How to Clean Hair at Home #1268

 

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WH Question Words (WHo, WHat, HoW)

WH Question Words

We use question words to ask certain types of questions (question word questions). We often refer to them as WH words because they include the letters WH (for example WHy, HoW).

Question Word	Function	Example
what	asking for information about something	What is your name?
	asking for repetition or confirmation	What? I can't hear you. You did what?
what...for	asking for a reason, asking why	What did you do that for?
when	asking about time	When did he leave?
where	asking in or at what place or position	Where do they live?
which	asking about choice	Which colour do you want?
who	asking what or which person or people (subject)	Who opened the door?
whom	asking what or which person or people (object)	Whom did you see?
whose	asking about ownership	Whose are these keys? Whose turn is it?
why	asking for reason, asking what...for	Why do you say that?
why don't	making a suggestion	Why don't I help you?
how	asking about manner	How does this work?
	asking about condition or quality	How was your exam?
how + adj/adv	asking about extent or degree	see examples below
how far	distance	How far is Pattaya from Bangkok?
how long	length (time or space)	How long will it take?
how many	quantity (countable)	How many cars are there?
how much	quantity (uncountable)	How much money do you have?
how old	age	How old are you?
how come (informal)	asking for reason, asking why	How come I can't see her?

Informal Contractions

Informal contractions are short forms of other words that people use when speaking casually. They are not exactly slang, but they are a little like slang.

For example, "gonna" is a short form of "going to". If you say "going to" very fast, without carefully pronouncing each word, it can sound like "gonna".

Please remember that these are informal contractions. That means that we do not use them in "correct" speech, and we almost never use them in writing. (If you see them in writing, for example in a comic strip, that is because the written words represent the spoken words or dialogue.) We normally use them only when speaking fast and casually, for example with friends. Some people never use them, even in informal speech.

It is probably true to say that informal contractions are more common in American English.

Also note that, unlike normal contractions, we do not usually use apostrophes (') with informal contractions when written.

Listed below are some common informal contractions, with example sentences. Note that the example sentences may be a little artificial because when we use a contraction we may also use other contractions in the same sentence, or even drop some words completely. For example:

• What are you going to do? >>
• Whatcha going to do? >>
• Whatcha gonna do?

or

• Do you want a beer?
• Do you wanna beer?
• D'you wanna beer?
• D'ya wanna beer?
• Ya wanna beer?
• Wanna beer?

These informal contractions are not "correct" English. Do not use them in a written exam, for example, except in appropriate situations.

• ain't = am not/are not/is not
  I ain't sure.
  You ain't my boss.
• ain't = has not/have not
  I ain't done it.
  She ain't finished yet.
  
• gimme = give me
  Gimme your money.
  Don't gimme that rubbish.
  Can you gimme a hand?
  
• gonna = going to
  Nothing's gonna change my love for you.
  I'm not gonna tell you.
  What are you gonna do?
  
• gotta = (have) got a
  I've gotta gun.
  I gotta gun.
  She hasn't gotta penny.
  Have you gotta car?
• gotta = (have) got to
  I've gotta go now.
  I gotta go now.
  We haven't gotta do that.
  Have they gotta work?
  
• kinda = kind of
  She's kinda cute.
  
• lemme = let me
  Lemme go!
  
• wanna = want to
  I wanna go home.
  
• wanna = want a
  I wanna coffee.
  
• whatcha = what are you
  Whatcha going to do?
• whatcha = what have you
  Whatcha got there?
  
• ya = you
  Who saw ya?

Contractions

We often "contract" or shorten words in English. For example, we may say "he's" instead of "he is". Note that we usually insert an apostrophe (') in place of the missing letter or letters in writing. Here are some example sentences:

• I haven't seen him. (I have not seen him.)
• Who's calling? (Who is calling?)
• They're coming. (They are coming.)

We do this especially when we speak. We do not contract words so much in writing
These pages show the most common contracted forms.

• Positive Contractions
• Negative Contractions
• Other Contractions
• Informal Contractions

Contractions are very common in spoken English. They are not so common in written English. We may use contractions in a friendly letter, for example, but they are not usually correct in more formal texts such as business letters or essays. If you have to write an essay in an exam, do not use contractions. The only exception to this would be when you quote somebody within your essay, for example spoken dialogue.

