The compiler by ANH TRÌNH **END UP/BE UP TO Gareth Rees: Well Yana, thank you for your question which, as you say, is about phrasal or multi-word verbs. These are verbs which have more than one part and they can be difficult for learners of English partly because there are so many and also because they often have more than one meaning. The two you've chosen though are not so difficult. First of all 'to end up' means to reach a final position. For example, about travel: "They are travelling across Europe by train and they'll end up in Paris. From there, they fly back to the US." Or, another example, from life: "I studied medicine at university but I ended up working for an accountancy firm." In that second example, the final job for the person was as an accountant even though they started by studying medicine. They 'ended up' working as an accountant. Now, 'to be up to' has two meanings. The first means that someone is capable of doing a task or facing a challenge. For example: "She's up to the job. In fact, she'll probably deliver the report early." Here the woman is definitely able to do the job. She's 'up to' the job. The second meaning, and I think it is the more common one, is similar to 'to do something'. If a father hears his children making a noise he might shout: "What are you up to?" and he wants to know what they are doing. This meaning of 'to be up to' is often used when you are suspicious of something. You think someone is behaving in a strange way and you don't know why they are doing something. For example, a teacher sees three students go into an empty classroom. The teacher might say: "Did you see those students go in that room? What are they up to? Let's go and have a look." Now, this phrase, 'to be up to' is also used to talk about someone's free time. For example: "What are you up to this weekend?" is an informal way to ask what someone is doing over the weekend, to ask if they have any plans. So, I think I've ended up at the end of the explanation, I hope it has helped. By the 1 The compiler by ANH TRÌNH way Yana, what are you up to tonight? Gareth Rees has been an English language teacher and teacher trainer for over 10 years. He is currently a lecturer at London Metropolitan University and his first course book for English Language learners is due to be published in 2007. KNOW/KNOWING: Gareth Rees: Wojciech, thank you for your question. First of all, in a sense, there are two types of verbs, action verbs and state verbs. Action verbs include ones like kick, take, do. State verbs include ones like have, be, know, believe. Interestingly, state verbs often describe things connected to our minds and thoughts, as well as possession and existence. To be or not to be for example. It is indeed unusual for a verb with a state meaning to be used in the continuous form. This is because the continuous form suggests something is temporary and of limited duration, usually happening at a specific time, for example; "At the moment, I am working on a computer." However, a state is something which has a feeling of permanence or unlimited duration. For example: "The sun is the source of energy." So, we say 'I know my Father', not 'I am knowing my father', because the relationship feels permanent, and it is a state of knowledge not an activity. You either know your father or you don't. To know or not to know, that is the example. However, there some verbs which usually have a state meaning, but can sometimes have an action meaning. 'Think' is a good example of this. Here are two examples: "What do you think of the weather in your country?" "Hey David, you seem worried. What are you thinking about?" In the first example, think has a state meaning - what is your opinion? In the 2 The compiler by ANH TRÌNH second example think has an action meaning. David is actively thinking hard about something. His friend can see this in his face, we can imagine the engine in his brain working. So, we can therefore use the continuous form because it is now an action verb. And, we want to give a meaning of temporary action happening now 'What are you thinking about? Tell me!' Finally, a few more examples of the verbs which are rarely used in the continuous but could be. First of all: "I have a brother" , "I can't talk now. I'm having dinner." In the first one, to have a brother, is a permanent state of existence. You either have a brother or you don't. In the second one have describes the action to eat dinner, to have dinner. This is an action so we can say "I'm having dinner." And lastly the verb 'to love'. This is a state of emotion and is normally used in the simple form, not in the continuous form. "I love ice-cream", "I love my wife". However there is one popular example at the moment which is used by an American restaurant company in their advertising. They simply say for the experience of eating in their restaurant, "I'm loving it". Gareth Rees has been an English language teacher and teacher trainer for over 10 years. He is currently a lecturer at London Metropolitan University and his first course book for English Language learners is due to be published in 2007. CAN/COULD: Sian Harris answers: This is a common area for questions, as these verbs can have several functions. Without going into too much detail, I'm going to try and illustrate the key uses for you. Firstly, we use 'can' for something that is possible or to show that somebody has the ability to do something in the present and future. For example: We can see the park from our house, 3 The compiler by ANH TRÌNH Or Ella can speak fluent Japanese. The negative here is 'can't' .as in: He can't swim very well. In this case, 'could' is generally used as the past form of 'can'. So, Ella could speak fluent Japanese when she was young, and she can speak several other languages now too. Or: When I was a child I could run fast. We use 'could' for general past ability, but be a little bit careful here, because when we're talking about what happened in a particular situation, we tend to use 'was/were able to' for past ability instead: For example: The fire spread quickly, but luckily everybody was able to escape. We also use 'could' to talk about possible actions now and in the future - here the function is possibility (not ability) - and this is what tends to cause the confusion around these words. For example, if you are expecting some friends to visit, but they have been delayed, you might say 'they could arrive at any time now', or if you're trying to make progress with your work you might ask 'Could we talk to the boss again? For this function of possibility, we need to watch out for the past form, as this doesn't work in exactly the same way. If we want to express past possibility, we need to use could + have and the past participle (have done, have been etc). Let's imagine you've received a letter or card from a mystery admirer, and you're trying to work out who sent it to you. As the sending happened in the past, we are speculating about a past possibility. 