Language log 12

Nouns
an apron
an ashtray
(to raise) awareness (of a problem)
a baby's bib
a bird feeder
a campsite
a civil servant
decentralisation (verb: to decentralise)
dunes
an estate agent
fare (for the Windermere ferry = £3.50)
a flask, a Thermos (flask)
a (picture) frame
gears (in a car: to change gears)
(sister, mother) in-law
iodine
kitchen roll
a lagoon, marsh
oats, oatflakes
a quid (slang = 1 pound)
a parcel
a satellite dish
(pumpkin, sunflower) seeds
a shuttle (service)
a steamer (to cook vegetables)
your thyroid
a walking stick, a trekking pole
watercress
a wind turbine, wind power, a wind farm

Verbs
it annoys/bothers me....
to bite your nails
to carry on (= continue)
to clear the table (and wipe the table after a meal; to set/lay the table before a meal)
to come across (= find something by chance)
to focus on something
to go out with someone (=be boyfriend & girlfriend)
to know (a poem) by heart
to know someone by sight
to mobilise people (not mobilisate - but noun = mobilisation)
to pack (not package) your bag
to peel an orange
to postpone something, to put something off
to procrastinate (intransitive)
a cat purrs
to recycle (can be transitive (recycle paper) or intransitive)
to run someone over (or knock someone down)
to stroke a cat
to take a pill
to take advantage (of, of -ing: of the stop, of stopping on the motorway) to (have a cigarette)
is it worth (visiting the house)?
to wrap a present

Adjectives, adverbs, etc
available
chubby, plump
clumsy
coastal (ecosytem)
determined (not determinated - but noun = determination)
(your) fellow (students, members of staff etc) (= your peers)
hand made
home made
interested in
(that was very) thoughtful ((=kind) of you)
wholemeal (bread)

Can you remember the difference between:
-herb tea and fruit tea?
- stressful (the situation) and stressed (the person)?
- (the) staff (of a company) and (your) stuff?
- a cat's paws and claws?
- sunrise (the sun rises) and sunset (the sun sets)?
- a cook and a cooker?
- sensible (rational) and sensitive (delicate)?
- a purse (woman's) and a wallet (man's)?
- to drop something; to knock something over and to spill something? (I've dropped a coin. I've knocked over my cup. I've spilt my coffee.)
- a (walking) stick and stickers?
- to borrow and to lend? (You borrow books from the library. They also lend people DVDs)
- a postcard (unfolded, like a photograph) and a (greetings) card (folded)?
- to be cold and to have a cold?
- a couple and a partner? (my partner is...)

Things to watch
1. Say and tell: He said (to me) that.... (not he said me that). (Also he explained (to me) that).
He told me that.... (not he told that).
2. Make and do: In English we use these two verbs where Sp, Fr, Ger etc only have one. Try to notice, when you are reading, which is used in certain expressions. E.g. Make an effort, make things easier...
3. Want (someone) to do something: Do you want me to help you? (Not 'Do you want that I help you?)
4. Remind and remember: This landscape reminds me of Wallace and Gromit. Remind me to post this letter. I never remember people's birthdays.
5. Used to.
- Past habit = I used to play basketball.
- Something which is/was unfamiliar (and is becoming/has become less so) (= accustomed). I'm not used to driving on the left. I'm getting used to my new car.
N.B. For things we do regularly we're more likely to use an adverb eg often/always: I always spend Christmas with my family. In summer I usually go to the beach at the weekend. (not I'm used to...)
6. Negatives
- Avoid double negatives: 'She doesn't know anything' (not 'nothing')
- When a negative is the subject = nobody, nothing (not anybody): 'Nobody knows the answer'
7. Adjectives in -ing/-ed
- -ing describes what causes an emotion: a boring person, an exciting film
- -ed describes the person feeling a certain way: I'm bored, the children are excited
8. The wonderful thing is that.....(we need a noun, we can't use an adjective on its own in this context)
9. Bono was born (not born)
10. Either...or (not 'or...or')
11. Articles
- When I was a child
- We don't use 'the' for general groups of things. E.g. I like tomatoes. But I like the tomatoes we bought in Scotland.
- 'I'm going to bed' (no the)
12. Word order
Unless you're using some structure to emphasise something, usually we need to put the subject before the verb. My host family recommended this whisky. (Not 'this whisky recommended my host family').
13. Plurals
- 1 sheep, 2 sheep
- 1 mouse, 2 mice
14. Yesterday morning, afternoon, evening....but last night.

Pronunciation
I've just looked for a website demonstrating the pronuciation of English words. At first sight this one seems quite good:
http://www.howjsay.com/
-business
- analysis
- regards
- anecdote
- ruin, ruined

A