Ron's ESL Blogs

Hi there,

So should you say “every student” or “every students”?

Tricky one, isn’t it?

Well, the rule is the following:

“Every” is always followed by a singular verb.

That’s because we refer to every single item, and NOT to all of them combined.

So the correct phrase is “every student.”

Some more examples:
- Every students in the class must do the exam.
- Every student have has a teacher.

Here are some incorrect examples:
- Every words are important.
- Every moments are new.
- Every parent are present in the meeting.

And these are the same sentences, corrected:
- Every word is important.
- Every moment is new.
- Every parent is present in the meeting.

See also:
Subject-Verb Agreement

English has an ability to express an idea or concept with the finest details possible.

This can be done using synonyms.

A synonym is a word with the same, or almost the same, meaning as another word.

For example, you could say, “Janet wears a blue hat and a red dress.”

You could also say, “Janet sports a navy cloche and a burgundy gown.”

Let’s explain the second sentence:

“Sport” means “to wear in a proud way.”
It is a synonym of “wear.”

“Navy” means “very dark blue.”
It is a synonym of “blue.”

“Cloche” means “a woman’s hat that is shaped like a bell and fits close to the head.”
It is a synonym of “hat.”

“Burgundy” means “dark red,” like the Burgundy wine.
(That’s wine from an area in eastern France called Burgundy.)
It is a synonym of “red.”

“Gown” means “a long woman’s dress, worn in special occasions.”
It is a synonym of “dress.”

If we didn’t have the above words in the English vocabulary, we would probably say something like this:
“Janet proudly wears a very dark blue hat. Her hat is shaped like a bell and fits close to the head. She also wears a dark red long formal dress.”

This is longer and slightly less accurate. (Though definitely clearer if you are unfamiliar with the above words!)

- Now reread the first and second sentences.
- After reviewing each, Imagine Janet’s appearance.
She looks quite different, doesn’t she?  :-)

This is only one way of using synonyms.

Understanding synonyms (and their opposite – the antonyms) is important to truly mastering the English language with all its “colors” (= aspects).

1) So what are synonyms and antonyms?

2) Pretty, beautiful, handsome… what’s the difference?

3) Why are synonyms and antonyms important?

4) How to use them to improve vocabulary?

5) How to use them to improve writing skills?

Visit the Synonyms and Antonyms lesson to get the answers.

In a previous post, we went over dynamic verbs vs. stative verbs.

Here is a quick reminder:

Dynamic = moving or changing.

Dynamic verbs are verbs that describe an action, not a state.

For example:
Take, break, eat, jump, work, find, buy, dance, fish.

Stative = having a state, or existing.

Stative verbs are verbs that describe a state, not an action.

For example:
Have, love, agree, be, want, hate, know, own, cost, sound, prefer, seem, hear.

Note that stative verbs usually describe:
– Relationships between things or people (for example, “have”)
- Emotions or states of mind (for example, “love” and “agree”)
- Appearance and senses (for example, “seem” and “hear”)
- Measurements (for example, “weigh”)

Using stative verbs

Stative verbs are not usually used in the progressive tenses.

Correct: I love you.
Incorrect: I’m loving you.

Correct: Do you agree?
Incorrect: Are you agreeing?

Correct: He doesn’t deserve to win.
Incorrect: He isn’t deserving to win.

Correct: She hated the winter.
Incorrect: She was hating the winter.

Correct: Did you hear that noise?
Incorrect: Were you hearing that noise?

Correct: The trip didn’t include a visit to the beach.
Incorrect: The trip wasn’t including a visit to the beach.

Correct: They will remember us.
Incorrect: They will be remembering us.

Correct: Will it surprise you?
Incorrect: Will it be surprising you?

Correct: This will probably weigh a lot.
Incorrect: This will probably be weighing a lot.

As you must know, words usually have more than a single meaning.
Likewise, some verbs have both stative and dynamic meanings.

For example, the verb “have” is such a verb.

