You may be surprised by the origin of the split infinitive "rule" and by the times they are OK...or even necessary! Also, we look at slang phrases that drop whole grammatical elements and how they reinforce that in-group/out-group feeling of slang.

question tags

Grammar Secrets - "had better"

Present Simple

Present Simple usage in English Grammar

Wish grammar – I wish

I wish question.  What is the right answer? I wish it ...... I have to leave now.

Can Gerunds have plurals?

Can we make plural forms of gerunds like this? Walkings, teachings, drivings..)

Do or Make Song

The 12 English Grammar Tenses

Reported Speech vs Direct Speech

English Grammar Secrets -have somethng done

English Grammar Secrets -used to

English Grammar Secrets - the imperative

going to or will?

 

English Grammar Secrets - Tenses - will be doing

We can use ‘will be doing’ to talk about something that will be in progress at a particular moment in the future.

English Grammar: Will – other uses

 

Older textbooks often refer to ‘will’ as ‘the future tense’ and this has confused a lot of learners.

It is important to remember that when we talk about the future we cannot always use ‘will’ and that when we use ‘will’ we are not always talking about the future.

English Grammar: Will Future

Some people have been taught that ‘will’ is ‘the future’ in English. This is not correct. Sometimes when we talk about the future we cannot use ‘will’. Sometimes when we use ‘will’ we are not talking about the future.

‘Borrow’ or ‘Lend’?

A children’s fantasy book series and a Shakespeare play remind us when and how to use “borrow” and “lend.” The person giving an item is doing the lending, and the person receiving it is doing the borrowing.

Have something done

 If you ‘have something done’, you get somebody else to do something for you.

22 ‘LOOK’ Expressions & Phrasal Verbs: look up to, look back on, look as...

Learn common English phrasal verbs and expressions with 'LOOK'! These are very common, and sometimes hard to learn. I will teach you 22 ''LOOK' expressions and phrasal verbs in context to help you learn them easily, including:

- look up to - look out for - look into - look back on - look down on - and more! PLUS I’ve got a QUIZ at the end to help you practise!

See, Watch, and Look at

 See, Watch, and Look at – Confusing English Vocabulary Lesson

What’s the difference between see, watch, and look at? A lot of English learners ask me that question and it’s a great question. Each of these words describe what we can do with our eyes, but the way we use them is different. Let’s look at how we use see, watch, and look at in everyday English.