I wrote a paragraph describing PNU building.


The building's facade was painted in subdued yellow. We also saw the year 1901 on its top which was the time it was being established. There were a few people inside the university. We saw different images of PNU in its different angles, enclosed in a glass frame. There was also a large monitor which shows famous people who had made significant contributions to the university. On its right side was a corridor that leads to different rooms. On the other side was a stairway used to go to the upper floor. We walked to the direction of the Admission Office. In front of it are bulletin boards which display information for both graduate and undergraduate students. We asked questions to the staffs inside the Admission Office. We inquired for the requirements needed to submit if we would be going to enrol for a Master's Degree. It was already lunch time when we finished. We thought we could have lunch at Jollibee but it was crowded. We instead took our lunch at MCDO. 

Friends Note:

You are so hardworking. I wish I could as "on-the-ball" as you are. I'll make my corrections in uppercase so that it is easier for you to find them. If necessary, I'll add some comments. 



The building's facade was painted in subdued yellow. 

THE BUILDING'S FACADE WAS PAINTED SUBDUED YELLOW. It is not necessary to use "in". 


We also saw the year 1901 on its top which was the time it was being established. 

THE DIGITS (or NUMBER) 1901 WAS PAINTED NEAR THE TOP OF THE BUILDING, INDICATING THE YEAR IT WAS ESTABLISHED. Note that you don't say "was being established", but just "was established". As I explained for the previous essay that you sent me, the phrase "being established" means "in the process of establishing", whereas what you wanted to convey was simply that it was established (as a single act). So, the word "being" is not needed. 


There were a few people inside the university. We saw different images of PNU in its different angles, enclosed in a glass frame. 


WE SAW IMAGES (if these images are photos, then it would be better to just use "photographs" instead of "images") OF PNU AT DIFFERENT ANGLES. You are a little unclear here : I'm not sure what you mean by "enclosed in a glass frame". Are all the images in 1 big glass frame, or is each image in its own individual glass frame ? You should make this clear by adding "The photos were enclosed in a single, large glass frame/panel" or "The photos were individually framed". 


There was also a large monitor which shows famous people who had made significant contributions to the university. On its right side was a corridor that leads to different rooms. 

ON ITS RIGHT WAS A CORRIDER THAT LED TO DIFFERENT ROOMS. Since you used "was", you should use "led" instead of "leads". 


On the other side was a stairway used to go to the upper floor. 

ON THE OTHER SIDE WAS A STAIRWAY TO THE UPPER FLOORS. It is unnecessary, but not incorrect, to include the phrase "used to go", since it is obvious that stairs are meant for that purpose. You could however, also say "... WAS A STAIRWAY LEADING TO THE UPPER FLOORS" or "... WAS A STAIRWAY THAT LED TO THE UPPER FLOORS". 


We walked to the direction of the Admission Office. 

WE WALKED IN THE DIRECTION OF THE ADMISSION OFFICE. or 
WE WALKED TOWARDS THE ADMISSION OFFICE. 



In front of it are bulletin boards which display information for both graduate and undergraduate students. 

WHEN WE ARRIVED, WE SAW/NOTED/NOTICED THAT THERE WERE BULLETING BOARDS IN FRONT OF THE ADMISSION OFFICE WHICH DISPLAYED INFORMATION FOR GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS.  I have added the phrase "WHEN WE ARRIVED" to fill in a gap between the previous sentence and the current one. In the previous sentence, you were just walking towards the admission office. So for continuity, you should explain that you have arrived before you start describing what you saw there. 


We asked questions to the staffs inside the Admission Office. 

WE MADE SOME ENQUIRIES AT THE ADMISSION OFFICE. 



We inquired for the requirements needed to submit if we would be going to enrol for a Master's Degree. 

WE INQUIRED/ASKED/QUERIED ABOUT THE REQUIREMENTS FOR ENROLLMENT IN A MASTER'S PROGRAMME. 



It was already lunch time when we finished. We thought we could have lunch at Jollibee but it was crowded. We instead took our lunch at MCDO. 


INSTEAD, WE TOOK OUR LUNCH AT MCDO, or WE TOOK OUR LUNCH AT MCDO INSTEAD. Your sentence is actually syntactically correct, but is more common to use "instead" at the front or end of the sentence. 
- Chriszzz from Singapore

The building's facade was painted in subdued yellow. We also saw the year 1901 on its top which was the year it was established. There were a few people inside the university. We saw different images of PNU in its different angles, enclosed in a glass frame. There was also a large monitor which showed (if you will use "there was" then you have to use "showed" both being past) famous people who had made significant contributions to the university. On its right side was a corridor that led (keep in the past) to different rooms. On the other side was a stairway used to go to the upper floor. We walked in the direction of the Admission Office. In front of it are bulletin boards which display information for both graduate and undergraduate students. We asked questions to the staff (alredy plural) inside the Admission Office. We inquired about the requirements needed to submit if we would be going to enrol for a Master's Degree. It was already lunch time when we finished. We thought we could have lunch at Jollibee but it was crowded. Instead, We took our lunch at MCDO (or we took our lunch at MCDO instead.) 


