COMMON DISTINGUISHMENTS yellow/96226 This post is a part of

Question

COMMON DISTINGUISHMENTS   yellow/96226 
This post is a part of  GMAT GRAMMAR BOOK ]

created by:   bb 
 edited by:   dzyubam

There  +  Be  
When using the combination of   there  + be ,   there   is called an “expletive”. It has no meaning as a vocabulary word. It simply introduces the idea that something exists in a particular place. When beginning a sentence with this combination, the subject follows the verb.

There  +  be  + subject + expression of place

There  is    a clean  towel    in the linen closet .    Verb  subject  expression of place     There  are    six  kittens    under my bed .    Verb  subject  expression of place     There  has been    a  fire    at the warehouse .    Verb  subject  expression of place

Sometimes the expression of place is omitted when the meaning is clear.
 There are  seven continents. (The implied expression of place is clearly  in the world .)

Say / Tell  
 Say  and  tell  both mean to communicate verbally with someone, but they are usually used differently. Normally, you   say  something  and you   tell  someone something .

You   say   something    You   tell   someone something   
  Jeff   said   that he was tired.
Jennifer   says   you have a new job.
Patricia   said  , “I love you.”  Jeff   told   Sam that he was tired.
Jennifer   tells   me you have a new job.
Patricia   told   John that she loves him.

Tell   uses an object directly following.

Bob   told    the boss  that he wasn’t working tomorrow.
Janice   told    me  that she loves John.

Say   uses the word “to” or “that” before the object.

Bob   said    to  the boss that he wasn’t working tomorrow.
Janice   said    to  me that she loves John.
Bob   said    that  he wasn’t working tomorrow.
Janice   said    that  she loves John.

When using direct speech,   say   is normally used.

Amanda   said  , “Sweetheart, I’m going to work now.”
“John, that’s a beautiful car!” George   said  .

Sometimes   tell   is used in direct speech if it is an instruction, or information. (Notice the object directly after   tell   as described above.)

Rebecca   told   her assistant, “Open the door for the caterer.”
He   told   me, “This is the key to the front door.”

Say   and   tell   cannot be used with reported questions.  Ask , or a similar verb, must be used.

Roy  asked  if I had ever been to Miami.
Mary’s mother  asked  what I wanted to eat.
The policeman  asked  me where I lived.
He  asked  if she wanted to leave.

Tell  + object + infinitive  is used to give orders, or advice.

The teacher   told    the child   to sit down .
She   told    me   to wait  in the lobby.
  Tell    Bill   to have  a great trip to Europe.

Exercise 10: Using  Say  and  Tell  
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb   say   or   tell  .

1. Jason _____________ his friend to shut up.
2. Jane _____________ that she is feeling sick.
3. My English teacher ______________ I’m learning quickly.
4. The driver _____________, “I’ll pick you up at the airport.”
5. Please, ______________ me where to find the washing detergent.
6. The angry mother ____________, “ I ___________ you not to do that!”
7. I heard Peter _____________ that he was going out with Becky tonight.
8. The security guard ______________ me to get off the stage.
9. _______________ me the story again!
10. Will you ______________ John to meet me after work?

Know / Know How 
The verb   know  , when used by itself, is usually followed by a noun, a prepositional phrase, or a sentence.

She   knew    the answer .
Everyone   knows    about gravity .
Jason   knew   that  he was going to be in trouble .

Know how   is used to indicate a skill, or ability to do something. This form is followed by the infinitive form of a verb.

Jim   knows how    to make  cool inventions.
Monkeys   know how    to use  primitive tools.
Do you   know how    to make  fudge brownies?

Exercise 11: Using Know and Know How 
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of   know   or   know how  .

1. The boys ____________________ to catch rabbits with snares.
2. Do you ____________________ to get to the airport from here?
3. I didn’t ____________________ that Jenny was pregnant.
4. I am amazed that Jack ____________________ where to go from here.
5. Some primitive tribes ____________________ to perform surgery long ago.

Need / In Need Of 
Usually, when the subject of a sentence is an animate object, the verb   need   is followed by an infinitive verb.

Hector   needs   to get a haircut.
We   need   to leave now.
My dog   needs   to learn new tricks.

Usually, when the subject of a sentence is an inanimate object, the verb   need   is followed by either a gerund (or “ing” verb), or the verb  to be  followed by the past participle of the action verb.

