Past continuous: actions in progress in the past
Use was or were plus a verb ending in -ing for an action in progress. At eight, Mia was cooking dinner.
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
Past simple: uses, form, and examples
Choose the past simple when the action or situation is finished. Use a past form in an affirmative sentence, then use did plus the base verb in most questions and negatives.
Plural nouns: regular forms and common exceptions
Use a plural noun when you mean more than one countable person or thing. Add -s to most nouns and -es after endings such as -s, -x, -ch, and -sh. Learn common exceptions, including children, people, and feet, as singular and plural pairs.
Possessive determiners: my, your, his, her, its, our, and their
Use a possessive determiner before a noun: my bag, her plan, or their office. Match the word to the owner or group, and do not add an apostrophe to these forms.
Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, ours, and theirs
Use mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs when the owned noun is already clear. Use my, your, his, her, our, and their before a noun.
Prepositions of place: a guided English exercise
Choose the preposition from the relationship you can see. Use in for an enclosed space, on for a surface, at for a point or meeting place, under for a lower position, and between or next to for positions in relation to other things.
Prepositions of place: describe position clearly in English
Use in for something inside an area or container, on for a surface, under for a lower position, above for a higher position, behind or in front of for direction, between for a position in the middle of two things, and next to for a position very close beside something.
Prepositions of place: describe where things are
Use in for something inside a space or container, on for contact with a surface, at for a point or activity place, under for a lower position, between for a middle position with two reference points, and beside for a close side position.
Prepositions of time: at, on, in, since, and by
Use at with a precise point, on with a day or date, and in with a larger period. Use since to name when a situation began, and by to name the latest acceptable time.
Prepositions of time: use at, on, and in accurately
Use at for a precise time, on for a day or date, and in for a longer period. For example, use at 8:00, on Saturday, and in July.
Present continuous exercise 2: form questions and negatives
For a present continuous question, put am, is, or are before the subject. For a negative, put not after am, is, or are.
Present continuous exercise 3: choose the natural form
Use am, is, or are plus an -ing verb for an action happening now or around now, for a temporary situation, and for many changes in progress.