English practice: articles a, an, and the
Use a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound. Use the for a particular noun that the context, an earlier sentence, or a shared place makes clear.
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English practice: can, must, and have to
Can shows ability or gives permission. Must gives a strong instruction or obligation. Have to says that an action is necessary because of a rule or situation.
English practice: comparatives and superlatives
Use a comparative when you compare two people or things, usually with than. Use a superlative when one person or thing is at one end of a group, usually with the. Short adjectives often take -er and -est; many longer adjectives use more and most.
English practice: countable and uncountable nouns
Use a or an with one countable thing. Use a plural form with a number or many. Use an uncountable noun without a plural ending, often with some or much. Add a unit phrase when you need to count an uncountable thing.
English practice: describing people
Use an adjective after be, then add a small detail. Say He is patient and explains things clearly, or She has curly hair and enjoys drawing.
English practice: describing routines and habits
Use the present simple for a routine or habit. Add words such as usually, often, or never, and add a time phrase when it helps: I usually read before bed. She starts work at nine.
English practice: directions and locations
Use a route verb first, then add a landmark or location phrase. For example, say Go past the bank and turn left at the traffic lights. To ask for help, say Excuse me, where is the museum?
English practice: everyday requests and offers
For a request, say Can you...? or Could you...?. To offer your help, say Can I...? or Shall I...?. For a familiar offer of food, drink, or a place to sit, use Do you want...? and listen for the reply.
English practice: food and restaurant English
For a polite order, say Could I have ..., please? or I would like ..., please. To ask for information, use Does this contain ...? or What comes with ...?
English practice: numbers, dates, and time
For everyday details, say the number in the form that fits its job. Use ordinal numbers for dates, say times with o'clock, past, or to when useful, and add a.m., p.m., morning, or evening when the time could be unclear.
English practice: past simple and past continuous
Use the past simple for a completed past action, such as The bus arrived late. Use the past continuous for an action in progress at a past time, such as We were waiting at the stop.
English practice: past simple questions and negatives
For most past simple questions, use did before the subject and the base verb after it. For a negative, use did not or didn't before the base verb. Say Did he leave? and He didn't leave, not Did he left? or He didn't left.