Informal Contractions

Informal contractions are short forms of other words that people use when speaking casually. They are not exactly slang, but they are a little like slang.

For example, "gonna" is a short form of "going to". If you say "going to" very fast, without carefully pronouncing each word, it can sound like "gonna".

Please remember that these are informal contractions. That means that we do not use them in "correct" speech, and we almost never use them in writing. (If you see them in writing, for example in a comic strip, that is because the written words represent the spoken words or dialogue.) We normally use them only when speaking fast and casually, for example with friends. Some people never use them, even in informal speech.

It is probably true to say that informal contractions are more common in American English.

Also note that, unlike normal contractions, we do not usually use apostrophes (') with informal contractions when written.

Listed below are some common informal contractions, with example sentences. Note that the example sentences may be a little artificial because when we use a contraction we may also use other contractions in the same sentence, or even drop some words completely. For example:

• What are you going to do? >>
• Whatcha going to do? >>
• Whatcha gonna do?

or

• Do you want a beer?
• Do you wanna beer?
• D'you wanna beer?
• D'ya wanna beer?
• Ya wanna beer?
• Wanna beer?

These informal contractions are not "correct" English. Do not use them in a written exam, for example, except in appropriate situations.

• ain't = am not/are not/is not
  I ain't sure.
  You ain't my boss.
• ain't = has not/have not
  I ain't done it.
  She ain't finished yet.
  
• gimme = give me
  Gimme your money.
  Don't gimme that rubbish.
  Can you gimme a hand?
  
• gonna = going to
  Nothing's gonna change my love for you.
  I'm not gonna tell you.
  What are you gonna do?
  
• gotta = (have) got a
  I've gotta gun.
  I gotta gun.
  She hasn't gotta penny.
  Have you gotta car?
• gotta = (have) got to
  I've gotta go now.
  I gotta go now.
  We haven't gotta do that.
  Have they gotta work?
  
• kinda = kind of
  She's kinda cute.
  
• lemme = let me
  Lemme go!
  
• wanna = want to
  I wanna go home.
  
• wanna = want a
  I wanna coffee.
  
• whatcha = what are you
  Whatcha going to do?
• whatcha = what have you
  Whatcha got there?
  
• ya = you
  Who saw ya?

Other Contractions

Here are some more examples showing some very common contractions.

It is possible, and common, to contract three words, for example: I'd've thought so = I would have thought so.

Short form	Long form	Example
here's	here is	Here's your meal.
there'll	there will	There'll be nobody here tomorrow.
there's	there is	There's a taxi!
that's	that is	That's my car!
that'll	that will	That'll be $10, please.
how's	how is?	How's your wife?
what'll	what will?	What'll people think?
what's	what is?	What's the matter?
when's	when is?	When's the wedding?
where's	where is?	Where's the cinema?
who's	who is?	Who's your teacher?
who'd	who would?	Who'd like ice-cream?
who'll	who will?	Who'll be there?

Informal Contractions >

Negative Contractions

Notes

With the verb "to be", two negative forms are possible - we aren't or we're not etc.

In questions, am not is contracted to aren't, for example: I'm late, aren't I?

Short form	Long form
aren't	are not
can't	cannot, can not
couldn't	could not
daren't	dare not
didn't	did not
doesn't	does not
don't	do not
hasn't	has not
haven't	have not
hadn't	had not
isn't	is not
mayn't	may not
mightn't	might not
mustn't	must not
needn't	need not
oughtn't	ought not
shan't	shall not
shouldn't	should not
wasn't	was not
weren't	were not
won't	will not
wouldn't	would not

Other Contractions >

Positive Contractions

Notes

Be careful. Some contractions can have two or three meanings. For example, he'd can be he had or he would. It depends on the rest of the sentence. Look at these examples:

• He'd like to go. (He would like to go.)
• He'd finished when I arrived. (He had finished when I arrived.)

The contraction 's (= is or has) is not used only with pronouns. It can also be used with nouns, names, question words and words like "here" and "there", for example: The train's late. John's arrived. Where's the phone? Here's your change. There's a policeman.

