Can you start a sentence with because?
You can begin a sentence with because when the sentence includes both the reason and the main result. Put a comma after the opening because clause when it comes before the main clause.
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Career English: practical communication skills
Start by naming the purpose of the communication. Then give a true detail about your experience, question, task, or next action. Use polite questions for requests and keep your message focused on the role or work being discussed.
Cereal or serial? How to choose the right English word
Use cereal for food made from grains, especially a breakfast food. Use serial for something arranged in a sequence or released in connected parts, such as a serial number or a serial story.
Clarification questions: check meaning politely
Say what you need to check, then ask the speaker to explain, repeat, spell, or confirm it politely.
Collective nouns practice: choose the word for the group
Use familiar pairs such as flock of birds and bunch of keys. Keep countable group members plural, and choose a verb that fits your meaning.
Collective nouns: names for groups and verb agreement
Singular group nouns usually take singular verbs in American English. British English also uses plural verbs when the focus is on the members.
Collective nouns: singular and plural agreement
Use singular agreement when the group acts as one unit. Use plural agreement when you focus on the members as separate people.
Collective nouns: singular or plural?
Use a singular verb when you see the collective noun as one unit: The committee has reached a decision. Use a plural verb when you mean the members acting separately, especially in British English: The committee are giving their opinions.
Collocations: words that go together naturally
A collocation (a common word combination) is a group of words that appear together unusually often. Learning common combinations helps you choose more usual English phrases.
Colons: introduce lists and explanations
Put a colon after a complete sentence when the next words give a list, explanation, example, or result. Do not put a colon directly after a verb or preposition when the words before it are unfinished.
Colour idioms in English: tone, meaning, and context
Treat a colour idiom as a whole expression. Out of the blue means unexpectedly, green with envy means very jealous, red tape means unnecessary official procedures, and black and white means clear and definite. Check the relationship between the speaker, listener, and situation before choosing one.
Colour idioms: understand common figurative English
Learn a colour idiom as one complete phrase. Out of the blue means unexpectedly, green with envy means very jealous, red tape means slow or excessive official procedures, and once in a blue moon means very rarely.