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Learn it An archive of answers to your questions about the English Language   Confusing words and expressions Prefixes, suffixes, spelling and pronunciationDeterminers, nouns and pronouns Adjectives and adverbs Verbs and tenses Modals and conditionals Conjunctions and clauses Prepositions and phrases Learning and exam skills

 CONFUSING WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS   Situation / Position / Condition   Animal idioms   no = not / not any   seem, appear and look   Learning and using synonyms   Mother tongue, honeymoon and a small amount of gold   Colour idioms   afraid/scared/terrifying   take care / take a look: verb + noun collocations with take   faults, flaws, weaknesses and drawbacks   Idiomatic pairs   Teacher/trainer/instructor/lecturer   Discourse markers    British measures: feet, inches,    kinds / types / sorts / varieties (of music)   See and Watch

   Numbers    'well off' and 'better off'?   'lend' or 'borrow'?   'say' or 'tell'?   'make' or 'do'?   'approve' or 'approve of'?   'hire' or 'rent'? 'rise' or 'raise'?'drive' or 'ride'?   'efficient'or'effective'?   'lie' or 'lay'?   'lack' as a verb and a noun   'house' or 'home'?    'sport' or 'game'?   'partner' or 'boyfriend'?   'effect' or 'affect'?    'say' or 'tell'?   'hope' and 'wish'   'equipment', 'utensil', 'tool'and 'apparatus'   'solicitor', 'lawyer', 'attorney','barrister', 'counsellor'   'nail bombs'   judging something 'on its merits'   greetings and farewells    'get' and 'become'   same or different? 'used to/get used to'?

   'adjective-noun collocations'   rather and better?   wedding or marriage?   'either', 'neither' and 'too'   head,feet,legs,brain,mind    health and illness idioms   'skin' and 'bones' idioms    '-ed' and '-ing' adjectives    confusing pairs   'come' or 'go'? 'bring' or 'take'?   confusing road signs    'hot dog' and 'hat trick'   idioms involving 'clouds' or 'sky'   verbs + adverbial particles   'let' or 'leave'   do/did/done   suppose / supposed to    horrible / horrific    entertainment idioms    melt, thaw and antonyms    synonyms for 'I (don't) understand    slang, idiomatic expressions and euphemisms   'switch' and 'change'

   job applications and 'cover'   job title suffixes    neck and nose idioms   miss, missing, missed   /wound/hurt/harm/damage as verbs/adjectives/nouns    countable or uncountable?   parts of the body   'Meetings'/etc...   remind-remember/recall/recollect    'travel/trips/journeys/etc'   Idioms based on food and drink    Kinship Idioms   ensure, assure, insure    emotions idioms - anger   'dress, wear, put on'   relations and relationships   rise, arise and raise   Told or asked?   last/take   'take' - expressions   look forward to / agree to / object to    expressing views and opinions    'calling' and 'kidding'

   'hold or keep'  

 

PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, SPELLING AND PRONUNCIATION   possessives or compound nouns?   Colons and semi-colons, dashes and brackets   Flammable/inflammable & prefixes   -ive, -ous, -ful, -ic, -able, -al, -y, -ible   suffixes: -less, -free   possessive apostrophes   apostrophe 's with plural nouns    'its' and 'it's'   hyphenated nouns; adjectives and prefixes   hyphenated adjectives; '-ise' and '-ize'   using commas, semi-colons and colons   spelling quiz: 'aging' or 'ageing'?   spelling and pronunciation   negative auxilliary verbs: contracted forms; pronunciation   parts of the body   a/an and the: pronunciation   spelling and pronunciation / silent letters   tag questions   punctuation and pausing  

 

DETERMINERS, NOUNS AND PRONOUNS   noun-verb agreement   no = not a / not any 

  article or no article? 

  this/that - these/those - here/there 

  different uses of 'any' 

  'the', 'a' and 'an' 

  indefinite and zero articles 

  using articles with geographical names 

  articles, possessives and demonstratives 

  apostrophes: 'its' and 'it's';'ones' and 'one's'   'so do I.'/ 'me too' 

  'such' and 'so' 

  'much', 'many', 'lots of' and subject-verb agreement 

  subject-verb agreement with countable nouns  

  double negatives 

  relative pronouns: 'who' or 'whom'?

