Grammar: the subjunctive. Where and what is it?
Intermediate to advanced level (B1-C2)
Every language has developed over time. Modern English is simpler than older versions but contains some features from the past. With ‘he’, ‘she’ and ‘it’, the verb form might occasionally surprise you. Continue reading
Grammar: don’t let it be a big problem
Lower intermediate to advanced level (B1-C1)
Learning English outside the UK, the US, Australia etc can often be about learning ‘grammar’. This makes people think you need to know ‘rules’ before you can speak or write. However, in my experience, a heavy focus on a grammar problem can stop people learning and communicating. Continue reading
Grammar: advanced articles – the
Advanced level (C1/C2)
‘The’ is sometimes used with the meaning ‘enough’. Let’s have a look at a few examples of this advanced use: Continue reading
Grammar: loving, liking etc – advanced points
Upper intermediate to advanced level (B2-C2)
Some English verbs are not usually used in the continuous form. ‘Love’ and ‘like’ are two of them. For example:
A: On Saturday, there’s a Pink Floyd tribute band playing at the National Arena.
B. Really? I love Pink Floyd. Continue reading
Grammar: perfect ‘tense’ – advanced points
Upper intermediate to advanced level (B2-C2)
Hopefully, you will already be familiar with common perfect constructions such as: ‘Have you ever been to Moscow?’, ‘I’ve already bought a ticket.’ or ‘He said he hadn’t seen it.’. However, for higher level English you need to become familiar with some other points. Continue reading
Vocabulary: ‘among’ or ‘between’
Intermediate to advanced level (B1-A2)
Many learners wonder how to use these words correctly. Some people give the simple rule that you should use ‘between’ with two things/people and ‘among’ when you have more than two. However, in practice, it is a little different. Continue reading
Cambridge First (FCE) writing tips
Upper intermediate level (B2)
Many people will be taking the Cambridge First exam this summer. To get ready you will probably need to write a lot of essays. An important tip is to keep a list of your most common FCE writing mistakes and check this list before you write. Continue reading
Vocabulary: using ‘far’
Intermediate to advanced level (B1-C1)
‘Far’ can be used to talk about distance but here I want to look at a different meaning. Continue reading
Grammar: using the past perfect – some examples of when you should
Lower intermediate to advanced level (B1-C1)
Many learners are a little confused about when they should use the past perfect in English (had taken, had told, had imagined etc). There are several reasons for this. Continue reading
Grammar: verbs + ing
Intermediate level (B1-B2)
Many verbs can be followed by another verb in this way: I want to visit Big Ben. However, some verbs cannot be followed by an infinitive but need ‘ing’ e.g. ‘I enjoy visiting my uncle in Manchester. Continue reading
Grammar: arrangements and plans for the future
Elementary to intermediate level (A1-B2)
We often want to talk about our arrangements and plans but how can you talk about them in English? Continue reading
Vocabulary and grammar: World Cup regrets
Pre-intermediate to upper intermediate level (A2-B2)
Yesterday the England football team learnt that they had failed to get through to the next stage of the World Cup.
Vocabulary: ‘may’ and ‘might’
Pre-intermediate to advanced level (A2-C1)
‘May’ and ‘might’ can be used to talk about possibility and asking for permission. Looking at some examples will help to show their meanings. Continue reading
Grammar: a list of irregular verbs in groups
All levels
Most irregular verbs are used a lot in English so they are important verbs to learn. In this list they are grouped, for example, by spelling or pronunciation. This should make them easier to remember. Continue reading
Grammar: stronger meaning
Elementary to intermediate level (A1-B1)
‘So’ can be a little stronger than ‘very’ but how do you use ‘such’? Continue reading
Grammar: predictions
Pre-intermediate to upper intermediate level (A1-B2)
Michio Kaku is a well-known American physicist. He has just published a book called ‘The Future of the Mind’. In his book he writes about how people we will be able to record clear images of your thoughts and even your dreams! Continue reading
Grammar: ‘will’ for refusing
Intermediate to advanced level English (B1-C2)
Have you ever thought: ‘What’s wrong with my computer? It won’t work.’? Continue reading
Grammar: adjectives after verbs
Elementary to advanced level English (A2-C2)
You will know sentences like ‘She is happy.’ but there are other verbs that can have adjectives following them eg ‘They look afraid.’. Continue reading
Contractions (he is → he’s)
Lower level English (A1-A2)
Speakers of English sometimes pronounce two words as one word. May be you have noticed this with the verb ‘be’. Continue reading
Grammar: it
Intermediate level English (B1-B2)
Very often you can use ‘It’ to start a sentence which does not have a ‘normal’ subject such as ‘He’, ‘We’, ‘The boy’, ‘Our country’ etc. Continue reading
Grammar: questions
Lower level (A1-A2)
There is a pattern to simple questions. At the beginning of a sentence a verb is followed by a subject. Here are some examples: Continue reading
Speaking: making an offer
Intermediate to higher level (B1-C2)
You can make an offer in English in many different ways. Here are some examples:
Grammar: a, some, the
Elementary level A1)
Using English articles [a(n), some, the] can be quite complicated but there are some basic rules that you can see in the short story below. Very often if you talk about something for the first time you use ‘a’ or ‘some’. After that you can use ‘the’. Continue reading
Grammar – using ‘there’
Lower level (A1)
An important way to start a sentence in English is to use ‘there’. We can use it to tell people about what we can see and do etc. Continue reading
Grammar: conditionals
Intermediate to advanced level (B1-C1)
In English there are many kinds of conditional combinations. All the sentences below are grammatically correct. Continue reading
Speaking: Dialogue
Intermediate level (B1-B2)
Sometimes we feel we have to say something even if we are not really very interested. Using short responses is one way of doing this. The responses below are not very enthusiastic because person B doesn’t like tennis! Continue reading
Grammar: The present
Intermediate (B1-B2)
Read the conversation between friends Jane and Sam. Think about the verb forms used and what they mean. Continue reading
Lower level (A1/A2)
You use the words in bold to talk about how often you do something:
Every Sunday morning I play golf with my friends. After the 18th hole we always have a large lunch and then go home. On Mondays I often play tennis with my cousin Susan at her sports club. If I don’t play tennis I watch horse racing on TV. Continue reading
Vocabulary: verbs ‘must’ and ‘have to’
Pre-intermediate level (A2/B1)
Here are some of the rules for the staff at 2 companies using ‘must not’ and ‘don’t have to’: Continue reading
Grammar: uncountable nouns
Lower level English (A1-B1)
Oh no there’s nothing in the kitchen and I’m very hungry. Continue reading
Grammar: the future
Intermediate level (B1/B2)
Many English language learners think ‘will’ is the future tense and every time you talk about the future you need to use ‘will’. This seems to be taught in a lot of foreign schools. Continue reading
Grammar: punctuation
Intermediate level (B2)
Commas, colons, full stops … It’s probably true to say that less punctuation is used today than in the past but this doesn’t mean punctuation isn’t needed. Punctuation is really important when it can change the meaning of a sentence. I found this example in Wikipedia: Continue reading
Vocabulary: adverbs in a police story
Advanced level (C1)
Read the story and try to guess the meaning of the adverbs (in bold). Check with a dictionary to see if you are right. Continue reading
Pre-intermediate/Intermediate Level (A2/B1)
People can say ‘have to’ or ‘have got to’ but there are some differences in how we say them:
‘I have to’ but not ‘I’ve to’ BUT ‘I’ve got to’ is OK
In ‘I have to’, ‘have’ is pronounced ‘haf‘ Continue reading