French Lesson No.2!

Les conjonctions de coordination

et de subordination

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« Sa phrase pleine, claire, longue pourtant et perpétuellement enchaînée de l'une à l'autre par des conjonctions, n'avait pas encore tout à fait secoué le joug du latinisme. » (Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve, Port-Royal, 1842) « Adipeuses périodes mal liées entre elles par le fil des conjonctions. » (Joris-Karl Huysmans, À rebours, 1884)
I- Définition et division de conjonctions La conjonction est un mot invariable du discours qui sert à relier : deux mots ou groupes de mots : Cette mince et pâle et fine Juliette (Anatole France) ; deux ou plusieurs propositions : Plus je le fréquente et plus je l'apprécie. Les conjonctions se divisent en deux grands groupes : les conjonctions de coordination et les conjonctions de subordination. II- Les conjonctions de coordination Les conjonctions de coordination sont celles qui relient des mots, des groupes de mots, des propositions ou des phrases : mais, ou, et, donc, or, ni, car. Elles peuvent marquer l'union (et), l'opposition (mais, pourtant), l'alternative ou la négation (ni, ou), la conséquence (donc), la conclusion (ainsi, enfin). Les conjonctions de coordination se placent entre les éléments qu'elles sont chargées d'unir, ou parfois devant chacun de ses éléments (ou plusieurs d'entre eux). Elles n'ont pas de fonction à l'intérieur de la phrase ou de la proposition parce qu'elles sont de purs liens. Exercice à trous : Les conjonctions de coordination. III- Les conjonctions de subordination Les conjonctions de subordination sont celles qui introduisent une proposition subordonnée conjonctive. Elles établissent une dépendance entre les éléments qu'elles unissent. Les conjonctions de subordination peuvent avoir des formes simples : que, quand, comme, quoique, si, lorsque, etc. ou une forme composée : alors que, pour que, dès que, tandis que, etc. On pourrait les appeler locutions conjonctives de subordination. Voici la liste des principales locutions conjonctives de subordination : à cause que, à ce que, à condition que, afin que, ainsi que, alors que, à mesure que, à moins que, après que, à proportion que, à telle enseigne que, attendu que, au cas que (où), au fur et à mesure que, au lieu que, aussi bien que, aussitôt que, autant que, avant que, bien que, cependant que, comme quoi, d'autant plus que, d'autant que, de ce que, de crainte que, de façon que, de manière que, de même que, de peur que, depuis que, de sorte que, dès que, durant que, en cas que, encore que, en sorte que, jusqu'à ce que, loin que, lors même que, malgré que, non moins que, non plus que, outre que, parce que, pendant que, plutôt que, pour que, pourvu que, quand même, sans que, selon que, si ce n'est que, si peu que, si tant est que, sitôt que, suivant que, tandis que, tant que, vu que, etc. IV- Les conjonctions simples et composés Certains grammairiens divisent les conjonctions en simples et composées. Les conjonctions simples sont celles qui s'expriment en un seul mot : mais, donc, aussi, ou, etc. Les conjonctions composées sont celles qui se forment de plusieurs mots : à moins que, soit que, parce que, par conséquent, etc. <><> <><> <><> <><> <><> <><> <><> <><> <><> Conjonctions simples les plus usitées Conjonctions composées les plus usitées Ainsi Car Cependant Comme Donc Si Et Quand Ni Ou Or Puis Que Pourtant Lorsque Néanmoins Toutefois Sinon Mais Soit Enfin Puisque Au reste Au surplus Ainsi que À moins que Bien que Tandis que Aussitôt que De peur que Par conséquent C'est-à-dire D'ailleurs Vu que En outre Au contraire De plus De manière que De sorte que Parce que Alors que V- Remarques Si, devant un adjectif ou un adverbe, est lui-même adverbe. Exemples : Il est si grand. Ne parlez pas si fort. Dans tout autre cas, si est une conjonction qui introduit soit une condition (à laquelle correspond une conséquence dans la principale), soit une simple supposition ou éventualité. Exemple : Si je suis triste, je me trouve grotesque. (André Gide) On écrit parce que en deux mots quand la conjonction signifie attendu que. Exemple : Parce que vous étiez jeune, faut-il que vous soyiez léger ? Par ce que s'écrit en trois mots quand la conjonction signifie par la chose que. Exemple : Par ce que vous m'avez dit, j'ai pu juger. On écrit quoique en un mot quand la conjonction signifie par la chose que. Elle introduit une proposition circonstancielle d'opposition ou de concession (suivi normalement du subjonctif). Exemple : Quoique les avares soient riches, ils ne sont pas heureux. Quoi que s'écrit en deux mots quand la conjonction signifie quelque chose que. Exemple : Quoi que vous entrepreniez, vous ne réussirez pas. Distinguez quand, conjonction, de quant, préposition. La première signifie lorsque, à quelle époque. Exemple : Je partirai quand il fera beau. La deuxième (quant) est toujours suivie de la préposition à, et signifie à l'égard de. Exemple : Quant à mes parents, je les aime et les respecte. PS: Les leçons sont extraits du site http://www.espacefrancais.com/mots-invariables/conjonctions-de-coordination-et-de-subordination.html

