HOW TO CORRECTLY USE THE CERTAIN ENGLISH EXPRESSIONS

Semantic Series

HOW TO CORRECTLY USE

THE CERTAIN ENGLISH EXPRESSIONS

Compiled :  by I Nengah Sudipa

Coverages:

1. DO, HAVE, MAKE TAKE

2. At First … First Of All • At First • In/At The Beginning

3. In Fact … As A Matter Of Fact • The Fact Is (That) • Actually

4. At Last … In The End • Eventually • At Last After All • At The End

            The following materials are good enough for the students studying semantics, especially mastering the use of certain English expressions. The materials are purposely designed to give opportunity to those who are interested in comprehending English expressions. Mastering the expressions is very crucial in improving the students’ capability in English as a foreign language. The students are able to express what they have in their mind appropriately when they know the exact meaning of a word in English. 

1. Verb + Noun Combinations:  DO . MAKE . HAVE • TAKE.

Many phrases begin with a very common verb such as do, make, have or take: ‘I felt very nervous about taking the test but, after having a long talk with Mrs Fisher, I decided I would just do my best and try not to make too many silly mistakes.’ These verbs can be combined with some nouns but not with others and since they do not have a clear meaning of their own, choosing the right combination can be a problem. Phrases which tend to cause difficulty are

shown in the description  below.

HAVE

have a bath (or esp. AmE take) ‘She’s probably upstairs having a bath.’

have (your) breakfast ‘We usually have breakfast in the kitchen.’

have (your) dinner ‘We had dinner and then went for a walk.’

have a drink ‘I’ll collapse if I don’t have a drink soon.’

have (an) experience ‘He has no experience of running a large company.’

have fun ‘You can’t stop people from having fun.’

have a holiday ‘It’s almost a year since we had a real holiday.’

have an interview ‘I’ve had six interviews but no one has offered me a job.’

have a lesson ‘Every morning we have three fifty-minute lessons.’

have (your) lunch ‘Isn’t it about time we had lunch?’

have an operation ‘Before I had the operation I could hardly walk.’

have a party ‘On Saturday we’re having a party.’

have a picnic ‘If it’s sunny we could have a picnic.’

have a shower

(or esp. AmE take) ‘It only takes me a minute to have a shower.’

TAKE

take/do an examination ‘Why do we have to take so many tests?’

take (your) medicine ‘Don’t forget to take your medicine.’

take a pill ‘He refuses to take sleeping pills’.

take/do a test ‘The last test I took was a disaster.’

MAKE

make an effort ‘I had to make a big effort not to laugh.’

make a journey ‘It was the first journey he’d made all on his own.’

make a mistake ‘He has made a serious mistake.’

make a noise ‘How can one small child make so much noise?’

make progress ‘I made very little progress at the start of the course.’

DO

do your best ‘Don’t worry, Tim. Just do your best.’

do (or cause) damage ‘The storm did a lot of damage to the crops.’

do an exercise ‘Have you done your exercises today?’

do an experiment ‘To do this experiment, you’ll need two eggs.’

do (sb) good ‘The holiday has done him a lot of good.’

do harm ‘A scandal would do his reputation a lot of harm.’

do your homework ‘Have you done your homework yet?’

do a job. ‘I’ve got one or two jobs to do this evening.’

do the/some shopping ‘Jake has gone into town to do some shopping.’

do research ‘We need to do a lot more research.’

do things ‘We’ve done lots of different things today.’

do your training ‘Where did you do your training? (Cf. did as an Auxiliary Verb; do as a full verb)

Note also: do something/anything etc: ‘I can’t come now - I’m doing something.’ ‘He hasn’t done anything wrong.’

2. FIRST • FIRST OF ALL • AT FIRST • IN/AT THE BEGINNING

first, firstly and first of all, at first

First, firstly and first of all introduce the first item in a list or sequence.

The next item is normally introduced by then or first of all second/secondly:

‘First, open all the windows. Then turn off the gas and, if necessary, call an

ambulance.’ ‘These new computers have several advantages. First of all,

they’re faster than the older machines. Secondly, they’re far easier to use.

