Differences between the british english and the american english

Future (going to) in the past

The Future in the Past has two different forms in English: "would" and "was going to." Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two different meanings.

FORM Would [would + VERB]

Examples:

I knew they would help him.

I knew they would not do it.

I knew you would come to the party!

I knew you would not say good-bye

FORM Was/Were Going To [was/were + going to + VERB]

Examples:

I knew you were going to go to the party.

I knew you were not going to go to the party.

USE 1 Future in Past

Future in the Past is used to express the idea that in the past you thought something would happen in the future. It does not matter if you are correct or not. Future in the Past follows the same basic rules as the Simple Future: "Would" is used to volunteer or make a spontaneous decision

Examples:

I’ll do it! / I’ll have a coke

I said I would do it / I said I would have a coke

or promise

Examples:

Promise I won’t tell

I promised I wouldn’t tell

and "was going to" is used for plans and intentions

Examples:

I’m going to talk to her tomorrow

I said I was going to talk to her the following day.

However, in the Future in the Past, both forms can be used to make predictions about the future.

Examples:

Tomorrow it’ll rain – but They said the following day was going to rain / They said the following day would rain.

More examples:

I told you he was going to come to the party. plan  or intention

I knew Julie would make dinner. voluntary action/spontaneous decision

Jane said Sam was going to bring his sister with him, but he came alone. PLAN  OR INTENTION

I had a feeling that the vacation was going to be a disaster. prediction

He promised he would send a postcard from Egypt. promise

REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms,[1] the Future in the Past cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of using Future in the Past, you must use Simple Past.

Examples:

I already told Mark that when he would arrive, we would go out for dinner. Not Correct

I already told Mark that when he arrived, we would go out for dinner. Correct

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

I knew John would finish the work by 5:00 PM. Active

I knew the work would be finished by 5:00 PM. Passive

I thought Sally was going to make a beautiful dinner. Active

I thought a beautiful dinner was going to be made by Sally. Passive

Find the sentences which can remind you of the theory! And practice saying them out loud.

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Phrasal Verbs

INTRODUCCIÓN

Cuando uno lee o escucha el idioma inglés, es muy común que uno se enfrente con expresiones que involucran sustantivos, verbos, adjetivos, adverbios y otras palabras, sin ninguna relación lógica aparente ni con la construcción ni con el significado. Este proceso de combinar palabras individuales para formar unidades nuevas, o phrasal verbs, que tienen significados variados, no es peculiar del idioma inglés; ya que, formaciones idiomáticas similares existen en otros idiomas.

Para la persona que aprende el idioma inglés, uno de los aspectos más irritantes y frustrantes del idioma es la formación de expresiones especiales o modismos (idioms). El estudiante descubre, con desilusión, que existen docenas de combinaciones de palabras cuyo significado tiene poca o ninguna relación con las palabras individuales de las cuales están compuestas.

Las expresiones anteriormente mencionadas son impredecibles y no siguen un patrón; esto se debe a que se derivan de factores culturales, del folclor, de proverbio famosos, e incluso de la política y de los eventos comunes, más que del idioma en sí.

Por las razones expuestas anteriormente, es necesario que al estudiante que ya tiene un nivel intermedio o avanzado de domino del idioma inglés, se le presente estos grupos de verbos junto con ciertas guías para los problemas que va a enfrentar en cuanto al orden de las palabras, la acentuación, la entonación y el uso de las mismas.

Seguramente, el alumno con estos niveles de dominio del idioma, ya se ha topado anteriormente con este tipo de expresiones, sin reparar demasiado en el por qué estas palabras funcionan de esta manera. Sin embargo, las usa de manera común y se aprende el significado de

memoria, sin saber por qué una simple partícula cambia drásticamente el significado del verbo de base, cuando está acostumbrado a traducirlos los componentes por separado. Entonces, ahora se enfrenta al problema de que, en el inglés, muchas de las veces, no se puede traducir literalmente; porque esto daría como resultado una traducción inexacta o inespecífica. Finalmente, se enfrenta a la situación de tener que aprender estas expresiones de memoria; ya que, muchas de ellas, formadas de las mismas partículas, pueden tener significados diferentes, dependiendo del contexto en el que se utilicen.

En el aprendizaje del idioma inglés, es de vital importancia el estudio de los phrasal verbs, que en español se podrían traducir como verbos compuestos; debido a que son expresiones que se utilizan con mucha frecuencia y en grandes cantidades tanto en el lenguaje escrito como en el hablado. Además, siguen patrones estructurales bien definidos que permiten la formación de listados bien organizados en familias agrupadas por el verbo de base, por la preposición con la que están asociados o por las reglas que siguen en el orden de las palabras. Inclusive, se puede formar listados de los phrasal verbs más comunes y más utilizados. Estos representan un reto tanto para su enseñanza como para su aprendizaje.