The grass   needs    cutting .  OR  The grass   needs    to be   cut .
The motorcycle   needs    repairing .  OR  The motorcycle   needs    to be   repaired .
The guest list   needs    writing .  OR  The guest list   needs    to be   written .

Be aware that there are some exceptions to these rules. Sometimes, animate objects follow the second rule.

My dog   needs    to be   fed . 
The baby   needs    burping . OR The baby   needs    to be   burped .

Sometimes, inanimate objects follow the first rule.

The buzzer   needs    to ring  before we can leave class.
The grass   needs    to grow  more before I can cut it.

The expression   in need of   can be used in some cases in place of using the verb need. However, because the word   need   is not a verb in the phrase   in need of  , it must be preceded by the verb  be .

Darren  is    in need of   a haircut. (Darren needs a haircut.)
The car  was    in need of   new tires. (The car needed new tires.)
The girls  were    in need of   prom dresses. (The girls needed prom dresses.)

Exercise 12: Using  Need  
Fill in the correct form of the verb in parentheses after the verb   need  .

1. I need ___________________ finish) my homework.
2. The bus needs to be ___________________ (fill) with gas.
3. Mary’s garden needs ___________________ (water).
4. The thief needs to be ___________________ (punish).
5. Harold will need _____________________ (make) extra cash for his trip.
6. This problem needs _____________________ (solve).
7. Nancy needs _____________________ (wash) the dishes soon.
8. The crops need to be ______________________ (harvest) before it rains.
9. Stacy and I need _____________________ (move) to another apartment.
10. That hole in the road needs ______________________ (fill).

Think something is missing? Let us know - Help Improve GMAT Club's Grammar Book Project!   
  This post is a part of  GMAT GRAMMAR BOOK ]

roshpat · Accepted Answer

I just wanted to add a few things that I came across.

Lie vs lay

Lie - does not take an object

Lay - takes an object

Present tense

A) Lie

Example: I lie down everyday at 3 pm.

B) Lay

Example: She lays the baby in the bassinet.

Present continuous

Lie 
Example: I am lying down now.

Lay - 
Example: She is laying the baby in the bassinet

Past tense

A) lie becomes lay

Example - I lay down at 3 pm yesterday.

B) lay becomes laid

Example - She laid the baby in the bassinet.

Perfect

A) Lie becomes has/have lain for present and had lain for past

Example: The lions have lain in wait for their prey.
 The lions had lain in wait for their prey.

B) Lay becomes - has/have laid for present and for had laid for past

Example: She has laid the baby in the bassinet.
 They have laid the baby in the bassinet. 
 She had laid the baby in the bassinet.

Infinitive

A) lie is of the form - to lie

Example: She told me to lie down at 3 pm.

B) lay is of the form - to lay

Example - I asked her to lay the baby in the bassinet.

Hope this helps.

sag · Answer

Nicely explained...

I think the verb in the following sentences is Incorrect :

Hector  need  to get a haircut.
We  needs  to leave now.
My dog  need  to learn new tricks.

Regards..

dzyubam · Answer

Thanks. My bad. Corrected the errors. +1.

zisis · Answer

a few more suggestions:

whether ...................Vs.................... if
= incertainty..................................... requires "then" (?), implies conditional

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

due to.......................................VS..........................Because
mostly for nouns/noun phrases......... ........................... mostly for verbals/verbal phrases (?????)

Lie VS Lay
should VS will

ravsg · Answer

Need/In need of

6. This problem needs __solving__ (solve).

Is it also correct to say

6. This problem needs __to be solved__ (solve).

nageswara · Answer

I think grammar wise both the sentences are correct but usage wise latter one seems to be better.

manu136 · Answer

Just to confirm my understanding of the basics - shouldn't it be "Patrica told John that she  loved  him" ?

nageswara · Answer

I think that the sentence "Patrica told John that she loves him." is correct because 'loves' in this sentence expresses state of Patrica.

Present simple tense rightly expresses the state in which Patrica was in.

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COMMON DISTINGUISHMENTS yellow/96226 This post is a part of

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There is	a clean towel	in the linen closet.
Verb	subject	expression of place
There are	six kittens	under my bed.
Verb	subject	expression of place
There has been	a fire	at the warehouse.
Verb	subject	expression of place

You say something	You tell someone something
Jeff said that he was tired. Jennifer says you have a new job. Patricia said, “I love you.”	Jeff told Sam that he was tired. Jennifer tells me you have a new job. Patricia told John that she loves him.

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COMMON DISTINGUISHMENTS yellow/96226 This post is a part of

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards