Pray or prey: worship, hope, hunting, and spelling
Use pray when someone worships, asks earnestly, or hopes strongly: They pray for the family. Use prey for an animal that is hunted or a target of attack: The fox searched for prey at dusk.
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Preposition collocations
Learn the main word and its usual preposition together: apply for a job, aware of a risk, and reason for a delay. Then notice the grammar after the preposition, such as a noun, pronoun, or -ing form.
Present perfect continuous exercise: duration and recent activity
Use the present perfect continuous to show an activity continuing up to now, or a recent activity whose result matters now. Choose have with I, you, we, and they; choose has with he, she, it, and singular nouns.
Present perfect continuous: duration, recent activity, and now
Use the present perfect continuous for an activity that started before now and is still happening, or for recent activity with a present effect. Choose have with I, you, we, and they; choose has with he, she, it, and a singular noun. Then use been and the -ing form of the main verb.
Pretentious meaning: trying too hard to impress
Pretentious means trying to seem more important, clever, or cultured than you really are, often in a way that other people dislike.
Proceed vs precede: order and meaning
Use proceed when a person or process continues. Use precede when one person, thing, or event comes before another in time, place, or sequence.
Procrastination meaning: putting a task off
Procrastination means delaying a task that you should or want to do, often without a good reason to wait.
Procurement meaning: buying for an organization
Procurement means the organized process of obtaining goods or services, usually for a company, public body, or other organization.
Protagonist: meaning in stories and arguments
A protagonist is a main character in a story. In a less common use, a protagonist is a leading supporter of an idea or cause.
Provided that and as long as
Use provided that or as long as before the condition that controls the result. Choose provided that for a more formal rule and as long as for a more everyday agreement.
Prudent meaning: careful choices for the future
Prudent means sensible and careful, especially because you have considered what might happen later.
Put a sock in it: meaning, tone, and alternatives
Put a sock in it means 'be quiet' or 'stop talking.' It is a blunt, informal expression, so use a direct but polite alternative when you do not know how the other person will take it.