Tag: CELPIPGUIDE

Simple Present Tense – 10 Minute English Grammar

admin Leave a comment

There are three chief Tenses: The Present, the Past, the Future.

Broadly, verbs may refer to the time of an action/state or event.

The sentence formation follows:

  Singular Number Plural Number
1st Person I do We do
2nd Person You do You do
3rd Person He does  
  She does They do
  It does  

Note: When we use 3rd person singular, it must follow s/es after the verb.

For example:

Rohit does a lot many new things in his business.

She feels terribly sorry for her acts.

Uses of The Present Tense:

  1. To express habitual action: Rachel smokes.     Cats meow.     Cows eat grass.    I wake up at 4 in the morning.
  2. It can be used, mainly with the verb say, when we ask about or quote from notices, books or recently received letters: What does that announcement say? ~ It says, ‘No more delays will be tolerated’.

What does that book say? ~ It says, ‘Trust but verify.’

“There are three gates to the self-destructive hell: lust, anger, and greed”, says Lord Krishna

  • To express general truths: Barking dogs seldom bite.     Earthquakes occur often.     Rain gives water to life.
  • It can be used in newspaper headlines: India win(s) by 6 wickets.    Militants surrender.
  • In exclamatory sentences beginning with here and there to denote what is actually happening in the present. In other words, we can call it a ‘Dramatic Narrative’. Such sentences can also be possible without using ‘here’ and ‘there’, particularly when describing the action of an opera, play, etc. and is generally used by radio commentators at ceremonies, public functions, sports events, etc.:

There you go!

Here comes your bus!

Here comes the great Achilles!

At play and also while telling stories: Samantha is asleep in her bed and she wakes up groggily. Suddenly the window opens and a masked man with a dagger enters to kill her.

  • It is also used to introduce quotations: Chanakya says, “Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror to a blind person.”
  • It is used in the conditional sentences: If you do not work hard, you will not succeed. If I happen to meet Roger, I will ask this question.
  • It is used in time clauses: (a) when there is a routine idea:

As soon as he enters the room, his dog jumps on him for a hug.

She drops her child to school before she goes to work.

(b) when the main verb is in a future form:

It will get darker soon. Then we will go out for supper.

When it gets darker, we will go out for supper.

  • It is used for a planned future action or series of actions, such as referring to a journey.

Alright, folks! We leave tomorrow morning at 6 and arrive in London 9. We have a layover of 2 hours at Heathrow Airport before we fly to Los Angeles.

The same sentence construction is used for the planned activities:

The exam commences next week

  1. We have many several involuntary actions/senses for which we do not use the verb form of the present progressive tense. The list of such verbs is the following:

Verbs of the senses: feel, hear, see, smell, notice, observe (= notice), taste, recognize

I am watching this place carefully, but don’t see anything unusual.’

Rita is listening to the IELTS tape, but she has put on the headphones so nobody else hears it

Verbs expressing emotions and feelings: admire (= respect), adore, appreciate (= value), care for (= like), desire, detest, dislike fear, hate, like loath, love, mind (= care) respect, value, want, wish, hope, refuse, prefer

I hate touristy places, but I am enjoying this place for some unexplained reasons.

I love eating burgers, but I don’t know why I am not loving it today.

Verbs of appearing: seem, look, appear

It seems acceptable so you are good to go.

She looks beautiful, but today she is looking stunningly a knockout girl.

Verbs of thinking: agree, appreciate (= understand), assume, believe, expect (= think), feel (= think), feel sure/certain, forget, know, mean, perceive, realize, recall, recognize, recollect, remember, see (= understand) see through someone (= penetrated his attempt to deceive) suppose, think (= have an opinion), trust (= believe/have confidence in), understand.

I don’t agree with you on this point. And I assume you have a long way to go yet.

I see through his devious plan and also feel certain that he won’t be successful in it.

Verbs of possession: own, possess, belong to, contain, consist of

  1. It is used for giving directions: First of all, you go straight and take the right turn when you reach the intersection.
  2. It is also used in ceremonial or formal conversation: The jury pronounces you innocent.

Note: There are some verbs that can also be used in the continuous forms with a different meaning, e.g. I smell diesel. But when you sniff or try to sniff at something/someone, you can use the continuous form as well.

Why are you smelling the cup? Is it stinking?