- bikoljoe from Philippines


Very good but a few things need changing : 

...ina subdued shade of yellow. 
....which was the time it was established. 
We saw different images of PNU taken from different angles enclosed in a glass case. 
...was a corridor that led to different rooms. 
We walked in the direction..... 
In the front of it were bulletin boards which displayed information...... 
We asked questions of the staff...... 
We inquired about the submission requirments for a Masters Degree.
- Brian from Australia 

I finished all the practices on Livemocha. I decided to create simple paragraphs so to practice my writing skills.

Here is what I wrote

  
    I and my mother went to Social Security System Office. It is just a small air-conditioned office. There was a guard at the entry door. He was wearing a blue, hard cap, white and clean long sleeves, and dark blue pants. On his waist was a gun which was being used in case the need arises. It was still 7:30 when we got there. There were few people. I helped my mother with her requirements for filing a retirement claim form. All people who got there sat on blue chairs aligned across inside the office. Some people slept, other chatted with the person beside them, while waiting for their turn. There is also a woman there who kept on  fanning herself. I think it was because of the very hot weather.

Revised:

   _My mother and I_ went to _the_ Social Security System Office. It is just a small air-conditioned office. There was a guard at the entry door. He was wearing a blue hard cap (could it be called a "helmet"?), _a clean white shirt with long sleeves_, and dark blue pants. On his waist was a gun which was being used* in case the need arises*. It was still 7:30 when we got there. There were few people. I helped my mother with her requirements for filing a retirement claim form. All _of the_ people there sat on blue chairs aligned (or "that were lined up") across inside the office. Some people slept _and others_ chatted with the person beside them while waiting for their turn. There _was_ also a woman there who kept on fanning herself; I think it was because of the very hot weather. 

Note: If you have a compound subject (like "my mother" and "I" are both doing something), the pronoun "I" will always come last.  "My mother and I...", "She and I...",  "The lion, the tiger and I..." 

I took out the comma between blue and hard.  It is a little tricky to know whether to put a comma in between two adjectives.  Here's one method: try saying the sentence with the word "and" in between the two adjectives.  Would it sound correct to say "He was wearing a blue and hard cap"?  If the word "and" sounds good, then you would need a comma between the two adjectives.  But if the word "and" sounds strange, then you would not use a comma between the adjectives.  Another test is to try reversing the order of the adjectives.  For example, do both of these sentences sound equally good:  "She has long brown hair" and "She has brown long hair"?  It may be tricky for a non-native speaker to know what "sounds correct"...but to a native speaker the first sentence sounds right and the second one sounds odd.  That means that the adjectives are non-coordinate (not of equal status) and should not be reversed in order and therefore you will not need a comma between "long" and "brown."  (A general guideline is that adjectives of size generally come first, followed by adjectives of age, color, then material.) 

If you say the gun was "being used", I would think that he was actually shooting the gun.  I would probably say instead, "On his waist was a gun which he always wore in case the need arose." 

--Sonia from USA

Note: My mother and I went to the Social Security System Office. It is just a small air-conditioned office. There was a guard at the entry door. He was wearing a blue, hard cap, white and clean long sleeves, and dark blue pants. On his waist was a gun which was there in case the need arises. It was still 7:30 when we got there. There were few people. I helped my mother with her requirements for filing a retirement claim form. All the people who got there sat on blue chairs aligned across inside the office. Some people slept, others chatted with the person beside them, while waiting for their turn. There was also a woman there who kept on  fanning herself. I think it was because of the very hot weather. 


--Bikoljoe from Philippines

Note: MY mother AND I went to THE Social Security System Office. It is just a small air-conditioned office. There was a guard at the ENTRANCE. He was wearing a blue, hard cap, A white and clean long sleeves, and dark blue pants. On his waist was a gun which COULD BE used in case the need arises. It was still 7:30 when we got there. There were A few people. I helped my mother with THE requirements for filing UP a retirement claim form. EVERYBODY who got there sat on blue chairs aligned across  the office. Some people slept, otherS chatted with the person beside them, while waiting for their turnS. There is also a woman who kept on  fanning herself. I think it was because of the very hot weather. 

HEY ANNA. THE CORRECTIONS ARE IN CAPITAL LETTERS. HOPE YOU CAN SPOT THEM. 

