Quick Review: I. Types of Verbs
Quick Review: I. Types of Verbs
Quick Review: I. Types of Verbs
QUICK REVIEW
I. TYPES of VERBS
English verbs are divided into 3 groups:
Normal Verbs
Non-Continuous Verbs
Mixed Verbs
Normal Verbs
Most verbs are "Normal Verbs."
These verbs are usually physical actions that you can see somebody doing.
These verbs can be used in all tenses.
To run, to walk, to eat, to fly, to go, to say, to touch, etc.
Ex: I eat breakfast every day.
I am eating breakfast now.
Non-Continuous Verbs
The "Non-Continuous Verbs," is a smaller group.
These verbs are usually things you cannot see somebody doing.
These verbs are rarely used in continuous tenses.
They include:
Abstract Verbs: To be, to want, to cost, to seem, to need, to care, to contain, to owe, to exist...
Possession Verbs: To possess, to own, to belong...
Emotion Verbs: To like, to love, to hate, to dislike, to fear, to envy, to mind...
NB
"To be" is rarely used in a continuous form.
This is most commonly done when a person is temporarily behaving badly or stereotypically.
It can also be used when someone's behavior is noticeably different.
To feel:
The massage feels great. Non-Continuous Verb
The massage has a pleasing feeling.
NB
The second meaning of "feel" is very flexible and there is no real difference in meaning between
"I don't feel well today" and "I am not feeling well today."
II. PRESENT PERFECT
The form of present perfect tense is: [has/have + past participle]
Use 1 Unspecified time before now (experience, change over time, accomplishment)
I have been here for 10 minutes. I have been here since 8 o'clock.
My friend hasn't called for 4 months. My uncle hasn't called since December.
He has worked in the U.S. for a long time She has worked in the bank since she left school.
FROM & TO work together to indicate when the action begins and when it ends.
“We played video game from noon to midnight and we were exhausted, both physically and
intellectually”.
NB : in - at - on the corner
We say: in the corner of a room,
But: at or on the corner of a street
Dress codes
With regard to clothing one can dress:
smart (élégant, chic) fashion sport
casual (relaxe) classic tidy (soigné, propre, ordonné)
smart casual Vintage scruffy (débraillé),
business casual streetwear (large jeans unkempt (négligé)
business informal and T-shirt with big cap shabby (minable, miteux),
urban and shoes too) messy (malpropre)
Ex:
She wears vintage dresses.
She likes fashion clothing.
He has streetwear style, a mixture of classic skateboarder style, hip hop fashion and vintage.
Characters
Careful (prudent), Ambitious Shy (timide)
Hard-worker (bosseur) Crafty (astucieux) Stubborn (têtu)
Worried (anxieux) Gentle Reliable (fiable)
Cheerful (joyeux) Naïve Clumsy (maladroit)
Broadminded (large d’esprit) Generous Intelligent, smart
Scoundrel (crapule) Loyal Friendly (amical)
Curious Self-controlled Lovable (amiable)
Secretive (réservé) Moody (lunatique, Ill-natured (mauvais caractère)
Aggressive déconcertante) Rude
Tough (difficile) Trusting (loyal) Nice, kind
Careless (negligent) Modest Mean (méchant)
Practical, businesslike (facile, Tolerant Happy
docile, pratique) Friendly Sad
Sensible (raisonable) Naughty (vilain) Calm
Independent Nasty (déplaisant, Upset (dérangé, vexé)
Strong-minded (détérminé) désagréable) Proud (orgueilleux)
Stupid Obnoxious (odieux) Ashamed (honteux, timide)
Dull (monotone, sombre) Energetic (dynamique) Haughty (hautain)
Boring (ennuyeux) Confident Arrogant
Imaginative Selfish (égoïste) Caring (attentionné)
This is a simple way to describe somebody:
This is Henry Jones.
He is 37 years old.
He lives at Antanimena.
He is a teacher of mathematics in high school.
He has black hair.
He has brown eyes.
He heighs 1m82 or he is 1m82 tall.
He weighs 74kg.
He is slim...
