English grammar
The future perfect and the future continuous at Level B2
In this lesson, we will look at the future perfect. We have already looked at the future continuous in Level B1. Here are examples of each form: The future continuous: He will be working tomorrow afternoon. The future perfect: He will have worked 8 hours by the end of...
The present perfect at CEFR Level A2
The present perfect at CEFR Level A2. On this page, we will look at another common English tense - the present perfect. Here are some examples of the present perfect tense: I have cleaned my shoes. He has finished work for today. I have travelled through Asia, but I...
The present simple to talk about the future
The present simple to talk about the future. In Level A2, we have already looked at how the present continuous and will can both be used to talk about the future. On this page, we will also look at the 2 ways the present simple can also be used for the future. As you...
4 differences between going to and will
4 differences between going to and will. In previous lessons about using the future simple (The future simple with be going to in Level A1 and The future simple with will in Level A2), we have looked at some of the rules for will and going to. In this lesson, we will...
The future simple with will
The future simple with will. In Level A1, we looked at using the future simple tense with be going to. On this page, we will look at the future simple with will. Here are some examples: A: "Oh no! We don't have any milk!" B: "No problem - we will go to the shop and...
The past simple with TO BE
The past simple with TO BE. On the previous page, we looked at how to form the past simple by adding +ed or +d to the verb. For example: He played outside yesterday. He lived in New York for 2 years. On this page, we will look at what happens when we use the verb TO...
The future simple with be going to
The future simple with be going to. To talk about the future in English, there are lots of different tenses you can use. One of the most common forms is (be) going to. Here are some examples: I am going to have lunch with John tomorrow. They are going to see a movie...
Stative verbs and continuous tenses in English
Stative verbs and continuous tenses in English. Verbs can be divided in to two groups - stative verbs and dynamic verbs. Stative verbs talk about states - how you feel, what you see, what you like, what you hate. It is important to know the difference between stative...
The present continuous at CEFR Level A1
The present continuous at CEFR Level A1. In this lesson, we will look at the the present continuous. The present continuous is used to talk about what is happening now (or around now). For example: I am studying English grammar now. They are visiting friends at the...
The differences between adjectives with ING and ED
The differences between adjectives with ING and ED. In this lesson, we will look at the difference between adjectives that end with ING and ED. Here are some examples: I think football is boring. I am bored by football. This book is interesting. I am interested in...
How to make uncountable nouns countable
How to make uncountable nouns countable. When making an uncountable noun countable, we often use a unit of measurement - a cup of, a bottle of, a piece of, a kilo of, a lump of. Here are the most common units of measurement (note that these units can be used with...
5 more rules for using countable and uncountable nouns
5 more rules for using countable and uncountable nouns. On this page, we will look at the differences between countable and uncountable nouns when used with some, no, any, many, and much. Let's start with some and no. Rule #1. Use some when talking about more than one...
Comparing 3 or more adjectives in English
Comparing 3 or more adjectives in English. When we compare one adjective to another adjective, we use comparative adjectives. When we compare 3 or more things in English, we superlative adjectives. For most adjectives, we can compare them by adding the +est to the...
Using a range of verbs for reported speech at Level B2
Using a range of verbs for reported speech at Level B2. We have already looked at reported speech in Level B1, with lessons on the 4 rules for reported speech as well as some additional information you need to know. On this page, we will further develop your skills by...
More rules for reported speech at Level B1
More rules for reported speech at Level B1. We have already looked at the 4 rules for reported speech, so now we will look at some additional notes about reported speech. 1. Using 'that' in reported speech When reporting speech, you can add 'that' to the sentence....
Giving personal information in English
Giving personal information in English. In English conversations, you need to give people information about you. For example, 'My name is..'. On this page, will look at ways of giving personal information about yourself. Your name: Hello, my name is.... Hi, I'm... I...
Vocabulary for talking about the news at Level B1
Vocabulary for talking about the news at Level B1. Let's look at some of the vocabulary we use to talk about the news. Types of news: current affairs (also called 'current events') politics weather traffic entertainment local/national/international news People...
Telling the time in English
Telling the time in English. On this page, let's look at telling the time. This is more than just numbers - you need to be able to use different phrases. Let's start by looking at parts of the day. Time Part of the day 0:00 to 12:00 Morning 0:00 to 11:59 A.M....
Intensifiers and mitigators in English
On this page, we will review and compare intensifiers and mitigators in English. As we have seen on the previous pages in this lesson, intensifiers increase the intensity of an adjective. For example, hungry can become very hungry, then absolutely starving. On the...
Prepositions of time for Level A1
Prepositions of time for Level A1. Prepositions of time (like all prepositions) can be one of the hardest parts of English to use correctly. This is because the rules are often quite difficult and there are lots of exceptions! In this lesson, we are looking at the...
The present perfect v the past simple
The present perfect v the past simple. On this page, we will look at the differences between the present perfect (which we looked in Level A2) and the past simple (which we covered in Level A1). Let's start by looking at two examples - what's the difference in...
Prepositions of place at Level A1
Prepositions of place at Level A1. Prepositions of place (like all prepositions) can be one of the hardest parts of English to use correctly because the rules are often quite difficult and there are lots of exceptions. In this lesson, we are looking at the following...
Adjective and noun collocations in English
Adjective and noun collocations in English. On this page, we will look at the common collocations which are created using adjectives and nouns. Unfortunately there are no rules to help you work this out - you just have to learn them one by one! However, to make this a...