--Ricky from Singapore

At the Social Security System Office 

I and my mother went to Social Security System Office. It is just a small 

>>My mother and I went to the Social Security System Office. It was just a small 

air-conditioned office. There was a guard at the entry door. He was wearing a 

>> ..... There was a guard at the entrance. ( or There was a guard at the door ). 

blue, hard cap, white and clean long sleeves, and dark blue pants. On his waist was a gun which was being used in case the need arises. It was still 7:30 when 

>> ... was a gun which was to be used when the need arises. ( "being used" means that the guard was actually using it when you saw him. But it is clear that the guard was not really using the gun ). 


we got there. There were few people. I helped my mother with her requirements 
for filing a retirement claim form. 

>> ... There were only a few people there. I helped my mother with her retirement claim form. ( Although it is not wrong to say "help my mother with her requirements...", it is a very odd way to express it ). 


All people who got there sat on blue chairs 
aligned across inside the office. 

>> The people in the office sat on blue chairs arranged in rows. 


Some people slept, other chatted with the person beside them, while waiting for their turn. 

>> Some people slept ( or "napped" would be better ), others chatted with the persons beside them while waiting for their turn. 


There is also a woman there who kept on  fanning herself. I think it was because of the very hot weather. 

>> There was a woman who kept fanning herself ( it is acceptable use either "kept" or "kept on" in this case ), probably due to the very hot weather. 

I made this exercise a couple of days ago about shopping. 


The last time I went shopping was last month. I bought a bag, a white blouse and a black slacks. The bag costs 150 pesos. The white blouse costs 280 pesos and the black slacks costs 190 pesos.

Revised:

The last time I went shopping was last month. I bought a bag, a white blouse and black slacks. The bag cost 150 pesos. The white blouse cost 280 pesos and the black slacks cost 190 pesos.


In this exercise, I was confused with the use of "cost"

My question: "I thought since I am speaking of a singular subject so I need to write costs. "

Answer: 

• Ana, you are correct that whether a subject is singular or plural can affect whether to use "cost" or "costs."
  
  For plural subjects, you will use "cost" in both the present tense and the past tense.  For example, "Last year, sandwiches cost $4.00 at this cafe.  Can you believe sandwiches now cost $5.00?"
  
  For singular subjects you will use "costs" in the present tense and "cost" in the past tense.  "Last year, a milkshake cost $3.00.  Now a milkshake costs $3.25."
  
  Subject/verb agreement can sometimes seem confusing.   For example, "a carton of eggs" is singular (because the subject is actually the carton), so we would say "A carton of eggs costs $2.00."  However, changing the way you word the sentence can change the verb: "Eggs cost $2.00 per carton."  When deciding which verb form to use, ignore any prepositional phrases that come in between the subject and the verb.   You can think of it as  "A basket (of strawberries) costs = a basket costs."  Therefore, you would say, "A basket of strawberries costs $1.50."  "Strawberries cost $1.50 per basket."  "A box of Cheerios costs less than most other breakfast cereals."  "Cheerios cost less than most other breakfast cereals."
  
  
  

A friend of mine from United States made a clear distinction between the uses of those three words


"Even though" is generally the same as "despite the fact that." 
Examples: I asked him to buy oranges even though I don't like oranges. I went for a walk even though it was raining. 

"Even if" is generally used with either conditional or future verb conjugations. 
Examples: I will go to the park even if it rains. He would have gone to school even if his homework wasn't done. 

"Even" is indeed a little harder to pinpoint because it has MANY definitions. When it's an option between these three conjunctions, choose "even" in cases where: 
-it falls before "when" or "where" (examples: I go swimming even when the tide is high. Even where the sharks feed, I swim.) 
-it falls before an expression of quantity (examples: this balloon grew even bigger than the last balloon. Even more Americans love X over Y! I would love to have even 1 more friend.) Note that quantity can be unreliable too, such as if you said, "Even though sixty million Elvis fans agree, it isn't true." 
-stressing a point (examples: he was eager, even desperate, to date her. He would work for hours, or even for days! I can write grammar messages even without a textbook. Sixty million Elvis fans even agree.) 

You can also find a good list of definitions and uses here: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/even and ask if you have more specific questions. The biggest point I'd make is to rule out "even if" and "even though" first. If neither seems quite right, plug in "even." 

Also, are you referring to only the adverb uses of "even" or other uses as well, such as phrasal, verb, or adjective uses. 

Here's a confusing but accurate English sentence for you... 
I felt even even as I got even on the evening of evening the slopes. 
Picked apart... 
I felt even (I felt calm) even as (despite the fact that) I got even (I attained retribution) on the evening (between the afternoon and night) of evening the slopes (of making the slopes flat). 


-Caate from USA

A friend of mine  Manuel from Ecuador happened to ask me if there is any difference between strange and weird  I think for a while and start to be confuse because I know those two words are interchangeable. I did some research on the internet and unfortunately,  I cannot find a definite answer. I decided to ask some of my livemocha friends and here are the answers I got. 


