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Monday, August 18, 2014

You and Me vs You and I - What's the Difference?

Many have been told that listening to English songs can help them learn English. Indeed, listening to these is a good practice; however, one should also be keen in noticing grammar mistakes on their lyrics. Some songs use very good grammar while some might have overlooked grammar rules. One of these problems is that usage of "you and I" and "you and me."

First, let us discuss what pronouns are. Pronouns are words that are used to substitute nouns in the sentences. They avoid redundancy and make the sentence much more pleasing to look at and even listen to. 

Compare the two sentences:

John made a cup of coffee for Jenny. Jenny was in the living room reading Jenny’s book while John was in the kitchen making some snacks.  
John made a cup of coffee for Jenny. She was in the living room reading her book while he was in the kitchen making some snacks. 

With the usage of pronouns, we avoid repeating the same nouns and the sentence sounds much better and smarter. 

There are different kinds of pronouns and personal pronouns are one of them. Personal pronouns are used in place of the name of the person or people we are talking about in the sentence. Personal pronouns are divided into two: subject pronouns and object pronouns

  • Subject pronouns function as the subject of the sentence. I, You, He, She, It, They, and We are subject pronouns. 
  • Object pronouns basically function as objects in the sentence: whether it is object of the verb or object of the preposition. 

In the case of "You and I" and "You and me", the former is used as the subject of the sentence while the latter is used as the object of the sentence or the object of the preposition.

Examples:
  • We have been fighting for weeks for such stupid reasons. You and I need to have a serious talk. 
  • You and I were chosen to represent the class to the national championships. 
  • You and I are best friends. We have been together for many years now. 
  • The school chose you and me to represent in the national quiz bee championships. 
  • My aunt gave you and me tickets for the play. I am so excited!
  • Between you and me, I think Prof. Kim needs to get some rest. He is so stressed. 
Remembering this can save you from grammar errors, both in speaking and writing. Hence, think first on which to use.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

List of Useful Blogs for the IELTS Test

When some people choose a movie to watch on the weekend, they first search ratings online to check whether this particular movie is good or not. Further, some people check book reviews online to make sure that a new released book will be worth their money. Indeed, there are a lot of people who make decisions based on online reviews and even blogs.

Blogs, from the word web log, are a site where individuals can write entries known to be posts about anything under the sun. Some of these blogs are about health, entertainment, news, and just their own opinion on anything. In truth, blogs are also useful to English learners, most especially those taking the International English Language Testing System examination or the IELTS

There are different blogs that cater to information, skill building, and practice tests for the IELTS. Here are some blogs IELTS test takers can visit in preparation for their test. 




The websites hosts different posts on helping candidates understand the IELTS. Moreover, some blogs provide tips and how to get a good score for the exam. They have tips on how to be better at grammar, practice tests for the examination and a compilation of speaking questions for the test. Candidates will have a variety of readings to do in this blog. 




The British Council also has a number of entries to help candidates with the test. The advice given and tips on each of the test’s section is detailed and very helpful. There are also free IELTS practice tests that candidates can take advantage of. 




IDP’s site also provides basic information about the test. They also have some recommended books in which the candidate can purchase for them to practice on. They also have a practice test that can test the candidate’s English skills for no charge at all. 




IELTS training and review tips are the focus on this blog. There are tips on how to avoid getting stressed before the examination. In addition, there are topics that discuss common mistakes candidates do in the IELTS test and solutions not to commit the same mistake again. Further, the blog is owned by a reputable IELTS review center so candidates can take time to browse the center’s training program for the test. 



The IELTS examination should not stress the test takers. There are a lot of information, practice tests, and tips to be more familiar with the examination. Visit the blogs today and discover what the best tip in excelling the IELTS examination is.