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  • Eat Sleep Dreamers, I asked you to ask me any questions you wanted about English and

  • you did. So I'm here to answer them for you. So if you are ready, let's do this.

  • Welcome to Q&A with Tom. Now I asked you guys on Facebook and on Instagram to ask me any

  • questions you had about English and I got so many responses. So today we're looking

  • at, well I'm going to look at some of the questions and hopefully give you an answer

  • so you can understand English better. So, alright, if you are ready let's have a look

  • at question number one.

  • We are starting with a grammar question on Instagram. This comes from kirilova_irina_inst

  • and she asks how often in a real conversation do you use the present perfect continuous

  • and the past perfect continuous? Great question, so let's do a real quick review of the present

  • perfect continuous and the past perfect continuous.

  • The present perfect continuous, the form is have or has plus been plus the verb in the

  • ing form. And we use it to talk about actions that started in the past and continue or are

  • unfinished now. For example 'I've been working here for ten years.' So that started in the

  • past and it's still true now, it's still continuing now. Let's look at two examples to contrast

  • the present perfect continuous and the present perfect. 'I've watched the new series of Game

  • of Thrones'. Now in that sentence that suggests that I've completed it that I finished the

  • new series. Whereas contrasting that with the present perfect continuous 'I've been

  • watching the new series of Game of Thrones.' There it suggests that I haven't finished,

  • that maybe there are a few episodes I need to watch. So we are focusing on the action

  • there. So that's maybe one time that we're going to use the present perfect continuous

  • is to focus on the action rather than the result. We can also use it for temporary situations.

  • So for example 'I usually live on my own but I've been staying with my sister for the last

  • two weeks.' So it's a temporary situation, I'll go back to living on my own but just

  • for a short time I've been living with my sister. So temporary situations also really

  • good with the present perfect continuous. Another functional way to use the present

  • perfect continuous is to talk about reasons for present results. So for example, I have

  • my chocolate here but most of it has gone and I could say 'Who's been eating my chocolate?'

  • Ok, and I can see that there is still some chocolate there, this is present situation

  • but in the past someone has eaten my chocolate. Now I could say 'Who ate my chocolate?' that's

  • fine but I could also say 'Who's been eating my chocolate?' both are absolutely fine. Also

  • you might say another example 'I'm really tired' and the reason 'because I've been walking

  • around London all day' so 'I'm really tired right now and the reason, because I've been

  • walking around London all day.' So again you've got a present situation, a present result

  • and the reason, we are using the present perfect continuous, because I've been walking around

  • London all day. So that's another really nice functional way to use the present perfect

  • continuous. The past perfect continuous, the form is had plus been plus the verb in the

  • ing form. And again we are talking about actions that happened in the past and continue to

  • a point in the past. So this is all past actions, they are all completed actions. And this is

  • really important, you'll probably use the past perfect continuous in a narrative, in

  • a story. For example I might tell you about trying to meet a friend and I could say 'I'd

  • been waiting for my friend for hours and then finally she called and said that she had an

  • accident.' So the focus there is on the length of time that I was waiting. Often we use it

  • with another past tense so I'd been waiting for my friend for hours and then she finally

  • called. Could be the past, using the past simple tense. The past perfect continuous

  • tense is a really useful tense in narratives and that's when you are most likely to use

  • it. Now I think both theses tenses need more time to learn and to look at together so perhaps

  • if you guys would like me to do a separate video looking at the present perfect continuous

  • and the past perfect continuous then let me know in the comments below. I hope that was

  • useful for you Irina, that certainly with the present perfect continuous we use it very

  • functionally a lot and with the pst perfect continuous again in stories in narratives

  • yeah we use it.So, I hope that helps, let me know in the comments below.

  • From Facebook Nguyen Dinh Bac asks 'What's the difference between each and every?' Fantastic

  • question. Ok, now they are both very similar in meaning however each refers to an individual

  • thing or object or person whereas every can refer to a group of things or people. For

  • example 'Each English learner is different.' 'Every English learner is different' So there

  • both are grammatically correct. The difference just being how we view the subject there.

  • So each English learner, I'm thinking about individual one whereas every English learner

  • I'm grouping them together as a group of English learners. So both perfectly grammatically

  • correct it's just how we look at the situation. How we perceive it to be. Now both each and

  • every we use with singular nouns, ok that's a really important rule. Now the difference

  • between the two comes when we are talking about two objects. Now if we have two objects

  • then we are going to use each for example 'I've got a bag in each hand.' Now I've only

  • got two hands in the world, only two of them so I would use each because it's two. So I've

  • got a bag in each hand. I couldn't say I've got a bag in every hand, that would be a bit

  • strange. Maybe I would have five hands, ten hands who knows. If we have three or more

  • objects then we can use every or each so for example 'Every country I've been to I've loved'

  • or 'Each country I've been to I've loved' both are grammatically fine because we are

  • looking at three or more objects. Nguyen I hope that helps, I hope that makes sense,

  • thank you for your question.

  • I got two questions from you guys about British versus American English. Happy_ukhti said

  • 'what's the difference between British and American English?' Great question, now there

  • are many differences between the two now just first of all I've done three videos about

  • British and American English to help you guys understand which words to use which grammar

  • to use which pronunciation to use. I've linked them just above. Now the main things are vocabulary,

  • there's a lot of difference between British vocabulary and American vocabulary. Now recently

  • I showed you guys how to do the pronunciation of certain television shows and we talked

  • about the vocabulary of series or season. Now series is British English meaning a collection

  • of episodes and season is an American English word to say a collection of episodes and now

  • people here certainly in London and Britain, we're saying season or some people are anyway.

