English Vocabulary, Passive Voice, and British vs. American Terms
Essential English Vocabulary
Here are some common English words and their synonyms:
- Amazement, surprise: surprise
- Fool, idiot: stupid, idiot
- Figures, numbers: numbers
- Doubt, distrust: doubt, suspicion
- Range: variety
- Funny story, joke: funny joke
- Provide for, cater for: foresee
- Shown address, broadcast: shown, emission
- Cinema show, screen: show in a movie theater, screen, film, frame, plank, protect, cover
- Obstacles, barrier: obstacles, barriers
- A way of doing something, a means: a way to do something
- Range of means: range of
- Mass: mass
- Appeal: to please, attract, call
- Taste: flavor, taste
- Shocking: shocking
- Brand: brand
- Relaxing: relaxed
- Awful: awful
- Amusement parks, funfairs: amusement park, fair
- Avert: stop
- Average: median
- Be all ears: be all ears
- Become aware of: learn
- Bond: connect
- Deal: agreement
- Flight: flight
- Get something off your chest: vent
- Go wrong: go wrong
- Have a heart of gold: have a good heart
- Have green fingers: have a knack for plants
- Healing: healing
- Indeed: actually
- Laugh one’s head off: laugh out loud
- Laughter: laughter
- Pay through the nose: cost a pretty penny
- Pull faces: make faces
- Pull someone’s leg: tease
- Relief: rest, helps calm
- Rely on: rely on, count on
- Scary: scary
- Shine: shine
- Silly: silly
- Sporting events: sporting events
- Vague: vague
- Union strike: union strike
- Unpleasant: unpleasant
- Widen: extend
Understanding the Passive Voice
Present Simple Passive
Structure: are/is + past participle
Example:
- Miki always tells us the funniest jokes.
- The funniest jokes are always told by Miki.
- We are always told the funniest jokes by Katie.
Past Simple Passive
Structure: was/were + past participle
Example:
- Sarai’s boyfriend gave her a beautiful diamond ring.
- A beautiful diamond ring was given to Sarai by her boyfriend.
- Sarai was given a beautiful diamond ring by her boyfriend.
Or:
- A policeman stopped us yesterday evening.
- We were stopped by a policeman yesterday evening.
Future Passive
Structure: will be + past participle
Example:
- They will award the winner of the competition €10,000.
- €10,000 will be awarded to the winner of the competition by them.
- The winner of the competition will be awarded €10,000 by them.
Or:
- They will repair the roof next month.
- The roof will be repaired next month.
Present Continuous Passive
Structure: is/are + being + past participle
Example:
- I am going to serve us dinner in an hour.
- Dinner is going to be served to us in an hour.
- We are going to be served dinner in an hour.
Or:
- They are painting the wall now.
- The wall is being painted now.
Present Perfect Passive
Structure: have/has + been + past participle
Example:
- The company has already sent letters to the customers.
- Letters have already been sent to the customers by the company.
- The customers have already been sent letters by the company.
Or:
- The workers have asked for a pay rise.
- A pay rise has been asked for by the workers.
American and British English
Here are some common differences between American and British English:
- Diaper (American) / Nappy (British): diaper
- Elevator (American) / Lift (British): elevator
- Fall (American) / Autumn (British): fall
- Cab (American) / Taxi (British): taxi
- Faucet (American) / Tap (British): faucet
- Mad (American) / Angry (British): angry
- Panties, stockings (American) / Knickers (British): knickers
- Round trip (American) / Return ticket (British): ticket
- Store (American) / Shop (British): shop
- Trunk (American) / Boot (British): boot
- Ax (American) / Axe (British): ax
- Catalog (American) / Catalogue (British): catalog
- Center (American) / Centre (British): center
- Color (American) / Colour (British): color
- Program (American) / Programme (British): program
- Gray (American) / Grey (British): gray
- Labor (American) / Labour (British): labor
- Meter (American) / Metre (British): meters
- Mustache (American) / Moustache (British): mustache
- Theater (American) / Theatre (British): theater
- Tire (American) / Pneumatic (British): tire
Infinitives and Gerunds
Infinitive with ‘to’
Verbs commonly followed by the infinitive with to:
Agree, arrange, ask, choose, decide, forget, hope, learn, manage, offer, plan, pretend, promise, refuse, seem, want
Adjective + Adverb + Gerund
Some structures use an adjective or adverb followed by a gerund.
Verb + Gerund
Verbs commonly followed by a gerund:
Admit, avoid, consider, continue, deny, enjoy, finish, hate, give up, love, imagine, keep, like, dislike, miss, prefer, regret, stop, suggest
Verb + Special Gerund Cases
Verbs followed by a gerund in specific constructions:
Can’t help, can’t stand, do/doesn’t mind, feel like, it’s no use, look forward to, be used to, get used to
Prepositions and Gerunds
Gerunds are often used after prepositions. Here are some examples of prepositions of place, direction, and time:
Place Prepositions
On/upon, in, above, inside, at, outside, from above, below, over, under, by, beside, alongside, near, close to, across, along, around, against, in front of, opposite, behind, next to, within, between, before, after
Direction Prepositions
Up, down, into, out of, on, at, off, under, to, along, across, through, around, by, past, after
Time Prepositions
About, around, before, after, during, over, for, since, until, to, by, beyond, on, at, in
Gerunds as Subjects
Gerunds can function as the subject of a sentence:
Example: Smoking is dangerous.
Infinitive + ‘to’ / ‘the’ + Gerund
Verbs like remember, regret, forget, and stop can be followed by either an infinitive with to or a gerund, depending on whether the action is in the past or present/future.
Past Actions
Use the gerund for past actions.
Present and Future Actions
Use the infinitive with to for present and future actions.