Punctuation

Punctuation adalah tanda baca. Kalau dilihat, tanda baca dalam bahasa Inggris hampir sama dalam bahasa Indonesia. Jadi bila kita memahami tanda bahasa Indonesia, maka kita dengan mudah memahami tanda baca bahasa Inggris.

Dalam menulis, tanda baca ini mempunyai fungsi yang sangat penting agar pembaca mudah memahami kalimat, tidak salah mengartikan sehingga ide yang disampaikan penulis diterima dengan baik oleh pembaca.

Berikut ini ada beberapa tanda baca dalam bahasa Inggris yang perlu kita tahu agar mudah memahami  bahasa tersebut.

·         [ . ] titik menandai akhir suatu kalimat, ada kalanya menandai suatu singkatan seperti

mph.    = mile per hour

etc.      = et cetera

In.        = inch

·         [ , ] koma, berguna untuk membagi suatu kalimat menjadi satuan-satuan arti yang lebih kecil (mis. klausa) sehingga mempermudah pemahaman dalam bacaan. Penggunaan koma kerap dapat diabaikan, yakni bersifat manasuka (optional). Jika ragu, tak usah gunakan koma, tapi jika ia membuat makna kalimat lebih jelas, lebih baik dipakai. Untuk pemakaian koma lebih jelas, bisa di baca di sini.

·         [ ? ] tanda tanya, tempatnya di akhir kalimat yang merupakan pertanyaan.

contoh. 

Is that your answer?

Why don’t you listen?

·         [ ! ], tanda seru tempatnya di akhir kalimat untuk menyatakan tekanan perasaan, mis. Dalam suatu seruan. Jika dalam kalimat yang mempunyai tuturan langsung  di dalamnya, maka baik tanda tanya maupun tanda seru  dapat digunakan di akhir tuturan langsung dalam kalimat.

contoh:

‘What a mess!’ she said

What a nuisance! We’re run out of fuel.

·         [ ; ], Titik koma, digunakan dalam tulisan resmi. Ia lebih berat daripada koma. Gunakan titik koma terutama untuk memisahkan dua kalimat yang artinya berhubungan dekat.

contoh.

Many people dislike using semi-colons; personally, I find the semi-colon a very useful punctuation marks.

·         [ : ] Titik dua serupa  dengan titik koma. Hanya saja titik dua menyiratkan bahwa  apa yang mengikuti merupakan penjelasan mengenai apa  yang mendahuluinya.

Contoh.

They ordered a huge four-course lunch; first they had soup, then a chicken curry; this was followed by iced cream; and finally cheese and biscuits.

·         [ - ] Tanda garis/ pisah dan tanda [ ( ) ] tanda kurung. Kedua tanda ini berguna untuk memisahkan  sebagian kalimat yang menambahkan keterangan bawahan, dan dapat ditiadakan. Dalam bahasa Inggris Amerika disebut parenthesis, dan  bahasa Britsh English disebut bracket.

Contoh.

The second of the wanted men (George Matthews) has not been seen for several years.

The second of the wanted men –George Matthews- has not been seen for several years.

·         [ “ “ ] atau [ ‘ ‘ ] tanda petik digunakan untuk mengapit tuturan langsung  atau bahan kutipan yang lain.

Demikianlah beberapa tanda baca atau punctuation dalam bahasa Inggris. Semoga bermanfaat.

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Word Order

Word Order atau susunan yang paling umum dalam bahasa Inggris adalah subjek + Verba + Objek. Berkaitan  denga urutan kata, terdapat beberapa kaidah yang perlu kita tahu. Kaidah-kaidah yang mengatur tata urutan kata dalam bahasa Inggris. Berikut ini dijelaskan beberapa kaidah tersebut.