Definición de phrasal verb

Los estudiosos de la gramática no se han puesto de acuerdo en la definición de phrasal verbs en inglés. Incluso no saben si existe tal categoría. Muchos los llaman combinaciones de verbo-adverbio o verbo-preposición.

Un phrasal verb es generalmente un verbo de dos palabras. El tipo más común de phrasal verb es un verbo que está seguido por un adverbio. Cuando el adverbio es parte del phrasal verb, se le llama partícula. Por ejemplo:

Verbo + Partícula = Phrasal verb

Una partícula es en general un adverbio: about, along, around, away, back, by, down, in, off, on, out, over, around, up.

A veces, un adverbio solo agrega algo al significado del verbo:

When I turned around, I saw Ann behind me.

O puede cambiar completamente el significado del verbo:

A car suddenly pulled up behind me. (came to a stop)

Por ejemplo:

Have you come across my old exercise book in the store room? (=found)

Your new red tie doesn’t go with your yellow shirt. (= match)

Un phrasal verb en inglés tiene las siguientes características:

(a)  Consiste de un verbo seguido por una palabra que puede funcionar en las oraciones en inglés como una preposición.

(b)  Es una unidad semántica que tiene un significado, el cual con frecuencia difiere de la suma de los significados de sus partes individuales.

(c)  Es una unidad gramatical que desempeña las funciones normales de un verbo en las oraciones en inglés. Puede estar seguido o no de un objeto (sustantivo, pronombre objeto o nombre).

Phrasal verb o varbo + frase preposicional

Uno podría esperar que los phrasal verbs se puedan formar libremente combinando cualquier verbo con una preposición; sin embargo, este no es el caso.

No se puede “crear” un phrasal verb combinando arbitrariamente cualquier verbo con cualquier preposición. Entonces, para los estudiantes, el problema no es “hacer” un phrasal verb, sino reconocerlo.

Entonces, se tiene que diferenciar entre los phrasal verbs y las secuencias verbo-preposición normales. Y si, como ya se mencionó anteriormente, un phrasal verb es una unidad semántica que tiene un significado que con frecuencia difiere de la suma de los significados de sus partes separadas, notemos el contraste en significado de estas dos oraciones en las que se utiliza la secuencia call up.

Pleas call up the stairs and wake the children. (Call y up tienen su significado normal).

I want to call up the department store, but I don’t know the number. (Call up significa “telephone”).

In la primera oración se utiliza call como verbo y up en una frase preposicional, indicando dirección. Sin embargo, n la segunda oración call up tiene un significado en sí mismo: “telephone”. Entonces, call up es un phrasal verb típico.

Verbo + Frase preposicional

The boys ran into the street.

The two housewives enjoy talking over the fence.

We look up the street but saw no one.

After turning on Tenth Street, drive north.

Turn off the highway at the next intersection.

I waited on the corner for an hour.

If you look over the mountains, you will see a rainbow.

The passers-by looked into the window curiosly.

Phrasal verb

Mr. Brown ran into an old friend yesterday. (meet by accident)

The committee is talking over our report. (discussing)

Sally looked up the word because she didn’t understand it. (sought in a reference book)

Don’t you remember turning on the light. (starting the operation of)

Turn off the radio, please. (stop the opreration of)

She waited on us quietly and efficiently. (served)

The teacher will look over our tests tomorrow. (examine)

Have the policeman looked into the bank robbery? (investigated)

Estos pares de oraciones ilustran las diferencias, no solamente en significado, sino también en las relaciones interiores de las partes de la oración. La primera columna de oraciones ilustra de manera clara el uso de las frases preposicionales como modificadoras adverbiales. Para cada oración se puede hacer una pregunta con “where” y dar una respuesta lógica con el uso de la frase adverbial.

Where did the boys run?                       Into the Street.

Where did the housewives talk?          Over the fence.

Where did we look?                                Up the Street.

Sin embargo, si hace una pregunta con “where” para las oraciones de la segunda columna se puede observar que no hay una respuesta con significado lógico.

Where did Mr. Brown run?                   Into an old friend. (no tiene sentido)

Wher is the committee talking?           Over the report. (no tiene sentido)

Pero cuando se formula una pregunta con “what” o con “whom” usando un phrasal ver como unidad, se puede ver que el significado es claro.

Whom did Mr. Brown run into?          An old friend.

What is the committee talking over?  The report.

What did Sally look up?                          The word.

Ahora se ha aplicado otra de las características ya mencionada de los phrasal verbs: es una unidad gramatical que desempeña las funciones normales de un verbo en la oración. En todas las oraciones anteriores, se considera a las frases sustantivales que siguen los phrasal verbs como el objeto de los mismos. En otras palabras, estos phrasal verbs tienen objetos de manera similar a los verbos transitivos ordinarios.