Pleonasm

admin Leave a comment

A pleonasm refers to the use of more words than they are necessary to express an idea i.e., redundancy. It is derived from a Greek word that means ‘excess’. Some people complicate the language for no reason. They have a habit of using redundant in sentences or with the combination of unwanted words.

In other words, a pleonasm is a redundant and tautological phrase or clause.

For example,

Judy is the cousin of Joshua.

Not: Judy is the cousin sister of Joshua.

  • Tuna fish burger: We ordered a fish burger last night.
  • My own eyes: I saw him with my eyes and confirm that he was behind this crime.
  • Free gift: Every child loves to have a gift.
  • Foreign imports: Most reading glasses are imports from Germany.
  • ATM machines: you will have many ATMs in the vicinity, but a couple of them are out of operation today.
  • Actual facts: It is always unwise to judge anyone until all facts are in.
  • Busy in: James was busy gathering the required papers the other day.
  • Circle around: When you circle the building, you will see a puppy near the bench.
  • Could possibly: You could either accept or reject the validity of this paper.
  • Current incumbent: The higher voting percentage suggests that the incumbent government will be defeated in this election.
  • Crisis situation: during the financial crisis in the USA, there was a ripple effect on the banks worldwide.
  • Confused state: I am confused about whether to accept this proposal or not.
  • Cope up with something: he was not able to cope with the stress and the strains of the job, and hence he quit.
  • Discuss on/about: We discussed this matter at length.
  • Drop down: the topline revenues dropped to $13 million last year.
  • Down south/ up north: As you move towards the north, the temperature will get cooler.
  • Empty out: ‘Empty his pocket’ was a scream from the back.
  • False pretense: Politicians are masters in engineering falsehoods and pretenses.
  • Frozen tundra: North Asia is an arctic tundra in the winter time and therefore it is not a recommended neighborhood to live in.
  • Hear with my own ears: I heard him clearly owning up to his few mistakes.
  • Gather together: We gathered to discuss this matter last evening.
  • It’s déjà vu all over again: A shiver crept down my spine as I experienced a sense of déjà vu.  
  • Join together: Why don’t you join us tonight?
  • Lift up: The US fed lifted the interest rate this month and cleared the uncertainties in the stock market.
  • Meet together: Let’s all meet this weekend and have fun.
  • New innovation: This innovation will disrupt the Information Technology world.
  • Open up: Open the door. (open up means begin shooting).
  • PIN number: Don’t ever share your PIN with anyone.
  • Pursue after: I pursued this plan wholeheartedly so I don’t think that I can disown it.
  • Raise up: It is time that the company has to raise the salary package of seniors.
  • Revert back: Once you receive the email, please revert immediately.
  • Safe haven: Some countries are a tax haven for tax evaders.
  • Total destruction: The earthquake wreaked havoc and the city witnessed destruction at every corner of it.
  • True fact: The fact remains unchallenged forever.
  • Ultimate goal: my goal is to train students for a good score in the IELTS exam.
  • Visible to the eyes: It is visible; one does not need to put efforts for the same.

CELPIP test arrives in India

admin 1 Comment

Paragon Testing Enterprises which is a subsidiary of University of British Columbia has finally decided to open a testing center in India by the end of Summer 2018. The first test center will be opened in the capital, New Delhi.

The CELPIP test center stands for Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP). The CELPIP is a 100% Canadian English test designed for permanent residence status. There are two designated tests accepted as evidence of English language proficiency by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for immigration purpose – one is CELPIP and the other is IELTS General module.

The CELPIP test is developed by Paragon Testing Enterprises, a subsidiary of University of British Columbia. It is the first-ever Canadian English test which is designated by IRCC and mirrors the best in Canadian research. The test is designed to give prominence to Canadian English and accents as used in Canada.

The best part of CELPIP is it measures your functional language proficiency which is more relevant for day-to-day life. It focuses on test taker’s English abilities in a variety of different situations and contexts, such as how you communicate with your colleagues and others at workplace, interact with your friends, comprehend and respond to the written materials and understand news items. It is a complete measurement of your English abilities which include four modules of your language skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.

The CELPIP comes in two versions: the CELPIP – General test and the CELPIP – General LS test. Those who intend to immigrate to Canada can take the CELPIP General test to fulfill the requirement of English language proficiency for IRCC.