1.    Kalimat yang diawali oleh there

Ø  There are many students in the classroom

Ø  There was an accident in the street lasst night

Ø  Ther is no basis for this complaint

2.    Kalimat yang diawali oleh frasa preposisi, mempunyai verba intransitif yang menunjukkan keberadaan sesuatu hal; dan kata yang merunjuk tempat.

Ø  In the box were several books

Ø  On the corner stood a police officer

Ø  Here is the book you lent me

Ø  Nowhere have I seen such beautiful weather

Ø  In the classroom are some students who are studying math

3.    Kalimat pengandaian ipe dua dan tiga tanpa penghubung if dan unless.

Ø  Were he ask her, she would surely help him

Ø  Had he  known, he would have come

Ø  Were he a doctor, he would cure the patient

4.    Kalimat yang diawali oleh kata-kata yang berbau negatif seperti never, hardly, seldom, rarely, barely, scarcely, not only, at no times, nowhere, dll.

Ø  Not only they go but they also stayed until the end

Ø  Never has the word face so many problems

Ø  At no time were the pessenger so many problems

5.    Kalimat yang diawali dengan only dan keterangan waktu

Ø  Only once was John late to class

Ø  Only after her mother died, did she know loneliness

6.    Kalimat yang diawali oleh kata-kata keterangan down, in, out dan up; mempunyai verba dan nomina subjek

Ø  Down cme the train

Ø  In walked the doctor with his bag in hand

7.    Kalimat yang diawali oleh few, such, so dan little

Ø  Little did she know that she had won the grand prize

Ø  So great was love  for her children that she sacrificed everything for them

8.    Verba utama mengawali kalimat pasif yang dipecah

Ø  Held as hostages were several reporters

Ø  Discovered at the bottom of the well were two small children

9.    Kalimat tanya yang diawali oleh verba bantu auxiliary

Ø  Can he go to school?

Ø  Can you come to the party tonight?

Ø  Would you like to visit us one day?

10.              Kalimat tanya yang diawali oleh W-h

Ø  What are you doing?

Ø  What is your name?

Ø  Where do you stay?

Ø  How old are you?

Demikianlah sekilas mengenai susunan kata dalam bahasa Inggris semoga bermanfaat.

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Correct Usage (Part 2)

Pada bagian pertama correct usage kita sudah mempelajari beberapa kelompok kata yang sering kali ditanyakan dalam ujian TOEFL. Berikut ini kita membahas lanjutannya, kata-kata yang sering kali membuat ragu karena mirip tapi mempunyai arti dan penggunaan yang berbeda. Apa saja kata-kata tersebut? Yuk, kita cari tahu.

·         ITS dan IT’S (pron+v)

The snake is shedding its skin

It’s time to go home

·         KIND, SORT, TYPE (n). Kelompok kata ini bisa tunggal atau jamak. Bila tunggal, ditambahkan dengan that atau this. Bila jamak, dilengkapi dengan these atau those.

I like this kind of cookie

I like these kinds of cookies

He always buys that sort of shoe

He always buys those sorts of shoes

They enjoy reading that type of book

They enjoy those type of books

·         LATER (adj, adv), LATTER (pron, adj), LAST (adj). Later adalah bentuk komparatif dari late; latter mengacu pada benda atau orang kedua  yang disebutkan; dan last mengacu pada benda atau orang terakhir yang disebutkan.

The movie began later than we expected

Both Frank and Philip are likeable, but the latter is more intelligent

December is the last month of the year.

·         LIE, LIE (v). Kata kerja lie berarti to repose berbeda dari kata kerja lie yang berarti not to tell the truth

Lie (lay, lain, lying) he lies in the bed until noon

Lie ( lied, lied, lying) He lies, cheats, and steals

·         LIKE (prep), SUCH AS (prep), AS IF (conj). Like, diikuti oleh objek, berarti resembling; such as berarti for example; as if berarti as though dan diikuti sebuah adverb clause of manner.

