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Type you grammar questions here, and we will post an answer within a couple of days

What's the difference between 'look', 'watch' and 'see'?


The difference between these verbs is often difficult for learners to understand, as they are often the same word in other languages.

The verbs in English talk about what we want to do.

LOOK

When we look at something, we have a reason to. Perhaps we are interested in it, or want to check it.

A: My television is broken.
B: Ask David to look at it - he's an engineer.

A: Look at those clouds - it's going to rain!

WATCH

When we watch something, we have a reason to. We watch something that is moving or changing.

A: I'm going to watch a film later.

A: When you cross the road, you should watch for cars.

IDIOM: When something is boring, we say it's "like watching paint dry".

SEE

We see something by chance or without intending to - we don't have a reason to see it, we just see it.

A: I saw Frank riding his bicycle in the rain yesterday.
B: Really?
A: Yes, it was raining, he was soaked through.

IDIOM: We use "see" to talk about films, TV shows and other sports and entertainment events.

A: I'm going to see a film with my girlrfriend tonight.

 

When do I use the present continuous instead of the present simple?


THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS

We use the present continuous to talk about an action that is in progress now.

  • I am walking.
  • He is singing.
  • You are studying English.
  • We are eating curry.
  • They are watching television.



THE PRESENT SIMPLE

We use the present simple to talk about habits and things which are always true:

  • I eat lots of vegetables.
  • Japanese people eat a lot of fish.
  • He watches TV every day.
  • It doesn't snow often in England.



NOTE

Some verbs do not often become continuous:

Like, want, know, love, etc...

 

What's the difference between "fewer" and "less"?


FEWER

We use "fewer" with countable nouns.

  • There are fewer cars in Chile than in Britain.
  • Robert has fewer friends than Lisa.



LESS

We use "less" with uncountable nouns.

  • I have less money than you.
  • John eats less pasta than Kerri.

 

 

What's the difference between "few" and "little"?

We use "few" with countable nouns:

 
  • I have few chances to travel abroad. 
  • Scott has few friends. 

 

We use "little" with uncountable nouns.

 

  • People eat little bread in Japan.
  • He was poor - he had little money. 

 

Is the sentence "There are many more job opportunities in cities than in small towns." correct? When to use "much more" and when to use "many more"?

 

Yes, the sentence is correct.

You use "much more" when the noun phrase that follows is uncountable. You use "many more" when the noun phrase that follows is countable:

 

  • You have much more money than me.  ("money" is an uncountable noun)
  • There are many more job opportunities in cities than in small towns.  (opportunity is a countable noun)

 

Can you tell me about passive voice?

 

Yes. The passive voice is often used when the person or thing that 'does' the verb is unknown or obvious. 

 

  • My bicycle was stolen.
  • He was arrested.

In the first example,  we don't know who stol the bike.

In the second example, it is obvious that the police arrested him.

The structure is subject + be + past participle.

There is a useful resource on the passive voice here.