Question tags: check and invite agreement
Match the tag to the statement's verb and subject, then usually switch positive and negative form. Say ‘The room is ready, isn't it?’ but ‘The room isn't ready, is it?’
Everyday listening
Start with short recordings, then work through longer phrases. Listen once for the situation and again for the words.
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Question tags: form and natural use
Use the statement's auxiliary verb and a matching pronoun in the tag. Usually reverse positive and negative form: ‘The café is open, isn't it?’ and ‘The café isn't open, is it?’
Quotation marks: punctuate direct speech and titles
Put exact spoken words inside quotation marks. Use a comma to introduce a quotation after a reporting clause when the sentence needs one. Keep a question mark or exclamation mark with the quoted words when it belongs to the direct speech.
Raining cats and dogs: meaning and use in English
Use raining cats and dogs when you want to say that rain is falling very heavily. The usual pattern is It is raining cats and dogs or It was raining cats and dogs. For a forecast, warning, or practical instruction, say heavy rain or describe the expected conditions directly.
Reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, and themselves
Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject and object are the same: Leo blamed himself. Choose the form that matches the subject: I use myself, she uses herself, and they use themselves.
Relative pronouns: who, which, that, and whose
Use who for people and which for things. In a defining clause, that can often replace who or which. Use whose before a noun to show that something belongs to a person, animal, or sometimes a thing.
Resign from: use the right preposition
Say resign from a job, position, organization, or committee. Use on only when it begins a time expression, such as resign on Monday or resign on June 3.
Result clauses: show an outcome
Use so before an adjective, an adverb, or an amount word. Use such before a noun phrase. Add that and a complete clause to say what happened: The room was so cold that we closed the window.
Resume writing tips: describe skills and experience in clear English
Use short, specific phrases for a resume. Name the task, tool, subject or result where you can support it. Keep verb tense and date style consistent, and match your skills to the job you are applying for.
Ring a bell: meaning and examples
If something rings a bell, it seems familiar because you have heard, seen, or experienced it before, even if you cannot remember exactly why.
Root words exercise 2: build meaning from word parts
Find the part you recognise, make a possible meaning, and test it against the whole sentence. In transport, port is linked with carrying; the sentence tells you what is being carried and how.
Root words exercise: use word parts to predict meaning
Find a familiar root, notice any prefix or suffix, and read the whole sentence. The word parts can suggest a meaning, while the context checks whether your first guess is right.