Will and would

We use will (present and would (past) to talk about repeated or characteristic behaviour:

He will often just walk right in without knocking

She will spend €200 on clothes on a Saturday

My father would take us out fro a drive every Sunday

In summer we would go to a caravan park in the south

As well as repeated event, we use will and would for events which are always true:

Dogs will bark if they are nervous

Ice will melt in high temperatures

In the middle ages people would eat wood

Before mobile phones, people would call into each other’s houses

However DO NOT use them for specific occasions, only general times:

Last night he would talk for hours

Last night he talked for hours

When I was a boy he would talk for hours

We use would and used to talk about the repeated past:

He would go to the cinema every Friday

He used to see a film every week

However, we ONLY use would if the time reference is clear:

He used to eat burgers

He would eat a burger on his birthday

We can also use would and will to criticise people:

She’ll never do the washing up, even when you ask her

He’d always complain when you asked him to do something

We use will to state a probability, an assumption for the present:

It’s nine o’clock. It’ll be still dark in New York

He will be arriving around now

Why ‘will’ is not the future!

Sometimes learners of English do not understand the difference between I will do something tomorrow and I’m doing something tomorrow. Both are the future. When we think of the future in English, we usually think of ‘will’, but this is not the future normally. Normally we use the present continuous.

I’m meeting my friends tonight

I’m doing my homework later

I’m going to Paris next week.

The difference is whether the action is planned or unplanned.

This means whether or not you decided to do the future action BEFORE you say it. If it is planned (you decided before) we use I’m going, if we are deciding now we use I’ll go.

Here’s an example:

Imagine yesterday I was invited to a party next Saturday, and yesterday I decided to go. Now I say:

I’m going to the party on Saturday. I’m going.

But if someone asks me now if I’ll go to the party, and NOW I decide, I say:

Yes, I’ll go. I will go. The decision is now.

So we use ‘will’ for when we decide NOW, and we use 'am doing' for when we decided already.

Now think about your future. Think about next week. What are you doing? What are your plans?

On Monday I’m meeting Peter

On Tuesday I’m working

On Wednesday I’m going to the restaurant

On Thursday I’m staying at home

On Friday I’m writing my report

Usually we do know our future! We make plans!

That is why ‘will’ is only sometimes used, and usually it’s the present continuous.

So what are you doing tomorrow?

I'm reading the blog on Delfin.ie

Really? Me too!

Saying numbers...

Numbers

In English, large numbers are easy. The secret is when you say the word hundred, you follow with the word and. For example the number 546 is five hundred and forty six. The number 1,234 is one thousand, two hundred and thirty four. Even very large numbers are easy. The number 12,345,657 is read as twelve million, three hundred and forty five thousand, six hundred and fifty seven. Remember, hundred and.

Also, note that in English we put a comma(,) after the hundered, not a full stop (.).

Nought or zero is said as OH in a telephone number.

The temperature in Ireland in winter is sometimes zero degrees. But in sport, we say nil. So if the score in the football match was one : zero we say one : nil. If the score was 2 : 2 we say two all. So what would you say if the score was zero : zero? That’s right. Nil all.

For money, one thousand dollars or euro is a grand. So eight thousand euro is, yes, eight grand. Grand is always a thousand. How much is a Ferrari? 100 grand? (This is informal English)

Telephone numbers are usually said in groups of three, then two then two. For example the telephone number 1234567 would be read as 123 45 67. Zero in telephone numbers is said as zero or ‘oh'.

So Delfin's telephone number ((01) 8722037 would be said as 'oh one, eight seven two, two oh, three seven.

Numbers. They’re easy!.

Must I, shoud I or do I have to?

Must, should and Have to

When we talk about obligation we use must, should and have to. But the meaning of these words is not the same.

Should is used when ‘it is better if’. It is not necessary, the obligation is not 100%, but it is better if:

I should clean my house. Nobody is forcing me to clean my house, but it is better if I clean it.

I should phone Peter

I should take more exercise

I should study harder.

None of the above things are necessary but it is better if they were done.

