Learning English

Expressing surprise

A simple way to show that you are surprised by what someone has said is to use Really? ‘Zareb is leaving?’ ‘Really? Why?’ ‘I don’t think it’s a very good school.’ ‘Really? I was very impressed by it.’ ‘I’m terrible at maths.’ ‘Really? I can’t believe that!’ A stronger way… Read More

Expressing sympathy

The most common way to show that you are sad for someone when something bad has happened is to use I’m (so) sorry. or I’m sorry to hear … Diana told me about your brother’s accident. I’m so sorry. I heard that Charlie had lost his job, Sara. I’m sorry. Read More

Talking about your health

After saying hello to someone, especially someone we know, we usually ask about their health, by saying How are you? You can also ask about someone else’s health in the same way. Hello, Jan. How are you? It’s great to see you, Anna. How are you? Hi, Emma, how is… Read More

Saying what you have to do

To tell someone that it is very important that you do something, use I have to … or I need to … I have to call my mother. I really have to finish this piece of work today. You don’t have to work till eight o’clock every evening. I need… Read More

Agreeing and disagreeing

Agreeing To agree to do something or give someone something, use Yes or OK. To make yes more polite or enthusiastic, add of course. ‘Will you come with me?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Could you help me with my bags?’ ‘Yes, of course.’ ‘Can I have an ice cream, Dad?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Can you… Read More

Asking for permission

It’s very useful to know how to ask for permission to do something in English. There are a number of phrases you can use. The most general way to ask for permission is to use Can I … or Can we …? Can I pay by credit card? Can I… Read More

How to complain in English

There are some situations where things are just not up to what you expect, and you want to let people know or complain about it. If you want to say that something is not good enough, you can use I’m not happy with … or I’m disappointed with … I’m… Read More

How to apologize in English

Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, there are always situations when an apology of some kind is required. This blog helps you with what you need to say to apologize and how to respond when someone apologizes to you. The most common way to apologize is to use Sorry… Read More

What’s the difference between indoors and indoor?

This week we are looking at two words which may be confused by learners of English: indoors and indoor. indoors Indoors is an adverb. If you go indoors, you go into a building. It started to rain, so we went indoors. If something happens indoors, it… Read More
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