If you get a handle on something, you begin to understand it.
Examples:
I used to be terrible at maths but after lots of hard work, I think I’ve got a handle on it now.
If I could just get a handle on this new project at work, I’m sure the boss would give me a pay rise.
If something or someone is too hot to handle, it is too dangerous or difficult to deal with.
To get your ducks in a row means to organise your things well. It’s American English.
Examples:
With the recession looming, the government has to get its ducks in a row and invest in job creation.
The company’s owner has given his managers a few days to get their ducks in a row. If they don’t improve their performance he’ll fire them.
Adverbs are words like tomorrow, daily, badly, once and too. They tell us more about other words, especially verbs.
Sometimes adverbs modify adjectives.
(още…)An adjective is a word like clever, beautiful, green, hungry, brave, which is used when we describe people, things, events etc. Adjectives are used in connection with nouns and pronouns.
(още…)We use am, are, is + the –ing form of the verb. We use the short form more often than the full form, especially when speaking.
| + | I,you, we, theyshe, he, it | (full form)amare,is | working. | |
| I,you, we, theyshe, he, it | (short form)’m’re’s | |||
| − | I,you, we, theyshe, he, it | (full form)am notare notis not | working. | |
| I,you, we, theyshe, he, it | (short form)’m not’re not or aren’t’s not or isn’t | |||
| ? + | AmAre,Is | Iyou, we, theyshe, he, it | working? | |
| ? − | (full form)AmAreIs | Iyou, we, theyshe, he, it | not | working? |
| (short form)Aren’tIsn’t | I, you, we, theyshe, he, it |
For most verbs we add -ing to the base form to make the –ing form:
| be → being | eat → eating | order → ordering |
| cry → crying | fix → fixing | play → playing |
| do → doing | go → going |
For other verbs the spelling changes are (note the underlined syllables are stressed):
| verb | –ing form | |
| When the verb ends in -e, we take off the –e and add –ing. | move | moving |
| face | facing | |
| come | coming | |
| When the verb ends in a vowel followed by a single consonant and if the last syllable is stressed, then the consonant is doubled. | commit | committing |
| prefer | preferring | |
| rub | rubbing | |
| BUT:cover | covering | |
| remember | remembering | |
| When the verb ends in a vowel + l, we double the consonant. | travel | travelling* |
| control | controlling |
* American English spelling is traveling.
We use the present continuous to talk about events which are in progress at the moment of speaking:
A:
What time’s dinner?
B:
I’m cooking now so it’ll be ready in about half an hour.
She’s pressing the button but nothing is happening.
We use the present continuous to talk about temporary states which are true around the moment of speaking:
Her mother’s living with her at the moment. She’s just come out of hospital.
Who’s looking after the children while you’re here?
We use the present continuous to describe actions which are repeated or regular, but which we believe to be temporary:
I’m not drinking much coffee these days. I’m trying to cut down.
She’s working a lot in London at the moment. (She doesn’t usually work in London.)
We use the present continuous to talk about a gradual change:
They’re building a new stand at the football ground.
Maria, 37, is getting better and doctors are optimistic she will make a full recovery.
Recent evidence suggests that the economic situation is improving.
We often use the present continuous with words like always, constantly, continually and forever (adverbs of indefinite frequency) to describe events which are regular but not planned, and often not wanted:
My wife, she’s always throwing things out. I like to keep everything.
I’m constantly spilling things.
We use the present continuous to refer to the future when we talk about plans and arrangements that have already been made:
We’re moving to Cambridge in July.
Sarah isn’t taking Rory to football training later. She hasn’t got the car tonight.
Aren’t you playing tennis on Saturday?
We use the base form of the verb, and add -s for the third person singular.
