Examples of English

‘I ate too much for lunch.’

‘He was still eating when I arrived.’

‘He used to eat at the cafe.’

‘It's raining.’

‘The fire burnt for hours.’

‘The fire burnt the house down.’

‘Her house is burning down around her.’

‘Kindling burns well but it doesn't last long.’

‘I burnt the papers in the backyard.’

‘I burnt myself on the hand.’

‘The fire burnt her house down.’

‘She hugged her little sister and kissed her on the head.’

‘They hugged and kissed.’

‘I haven't had a hug in months.’

‘Cut the onion with a sharp knife.’

‘She cut herself on the finger.’

‘He cut his face while shaving.’

‘A shard of glass cut his hand.’

‘A good knife cuts well, offers a good grip, and isn't too heavy to hold.’

‘This material will cut nicely if handled properly.’

‘The fire burnt over 4000 hectares.’

‘The children laughed and laughed.’

‘They laughed at me.’

‘We had a good laugh about it later.’

‘I talked to him about his problem for quite a while.’

‘We had a good long talk about it.’

‘They talked me into doing it.’

‘The boy climbed the tree.’

‘They climbed for hours.’

‘We climbed ten kilometres.’

‘I climbed up/down/over/in.’

‘The men carried the gear to camp.’

‘He carried it on his back.’

‘She carried lip balm with her at all times.’

‘He was carrying a weapon.’

‘The flood waters carried her away.’

‘One B-52 carries 29,700 kilos of bombs.’

‘She put the cup on the table.’

‘He put the phone down (way, back).’

‘The boy threw the ball through the window.’

‘The boy threw her the ball.’

‘They threw eggs at me.’

‘She threw herself out of a window.’

‘The girl looked good (to me).’

‘I had a look at it.’

‘I got a good look at him.’

‘He looks like my brother.’

‘Look! Over there!’

‘He saw the bear by the river bank.’

‘I can't see.’

‘I saw that they were gone.’

‘I saw them go.’

‘I saw them going.’

‘I see what you mean.’

‘I'm seeing him this afternoon.’

‘I'm seeing a girl from work.’

‘The mother was shouting at the children.’

‘Don't shout!’

‘"Get out, I never want to see you again", she shouted.’

‘He shouted that he was alright.’

‘They shouted the answer.’

‘They shouted their support.’

‘She said something to me.’

‘They said "no" to me.’

‘He said, "Sorry, I have to leave early".’

‘He said that he had to go.’

‘Don't say that word.’

‘She said her prayers every night.’

‘Her words said yes, but her face said no.’

‘The bear smelled the boy.’

‘The food smelled good (to me).’

‘This stuff smells like dead fish.’

‘He died when he was sixteen.’

‘He almost died in the flood waters.’

‘My computer died on me.’

‘I don't know her well.’

‘He knows a lot about gardening.’

‘He knows calculus.’

‘I knew that he was at home.’

‘I didn't know how to do it.’

‘I was thinking about my mother yesterday.’

‘I think that the library is still open.’

‘I thought, "Gee, that's strange".’

‘I had a long think about it.’

‘She thought it over.’

‘I jumped for joy.’

‘The girl jumped over the puddle.’

‘The horse jumped the fence and got away.’

‘We gave the books to the children.’

‘We gave the children the books.’

‘We couldn't afford to give any more.’

‘We give regularly to Doctors Without Frontiers.’

‘The girl sent flowers to her grandmother in hospital.’

‘She sent her grandmother flowers.’

‘The girl tore the page from the book.’

‘She tore the poster down (off the wall).’

‘She tore the page up into tiny pieces.’

‘The man killed the snake with a stick.’

‘Thou shalt not kill.’

‘He killed himself.’

‘Obesity can kill.’

‘The men searched for the women.’

‘They searched the house (for the women).’

‘They searched me (for drugs).’

‘They hugged each other tight.’

‘She hugged him close to her.’

‘The men met the boys at the river.’

‘They met (up) at the river.’

‘The boys followed the girls to the river.’

‘The boys followed the path all the way to the river.’

‘I helped the boys to fix their bikes.’

‘I helped myself to a beer.’

‘The mother washed the baby.’

‘I hadn't washed in a week.’

‘I had my first wash in a week.’

‘I was washing up when the guests arrived.’

‘The mother dressed her daughter.’

‘She dressed slowly.’

‘I washed and dressed with special care.’

‘He shaved his beard.’

‘He shaved with a cut thoat razor for the first time that day.’

‘He had a shave.’

‘The boy sang a song.’

‘She sings beautifully.’

‘The boy touched the snake with a stick.’

‘She touched him on the shoulder.’

‘The curtains were touching the floor.’

‘The curtains and floor were touching.’

‘The boy hit the snake with a stick.’

‘He hit him in the face.’

‘I hit myself on the head.’

‘I hit my head on the roof.’

‘He hit wildly at the snake.’

‘He hit the stick against the fence.’

‘This racquet doesn't hit properly. If you tighten the strings it will hit better.’

‘He beat the poor dog with a stick.’

‘He beat his fists against the wall.’

‘He broke the glass with a hammer.’

‘I accidentally broke the knob off.’

‘He broke the twig off the branch.’

‘He broke the chocolate into several pieces.’

‘The window broke.’

‘The hammer broke the window.’

‘Glass breaks easily.’

‘He broke his arm playing football.’

‘They built the model out of plywood and plastic.’

‘The team built the old lady a new house.’

‘She cut the meat into three pieces.’

‘I peeled the potatoes with that new Swiss vegetable peeler.’

‘He peeled the bark off the stick.’

‘Her skin was peeling.’

‘The skin on my hands is peeling off.’

‘My hands peeled.’

‘He poured the water into the glass.’

‘He could pour a perfect beer.’

‘He tied the horse to the tree with a rope.’

‘He tied a reef knot.’

‘They tied him down.’

‘He tied the rope around the tree.’

‘He tied the rope onto the branch.’

‘I tied the ribbon into a bow.’

‘She filled the glass with water.’

‘The water filled the glass.’

‘The farmer loaded the hay onto the truck.’

‘He loaded the truck with hay.’

‘They loaded her into the ambulance.’

‘The woman covered her son with a blanket.’

‘Snow covered the ground.’

‘Her face was covered with freckles.’

‘I covered my eyes with my hands.’

‘She wiped the crumbs off the table.’

‘She wiped the table.’

‘He wiped his eyes/face/hands.’

‘He wiped the tears from his eyes.’

‘She was digging in the garden.’

‘She was digging for potatoes.’

‘He dug a hole.’