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Grammar - Everyday Grammar - Are You Crazy About English? |
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| Are You Crazy About English? |
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 Are
You Crazy About English?
The lesson includes an audio program explaining this
grammar topic, the script for the audio program, a words in this story section,
and other important information. |
Audio Program
Listen to the audio program explaining this grammar
topic. Then read the following written information. |
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Are You Crazy About English? |
English speakers express likes and dislikes in so many
ways. By now, you’ve learned how to use words such as
like, enjoy, love, or even hate. For example:
She really likes the new professor.
We enjoy restaurants by the water.
I love traveling to distant places.
They hate cold weather and snow.
These are simple and common ways to express likes and
dislikes. But fluent speakers of English use other ways,
too.
Some are a little more nuanced and less direct. Today,
we’ll show you four phrases you can start using as soon
as you like.
To be into…/ not be into...
Let’s start with to be into. This phrase is very
informal. And American English speakers often include
the adverb really in it. To be really into something
means you like it a lot.
One structure for using this phrase is subject + to be +
like/dislike word or phrase + noun. Listen:
I'm really into karaoke. I sing in front of crowds every
chance I get.
But, what if you wanted to express that someone is
really into doing something? The structure changes a
little. Listen:
I’m really into singing pop songs from the ‘80s.
Here, it’s subject + to be + like/dislike word or phrase
+ gerund (and sometimes) + noun. The gerund in this
example is singing and songs is the noun.
All the phrases you’ll hear today can be used with
either of these two structures.
The negative form of the phrase – to not really be into
– often doesn’t exactly mean someone has a strong
dislike for something; it may just mean the person has
little or no interest in it. Listen:
He’s not really into baseball. But he loves soccer.
Maybe you guys can catch a soccer game?
To be a fan of…/ not be a fan of…
Let’s move on to the next one. Like the phrase to be
really into, to be a fan of something means you like it
a lot. Americans usually add the adjective ‘big’ or
‘huge’ to this phrase.
One thing to note: you may have heard people say they
are fans of a sports team or of a movie star. These are
common ways to use ‘fan.’ But you can be a fan of just
about anything. Listen:
I’m a big fan of sushi. I know a great Japanese place we
can go to.
Notice this example uses the first structure we
discussed.
Also, with this phrase, sometimes the word fan comes
after the thing that you like. Listen:
I’m a big sushi fan. I know a great Japanese place we
can go to.
When we use the negative form – not a big fan of – it
expresses a stronger emotion than saying you’re not
really into it. Listen:
I’ve never been a huge fan of shopping at supermarkets.
They’re too crowded. I prefer to order my groceries
online.
Notice that this example uses have been, which is a
tense of the verb to be. It also uses the second
structure we discussed earlier.
For the rest of the program, you can examine the
sentence structure yourself. Remember, all the phrases
today follow one of the two patterns.
To be crazy about… / not be crazy
about…
Now, let’s talk about the phrase to be crazy about. This
phrase’s positive and negative forms have very different
uses.
In American English, we use the positive form much less
frequently. And, it is mainly used to express strong
romantic feelings for someone. Listen:
He’s crazy about her. I think he’s going to ask her to
marry him.
We also sometimes use it for activities such as sports
or the arts:
My kids are crazy about football. They’re going to
football camp this summer.
An older way of saying the phrase used the preposition
for instead of about:
He’s crazy for opera. He buys tickets every season, no
matter how much they cost.
Now, to the negative – we almost always use the negative
form for non-romantic things. It means the same as to
not be a fan of. Listen:
I’m not crazy about mowing lawns. I usually pay someone
to do the job for me.
To be fond of…/ not be fond of…
Our last phrase for today – to be fond of – is mostly
used for food and people. This phrase is generally more
common in British English. But its negative form is
fairly common in the United States.
To be fond of means having a liking or love for someone
or something. Listen:
She’s been fond of that boy since they were babies.
The negative form means you don’t like something.
Listen:
Mark has never been fond of vegetables. I don’t think
I’ve ever seen him touch a salad – ever!
Of course, there are many more ways to express likes and
dislikes in English. But learning these four phrases is
a good start.
Don’t forget that you can still freely use the words
you’ve already been using - like, enjoy, love and
others. These new phrases just give you more options.
And if you’re a big fan of learning English, well then,
give them a try!
I’m Alice Bryant.
Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English.
Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. |
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Words in This Story |
- nuanced
– adj. characterized by
subtle shades of meaning or expression
- karaoke
– n. a form of
entertainment in which a device plays the music of
popular songs and people sing the words to the songs
they choose
- gerund
– n. an English noun
formed from a verb by adding -ing
- fan
– n. a person who likes
and admires someone or something in a very
enthusiastic way
- groceries
– n. food sold by a
grocer
- pattern
– n. the regular and
repeated way in which something happens or is done
- mow
– v. to cut something,
such as grass, with a machine or blade
- lawn
– n. an area of ground,
such as the ground around a house, that is covered
with short grass
- fond
– adj. feeling or
showing love or friendship
- salad
– n. a mixture of raw
green vegetables
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Additional Information |
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Here are the two common structures we talked about
today: |
| subject |
verb to be |
like phrase |
noun |
| I |
'm |
(really) into |
karaoke |
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| subject |
verb to be |
like phrase |
gerund |
noun |
| I |
‘m |
really into |
singing |
(pop) songs |
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What music, food, places, activities, or people do you
like or dislike? Write about it in the Facebook Comments
section below using the phrases you just learned. |
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Source: Voice of America |
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Grammar Tips |
Can You Catch These Native Speaker Mistakes?
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of common mistakes. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part One
(Beginner - Listening,
reading)
A video lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words.
The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part One
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part Two
(Beginner - Listening,
reading)
A video lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words.
The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part Two
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
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