Give meaning in English
Learn how to use Give correctly with Gymglish.
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Definition
to give: to donate, to make a present of, to award, to supply
This is an irregular verb:
I give / I gave / I have given
a gift: a present, a donation, an offering, a contribution
a gift shop a shop that sells articles appropriate as presents
given (the situation...): bearing in mind, considering, taking into account (the situation...)
Given the current situation in Iraq, I wouldn't recommend a holiday there. It is a very dangerous place at the moment.
Pronunciation examples
UK: I'm here to give you your birthday present.
US: I gave her 500 dollars for the antique phone.
Examples
- "They give food."
- "I will show you my love by giving you a beautiful gift, because I am a kind, generous, understanding leader."
- "Horatio : Give it to me!"
- "The Corsican : Now you go up to the safe, you open it, and you give us the money!"
- "He takes my perfumes and gives them to Kalvin Krime!"
- "You're certain this is the address your son gave you, Horatio?"
- "I want to give you the moon and the stars and the sun, and I want to get you a small planet if you want!"
- "Anyway gentlemen, come sit on my knee and I shall give you your gifts."
- "Please just give Bruno a call."
- "Bruno was acting funny, giving me subtle hints that he might be hiding something."
- "Give me the paint, there is much work to be done!"
- "Please give a warm Comedy Factory welcome to Dr. Jermaine Gilchrist!"
- "Edward give me a 50-dollar bill!"
- "I'll give you two some privacy."
- "But, I will give you a clue, because as they say: "Life is a journey, not a destination."
- "I'd love to give you a refund, but you need a receipt for that."
- "Now stop making a scene and give me the pass phrase please."
- "Felix : Give me that!"
- "Philip : Well, how are we going to discover what superpowers the milkshakes have given us?"
- "Give it to me!"
Exercise 1
Conjugate the verbs in the blanks below with the correct form of the verb:
Yesterday, Philip Cheeter suddenly hungry. It was almost 2:00 in the afternoon, and it seemed to him that he hadn't anything in days. He to feel that if he did not eat something soon, he was going to faint. He Kevin in his office and asked him if he wanted to go to lunch. 'No, I my wallet this morning, so I can't go,' Kevin. 'Oh, that's too bad,' Philip. 'But, if you want to pay for me, I can you the money tomorrow,' Kevin. Philip long and hard. He that Kevin would never pay him the money. But he did not like to eat alone. 'Ok,' Philip finally , 'but you can't order the most expensive dish, like you the last time'. 'Sure, sure,' Kevin. And they .
Yesterday, Philip Cheeter suddenly hungry. It was almost 2:00 in the afternoon, and it seemed to him that he hadn't anything in days. He to feel that if he did not eat something soon, he was going to faint. He Kevin in his office and asked him if he wanted to go to lunch. 'No, I my wallet this morning, so I can't go,' Kevin. 'Oh, that's too bad,' Philip. 'But, if you want to pay for me, I can you the money tomorrow,' Kevin. Philip long and hard. He that Kevin would never pay him the money. But he did not like to eat alone. 'Ok,' Philip finally , 'but you can't order the most expensive dish, like you the last time'. 'Sure, sure,' Kevin. And they .
Conjugate the verbs in the blanks below with the correct form of the verb:
Yesterday, Philip Cheeter suddenly [not done] felt 1 hungry. It was almost 2:00 in the afternoon, and it seemed to him that he hadn't [not done] eaten 2 anything in days. He [not done] began 3 to feel that if he did not eat something soon, he was going to faint. He [not done] found 4 Kevin in his office and asked him if he wanted to go to lunch. 'No, I [not done] forgot 5 my wallet this morning, so I can't go,' [not done] said 6 Kevin. 'Oh, that's too bad,' [not done] answered 7 Philip. 'But, if you want to pay for me, I can [not done] give 8 you the money tomorrow,' [not done] declared 9 Kevin. Philip [not done] thought 10 long and hard. He [not done] knew 11 that Kevin would never pay him the money. But he did not like to eat alone. 'Ok,' Philip finally [not done] responded 12, 'but you can't order the most expensive dish, like you [not done] did 13 the last time'. 'Sure, sure,' [not done] said 14 Kevin. And they [not done] left 15.
