Long Time No See!

It's been  a while since I posted here, so I'll explain what I've been up to.


I've been travelling!


Well, not travelling as such, but I've been living in Taipei in Taiwan! I arrived at the start of December (2011), and have been experiencing the food, the culture, the people, and have been trying to learn Mandarin Chinese all the while (it's not easy).


I did, however, travel to Singapore and Bali in Indonesia last month, so I have travelled a bit. 


Anyway, I'll try to update with more lessons soon. In the meantime, please check out my YouTube travel channel:

Hint: click the picture above.

See you soon,

Matt.

Simple, But Useful Grammar - 'able'

Edible?

There are a few ways in English to describe what something or someone is capable of, or what can be done to it or to them. Using the the modal verb 'can' is the most common way, for example:


The pie can be eaten


This sentence structure is quite simple, but many English learners may have difficulties with it because it's in the passive voice. To simplify it further, we can add the suffix 'able' to a verb. 'Able' itself means 'can':


I am able to do it = I can do it


So, if we add 'able' to a verb as a suffix, we essentially get verb+can:


read + able = readable


If something is readable, then it can be read (passive sentence). 


"This book is readable because it uses simple vocabulary."


climb + able = climbable


"Are you sure that ladder is climbable? It looks very old!"


What about the word 'eatable'? Well, yes, you can use it, but it sounds a little silly. It's more common to use 'edible'.


"I don't think that bread is edible, it has mold on it".


This kind of 'able' word is an adjective, because it describes an object.
Note: 'able' as a suffix is pronounced 'ə.bl' (IPA chart here).




Simple! So, do you think it's learnable?


Photo source

Beggars in The Street

A few weeks ago I was walking home from a night out at a salsa club. It was fun, of course, but I had to leave early due to the fact that I was teaching online that night. Walking through Cape Town city centre at night alone isn't the safest thing to do, but nothing bad had happened to me doing so prior to that night (except getting mugged during the World Cup last year). The best thing to do is keep your head up, look forward, and try to act confident so that nobody bothers you.

This time, it didn't work.

A woman of indeterminable age approached me and started asking for money. Of course I said no, because 1) I had no money with me (specifically to avoid giving it away to people I didn't know), and 2) she was coloured, and with Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) in South Africa, this person had a better chance of getting a job than I, a white foreigner, had. Maybe taking my degree into account the situation is not so, but do you see my point?

Even though I said no, she asked again. I said no again, politely, but still she continued to ask, and eventually began demanding my money. I kept walking, but she started to follow me. I got annoyed and started walking more quickly, but I couldn't shake her off. I tried to tell her that if I had money, I probably would have taken a taxi, but she didn't seem to understand, and explained to me how she was pregnant. Still, my answer was "no".

Eventually I got to a main road where there seemed to be an invisible barrier that only I could pass through, so she swore at me and turned to face the opposite direction. I would say it was a strange experience, but it's not at all uncommon in South Africa.

My advice? Take a taxi.

Phrases:

a night out - having fun at night, usually in a social situation, i.e. at a bar, pub, or nightclub.

prior to - before

to get/be mugged - to have someone forcibly take your money and/or belongings (often involving the use of weapons).

give away - give something for free or as a gift.

coloured - South African politically correct term for a person of non-white and non-black ancestry (in other countries the term 'mixed race' may sometimes be used).

take something into account - consider something

do you see my point? - do you understand what I mean?

shake off - get rid of (somebody/something that is following you).

to swear - to curse/use swear words or vulgar language.

Turn That Music Down!

So, it's almost 5am here in Cape Town, and the nightclub down the road still has its music blaring into the street. It's rather loud. I'd like to go over there and give them a good talking to, but we all know that won't help!

I'm sure you've all been in a similar situation before, perhaps with a neighbour or house mate, but how many of you knew how to tell them to 'shut the hell up!' in English?

Well, I can help you...

If you manage to confront the culprit, you could ask them politely to "turn the music down please", or you could be very polite and say "could you possibly turn the music down just a little bit please?". To be a little more blunt you could say "turn the music down now, or else". If they then tell you to "f**k off" and slam the door in your face, that's when you need to call the police. On the other hand, if you have no chance of winning in this situation, a useful phrase could be "can I join the party?".

Anyway, I hope these phrases come in handy! Also, I hope I can get some sleep soon too...

Phrases:

blaring/blasting into the street - so loud it can be heard in the street.

give someone a good talking to - tell someone off, tell someone what they're doing is wrong.

something won't help - something is useless in a certain situation.

shut the hell up! - vulgar form of 'shut up', be quiet.

turn the music down - reduce the volume of the music, make quieter.

or else - otherwise there will be consequences, usually used as a threat.

f**k off - extremely vulgar way to say 'go away' or 'leave', probably the most common phrasal verb in English.

slam the door in your face - shut the door hard very close to your face.

on the other hand - alternatively.

come in handy - become useful in a situation.

1UP English

Hello everyone!

Welcome to 1UP English.

1UP English is designed to be an inspirational source for learning English. Learning languages can be difficult and boring, and English is certainly no exception. It takes a long time to learn a complex language like English. It's important to have fun while learning so that you stay motivated.

When I'm studying foreign languages, I find it more interesting to learn about things that I enjoy (music, video games, movies, sports, travel, etc.) than learning about things that bore me even in my own language.

With 1UP English I aim to help learners of the English language by posting material about interesting things which relate to everyday life. Also, because I'm a real teacher too, I will try to help you learn important aspects of grammar and vocabulary use, as well as a thing or two about English speaking culture.

I will begin posting interesting articles very soon. I look forward to helping a lot of people with English, and I hope you are all looking forward to it also!

Let's have fun learning English!

Matt.