When we say ‘should’ there is a 50:50 obligation. It is not necessary, it is better.

The next form of obligation is when I tell myself to do something. I tell myself. Other people don’t tell me, I tell myself. Here, we use ‘must’.

I must tidy my bedroom. This is me telling myself to clean the room, not my mother.

I must go. My decision.

I must be a better person. I have decided that it is necessary.

But sometimes, other people oblige me to do something. Maybe my parents, or my school or the government. In this case we use ‘have to’.

I have to pay tax. The government says so.

I have to be in school at nine. The principle says so.

I have to tidy my bedroom. My mother says so.

So which do you think is the strongest? It's debatable, but probably have to. It’s stronger because the obligation comes from others, not ourselves.

Be careful with the negatives though. They are NOT the opposite!

I don’t have to, means it is not necessary, but I can if I want.

I don’t have to go to school on Saturday. (But I can if I want!)

I mustn’t is very strong. I means it is necessary that I don’t.

You mustn’t smoke in school. It is prohibited!

Children mustn’t play with matches. It’s dangerous!

I don't have to go to school on Saturdays.

He doesn't have to work because he is rich.

And now, unfortunately, I have to go! Bye bye.

One is not two!

Sometimes when I am standing in a queue in a cafe or a bar, and there is a non-native English speaker ordering in front of me, I often hear things like:
'One coffee please' or 'One pint of beer and one packet of crisps please'.
This is not correct! It should of course be:
'A coffee please' or 'a pint of beer and a packet of crisps please'.
The problem (I think) comes from the fact that in many languages the word for 'one' and the word for 'a' are very similar and hence the confusion. It is an understandable mistake.
So when do we say 'one' in English in this context?
Quite simply, one is not two! I will explain:
Imagine I am standing at the bar with my friend and I order a drink for the two of us. I would say:
'Two pints of beer please'.
The barman pours us the drinks and half an hour later my friend would order:
'Two pints of beer please'.
And again we drink the drinks. We order another:
'Two pints of beer please'.
The barman serves the beers and after them my friend suggests another.
'I can't', I say to my friend, 'but let me buy you one'. I then catch the barman's eye.
'Excuse me... Hello. Can I have....'
Now what do you think I will say at this moment? What is the barman expecting me to say? He is expecting me to say 'two beers please' because that is what I have been ordering all night. But I want to make it clear it is NOT two so I say:
'One beer please'.
And that is the only context where we use one in this way.
Remember, ONE is NOT TWO!

Say ,tell ,talk and speak

One of the most common errors that students make is with say, tell, talk and speak.

Talk and speak

The difference is small, and gramatically there is NO difference. That effectively means you cannot make a mistake (except with 'languages'). Talking is usually informal. Speaking is more formal.

The president spoke to the people.

Talking is a two-way conversation whereas speaking is often one-way. This means that one person is speaking and one or more people are listening. For example:

The employees were all talking before the boss began to speak. (Employees - two-way, boss - one-way)

When we speak to people we expect them to listen. He wants to speak to me. Is he angry? Does he want to give me information? He’ll speak and I’ll listen.

Can I talk to you? This is probably an informal situation. We are friends.

Can I speak to you? It is likely that this is formal, or perhaps I am angry!

We talk in the coffee shop. We speak on the telephone. We speak languages. We talk to our friends. What languages do you speak? Are you alright? Do you need to talk? But as I have said, the difference is small. The only time the difference is grammatically important is:

He speaks two languages NOT He talks two languages.

Say and tell

Basically, we tell people and say things.

I said that I was hungry

I told him that I was hungry

He said that he didn’t like the exercise

He told me that he didn’t like the exercise

In this blog, I’m saying various things about these two verbs

I’m telling you about these two verbs

But apart from people, there are other things you can tell. You can tell the truth. You can tell a story. You can tell lies. You can tell the time. And, sometimes, when things are very similar, you can’t tell the difference. Can you tell the difference between say and tell?

Think about it!

Phrasal verbs are easy!

Help!

