english language

Making sure you’ve understood

If you do not understand what someone has said, use I don’t understand. Sorry, I don’t understand. I didn’t understand what you said. Please could you repeat that? I didn’t understand. You can also express any uncertainty about what someone has said by using I’m not sure … Sorry, I’m… Read More

Making a phone call

Making a phone call in English can be intimidating, so here are some phrases to help you. Once you’ve made the call and someone answers, you will need to tell them who you are. Use Hello, it’s … (here). Hello Mr Hall, it’s Alex Ronaldson here. Hello, it’s Marie. Can… Read More

9 weird and wonderful collective nouns

A pride of lions. A gaggle of geese. A murder of crows. The English language is full of peculiarities, but collective nouns are among the most remarkable. But what is a collective noun? Collective nouns are used to refer to a group of people or things, with some of the… Read More

Describing people and things

To give a general descriptions of something, use It’s … It’s gold with three diamonds. It’s a ladies’ watch. It’s a green suitcase with wheels. Use It’s made of … to say what material or substance something is. It’s made of leather. It’s quite a small bag, and it’s made… Read More

False friends: 7 deceptive English words

As a great actor once said, ‘You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.’ It’s universally acknowledged that English is a tricky language to master – even for native English speakers – thanks to its vast number of rules, illogical language patterns,… 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

Gill (Jyl) Francis 1945 – 2024

Gill Francis (she later used the spelling Jyl) was one of the pioneering team who worked on the Collins Cobuild English Dictionary (CCED), published in 1995, and led a small team that compiled the Grammar Pattern series published in 1996 and 1998. In this she was… 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
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