Brian from Australia:
That is a bit difficult to answer. In most cases the two words are interchangeable. There is very little difference between them.  "Strange" is from the old French and "weird" is from the old English ; that is why we have two words that mean almost exactly the same thing." 

Cheif from Australia:
"Strange" and '"weird" can be used with the same meaning. For example, if someone behaves in a manner that's socially unacceptable we can say their behaviour is strange or their behaviour is weird.

But these words can also each be used with distinct meanings. If you visit a suburb you've never been to before, you might say "this area is strange to me", but you wouldn't say "this area is weird". However, if you went onto a movie set where buildings were designed to lean over on unusual angles and the whole atmosphere was designed to be spooky you'd most likely say "this area is weird".

Chris from Los Angeles:
The meaning of strange is probably seen best in a word like a stranger. Someone or something unlike our own.  Weird is about supernatural things.  Things that don't exist in the normal sense of "distance" form us. But, perhaps on another level of existance. Inhumanlike conduct. Kids use weird to describe the unusual behaviour of a classmate that nobody would like. But, you know, it is an exageration to say someone is wierd unless that person is a ghost or something.That kid is really strange. He ate all his fruit before his sandwich. The same thing could be weird.  But the one meaning is not so bad the kid from another country and his custom is strange. But, weird which could also be used means it is otherworldly or inhuman. Maybe monsterous.  So in that case werid would be the stronger word. Strange can also means something like the supernatural. Weird originally meant the supernatural.

Sonya from United States:
The words "strange" and "weird" are similar enough that they can often be used in the same sentences.  For example, "I got worried when I heard a strange noise outside."  "I got worried when I heard a weird noise outside."  

However, the two words do have different connotations.  The word "strange" can be used to mean "unfamiliar."  For example, "I always get lost when I am in a strange town."  (But you wouldn't say, "I always get lost when I am in a weird town." because that would imply that you thought that there was something wrong with the town).  "Strange" can also mean "out of the ordinary."  For example, "I wonder if I should take my baby to the doctor.  It is strange that he is sleeping for so many hours today." 

The best synonyms for "weird" are "bizarre or eerie."  When you say "weird", it carries a stronger sense of judgment, that you are saying something is so odd that is outside the range of normal (bizarre).  "Strange" is a little gentler -- it can me anything between "slightly odd" (or unfamiliar) and "bizarre."  Still, in many sentences either word would work.  "What do you think of the new guy that Theresa is dating?  Does he seem a little (strange/weird) to you?"  

The word "strange" will be less likely to offend someone than the word "weird."  For example, if you are talking with the parents of a student, you could say, "I have been noticing some strange behavior from Emma.  Do you think there is something that is upsetting Emma at school or at home?"  But if you said, "I have been noticing some weird behavior from Emma...." -- that will sound more judgmental, like you are saying there is something wrong with her (not just something unusual about her, a change from the way she ordinarily is).  {Well, actually, it would be even more diplomatic to say "unusual behavior."} 

Albela from India:
"Strange" refers to that which is out of the ordinary. It implies that the thing or its cause is unknown or unexplained; it is unfamiliar and unusual (e.g., a strange expression; traveled through strange lands). 

"Weird" refers to that which is mysterious and apparently outside natural law. It is suggestive of the fateful intervention of supernatural influences in human affairs (e.g., the weird adventures of a group lost in the jungle; a weird and sinister laugh). 

The difference between weird and strange is not large and is a bit difficult to describe, really. Weird inspires the creeps and strange seems off (out of the ordinary a bit). But they both can mean both of those things...so the line is blurred and practically non existent. 

BikolJoe from Philippines:
Strange is closer to unusual while weird is more like bizarre or much stronger. It would be strange for Erap to support PGMA, it would be weird if he proposed marriage to her! Hahaha. 

Advice is a noun while advise is a verb. 


Right : His advice is always good.


Right: We advise you to drive slowly.


Right: He gave me much good advice.  (not many advices)

Between refers to two persons or objects; among is used  in reference to more than two.


Wrong: The research was carried on among the two of us.

Right:  The research was carried on between the two of us.

Today, I was asked by my friend from Columbia about the differences between the  use of In and Into. So, I decided to use that as a subject for my first post here in English Workshop.


In, Into
     In means inside something. It emphasizes the situation in         which someone or something is inside of something.
    Example: I am in the office.
                      The food is in the refrigerator.
                      There is a mouse in my house.

Into tells of motion from the outside to the inside of something. It emphasizes the action of a thing entering or being put inside something. 
Example:   I am walking into the office.
   My mom put the food into the refrigerator.
   There is a mouse creeping into my house.


Wrong:  Cinderella's shoes fell in the stairs.
Right:  Cinderella's shoes fell into the stairs.


Wrong: The slides went automatically in the projector.
Right:  The slides went automatically into the projector.