There IS...or There ARE a book and a pen on the table?

You may find different answers to this question depending on whom you ask, but almost all native speakers of English would definitively agree that they would say:

"There IS a book and a pen on the table."

The argument for "There are" is that "a book and a pen" are plural.  In that case, it sounds much better to say:

A book and a pen are on the table.

BUT when using the dummy subject "There", it sounds better to say:

There is a book (and there is) a pen on the table.

The rule at work here is that it sounds strange to have a plural verb (are) right next to a singular subject (a book), and vice versa.  It sounds strange to have a singular verb (is) next to a plural subject (pens).  

Ex.  There is a book and pens on the table.

       There are a book and pens on the table.

       There are pens and a book on the table.

       There are a book and pens on the table.  

Ex. There is a girl and two boys waiting outside for us.
       There are a girl and two boys waiting outside for us.
       There are boys and a girl on the soccer team.
       There are a girl and boys on the soccer team. 

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!

Gerund, Infinitive or EITHER?

I wrote a post about this topic two years ago, but I didn't use examples.  Here you will find examples for each verb.

In English when we use two verbs together, the second must be an infinitive, a gerund or sometimes, we can use either an infinitive or gerund.

But, wait!...What IS a gerund?

A gerund is a verb+ing.  (walking, going, doing, seeing...)

And WHAT is an infinitive?

An infinitive is to+the simple verb. (to walk, to go, to do, to see...)

And what about using both with the same verb? 

Like is an example of a verb in which you can use either the infinitive or the gerund:

Ex. She likes to swim at night.
OR
Ex. She likes swimming at night.

Remember: You can never have two simple verbs next to one another (like go).  You must have either (like going) or (like to go).

Ex. I like go going to the beach on the weekends.
Ex. I like go to go to the beach on the weekends.

Here is a short list of verbs that you can ONLY use with GERUNDS...

• don't mind: My Dad doesn't mind ironing; in fact, he likes it!
• enjoy: He enjoys staying home and watching a movie on Friday nights.
• keep: Keep going until you reach the stop sign, and then turn left!
• miss:  I miss watching the sunset in San Diego.
• practice:  We practice playing the piano on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• recommend: She recommends going to bed early.
• understand: They understood quitting early, as it was the only option.

Here is a short list of verbs that you can ONLY use with INFINITIVES...

• agree: He wouldn't agree to work under our conditions.
• choose: She chose to do the right thing.
• decide: My sister decided to study Economics.
• learn: My students learned to speak English very well.
• need: I need to buy more laundry detergent.
• promise: He promised to buy more laundry detergent, but then forgot!
• want: I want to wash my clothes.

Here is a short list of verbs that you can use with BOTH GERUNDS & INFINITIVES:

• can't stand: I can't stand leaving/to leave work late.
• continue: The little boy continued to talk/talking during the entire class.
• like: I like to swim/swimming at the cliffs.
• love: I love to get/getting a massage.
• neglect: Her daughter neglected to warn/warning her of the new rules.
• prefer: I prefer to walk/walking instead of driving.
• propose: The teacher proposed to do/doing a project instead of reading the textbook.

Now, remember: after practicing all of these expressions over and over, it will become easier, but in the meantime, use this list as a reference.

Verb-Preposition Combinations for Beginners

Prepositions are always super tricky for students learning English because most often they don't translate from other language into English literally as we can see here:

(English) I dreamt about/of surfing in Hawaii.
(Portuguese)  I dreamt with surfing in Hawaii.
(French) I dreamt of surfing in Hawaii.

(English) I was thinking about/of you yesterday.
(Portuguese) I was thinking in you yesterday.
(French)  I was thinking to you yesterday.

(English)  When I look at you, I smile.
(Portuguese)  When I look for you, I smile.
(French)  When I look you, I smile.

As you can see here, translating literally from English to Portuguese or French doesn't work.  That's why we just have to get busy memorizing prepositions.  There's no other way, but don't worry, after you hear and see the correct preposition over and over, you will begin to remember it easily.

Here's a quick intro list of 10 must-know verb-preposition combinations for beginners.  