A lot of students roll their eyes up to heaven and start shaking when teachers mention the word 'phrasal verb'! There seems to be a fear amongst learners of English that phrasal verbs are simply impossible to understand. Students believe that you can study them for years and years and they will still make no sense!

Well, the good news is that this is not true. Phrasal verbs are easy! I promise!

The problem.

The problem for students is that phrasal verbs all look so similar. To bring in , to bring out, to bring up , to bring down etc. And in this form, it is true. But what if the common thread were the preposition, and not the verb? To get on, to drag on, to go on etc. Now it is easier because if we now introduce a keyword, a word which will explain the real meaning of the preposition then the meaning of the verb will (hopefully!) become obvious. In the above case, the keyword is CONTACT. That means that with all phrasal verbs with on, the meaning is contact. Look at the following sentences:

The bottle is on the table
Peter and Tom get on
The film went on and on

Look at the first sentence. Here, the contact is simply physical: between the bottle and the table. In the second sentence, the contact is between Peter and Tom; it is social contact. If you don't get on with someone, do you have contact with them? No. In the third example, there is too much contact: the film is too long.
Let's go back and start again from the begining.

Are you on for it?

Before we look at any phrasal verb group, we should look at what the preposition means when it is used with the verb to be.
The bottle is on the table
As I have already said, here the contact is simply physical contact between the bottle and the table. But what if I were offering you a coffee? Offering you a coffee is like saying
You-coffee-contact?, or in idiomatic English, 'Are you on for a coffee?'
Similarly, I might ask, 'What are you on for doing this weekend?' (ie with what would you like contact?). So, I'm on for means 'I would like' or 'I want'.
We can use the same 'contact' idea for other idiomatic expressions. If you are intending to treat someone in a restaurant, when the bill arrives, it's 'me-bill-contact', so you can say, 'it's on me!'
So on means contact, whatever the structure and whatever the context. It doesn't have to be a phrasal verb.

Do you get on?

I get on with Tom. There is (good) contact between us. If we don't get on, there is no contact.

Does it go on and on?

Look at these sentences.
The film went on a long time.
The meeting went on and on
Here, there is too much contact. The film and the meeting were both too long. If we want to make the idea even stronger, we could say:
The meeting dragged on and on.
Likewise, if someone talks too much about his car, it is boring; we have too much contact and we can say:
He went on and on about his car.

Am I going on too much?

So now are you beginning to see 'on' in English? It is not just about something lying ON the surface of something else. It is also metaphorical. It is about the contact between people or objects or even concepts.
I've decided to take on the new job.
Here, the contact is between me and RESPONSIBILITY. If I take it on, I accept it. But with take on, it's about responsibility.

Go out and look at the world of ON. When you see a word with ON ask yourself where is the contact? Between what and what?
Good luck and if we meet in a pub...it's on you!

It's all going swimmingly

It's been a great social summer here in Delfin and the fat lady still hasn't sung!

The summer began on June 19 with a great night in the Hop House. There was free beer all around and songs were sung and friendships were made. Other nights we had during the summer included the literary pub crawl where we heard great stories about James Joyce and Samuel Beckett reminescent of times past in Dublin.

The dogs was another great night. Here we went to the greyhound track and bet on the dogs to win races. Bets were small so nobody lost their shirt but everyone had a great time.

Testing trivia was the table quiz night here in the school. There were prizes to be won and almost everyone walked away with something. My favourite prize was an electric tennis racket you use to kill flies!

And then there was the fourth anniversary party. Woo hoo! There was a HUGE party here in the school with loads of beers and everybody dancing and laughing and singing. Needless to say it went on until the wee hours of the morning but everyone left with a smile on their face.

Kilmainham Goal, Riverdance in the Gaiety Theatre, a fantastic tour of Glendalough, Glasnevin cemetary, an introduction to Gaelic games, a Ceili with live Irish music in the school and a great day out at the Summersound festival were some of the other highlighs of the summer programme '09.