And thirdly, they’re more reliable.’ at first At first introduces a situation which is in contrast with a later situation (after a change has taken place): ‘At first I didn’t like the climate, but after two years I got used to it. in the beginning Like at first, in the beginning introduces a situation which is in contrast with a later situation. However, in the beginning is less common and suggests that the speaker is looking a long way back into the past to the period of time immediately after something began: ‘In the beginning, when the first settlers arrived, law and order didn’t exist.’ at the beginning.

At the beginning refers to (1) the point in time when something begins: ‘At

the beginning of each lesson there is usually a revision exercise.’ (2) the place

where something begins: ‘At the beginning of the novel there is a long

description of the farm where Daniel was born and grew up.’ Unlike in the

beginning, at the beginning is usually followed by of: ‘at the beginning of the

week/holiday/film’.

3. IN FACT • AS A MATTER OF FACT • THE FACT IS (THAT) • ACTUALLY

To develop a previous statement, you usually use in fact or as a matter of fact:

The winter of 1940 was very bad. In fact, most people say it was the worst winter they had ever experienced. Martin doesn’t like his new job. As a matter of fact, he’s thinking of leaving.

Do not use in fact or as a matter of fact in general or introductory statements:

       In the last two decades advances in technology have changed the face of industry. (NOT    

       ‘have in fact changed’)

To correct what someone thinks or supposes, use in fact, as a matter of fact or actually:

        ‘He’s a friend of yours, isn’t he?’ ‘No, he isn’t. As a matter of fact, I’ve just met him.’

         People think they’ve got lots of money, but in fact they’re quite poor.’

         ‘I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.’ ‘Well actually I’ve only just arrived.’

Use the fact is (that) to introduce your main point, especially when this explains the real truth about a particular situation: ‘I’m not surprised that he’s looking worried. The fact is (that) he’s been spending more than he earns.’

‘We don’t really want to go but the fact is (that) we don’t have any choice.’

4. FINALLY • IN THE END • EVENTUALLY • AT LAST AFTER ALL • AT THE END

finally/lastly

Finally and lastly are used (1) (at the beginning of a sentence) to introduce the last

point in a speech, reply, essay, etc ‘Finally, I’d like to consider the economic

arguments’ lastly, I’d like to thank you all for coming and wish you a safe journey

home.’ (2) to introduce the last action in a sequence of actions or the last thing in a list

‘Finally, as soon as you hear a beep, press the start button.’ ‘She showed us the new

dress, then the blouse, and lastly the shoes.

finally/eventually

Finally and eventually are used to show that something happens after a long time or

delay ‘When the bus finally arrived it was full up.’

‘Eventually the baby stopped crying and we managed to get some sleep’

eventually/in the end

Eventually and in the end are used to introduce the result or outcome of something

‘In the end United won by three goals to two’ ‘It seems more and more likely that the

human race will eventually destroy itself.’

at last

At last means ‘after a long period of waiting or trying to do something’: ‘I’m pleased to

hear that you are out of hospital at last.’

Unlike eventually, at last is often used in connection with the present situation, and

expresses a sense of relief ‘I can’t believe that we’re actually getting on the plane at

last.’ ‘Do you mean that you’ve really stopped smoking at last?’

after all

After all means ‘despite what was planned, expected or believed’: ‘We stayed at home

after all and watched the match on television.’ ‘I’m sorry to hear that you won’t be

coming to London after all.’

After all is also used to remind someone of a fact which they should consider ‘I’m not

surprised you’re tired. After all, you didn’t get any sleep last night.’ ‘Why are you so

upset about losing? After all, it’s only a game’

at the end

At the end refers to the point where something finishes Their house is at the end of

the road.’ ‘Do you remember what happens at the end of the film?’ Unlike in the end,

at the end is usually followed by of’ at the end of the lesson/course/road/year’.

Reference

Turton, ND and JB Heaton. 1999. (New Edition)  Longman Dictionary of Common Errors. London : Longman