| + | I, you, we, theyshe, he, it | work.works. | ||
| − | I, you, we, theyshe, he, it | (full form)do notdoes not | work. | |
| I, you, we, theyshe, he, it | (short form)don’tdoesn’t | |||
| ? + | DoDoes | I, you, we, theyshe, he, it | work? | |
| ? − | (full form)DoDoes | I, you, we, theyshe, he, it | not | work? |
| (short form)Don’tDoesn’t | I, you, we, theyshe, he, it |
For most verbs we add -s to the base form to make the she, he, it (third person singular) form:
| come → comes | order → orders | travel → travels |
| eat → eats | record → records | walk → walks |
| move → moves |
For other verbs, the spelling changes are:
| verb | she, he, it | |
| When the verb ends in -ch, -ss, –sh, -x or -zz, we add -es. | watch | watches |
| miss | misses | |
| wash | washes | |
| mix | mixes | |
| buzz | buzzes | |
| When the verb ends in a consonant + –y we change y to i and add -es. | hurry | hurries |
| study | studies | |
| reply | replies | |
| But when the verb ends in a vowel + –y we just add -s. | pay | pays |
| enjoy | enjoys | |
| Have, go, do and be are irregular. | have | has |
| go | goes | |
| do | does | |
| be | is |
When the verb ends in -s or -z we double the -s or -z and add -es, e.g. quiz, quizzes. These verbs are not common.
We use the present simple to talk about general facts that are always true and permanent about the world:
Ten times ten makes one hundred. (10 x 10 = 100)
There is always a holiday on the last Monday in August in the UK.
Time passes very quickly when you get older.
We use the present simple to talk about general facts that we think are true and permanent at the present time:
I really love my job.
Mrs Clare doesn’t teach me but she teaches my sister.
Do you live in Glasgow? My cousin lives there too.
Spiders don’t frighten me.
Martha does what she wants. No one tells her what to do.
We use the present simple to talk about regular or habitual events. We often use always, often, usually, sometimes, never and other frequency adverbs for regular and habitual events:
How do you get to work? Do you get the bus?
I read every night before I go to sleep.
We always have a holiday in the summer. We never work in August.
We usually fly to France when we go. Lorea doesn’t like the ferry. It makes her feel sick.
We use the present simple when we are giving instructions or directions. We often use ordering words, such as and, first and then with this use of the present simple:
[giving directions]
You take the train into the city centre and then you take a number five bus. You don’t get off at the museum. You get off at the stop after the museum.
[giving instructions before a test]
So what you do is … you read the questions first and then you write down your answers in the box. You don’t write on the question paper.
We often use the present simple to describe a series of actions – one action after another. We see this especially in stories, summaries of stories or reviews:
[talking about the series of events in a novel]
Alex doesn’t ring back at midnight … she waits till the morning to ring, and they get annoyed with Liz when she goes on … they know she’s got plenty of money by their standards …
The present simple is often used by sports commentators to give commentaries or report actions as they are happening:
Mwaruwauri Benjani fouls Cahill. Habsi takes the free kick, Caicedo shoots and volleys. O’Brien blocks.
We use the present simple, often with verbs of senses and perception, to talk about feelings and reactions at the moment of speaking:
Do you think that meat is ok to eat? It doesn’t smell very good.
Where does it hurt?
[talking about the colour of a dress]
I don’t like the colour. I think I look terrible.
It seems a bit quiet in here. Where is everyone?
Don’t you believe me? It’s true, honestly.
We use the present simple with speech act verbs (verbs which perform the act that they describe):
I will pay you back, I promise, when I get paid.
I agree with everything you say.
We also use the present simple in a similar way in formal statements and in business or legal communications:
I attach the original signed copies for your records.
On behalf of the Society, and particularly those involved in medical work, I write to thank you for your kind gift of £20,000 … (more formal than I’m writing to thank you …)
We use the present simple to talk about events that are part of a future plan or timetable:
The lesson starts at 9.30 tomorrow instead of 10.30.
Lunch is at 12.30. Don’t be late.
What time do you land? (talking about a flight at some time in the future)
They don’t start back to school until next Monday.
We can also often use will in these sentences, with no change in meaning:
The lesson will start at 9.30 tomorrow instead of 10.30.
We use the present simple for future reference in subordinate clauses after words like when, before, as soon as, if and whether:
I’ll call you when I get there.
Not: I’ll call you when I’ll get there.
Don’t forget to ring before you go.
Not: Don’t forget to ring before you’ll go.
They hope to move in to the new house as soon as they get back from Australia next month.
Not: … as soon as they’ll get back from Australia next month.
We often see the present simple in news headlines to report past events. It emphasises the drama or immediacy of an event:
Man rescues child from lake
Taiwanese envoys arrive in China
Both can and may can be used to talk about possibility. But there is some difference between them. Can is used to talk about theoretical possibility; may is used to talk about factual possibility.
Can is a modal auxiliary verb. It is followed by an infinitive without to. There is no –s in the third person singular.
Questions and negatives are made without do.
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