  • So there is a kind of American English comes into British English and some of the words

  • we use, some of the words we don't but that's one example of British English using some

  • American English vocabulary. So vocabulary is one big thing, pronunciation is obviously

  • a huge one. There are many differences I can't even begin to start with them now but the

  • 'r' sound car in American English is a much stronger sound than in British English. Again

  • if you guys would like a separate video about British English and American English pronunciation

  • differences then tell me in the comments below, I would love to make one for you. Grammar

  • as well, there's obviously a lot of difference, not a lot of difference but there are differences

  • in British English grammar and American English grammar. I've talked about that before so

  • if you check out my videos I made three of them. Watch them, see if you can learn new

  • things from that and then also let me know in the comments below if you'd like me to

  • make another video about British and American English.

  • AtyB on Instagram asked me 'When will you come to HK again?' so Hong Kong 'or may I

  • meet you in the near future?' So great question Aty. Yeah, for those of you who don't know

  • I used to live in Hong Kong for about three and a half years. I lived in Argentina as

  • well and in Spain. I would love to go back to Hong Kong, if not for a short trip who

  • knows but yes. There are certainly plans at some point in the near future to make it to

  • Hong Kong so of course I will tell you guys if I do come to Hong Kong or to Asia or anywhere

  • for that matter. And yes, if you come to London please let me know. I do try to meet up with

  • Eat Sleep Dreamers, I love it. I feel a great connection with you guys especially when I

  • meet you. I met Natalie, when Natalie came to London we went for a coffee. I put the

  • picture up on my Facebook page so yeah please let me know if you are coming to London let

  • me know. And if I have time I would love to meet you for a coffee or a drink or a chat

  • or whatever it might be. So let me know.

  • I'm also planning a meet up at some point really soon to get some Eat Sleep Dreamers

  • together just to hang out to meet each other share stories things like that. So listen

  • in keep your ears, get your ears ready, keep your eyes peeled, that's the phrase we use,

  • keep your eye peeled. Look out! You know and I'll let you guys know as soon as I decide

  • when the meet up will be, I'll tell you.

  • Nina Nona on Facebook asks 'What is an Oxford comma?' Now usually i don't look at writing

  • so much on Eat Sleep Dream English but we'll have a look at it today. So the Oxford comma

  • is the last comma in a list of three or more things and it goes just before and or or.

  • Now it's optional, you don't have to use it, some style guides or writing guides would

  • prefer you to use it but it's an optional thing. So let's look t an example. Ok, so

  • 'I bought a suit, a tie and some new shoes'. Now there you can use it with the Oxford comma,

  • so the comma just going before and or you can use it without. Both are absolutely fine,

  • it's your choice. It's up to you. If you are writing for an exam or maybe for a newspaper

  • or publication then you should find out whether to use it or not but if you are just writing

  • for yourself then you can choose. The only I would say is be consistent, either use it

  • all the time or don't use it at all, it's up to you.

  • On Instagram anita.sk asks 'Have lunch' or 'have a lunch' - which one is correct? Great

  • question. So most of the time, almost all the time have lunch is great, ok? We use it

  • just to talk very generally so 'What time do you have lunch?' or 'I have lunch at one

  • o'clock.' So that's probably the one you'll use most of the time. When you have a formal

  • plan for lunch maybe it's a business lunch or a lunch to celebrate a friend's birthday,

  • something like that, then you might say a lunch. So 'i have a lunch tomorrow' means

  • that i have a formal plan tomorrow for lunch. Or if you are going through your diary with

  • a friend and you are saying 'sorry i can't meet on Friday, I have a lunch planned.' So

  • for formal situations with a formal planned lunch that's when you might say have a lunch

  • but generally speaking have lunch works really well most of the time.

  • On Facebook Phan Hoang asks 'Hi Tom, I am from Asia, on the holidays and special lunar

  • new year, we usually visit relatives and neighbours. Do you do that? Do you know your neighbours?

  • What do you do on holiday?

  • Great question yeah, during the holiday period like Christmas Easter things like that yeah

  • absolutely I spend it with my family. We visit each other and that's a really important time.

  • It's a great opportunity to meet up with your friends, well your family and spend some really

  • good quality time with them. Do I know my neighbours? Yeah I know my neighbours. I've

  • travelled around quite a lot so I haven't always been in one place for a long time so

  • maybe I don't know my neighbours as well as someone who has lived in the same place for

  • years and years and years but yeah I know my neighbours and lots of my friends live

  • very close to me so that's fantastic.

  • What do i do on holiday? I mean, any number of things. usually i try and find some sunshine

  • that;s because I live in England and we don't always have sunshine so that's always a nice

  • thing. I love eating, when I go on holiday I love to eat the local food, trying new things.

  • Recently i went to Spain and I ate the local food there. It was incredible, I love it.

  • When I lived in Hong Kong I visited lots of different countries in Asia like Vietnam,

  • Thailand and Indonesia again trying the local food so I think food is a really important

  • part of holidays and travelling for me.

  • Guys if you have any more questions for me please let me know in the comments below and

  • I'll make another Q&A with Tom video later. And you can ask your questions and I'll answer

  • them for you. I'm here to help you, I'm here to help you learn English as best I can. So

  • yeh just let me know in the comments below. If you have any questions about grammar, vocabulary

  • pronunciation whatever it is. If there any videos i can make you also please let me know

  • and I'll try and make them. I've got a couple of very exciting announcements coming soon.

  • I can't quite tell you yet but look out in the next couple of days, weeks some really