But it's not over yet! This week we are going to see the famous preserved bodies in St Michan's church and on Saturday 5 we are going on a picnic and hike in beautiful Wicklow. So much to see...so much to do! JR

Life in Dublin

The elementary class have written:

After many years without studying English, people from a lot of countries get together to try to learn English one more time, it's really funny. Friendships are made, experiences are changed and the mix of cultures are very interesting.

The first weeks of class are an opportunity to get excited, in the beginning it can be a little negative, because we have the fear of the unknown and miss our family.

One of the best things that Dublin has is it's nightlife, the pubs always encouraged to drink a Guinness, seven days a week. The experience of being in an authentic Irish pub is always curious, in the end, everyone sing and dance together, nobody is seated, until the people who don't like beer finally draw. But the funny is, in difference from other countries, here the shops close early and have dinner after nine is almost impossible. But it's easy.

I couldn't have said it better myself! John.

The 5 best things about Dublin

The elementary class put their heads together recently and came up with the 5 best things about Dublin:

1. The Irish women are very pretty and they have special blue eyes.

2. People are very friendly, helpful and funny. Dublin has a young population.

3. The night finishes early, but it starts early too! In the summer the day is very long.

4. The phoenix park is the biggest in Europe. The symbol of Ireland is a shamrock.

5. Guinness stout is the best in the world. It is wonderful.

They also wrote out 5 reasons why Delfin is the best.....

1. The teachers are helpful, funny and friendly. They also have a lot of patience.

2. Delfin has a tag rugby team. You can visit tourist places in Dublin.

3. Delfin is in the city centre and th eschool is near lots of bus stops.

4. The prices are the best in the city centre. There are different prices for studying at different times.

5. You can find opportunities to find a job in Delfin. After one week you can look for a job.

Postcard from Dublin

Nadia Colombo reminisces about Dublin...

After two months spent in Dublin and one month left before my departure, I think that the best subject I could choose for my essay is the city of Dublin.

Dublin is not the city of my dreams. It's cultural life cannot be compared to the majority of the other European capitals, and the weather is not good enough.

Despite that, I'm going to remember this city for a long time.

Dublin has grown on me slowly, step by step. I have known it inside out, wandering around the city centre every day since I arrived and now that I know it, I can say that I really like it.

I love the refined Georgian houses and their coloured doors, as well as the ruined colourful houses of Camden street. I like walking along the canal and sitting on a bench reading a book on a sunny day. I enjoy the strong flavour of malt you can feel in the air on a windy day. And above all I love the changeable Irish sky which strongly affects the perception of the city.

Party-time!

The whole school went to the Hop House on Parnell street on Friday night. We all met at six o’clock and as everybody arrived they all got free beer. The Hop House supplied cold and frothy free beer to two hundred students and then, as if that were enough, the students were able to buy beer for only Euro1 with the vouchers they had earned in class during the academic week. It was great craic. There was drinking and stories and jokes all night being passed around the bar. It was a memorable night for all!

And more great news! We are going to do it again on Friday June 19. Watch this space for more details...

So why do students come to Delfin?

Many of the students who come here say that they have been living in Dublin for several months and because of the fact that they are living with people of the same nationality, or even working with people who speak English as a second language, they feel that they are not learning English as quickly as they would like to.That’s when they come to us!

So many students who come here suffer from the ‘translation’ syndrome. They are thinking in their own language and they speak English as if it were a direct translation, word for word, from their language. The result is a type of ‘formal’ English. It is completely understandable, but it is not the natural English that native speakers use.

And that’s where Delfin comes in. Our teachers focus on the five skills according to how they are used in the real world. How much of your time do you spend speaking? How much time do you spend listening? Or reading? Or writing? The two skills which students in Delfin are very keen to improve are speaking and listening and so this is the focus in our classes.

Our teachers are really interested in how the learner can bridge the gap between this ‘translation’ with which they arrive, and the natural form of English which is used by millions of native speakers around the world. And what’s great is that we are getting more and more successful at it! Our students are giving us great feedback on our methods and all of them are saying that since they have come to Delfin, their English has really improved!

Wonderful news! JR.