Yesterday, Philip Cheeter suddenly [not done] felt 1 hungry. It was almost 2:00 in the afternoon, and it seemed to him that he hadn't [not done] eaten 2 anything in days. He [not done] began 3 to feel that if he did not eat something soon, he was going to faint. He [not done] found 4 Kevin in his office and asked him if he wanted to go to lunch. 'No, I [not done] forgot 5 my wallet this morning, so I can't go,' [not done] said 6 Kevin. 'Oh, that's too bad,' [not done] answered 7 Philip. 'But, if you want to pay for me, I can [not done] give 8 you the money tomorrow,' [not done] declared 9 Kevin. Philip [not done] thought 10 long and hard. He [not done] knew 11 that Kevin would never pay him the money. But he did not like to eat alone. 'Ok,' Philip finally [not done] responded 12, 'but you can't order the most expensive dish, like you [not done] did 13 the last time'. 'Sure, sure,' [not done] said 14 Kevin. And they [not done] left 15.
1 felt: Because we are speaking of the past (Yesterday), 'to feel' needs to be put in the past simple tense (preterit). To feel: I feel / I felt / I have felt.
2 eaten: Because it is preceded by 'hadn't', 'to eat' needs to be put in the past participle form. This forms the past perfect tense. To eat: I eat / I ate / I have eaten.
3 began: Because we are speaking of the past (Yesterday), 'to begin' needs to be put in the preterit tense. 'To begin' is an irregular verb: I begin / I began / I have begun.
4 found: Because we are speaking of the past (Yesterday), 'to find' needs to be put in the preterit tense. To find: I find / I found / I have found.
5 forgot: Because we are speaking of the past (this morning), 'to forget' needs to be put in the preterit tense. To forget: I forget/ I forgot/ I have forgotten.
6 said : Because we are speaking of the past (Yesterday), 'to say' needs to be put in the preterit tense. To say: I say/ I said/ I have said.
7 answered: Because we are speaking of the past (Yesterday), 'to answer' needs to be put in the preterit tense. 'To answer' is a regular verb.
8 give: Because it is preceded by 'can', 'to give' needs to stay in the infinitive, but we remove the 'to'. This is what happens after modal verbs like 'can', 'could', 'should' or 'must'. Examples: Bob could help you; Polly should see a doctor about that rash.
9 declared: Because we are speaking of the past (Yesterday), 'to declare' needs to be put in the preterit tense. 'To declare' is a regular verb.
10 thought: Because we are speaking of the past (Yesterday), 'to think' needs to be in the preterit tense. To think: I think/ I thought/ I have thought.
11 knew: Because we are speaking of the past (Yesterday), 'to know' needs to be put in the preterit tense. To know: I know/ I knew/ I have known.
12 responded: Because we are speaking of the past (Yesterday), 'to respond' needs to be put in the simple past tense. 'To respond' is a regular verb.
13 did : The phrase 'the last time' indicates that Kevin ordered the most expensive dish once, in the past, requiring the simple past tense form of the verb. We use the auxiliary here to replace 'ordered'. To do: I do/ I did/ I have done.
14 said: Because we are speaking of the past (Yesterday), 'to say' needs to be put in the preterit tense. To say: I say/ I said/ I have said.
15 left: Because we are speaking of the past (Yesterday), 'to leave' needs to be put in the preterit tense. To leave: leave/left/I have left.
Exercise 2
Conjugate the verbs below using the simple past tense (preterit) form. Watch out for irregular forms!
Luna a stray cat on the street and to take it home with her. She it some milk, some food and a name: Little Luna. Little Luna even in Luna's bed.
Luna a stray cat on the street and to take it home with her. She it some milk, some food and a name: Little Luna. Little Luna even in Luna's bed.
Conjugate the verbs below using the simple past tense (preterit) form. Watch out for irregular forms!
