TOEIC®

Over 10,000 organizations in 120 countries throughout the world trust the TOEIC test to determine who has the English language skills to succeed in the global workplace. Get ahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif better job with the TOEIC Listening and Reading test.

The TOEIC test takes about 2h 30min. It consists of 2 parts:

listening (test takers listen to a variety of questions and short conversations recorded in English, then answer questions based on what they have heard)

reading (test takers read a variety of materials and respond at their own pace)

Learn more about this exam and register with Alpha Training Solutions! Let us know and we will arrange a free 60-minute consultation session on the TOEIC test for you!

Lie vs Lay

The verbs to lie and to lay are quite problematic for English students. The reason why they are so confusing is their irregular Past and Perfect forms.

Let's begin with the verb to lay, which means to put or place sth. It's quite easy to remember the irregular forms because they are similar pay - paid - paid:

lay - laid - laid, e.g.
She has laid her hand on my shoulder.
He laid the money on the table as they walked out.

However, the verb to lie may be both regular and irregular. Let's start with the regular form, which means not to tell the truth:

lie - lied - lied, e.g.
She lied about her age.
I have never lied to you!

The irregular form means to be in a position in which your body is flat on the floor, on a bed etc. And here come the irregular forms:

lie - lay - lain, e.g.
For a few minutes he just lay on his bed.
Don't lie in the sun for too long.

Please note that the gerund form of the verb to lie is lying.

TEST YOURSELF
1. He …....... on the track for five minutes before being rescued by two friends who were also out riding.
2. I looked at her face and just knew that she was …....... .
3. The camera never …………..
4. I could tell from her face that she was ………….
5. They ………… flowers at the place where so many people died. (past)
6. He was …………. on the bed smoking a cigarette.
7. I would never ………… to you.
8. The dog was …………… dead on the floor.
9. Libby switched off the light and …....... on the couch, staring into the darkness.
10. We ……….. flowers on her grave once a week.
11. The children's clothes were …....... all over the bedroom floor.
12. It was an invention which …....... the foundations of modern radio technology.
13. Almost every night I …....... awake in bed worrying about my family.
14. The project involved …....... an oil pipeline across the desert.
15. Her packed suitcase was …....... near the door.
16. The carpet was …....... last week.

Land & Take Off

If a plane takes off, it rises into the air from the ground (synonym lift off), e.g.
I felt quite excited as the plane took off from Heathrow.
Noun -> take-off, e.g.
At the beginning, the key moment is take-off.

If a plane lands, it moves safely down onto the ground, e.g.
Flight 846 landed five minutes ago.
Noun -> landing, e.g.
take-off and landing procedures

At

at + time of day e.g. at 9.20am, at midnight
at night

at + address e.g. At 65 Sutter Street
at + building e.g. at the Prado Museum
at home

at present
at the moment
at first / at last
at times (=sometimes)
at once (=immediately)
at a high / low price
(not) at all

On

on + date e.g. on 27 Apr
on + day e.g. on Friday

on + street e.g. on Wall Street
on + coast e.g. on the East Coast
on + floor e.g. on the 3rd floor

on a vehicle e.g. on a bus, on a train, on a plane
on foot
on the cover (of)
on a trip
on sale (=for sale at a reduced price)
on schedule
on TV / radio
on the phone
on a farm
on a map
on the other hand
on purpose (=intentionally)

In

The next 3 posts will be devoted to the usage of the following prepositions: in, on, at. Feel free to ask any questions in the comment section.

In
in + century e.g. in the twenty-first century
in + decade e.g. in the 1940s, in the nineties
in + year e.g. in 1987
in + season e.g. in the summer
in + month e.g. in September
in + parts of the day e.g. in the morning / afternoon / evening
in + continent e.g. in South America
in + country e.g. in Japan
in + state / province e.g. in Ontario
in + city e.g. in Berlin
in + building e.g. in the Empire State Building
in + room e.g. in the bathroom
in + clothing e.g. in a grey suit
in + language e.g. in French
in + book e.g. in the Beast and the Beauty
in + newspaper / magazine e.g. in the Financial Times
in + department e.g. in the legal department
in + field e.g. in computer science, in architecture

in my opinion
in the past / future
in the world
in a car / taxi
in trouble
in danger (of)
in part (=partially)
in front of
in the middle of
in line
in the process of
in the market (=trying to buy sth)

A Guinea Pig

A guinea pig is someone who is used in a scientific test to see how successful or safe a new product, system etc.




Examples:
We're looking for volunteers to act as guinea pigs for a new AIDS vaccine.
My guests are guinea pigs for all the new dishes I try out.