For, during and while

For and during

We use for + a period of time to say how long something goes on:

for two hours / for a week / for ages

• We watched television for two hours last night.


• Diane is going away for a week in September.


• Where have you been? I've been waiting for ages.


• Are you going away for the weekend?

We use during + noun to say when something happens (not how long):

during the film/ during our holiday/ during the night

• I fell asleep during the film.


• We met some really nice people during our holiday.


• The ground is wet. It must have rained during the night.

With 'time words' (for example: the morning / the afternoon / the summer), you can usually say in or during:

• It must have rained in the night, (or during the night)


• I'll phone you sometime during the afternoon, (or in the afternoon I

You cannot use during to say how long something goes on:

• It rained for three days without stopping, (not during three days)

Compare during and for:

• I fell asleep during the film.
  I was asleep for half an hour.

During and while

We use during + noun:

• I fell asleep during the film.


• We met a lot of interesting people

We use while + subject + verb:

• I fell asleep while I was watching TV.


• We met a lot of interesting people during our holiday, while we were on holiday.

Some more examples of while:

• We saw Clare while we were waiting for the bus.


• While you were out, there was a phone call for you.


• Chris read a book while I watched television.

When you are talking about the future, use the present (not will) after while:

• I'll be in London next week. I hope to see Tom while I'm there.
  (not while I will be there)


• What are you going to do while you are waiting? (not while you will be waiting)

What- Which- How

I. What + noun (What colour ... ? / What kind ... ? etc.)

• What colour is your car?


• What colour are your eyes?


• What size is this shirt? 


• What make is your TV set?


• What time is it?


• What day is it today?


• What kind of job do you want? (or What type of job ... ? / What sort of job ..?)

What without a noun:

• What's your favourite colour?


• What do you want to do this evening?

II. Which + noun (things or people):

• Which train did you catch - the 9.50 or the 10.30?


• Which doctor did you see - Doctor Ellis, Doctor Gray or Doctor Hill?

We use which without a noun for things, not people:

• Which is bigger - Canada or Australia?

We use who for people (without a noun):

• Who is taller - Bill or Gerry? [not 'Which is taller?')

III. What or which?

We use which when we are thinking about a small number of possibilities (perhaps 2, 3 or 4):

• We can go this way or that way. Which way shall we go?


• There are four umbrellas here. Which is yours?

What is more general:

• What is the capital of Argentina?


• What sort of music do you like?

Compare:

• What colour are his eyes? (not 'Which colour?')
  Which colour do you prefer, pink or yellow?


• What is the longest river in the world?
  Which is the longest river - the Mississippi, the Amazon or the Nile?

IV How ... ?

• 'How was the party last night?'    'It was great.'


• 'How do you usually go to work?'    'By bus.'

You can use how + adjective/adverb (how tall / how old / how often etc.):

• HOW tall are you?'   'I'm 1 metre 70.'


• HOW big is the house?'   'Not very big.'


• HOW old is your mother?'    'She's 45.'


• HOW far is it from here to the airport?'    'Five kilometres.'


• HOW often do you use your car?'   'Every day.'


• HOW long have they been married?'   'Ten years.'


• HOW much was the meal?'    'Twenty pounds.'

broad and wide

Wide is used for the physical distance from one side of something to the other.

• We live in a very wide street.
  


• The car's too wide for the garage.

Broad is mostly used in abstract expressions.

• broad agreement ( = agreement on most points)


• broad-minded ( = tolerant)


• broad daylight ( = full, bright daylight)

Broad is also used in the expression broad shoulders ( = wide strong shoulders), and in descriptions of landscape in a formal style.

• Across the broad valley, the mountains rose blue and mysterious.

should and would

There are really three different verbs

1. Should

This verb (I should/ you should/ he should etc) is used to talk about obligation, and in some other ways.

2. Would

This verb (I would/ you would/ he would etc) can be used to talk about past habits, and to make polite request

3. Should/ Would

This verb - the conditional auxiliary - has the following forms:

I should/ would
you would
he/she/it would
we should/would
they would

look (at), watch and see

1. See is the ordinary word to say something 'comes to our eyes'

• Suddenly I saw something strange. Can you see me?


• Did you see the article about the strike in today's paper?

See in not used in progressive tenses with this meaning.
When we want to say that we see something at the moment of speaking, we often use can see.