Short form	Long form
I'm	I am
I've	I have
I'll	I will/I shall
I'd	I would/I should/I had
you're	you are
you've	you have
you'll	you will
you'd	you had/you would
he's	he has/he is
he'll	he will
he'd	he had/he would
she's	she has/she is
she'll	she will
she'd	she had/she would
it's	it has/it is
it'll	it will
we're	we are
we've	we have
we'll	we will
we'd	we had/we would
they're	they are
they've	they have
they'll	they will
they'd	they had/they would

Negative Contractions >

Interjections

Hi! That's an interjection. :-)

"Interjection" is a big name for a little word. Interjections are short exclamations like Oh!, Um or Ah! They have no real grammatical value but we use them quite often, usually more in speaking than in writing. When interjections are inserted into a sentence, they have no grammatical connection to the sentence. An interjection is sometimes followed by an exclamation mark (!) when written.

Here are some interjections with examples:

interjection	meaning	example
ah	expressing pleasure	"Ah, that feels good."
	expressing realization	"Ah, now I understand."
	expressing resignation	"Ah well, it can't be heped."
	expressing surprise	"Ah! I've won!"
alas	expressing grief or pity	"Alas, she's dead now."
dear	expressing pity	"Oh dear! Does it hurt?"
	expressing surprise	"Dear me! That's a surprise!"
eh	asking for repetition	"It's hot today." "Eh?" "I said it's hot today."
	expressing enquiry	"What do you think of that, eh?"
	expressing surprise	"Eh! Really?"
	inviting agreement	"Let's go, eh?"
er	expressing hesitation	"Lima is the capital of...er...Peru."
hello, hullo	expressing greeting	"Hello John. How are you today?"
	expressing surprise	"Hello! My car's gone!"
hey	calling attention	"Hey! look at that!"
	expressing surprise, joy etc	"Hey! What a good idea!"
hi	expressing greeting	"Hi! What's new?"
hmm	expressing hesitation, doubt or disagreement	"Hmm. I'm not so sure."
oh, o	expressing surprise	"Oh! You're here!"
	expressing pain	"Oh! I've got a toothache."
	expressing pleading	"Oh, please say 'yes'!"
ouch	expressing pain	"Ouch! That hurts!"
uh	expressing hesitation	"Uh...I don't know the answer to that."
uh-huh	expressing agreement	"Shall we go?" "Uh-huh."
um, umm	expressing hesitation	"85 divided by 5 is...um...17."
well	expressing surprise	"Well I never!"
	introducing a remark	"Well, what did he say?"

Prepositions List - full list with example sentences

Prepositions List

A full list of 150 English prepositions with example sentences

It is not possible to produce a definitive list of English prepositions. That means that nobody can create a list of prepositions and say: "Here are all the prepositions in the English language – no more and no fewer." Why? Because complex prepositions can theoretically be added to the language at any time. These pages list all 94 one-word prepositions (which are unlikely to change or be added to) and 56 complex prepositions (which may possibly be added to as the language evolves). This total of 150 prepositions is comprehensive at the time of writing, and represents all the prepositions currently found in a good English dictionary.

Each page is split into two sections:

1. one-word prepositions (for example before, into, on)
2. complex prepositions (phrases of two or more words that function like one-word prepositions, for example according to, but for, in spite of)

• Prepositions beginning with A
• Prepositions beginning with B
• Prepositions beginning with C
• Prepositions beginning with D
• Prepositions beginning with E
• Prepositions beginning with F
• Prepositions beginning with G
• Prepositions beginning with I
• Prepositions beginning with L
• Prepositions beginning with M
• Prepositions beginning with N
• Prepositions beginning with O
• Prepositions beginning with P
• Prepositions beginning with R
• Prepositions beginning with S
• Prepositions beginning with T
• Prepositions beginning with U
• Prepositions beginning with V
• Prepositions beginning with W

Prepositions beginning with V

One-word prepositions

versus

• He was the judge in the case of Gore versus Bush.
• We should choose peace versus war.

via

• We flew from Paris to Bangkok via Dubai.