French Lesson No.1!

La place des pronoms personnels

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	I- Introduction Il n'y a point de difficulté sur la place des pronoms personnels en sujet : il ne s'agit que de connaître l'usage. Les Grammairiens ont imaginé que les pronoms de la première personne sont plus nobles que ceux de la seconde, et que ceux de la seconde le sont plus que ceux de la troisième. L'accord des verbes avec les pronoms sujets se règle sur cette préséance. Nous nous bornerons à marquer la place qu'on doit leur assigner. II- Place des pronoms personnels dans la phrase déclarative En français, la personne qui parle se nomme toujours la dernière, et la personne à qui l'on parle est toujours nommée la première. Exemples : Vous et moi nous iront ce soir au parc. — Vous, votre frère et moi, nous souperons ensemble. Les pronoms me, te, se, leur, le, la, l', les, y, et en, ainsi que nous, vous, et lui, eux, elle et elles sans préposition, se placent ordinairement avant les verbes dont ils sont le régime. Exemples : Il me dit. — Je te vois. — Elle leur a parlé. — Je lui donnai. — Je les aime. — Vous y penserez. — J'en suis ravi. Les pronoms personnels moi, toi, soi, nous, vous, lui, eux, elle et elles, se placent après le verbe, quand ils sont précédés d'une préposition. Exemples : Le vice entraîne avec soi bien des maux. — Je pense à vous. — Comme on conseillait à Philippe, père d'Alexandre, de chasser de ses étals un homme qui avait mal parlé de lui : Je m'en garderai bien, dit-il, il irait par tout médire de moi. III- Place des pronoms personnels dans la phrase impérative Dans les phrases impératives avec affirmation : moi, toi, soi, nous, vous, lui, leur, eux, elle, elles, le, la, l', les, y et en, se placent après le verbe. Exemples : Dites-moi ce qui en est. — Donnez-en. — Songez-y. Dans les phrases impératives avec négation : me, te, se, nous, vous, lui, leur, le, la, l', les, y et en, se placent avant le verbe. Exemples : Ne me dites ce qui en est. — Ne nous en donnez pas. — N'y pensez plus. — Ne le voyez pas aussi souvent. Quand il y a deux impératifs unis par les conjonctions et, ou, il est mieux de placer le pronom avant le dernier verbe. Ce n'est néanmoins qu'une élégance. Exemples : Courez apaiser votre frère et vous réconcilier avec lui. — Polissez-le sans cesse, et le repolissez. — Protégez-les fortement, ou les abandonnez à leur destinée. Quand plusieurs pronoms accompagnent un verbe, me, le, se, nous, vous, doivent être placés les premiers ; le, la, les, se placent avant lui, leur ; enfin y, en, sont toujours les derniers. Exemples : Prêtez-moi votre livre, je vous le remettrai demain ; si vous me le refusez, je saurai m'en passer. — Aurez-vous le courage de le leur dire ? — Il n'a pas voulu vous y métier. Dans la phrase impérative avec affirmation, le, la, les, se placent toujours les premiers. Exemples : Offrez-le-lui. — Donnez-le-moi. — Conduisezles-y. Dans la phrase impérative, moi doit se placer après y. Exemples : Conduisez-y-moi. Mais on dit : menez-nous-y. IV- Remarque Lorsqu'il y a deux verbes, on place ordinairement les pronoms auprès du verbe qui les régit : on ne peut vous blâmer ; mais ce serait une faute de dire : on ne vous peut pas blâmer. Il serait ridicule de dire je m'aurais voulu procurer ce plaisir. Il faut dire : j'aurai voulu me procurer ce plaisir. On fait souvent cette faute. En voici une autre que l'on commet plus souvent encore : c'est de mettre le pronom avant un verbe suivi de deux infinitifs joints par les conjonctions et, ni, ou, quoique ce pronom n'ait aucun rapport au second infinitif. On ne doit pas dire : elle ne se peut consoler ni recevoir aucun avis, parce que se n'est point régi par recevoir. On doit dire : elle ne peut se consoler, ni recevoir aucun avis.

