Some verbs are made up of two parts; a verb and a particle:
Make + up -...are made up...
Grow + up
He is growing up into a smart young boy.
The particle often gives the verb a new meaning:
Take + in
It's difficult to take in so much information.
It's difficult to remember/absorb so much information.
It is unusual to have an infinitive or a that-clause as the subject of a sentence in English. As an alternative we use 'introductory it' as the subject and put the infinitive or that-clause later.
That the Americans are friendly is a common belief.
It is a common belief that the Americans are friendly.
To be punctual is polite.
It is polite to be punctual.
Homophones are words that have the same sound (pronunciation), but different meanings and usually, spelling.
These words have the same sound, but different meanings and spelling:
I have two brothers. (number)
We’re going to the park. Would you like to come too? (also)
These words have the same sound and spelling, but different meanings:
Linkers are words that combine sentences and show the relationship between ideas. Here is an exercise using three basic linkers: and, but and because.
We use and to link two related ideas or to add information.
'I like tea and coffee.'
'On Saturday, we went to the park and the cinema.'
We use but to show a contrast (link a positive and a negative idea).
We can use either...or to emphasise a choice. (Either…or is used to refer to two things or people.) In most cases 'either' can be omitted.
Here are some examples:
You can either stay here or come with us.
You can stay here or come with us.
It was either John or Peter who received your message.
Either John or Peter received your message.
John or Peter received your message.
A phrasal verb is a verb made up of a verb plus one or more particles (e.g. of, in, up) that modify or change its meaning. For example, the phrasal verb “give up” means “stop doing”, which is different from the meaning of the verb “give” when it stands alone. Phrasal verbs are some of the most common verbs used in everyday English. Here is an exercise using phrasal verbs for travel situations.
First match these phrasal verbs to their meanings:
Look at these time expressions. It is important to use the right preposition when using time expressions.
at + the exact time
I usually wake up at half past six.
in + a period of time
She started working in the morning and left late in the evening.
on + a day I was born on 13th June 1968
He had an amazing party on his birthday.
for + a length of time
I waited for Sarah for two hours.
'A' and 'an' mean 'a (any) one' but 'the' refers to someone or something already known.
Can I have a cake?
Can I have the cake with the cherries?
We use 'a' and 'an' when:
We mean one of many and not a special one.
Can you lend me a pen? - Have you got a car?
When we give a person's occupation.
She's an architect.
Adjectives ending in -ed or -ing.
-ed: excited, interested, bored, annoyed, surprised.
-ing: exciting, interesting, boring, annoying, surprising.
The words above are a few of the adjectives that end in -ed or -ing. Their meaning can sometimes be confusing.
Adjectives ending in -ed show what has happened to a person or thing.
He was surprised by the result of his test.
Verbs express an action or make a statement about a person or thing.
John gave Sarah a present.
Sarah was very surprised.
A finite verb is a 'working' verb with a subject; it can be any tense. A non-finite verb which is also called in infinitive verb has no subject and can't be in all the tenses.
A non-finite verb can be:
