Grammar and New Year's Resolutions
2023-12-29
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1The New Year comes on different dates for different cultures.
2And most of the Western world celebrates it on January 1st.
3One thing many cultures have in common is the idea of New Year's resolutions.
4A New Year's resolution is a personal goal to change unwanted behavior, make a life improvement, or try something new.
5In the United States, popular New Year's resolutions often include losing weight, improving your finances, volunteering for an organization, or spending less time on social media.
6On today's Everyday Grammar, we will show you how to talk about resolutions in English.
7First, let's learn how to ask people about their resolutions.
8Listen to a short conversation:
9Hey there, Faith. Happy New Year! Great to see you.
10Hi, Greg. Happy New Year to you too! How was yours?
11It was crazy! We went to New York and watched the ball drop in Times Square.
12It was really crowded and loud - but still really fun.
13Sweet! Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
14Faith asked Greg about resolutions simply by saying, "Do you have any New Year's resolutions?"
15You can also say, "What are your New Year's resolutions?" to ask about more than one or "What is your New Year's resolution?" to ask about one.
16Now, let's find out how to answer the question.
17When we make statements about our resolutions, we often use phrasal verbs.
18We can use the phrasal verb "take up" to say that we will start a new activity as a hobby.
19Listen to Faith and Greg continue their conversation:
20Sweet! Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
21Yes, I do. I plan to take up kickboxing starting next week. I'm excited to finally do it rather than just talk about it! How about you?
22Another phrasal verb for resolutions is "give up," which is to stop doing or using something.
23We can use this verb to talk about ending bad habits or changing behavior for a time.
24Let's hear Faith respond using the verb "give up":
25How about you?
26I am giving up sugar for the month of January. Then, for the rest of the year, I'm avoiding soft drinks.
27Wow! I wish I could join you but the kickboxing class starts soon. I'll probably want some sweets after class!
28Another phrasal verb, "cut out," has the same basic meaning as "give up."
29For example, Faith could say, "I am cutting out sugar for the month of January."
30But in many situations, we do not need phrasal verbs to talk about resolutions, as you will soon see.
31Next, let's talk about verb tenses and forms.
32Greg talked about his new kickboxing activity using the verb "plan" followed by the infinitive verb form and Faith talked about giving up sugar using the present continuous verb tense, also called "BE + ing."
33We can also use the simple future tenses: one with "will" and the other with "going to."
34These tenses are especially useful when the New Year has not come yet.
35Imagine it's the last week of the year and a few people are talking to each other about resolutions:
36Here are some things you might hear:
37In 2024, I'm going to visit my friends every month.
38By the end of March, I will stop eating sweets.
39In the new year, I'm going to practice kickboxing every week.
40When we use simple future tenses to talk about resolutions, we're expressing that we are making a promise to or plan for ourselves.
41The noun "resolution" comes from the verb "resolve," which means to make a serious decision to do something.
42You may have noticed that the statements so far today did not actually use the word "resolution."
43That is because the subject was already known by the listeners.
44But it is still perfectly normal to start your statements with, "My New Year's resolution is..." or "My New Year's resolutions are..." An infinitive verb or a gerund must come after these phrases.
45Here is an example:
46My New Year's resolution is to call my sister on video every week.
47The infinitive verb here is "to call."
48You can also use a gerund, like this:
49My New Year's resolution is calling my sister on video every week.
50Well, that's all for today's program. Tell us about your New Year's resolutions in the comments below. Or email us at learningenglish@voanews.com.
51Happy New Year!
52I'm Jill Robbins.
1The New Year comes on different dates for different cultures. And most of the Western world celebrates it on January 1st. 2One thing many cultures have in common is the idea of New Year's resolutions. A New Year's resolution is a personal goal to change unwanted behavior, make a life improvement, or try something new. 3In the United States, popular New Year's resolutions often include losing weight, improving your finances, volunteering for an organization, or spending less time on social media. 4On today's Everyday Grammar, we will show you how to talk about resolutions in English. 5Asking a question 6First, let's learn how to ask people about their resolutions. 7Listen to a short conversation: 8Hey there, Faith. Happy New Year! Great to see you. 9Hi, Greg. Happy New Year to you too! How was yours? 10It was crazy! We went to New York and watched the ball drop in Times Square. It was really crowded and loud - but still really fun. 11Sweet! Do you have any New Year's resolutions? 12Faith asked Greg about resolutions simply by saying, "Do you have any New Year's resolutions?" 13You can also say, "What are your New Year's resolutions?" to ask about more than one or "What is your New Year's resolution?" to ask about one. 14Now, let's find out how to answer the question. 15Using phrasal verbs 16When we make statements about our resolutions, we often use phrasal verbs. 17We can use the phrasal verb "take up" to say that we will start a new activity as a hobby. 18Listen to Faith and Greg continue their conversation: 19Sweet! Do you have any New Year's resolutions? 20Yes, I do. I plan to take up kickboxing starting next week. I'm excited to finally do it rather than just talk about it! How about you? 21Another phrasal verb for resolutions is "give up," which is to stop doing or using something. We can use this verb to talk about ending bad habits or changing behavior for a time. 22Let's hear Faith respond using the verb "give up": 23How about you? 24I am giving up sugar for the month of January. Then, for the rest of the year, I'm avoiding soft drinks. 25Wow! I wish I could join you but the kickboxing class starts soon. I'll probably want some sweets after class! 26Another phrasal verb, "cut out," has the same basic meaning as "give up." For example, Faith could say, "I am cutting out sugar for the month of January." 27But in many situations, we do not need phrasal verbs to talk about resolutions, as you will soon see. 28Using future forms 29Next, let's talk about verb tenses and forms. Greg talked about his new kickboxing activity using the verb "plan" followed by the infinitive verb form and Faith talked about giving up sugar using the present continuous verb tense, also called "BE + ing." 30We can also use the simple future tenses: one with "will" and the other with "going to." These tenses are especially useful when the New Year has not come yet. 31Imagine it's the last week of the year and a few people are talking to each other about resolutions: Here are some things you might hear: 32In 2024, I'm going to visit my friends every month. 33By the end of March, I will stop eating sweets. 34In the new year, I'm going to practice kickboxing every week. 35When we use simple future tenses to talk about resolutions, we're expressing that we are making a promise to or plan for ourselves. The noun "resolution" comes from the verb "resolve," which means to make a serious decision to do something. 36Infinitives and gerunds 37You may have noticed that the statements so far today did not actually use the word "resolution." That is because the subject was already known by the listeners. But it is still perfectly normal to start your statements with, "My New Year's resolution is..." or "My New Year's resolutions are..." An infinitive verb or a gerund must come after these phrases. Here is an example: 38My New Year's resolution is to call my sister on video every week. 39The infinitive verb here is "to call." 40You can also use a gerund, like this: 41My New Year's resolution is calling my sister on video every week. 42Well, that's all for today's program. Tell us about your New Year's resolutions in the comments below. Or email us at learningenglish@voanews.com. 43Happy New Year! 44I'm Jill Robbins. 45Alice Bryant wrote this lesson for Learning English. 46________________________________________________ 47Words in This Story 48conversation - n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people 49resolution 50phrasal verb - n. a group of words that functions as a verb and is made up of a verb and a preposition or an adverb, or both 51habit - n. something that a person does often in a regular and repeated way 52tense - n. a form of a verb that is used to show when an action happened