Complex prepositions

vis-à-vis (from French)

• I prefer Jaguar cars vis-à-vis BMW cars.
• I need to speak to you vis-à-vis your homework.

Prepositions beginning with W

One-word prepositions

with

• Do you live with your parents?
• He's been with EnglishClub.com for two years.
• I discussed it with her.
• With your permission, I'd like to go.
• If you mix red with yellow you get orange.
• Muriel is the girl with black hair.
• Do you want to come with us?
• I made this chair with my own hands.
• You'll forget her with time.

within

• There is a modem within the computer.
• I will finish within 30 minutes.
• He lives within 10 miles of his work.
• It's not within my power to help you.

without

• I want trousers without buttons.
• I came without my wife because she is working.
• He watched without speaking.

worth

• This car is worth $10,000.

Complex prepositions

with reference to

• With reference to your comments, I'll reply soon.
• I am writing with reference to your order.

with regard to

• I'd like to speak to you with regard to your work.

Prepositions beginning with U

One-word prepositions

under

• The mouse ran under the chair.
• The bucket is under the sink.
• Submarines can travel under water.
• We drove under a bridge.
• I have a T-shirt under my pullover.
• Who do you work under? Who is your boss?
• I am under orders from the President.
• What is the subject under discussion?
• Under the company rules, we can't do that.
• Please buy it if it's under $50.

underneath

• The nurse put a pillow underneath his head.
• There is a big cellar underneath our house.

unlike

• That's very unusual. It's unlike Andrea to be so rude.
• This problem is unlike any we have met before.

until (formal; also conjunction)

• They continued the meeting until 11pm.
• Please wait until I come.

up

• Jack and Jill ran up the hill.
• There is a post office up the street.

upon (formal)

• Please don't put your shoes upon the table.
• There are now no dinosaurs upon Earth.
• I need a book upon bio-chemistry.
• We met upon a Monday.
• He broke his leg upon getting out of the car.

Complex prepositions

up against

• We are up against a powerful enemy.

up to

• There was a shop here up to 1990. But it closed that year.

up until

• We worked up until they came. Then we stopped.

Prepositions beginning with T

One-word prepositions

than (also conjunction)

• He is a writer than whom there is no finer.
• Your car is bigger than my car.

through (also thru - American English)

• The train goes through a tunnel.
• I can see light through the keyhole.
• You have been through a difficult experience.
• You went thru a red light.
• The error occurred through my own stupidity.
• They worked Monday through Thursday. (American English)

throughout

• It is raining throughout the whole country.
• He worked throughout the day, and most of the night.

till (also conjunction)

• I work from 9am till 5pm.
• Please wait till I come.

to

• Could you give this to Kob?
• My car does 10 miles to the litre.
• To his surprise, the door was open.
• The museum is open from Monday to Friday.
• The time is ten to five. [4.50]

touching

• Touching your homework, I think we need to speak.

towards (mainly British English), toward (mainly American English)

• He drove off toward(s) the mountain.
• I'd better go. It's getting toward(s) midnight.
• He contributed $100,000 toward(s) the new building.
• It's the first step toward(s) peace.
• He has a positive attitude toward(s) his work.

Complex prepositions

thanks to

• Thanks to Shirley, we arrived on time.

together with

• I'd like chicken please, together with vegetables.

Prepositions beginning with R

One-word prepositions

re

• Re: your letter dated 21 May
• I want to talk you re the proposed meeting.

regarding

• I would like to speak to you regarding my homework.
• Regarding John, let's talk later.

respecting

• I would like to speak to you respecting my homework.
• I am writing to you respecting our latest products.

round

• I live round the corner.
• They all sat round the fire.
• There is a hedge round the house.

Complex prepositions

regardless of

• I don't want it, regardless of the price. Even if it's free, I just don't want it.

Prepositions beginning with S

One-word prepositions

save (formal)

• All save Mrs Jones were present.

saving (formal)

• Saving yourself, nobody thanked me.

since (also conjunction)

• I haven't seen Josef since Monday.
• Mr Brown has worked in a bank since 1985.

Complex prepositions

save for

• Everyone came, save for Lek who had to work.