And so on …
Object
Shape
square star, heart, … crooked (coudé) shallow ( peu profond)
rectangle sphere curved (courbé) steep (raide, escarpé)
triangle hemisphere deep (profond) chubby (joufflu, potelé)
polygon cube high (haut, élevé) skinny (maigre)
prism round low (bas, faible) straight (droit, rectiligne)
pyramid wide (large, vaste) hollow (creux) ellipse
oval broad (large) flat (plat) circle
cone narrow (étroit) twisted (tordu) semicircle
Taste
sweet (doux) hot (piquant) slimy (visqueux) tasty (savoureux)
bitter (amer) delicious (delicieux) spicy (épicé) fluttering (palpitant)
salty (salé) fresh (frais) stale (rassis) greasy (graisseux)
sour (acide) juicy (juteux) sticky (gluant) grubby (sale)
Umami (taste of MSG) ripe (mûr) strong (fort) hard (dur)
tasteless (fade) rotten (pourri) tart (aigrelet) icy (glacé)
Smell
There are 6 basic types of smell:
Sweet putrefaction-like
Fruity burned
spicy paint
A team of researchers found 10 basic smells that the human nose can sense.
Fragrant (e.g. florals and perfumes) parfumé
Fruity (all non-citrus fruits) fruité
Citrus (e.g. lemon, lime, orange) agrume
Woody and resinous (e.g. pine or fresh cut grass) boisé et résineux
Chemical (e.g. ammonia, bleach) chimique
Sweet (e.g. chocolate, vanilla, caramel) doux, sucré
Minty and peppermint (e.g. eucalyptus and camphor) menthe poivrée
Toasted and nutty (e.g. popcorn, peanut butter, almonds) grillé et à l’odeur de noisette
Pungent (e.g. blue cheese, cigar smoke) âcre
Decayed (e.g. rotting meat, sour milk) pourri
The last 2 items, pungent (âcre) and decayed (pourri) are described as “sickening.” dégôutant.
Descriptive Words and Adjectives for Smell (Practice your reading skills)
For example, you can describe a netbook using the five senses:
NB: What is the relationship between the computer hardware and software?
Hardware is any physical device used in or with your machine.
Software is a collection of codes installed onto your computer's hard drive.
Technical description
A paragraph or a passage to describe an object consists of 5 parts:
Function or Use
Components or Parts
Characteristics
Material
Shape or Figure
Dimensions
Property
Color
Position
Connection between parts
1. Function or Use
Sentence Structures: ---------- is used to Verb ---------- .
---------- is used for Verb+ing ---------- .
Ex:
A stove is used to cook raw foods.
A fridge is used for storing ready-to-eat and raw foods.
2. Components or parts
consists of
An axe is made up of a handle and a head.
is composed of
3. Characteristics
Material
A cooking pan is made of metal.
Pasta is made from wheat.
Shape or Figure
Sentence Structures: ---------- is shaped like + noun.
---------- is + adj. + in shape.
Ex: A tire is shaped like a circle. (Noun)
A tire is circular in shape. (Adjective)
A tire is circular.
Dimension
Length, width, height, depth, thickness ...
Property
It is a special quality that belongs to the object.
Ex: The edge of this desk is straight.
The middle of a cup is curved.
This fabric is thick.
Color
Black, white, green, purple, gray (AmE), grey (BrE), …
Ex:
My smartphone is gray in color.
The color of my smartphone is gray.
4. Position
Inside, outside, at the top, on the left or right
In the middle, to the right or left (of), above
At the bottom, over, below, between, behind
In front of, nearby, near, by, at the end of ...
Ex:
The engine is inside the scooter with a headlight at the top.
The spare wheel is at the back.
There is a petrol cap under the seat.
A car has four headlights at the front.
At the top of the engine is the radiator and above is an oil cap.
5. Connection between parts
It is a relationship between two things or more.
If the object has many parts, describe them part by part with a connection between them.
Connective words:
Attach, detach, join, connect, support, fix, fit, lead, link...
Ex:
2. Component or Part
It consists of 4 main parts: a vessel (=récipient) , a lid, a spout and a handle.
3. Characteristics
Material - Dimensions - Shape or figure - Property - Color
It is mainly made of a metal
The vessel is 18 centimeters high.
It is hollow and spherical in shape.
The base is flat and circular.
It has a diameter of 15 centimeters.
4. Position
On the top of the vessel, there is a convex lid with a plastic knob in the middle.
The lid is 12 centimeters in diameter.
Above the lid is a curved handle which is covered with plastic at the middle part.
READING ASSIGNMENT
Read more about “Technical Descriptions“ and write a product description for a computer
software program of your choice.
Technical Descriptions [bit.ai]