Object Nouns in a Sentence
In English sentences, a noun can be the main subject of the sentence or clause, or it can be an object, which is to say it is not the subject. The subject noun is the noun performing the verb. This…
Category C1 Advanced Grammar
Essential English grammar for learners who wish to achieve C1 level.
English Idiomatic Expressions – Idioms
Idiomatic expressions, or idioms, are phrases whose meanings cannot be deduced from the literal definitions of the words within them. They are an essential but confusing part of the English language, but also of many other languages. In the UK,…
Understanding -ing and -ed Phrases in English
English grammar can sometimes seem easy to learn, with its clear rules and logical explanations. At other times, there seem to be endless exceptions; along with prepositions and using gerunds, -ing and -ed phrases are among the these. However, if…
Test Yourself with a Parts of Speech Exercise
Words, the building blocks of language, are organised into various categories known as parts of speech or word classes. These classifications serve to facilitate the understanding of sentence structure and linguistic principles. Parts of speech Parts of speech are categories…
Correlative Conjunctions and Comparative Sentence Structures
There are three main types of conjunctions: coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions and correlative conjunctions. Conjunctions are a part of speech or word class often described as ‘joining words’, because many conjunctions, such as ‘but’ and ‘and’, join words or clauses…
Using the Word ‘That’ in English
The word ‘that’ can cause much confusion to English language learners. In language, words are divided into word classes, or what are called ‘Parts of Speech’, and these word classes define the use of a word in a sentence. However,…
Grammar Exercises: Practise the English Tenses
Here is an opportunity to practise your English advanced past and future tenses. While there are numerous tense quizzes on this website, this post allows you to see an overview of quizzes laid out in document form. Such a structure…
Using English Articles: Practice Exercises
The following exercises are designed to give students practice at using articles (a, an, and the) in sentences. To understand when to use an article, one must first have an understanding of the parts of speech that make up the…
Noun-Verb Pairs and Stress Variations
Any language is a constantly changing system, and one of the unique aspects of the English language is how some words can be both nouns and verbs. Although they may look the same in writing, some words have different meanings…
Describing an Academic Graph, Chart or Diagram
Many English language students are preparing to sit official language exams such as IELTS, Pearson, Aptis and Cambridge. For these exams, a spoken or written summary of the information given in a graph, chart or diagram is often required, usually…