1. I'm sorry. but I just don't agree with you.
2. I'm afraid of heights, so I will not hike with you to the top of the mountain. 
3. We always argue with each other, and we always argue about the same thing!
4. I'm excited about skiing in Andorra!
5. We go to the beach every weekend.
6. I always listen carefully to my Mom.
7. My Mom says t's polite to look at people in the eye when they are talking to you.
8. I've lost my keys again!  I have already been looking for them for twenty minutes.
9. Yesterday, we talked about planning our vacation.  We talked to/with our travel agent.
10. We waited for our food for over an hour.

Now let's rewrite sentences 3 and 9:

• We always argue with each other about the same thing.
• Yesterday, we talked about planning our vacation with our travel agent. 

10 MORE Examples of how STRESS can change the meaning or part of speech of a word

Here are 10 more examples words that change meaning or part of speech depending on word stress.  This is an extension of a previous blog post that can be found here.

As already stated in the previous post, t is crucial to know where to place the appropriate stress or intonation of many words in English, as the meaning of a word or its part of speech can change.

Pay close attention to which syllables (the first or second) carry the stress and what part of speech each word is (verb or noun).  Do you notice any pattern in these two syllable words?  Well, as you can see in these examples, if the stress is on the first syllable, it is a noun, and if the stress is on the second syllable, it is a verb. 

Remember that when speaking English, stress is a crucial element in pronunciation, so always pay close attention to which syllable carries the stress.

1. Addict

• aDDICT (v.):  Many people become addicted to alcohol or drugs after suffering a tragedy.
• Addict (n.):  As there is heroin readily available in Afghanistan, you will find many addicts.

2. Compact

• comPACT (v.):  My neighbor owns a device that compacts trash to create more space for garbage. 
• COMpact (n.):  The Smart car is the most famous of all compact car designs.

3. Default

• deFAULT (v.):  It is absolutely imperative that you don't default on your loan--you must make the payment.
• DEfault (n.):  The default in payments to the insurance company increased his monthly premiums.

4.  Extract

• exTRACT (v.): During the Gold Rush, pioneers extracted gold from mines in California.
• EXtract (n.): Flower extracts are used in the production of perfume.

5. Insult

• inSULT (v.): Please don't insult me in front of the guests!
• INsult (n.): In China burping is not considered an insult, on the contrary it is a compliment to the cook!

6. Mismatch

• misMATCH (v.): Unfortunately, they mismatched the names and corresponding contacts, causing great confusion.
• MISmatch (n.): The blind date ended up being a disastrous mismatch!

7. Overlap

• overLAP (v.): John overlapped his clients appointments and ended up with two people in his office at the same time.
• OVERlap (n.): The overlap of the fabrics in the dress created a nice texture.

8. Rewrite

• reWRITE (v.): The author had to rewrite the entire manuscript as it was lost in the plane crash.
• REwrite (n.): The editor was not satisfied with the rewrite of the second edition.

9. Torment

• torMENT (v.): Nightmares of the tornado tormented him day and night.
• TORment (n.): She could no longer bear the torment of breaking up and getting back together one more time.

10. Transplant

• transPLANT (v.): The gardener transplanted the tree from the backyard to the front yard where there was more sun.
• TRANSplant (n.): She was the first human being ever to receive a successful face transplant.

 

10 Examples of how STRESS can change the meaning or part of speech of a word

It is crucial to know where to place the appropriate stress or intonation of many words in English, as the meaning of a word or its part of speech can change.

Pay close attention to which syllables (the first or second) carry the stress and what part of speech each word is (verb or noun).  Do you notice any pattern in these two syllable words?  Well, as you can see in these examples, if the stress is on the first syllable, it is a noun, and if the stress is on the second syllable, it is a verb. 

1.       Conduct

a.       conDUCT (v.):  We will conduct business as usual on Friday despite the federal holiday.

b.      CONduct (n.):  The conduct of the secret service personnel in Columbia was unacceptable.

2.       Conflict

a.       conFLICT (v.):  I am afraid that our meeting will conflict with the arrival of our partners, so we will have to reschedule. 

b.      CONflict (n.):  Peace negotiations have not led to any resolution of the conflict.    