'John could have sent it' but perhaps 'James could have written it' .we are not sure who, but think there are some possibilities. Finally, let's look at how we commonly use can/could in question forms to make requests (or ask for things). If we go shopping for clothes, we might ask 'can/could I try that dress on please?' or 'could I see those shoes in blue.' Here, either 'can' or 'could' may be used without significant difference. The only thing worth noting is that in terms of register, that is (style and formality), 'could' is considered slightly 4 The compiler by ANH TRÌNH more formal or polite. So, to recap, three of the main functions for 'can/could' are to talk about: ability, possibility (with the change in the past form to remember) and for requests. Sian Harris is the Manager of English Language Training & Development at the BBC World Service, and runs specialist courses in London and overseas for BBC staff. Before joining the BBC, she spent 10 years as an English language teacher, examiner and academic manager in schools and colleges in London. THINK OF/THINK ABOUT Sian Harris answers: Hi Cecile and thanks for your question - prepositions are a very tricky area! This is also what's known as a collocation issue .which means we need to look at which words work best in partnership with 'think of ' and 'think about.'. Basically, 'think of' usually means 'imagine' whereas 'think about' tends to mean something closer to 'consider', so the differences would arise in certain contexts. For example, if I say I'm thinking of a tropical beach, please don't interrupt me! I mean I'm imagining it or daydreaming about it. However, a sentence like 'they're thinking about whether to agree to the sale,' means they're considering the sale. In these cases, it's just natural usage patterns that tend to favour one form over another But when we are talking about people, we often tend to use them both in a similar way: For example, if my friend had an accident and went to hospital, I might send a card and some flowers with a message which could either read: 'I'm thinking of you,' or 'I'm thinking about you', and the meaning wouldn't be significantly different. I hope that helps Cecile - thanks for your question. Sian Harris is the Manager of English Language Training & Development at the BBC World Service, and runs specialist courses in London and overseas for BBC 5 The compiler by ANH TRÌNH staff. Before joining the BBC, she spent 10 years as an English language teacher, examiner and academic manager in schools and colleges in London. DO/WOULD: Sian Harris answers: Hi Mohammed, thanks for your question. The main point to consider here is that 'does' and 'doesn't' are all present simple forms of the verb 'to do'. One of the main uses of the present simple is to express a general truth, a fact, habit or routine when we're not only thinking about now but thinking in general. In your example, you say He doesn't know - this suggests to me a simple fact or general truth about his situation, in the same way that if I say I don't own a cat or He doesn't like ice-cream this is simply a general fact or truth without any particular time attached to it. 'Would' can be used in several different ways, but to relate my answer to your specific example, He wouldn't know, we're using it in this case to hypothesise or imagine how much - or conversely - how little he knows. Here we don't think it's very likely that he would know, but it's not as definite as using the present simple form 'doesn't know' where you feel absolutely sure about the limits of his knowledge. So one of the most common uses of 'would' or 'wouldn't' is to hypothesise or imagine a situation or action. If we want to express this in the past, we have to use 'would' or 'wouldn't' with 'have' and the past participle - in this case 'wouldn't have known' or 'wouldn't have done.' For example: There was no point asking him yesterday because he wouldn't have known then. These are certainly not the only uses of 'would', but I hope, at least, this answers your question about the functions of 'would' as it appears in your sentence. Sian Harris is the Manager of English Language Training & Development at the BBC World Service, and runs specialist courses in London and overseas for BBC staff. Before joining the BBC, she spent 10 years as an English language teacher, examiner and academic manager in schools and colleges in London. 