Practice
English exercises: choose what to practice
Not sure which English exercises to do? Pick one error pattern and work on it.
You sit down to study and need a place to start. Pick one error you often make, then choose practice for that error.
Try what you have learned
Listen to a recording, type what you hear, and check your answer.
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English exercises ING-glish-EK-ser-sy-ziz
Hear the soft sh sound link smoothly to the first beat of English exercises.
English vocabulary practice: useful words beginning with V
A colleague asks you to verify a booking, a friend volunteers for an event, and a sign says that the entrance is not visible. A small group of V words can help you handle all three situations.
Open lessonEnglish vocabulary practice: useful words beginning with W
The letter W appears in everyday words that do very different jobs. You can wait for a bus, wonder about a result, warn a friend, and describe a warm welcome. Learning the word with its usual pattern helps it stay useful.
Open lessonEnglish vocabulary practice: useful words beginning with X, Y, and Z
Words beginning with X, Y, and Z are less common than words beginning with many other letters. That does not make them unimportant. A few appear often enough in news, work, study, travel, and everyday descriptions to be worth learning carefully.
Open lessonIdioms exercise: choose the meaning from the situation
Your classmate says the presentation was a piece of cake. Nobody brought cake to class. The situation tells you that the presentation was easy.
Open lessonIdioms exercise: understand meaning from context
Maya says, “I was on cloud nine after the interview.” Nobody thinks she was in the sky. The good news around the sentence tells you that the idiom means she was extremely happy.
Open lessonRoot words exercise 2: build meaning from word parts
A sign says that the entrance is invisible from the road. You may know visible already. The prefix in- gives you a useful first clue, and the road sentence tells you that the entrance cannot be seen from there.
Open lessonRoot words exercise: use word parts to predict meaning
You may not know reread the first time you see it. If you recognise read and know that re- often points to doing something again, you already have a useful clue. The rest of the sentence tells you whether that clue fits.
Open lessonSimiles exercise 1: understand comparisons in context
After carrying boxes upstairs, Martin says his arms feel like jelly. He does not mean that his arms are food. The comparison tells you that they feel weak and unsteady.
Open lessonSimiles exercise 2: choose natural figurative comparisons
A simile can make a description quicker and more vivid, but it only works when the comparison sounds natural in English.
Open lessonSimiles exercise: understand comparisons in context
After a long walk, Noor says, "My legs feel like jelly." Her legs have not become food. She uses a familiar comparison to make the unsteady feeling easy to picture.
Open lessonSynonyms exercise: choose the closest meaning in context
A friend may say that a film was funny, while a review calls it amusing. Both words point to laughter, but a word that fits one sentence may sound too formal, too strong, or simply wrong in another.
Open lessonUseful English words beginning with O
The path is clear apart from one obstacle. That word names something that gets in the way. Words beginning with O can help you describe problems, work, plans, and results.
Open lessonUseful English words beginning with U
The letter U begins words for a helpful thing, a surprising situation, a time-sensitive task, new information, clear meaning, and a condition. The sentence tells you which word fits.
Open lessonVocabulary exercises: notice, choose, and reuse useful words
You may recognize a word when you read it but still hesitate when you need it in a message or conversation. A vocabulary exercise works best when it asks you to notice the situation around a word, then use the word again in your own sentence.
Open lesson
The short answer
Pick exercises for one clear error, such as spelling or a group noun. Then write a few answers that use the same rule.
I'm doing English exercises to practice dropping the silent e.
Why it works: Choose practice for one rule you want to use more easily.
3 more examples
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At the library study desk
She’s coming home after her spelling exercises.
Coming has one m after you drop the e in come.
Not this:She’s
comminghome after her spelling exercises. What changes: An extra m makes a spelling error. -
In a morning meeting room
The police are waiting outside the building.
Police is plural, so use are.
Not this:The
police iswaiting outside the building. What changes: Police is plural, so is does not fit. -
In the shared office space
They're putting their books over there on the desk.
Check each lookalike word by its job in the sentence.
Not this:
Theirputting there books over they're on the desk. What changes: The wrong lookalike word makes the sentence hard to read.
Quick check
What is a useful way to start English practice today?
Answer: Pick one specific error pattern to fix.
Show the answer
Answer: Pick one specific error pattern to fix.
Start with one error you often make. Then choose practice for that error.
Read the full guide
Try the listening exerciseStart with the error you see most often. Then choose a short exercise that uses that same rule.
Spot the spelling changes
The problem: I know a spelling rule but still write double letters in the wrong words, such as comming.
When you add -ing to many verbs ending in e, drop the e: write becomes writing. Keep the e in a few words, such as see and dye.
-
Not this:
I'm comming to the office now.Say: I'm coming to the office now.
Come ends in e, so drop e before -ing. Do not add a second m.
-
Not this:
We planed the project yesterday.Say: We planned the project yesterday.
Plan has one short vowel before n, so double n before -ed.
Your turn
Which sentence has the correct verb spelling?
