Speaking language Learning

SPEAKING LANGUAGE LEARNING

To....., for ..... and so that...... (purpose)

• We use to ... to say why somebody does something (= the purpose of an action)"Why are you going out? "  "To post a letter".
• We use to .... to say why something exists (its purpose):
• The president has a team of bodyguards to protect him.
• We use to ...... to say what can be done or must be done with something.It's difficult to find a place to park in the centre.(= a place where you can park)Have you got much work to do? (= work that you must do)
• Also money/time/chance/opportunity/energy/courage etc. to (do something)   I need a few days to think about your proposal.

For...... and to....
For + noun                                      to + verb
Let's go to the pool for a swim.      I'm going to Spain to learn Spanish.

You can use for -ing or to.... to talk about the general purpose of something, or what it is generally used for:
Do you use this brush for washing the dishes?  (or ... to wash the dishes?)

So that
We use so that (not to....) especially
When the purpose is negative  (so that.... won't/wouldn't)
I hurried so that I wouldn't be late. (=because I didn't want to be late)
Leave early so that you won't (or don't) miss the train.

With can and could (so that ... can/could):
She's learning English so that she can study in Canada.
We moved to London so that we could see our friends more often.

Explanation taken from English Grammar in Use  ed.Cambridge
 You can do some exercises on This site

Lucinda talks about the many pets in her life.

Begin exercise

Show script

Parts of the car

Click on the picture to learn some car parts

Talk about your experiences of car journeys.
Have you ever...  got really lost in a car?
                               run out of petrol?
                               had a puncture?
                               broken down?
                               missed something important because of traffic problems?
                               been stopped in a car by the police?
                              stopped to pick up a hitch-hiker?
When? Where were you going? What did you do? What happened in the end?

Grammar file 1

■Lesson B past tenses: simple, continuous, perfect (1)


■Lesson B past tenses: simple, continuous, perfect (2)

Jobs mourned in China

7 October 2011

In China fans of Apple have been reacting to the death of the company's co-founder Steve Jobs.

I'd prefer to/I'd rather/ I'd rather you didn't

 would prefer + infinitive

After it's time / would prefer we use the infinitive:
Examples:
A: It's time to get the dinner ready.
B: I'd prefer to go to a restaurant for a change, wouldn't you?

A: It's time to clear out the spare room. Your parents are coming next month.
B: I'm too tired just now. I'd prefer to do it at the weekend.

A: Isn't it about time to pack up and go home?
B: I'd prefer to stay just a bit longer. The beach is so nice today, isn't it?

Would rather + infinitive without to
After would rather we use the infinitive without to:
Examples:

A: It's time to cut the grass.
B: I'm at a great bit in my book. I'd rather do it later.

A: It's time to go now.
B: Can't we stay a bit longer? I'd rather get a later train.

A: Come on, it's time to do the dishes.
B: I'd rather leave them till the morning. Let's just go to bed and forget about them.

would rather + past tense
We can use a past tense after it's time or would rather but it has a present meaning:
Examples:

A: Do you mind if I smoke?
B: I'd rather you didn't.

A: Can I go round to Bobby's after school tomorrow?
B: I'd rather you came straight home actually. Remember your grandma's coming to visit.

A: Where are we going this summer?
B: I don't know yet. I guess it's time we were planning our holidays.