Relative Clauses
We use relative clauses to add extra information to our sentences. They help us to say more about a noun without starting a new sentence. A clause is a group of words that includes...
Category: Parts of speech
Main and subordinate clauses
Main and subordinate clauses A clause is a group of words that includes a noun and a verb. Examples: We call these clauses “main clauses”. They make complete sense on their own and we...
Which is correct: “learned” or “learnt”?
Which is correct: “learned” or “learnt”? Both! In British English, the verb “to learn” is irregular. The past participle is “learnt”. So, we might say: Similar irregular verbs include: In American English, many irregular...
Gerunds
Gerunds are very useful but can be a bit confusing at first. Two things you need to know about gerunds right from the start: Here are some examples: We can also use the infinitive...
What are present participles?
We make present participles from verbs and use them as adjectives or to form the continuous tenses of the verb. We always use the ending “-ing”. Some examples of present participles Using present participles...
What are past participles?
We form past participles from verbs and then use them in a number of different ways including: We form the past participles of regular verbs in the same way as we form the past...
Modal verbs
Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that help to describe such things as possibility and necessity. The most common modal verbs are: Here are some ways in which modal verbs are used: There are some...
Verb tenses in reported speech
Verb tenses in reported speech. When we talk about what someone says, we can use either “direct speech” or “indirect speech”. Nowadays most people talk about “reported speech” instead of “indirect speech”. In direct...
Definite and Indefinite Articles Part 3
In previous posts (here and here), we’ve looked at when to use definite and indefinite articles and when we don’t need to use any article. We said that: In this post we’ll explain how...
Definite and indefinite articles Part 2
Definite and indefinite articles. In an earlier post we said that:: In this post we’ll talk further about definite and indefinite articles. We often use “a” or “an” when we mention something for the...