phone english blogLevel: Beginner-Intermediate
Possessive pronouns are words that show ownership.
Here are some examples of possessive pronouns used in sentences:
my
-My job is to teach you.
mine
-This apple is mine.
our
-Our house is big.
ours
-These bags are ours.
its
-Its lid is broken.
his
-His dad is a businessman.
her
-Her umbrella is yellow.
hers
-That yellow umbrella is hers.
their
-Their car is blue.
theirs
-That blue car is theirs.
your
-Your dress looks nice.
yours
-This dress is yours.
Level: Beginner-Intermediate
Phrasal verbs are combinations of words that when used together, usually have a different meaning to that of the original verb. Phrasal verbs are phrases that indicate actions.
Here are some examples of phrasal verbs:
drop out
-quit a class, school, etc.
Example: I dropped out of Math because it was too difficult.
catch up
-get to the same point as somebody else
Example: You’ll have to run faster than that if you want to catch up with me.
come back
-to return
Example: Come back and see us again sometime.
wake up
-stop sleeping
Example: We have to wake up early.
enter into something
-to start to become involved in something
Example: We don’t need to enter into that yet.
throw away
-to get rid of something you do not want any more:
Example: People throw away plastic bags.
come into
-To arrive in a place, or to enter a place
Example: Children are not coming into school.
Level: Beginner-Intermediate
Past simple is a verb tense that is used to talk about things that happened in the past.
To turn verbs into simple past, add -ed to the root form of the verb, or just -d if the root form already ends in an e.
Example:
walk > walked
play > played
love > loved
like > liked
There are a lot of irregular past tense forms in English. Here are some examples:
choose > chose
come > came
bring > brought
buy > bought
drive > drove
eat > ate
feel > felt
find > found
cost > cost
go > went
be > was/were
begin > began
break > broke
get > got
give > gave
build > built
have > had
cut > cut
do > did
draw > drew
Level: Beginner-Intermediate
Prepositions of place describe the position of a person or thing in relation to another person or thing. Prepositions of place give you the ability to tell others where something is located.
In
-when something is inside something
Example:
She is in the car.
I watch TV in the living-room
On
–when something is in a position above something else and touching it
Example:
Please place the flowers on the table.
–television, radio, internet (website)
Example:
I watched the news on TV.
I saw the picture on Facebook.
–used for showing some methods of traveling
Example:
I love traveling on trains.
At
–to show an exact position
Example: I am at the airport.
–event
Example:
I met her at a concert.
Let’s meet at the party.
–a place where you are to do something typical (watch a film, study, work)
Example:
I’m at work now.
I watched a movie at the cinema.
Level: Beginner-Intermediate
We use CAN to make general statements about what is possible:
Example:
It can be very hot here in summer. (= It is sometimes very hot here in summer.)
You can easily get lost in this city. (= People often get lost in this city.)
We also use CAN and CAN’T to talk about someone’s skill or general abilities:
Example:
He can speak two languages.
She can dance.
She can’t swim very well.
We use COULD to show that something is possible, but not certain:
Example:
They could come by bus. (= Maybe they will come by bus.)
They could be at school. (= Maybe they are at school.)
We also use COULD to mean that we were able to do something in the past.
Example:
When she was 1, she could talk.
We use COULDN’T to mean that we weren’t able to do something in the past.
Example:
When he was 1, he couldn’t walk.
As a general rule, gerunds are always after prepositions.
preposition + gerund
She had snacks after finishing her homework.
The tourists are excited about visiting the Trevi Fountain.
Try to sober up before leaving the party.
Note that we do not follow prepositions with infinitives. Noun clauses come after prepositions. When you put a verb after it, the verb must be a gerund. That verb then act as a noun.
after
After finishing her studies, she moved to the big city.before
Check facts before reposting news or stories from disreputable websites.by
They won the award by working hard as a team.in spite of
In spite of failing too many times, he didn’t give up.on
What was the President’s reaction on learning about the issue?without
He hit his wife and children without batting an eyelash.
Adjective + Preposition + Gerund
angry about/at
Laura is angry about waiting for John for two hours.disappointed about/at
Matt is disappointed about finding out he failed the test.fed up with
They are fed up with being discriminated against.interested in
Is she interested in taking care of a dog?tired of
He’s tired of listening to you whine all day.
Noun + Preposition + Gerund
advantage of
What is the advantage of exercising?chance of
There’s a chance of raining today.choice between
There’s a choice between traveling to Brazil or Mexico.danger of
Donald is in danger of committing a serious felony.difficulty in
He has difficulty in remembering names and faces.
