New language tips. This time they're from www.theghostlygirl.blogspot.com The final draft of The Ghostly Girl was posted today. Read and enjoy when you've looked at these language tips. And send your English language questions to theghostlygirl@gmail.com or to fionamary.cullen@tiscali.co.uk They can be questions about anything you are confused about or need practice in in English.

LANGUAGE TIPS

How do I say...?

When do you use...?

This section is for students of English. It's where we pull example sentences out of The Ghostly Girl and relate them to language learning.

QUESTION TAGS TIP:

In Chapter 7, Enver says:

'You work at the Smugglers' Adventure, isn't it?'

The question tag here should be don't you?

Enver is the only person in The Ghostly Girl who uses isn't it instead of other question tags. Collect examples of correct question tags from The Ghostly Girl. (Everyone's question tags apart from Enver's are correct.) Collect the tags in the sentences they appear in. 

CONDITIONALS  TIP:

Here's an example of type zero conditional. If + present simple + present simple.

We kill them if we catch them.

Or you could say:

If we catch them, we kill them.

(Note the comma in the second sentence. You don't need it in the first.)

'We kill them if we catch them.' is taken from Chapter 8.

Can you think of more examples of type zero conditional, apart from the grammar book classic, 'If you heat ice, it melts'?

TAKE A LOOK AT THESE TENSES IN TWO SENTENCES FROM CHAPTER 11:

When they had gone in, Ann Marie came up to David. She was carrying a broom and a rubbish sack.

The first verb is in the past perfect: had gone in. The next thing that happened is in the simple past: came up to ( and it's a nice phrasal verb. Collect as many phrasal verbs as you can from The Ghostly Girl).

And the verb in the second sentences is in the past progressive/continuous: was carrying.

We spend a large part of our lives telling stories to people, even if we're just telling them about what we had for dinner or what happened at school or college or work.

So you probably need past tenses more than any other. (Unless you're a dreamer... in which case, look out for future language tips on this blog...tips on how to talk about the future.)

NEXT TIP:

Here's a nice example of a sentence (from Chapter 11) in the simple past followed by a sentence in the past perfect telling you what had happened before:

The caves were in darkness. Everyone had gone home.

English for You Hastings language tips start today.

Our first two tips are taken from The Smugglers' Caves, the first in a series of mystery stories set in Hastings. (It's selling like hot cakes at The Smugglers' Adventure tourist attraction here in Hastings, but if you're a long way from Hastings UK, you can read the whole novel for free at www.thesmugglerscaves.blogspot.com). Here come today's tips:

This sentence from Chapter 1 (Beth moves in) contains two past participles used as adjectives. Look out for more past participles used as adjectives in The Smugglers' Caves. And notice that we usually put a hyphen in an adjective made of two words:

As he stood up, Beth pushed back her newly-coloured and straightened fringe and said, ‘What do you want, Jack?’

New language tip:

HOW TO USE THE INTERRUPTED PAST:

Look at this example from the final chapter and see if you can find more examples in the story. Remember, it's past progressive/continuous interrupted by simple past:

David, Joe, Jack, Madeleine and Joy were playing Scrabble on the floor in the living room when Steve rang the bell.

About Hastings and English for You

Hastings is a beautiful seaside resort with beaches, parks, a new shopping centre  and a charming Old Town. Hastings has been the most famous place in English history since the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It's 60 miles from London.
At English for You, your teachers plan and teach their lessons according to the particular needs of the learners in their classes. They use published courses as well as their own materials designed for your needs. You don't need to buy any course materials.
The emphasis in class time is on speaking and listening, with most of the reading and writing being done for homework.
Our welfare service is always available to help you with anything from information on telephoning home to arranging a doctor’s appointment. When you arrive, we talk to you about living in England and studying with us. We give you free information packs about Hastings, the local area and the school. Every student receives an EFY student identity card. We also provide you with a 24-hour telephone number for help should you need it.
We are a small, family-run school and we get to know our students as individuals.
Find out more at www.englishforyou.eu
Send your questions or requests for specific information to this blog or to me, Fiona, at fionamary.cullen@tiscali.co.uk