Loose or lose: spelling, sound, and sentence practice
Use loose for something that is not tight or firmly attached. Use lose for the action of no longer having something, failing to win, or missing an opportunity.
Find your next lesson
Search for a phrase or choose a level. The time filter describes the sample recording, not the whole lesson.
Sign in to save phrases and report a problem
Mad: meanings in British and American English
No. Mad can mean angry, very enthusiastic, foolish, or wild, depending on the context. It can also appear in an older sense connected with mental illness, but use specific, respectful language such as mental health condition when that is what you mean.
Make, let, and help: causative patterns
Use make plus an object plus a base verb for force or a strong cause: The coach made us run. Use let plus an object plus a base verb for permission: The coach let us leave. Use help plus an object plus a base verb or to-infinitive for assistance: The coach helped us improve or helped us to improve.
Modal and auxiliary verbs: understand their roles
Modal verbs are a type of auxiliary verb. Use modals such as can, should, and might before a base verb to show ability, advice, obligation, or possibility. Use be, do, and have as other auxiliaries to build forms such as is working, did arrive, and has finished.
Modal passive voice: form and meaning
Use modal + be + past participle for a modal passive. Say The report should be finished today or The keys may be found at reception. The thing receiving the action comes first.
Modal verbs for advice and recommendations
Use should or ought to plus a base verb for ordinary advice: "You should call first." Use had better plus a base verb when the advice is urgent or a bad result is likely: "You'd better call first."
Modal verbs for obligation: must, have to, and need to
Must gives a strong instruction or personal sense of duty. Have to often reports an outside requirement. Need to says that an action is necessary. After must, use a base verb. Have to and need to use to before the verb.
Modal verbs for permission
Use can for ordinary permission, could for a more careful request, may in formal requests or rules, and must not or cannot when an action is forbidden.
Modal verbs: can, could, should, must, and might
Use can for present ability or permission, could for past ability or a polite request, should for advice, must for a strong rule or necessary action, and might for a possibility. Put the modal before the base verb: You should check the address.
Modal verbs: meaning and practical use
Modal verbs are helping verbs that add meaning to a main verb. Use can for ability or permission, could for a polite request or past ability, should for advice, must for a strong requirement, and might for possibility. After most modal verbs, use the base form of the next verb.
Money idioms in English: meanings and careful everyday use
A money idiom is a fixed figurative phrase about money. Learn its usual meaning as one unit. For example, break the bank means cost more than someone can reasonably afford, not damage a bank.
Money idioms: meaning, context, and register
Understand a money idiom as a complete phrase. Break the bank means cost more than someone can afford or wants to spend. Tighten your belt means reduce spending for a period. The event around the phrase shows which meaning fits.