Answer: She's coming to the meeting today.
Show the answer
Answer: She's coming to the meeting today.
Coming has one m: drop e, then add -ing.
Match verbs with group nouns
The problem: I am not sure if a group noun needs a singular or plural verb.
Use a singular verb when you think of a group as one unit. You can say my family is big when you mean the whole family.
-
Not this:
The police is checking the car.Say: The police are checking the car.
Police is plural, so it needs are.
Your turn
Choose the correct sentence for the noun police.
Answer: The police are helping the drivers.
Show the answer
Answer: The police are helping the drivers.
Police is plural. In this sentence, use are.
Separate words that look alike
The problem: I mix up their, there, and they’re in writing.
Before you send an email, match each word to its job. Use they’re for they are, their for belonging, and there for a place.
Its has no apostrophe when it means belonging to it.
The dog wagged its tail.
It’s means it is or it has.
It's a sunny day.
Your turn
Which sentence uses the correct spelling for place?
Answer: Put the box over there by the window.
Show the answer
Answer: Put the box over there by the window.
There names a place. Their means belonging to them. They’re means they are.
Pick your daily exercise focus
The problem: I do not know which exercise will help with the error I keep making.
You have ten minutes before your shift. Pick one topic for this study time. One clear task helps you see the rule and use it.
| The error you see | A useful exercise | A short task |
|---|---|---|
| Double letters in verbs | Spelling quiz | Write five -ing forms |
| Team: is or are | Group noun drill | Match nouns to is or are |
| There, their, or they’re | Lookalike word check | Match place, belonging, or they are |
Your turn
You often write comming instead of coming. What should you practice today?
Answer: Silent e spelling rules with -ing endings.
Show the answer
Answer: Silent e spelling rules with -ing endings.
Coming has one m. Practice silent e and -ing forms.
Before you go
Question 1 of 2
Fill in the blank. Use the correct -ing form of write.
Answer: She's writing a detailed email to her manager right now.
Show the answer
Answer: writing
Write becomes writing: drop e, then add -ing.
Remember this
Pick one pattern. Practice it, then write a sentence with it.
Listen first
Listen and write
Listen, type what you hear, then choose Check my answer. Use a hint when you get stuck.
0 of 3 done
Listening 1 of 3
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
Read the transcript
Our team's planning a special dinner for Friday night.
Plan doubles its final n before adding the -ing ending.
Listening 2 of 3
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
Read the transcript
I'm writing a long letter to my family today.
Write drops its silent e before adding the -ing ending.
Try a longer clip. Listen once, then replay the part you missed.
Listening 3 of 3
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
Read the transcript
Our teacher's explaining a new spelling rule to the class. We're writing down each word carefully so we don't make any errors.
Drop the silent e from write before you add -ing.
Practice complete
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Test yourself
Listen to a new clip and write what you hear. You can replay it, but hints stay off and the transcript opens after you check your answer.
0 of 4 done
Listening 1 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
Watching city traffic
0:00
Read the transcript
The police aren't stopping drivers on the busy street.
Police is always a plural noun and takes a plural verb.
Listening 2 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
Arriving at a workshop
0:00
Read the transcript
They're leaving their bags over there by the door.
Use they're for they are, their for bags, and there for location.
Listening 3 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
In a busy corporate department
0:00
Read the transcript
My staff's working on the final project report this week. They're checking every paragraph together before they send it to the manager.
Staff is a group noun here. They’re refers to the people.
Listening 4 of 4
Listen, then type the missing words. The rest of the text is already there.
Organizing weekly study tasks at home
0:00
Read the transcript
I'm setting up my weekly study routine this morning. My family's helping me organize the grammar cards on the kitchen table. We're picking three quick spelling quizzes and two noun drills for each day. It's easy to stay motivated when you follow a clear study plan every afternoon. Our small group's ready to start practice right after lunch.
Group nouns take singular verbs when viewed as a single team or unit.
Practice complete
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Save my progressQuestions about "English exercises: choose what to practice"
How should I choose English exercises?
Start with one error you often make. Choose a short exercise that uses that same rule, then write a few answers of your own. This helps you see what to practice next.
I often write there for their, so I will practice that word pair today.
Why does write become writing?
Many verbs ending in e drop the e before -ing. Write becomes writing. Some forms keep e, so check a learner’s dictionary when you are unsure.
She is writing a note for her teacher.
When do I double the last letter before -ed or -ing?
Some short verbs with one vowel and one last consonant double that consonant before a vowel suffix: plan becomes planned. In longer verbs, this happens when the last beat is strong, as in preferred. Visit becomes visited, with one t.
We planned the trip last night.
Does a group noun take is or are?
It depends on the meaning and the variety of English. Use a singular verb when you mean the group as one unit. In British English, a plural verb can refer to the members.
The team is ready for the match.
What is the difference between there, their, and they’re?
There points to a place. Their means belonging to them. They’re is short for they are. Read the sentence with they are when you are not sure about they’re.
Their bags are over there because they’re leaving soon.
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