, so let's check it out.  Because there are so many aspects to this question, this post will only focus on the past and present tenses of would, could and should.

PAST and PRESENT Tenses

1.  WOULD--WILL (expressing want or one's will to do something)

• Would is the past tense of will.  Often times, would is used in reported speech in the past.
• Ex. "I will go to the swimming pool after work tomorrow."
• Ex. John said that he would go the the swimming pool yesterday.
• Would is also used to express an action that happened regularly in the past.
• Ex. When I was a little girl, I would visit my grandparents in the summer in New York.

2.  COULD--CAN (expressing ability and feasibility)

• Could is the past tense of can.  
• Ex. Today I can surf big waves, but one year ago I couldn't even surf small waves. 
• Ex. He said that he could go to the party, but now he says he can't.

3.  SHOULD HAVE--SHOULD (expressing advice strongly) *Note: There is no past tense of should...there is only should have.

• Should have expresses regret, while should expresses advice.
• Ex. I should have taken an earlier flight because I was late for my business meeting.
• Ex.  You should quit smoking.

Look out for the following post on would have, could have and should have. 

When do I use HAVE and HAS?

"Have" and "has" are both present tense conjugations of the verb "to have," and we use "have" or "has" depending on the subject.  

If the subject is 3rd person, singular, then you use "has."  All other subjects take on "have".  See below:

Singular                                 

1st Person         I have            

2nd Person        You have            

3rd Person       He/She/It HAS        

Plural
1st Person          We have
2nd Person         You have
3rd Person         They have

Ex.

She has a doctor's appointment tomorrow.

They have a long day ahead of them.

My dog has a good temperament.

We both have an iPhone.

My sister has a hybrid car.

Remember that the verb "to have" serves two purposes in the English language:

1. Verb: Of course, as you know, the verb "to have" is used to express possession, as in the examples above and as in "I have a dog, a house and a beautiful family."
2. Auxiliary Verb: "Have" is also used as an auxiliary (or helping) verb when using the present perfect.  (Click here to learn more about the present perfect.)  See below for the grammar construction of the present perfect:

Present Perfect Grammar:

When using the present perfect, we conjugate the verb "to have" in the same way as the present tense as seen above; that is, the 3rd person singular changes to "has."

I/You/We/They + HAVE + past participle

He/She/It            + HAS    + past participle

Ex. 

I have traveled to Paris three times.

He has never seen a James Bond movie!

They have taken the test.

She has tried to help.

We have just finished writing the report.

My dog has already gone for a walk four times today.

They have taken the test.

She has tried to help.

20 (more) Opposites for Beginners

Here is the second group of must know opposites for beginners of English.  You can find the first group by clicking here.

20 (more) Opposites List:

1. Best - Last
2. Boring - Exciting
3. Day - Night
4. East - West
5. Heavy - Light
6. Long - Short
7. More - Less
8. New - Old
9. Nice - Mean
10. North - South
11. Open - Closed
12. Right - Wrong
13. Rude - Polite
14. Safe - Dangerous
15. Smart - Stupid
16. Soft - Hard
17. Sunny - Cloudy
18. Thick - Thin
19. Up - Down
20. Warm - Cool