It has many different meanings (you can learn about them in the English Helping Verbs Course).
One of these meanings is “to own.”
This is a stative meaning, since it describes a state, and not an actual action.

Examples:
“I have two cats.”
“You have a new laptop.”
“We have too many problems.”

Another meaning of the verb “have” is “to drink, eat, or smoke
something.”

Examples:
“They had a drink at the bar.”
“We have lunch every day at noon.”
“I will have a cigarette or two.”

I think you can agree with me that this meaning is fully dynamic.
Drinking, eating and smoking are definitely actions and not states.

So in such a case, “have” can be used in the progressive tenses,
too.

Correct: We never have breakfast. (dynamic meaning)
Correct: We are having lunch right now. (dynamic meaning)
Correct: We have a house. (stative meaning)
Incorrect: We are having a house. (stative meaning)

Correct: Jenifer tastes wine for a living. (dynamic meaning)
Correct: Jenifer is tasting some wine right now. (dynamic meaning)
Correct: This wine tastes awful. (stative meaning)
Incorrect: This wine is tasting awful. (stative meaning)

Correct: I always think too much. (dynamic meaning)
Correct: I am thinking about your offer. (dynamic meaning)
Correct: I think you are right. (stative meaning)
Incorrect: I am thinking you are right. (stative meaning)

Here are some verbs with both dynamic and stative meanings:
Be, have, see, smell, taste, think, expect, feel.

Example sentences (stative and then dynamic):
He is (has the identity of) a boy /
He is being (behaving) naughty.

I can see (notice with eyes) you now /
I am seeing (dating) a doctor.

He can’t smell (notice the smell) from birth /
Your puppy is always smelling (trying to get the smell of) me.

This cake tastes (has a taste) great /
We are just tasting (checking the taste of) the cake.

They think (have opinion) this is wrong /
They are thinking (considering) what to do.

I don’t expect (think it will happen) a raise /
We were not expecting (waiting for) any guests.

She feels (has a feeling) depressed /
She is feeling (touching) the texture of the fabric.

For more info and a set of online exercises, visit Dynamic Verbs and Stative Verbs – Examples and Exercises.

This time I would like to talk with you about a topic relevant to vocabulary.

That topic is English word formation processes.

As any student soon discovers, English has a very rich vocabulary. But obviously, it didn’t get all of its words at once. Most of the English words were gradually developed, some adopted, some simply invented.

By understanding these processes, you can get greater understanding of the background of English.

More importantly, by looking into the origin of single words, students can gain deeper understanding of the vocabulary they are trying to learn.

Let’s look at a practical example.

The student is studying a new word for them – “guard” (a person who protects a place or people). After understanding the literal meaning of “guard,” you can look into this word’s origin.

It turns out that it comes from the Old French word “garder,” which means, “protect.” Now, this makes sense, doesn’t it? A guard indeed protects!

Here is another example. The English word “secure” actually comes from the Latin word “securus,” which is built from “se-” (free from) and “cura” (care).

So as you can see, word etymology (the origin and history of words and their meanings) can truly enhance understanding.

Try this tip and see how it affects your or your students’ progress.

And click here to learn more about the different word formation processes in English.

Firstly, what do “stative” and “dynamic” mean?

Dynamic = moving or changing.

Stative = having a state, or existing.

Dynamic verbs are verbs that describe an action, not a state.

For example, “They are crossing the street.”

Stative verbs are verbs that describe a state, not an action.

For example, “I love the winter.”

Here are some more examples of dynamic verbs:
Take, break, eat, jump, work, find, buy, dance, fish

Here are some more examples of stative verbs:
Be, want, hate, know, own, sound, prefer, seem
Now, compare the following two passages.

The first passage uses only dynamic verbs, while the second one uses only stative verb:

1) “We are walking in the forest. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and we are having a good time.”

2) “I like the winter. The sun is in the sky, the birds seem to be on the trees, and we want to stay here forever.”

Note that the first passage describes actual actions, while the second passage really describes states.

Next time, we’ll see how you should properly use dynamic and stative verbs.

Click here to learn more on English verbs.