Verb + Preposition + Gerund
accuse of
He was accused of embezzling the organization’s funds.apologize for
I would like to apologize for treating you this way.complain about
They complained about overpricing.concentrate on
You need to concentrate on studying.cope with
Luis and his family are not sure how to cope with having to downsize.
Answer this exercise on gerunds after prepositions.
1. Can you sleep ______ ?
a. without snoring
b. without snore
2. Her sister decided ______ her studies this coming semester.
a. against postpone
b. against postponing
3. Do you think he can ______?
a. give up smoke
b. give up smoking
4. I ______ from you soon.
a. look forward to hearing
b. look forward to hear
5. Are you ______ up late?
a. used to staying
b. used to stay
6. My father got exhausted ____ all day.
a. after drive
b. after driving
7. In spite ______ the long route, we still arrived early to the wedding.
a. of taking
b. of take
8. I find no sense ______.
a. in complain
b. in complaining
9. I would like to ______ you this way.
a. apologize for treating
b. apologize to treat
10. You need to _______.
a. concentrate to study
b. concentrate on studying
Find the answers to this exercise here.
See also: Verb + -ing/infinitive: Like and Gerunds
For additional information on this topic, check out this Education First lesson.
For other English grammar lessons, go to this page.
Level: Beginner-Intermediate
Intensifiers are words used to add force or emphasis in a sentence. Intensifiers can be adverbs, adjectives, or adverbial phrases.
Here are some of the common intensifiers:
Really
Example:
The movie is really boring.
I am really interested in going with you.
Very
Example:
You are a very smart boy!
The house is very big.
Too
Example: It’s too hot outside!
She goes out too often.
So
Example: You gave me so much!
You are so kind.
A comparative adjective is used to compare two things.
If an adjective ends in –e, we add –r:
Example:
simple–simpler
fine–finer
If an adjective ends in a consonant and –y, we change –y to –i and add –er:
Example:
bumpy–bumpier
heavy–heavier
We use more to make comparatives for most two-syllable adjectives and for all adjectives with three or more syllables:
Example:
careful–more careful
interesting–more interesting
A superlative adjective is used when you compare three or more things.
If an adjective ends in –e, we add –st:
Example:
quick–quickest
short–shortest
If an adjective ends in a consonant and –y, we change –y to –i and add -est:
shiny–shiniest
tiny–tiniest
We use most to make superlatives for most two-syllable adjectives and for all adjectives with three or more syllables:
Example:
beautiful–most beautiful
colorful–most colorful
Level: Intermediate-Advanced
Although, even though, in spite of and despite are words that are often used to connect two contrasting ideas or to express that one statement makes the other surprising. They are often found either at the beginning or in the middle of the sentence.
The way they are used differ depending on the different structures they are used with.
Although and even though are followed by a subject and a verb. The only difference of even though from although is that it is a little stronger and more emphatic.
They liked the cake, although she would have loved more cream filling in it.
Although they loved each other very much, they decided to end their relationship.
Even though he gave her everything, she still left him.
The students didn’t get the answer correctly, even though their teacher gave them all the clues they needed to solve the problem.
Though and although can be used interchangeably.
Though Meghan is not a royal, Prince Harry married her. = Although Meghan is not a royal, Prince Harry married her.
Though can also be placed at the end of the second phrase. This structure is more commonly used in spoken English.
We were so exhausted as we had to hike all day to reach the top of the mountain. The view was so worth it, though.
In spite of and despite are followed by either a noun, gerund, or pronoun.
They didn’t win the match, in spite of their impressive play during the game.
In spite of the hardship, the team remained unfazed.
Despite being sick, she had a great holiday.
The food was terrible. In spite of that, we had a great time.
In spite of and despite are also often followed by the fact that + subject + verb.
In spite of the fact that it rained very heavily, the wildfires weren’t extinguished.
Despite the fact that it was only the beginning of July, it was very hot when we arrived in Sevilla.
Level: Beginner-Intermediate
A proper noun is any person, place or thing. A proper noun refers to anything or concept that is particular or specific.
A proper noun has two distinctive features:
1) it will name a specific item
2) it will begin with a capital letter
Common Noun Proper Nouns
Person Barack Obama, Mary
Website Google, Facebook
Animal / Pet Snoopy
Food Oreo
Nationality Chinese, Japanese, African
Place University of Ohio, McDonald’s