He looks like is father (resembance = like +noun)

Fruits such as oranges and grapefruits grow in Texas  (such as + noun)

He looks as if he is tired

·         LOOSE(adj), LOSE (v), LOSS (n), LOOSEN(v)

I need screwdriver to tighten the loose screws

He is losing weight very quickly

She was saddened by the loss of her wedding ring

I am loosening the screws

·         MAYBE (adv), MAY BE (v). Maybe berarti possible or perhaps; may be adalah kata kerja yang menunjukkan  sebuah kemungkinan terjadi.

Maybe you will find the wallet you lost

She may be late

·         PASSED(v), PAST (adj, prep)

The car passed the house very slowly

The boy ran past the house

·         PERSONAL (adj), PERSONNEL (n). Personal berarti private, Personnel mengacu pada para pekerja atau staff dari sebuah perusahaan.

·         PRECEDE, PROCEED (v) Precede berarti to come before something else; proceed berarti to go forward or continue

The subject usually precedes the verb

After a brief interruption, we proceeded with class

·         PRINCIPAL (n, adj) PRINCIPLE (n). Principal berarti primary or very important dan juga jabatan yang diberikan pada kepala sekolah; principle berarti a belief or doctrine

The principal side effect of the drug is drowsiness

He experiment demonstrated a basic  scientific principle.

·         QUIET (adj), QUITE (adv). Quiet adalah lawan kata dari noisy; quite berarti completely or fairly.

After the children left, the house was quiet

She is quite beautiful

The film was quite good

·         RAISE, RISE (v). Raise berarti to lift, membutuhkan objek dan bisa berupa aktif  atau pasif; rise  berarti to seat oneself, tidak pernah pasif dan tak membutuhkan objek.

Raise ( raised, raised, raising) They raised the flag

Rise (rose, risen, rising) Prices have risen sharply

·         STATIONARY (adj), STATIONERY (n). Stationary berarti permanent, not changing places; Stationery mengacu pada kertas atau surat.

After stationary for two days , the cold front finally moved west

She wrote the letter on university stationery

·         SUPERIOR (adj) Superior selalu digunakan untuk membandingkan dua orang atau dua hal dan selalu diikuti oleh to, bukan than. Tidak pernah diikuti kata more atau most

Her score is superior to his

·         THOROUGH (adj) THROUGH (prep)

The report was very thorough

He walked through the room.

Demikianlah beberapa kata yang mirip tapi mempunyai arti dan kegunaan yang berbeda. Dengan mengetahui correct usage ini, setidaknya anda bisa membedakan penggunaannya. Semoga bermanfaat.

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Correct Usage (Part 1)

Dalam bahasa Inggris sering kita terjebak penggunaan kata yang tidak tepat. Correct usage atau penggunaan kata yang tepat meliputi banyak kata-kata tertentu, verba transitif maupun intransitif, kata sandang ‘a’ dan ‘an’, nomina terhitung atau tak terhitung, preposisi, kata yang mirip, dan lain sebagainya. Bila anda ikut test TOEFL, correct usage ini seringkali ditanyakan. Selain menghafalkannya, perlulah kita memperkaya dengan kamus-kamus idiom dan kamus verbal. Berikut, correct usage yang seringkali muncul.

·         A, AN. Sebelum bunyi konsonan gunakanlah ‘a’. Sebelum bunyi vokal, gunakan ‘an’. Yang pelu diingat adalah ‘bunyi’ huruf pertama kata bersangkutan, bukan yang tertulis.

Contoh:

They left an hour ago

I will attend a university next year.

·         ACCEPT (v), EXCEPT (prep)

They accepted my invitation   (menerima)

Everyone except me attended the meeting (kecuali)

·         ADIVICE (n),  ADVISE (v)

·         His advice was very useful

I advised him to buy a car

·         AFFECT (V),  EFFECT (n,v). Kata kerja affect berarti to influence; kata kerja effect berarti to cause to happen, dan kata benda affect berarti result.

Pollution affects everyone.

