Category: Confusing Words and Expressions

Gerunds vs Present Participles: the simplified explanation

EnglishNaija

A gerund is easy to spot in any sentence provided you know how it functions. A gerund is a noun formed from a verb by adding -ing and it’s strictly as a noun. All gerunds have -ing, but not all words with this ending are gerunds. Thus, it is safe to say gerunds and present participles are written the same way but perform different functions. gerund Let’s look at these examples: Swimming is my hobby. He likes feeding the birds. She doesn’t know anything about teaching. Look at the above…

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‘see’ or ‘watch’ a movie: all you should know

EnglishNaija

Most of us know we can see a movie when we go to the cinema, but when to use watch has somehow become an unresolved subject. Even if you browse the internet, you could be more confused as no single individual seem to give a definite answer. There are answers and explanations for this seemingly confusing pair, so read this post and search no further – and we hope you find what you need. see or watch We naturally use watch to mean that we look at something that is changing or moving…

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have a bath vs take a bath

EnglishNaija

When you hear people say have a bath or take a bath, what do you think? That one is correct and the other is not? Not at all. They’re both correct, and here’s why: In this context, bath is always a noun in American English but both a noun and a verb in British English. American Americans naturally say take a bath to mean wash oneself in a tub of water and use bathe as the verb form. They however use have a shower when talking about a wedding shower, but not in the sense of…

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Why ‘in a car’ but ‘on a bus’

EnglishNaija

According to some speakers of English language, the use of in and on in transportation is one of the ‘weirdness’ of prepositions. Despite this difficulty, we’ve found a simplified way of explaining it. It is however necessary to know that we might not know how this solution was found, but we found it and it’s correct. On a lighter note, who cares about ‘why’ when we know ‘how’ and we’re right? The way out When you get into a car, you sit immediately; when you get into a bus, you…

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Free Ebook Download—don’t miss this

EnglishNaija

You’ve seen and studied question-and-answer books, but would you love to see one with a simplified explanation of each answer? That’s what this ebook is all about. Whether you’re studying for an examination or just need lessons in modern English, this is for you. You would love it—rest assured. May you find the knowledge you seek. Download.  

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