Grammar for Making New Year's Resolutions
2022-12-30
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1The New Year can come on different dates for different cultures.
2Most of the Western world, for example, celebrates it on January 1st.
3But one 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.
5Popular New Year's resolutions in the United States, for example, include losing weight, improving your finances, volunteering for a charity and 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, Jill. Happy New Year! Great to see you.
10Hi, Jonathan. 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.
12Really crowded and loud - but still really fun.
13Sweet! Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
14Jill asked Jonathan 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 Jill and Jonathan continue their conversation:
20Sweet! Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
21Yes, I do. I plan to take up kickboxing starting next week.
22I'm excited to finally do it rather than just talk about it! How about you?
23Another phrasal verb for resolutions is "give up," which is to stop doing or using something.
24We can use this verb to talk about ending bad habits or changing a behavior for a time.
25Let's hear Jill respond using the verb "give up":
26How about you?
27I am giving up sugar for the month of January.
28 Then, for the rest of the year, I'm avoiding soft drinks.
29Impressive! I wish I could join you but kickboxing class starts soon.
30 I'll probably want a sweet snack after class!
31Another phrasal verb, "cut out," has the same basic meaning as "give up."
32For example, Jill could say, "I am cutting out sugar for the month of January."
33But in many situations, we do not need phrasal verbs to talk about resolutions, as you will soon see.
34Next, let's talk about verb tenses and forms.
35Jonathan talked about his new kickboxing hobby using the verb "plan" followed by the infinitive verb form and Jill talked about giving up sugar using the present continuous verb tense, also called "BE + ing."
36We can also use the simple future tenses: one with "will" and the other with "going to."
37These tenses are especially useful when the New Year has not come yet.
38Imagine 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:
39In 2020, I'm going to visit my parents every month.
40By January 1, I will end a few unhealthy friendships.
41In the new year, I'm going to walk 10,000 steps every day.
42When we use simple future tenses to talk about resolutions, we're expressing that we are making a promise to or plan for ourselves.
43The noun "resolution" comes from the verb "resolve," which means to make a serious decision to do something.
44You may have noticed that the statements so far today did not actually use the word "resolution."
45That is because the subject was already known by the listeners.
46But 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.
47Here is an example:
48My New Year's resolution is to call my sister on video chat every week.
49The infinitive verb here is "to call."
50You can also use a gerund, like this:
51My New Year's resolution is calling my sister on video chat every week.
52Well, that's all for today's program.
53 Tell us about your New Year's resolutions in the comments below.
54Happy New Year!
55I'm Alice Bryant.
1The New Year can come on different dates for different cultures. Most of the Western world, for example, celebrates it on January 1st. 2But one 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. 3Popular New Year's resolutions in the United States, for example, include losing weight, improving your finances, volunteering for a charity and 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, Jill. Happy New Year! Great to see you. 9Hi, Jonathan. 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. Really crowded and loud - but still really fun. 11Sweet! Do you have any New Year's resolutions? 12Jill asked Jonathan 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 Jill and Jonathan 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 a behavior for a time. 22Let's hear Jill 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. 25Impressive! I wish I could join you but kickboxing class starts soon. I'll probably want a sweet snack after class! 26Another phrasal verb, "cut out," has the same basic meaning as "give up." For example, Jill 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. Jonathan talked about his new kickboxing hobby using the verb "plan" followed by the infinitive verb form and Jill 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 2020, I'm going to visit my parents every month. 33By January 1, I will end a few unhealthy friendships. 34In the new year, I'm going to walk 10,000 steps every day. 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 chat 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 chat every week. 42Well, that's all for today's program. Tell us about your New Year's resolutions in the comments below. 43Happy New Year! 44I'm Alice Bryant. 45Alice Bryant wrote this lesson for Learning English. 46_______________________________________________________________ 47Words in This Story 48charity - n. an organization that helps people who are poor, sick, or otherwise in need 49conversation - n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people 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 51hobby - n. an activity that a person does for pleasure when not working 52habit - n. something that a person does often in a regular and repeated way 53impressive - adj. deserving attention, admiration, or respect 54tense - n. a form of a verb that is used to show when an action happened 55chat - n. a talk held over the internet by people using a computer or phone