Students Nightmare!!!

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English Lessons!

I'm back with my english lessons! Today, it's a lesson i know you'll benefit from!! Enjoy!

Telephone: language expert

     Multi-word verbs

One thing you can do to improve your telephone skills is to learn some of the multi-word verbs that are commonly used in telephone conversations. Most of them are featured in this module. Hold on means 'wait' – and hang on means 'wait' too. Be careful not to confuse hang on with hang up! Hang up means 'finish the call by breaking the connection' – in other words: 'put the phone down.'
Another phrasal verb with the same meaning as hang up is ring off. The opposite of hang up / ring off is ring up – if you ring somebody up, you make a phone call. And if you pick up the phone, (or pick the phone up) you answer a call when the phone rings.

"Hang on a second..."

If you are talking to a receptionist, secretary or switchboard operator, they may ask you to hang on while they put you through – put through means to connect your call to another telephone. With this verb, the object (you, me, him, her etc.) goes in the middle of the verb: put you through.

But if you can't get through to (contact on the phone) the person you want to talk to, you might be able to leave a message asking them to call you back. Call back means to return a phone call – and if you use an object (you, me, him, her etc.), it goes in the middle of the verb: call you back.

English Grammer Lesson No.7

Is "Impact" a Verb?     

    

Although "impact" has taken root in the business world as a verb, as in Cutting prices will impact our revenue, many people maintain that "impact" is only proper as a noun. They believe the verb "impact" only means "to hit," and any other use is just irritating jargon.

Usually, when you are tempted to use "impact" as a verb, "affect" is the better choice:

Cutting prices will affect our revenue.

Quick and Dirty Tip: If you can put an article such as "an" or "the" in front of "impact," you are using it in the most proper way—as a noun. He wondered what the impact of the changes would be.

English Grammer Lesson No.6

Ending a Sentence with an Abbreviation   

       

When you end a sentence with an abbreviation, you don't need an extra period.

• Apple Computer, Inc. became Apple, Inc.. (wrong)
• Apple Computer, Inc. became Apple, Inc. (right)

The period that ends the abbreviation also ends the sentence. Think of it as an environmentally friendly rule—one dot of ink serves two purposes.

Even though such sentences are correct, they can confuse readers who may not realize you've ended the sentence. It's best to write out the abbreviated word if it falls at the end of a sentence or to rewrite the sentence so the abbreviation doesn't come at the end.

The story is different when the sentence is a question or exclamation—then you need both punctuation marks:

• Why did they choose Apple, Inc.?
• I adore their name: Apple, Inc.!

You have to improve your English!

Your English isn't that great? Then, using these tips is vital for you!
Today, we're in a world where there is no place for incompetence. You need to have halfway decent writing skills to succeed at your job. But if you don’t have time to work on those skills, mastering a few basic rules can still make a big difference.

