I was reading when it rained (The Past Continuous Tense)

The past continuous tense (was/were + verb-ing) is commonly used when stating an action that was going on around a particular point in the past or another past action.

Examples:
She was writing an e-mail when the phone rang.
I was opening the meeting when he arrived.
We were deliberating on the project at 3pm.
What were you doing when you received the memo?

All the sentences above talk about a continuous action around a fixed point in the past.

Vocabulary/Helpful expressions:

make something come true: to achieve/accomplish/realize
e.g.
We all want to make our dreams come true.
We have until next week to make these goals come true.

Advise vs. advice
- Advise is a verb while advice is a noun.

e.g.
She advises him to take some days off.
My advice is to organize a meeting so a decision can be made.

Practice

I was advising the team to check everything in detail when the power outage happened. The outage went on for 5 hours, and with just one day before the deadline, we were in danger of not making our plans come true.




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The Conditionals

The conditionals or the if-clauses are used when talking about something that you know is sure to happen, might happen or might have happened. The sentence shows the possible cause and effect.

The Zero Conditional

- This is used when talking about matters that are factual.
- It follows the structure, If subj + verb, subj + verb.

Examples:
If the temperature falls below zero, water freezes. (It is a scientific fact that water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius).

Try it out:

What are some other facts that you know? Try using the zero conditionals to construct sentences describing them.

The 1st Conditional

- The 1st conditional is used when talking about something that will happen if the condition is satisfied.
- It follows the structure, If subj + verb, subj + will verb.

E.g.
If you get up late, you will be late for work.
I will go running if I have time later.
If you promise to do the dishes, she will cook dinner.

The 2nd Conditional

- This conditional is used to talk about hypothetical situations.
- This follows the structure, If subj + past verb, subj + would/could/should verb.

E.g.
If I only I had wings, I would fly around the world.

The 3rd Conditional

- The third conditional is used when referring to past situations.
-This follows the structure, If subj + had past participle, subj + would/could/should have + past participle.

E.g.
If I had only gotten up early, I would not have been late for work.
If I had had time, I would have gone running.
If you had promised to do the dishes, I would have cooked dinner.



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I should have!

Grammar Point

Since it is close to impossible to know the outcomes of our decisions, it happens that sometimes we choose one that can make us regret. It is therefore, important that we know how to communicate regrets clearly. 

A very powerful phrase that can be used is, should have.

Example:

I should have just stayed home. I would not have lost my ipad.

She should have chosen the blue trainers. They look better on her.

As you notice, should have is used to describe a situation that did not happen, but would have been better if it did.
Notice, as well, that should have is always followed by the past participle of the verbs (chosen, stayed, given, etc.)

Vocabulary

Rain check: when you give a rain check that means you agree that an appointment or a date is postponed and that another one will be arranged for when he is available

E.g. 

We will give you a rain check, since you can't make it to the poker game tonight. You should have canceled your other dates.

Sorry, I should have told you sooner that I am a bit tied up at the moment. I will take a rain check.

Add-ons

Despite vs. In spite (always two words)

Despite does not need of while in spite is always coupled with the preposition of.

E.g.

Despite her persistence to win, she finished only second in the race. She should have practiced more.

In spite of all the negative things that happened to him, he is still one of the most optimistic people I know.




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What are you doing this weekend?

Grammar Point

What are you doing this weekend?
What, with that sun outside, I am pretty sure a lot of you are going to the beach!

Before that, however, we should be able to tell people what our plans are correctly. It is common to use will when referring to the future, but there are other verbs that can be used when talking about things that you have planned to do this weekend, next week, or in the coming days.

Remember that we normally use will if it is a decision that we have just made. However, we use the continuous tense (verb-ing) when mentioning plans, as in the following sentences:

1. I am playing badminton with Jim this weekend. (You have planned to play badminton with Jim)

2. We are going to the movies tonight.

3. She is going to Paris next month.

Notice the difference between the two sentences below:

1. I do not have anything to do this weekend, so  I will probably call up some friends for a drink.

2. Sorry, I cannot go with you this weekend, since I am drinking out with my college buddies. We made this plan about 3 months ago.

Vocabulary

Proceed with vs. Proceed to

Proceed with is used as in the sentence below:

We cannot wait for them, so please proceed with (start) the meeting. They will have to make do with the minutes later.

Proceed to as in the following example,

Please proceed to (go to) the front desk. They should be able to give you the information you need.

Add-ons

Still on Subject-Verb agreement. By now, you should no longer be a stranger to how these two must agree. There are several rules on this, but let me just mention the ones that I think are very important.

1. A number vs. The number

A number uses plural verb, while The number uses a singular verb, as in the examples below:

A number of my friends on facebook like to talk about what they are up to.

The number of children getting respiratory diseases has increased.

2. Either-or, Neither-nor

- The verb agrees with the nearer subject (usually after or or nor).

E.gs.

Either she or her parents are cooking dinner.

Neither her friends nor Jenny is coming to the party.


Practice
A number of my friends are going hiking this weekend. They will meet at the bus terminal so they could proceed to the mountain together. Now that I think of it, I am doing nothing Saturday and Sunday, so I will probably go with them.



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To know about my travels, click here.

Free Stuff

Grammar Point

Think past when talking about the past. We cannot talk about the past and use present verbs. If you do, you could, implicitly, give the wrong notion of time traveling or that you are a doppelganger.

- Use the simple past tense when talking about past events. This is more of a requirement when you include time expressions that refer to the past like, yesterday, last night, two hours ago, last year, etc.

E.g.
1. I went to bed late last night.
2. They went on a trip last summer.
3. She did her homework after last night's Episode of, "Merlin".
4. Yesterday, we ended the holiday with a great movie by Spielberg.
5. I was sick last week.

Vocabulary

Do not, under any circumstances, say STUFFS.

Stuffs (with the -s, especially if the subject is singular) can be used if it is a verb in the sentence. However, if used as a noun, you cannot add -s to it. It is what they call non-count noun, just like water, feedback, homework (or work), information, milk, etc.

It is, therefore, very strange to say, "I have a lot of stuffs in my bag". Instead, you say, "I have a lot of stuff (noun) in my bag".

You may say, "She stuffs (verb) her bag with everything she thinks she needs for camping".

Add-ons
Other Non-count sample sentences:

1. Thank you for all the feedback! (not feedbacks)

2. She is doing her homework for all five subjects.

3. How much information do you need?

Practice

A number of things have to be done first before I can start thinking about what stuff I need to bring for the trip. Either my brother or my buddies are drafting the itinerary, so I could finish all the office work in time for the vacation. I am just glad that I am traveling with the cream of the crop, so I have nothing to worry about. I only hope I get my supervisor's feedback on Friday, before 7pm, so I could have enough time to get to the bus terminal.

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