Arbitrations have effected a settlement of the dispute.

·         ALMOST (adv), MOST (adj, pron). Kata kerja almost digunakan dengan kata kerja, kata sifat, dan kata keterangan lain yang berarti nearly but not completely. Most berarti the majoriy or greatest part.

Almost all students work very hard.

Most students work very hard.

·         ALREADY (adv),  ALL READY (adj). Already berarti before the time specified; all ready berarti completely prepared.

The movie had already begun by the time we arrived

He president was all ready to go an vacation

·         AMOUNT, NUMBER (n). Amount merujuk pada benda yang tak bisa dihitung; number merujuk pada benda yang bisa dihitung

The amount of money you have is not enough

The number of students in the program is increasing.

·         BARELY, HARDLY, SCARCELY (adv). Kata-kata ini punya konotasi negatif, tidak bisa digunakan dengan kata negatif lainnya.

I could barely see him

Scarcely had the picnic begun when the rain started

·         BESIDE, BESIDES (prep). Beside berarti next to; besides berarti in addition to.

He sat beside the pretty girl

He has a bicycle besides a car

·         BETWEEN, AMONG (prep).  Between mengacu pada dua orang atau dua hal; among mengacu pada tiga atau lebih  orang atau banyak hal.

There is little difference between the two ideas

There is little difference among the three ideas.

·         CAPITAL, CAPITOL (n,adj). Capital bisa berarti a person’s wealth or the city which houses the government. Capitol merujuk kepada gedung khusus yang merupakan pusat pemerintahan.

He invested a lot of his capital in the prospect

The capitol building is near the downtown shopping area.

·         CLOTHES (n), CLOTHE (v)

The man was wearing old, dirty clothes

The lawyer clothed his arguments in pompeus phraseology

·         COMPARED TO, COMPARED WITH. Compared to digunakan untuk menjelaskan kesamaan, sedangkan compared with digunakan untuk menunjukkan perbedaan.

He compared the crowd to a swarm of angry bees

He compared the crowd with the larger crowds of previous years

·         COMPLEMENT, COMPLIMENT (v,n). Complement adalah sesuatu yang melengkapi suatu hal lainnya. Compliment merupakan pernyataan menyetujui atau ucapan selamat/ pujian

A subject complements follows the verb ‘to be’

The brown walls complements the generally dark effect of the room

She got many compliments on her new ring

She complimented him on his cooking

·         COSTUME, CUSTOM, CUSTOMS (n). Costume mengacu pada pakaian, custom mengacu pada praktek tradisional atau kebiasaan, sedangkan customs berarti agen/ pabean yang mengumpulkan pajak yang dikenakan  oleh suatu negara atas barang import atau eksport.

She wore a beautiful costume to the party

Customs differ from country to country

You must pass through customs when you enter a country.

·         COUNCIL (n), COUNSEL (v,n).  Council merupakan kelompok resmi, Counsel berarti memberi nasehat. Kata benda dari counsel adalah advice

The city council meets every week

His counsel was useful to us

His doctor counseled him to stop smoking

·         DESERT (n,v) DESSERT (n)

It is very hot and dry in the desert

The camp was deserted

Her favorite dessert is chocolate ice cream

·         FARTHER, FURTHER (adj, adv). Farther mengacu kepada jarak; sedangkan further mengacu kepada waktu, tingkatan, atau kuantitas

Chicago is farther north than Austin

I will give you further information later.

·         FEWER, LESS (adj, adj/adv). Fewer digunakan bersama benda yang bisa dihitung, less digunakan untuk benda yang tak bisa dihitung.

He spent fewer hours studying for the exam

He spent less time studying for the exam

·         FORMER, FIRST (n,adj) Former mengacu pada yang pertama dari dua orang atau benda yang disebutkan. First mengacu pada yang pertama, orang atau benda yang disebutkan

Both Mary and Jane were invited, but only the former actually came

Ann, Jane, and Amy are sisters, but the first was adopted

·         FORMERLY, FORMALLY (adj). Formerly berarti previously or earlier; formally berarti in a formal manner

Elizabeth was formerly called Betty

You are too formally dressed for an outdoor picnic

·         FORTH (adv) FOURTH (adj). Forth berarti in a forward direction; fourth mengacu urutan/ susunan penomoran.

She rocked the baby back and forth until he fell asleep

You are the fourth person to ask that question.

·         HAD BETTER, WOULD RATHER (v). Had better menyatakan advisability; would rather menyatakan preference

I had better study tonight

I would rather watch television than study.

Nah, sekian dulu pelajaran bahasa Inggris tentang correct usage. Nanti di sambung lagi di Part 2  karena masih ada beberapa kata lagi  yang mirip tapi mempunyai arti dan penggunaan yang berbeda. Semoga bermanfaat.

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The Black Cat

When the garage opened, the morning sunlight rushed in. Before he took the motorbike, his glance captured a black furry creature with sparkling green eyes staring at him. He felt a shock right away.

            He tried to drive it off, but the animal didn’t go away. It was more cautious and showing off its canine teeth. Its ball eyes were full of intimidation. He immediately turned around to pick up the stick. But when he was back, the animal was gone! He searched it every corner, even behind a stack of miscellaneous items near the wall, but it couldn’t be found. Where was it? He was incredulous. A thinking came to his mind. Nah! He neglected it. It must be a real one which incidentally lost into the garage. But wait a minute! If the cat was real, why did it come and go instantly? Surely he saw it because in these two days, he was the one opened the garage. His parents were out of town, and Mr. Andy, the house keeper didn’t have the key.  He remembered when he cleaned up the motorbike two weeks ago. The engine felt so hot in spite of the fact that he didn’t ride it for a day. How come? And The next happened a week ago. He saw himself as he slept. When he woke up, strange feeling covered his mind. Was it a dream or he got superstition? And now, a black cat suddenly appeared and vanished in second in the garage. Three weird incidents in a month! Was this house haunted?

***

            “I never experience something strange since we have been living here,” said Mr. Andy after sipped his coffee. “I would rather enjoy living here. Why do you ask?”

            “Nothing.”

            “Something happen to you?”

            Fino told him about the things he experienced. He hoped the old man believed it.

            “It’s really weird. Hopefully, it’s nothing to do with hearsay told by neighbours.”

            “What hearsay?”

            “This place is eerie at night, especially near the cross street. There is an old cemetery. Mysterious incidents frequently happened when the vehicle passing by.”

            “Such as?”

            “Engine problems. A part of dwellers have ever seen a black spectre.”

            “Really? Is that true?”

            “That’s what neighbour said.”

            “Is there anything to do with what happened to me?”

            “Who knows the spirit roam around here!”

            “Don’t be kidding!”

            Mr. Andy forced a mocking smile to see Fino scary face.

            “Don’t worry! It’s no big deal as long as it doesn’t bother us,” said Mr. Andy calmed him down.

            “No bother? I’ve been bothered three times!”

            The old man was shut up.

***

            Fino didn’t sleep that night. He was distraught by what Mr. Andy said. Though he tried so hard to close his eyes, he couldn’t fell into sleep. It was 00.45 AM. As he faced to the left, unintentionally his eyes scanned something on his wardrobe. A shadow of black furry creature was gazing at him. He flinched. Before he thought to do something, the cat grinned, ready to attack him. Fino yammered right away.

            “The black cat! Here is the black cat on my wardrobe!” sound of yanked door broke the stillness of the night made his parents woke up and dashed to see what happened.

            “What the hell is going on?” his dad said surprisingly to see Fino scared so much. He gasped and mumbled.

            “That is the black cat on my wardrobe!”

            “Cat? You, afraid of a cat?” He disbelieved.