#1: Echoes

Bad practice: Repeated words or phrases set up an echo in the reader’s head or a “Didn’t I just read that?” glitch that can be distracting.
Example:

• Several “but”s or “however”s or “for example”s in one paragraph (or in nearly every paragraph); a series of paragraphs that begin with “Next”
• A favorite crutch word or phrase used throughout an article (”ensure that,” “as such”, “that said”)

Best practice: Vary the language to avoid annoying or distracting readers with repeated words. Even better, get rid of some of the repeated verbiage, which usually turns out to be overkill anyway.

#2: Nonparallel list items

Bad practice: We often use an inconsistent structure for lists or headings.
Example:
We will cover these topics:

• Backing up the registry
• The Registry Editor is your friend
• Using REG files
• Use a GUI tool
• Searching the registry
• Take advantage of Favorites
• Clean the registry

Best practice: Reword where necessary to make the items parallel.

#3: Agreement problems

Bad practice: Sometimes we lose track of what the subject is, and our verb doesn’t match.
Examples:

• Neither of the editors are very smart.
• The dog, as well as the goat and chicken, are easy to parallel park.
• One-third of the company are color blind.

Best practice: Scrutinize the subject to determine whether it’s singular or plural. It’s not always obvious.

#4: Referring to companies, organizations, etc., as “they”

Bad practice: A company — or any collective group that’s being referred to as a single entity — is often treated as plural, but it shouldn’t be.
Examples:

• I wish Wal-Mart would get their pot hole fixed.
• Microsoft said they’ll look at the problem.

Best practice: Unless there’s some compelling exception, use “it.”

#5: Hyphenating “ly” adverbs

Bad practice: “ly” adverbs never take a hyphen, but they pop up a lot.
Examples:

• We like to avoid commonly-used expressions.
• Click here for a list or recently-added downloads.

Best practice: Don’t hyphenate ly adverbs. The “ly” says “I modify the word that comes next,” so there’s no need to tie them together with a hyphen.

#6: Using “which” instead of “that”

Bad practice: We sometimes use “which” to set off an essential clause (instead of “that”).
Examples:

• The meeting which was scheduled for 1:00 has been cancelled.
• The option which controls this feature is disabled.

Best practice: The commonly-accepted (haha) convention in American English is to set off a nonessential clause with the word “which” and a comma. One good test is whether the information is extra — not essential to the meaning of the sentence. If the clause is essential, use “that.”

#7: Wordy constructions; deadwood phrases

Nothing is worse for a reader than having to slog through a sea of unnecessary verbiage. Here are a few culprits to watch for in your own writing.

Has the ability to	can
At this point in time	now
Due to the fact that	because
In order to	to
In the event that	if
Prior to the start of	before

#8: Using “that” instead of “who”

Bad practice: Some writers use “that” to refer to people.
Examples:

• The bartender that took my money disappeared.
• The end user that called this morning said he found my money.
• The folks that attended the training said it was a waste of time.

Best practice: When you’re referring to people, use “who.”

#9: Inconsistent use of the final serial comma

Bad practice: One convention says to use a comma to set off the final item in a series of three or more items; another (equally popular) convention says to leave it out. But some writers bounce between the two rules.
Examples:

• Word, Excel, and Outlook are all installed. (OR: Word, Excel and Outlook are all installed.)
• Open the dialog box, click on the Options tab, and select the Enable option. (OR: Open the dialog box, click on the Options tab and select the Enable option.)

Best practice: Decide on one convention and stick to it. Those who read what you’ve written will have an easier time following your sentence structure if you’re consistent.

#10: Using a comma to join two dependent clauses

Bad practice: Commas are a great source of controversy and often the victim of misguided personal discretion. But there is this rule: Two dependent clauses don’t need one.
Examples:

• I hid the ice cream, and then told my sister where to find it.
• The user said he saved the file, but somehow deleted it.

Best practice: If the second clause can’t walk away and be its own sentence, don’t set it off with a comma.

