60. Historic present
When writing about a past event, we can use the present tense to make it appear as if the event is actually happening.
Even if a person is dead, he or she can still be spoken of in the present tense.
This is known as using the historic present.
The following sentences are written using the historic present.
• Winston Churchill is one of England’s greatest statesmen.
• Captain Cook is responsible for white settlement in Australia.
59. Gerund
• Incorrect: I am thinking to write a novel.
• Correct: I am thinking of writing a novel.
• Incorrect: We were prevented from enter the room.
• Correct: We were prevented from entering the room. A preposition is followed by a gerund (-ing forms) and not an infinitive.
• Incorrect: They insisted on me resigning the post.
• Correct: They insisted on my resigning the post.
• Incorrect: They objected to John playing for the other team.
• Correct: They objected to John's playing for the other team. A noun or a pronoun used before a gerund should be in the possessive case. Note that the possessive case should not be used with a gerund when the gerund is in the passive or when the noun or pronoun denotes a lifeless thing.
• Incorrect: There is no danger of the roof's crashing.
• Correct: There is no danger of the roof crashing.
58. Far and a long way
We use far in questions and negative clauses. • Did you walk far?
• The railway station is not far from here. We use a long way in affirmative clauses.
• We walked a long way. (NOT We walked far.)
• The post office is a long way from here. Far is common in affirmative clauses with adverbs like too, so, enough and as. • You have walked a bit too far.
57. Expressions without prepositions
The verbs discuss, enter, marry, lack, resemble and approach are normally followed by objects without prepositions.
• Incorrect: She married with an old man.
• Correct: She married an old man.
• Incorrect: We must discuss about the plans.
• Correct: We must discuss the plans.
• Incorrect: The baby resembles to its dad.
• Correct: The baby resembles its dad.
56. Expect and hope
• Incorrect: She is hoping a raise.
• Correct: She is expecting a raise. When we expect something we think that it will in fact happen. When we hope for something to happen, we would like it to happen, but we don't know whether it will.
• She is expecting a baby. (= She is pregnant now.)
• She is hoping that it will be a girl. (She doesn’t know whether it will be a boy or a girl, but she will be happier if it is a girl.) We can expect good or bad things to happen, but we only hope for good things.
55. Except and except for
• Incorrect: Except you, I like everyone.
• Correct: Except for you, I like everyone.
• Incorrect: Except this mistake, you did very well.
• Correct: Except for this mistake, you did very well. Except can be used without for after words like all, every, no, everything, anybody, nowhere, whole etc. In other cases we usually use except for.
• He cleaned all the rooms except the bedroom. OR He cleaned all the rooms except for the bedroom. (Except can be used without for after all.)
• Nobody was invited except Peter and Alice. OR Nobody was invited except for Peter and Alice.
• I like everyone except / except for you.
• They were all tired except / except for John. • That was a good essay, except for a few spelling mistakes. (NOT That was a good essay, except a few spelling mistakes.) Before prepositions and conjunctions we use except.
54. Especially and specially
Both specially and especially can often be used with the same meaning.
• It was not specially / especially cold. Especially can mean 'above all'.
• Sometimes I feel rather lonely, especially in the evenings. Specially is used to mean 'for a particular purpose'.
• I made this cake specially for you.
