Category: Class

Level: Beginner-Intermediate

All
We can use all + noun to talk about the whole amount (100%). It is used with countable and uncountable nouns.
Example:
All cars have wheels.
All my friends live in Madrid.

All of
We can also use all of + object pronoun.
Example:
All of them were at the party.
He invited all of us to lunch.

•We can also use all in mid position. That is before the main verb or after the verb be when it is the main verb. Or after the first auxiliary verb when there are auxiliary verbs.
Example:
We all went.
They were all happy.
We can all be there when she arrives.

Most
We can use most + noun to talk about all people or things in general or most of the/my/etc. + noun to talk about specific people or things.
Example:
Most people trust policemen.
Most of the people at the pub were drinking.

Most of
We can also use most of + object pronoun.
Example:
Most of us come from Madrid.
They fired most of them.

No
We use no + noun in affirmative sentences.
Example:
She has no friends.
There are no cars.

None of
We can use none of + noun/pronoun.
Example:
None of the workers is from Spain.
None of them is from Spain.

Level: Beginner-Intermediate

Adjectives that end in -ing generally describe the thing that causes the
emotion.

EXAMPLES:

boring
>A boring class makes you feel bored.

annoying
>My brother is so annoying.

amazing
>Your house amazing.

exciting
>This movie is very exciting.

Adjectives that end in -ed generally describe emotions – they tell us how people feel.

EXAMPLE:
bored
>Why do they look bored?

surprised
>She was surprised to see her mother after all those years.

tired
>I was really tired so I went to bed early.

excited
>She feels excited about her new job.

Level: Intermediate-Advanced

The best way to explain the subordinating conjunction is through the conjunction ‘because’. This subordinating conjunction shows the cause and effect between the main clause and the subordinate clause.

A clause beginning with ‘because’ would not have a complete sense.

Because she sprained herself.

This statement has an incomplete thought. Adding an independent clause will make this statement complete.

Mary doesn’t go to ballet lessons anymore.

This is how the sentence looks like when the two clauses are combined by a subordinating clause of cause and effect in a complex sentence:

Mary doesn’t go to ballet lessons anymore because she sprained herself.

In this sentence, “Mary doesn’t go to ballet lessons anymore” is the independent clause. It is a complete sentence and thus can stand alone. The clause that shows a causal relationship “because she sprained herself”, typically called the ‘clause of purpose’ answers the question “Why?” or “For what purpose?”.

Here are other subordinating conjunctions that demonstrate cause-and-effect relationships and function the same way as ‘because’:

because of – There were so many tourists on the beach because of the beautiful weather last weekend.

for – Waiting for the new episode of the series on TV, never being able to watch it, of course, for it is aired very late at night.

as  – The traffic was terrible on Friday evening as everyone expected.

since – They didn’t have to explain the procedures to her again since she understood it right away.

therefore – They were unable to practice a lot and therefore had to improvise during the performance.

hence  – A healthy work environment improves employees’ motivation, and hence productivity.

as a result  –   Jackson missed his scheduled interview; as a result, lost the chance at a job at Google.

consequently – I binge-watched so many episodes and consequently had very few to watch by the end of my holiday.

though – He plays cello quite well, though he has only started learning a year ago.

due to – Many residents got sick due to poor sanitation in their area.

provided that – Some parents let their children work during their holidays provided that it is only for a couple of hours per day.

unless – She normally doesn’t talk much unless you start the conversation with her.  

as a result of – The company’s revenues have decreased as a result of this quarter’s decline in sales.

so – My head started throbbing so I stopped reading.

so that – They’ll go by car so that they can bring more suitcases.

Their ballet routines for the upcoming recital is getting more and more difficult, hence Mary decided not to go to rehearsals anymore after getting sprained.

Since Mary sprained her ankle, her ballet teacher has prohibited her from attending the rehearsals.

Level: Intermediate-Advanced

Correlative conjunctions function much like coordinating conjunctions – to relate one sentence element to another. The only difference between correlative conjunctions from coordinating conjunctions is that they always come in pairs.

Here are some of the most common pairs of correlative conjunctions:

either/or
I am saving up to go on a trip either to Machu Picchu or Petra.

both/and
I’ll have both the cashmere and wool jacket.

whether/or
They were wondering whether to go for a drive or take a plane to Lisbon.

neither/nor
Neither our boss nor our client approved this proposal.

not only/but also
He not only made a scene at the party but he also disrespected the hosts.

not/but
She is in need not of financial but moral support from her family and friends.

as/as
Swimming is not as dangerous as bungee jumping.

such/that
It was such a difficult project that I ended up getting burned-out.

scarcely/when
She had scarcely arrived to work when she got a call from her supervisor.

as many/as
There weren’t as many books to choose from at the bookstore as I thought.

no sooner/than
She’d no sooner started working than there was a power outage and she had no electricity.

rather/than
I’d rather get a taxi than take the bus.