Improve your English and your writting skills. After all, no one wants to look stupid!

close

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English must-know Grammer! Lesson No.5

Ending a Sentence With a Preposition           

 

One of the most frequent questions  is whether it’s acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition.
I know many of you were taught that you shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition, but it’s a myth. In fact, I consider it one of the top ten grammar myths because many people believe it’s true, but because nearly all grammarians disagree, at least in some cases (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8).

What Is a Preposition?

A preposition is a word that creates a relationship between other words. It's been said that prepositions often deal with space and time (1), which always makes me think of Star Trek. For example, the prepositions “above,” “by,” and “over” all say something about a position in space; the prepositions “before,” “after,” and “since” all say something about time.

When Can a Sentence End with a Preposition?

Here's an example of a sentence that can end with a preposition: What did you step on? A key point is that the sentence doesn't work if you leave off the preposition. You can't say, “What did you step?” You need to say, “What did you step on?” to make a grammatical sentence.

I can hear some of you gnashing your teeth right now, while you think, “What about saying, 'On what did you step?'” But really, have you ever heard anyone talk that way? I've read long, contorted arguments from noted grammarians about why it's OK to end sentences with prepositions when the preposition isn't extraneous (1), but the driving point still seems to be, “Nobody in their right mind talks this way.” Yes, you could say, “On what did you step?” but not even grammarians think you should. It sounds pedantic.

When Can't You End a Sentence with a Preposition?

But, you can't always end sentences with prepositions. When you could leave off the preposition and it wouldn't change the meaning, you should leave it off. Here is a cell phone commercial that gets on my nerves.

[Where you at?]

For the purposes of today’s discussion, let’s ignore the fact that they left out the verb “are” because I’ve definitely heard people ask, “Where are you at?”

The problem is that “Where are you at?” doesn't need the preposition at the end. If you say “Where are you?” it means the same thing. So the "at" is unnecessary. You should leave it off.

Unnecessary Prepositions

The problem with unnecessary prepositions doesn't happen just at the end of sentences. People often throw extraneous prepositions into the middle of sentences, and they shouldn't (2). Instead of saying “Squiggly jumped off of the dock,” it's better to say “Squiggly jumped off the dock.” You see? You don't need to say “off of the dock”; “off the dock” says the same thing without the preposition.

Another example is “outside of” when “outside” by itself would do just fine. You should say, “He's outside the door,” not, “He's outside of the door.”

Sentences Can End with Prepositions from Phrasal Verbs

So far, my examples of prepositions at the end of sentences have all been questions. Lest you think they’re a special case, we’ll look at some sentences that aren’t questions.

English has a type of verb called a phrasal verb. These are verbs made up of multiple words, and one is always a preposition. “Cheer up,” “run over,” “log on,” and “leave off” are all examples of phrasal verbs, and often sentences that use phrasal verbs end with a preposition:

• I wish he would cheer up.
• You should leave it off.

Those are perfectly acceptable sentences.

Other Sentences Can End with Prepositions Too

It’s also OK to end a sentence with a preposition sometimes even when you aren’t using a phrasal verb. For example, although you could rewrite the following sentences to avoid ending them with a preposition, you don’t need to.

• She displayed the good humor she’s known for. (Could be rewritten as “She displayed the good humor for which she’s known.”)
• I want to know where he came from. (Could be rewritten as “I want to know from where he came.”)

 

I said you don’t need to rewrite those sentences, but because of the prevalent myth that it’s wrong to end sentences with prepositions, there are times when you should avoid doing it even though it isn’t wrong. For example, when you’re writing a cover letter to a potential employer, don’t end a sentence with a preposition. The person reading the letter could see it as an error. I always recommend following the most conservative grammar rules in job applications. I’d rather be hired than lose out on an opportunity because my grammar was correct--but perceived as wrong.

But once you're hired and you’re in a position to have a discussion about grammar, don’t be afraid to end sentences with prepositions as long as the preposition isn’t unnecessary. Just be ready to show your boss a good style guide or this Web page and do your part to dispel one of the top ten grammar myths.

