What's wrong with this sentence?
"Boy played in the park."
The problem is that the noun 'boy' (the subjects) cannot be used without an article. We could say, for example, 'The boy', 'A boy' or 'My neighbour's boy'. Generally, the articles a and the are used with nouns.
Use the before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific.
Native speakers usually use contractions especially when speaking. We make contractions by connecting two or more words together. One or more letters are removed from the words when they are connected.
I am → I'm →"I'm older than you."
I had →I'd → "I'd better do my homework."
I have → I've → "I've always liked sushi."
Let's take a look at a couple of words that are often confused by English learners, alone and lonely.
If you are sitting in a room and there are no other people in the room, you are alone. Alone simply means without other people.
"I used to live with my parents, now I live alone."
When should we use the present simple and the present continuous tenses?
Use the present simple tense for actions that are habitual or repeating. When we talk about something we always do, we use this tense.
Elena loves English.
I read English books every evening.
I go to English class on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Google finally _1_ its latest much-talked about product, 'Google Glass'.
Is the structure of this sentence correct?
"My hometown it is very big."
What is it in this sentence?
A while ago we looked at how to use look, see and watch; today we at two other verbs connected to our senses: hear and listen.
We use hear for sounds that come to us when we are not expecting to hear them, i.e. we are not trying to hear something. We hear something without trying to.
On Sunday my young daughter asked what afraid means. Good question. I was going to say it means 'scared' until I realised that it has more than one meaning.
Afraid is a useful word for English learners to know because it can be used in a few different ways. Let's take a look.
When we are afraid we have a fear of something or are scared.
Are you afraid of dogs?
Yes, I am very afraid of dogs.
To spend money lavishly or freely, usually on something that is nice to have but not something we really need.
"Joe just splashed out $500 on a new watch."
When we keep money for a large expense in the future, we save up.
"I'm saving up to buy a new car. I should have enough by next year."
We pay off something when we complete payment on a debt.
Often when we are talking about present situations, we use unless instead of if...not.
Unless means except if or simply it means if...not.
Both of these examples have the same meaning and refer to the present time.