            “The cat trying to attack me! You’d better see!”

            “Where is it?”

            “Right there! Its canine teeth and claws are sharp.”

            But there was nothing except a stack of magazines and old newspapers.

            “Where is it?” His tone changed. “No cat on it. You can see it, can’t you?”

            It’s unbelievable. He just saw it. He looked everywhere, even under his bed. It’s nothing.

            “But I saw it, Dad!”

            “If you had seen it, it would have been here!”

            Fino was speechless. The fear turned confusion. His dad couldn’t help his chagrin. For a second he took a deep breath.

            “I don’t get you, boy! You’re screaming in the middle of the night because of...a pussy? What a bizarre behaviour!”

            “The cat want to attack me!”

            “Bullshit! Never hear a cat attack a man!”

            “I swear! That’s what exactly happen!”

            “But where is the animal?”

            Fino spoke nothing. He was unable to explain it.

            “You have to know, kid! I don’t wanna have a coward son! I don’t wanna hear your ridiculous explanation, either. Now, I just wanna sleep. No more scream. No more cat tonight!” his dad turned around. His mom tapped his shoulder gently tried to calmed him down. He was drooped off. How come the cat vanished at once? Was it only his imagination?

***

            “Why are you in a hurry?” said Sam without turned his face from the computer screen.

            “Right. Let’s have a break. Sam, do you have the latest CD game?” said Steve walked toward TV cabinet.

            “Our group assignment is done. So, I can go home. ”

            “What’s your problem? You’ve got a motorcycle. No big deal whenever you come home,” replied Sam switched on the printer and put the papers into it. Fino was indifferent. He took his books and put them into his satchel. Once again, he looked up the wall clock. Something in his mind he didn’t tell to his friends that he was a little bit scare to pass the murky street which most of the bushes instead of houses along it’s both sides. Even he had to pass  an eerie old cemetery.

            “I am going home now!” he stepped out of the room.

            “Good riddance to you!” said Steve.

            “Whatever you say, guys!” he kept going to the front door.

            Twenty minutes later, he was on the  high way which passed by many loaded big trucks. The light was so dim that he had to be more careful. At last, the motorbike turned left entering a  gravel street to his homeward. It was the first time he homed rather late at night and found the street so empty.  He remembered what Mr. Andy said. A regret compounded his mind, why he heard the scary hearsay.

            A crescent moon hung in the dark sky. Its gloomy light made a creepy atmosphere. Or was it his feeling? Every time his body shaking as  the wheels rolled on uneven surface or small holes, a regret came up. Why had moved here?

            The closer to the old cemetery, the faster his heart beat. He lulled himself. What kind of a man he was if he had no guts to pass the eerie place. Nothing gonna be happening.  No body throttled by a ghost. All he knew, a people scared to death.

            The cemetery was nearer. Look! Everything was all right and finally he passed it without obstacle. He didn’t yet soothe. Suddenly, from the bushes a black shadow jumped out. A black cat hindered his way. Fino was shocked right away. His hand immediately drew a gas deeper. The motorbike jumped in the air and he smashed to the ground. Then, everything came dark.

***

            “Help! There is somebody falling from motorbike!” A voice heard from a distance. A minute later,  many people came and a throng formed. They rimmed a bleeding person on the ground.

            “O my God! He is Fino! A young man who newly live at the end of the street!”

            Fino was stunning to hear his name mentioned. He dashed into the crowd and jostled to see what happened. To see himself lying on the ground, he panicked. What the hell was going on? Wasn’t he just on the way home riding his motorbike? Suddenly he realized the weird incidents happened to him. The motorbike, the dream, and the black cat... No! No! Nooo! He tried to deny it.

            “Look! He is still alive! He is still breathing!” A voice heard in his ear. The people were together raised and took the body to a nearby hospital. Meanwhile, Fino was struggling to get conscious.

Note:

This fiction was published in Story Mag ed 29

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