Using the present continuous for the future
The present continuous at CEFR Level A2. In this lesson, we will look at how the the present continuous is used to talk about the future. We have already looked at the present continuous in Level A1, but let's start with a review of how the present continuous is used...
The past continuous at CEFR Level A2
The past continuous at CEFR Level A2. The past continuous (also known as the past progressive) is used to talk about something that was happening in the past. Here are some examples: He was washing his hands when the phone rang. We were singing and they were dancing...
Adverbs of place in English
On this page, we will look at adverbs of place. These adverbs tell us where the action takes place. Here are some examples: The children are playing football outside. John is sleeping upstairs. These adverbs can also tell us the direction. Here are some examples: They...
Understanding abstract nouns and articles for Level B2
Understanding abstract nouns and articles for Level B2. So far in our site, we have looked at 18 rules for using articles (that's A, AN, THE or no article): 6 simple rules for articles (Level A1) 6 more rules for articles (Level A2) 6 more advanced rules for articles...
Adverbs of time in English
Adverbs of time in English.
Another 6 rules for using articles in English
Another 6 rules for using articles in English. We have already looked at 6 simple rules for using articles in Level A1, so now we will look at another 6 rules for when to use A, AN (the indefinite articles), THE (the definite article) or no article (this is shown as Ø...
6 simple rules for using articles in English (Level A1)
In this lesson, we will look at 6 simple rules for using articles. Understanding when to use A/AN or THE is difficult in English, but by the end of this lesson you will be able to you use the right word for CEFR Level A1. Rule #1: Use A or AN the first time you talk...
Attitude adverbs for CEFR Level B2
Attitude adverbs (also called attitudinal adverbs) show the speaker / writer's attitude toward the state or action described in the sentence. Attitude adverbs are most commonly placed before the subject of the sentence, but they can be placed in the middle or end of...
Defining and non-defining relative clauses explained
Defining and non-defining relative clauses explained. There are two common types of relative clause: Defining relative clauses (also called 'restricting relative clauses' or 'identifying relative clauses') Non-defining relative clauses (also called 'non-restricting...
Strong adjectives and intensifiers
On this page, we will look at strong adjectives and intensifiers. At a basic level, we use words like very, really or extremely can be used to make adjectives stronger. These are called intensifiers. Let's start by looking at a table: Basic adjective That's an...
The differences between USED TO and WOULD
The differences between USED TO and WOULD. Both USED TO and WOULD can both be used to talk about past actions. ‘Would’ can be used to speak about past actions as an alternative to the simple past or ‘used to’. We have looked at this already in Level B1, so if you...
Pronunciation of past simple verbs
Pronunciation of regular past tense verbs can change. There are three 'sounds' that are used when saying past tense verbs, so to improve your pronunciation of the past simple, you need to become familiar with which past tense uses which sound. For example, 'He worked'...
The past simple at CEFR Level A1
The past simple at CEFR Level A1. In English grammar, the past simple is used to talk about things that finished in the past. Here are some example sentences including the past simple: I worked last Monday. They studied for an English test last week. She smiled when...
The present simple at CEFR Level A1
The present simple at CEFR Level A1. In English grammar, the present simple is used to talk about habits and routines. Here is an example of the present simple in a sentence: I work on weekdays. The present simple can also be used to talk about something you don't do....
Using ‘used to’ in English at Level B1
In this lesson, we will look at using Used to in English. There two common meanings of used to 1. Use(d) +infinitive is used to talk about repeated actions/states in the past. I used to smoke (i.e. I did smoke, now I don’t) 2. To be +used to + noun/verb+ing is used...
Using ‘can’ and ‘could’ at Level A1
Deciding when to use can or could sometimes causes problems for English language students, especially as these words have a number of different uses. Can or could can be used to talk about: Possibility / Impossibility Ability / no ability To ask for / give permission...
Comparing 2 adjectives in English
Comparing 2 adjectives in English. When we compare one adjective to another adjective, we use comparative adjectives. Note that we don't use comparative adjectives when comparing THREE or more things. For most adjectives, we can compare them by adding +er than to the...
Irregular verbs list up to Level B1
Irregular verbs, as the name suggests, don't follow a pattern. You simply need to learn them. In this lesson you will find an irregular verbs list. We suggest you try to learn a few each each day. But before we look at an irregular verbs list, we need to think about...
The past simple passive and ‘used to’
Tense Passive Form Passive Sentence Active Form Active Sentence Past simple was/were + past participle It was made compulsory by the government to wear a seat belt while travelling in a car in 1985. base verb +ed or irregular past The government made it compulsory to...
The past simple passive and ‘used to’ exercises
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When are participle clauses used?
Participle clauses express condition, reason, result or time. Here are some examples: Condition (used instead of an 'if' condition): Looked after carefully, the new smartphones will last at least three years. (If you look after it carefully, the new smartphones will...
The subjunctive
The subjunctive is a grammar form that has no plural form or past form. It is generally used when something is considered important or desirable. It is part of a highly formal style of English often referred to as 'The Queen's English'. For example: It is essential...
Transitive and intransitive verbs
Transitive and intransitive verbs have different rules when you use them to make sentences. 1. The boss surprised his workteam. TRANSITIVE VERB 2. The boss smiled. INTRANSITIVE VERB Transitive verbs A transitive verb needs a direct object to make a complete sentence....