• I can see an plane. (NOT I am seeing....)

2. We use look (at) to talk about concentrating, paying attention, trying to see as well as possible.

Compare

• I looked at the photo, but I didn't see anybody I knew.


• Do you see the man in the raincoat? Yes .
  Look again. Good heaves! It's Moriaty!

We use look when there is no object, and look at before an object.

Compare

• Look! (NOT look at)


• Look at me! (NOT look me)

how and what...like?

1. We use how to ask about things that change - for example people's mood and health.
We use what... like to ask about things that do not change - for example, people's appearance and character. Compare:

• How's Ron? He's very well.


• What's Ron like. He's tall and dark, and a bit shy.


• How does he look?. Surprised.


• What does he look like. Nice

2. We often use how to ask about people's reactions to their experiences

• How was the film? Great.


• How's your steak?


• How's the new job?

3. Don't confuse the preposition like (in What... like?) with the verb like.

Compare:

• What is she like? Lovely


• What does she like? Dancing and fast cars

When and if

1. We use if to say that we are not sure whether something will happen

• I'll see you in August, if I come to New York


• (perhaps I'll come to New York; perhaps I won't)

1. We use when to say that we are sure that something will happen

• We use you in August, when I come to New York.


• (I'm sure I'll come to New York)

1. We can use both if and when to talk about things that always happen.


2. There is not much different of meaning

• If/When you heat ice, it turns into water

whether and if

1. In reported question , we can use both whether and if

• I'm not sure whether/if I'll have time


• I asked whether/if she had any letters for me

1. We prefer whether before or especially in a formal style

• Let me know whether you can come or not

1. After discuss, only whether is possible

• We discussed whether we should close the shop (not we discussed if..)

Which, What and who: question words

I. Determiners

1. We can use which and what before nouns to ask questions about people or things

• Which teacher do you like best?


• Which colour do you want - green, red, yellow or brown?


• What writers do you like?


• What colour are your girl-friend's eyes

1. We usually prefer which when we are choosing between a small number, and what when we are choosing between  a large number.


2. Before another determiner (for example the, my, these) or a pronoun, we use which of

• Which of your teacher do you like best?


• Which of them do you want

II. Pronouns

1. We can use which, what and who as pronous, without nouns. We use who, not which for people

• Who won- Smith or Fitzgibbon


• Which would you prefer - wine or beer?


• What would you like to eat?

1. We usually use who , not whom , as an object

• Who do you like best - your father or your mother?


• Whom do you like best...? (is very formal)

Who ever, what ever, how ever, when ever, where ever and why ever

1. These express surprise, or difficulty in believing something

• Who ever is that girl with  the green hair


• What ever are you doing


• How ever did you manage o start the car? I couldn't


• When ever will I have time to write some letters?


• Where ever have you been?


• Why ever didn't you tell me you were coming?

Whoever, Whatever, Whichever, However, Whenever and wherever

1. These words mean "it doesn't matter who", "it doesn't matter what". etc


2. Whoever, Whatever, Whichever are also relative pronouns: they can be the subjects or objects of clause.

whoever etc	+clause	+clause
clause	whoever etc	+clause

• Whoever telephones, tell them I'm out/ I'm not opening the door, whoever you are


• Whatever you do, I'll always love you/ Keep calm, whatever happens


• "Which is my bed?" " You can have whichever you like"


• However much he eats, he never gets fat/ People always want more, however rich they are


• Whenever I go to London I visit the Nation Gallery/ You can come whenever you like


• Wherever you go, you'll find Coca-Cola/ The people were friendly wherever we went

List W

wander or wonder?	Iloveto WANDER through the forest. (rhymes with girl’s name, Wanda) I WONDER what has happened to him. (rhymes with ‘under’)
whiskey or whisky?	WHISKEY is distilled in Ireland. WHISKY is distilled in Scotland.
who’s or whose?	Use these exemplar sentences as a guide: WHO’S been eating my porridge? (= who has) WHO’S coming to supper? (= who is) WHOSE calculator is this? (= belonging to whom) There’s a girl WHOSE cat was killed.
wining or winning?	wine + ing = wining win + ing = winning
wreath or wreathe?	Use these exemplar sentences as a guide: She lay a WREATH of lilies on his grave. (= noun) Look at him WREATHED in cigarette smoke. (verb, rhymes with ‘seethed’)