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Common Collocations On this page, you can find a few short lists of common collocations to give you more of an idea about them. Many good learners’ dictionaries show collocations associated with specific words. There are also dictionaries of collocations, though these are more difficult to find. Verb collocations have do make have a bath […]
Cultural Differences for Kids High schools (Do students wear special school attire like uniforms? Can students drive to their high school? Can students drink water in class?) Country work ethic (How long are typical work hours? Do students work after graduating?) School clubs (What unique school clubs are there? Which club are you in? Why […]
Make sure you use the correct tense when you talk about future plans in English. Here are some tips to do this, as well as other phrases to use when you talk about your plans with other people. (For more information about this, see our page on future forms.) When it isn’t definite We use […]
Using a wide range of vocabulary will help you speak more comprehendible and look more natural. Don’t fear: you don’t have to learn all of these phrases. Just choose a few that you like and practice using them in your writing. Listing Giving examples Generalizing firstly, secondly, thirdly for example in general first, furthermore, finally for […]
Thinking about the past and present together We use the present perfect if we are thinking about the past and present together. We do not use the present perfect if we are not thinking about the present. Compare: My sister has learnt French. (She can speak French now.) Shakespeare probably learnt Italian, (NOT Shakespeare has […]
Discourse means ‘pieces of language longer than a sentence’. Some words and expressions are used to show how discourse is constructed. They can show the connection between what a speaker is saying and what has already been said or what is going to be said; they can help to make clear the structure of what […]
1 ‘higher than’: above or over Above and over can both mean ‘higher than’. Above is more common with this meaning.The water came up above/over our knees.Can you see the helicopter above/over the palace? 2 ‘not directly over’: above We use above when one thing is not directly over another.We’ve got a little house above […]
We use “able” especially in the structure be able + infinitive. This often has the same meaning as can. There is a negative form unable. Some people are able to / can walk on their hands. I am unable to / can’t understand what she wants. “Can” is preferred in the sense of ‘know how […]
1 punctuation We usually write abbreviations without full stops in modem British English. Full stops (AmE ‘periods’) are normal in American English. Mr (AmE Mr.) = Mister (not usually written in full) kg (AmE kg.) = kilogram Ltd = limited (company ) 2 initial-letter abbreviations Some abbreviations are made from the first letters of several […]
Some styles of writing and speech have their own special grammar rules, often because of the need to save space or time.1 advertisements and instructionsSmall ads and instructions often leave out articles, subject or object pronouns, forms of be and prepositions.Single man looking for flat Oxford area. Phone 806127 weekends.Job needed urgently. Will do anything […]