My lesson "I", "J", "K"

I like your dress.

You use I to talk about yourself. I is the subject of a verb. You always write it with a capital letter.

My brothers and I are musicians.

You can also use I as part of the subject of a verb. For example, you can say My friend and I are going to Sicily. Always mention the other person first.

You can go if you want to.

You use if to talk about a possible situation.

He might win -if he's lucky.

You use if to talk about something that might happen in the future. You use a verb in the present simple.

They sat outside if it was sunny.

You use if to talk about things that sometimes happened in the past. You use a past form of the verb.

If I frightened them, they might run off and I would never see them again.

You use if to talk about things that will probably not happen. You use the past simple.

He asked me if I spoke French.

You use if when you are reporting a question where the answer is yes or no. For example, if you say to someone Can I help you?, you can report this by saying I asked her if I could help her.

Davis is ill. Your uncle is very sick.

Ill and sick are both used to say that someone has a disease or some other problem with their health.

Each day she felt a little worse.

Say that someone become worse.

I think I'm going to be sick.

To be sick means to bring up food from your stomach.

Flying always makes me feel sick.

To feel sick means to feel that you want to be sick.

Try to imagine you're sitting on a cloud.

If you imagine a situation, you think about it and form a picture or idea of it in your mind.

She could not imagine living without Daniel.

You can use an -ing form after imagine.

I have to go to Brighton immediately. It's very urgent.

If something happens immediately, it happens without delay.

He had to see a customer immediately after lunch.

If something happens immediately after something else, it happens as soon as the other things is finished.

This man sat down immediately behind me.

If something is immediately above something else, it is above it and close to it. You can use immediately in a similar way with other prepositions such as under, opposite and behind.

This is the most important part of the job.

If something is important, you feel that you must have, do, or think about it.

A considerable amount of rain had fallen.

Don't use important to say that an amount or quantity is very large. Use a word such as considerable or significant.

Colin was in the bath. I wanted to play in the garden. Mark now lives in Singapore.

You use in to say where someone or something is, or where something happens.

She opened her bag and put her diary in.

You use in to mean into a place.

She threw both letters in the bin.

In can sometimes mean into.

He learned to drive in six months.

You use in to say how long something takes.

I was born in 1972.

You use in to talk about a particular year, month, season or part of the day.

Who is the woman in the red dress?

You can use in to say what someone is wearing.

She speaks Russian.

Don't use in when you are talking about someone's ability to speak a foreign language.

I spent all the evenings indoors. School classes were held outdoors.

Indoors and outdoors are adverbs. If something happens indoors, it happens inside a building. If it happens outdoors, it does not happen in a building.

Let's go indoors.

If you go indoors, you go into a building.

When they went outside, it was raining.

When someone goes out of a building, don't say that they go outdoors. Say that they go outside.

indoor swimming pools. an outdoor play area.

Indoor and outdoor are adjectives used in front of a noun. You use indoor to describe something that is done or used inside a building and outdoor to describe something that is done or used outside.

Pat did not give her any information about Sarah.

Information means facts about someone or something. You say that you give people information.

I'd like some information about trains, please. I'm afraid that I have no information on that.

You refer to information about something or on something.

I wondered how to use this piece of information.

Information is an uncountable noun. You can talk about a piece of information.

It was on the news at 8.30.

Don't use information to talk about descriptions of recent events in newspapers or on television or radio. The word you use is news.

In spite of his illness, my father was always cheerful.

You use in spite of when you are talking about a fact that makes the rest of what you are saying sound surprising. The spelling is in spite of.

Although he was late, he stopped to buy a sandwich.

Don't use in spite of as a conjunction. Say Although we protested, they took him away.

Despite their different ages, they were close friends.

Despite means the same as in spite of. Don't use of after despite.

Judy did not answer: Instead she looked out of the taxi window.

Instead is an adverb. You use it when you are saying that someone does something rather than doing something else.

Why not have your meal at seven o'clock instead of five o'clock?

Instead of is a preposition. You use it to introduce something that is in the place of something else.

You should walk to work instead of driving.

You can say that someone does something instead of doing something else.

I am very interested in politics.

If you want to know more about something or someone, you can say that you are interested in them.

I was interested in seeing different kinds of film.

If you want to do something, you can say that you are interested in doing it.

I've met some very interesting people.

Don't confuse interested with interesting. You say that someone or something is interesting because you want to know more about them.

I went into the church.

You use the preposition into to talk anout movement of some kind. You use into to say where someone or something goes, or where you put something.

Come in here.

However, in front of here and there, you use in, not into.

William put the letter into his pocket. He locket the bag and put the key in his pocket.

After verbs meaning put, throw, drop, or fall, you can use into or in with the same meaning.

He invited Alexander to dinner. I invited her to my party.

If you invite someone to a party or a meal, you ask them to come to it.

He invited Axel to come with him.

When you ask someone to do something enjoyable, you can say that you invite them to do it.

a tray with glasses on it.

You use it to talk about an object, animal, or other thing that has just been mentioned.

I like it here. She was frightened, but tried not to show it.

You can also use it to talk about a situation, fact, or experience.

I like being in your house. I want to be a doctor.

When you use a verb such as like or prefer with an -ing form or a to-infinitive, don't use it as well. For example, say I like walking in the park.

It's seven o'clock. It's Sunday morning.

You use it followed by be to say what the time, day, or date is.

It was very cold. It became dark.

You use it followed by a linking verb like be or become to describe the weather or the light.

There was no more room in the house.

Don't use it followed by be to say that something exists. Say: There's a lot of traffic on this road.

He held the knife by its handle. The horse raised its head.

You use its to show that something belongs to a thing, place or animal.

It's three o'clock. It's been very nice talking to you.

It's is a short form of it is or it has.

a journey of over 2,000 miles.

A journey is an occasion when you travel from one place to another.

a business trip to Milan.

A trip is an occasion when you travel from one place to another, stay there for a short time, and come back again.

The ship's voyage is over... the voyage to the moon in 1972.

A voyage is a long journey from one place to another in a ship or spacecraft.

He went on a journey to London. I made a special trip to Yorkshire to visit them.

You can make a journey, trip or voyage, or go on a journey, trip or voyage.

I've just bought a new house.

You use just to say that something happened a very short time ago. British speakers usually use the present perfect with just. For example, they say I've just arrived.

I just broke the oink bowl.

American speakers usually use the past simple. INstead of saying I've just arrived, they say I just arrived.

Where do you keep your keys?

If you keep something somewhere, you store it in that place.

The noise outside kept them awake. They have to hunt for food to keep alive.

You can use keep followed by an adjective to talk about staying in a particular state. For example, if you keep someone warm, you make them stay warm. If someone keeps warm, they stay warm.

The phone keeps ringing. My mother keeps asking questions.

You can use it to say that something happens again and again.

I turned back after a while, but he kept walking.

You can also use it to say that something continues to happen and does not stop.

I knew that she was studying at law school.

If you know that something is true, you are aware that it is a fact. The past tense form of know is knew. The past participle is known.

I know that this is true.

Don't use a progressive form with know.

That's not their fault, Peter. - Yes, I know.

If someone tells you something that you already know, say I know.

Do you know Davis? He knew London well. Do you know the poem "Kubla Khan"?

If you know a person, place, or thing, you are familiar with them.

Do you know how to drive?

If you know how to do something, you have learnt how to do it.