VOA日常语法2023--Grammar for Guests

Grammar for Guests

Do you like to have guests? Who would you invite over to a party? Would you have a guest stay overnight?

In this week's Everyday Grammar, we will learn the language of inviting¹ and visiting.

I invited my niece for a visit. I hosted her over the weekend. We went to a concert together and spent time catching² up.

Let's look at some of the grammar of the paragraph I wrote.

Invite

When we "invite" someone, we ask them to spend time with us, socially, or to come to an event.

For example, I used the past tense in my paragraph above:

I invited my niece for a visit.

"Invite" can also be a noun. It is a request to take part in an event or to be present. It is the shorter, informal version of the noun "invitation."

I sent her an invite by text message, and she replied "yes."

I sent out invitations to our housewarming party.

We can combine different prepositions like "along," "back," "in" and "over" with the verb "invite" to get more specific meanings from the base verb. These are called phrasal verbs.

To "invite over" means to invite someone to your house. This may be a formal event, but often it can be informal such as for drinks or to have a meal.

I would like to invite you over sometime!

When you "invite someone in," you ask them to come into your home, especially if you have met them outside of your home.

We often talk with our neighbors outside before inviting them in.

I would invite you in, but the house is so messy.

To "invite back" means that you invite someone to your home after you have been to a different place with them, especially if you have been to their house.

I invited them back to my house for drinks after the concert.

Lastly, to "invite along" means that you ask someone to go with you somewhere or to do something with you, especially if you have already made plans.

Stacy invited me along to the party after my earlier plans were cancelled.

Visit

Just like "invite," the word "visit" can work as two parts of speech. As a verb, "to visit" means that you go see someone and spend time with them.

I plan to visit her next month.

As a noun, a "visit" means the act of spending time with someone, especially at their home. It can be a short visit, a few hours; or it can be many days. We often use it with the verb "pay" in everyday conversations.

I'll pay her a visit next week when I have the time.

We can also use the phrasal verb "visit with" to mean that you go to see someone and spend time talking with them.

She visited with her grandparents last year.

Host

Another noun and verb combination is the word "host." As a verb "to host" means to receive and entertain guests. As a noun, the word describes the person who is welcoming or entertaining the guests.

Lisa always hosts the best Halloween parties.

Host is connected to the word "hospitality³," or the act of having guests or the service of welcoming guests.

The "hospitality industry," for example, describes businesses including hotels, restaurants, tourism, and entertainment.

A person can also be "hospitable⁴," or welcoming of guests and friendly toward them.

The couple were very hospitable to their guests.

Catch up

If we are meeting someone after a long time apart, we might have a lot to talk about. The phrasal verb "catch up" describes this situation.

Let's catch up next week! I'll call you!

If the sentence includes who we are talking to, we use the preposition "with" in the phrase.

I caught up with my niece over the weekend.

In the paragraph about my weekend, I used the gerund form of the verb. Gerunds are verb forms that act as nouns.

We spent time catching up.

Closing thoughts

Today we learned about the words "invite," "visit" and "host," and how they work as both nouns and verbs. We also learned phrasal verbs like "invite back," "visit with" and "catch up with."

Now let's take what we have learned and use it! Write a small paragraph about having a guest. Try to use different noun-verb combinations of the words we learned. Add a phrasal verb!

Write to us in the comments or send your paragraph to [email protected]. We may share your message in a future Everyday Grammar.

Words in This Story

niece – n. the daughter of your brother or sister

paragraph – n. a part of a piece of writing that usually that begins on a new line and often is made up of a few sentences

informal – adj. suited for ordinary or everyday use

messy – adj. lacking neatness or precision

entertain – v. to provide enjoyment⁵, to interest or please

couple –n. two people who are married or who have a close relationship; to of something

1 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

2 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

3 hospitality   

n.好客，殷勤；adj.（气候等）宜人，适宜

参考例句：

• He welcomed you to enjoy his hospitality.他欢迎你去做客。
• Thank you for your kind hospitality.谢谢你的盛情款待。

4 hospitable   

adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的

参考例句：

• The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客，无论是他的朋友还是同事，他都盛情接待。
• The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。

5 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。