6 The compiler by ANH TRÌNH Will/going/going to Sian Harris answers: Based on your actual examples, 'I will go to the market at 4' and 'I'm going to the market at 4', I think it's actually worth looking at 3 possible verb forms for the future: Will, going to do, and finally, in the case of your example, I'm going. So let's start by looking at how we use will and the bare infinitive, as in your example 'will go'. This verb tense is known as the future simple, and has several functions. One of the most common is to express a prediction, that is a guess or a subjective opinion, about the future, when we've not made any definite arrangement, but just think that something is probable, or likely to happen at the time of speaking. If I asked you the question: who do you think will win the World Cup? I'm guessing that you (Anna) might say 'I think Holland will win', and you might also feel really confident about that. But I think even the most passionate football supporter would agree the final result (of a football tournament that hasn't yet finished) can't be thought of as definite or something that has been arranged in advance. In a similar way, we also use 'will' for decisions, offers, promises or threats that are spontaneous, or made quickly at the moment of speaking. The speaker hasn't decided before. If you saw the sun was shining outside, you might say 'It's a beautiful day, I think I'll, or I will, go for a swim later,' or 'maybe I'll phone my friends and organise a picnic'. In all of these situations, the common link is that there are no definite arrangements for these events. No decision has been made before speaking. Moving on now to a different structure: Going to + bare infinitive, which is sometimes used quite interchangeably with 'will'. This has a particular function for stronger predictions, perhaps when there's some present evidence to suggest something will happen: 'Ella's a really good student, I think she's going to be a brain surgeon when she gets older.' 7 The compiler by ANH TRÌNH We also use this structure when we have a personal intention, or are making a resolution or decision to do something, as in, 'I'm going to stop eating so much chocolate this year'. In a context where you have not only decided to do something but also made all the arrangements, sometimes referred to as 'diary future', we're more likely to use a present verb tense, the present continuous ? am/is/are + ING form of the verb, as you have in your second sentence 'I'm going to the market at 4'. We use this form for future events that are booked and already arranged, and which we consequently feel are definitely going to happen. For example, I'm flying to France on Sunday, we're buying a house or I'm meeting my boss at 2. So while there's often a confusion between these forms I hope those examples have helped to clarify the key difference for you. Thanks Anna. Sian Harris is the Manager of English Language Training & Development at the BBC World Service, and runs specialist courses in London and overseas for BBC staff. Before joining the BBC, she spent 10 years as an English language teacher, examiner and academic manager in schools and colleges in London SOLVE/RESOLVE: A question from Lilia in Rio de Janeiro: Since I'm improving my English, I'm trying to write my reports in English. I need to know the difference between the verbs 'solve' and 'resolve'. Thank you. Sian Harris answers: Hello Lilia, thanks for getting in touch. The simplest answer I can give you here is to say that in many contexts they are roughly synonymous - in other words similar in meaning and therefore sometimes used interchangeably, where the basic meaning is to find a solution or answer to a problem. 8 The compiler by ANH TRÌNH For example, we could say either "we have solved the problems in management" or "we have resolved the problems in management". To resolve a problem, argument or difficulty means to deal with it successfully. As in the example, "The cabinet met to resolve the dispute." However, be aware that 'resolve' can be used with the infinitive with a slightly different meaning. If you resolve to do something you make a firm decision to do it. "They resolved to take action." 'Resolve' also sometimes appears as a noun meaning a determination to do something. "We must be firm in our resolve to oppose them." So Lilia, you'll find more examples in your dictionary, but in them meantime, I hope I've clarified the key differences there. A question: English language learner Oksana wants to know how to correctly use the words 'beyond' and 'behind' Sian Harris answers: Hi, thanks for your question, there are quite a few different definitions we need to look at here but the meanings of 'behind' and 'beyond' are actually quite different. One of the principal meanings of 'behind' is as a preposition of place. If you are behind a thing or a person you are facing the back of that thing or person. For example: 'There were two boys sitting behind me.' In these terms it means the opposite of 'in front of.' But 'behind' also has adverb uses: if you stay behind, you remain in a place after others have gone. For example: 'John stayed behind after school to take the test.' Equally, if you leave something behind, you do not take it with you when you go: 'They'd been forced to leave behind their businesses and possessions.' 9 The compiler by ANH TRÌNH As a time expression, behind appears when someone or something is behind, they are delayed or are making less progress than other people think they should: 'The bus was behind schedule.' There are also some more abstract uses of behind that you should be aware of. If an experience is behind you, it is finished. So, for example, 'Now that the divorce is behind us, we can move on.' Also the people, reasons or events behind a situation are the causes of it or are responsible for it as in the sentence: ' .the man behind the modernisation of the organisation.' Finally, if you are behind someone, you support them. 'The country was behind the president.' If we turn now to think about 'beyond' - 'beyond' can also function as a preposition of place. If something is 'beyond' a place, it is on the other side of it, as in the case of ' .a house beyond the village.' But there's a more abstract meaning to 'beyond' as well - it can mean to extend, continue or progress beyond a particular thing or means to extend or continue further than that thing or point. For example: 'Few children remain in school beyond the age of 16.' 'Beyond' also has some quite interesting idiomatic usages. If someone or something is beyond belief, understanding or control, it has become impossible to believe, understand or control it. 'The situation has changed beyond recognition.' If you say that something is beyond you, you mean that you cannot understand it. 'How he managed to find us is beyond me.' So, quite a few different meanings there to contend with, but I hope this helps you to identify which word you might use. 10