Comparative Grammar Category

Comparing various aspects of the English and Chinese grammars which behave differently from each other.

I very like it

In: Comparative Grammar, Syntax

I very like it.
It may sound somewhat weird to native ears, but a lot of my Chinese students produce sentences like this one. What is weird here is simple. First, the adverb “very” seems to be misplaced. It should either be moved to the end of the sentence, or be replaced with another adverb like [...]

Even though vs even if

In: Comparative Grammar, Semantics, Syntax

Yesterday I had private lessons with two students who were in form 6 and 7 respectively, and were thus reasonably advanced learners. Nevertheless, both students failed to distinguish between the meanings of even though and even if when they encountered them in an article. Therefore, I think it is justified to create a new category [...]

Bridging English and Linguistics

Linguistics is the systematic study of how language works. When referring to the term "langauge", there are two different views on what it is. Some say it is a tool of communication, stressing on its functions; while others say it is a system of symbols, stressing on its forms.

As we have been brought up learning second languages like English in a traditional way, focusing on drilling and memorization; few of us realize that an analytic approach is also very helpful in language learning. The purpose of this web site, therefore, is to raise this awareness, and provide learners who are interested with an alternative to the traditional methodologies.

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