ENGLISH NOTE 18 " COULD "

ENGLISH NOTE 18 "COULD "
1. In indirect speech, " could " takes the place of " can " .
He asked , " Can I take this book ? "
He asked if he could take this book.

2. " Could " is used for asking permission to do something .
Could I have the newspaper ?
Could we change the channel for the news ?

3. Expressing possibility
He could complete the job in ten minutes.
He couldn't have left his passport at home.

4. Suggestion
You could try Google Chrome browser.
We could take a taxi to Chennai.

5. Polite request
Could you lend your car for an hour ?

6. Used to express displeasure over what somebody did or did not do
She could have given me a warning before I started.

7. Expressing strong feelings ( informal)
He so much irritates me that I could strangle him.

8. Could do with something ( Informal ) - Idiom
It means that you like to have something which you specify
I am so tired after two hours of teaching . I could do with a strong cup of coffee.

9. Express possibility in the past
My daughter could read at the age of three.

10. After can and could , no verb can take an infinitive form.
Don't say " I could to speak Hindi .
But say,
I could speak Hindi .

11. " could " can be used along with certain verbs like , " see, hear, taste, smell,understand ,
remember and guess to express that somebody was able to do so something on
some occasions in the past.
From his conversation , I could understand what he was up to.
Even from a distance, I could hear the exchange of angry words of the occupants of the house.
I could smell something burning.

12. Conditional
You could get a good job, if you know Java Programming .
You could easily do it, if you follow my instructions.

13. " Could have " - unrealized possibility in the past
He could have easily cleared the maths paper , had he prepared on the lines
of my advice.
With his qualifications, he could have got whatever job he wanted.
I have fairly covered the use of " could ". You have to read good English texts of
different types to acquire a mastery. This note is just a guide. You have to do
hard work.
Happy Learning !
Sayee Jayaraman
11/04/2015
Bangalore

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ENGLISH NOTE.17 " CAN

In this note,let us study the use of modal verb, " CAN".

CAN is generally used with the infinitive form of a verb without. "to".

I can do
we can go there
1. Possibility

Can expresses the possibility of a person doing something.

I can translate from French into English well.

He can not speak English.

He can't speak English.
2. Williness to do something/offer
I can drive you to the railway station,if the taxi does not turn up on time.

She can't accompany you to the cinema. Her examination is tomorrow.

3. POLITE REQUEST

Can I come in?
We can use," may" also but it is more formal than, " can".

May I know who is on the line?

4. Expressing the likely truth of something.

Are you telling me that John demanded illegal gratification?
That can never be.

Don't think Jane is a very kind person. She can be cruel,at times.

5. Refusing permission to somebody.

The exam commences at 10 am. Be well in time. Even if you are late by 5 minutes,you can't write your paper.

6. Expressing doubt or surprise.

She left at 5pm. She has not yet arrived. What can she be doing something?I

7. SUGGESTION

It's boring. We can go to a film show.

8. Can is normally used with the verbs, " feel,hear,smell, taste, understand,follow, remember "

I can smell something fishy in this.

Can you follow what grandpa says?

I can't remember a thing now.

9. Can't help + gerund ( doing something )

When you say, you can't help doing something,it means that in spite of your best efforts not to do something,you are doing it.

I can't help laughing when the new teacher sings.

She can't help munching something every two hours.

10. An old fashioned use is

" can't help but do something"

I can't help but telephone my uncle every morning.

Peter can't help but do something foolish.

That is all for now.

Happy learning!

Sayee JAYARAMAN

01/03/2015

ENGLISH NOTE 16 " WOULD"

ENGLISH NOTE.  " WOULD"

Today I am discussing the use of " WOULD" another modal verb.

1. In high school , you have learnt to transform direct speech into indirect speech . While doing so, " will " is replaced by " would ".

He said," Tomorrow , I will return your book "

He said that he would return my book the next day.


2.  To express what one imagines, " WOULD" can be used.

I think that space travel would be very common in the next century.

On seeing what is happening in the present day India, Mahatma Gandhi would turn in his grave.

3. To express what something will happen if some other thing happens, WOULD is used.

If government rationalizes the tax rates, there would be an improvement in the buoyancy in revenue.

If Mr. X is elected as the Prime Minister of our country , it would be a great disaster.


4. To express past habits , we can use " WOULD"

When we were kids, mom would take us to the swimming pool everyday .

