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Introduction One way of describing a person or thing is by saying that they have more of a particular quality than someone or something else. To do this, we use comparative adjectives, which are formed either by adding -er at the end of the adjective, or placing more before it, e.g. She’s more intelligent than her sister. […]
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 […]
Comma after so When so is used to mean therefore, it is a transitional adverb. So, it should be followed by a comma. I was not feeling well. So, I decided to consult a doctor. Semicolon before And A coordinating conjunction that merges two clauses into one is usually preceded by a comma. However, the comma can be left out when the clauses […]
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 […]
What is the difference between Affect and Effect? The simplest answer is that “Affect” is a verb while “Effect” is a noun, so you need to use them accordingly. Here are their meaning according to Longman online dictionary: Affect: verb [transitive] To do something that produces an effect or change in something or in someone’s […]
The words especially and specially have just a hair’s breadth of difference between them. Both can be used to mean “particularly.” Especially tends to be more formal, while specially tends to be more informal: … But our words have finer points to them that are worthy of being understood. 1 especially and specially Especially and specially can often both be used with the […]
afraid and fear In an informal style, be afraid is more common than fear. Don’t be afraid, (not Don’t fear) She’s afraid that I might find out. Are you afraid of the dark? I’m not afraid to say what I think. I’m afraid = ‘I’m sorry’ I’m afraid (that) often means ‘I’m sorry to tell […]
What are modal auxiliary verbs? The verbs can, could, may, might, will, would, shall (mainly British English), should, must and ought are called ‘modal auxiliary verbs’. We can use them before the infinitives of other verbs and add certain kinds of meaning connected with certainty, or with obligation and freedom to act (see next section). […]
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 […]