english language

The time

Use … o’clock to say what time it is when the clock shows the exact hour. It finishes at eight o’clock. He got up this morning at five o’clock. It’s one o’clock – time for lunch! It’s four o’clock in the afternoon. Midday is used to mean twelve o’clock… Read More

Countable and uncountable nouns

Countable nouns are the words for things that we can count. They have singular and plural forms. They can have a or an in front of them. If they are singular, they must have a word like a, an, the or his in front of them. She ate an… Read More

Months of the year

To say which month of the year something happens or happened in, use in … My birthday is in August. We’ll probably go away on holiday in May. I visited some friends in Rome in September. To make it clear which January or February, etc. you are talking about,… Read More

Days of the week

To say what day of the week it is, use It’s … ‘What day is it today?’ ‘It’s Thursday.’ It’s Wednesday today, isn’t it? When saying which day something happens or will happen, use on … I’m going to Dublin on Sunday. It’s my birthday on Tuesday. I don’t… Read More

Going shopping

When you go shopping, the simplest way to ask for something is to use I’d like … or Could I have … ? I’d like two kilos of potatoes, please. Could I have a carrier bag, please? You can also say what you are looking for by using I’m looking… Read More

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