english learner

Using semicolons

The semicolon is used to mark a break between two main clauses when there is a balance or a contrast between the clauses. Compare: The engine roared into life. The propellers began to turn. The plane taxied down the runway ready for takeoff. with: The engine roared into life; the propellers… Read More

Using bullet points

Using bullet points in a non-fiction text is a clear way to organize information you wish to present. The types of text that are suitable for bullet points are lists, notes, instructions, and information texts. To use bullet points correctly, there needs to be a piece of introductory text, ending… Read More

Months and Dates

In order to talk confidently about your plans in English, it’s useful to know some essential phrases that relate to months and dates. The months of the year in English are: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. Read More

Mass Nouns

Mass nouns are nouns that refer to a substance that can be divided or measured but not counted, e.g. sugar, water. They do not usually have an indefinite article in front. Meat is usually more expensive than cheese. Sugar is quite cheap. Mass nouns only take a plural in special cases, for example, when they refer… Read More

How to use ‘Used to’

The verb used to is a ‘marginal’ modal verb. Unlike the other modal verbs, it is only found in the past tense. Therefore, when it is used with do to make negatives and questions, the form of the auxiliary verb is always did.  Used to is used as follows:  to describe an activity or a state that… Read More

Use of Shall and Will

The normal way to express simple future time in English is using the modal verb will followed by the base form of a main verb. The modal verb shall can be used with the pronouns I and we, especially in questions, but is not used very much in modern English. Shall I bring you some tea?… Read More

Indirect speech

Indirect speech or reported speech reports something that was said, but does not use the actual words that the speaker uttered. Lynn asked whether Pippa had been to the new shopping mall. Pippa replied that she hadn’t, but she had heard that there were some really cool shops there. Reported speech always has two clauses. The words… Read More

Apostrophes

Misusing or omitting the apostrophe is one of the most common punctuation errors. Showing possession The apostrophe ( ’ ) is used to show that something belongs to someone: -’s is added to the end of singular words. a baby’s pushchair Hannah’s book -’s is added to the end of plural words not ending… 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