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Topic sentences: give a paragraph a clear point
A paragraph about working from home lists fewer journeys, quieter mornings, and more time for lunch. What is the point of the list? A topic sentence gives the reader that point before the details arrive.
Open lessonTurn-taking in English conversations
In a busy meeting or friendly chat, knowing the words is not always enough. You also need a way to enter the conversation without speaking over someone. A short phrase such as "Can I add something?" can make that move clear and polite.
Open lessonTypes of collocations: common word partnerships
You may know both words in a sentence and still choose a combination that sounds unusual. Collocations help you learn which words English speakers commonly put together.
Open lessonUnder the weather: meaning and use in English
If you feel a little ill, tired, or not yourself, you can say that you are under the weather. The idiom is about how you feel, not the weather outside.
Open lessonUnless: state an exception or condition
Unless the bus is late, we will arrive before the meeting starts. Unless tells you the one condition that could change the result.
Open lessonUsed to and be used to: talk about the past and familiarity
I used to take the bus to work. Now I am used to cycling. The first sentence looks back at an old routine. The second says that cycling feels normal now.
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 lessonVerb and preposition combinations
Mina depends on the bus, listens to a podcast, and thinks about her next course. The small word after each verb is part of the phrase, so learn the words together.
Open lessonVerb collocations
You can understand every word in a sentence and still make it sound unusual. English speakers usually say make a decision, not do a decision. Those familiar word partnerships are collocations.
Open lessonVeteran: meaning in service, work, and sports
A former member of the armed forces, an experienced nurse, and a player who has competed for many seasons can all be called a veteran. The sentence tells you which meaning is intended.
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 lessonWanna and gonna: informal spoken English
Your friend says, 'Do you wanna get coffee?' She means 'Do you want to get coffee?' Later, she says, 'I am gonna call you tonight.' She means 'I am going to call you tonight.' Wanna and gonna are common sounds in relaxed speech, but the full forms are safer in standard writing.
Open lessonWhat a semicolon does in English writing
Leila finished the report before lunch; her manager read it that afternoon. The semicolon joins two complete ideas that belong together without using a joining word such as and or but.
Open lessonWhat is a determiner in English?
You want a pen, but do you mean any pen, that pen, or my pen? The small word before pen gives the listener the missing detail.
Open lessonWhen or if: choosing the condition word
A friend says, "When I see Nora, I'll give her your message." The speaker expects to see Nora. Change when to if, and the sentence means that seeing Nora is uncertain.
Open lessonWhether vs if: questions, choices, and conditions
I do not know if the shop is open. I do not know whether the shop is open. Both sentences ask for the answer yes or no. But if the shop is open, I will buy the charger means something different: the opening of the shop is a condition for my plan.
Open lessonWhich or who: choose the correct word for people and things
Who sent the message? Which message did they send? The two questions look similar, but one asks about a person and the other asks about a thing.
Open lessonWho, which, or that: relative pronouns in English
The colleague who booked the room is here. The room that she booked is upstairs. Our meeting room, which has large windows, is upstairs too. The word and the commas show how the clause relates to the noun.
Open lessonWhy some country names use the
We say France, Japan, and Brazil, but the Netherlands, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The difference is not about the size or importance of a country. It comes from the usual English form of the whole name.
Open lessonWill or going to: decisions, plans, and predictions
Your phone rings while you are cooking. You decide at that moment: I'll answer it. Later, you tell a friend about a plan you made yesterday: I'm going to call the bank after work. Both sentences refer to the future, but the speaker makes a different choice about when the decision happened.
Open lessonWish and if only: talking about unreal situations
Your train leaves in ten minutes, but your ticket is at home. You might say, I wish I had my ticket with me. Wish lets you talk about a situation you want to be different.
Open lessonWorry and be worried: understand the difference
I worry about the train connection. I am worried about the train connection. Both sentences describe concern, but the grammar points to it in a different way.
Open lessonWould rather: state a preference
The cafe is full, and you want to sit outside. You can say, I'd rather sit on the patio.
Open lessonWhat you will find here
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