 

  using 'the' correctly  

  reflexive pronouns   'each' and 'every' 

  'either'/'neither'/'too' 

  'any' and 'no' 

  subject/verb agreement  

  'amount', 'quantity', 'number' 

  it/this/that  

  it to identify people 

  compound nouns 

  plural nouns  

  'what or which' 

  job title suffixes 

  'there' and 'is' as preparatory subjects 

  'the' or zero article? 

  a/an and the: pronunciation  

  too much/many, fewer/less, little, as much as 

  nouns+prepositions  

  what or that? and noun-verb collocations  

  noun + to- infinitive clause  

  noun suffixes  

  possessive 's or of + noun?   'that' and 'then'    the definite article: context-specific and with abstract nouns  

  uncountable nouns  

  fewer or less 

  you and me / you and I  

  every/all  

  countable and uncountable nouns with different meanings  

  'The' with place names: rules and exceptions  

 

ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS 

  'Before' and 'ago' 

  Participles as adjectives 

  enough / sufficient / adequate  

  Adverb and adjective collocations 

  'incredible' and 'unbelievable' 

  'efficient' or 'effective' 

  'busy with' or 'busy about'?   adjectival prefixes: un-, in- or im-? 

  adjectival suffixes: -ive, -ous or -ful? 

  adjectival suffixes: -less or -free? 

  'good' or 'well'? 

  using 'as well' 

  using 'besides'  

  'for example' and 'for instance' 

  using 'so'  

  inversion after negative expressions and 'only' 

  'how long?', 'how often?' and 'how many times?' 

  using 'ever'  

  'formation and use of adjectives' just or only 

  adjectives: appropriate/suitable and adequate/sufficient/enough 

  'hardly', 'hardly ever', hardly any' 

  'even if', 'even though' 

  'ed' and '-ing' as adjectives 

  time expressions with 'next', 'last' and 'on' 

  adjectives: position 

  'yet': adverb or conjunction  

  though / as though / like 

  comparative and superlative forms 

  emphasizing adverbs 

  as....as  

  expressing possibility: maybe, perhaps, may and might  

  plural nouns  

  hardly/scarcely, neither/nor, so/too 

  quite 

  concern/concerned/concerning 

  on / off  

  future forms: comparatives and superlatives 

  being  

  position of adverbs 

  too much/many, fewer/less, little, as much as  

  however/nevertheless/moreover 

  irregular adjectives and adverbs 

  -ed adjectives  

  compound adjectives 

  time expressions, adjectives and adverbs 

  'Always' and 'ever' 

  -ed and -ing adjectives 

  actually/in fact/well 

  yet/still/already  

  especially/specially & continuously/continually  

  adjectives with -er/-est, more/most, less/least in comparative/superlative  

  so, such and so on 

  'worth/worthwhile'   likely to 

  adverbials 

  inversion  

 

VERBS AND TENSES   unreal uses of past forms   'say' and 'tell' in reported speech   have had / had had   wouldn't/would & won't/will for refusals and insistence   planned future actions   the passive with modals, future and infinitive forms   short answers and question tags   doubling final consonants 

  we are to / we are not to 

  have / have got 

  present perfect with 'for' and 'since'   forming questions with do/does and is/are 

  see / feel / like & love in progressive form 

  Choosing the right tense in indirect speech 

  Phrasal verbs: five different structures 

  do as auxiliary verb 

  primary auxiliary verbs: 'do' and 'have' 

  'up' and 'down' in phrasal verbs 

  'to do' and 'to have done' 

  lots to do with 'do' 

  'happen' and 'happen to' 

  tenses of 'lie' or 'lay' 

  past simple and past perfect: 'have' and 'had'   past tense endings 

  'used to' or past simple? 

  present perfect simple and continuous 

  will/shall/would/should  

  'been' or 'gone'? 

  inverted word order in questions and statements 

  reported/indirect speech 

  'must', 'need' and 'used to' in reported speech 

  the passive 

  prepositional and phrasal verbs 

  'to' or '-ing'? 

  contractions: 'aren't', 'haven't', 'isn't' 

  'will', 'shall', 'would' and 'should' 

  'don't' and 'do not' 

  'present perfect and past simple' 

  reporting verbs 

  be able + infinitive 

  be to + infinitive 

  the subjunctive 

  participial or relative clause 

  verb + two objects 

  have+object+infinitive/-ing 

  question tags+imperative 

  the passive 

  stative verbs 

  American/British verbs 

  subject/verb agreement 

  'would' in conversation 

  'get, plus past 

  verbs + adverbial particles 

  'let' or 'leave' 

