English Grammar Secrets

Must or have to

We can use 'must' to show that we are certain something is true. We are making a logical deduction based upon some clear evidence or reason.

 There's no heating on. You must be freezing.

 You must be worried that she is so late coming home.

 I can't remember what I did with it. I must be getting old.

 It must be nice to live in Florida.

We also use 'must' to express a strong obligation. When we use 'must' this usually means that some personal circumstance makes the obligation necessary (and the speaker almost certainly agrees with the obligation.)

 I must go to bed earlier.

 They must do something about it.

 You must come and see us some time.

 I must say, I don't think you were very nice to him.

We can also use 'have to' to express a strong obligation. When we use 'have to' this usually means that some external circumstance makes the obligation necessary.

 I have to arrive at work at 9 sharp. My boss is very strict.

 We have to give him our answer today or lose out on the contract.

 You have to pass your exams or the university will not accept you.

 I have to send a report to Head Office every week.

In British English, we often use 'have got to' to mean the same as 'have to'.

 I've got to take this book back to the library or I'll get a fine.

 We've got to finish now as somebody else needs this room.

We can also use ' will have to' to talk about strong obligations. Like 'must' this usually means that that some personal circumstance makes the obligation necessary. (Remember that 'will' is often used to show 'willingness'.)

 I'll have to speak to him.

 We'll have to have lunch and catch up on all the gossip.

 They'll have to do something about it.

 I'll have to get back to you on that.

As you can see, the differences between the present forms are sometimes very small and very subtle. However, there is a huge difference in the negative forms.

 We use 'mustn't' to express strong obligations NOT to do something.

 We mustn't talk about it. It's confidential.

 I mustn't eat chocolate. It's bad for me.

 You mustn't phone me at work. We aren't allowed personal calls.

 They mustn't see us talking or they'll suspect something.

We use 'don't have to' (or 'haven't got to' in British English) to state that there is NO obligation or necessity.

 We don't have to get there on time. The boss is away today.

 I don't have to listen to this. I'm leaving.

 You don't have to come if you don't want to.

 He doesn't have to sign anything if he doesn't want to at this stage.

Why English is important

IF YOU are currently learning English in a school, college or institute of further education, you join approximately one billion other people around the world who are engaged in the same pursuit. However, as you try to memorise proper grammar, and try to avoid the mistakes common to most students of English, you may wonder why you are learning the language in the first place.

So, why is English important?

After Mandarin, English is spoken by more people than any other language, and is the native language of more than 350 million people. More people speak English than those who speak the Arabic and French languages combined.

Moreover, English is the international language of diplomacy, business, science, technology, banking, computing, medicine, aviation, UN & NATO armed forces, engineering, tourism, Hollywood films and arguably the best pop and rock music in the world.

English has plenty of words to choose from. In fact, an English speaker is offered the biggest vocabulary of any language with a choice of 500,000 to 1,000,000 words (including technical and scientific terms).

But don’t panic, most English speakers do very well with a vocabulary of around 20,000 words.

English can be fun too. For instance, the music of such stars as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson and Madonna has encouraged fans to speak the language of their idols, whilst others have enrolled in English classes to improve their understanding of the dialogue in films and TV shows.

Or perhaps they have embraced English to enjoy the writing of Stephen King, George Orwell or J.K. Rowling. They may even have an interest in speaking English just to converse with travellers from other countries, who communicate by using the English global interlingua while travelling abroad.

Finally, if you are studying English at school, college or university, remember that getting an ‘A’ grade in English is almost worthless, in terms of communication, if you cannot speak the language. Spoken English is used in the best careers, the best universities, and is increasingly being used at job interviews. So like it or not, English is a very important language to learn how to speak.

100 People: A World Portrait

The world population has now reached 7 billion people. This milestone inspired us to conduct research to update our statistics, and the changes over the past 5 years are remarkable.

In 2006, only 1 person out of 100 would have had a college education-- today that number has jumped to 7 thanks in part to advances in higher education in Asia.

If the World were 100 PEOPLE:

50 would be female
50 would be male 

26 would be children
There would be 74 adults,
8 of whom would be 65 and older

There would be:
60 Asians
15 Africans
14 people from the Americas
11 Europeans

33 Christians
22 Muslims
14 Hindus
7 Buddhists
12 people who practice other religions
12 people who would not be aligned with a religion

12 would speak Chinese
5 would speak Spanish
5 would speak English
3 would speak Arabic
3 would speak Hindi
3 would speak Bengali
3 would speak Portuguese
2 would speak Russian
2 would speak Japanese
62 would speak other languages

83 would be able to read and write; 17 would not 

7 would have a college degree
22 would own or share a computer

77 people would have a place to shelter them
from the wind and the rain, but 23 would not 

1 would be dying of starvation
15 would be undernourished
21 would be overweight 

87 would have access to safe drinking water
13 people would have no clean, safe water to drink

(http://www.100people.org/statistics_100stats.php?section=statistics)

Advice on Learning English Fast

The world is moving at a fast pace and it is becoming more and more international. English is clearly the world's language and it is essential to learn it and learn it fast.

Although it is impossible to learn English well in only a few weeks, it is very possible to find extremely efficient study methods. Some students seem to learn fast while others study for years and hardly learn anything at all. Intelligence and natural language ability play less of a role than a good study method and real motivation.

Learn from Native speakers

If you want to learn English in the fastest way possible, it is absolutely necessary you follow a good plan. You need to listen to native English speakers. If you don't have any around, download some free podcasts on Itunes and listen on your computer or MP3 player. You can do this from anywhere.

Listening to native English speakers will allow you to realize what kinds of English words are important to learn and which ones are not. It is useless to study random words from a dictionary. This is the slowest way possible. Native English speakers know the definitions of less than half of the words in the dictionary, and many of the other words are very specialized and seldom used. There is often another way to express yourself without the need to get caught up with high level vocabulary.

If you pay attention to native speakers, you will soon realize they use a lot of slang and relatively simple vocabulary, especially in their regular daily lives.

If you can learn the majority of what is said on movies, TV, and in podcasts, your English will improve very quickly. You will find you do not need to study too many words and phrases. Just study the most common ones and make sure you understand them and are able to use them.

Importance Of English Language

English language comes to our aid in our commercial transactions throughout the globe. English is the language of the latest business management in the world proficiency in English has brought laurels to many businessmen. English is a means not only for international commerce; it has become increasingly essential for inter-state commerce and communication. 

A language attracts people because of the wealth of literature and knowledge enshrined in it. English poses no danger to other languages. English is available to us as a historical heritage in addition to our own language. We must make the best use of English to develop ourselves culturally and materially so that we can compete with the best in the world of mind and matter. English language is our window to the world. 

English language is one tool to establish our viewpoint. We can learn from others experience. We can check the theories of foreigners against our experience. We can reject the untenable and accept the tenable. We can also propagate our theories among the international audience and readers. 

Learning to speak English must be part of resolutions for 2013!

English is one of the most frequently used dialects in the world, which often is the primary reason why a lot of individuals are desiring to study this as a second language.

If you are hoping to work in foreign countries, it’s actually essential to understand how to speak English since it is regarded as the principal international working language. You’ll have fewer issues conversing and handling some other nationalities if you furthermore know the basic principles of English.

On the other hand, things could be very tough, especially if your homeland is not very savvy with the language. English is one of the most prominent languages because it is the official language spoken by most of the leading places throughout the world.