Verbs
This part of The Bedford Handbook is primarily for multilingual writers. You may find this section helpful if you learned English as a second language (ESL) or if you speak a language other than English with your friends and family.
Besides concentrating on specific points of grammar and usage, you can strengthen your English-language skills by reading, writing, listening to, and speaking English in a variety of settings.
- Reading: To familiarize yourself with the ways in which other writers use the language, you can read textbooks, with a focus on vocabulary and sentence patterns, or read fiction or nonfiction books, newspapers, magazines, and Web sites to absorb popular uses of language.
- Writing: You will write in your college courses, but you also can practice your skills by writing e-mail messages or blog posts for various audiences or by keeping a personal journal.
- Listening: Paying attention to and following directions in class can help you focus on academic conversation. Listening to speakers on campus, to friends, or to TV or radio programs can help you understand colloquial usage.
- Speaking: Conversing with English-speaking friends privately or in class discussions can help you develop an “ear” for pronunciation and appropriate usage in various situations.
Both native and nonnative speakers of English encounter challenges with verbs. Section 28 focuses on specific challenges that multilingual writers sometimes face. You can find more help with verbs in other sections in the book:
making subjects and verbs agree (21)
using irregular verb forms (27a, 27b)
leaving off verb endings (27c, 27d)
choosing the correct verb tense (27f)
avoiding inappropriate uses of the passive voice (8a)