3.       Decrease

a.       deCREASE (v.):  Birth rates around the world have decreased in the last several decaedes.

b.      DEcrease (n.):  The decrease we have seen in sales is a result of the nation's economy slowing down.

4.       Increase

a.       inCREASE: (v.)  As the baby boomer generation grows old, the demand for nurses has increased, along with the demand for health care.

b.      INcrease: (n.)  The dramatic increase in China's exports worries many politicians and business men alike.

5.       Object

a.       obJECT (v.): Surprisingly, the citizens did not object to the increase in taxes.

b.      OBject (n.): We saw dozens of tiny glass objects in the store arranged neatly in a row.

6.       Permit

a.       perMIT (v.): The law permits drivers to make a right turn on a red traffic light.

b.      PERmit (n.): Teenagers who work on family farms in the United States can acquire a special driving permit that allows them to operate vehicles at 13 years of age.

7.       Present

a.       preSENT (v.): We will present our findings to the committee next week.

b.      PREsent (n.): In our family we exchange presents on Christmas Eve. 

8.       Project

a.       proJECT (v.): Economists project that the employment rates will rise by June.

b.      PROject (n.): Our nonprofit organization has recently submitted a proposal to acquire a development project in Angola.

9.       Record

a.       reCORD (v.): The detectives recorded incriminating conversations with a simple wire tap.

b.      REcord (n.): The physician's office has converted all hard copy records to digital files.

10.   Recall

a.       reCALL (v.): I cannot recall the final numbers right now, so I'll call you right back.

b.      REcall (n.): Management has announced a recall of all meat products due to the E.coli outbreak. 

15 Phrasal Verbs You Should Know (if you don't already...)

Phrasal verbs consist of a verb + particle (usually a preposition, sometimes an adverb), that together have a certain meaning.  For example: 

1.  The little mouse ran into the wall.  (The mouse went inside the wall.)
2.  She ran into her cousin at the movies.  (She saw her cousin by chance.  It wasn't planned.)

As you can see, the first sentence is a literal or exact translation, whereas the second sentence is a phrasal verb because it has a figurative meaning.  Phrasal verbs are difficult to learn because there are so many of them, and the meaning is not so obvious some of the time. 

Below is a sample list of phrasal verbs for all levels that everybody should know.  Please post any questions you may have! 

Beginning:
1.  put on: dress oneself in clothing or accessories (...hats, sunglasses)

• Before we go to the beach, I need to put on my bathing suit.

2.  take off: undress oneself

• When he goes to church, he takes off his hat.

3.  wake up: stop sleeping

• The alarm wakes me up every day, but I always hit the snooze button.

4.  get up:  get out of bed

• Although the alarm wakes me up at 7:00 am, I don't usually get up until 7:20.

5.  check in/out:  register at a hotel upon arrival/departure

• We checked in to the hotel late at night and then checked out early this morning.

Intermediate:
6.  figure out:  solve a problem or understand something

• I was at work until 8:00 pm trying to figure out a solution to the problems our clients are having.

7.  check out: look

• Wow!  Check out the stars...you can see so many in the desert.

8.  get along with:  have a good relationship with somebody

• Unlike most people, he really gets along with his mother-in-law.

9.  pass out:  go to sleep or lose consciousness

• I was so tired from working all day that when I got home, I didn't even have dinner.  I just passed out on my couch and didn't wake up until the next day!

10.  work out:  lift weights and/or exercise

• He works out at the gym in the morning and trains with the team in the afternoon. 

Advanced:
11.  catch up with: talk to somebody about what has happened since you last saw them

• I have to catch up with my mother because we haven't talked in a long time.

12.  come down with:  to get sick

• After traveling for 18 hours, I came down with the flu the next day.

13.  end up:  finally be or do something

• We didn't know what to do Saturday night, so we just ended up watching a movie at home.

14.  put up with:  tolerate

• I can't put up with your lies anymore.  

15.  stick with:  continue to do something

• If you want to lose weight, you have to stick with your diet, continually following it.