English must-know Grammer! Lesson No.4

   Affect Or Effect  

       

What Is the Difference Between Affect and Effect?

Before we get to the memory trick though, I want to explain the difference between the two words.

It's actually pretty straightforward. The majority of the time you use affect with an a as a verb and effect with an e as a noun.

When Should You Use Affect?

Affect with an a means "to influence," as in, "The arrows affected Ardvark," or "The rain affected Amy's hairdo." Affect can also mean, roughly, "to act in a way that you don't feel," as in, "She affected an air of superiority."

When Should You Use Effect?

Effect with an e has a lot of subtle meanings as a noun, but to me the meaning "a result" seems to be at the core of all the definitions. For example, you can say, "The effect was eye-popping," or "The sound effects were amazing," or "The rain had no effect on Amy's hairdo."

Common Uses of Affect and Effect

Most of the time affect with an a is a verb and effect with an e is a noun.

So most of the time affect with an a is a verb and effect with an e is a noun. There are rare instances where the roles are switched, and I'll get to those later, but for now let's focus on the common meanings. This is "Quick and Dirty" grammar, and my impression from your questions is that most people have trouble remembering the basic rules of when to use these words, so if you stick with those, you'll be right 95% of the time.

So, most of the time, affect with an a is a verb and effect with an e is a noun; and now we can get to the mnemonics. First, the mnemonic involves a very easy noun to help you remember: aardvark. Yes, if you can remember aardvark -- a very easy noun -- you'll always remember that affect with an a is a verb and effect with an e is a noun. Why? Because the first letters of "a very easy noun" are the same first letters as "affect verb effect noun!" That's a very easy noun. Affect (with an a) verb effect (with an e) noun.

"But why Aardvark?" you ask. Because there's also an example to help you remember. It's "The arrows affected Aardvark. The effect was eye-popping." It should be easy to remember that affect with an a goes with the a-words, arrow and aardvark, and that effect with an e goes with the e-word, eye-popping. If you can visualize the sentences, "The arrows affected the aardvark. The effect was eye-popping," it's pretty easy to see that affect with an a is a verb and effect with an e is a noun.

It's Aardvark being affected by arrows, and I think looking at it will help you remember the example sentences; and it's cute. You can print it out and hang it by your desk.

So a very easy noun will help you remember that affect with an a is a verb and effect with an e is a noun, and the example will help you see how to use both words in a sentence.

Rare Uses of Affect and Effect

So what about those rare meanings that don't follow the rules I just gave you? Well, affect can be used as a noun when you're talking about psychology--it means the mood that someone appears to have. For example, "She displayed a happy affect." Psychologists find it useful because they know that you can never really understand what someone else is feeling. You can only know how they appear to be feeling.

And, effect can be used as a verb that essentially means "to bring about," or "to accomplish." For example, you could say, "Aardvark hoped to effect change within the burrow."

English must-know Grammer! Lesson No.3

       Who Versus Whom     


      First, to know whether to use who or whom, we need to talk about the difference between subjects and objects because you use who when you are referring to the subject of a clause and whom when you are referring to the object of a clause.

I know: subject and object sound pretty abstract, but it's easy. If we think about people, the subject of the sentence is the person doing something, and the object of the sentence is having something done to them. If I step on Squiggly, then I am the subject and Squiggly is the object.

Still having a hard time remembering? Here's my favorite mnemonic: If I say, "I love you," you are the object of my affection, and you is also the object of the sentence (because I am loving you, making me the subject and you the object). How's that? I love you. You are the object of my affection and my sentence. It's like a Valentine's Day card and grammar mnemonic all rolled into one.

I love you. You are the object of my affection and my sentence. It's like a Valentine's Day card and grammar mnemonic all rolled into one.

Just Whom

OK. So you all asked about who versus whom, but what I think you really want to know is just when to use whom, because most people don't go around throwing unneeded whoms into their sentences. So remember, you use whom when you are referring to the object of a sentence. Use who when you are referring to the subject of a sentence.