Future perfect

Future Perfect has two different forms: "will have done" and "be going to have done." Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Perfect forms are usually interchangeable.

Uses

FORM Future Perfect with "Will"

[will have + past participle]

Examples:

You will have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.

Will you have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.?

You will not have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.

FORM Future Perfect with "Be Going To"

[am/is/are + going to have + past participle]

Examples:

You are going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.

Are you going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.?

You are not going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.

NOTE: It is possible to use either "will" or "be going to" to create the Future Perfect with little or no difference in meaning.

Complete List of Future Perfect Forms

USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Future

The Future Perfect expresses the idea that something will occur before another action in the future. It can also show that something will happen before a specific time in the future.

Examples:

By next November, I will have received my promotion.

By the time he gets home, she is going to have cleaned the entire house.

I am not going to have finished this test by 3 o'clock.

Will she have learned enough Chinese to communicate before she moves to Beijing?

Sam is probably going to have completed the proposal by the time he leaves this afternoon.

By the time I finish this course, I will have taken ten tests.

How many countries are you going to have visited by the time you turn 50?

Notice in the examples above that the reference points (marked in italics) are in Simple Present rather than Simple Future. This is because the interruptions are in time clauses, and you cannot use future tenses in time clauses.

USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Future (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Future Perfect to show that something will continue up until another action in the future.

Examples:

I will have been in London for six months by the time I leave.

By Monday, Susan is going to have had my book for a week.

Although the above use of Future Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach," and "study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.

REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, the Future Perfect cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of Future Perfect, Present Perfect is used.

Examples:

I am going to see a movie when I will have finished my homework. Not Correct

I am going to see a movie when I have finished my homework. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

You will only have learned a few words.

Will you only have learned a few words?

You are only going to have learned a few words.

Are you only going to have learned a few words?

Structure

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Listen to the following audio and complete the sentences which are shown there.

AUDIO

Do the following exercises

EXERCISES

Past perfect continuous

Uses

USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Past

We use the Past Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the past. "For five minutes" and "for two weeks" are both durations which can be used with the Past Perfect Continuous. Notice that this is related to the Present Perfect Continuous; however, the duration does not continue until now, it stops before something else in the past.

Examples:

They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.

She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of business.

How long had you been waiting to get on the bus?

Mike wanted to sit down because he had been standing all day at work.

James had been teaching at the university for more than a year before he left for Asia.

A: How long had you been studying Turkish before you moved to Ankara?

B: I had not been studying Turkish very long.

USE 2 Cause of Something in the Past

Using the Past Perfect Continuous before another action in the past is a good way to show cause and effect.

Examples:

Jason was tired because he had been jogging.

Sam gained weight because he had been overeating.

Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending class.

Structure

Time expressions

To make this easier. check out this video

Past Continuous vs. Past Perfect Continuous

If you do not include a duration such as "for five minutes," "for two weeks" or "since Friday," many English speakers choose to use the Past Continuous rather than the Past Perfect Continuous. Be careful because this can change the meaning of the sentence. Past Continuous emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas Past Perfect Continuous emphasizes a duration of time before something in the past. Study the examples below to understand the difference.

Examples:

• He was tired because he was exercising so hard.
  This sentence emphasizes that he was tired because he was exercising at that exact moment.
• He was tired because he had been exercising so hard.
  This sentence emphasizes that he was tired because he had been exercising over a period of time. It is possible that he was still exercising at that moment OR that he had just finished.

Listen to the following audio and complete the sentences

AUDIO

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Past perfect

Uses

USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Past

The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.

Examples:

• I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
• I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
• Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
• Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
• She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
• Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
• We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.
• A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?
  B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.

USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Past Perfect to show that something started in the past and continued up until another action in the past.

Examples:

• We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
• By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
• They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years.

Although the above use of Past Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach," and "study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.

IMPORTANT Specific Times with the Past Perfect

Unlike with the Present Perfect, it is possible to use specific time words or phrases with the Past Perfect. Although this is possible, it is usually not necessary.

Example:

• She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

MOREOVER

If the Past Perfect action did occur at a specific time, the Simple Past can be used instead of the Past Perfect when "before" or "after" is used in the sentence. The words "before" and "after" actually tell you what happens first, so the Past Perfect is optional. For this reason, both sentences below are correct.

Examples:

• She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.
• She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

HOWEVER

If the Past Perfect is not referring to an action at a specific time, Past Perfect is not optional. Compare the examples below. Here Past Perfect is referring to a lack of experience rather than an action at a specific time. For this reason, Simple Past cannot be used.

Examples:

• She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not Correct
• She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. Correct

Structure

Time Expressions

The video shown below will help you understand this topic and if you have already understand the topic this video will help you practice

In order to improve your hearing skills listen to the following audkio and answer correctly

AUDIO

Test yourself doing these exercises

EXERCISES