Luna [not done] found 1 a stray cat on the street and [not done] decided 2 to take it home with her. She [not done] gave 3 it some milk, some food and a name: Little Luna. Little Luna even [not done] slept 4 in Luna's bed.
Luna [not done] found 1 a stray cat on the street and [not done] decided 2 to take it home with her. She [not done] gave 3 it some milk, some food and a name: Little Luna. Little Luna even [not done] slept 4 in Luna's bed.
1 found: 'Found' is the preterit form of the verb 'to find'. It is an irregular verb: I find/I found/I have found.
2 decided: 'Decided' is the simple past tense form of the verb 'to decide'. It is a regular verb.
3 gave: 'Gave' is the preterit form of the verb 'to give'. It is an irregular verb: I give/I gave/I have given.
4 slept: 'Slept' is the preterit form of the verb 'to sleep'. It is an irregular verb: I sleep/I slept/I have slept.
Exercise 3
"The changing face of the cosmetics industry given the increased presence of Asian players on the market."
From the list below, select the sentences which use the term "given" in the same way Bruno uses it.
There may be more than one correct answer!
From the list below, select the sentences which use the term "given" in the same way Bruno uses it.
There may be more than one correct answer!
"The changing face of the cosmetics industry given the increased presence of Asian players on the market."
From the list below, select the sentences which use the term "given" in the same way Bruno uses it.
There may be more than one correct answer!
From the list below, select the sentences which use the term "given" in the same way Bruno uses it.
There may be more than one correct answer!
This is not the way that Bruno uses the term "given". In this example, "given" is the past participle of the verb "to give", used in a present perfect construction.
This is not the way that Bruno uses the term "given". In this example, "given" is used as an adjective meaning "specified" (or "fixed"), for example: "If a driver is driving faster than a given speed, let's say 100mph, then they should be banned from the road".
In this example, "given" is used in the same way as Bruno uses it. It shares a similar meaning with the following expressions: "In view of", "in light of", and "taking into account". "Given" is the past-participle of "to give" and can be used to introduce an established truth or fact.
Although grammatically correct, and a legitimate use of the term "given", this is not the way that Bruno uses the term. In this example, "given" is used as a noun, meaning an established fact or truth, for example: It's a given that he'll be late for the meeting.
In this example, "given" is a preposition (like "despite", or "assuming" etc) and is used in the same way Bruno uses it. When used this way, "given" often introduces the cause in a cause and effect construction: Because you have spent all your money (cause), you won't be able to take a taxi home (effect or consequence).
Exercise 4
It's time to construct some sentences! Below are the beginnings for three different business letters. Select the most appropriate expression to fill each blank.
" our recent interview, that . Congratulations and welcome to the team!"
" the current ban on air travel, that . Let's arrange a later date."
" our customer information project, that . We are doing our bit to help the environment."
" our recent interview, that . Congratulations and welcome to the team!"
" the current ban on air travel, that . Let's arrange a later date."
" our customer information project, that . We are doing our bit to help the environment."
It's time to construct some sentences! Below are the beginnings for three different business letters. Select the most appropriate expression to fill each blank.
"Following 1 our recent interview, I am pleased to tell you 2 that your application has been accepted 3. Congratulations and welcome to the team!"
"Given 4 the current ban on air travel, it is my unfortunate task to inform you 5 that I will not be able to attend our scheduled meeting 6. Let's arrange a later date."
"As part of 7 our customer information project, you may be interested to know 8 that our company is actively reducing our carbon footprint. 9. We are doing our bit to help the environment."
"Following 1 our recent interview, I am pleased to tell you 2 that your application has been accepted 3. Congratulations and welcome to the team!"
"Given 4 the current ban on air travel, it is my unfortunate task to inform you 5 that I will not be able to attend our scheduled meeting 6. Let's arrange a later date."
"As part of 7 our customer information project, you may be interested to know 8 that our company is actively reducing our carbon footprint. 9. We are doing our bit to help the environment."