For example, it is "Whom did you step on?" if you are trying to figure out that I had squished Squiggly. Similarly, it would be "Whom do I love?" because you are asking about the object -- the target of my love. I know, it's shocking, but the Rolling Stones were being grammatically incorrect when they belted out the song "Who Do You Love?" which I think was originally written by Bo Diddley.

Just Who

So when is it OK to use who? If you were asking about the subject of these sentences, then you would use who. For example, "Who loves you?" and "Who stepped on Squiggly?" In both these cases the one you are asking about is the subject -- the one taking action, not the one being acted upon.

A Quick and Dirty Tip

Still too hard to remember? OK, here's the quick and dirty tip. Like whom, the pronoun him ends with m. When you're trying to decide whether to use who or whom, ask yourself if the answer to the question would be he or him. That's the trick: if you can answer the question being asked with him, then use whom, and it's easy to remember because they both end with m. For example, if you're trying to ask, "Who (or whom) do you love?" The answer would be "I love him." Him ends with an m, so you know to use whom. But if you are trying to ask, "Who (or whom) stepped on Squiggly?" the answer would be "He stepped on Squiggly." There's no m, so you know to use who. So that's the quick and dirty trick: if you can't remember that you use whom when you are referring to the object of the sentence, just remember that him equals whom.

        

English must-know Grammer! Lesson No.2

Grammer Lesson No.2:

    "Backward" Versus "Backwards"           

Did you know that using "Backward" or "Backwards" depends on where you live?
Yeah! that is true.

Most references say that, like "towards," "backwards" is standard in Britain and "backward" is standard in America. The exception is that when you are using "backward" as an adjective, as in "her grandmother's backward ways" or "the program has backward compatibility," then you never use the "s." It is always "backward" as an adjective.

If you are in the U.S., you have it easier because you can just remember that it's always "backward" without the "s." We like shortcuts here, such as eating dinner in our cars, so you can remember that we've lopped off the "s." But if you are using British English, you have to remember that it's "backwards" as an adverb and "backward" as an adjective.

English must-know Grammer! Lesson No.1

Here is a must-know grammer lesson. You've got to know the difference between them!Each has a different meaning...

Sometimes, Some Time, and Sometime  

  

"Sometimes" means "now and then" or "occasionally,"

"Sometime" means "at some unspecified time": Let's get dinner and reminisce over Depeche Mode sometime.

"Some time" means "quite a while": I think I'll spend some time listening to that old Depeche Mode tape again

     

الدرس الاول في العربية

   هل تعلم أن كتابة العدد في اللغة العربية خاضع لقواعد معينة؟
ففي اللغة العربية لا يكتب العدد بالأحرف بالطريقة نفسها دوما بل يتغير حسب المعدود فيتبعه من حيث التذكير و التأنيث.



علاقة العدد بالمعدود من حيث التذكير و التأنيث

العدد من حيث التذكير و التأنيث يكون: إما

من 3-10 عكس المعدود تأنيثا و تذكيرا

من 11-12 مطابق للمعدود

 من 13-19 الجزء الأول معاكسا للمعدود و الثاني مطابقا له-

 من 23-29 و 33-39 ...الخ. الجزء الأول معاكس للمعدود و الثاني لا يتغير

من 21-22 الجزء الأول مطابق للمعدود و الثاني لا يتغير

أما العقود و الآلاف فلا يتغير لفظها

مثال

قضيت في الريف خمسة أيام و خمس ليال

اشتريت ثلاثة عشر كتابا و سبع عشرة مجلة

قال ابن بطوطة:" فاذا بلغت زيادة النيل ستة عشر ذراعا،كان الخصب في العام و الصلاح التام، فان بلغ ثمانية عشر ذراعا أضر بالضياع و أعقب الوباء". ا

تنفع معرفة هاته القاعدة الهامة جدا للجميع من حيث التعبير السليم دون أخطاء عن الأرقام في العربية و كذا في الترجمة....؛لذا الحرص على تعلمها هام جدا.؛

يمكنكم طرح الأسئلة و المناقشة حول الموضوع و سأرد عليكم باذن الله..؛