Name: Ask Alisha Mr, Mrs, Ms - How to Address People?
Uploaded: 2020-07-03T02:02:12.000Z
Duration: 8 min 24 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Wanna speak real English from your first lesson?

The imperative

Sign up for your free lifetime account at EnglishClass101.com.

Let's get started even though there's a dude on the balcony.

Welcome back to Ask Alisha, the weekly series where you ask me questions and I answer them,

First question this week comes from Imon.

Imon says, “What is the use of definite article 'the?'”

We use “the” with a singular noun to refer to a specific instance of that noun.

So, when you're telling a story, we'll often introduce the first instance of a noun with

“a” and then after that, we'll use “the” to refer to the specific instance of that

“I was walking down the street and I saw a dog.

So, in that situation, when I introduce “a dog” in the story, the first time I talk

about the dog in the story, I used “a” to introduce it.

Then, after that, I used “the” to refer to that specific dog that I introduced earlier

Every other time that I want to talk about that same dog, I use “the” before it.

So, use the word, “the,” when you need to refer to a specific noun or when you have

So, for example, “The teachers in the school district went on strike.”

So, specifically, we're talking about teachers in a specific school district, “The teachers

“The mothers at the PTA meeting organized a bake sale.”

It's a specific group that is defined by something else.

So, in this case, “the mothers at the PTA meeting,” only the mothers that were at

that meeting, not the mothers from a different group, for example.

We use “the” to talk about a specific instance of something.

“There's a slang expression that I've heard several times and don't understand well.

Using “I know, right,” it's like an invitation then for the other person to agree again really.

So, think of “I know, right,” as like an even stronger, even more emphasis on the

agreement and an invitation for the other person to agree again, “I know, right.”

It's like, “Yes and you agree too, don't you?”

My question is about the preposition 'in' or 'at.'

Which sentence is correct and explain the reason.”

Let's take a look at the first one, “Have you ever cried in a film?”

This is actually a point where the differences between British English and American English

“Have you ever cried in a film?” could have a few different meanings depending on

If, for example, you were speaking to an actor and you say, “Have you ever cried in a film?”

meaning, when you were in a film, when you were acting in a film, did you cry at any

So, “Have you ever cried in a film?” it could also mean have you gone to watch a movie

in a movie theatre and cried at the movie theatre or in the movie theatre.

Your second sentence, “Have you ever cried at a film?”

So, using act shows like the direction of an emotion.

We use it with other emotions as well like, “My mom is mad at me,” or, “My dad is

So, it's showing the direction of emotion.

In this case, “Have you ever cried at a film?”

In my case, though, if I wanted to ask my friend if a movie had ever caused them to

cry, I would say, “Have you ever cried at a movie?”

“Why are verbs like 'bury,' 'hurry,' 'study,' 'tidy,' and 'try' in

Their past simple and past participle forms have “-ed” endings like other regular

The course books we use have listed these verbs in the irregular verb list.”

Tough question because I did not create the textbooks and I don't know the logic that

But, if I had to guess why those verbs are included as irregular verbs, I would imagine

And, yes, although the verbs do end in “-ed,” there is an irregular change that happens

So, that's to drop the Y and add “-ied” instead of just an “-ed.”

So, we maintain that “ih” sound like “tidy,” “bury.”

However, the spelling of the word changes.

Pohria asks, “What's the difference between these words, 'interior' and 'internal,'

“Interior” and “exterior” are nouns.

“Internal” and “external” are adjectives.

We use “interior” and “exterior” to talk about the inside and the outside of something.