1 Following: "Following" is the best choice here. This term is often used to begin formal letters, and generally refers to a past event such as a meeting or interview. Example: "Following changes to your bank account, you will now be able to withdraw cash when travelling abroad".
1 As part of: The expression "as part of" does not make sense in this context.
2 I am pleased to tell you: "I am pleased to tell you" makes the most sense here. We use this expression when we have some pleasant or happy news to give to our correspondent. Example: "I am pleased to tell you that your offer of £1.5m for the house has been accepted".
2 it is my unfortunate task to inform you: This construction does not make sense here, since the following sentence is congratulatory, and this expression is only used to announce bad news.
3 your application has been accepted: This is the best choice here. Because the writer goes on to "congratulate" the other correspondent, we can deduce that the application has been accepted and successful. The recipient of this letter is being offered a job.
3 your profile does not match what we are looking for: This does not make sense here, since the writer goes on to congratulate the recipient. Their application has not been rejected.
4 Given: "Given" is the best choice here. This term shares a similar meaning with "due to" or "considering" and is used to introduce a cause and effect construction. Example: "Given that she is 8 months pregnant, Julie will not be able to attend the football match".
4 In reply to: It does not make sense to use this construction here: we cannot "reply to a situation" in this context.
5 it is my unfortunate task to inform you: This is the best choice here. We use this construction as an introduction when we need to announce some bad news to our correspondent. Example: "It is my unfortunate task to inform you that your husband has been lost at sea".
5 I am pleased to inform you that: This expression is used to introduce positive or happy news, and does not make sense in this context.
6 I will not be able to attend our scheduled meeting: This is the best choice here, as the writer is explaining that they cannot be present at the arranged meeting. This expression is often used in a business context when one has to cancel or postpone a meeting.
6 your application has been successful: It does not make sense to use this construction here, since there is no application involved in this sentence.
7 As part of: This is the best choice here. The writer is explaining that it is the "customer information project" which is leading them to give out this information. Another example of this expression in use: "As part of ongoing reforms, it is now illegal to remove dogs" tails in Britain'.
7 In spite of: The term "in spite of" shares a similar meaning with "despite" or "notwithstanding". It is used to introduce contrast in a sentence, and does not make sense here.
8 you may be interested to know: This is the best choice here. This expression is used when giving someone information which they might find important or relevant. Example: "You may be interested to know that I'm going on holiday to Cornwall this summer".
8 it is none of your business: This statement is very informal and impolite and has no place in a business letter.
9 our company is actively reducing our carbon footprint.: This is the best choice to complete this sentence. The expression "carbon footprint" describes the damage done to the environment by a person or company. This can be calculated by looking at their transport habits, production methods, consumption levels, etc.
9 our carbon emissions have increased this year.: This is incorrect. This is no way of "helping the environment".
Exercise 5
"Given that he vomited eighteen times, I am sure that any dangerous elements have left his system."
Select those terms or expressions which could replace "given that" in this context, and express the SAME meaning.
There may be more than one correct answer!
Select those terms or expressions which could replace "given that" in this context, and express the SAME meaning.
There may be more than one correct answer!
"Given that he vomited eighteen times, I am sure that any dangerous elements have left his system."
Select those terms or expressions which could replace "given that" in this context, and express the SAME meaning.
There may be more than one correct answer!
Select those terms or expressions which could replace "given that" in this context, and express the SAME meaning.
There may be more than one correct answer!
"Since" shares a similar meaning with "given that" in this context. They both explain a reason and a result, like "because". Example: "Let's have a picnic, since it's such a sunny day".
"In light of the fact that" is an alternative way of saying "given that". Both these expressions say that "because of" a certain event or situation, another event is the case. Example: "In light of the fact that cars are forbidden in the city centre, a bus service is available".
"Seeing as" is a synonym of "given that". They both describe a cause and result situation, similar to "because". Example: "Seeing as you like the colour blue, I've bought you a blue dress".
"Although" means "despite" or "notwithstanding", and does not share a similar meaning with the expression "given that".
"Despite the fact that" means "although" or "notwithstanding", and does not share a similar meaning with the expression "given that".
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