During my Pune days, I would never miss my evening French classes.

5. To express future in the past, we can use , WOULD.

Mahatma Gandhi would go to England to become a barrister. A man not given to prevarication, the profession of a  lawyer defending commercial firms would not suit him. However , he would take up legal profession in South Africa where he would have a firsthand  experience of racism . That would awaken his conscience and prepare him for a greater role in his country and in the world.

6. For polite requests, we can use , " WOULD"

Would you mind opening the window ?

Would you lend me your newspaper ?

7. Use of " Would rather" . This expression followed by an infinitive of a verb without " to" is used to express preference .

Would you come with me to watch a movie this evening ?

I would rather stay at home.


8.  Would rather+ subject + past tense

The above structure can be used when a person prefers another person  or other persons to do something . The following examples may be carefully noted.

Mother says , " I would rather John stayed at home. It is raining heavily ."
I'd rather John stayed at home . It is raining heavily .

I would rather you came next Sunday . You know , I am going to Delhi this Sunday .

Short form " I 'd".

Kindly note that even though in the above examples the verbs 6coming after " rather" have a past tense form , the action would either be in the present as in the first example or in future as in the second example.

Suppose the action is in past , then we may use " past perfect " after " rather".


I would rather he hadn't telephoned me.

I would rather John had not joined law college.

But in modern English , the above idea is expressed using " wish".

I wish John hadn't joined law college

He'd rather Alice married next year. ( Here the meaning is that he prefers Alice to get married next year . Future sense.)

He'd rather Alice had not married Martin.

The meaning is that Alice got married to Martin . But he does not like it. So the sense is past. Something happened . Fait accomplit. But he does not like what had happened.


That is all for now.

Happy learning .

Sayee Jayaraman

26/02/2015

ENGLISH NOTE. 15 " SHOULD"

In this post, let me take up the modal verb, " should ".

1.OBLIGATION.

"Should " is generally used for expressing obligation.  The following examples may be useful.

The professor tells his students, " Tomorrow,my class will commence at 9-30 am instead of 10 am. You should be present on time."

You should not talk in the library.  It disturbs others.

You should not throw letters in the office premises.  Use the dustbin.

2. Asking questions or advice

Should I join French class this summer?

Should I carry my identity card while traveling?

Should I get myself vaccinated before going abroad?

3. DEDUCING PROBABILITY

When something is normally expected to happen based on certain facts, one can use " should ". In other words,the probability of that event is higher according to the speaker.

Raja left Bangalore at 3pm. Now it is 6pm. He should be in Mysore now.

According to meteorological department, the cyclone should hit Vizag around 4am tomorrow.

3.CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

In British English, " should " is used in first person singular and plural for the past conditional. In other words,what you would do if something else happened first.

If I were rich, I should not be here.

If we had sufficient means,we should purchase this house.

4. INDIRECT SPEECH

" SHOULD " is used as the past form of that" shall" when reporting what somebody has said.

He said, " Shall I get you some coffee?"

He asked me if he should get me some coffee.

5. POLITE REQUESTS

In British English," should" is used with " I" and "we" for expressing polite requests.

I should like you to attend the meeting.

We should be grateful for the timely help.

6. FOR EXPRESSING SOMETHING EXPECTED WHICH HAD NOT HAPPENED

The Brindavan Express should have reached Bangalore by 1 pm.

I think that it is running late.

7. EXPRESSING ANNOYANCE, REFUSAL,SURPRISE AT A REQUEST.USED WITH INTERROGATE WORDS

Why should I give you money?

How should I treat you? Tell me.

Who should pay for all this extravaganza?

What should I tell your parents?  Your performance in the monthly test is so pathetic?

8. In modern English, " should " is not much used. " WOULD " is preferred.  There will be a separate note on " Would ". The main use of " should " in current usage is to express an obligation.  In other words,what one ought to do.

Advice

You should read good English texts to master the use of different expressions.  Listen to good programmes in tv and radio as often as possible. Mastering a language requires enormous efforts.

SAYEE JAYARAMAN

22/02/2015

LET US MASTER ENGLISH : ENGLISH NOTE 14 " What is all this fuss about ...

LET US MASTER ENGLISH : ENGLISH NOTE 14 " What is all this fuss about ...: In this post,I am taking up the use of " shall " and " will ". 1. I note that in North America " shall "...