  'like' as verb and preposition 

  reporting questions, suggestions, advice and instructions 

  expressing possibility: perhaps, maybe, may and might 

  'gonna', 'wanna', 'gotta' and 'dunno' 

  present perfect 

  change of time/tense in reported speech 

  concern/concerned/concerning 

  auxiliary verbs; contracted forms: pronunciation 

  past tenses 

  future forms: comparatives and superlatives 

  could, was able to and managed to 

  being 

  suggest, recommend, insist, demand 

  subject-verb inversion in questions 

  past simple and past perfect 

  The future 

  Hear, see, make, let, allow + object + verb form 

  present perfect with just, already, ever and yet 

  what or that? and noun-verb collocations 

  Bare infinitive 

  Verbs and tenses 

  past simple and present perfect 

  intransitive and transitive verbs 

  have to do and to have done 

  reporting the future 

  get (for transport) + preposition or adverb particle 

  get + preposition or adverb particle 

  ever and in time expressions 

  time expressions and tenses 

  dare and need - auxiliary verbs 

  'be to' 

  for + verb-ing' 

  'used to' or 'would' 

  expressing wishes in the past, present and future  

 

MODALS AND CONDITIONALS 

  Third conditional 

  Mixed conditionals 

  Inversion in conditional sentences 

  'Needn't have' and 'didn't need to' 

  'if-clauses' and containing 'will', 'will' 

  'must' as deduction and obligation 

  'must', 'need' and 'used to' in reported speech 

  'first and second conditionals; 'should' instead of 'if' 

  'using 'as long as' 

  'will', 'shall', 'would' and 'should' 

  'could have', 'would have' and 'should have' 

  'if I was' and 'if I were' 

  'hope' and 'wish' 

  'must', 'have to', 'have got to' 

  'would' in conversation 

  general and future condition and 'have got to' 

  should , would and could  

  What if / suppose / supposing 

  when and if & in case and if   

 

CONJUNCTIONS AND CLAUSES 

  though, even though and even so 

  Omitting that 

  Using 'What...like?' and 'How...?' 

  Affirmative word order in questions 

  Which or that 

  'Since' as preposition, conjunction and adverb 

  as / while / as long as 

  'preposition + relative pronoun' 

  'unless' and 'otherwise' 

  'whenever', 'wherever and etc' 

  'though' and 'although'; 'despite' and 'in spite of' 

  'while' and 'whereas' 

  'because', 'as', 'since' and 'for' 

  'yet' and 'but', 'so' and 'hence' 

  'as well as' and 'as long as' 

  'as' and 'like' 

  inversion after negative expressions 

  participial or relative clause 

  'even if', 'even though' 

  'yet': adverb or conjunction 

  though / as though / like 

  'by' and 'from' 

  'in order to' and 'so that' 

  'wh'-questions 

  cleft sentences 

  as... as 

  but as conjunction and preposition 

  'for' and 'during' 

  when or if? if or whether? 

  being  

  what or that? and noun-verb collocations 

  What if / suppose / supposing 

  subordinating and coordinating conjunctions 

  when/while/meanwhile 

  when and if & in case and if  

  Linking adverbs 

  alternatives to 'if' 

  participle clauses  

 

PREPOSITIONS AND PHRASES 

  'at', 'on' and 'in' 

  'good at' or 'good in'? 

  'beside'/'besides' and 'toward'/'towards' 

  'since' and 'for' 

  'despite' and 'in spite of' 

  'with regard to' and 'regarding' 

  'due to', 'owing to', 'on account of' and 'because of' 

  'as' and 'like' 

  'busy with' or 'busy about' 

  prepositional and phrasal verbs 

  'on', 'in', or 'at' midnight? 

  time expressions with 'next', 'last' and 'on' 

  though / as though / like  

  'like' as verb and preposition 

  as... as 

  but as conjunction and preposition 

  'for' and 'during' 

  prepositions in time expressions 

  concern/concerned/concerning  

  on / off  

  in front of / before/ across 

  prepositions for common nouns without articles 

  time and place phrases with at, in and on 

  during, for, by, until with time phrases with at, in and on  

  for/to  

 

LEARNING AND EXAM SKILLS 

  choosing a dictionary 

  extending your vocabulary 

  improving your skills by reading 

  vocabulary and reading skills 

  classroom activity: activating vocabulary  

  how can listening skills be improved? 

  learning styles and preferences 

  how can I improve my accent? 

  how will I pass my English exam? 

  CAE, CPE and FCE exams 

  IELTS English tests 

  the IELTS writing test 

  answering long essay questions 

  business letters 

  job applications and 'cover' 

  future forms: comparatives and superlatives; interlinked learning activities 

  however/nevertheless/moreover 

  spelling errors and typos 

  netiquette 

  reading comprehension 

  preparing for a speaking test at an advanced level  

  problems and troubles