The Preposition ACCORDING TO
The preposition ACCORDING TO has several basic meanings: 1) as stated or reported by sb or sth: According to Principal… Read More »The Preposition ACCORDING TO
English Vocabulary – STRAIGHT SHOOTER
The expression STRAIGHT SHOOTER means a person who is very honest and always says what he or she thinks. Here… Read More »English Vocabulary – STRAIGHT SHOOTER
How to say A LOT OF in over 20 ways
There are – no pun intended – a lot of ways of saying A LOT OF. Some of them are… Read More »How to say A LOT OF in over 20 ways
English Vocabulary – IN UNISON
The adverbial expression IN UNISON /ˈjuːnəsən/ means together at the same time: I like it so much when you play… Read More »English Vocabulary – IN UNISON
Determiner – Pronoun – Adverb Overlap
Function words like determiners and pronouns often overlap, which means the same forms are used as both determiner and pronoun.… Read More »Determiner – Pronoun – Adverb Overlap
English Vocabulary – THERE YOU GO
The expression THERE YOU GO is used to say that sth has been accomplished or done in a satisfactory way:… Read More »English Vocabulary – THERE YOU GO
English Vocabulary – LONG SHOT
The expression LONG SHOT means an attempt or effort that is not likely to be successful: My goal was to… Read More »English Vocabulary – LONG SHOT
TO ABIDE vs TO ABIDE BY
Let’s have a look at the verb TO ABIDE and its phrasal verb form with the particle BY, so ABIDE… Read More »TO ABIDE vs TO ABIDE BY
English Vocabulary – GET ONE’S BEARINGS
The expression GET ONE’S BEARINGS, sometimes also FIND ONE’S BEARINGS, means to find out your position, so to figure out… Read More »English Vocabulary – GET ONE’S BEARINGS
Vocabulary and Idioms – Absence and Truancy
Here are some idioms and words that you can use to talk about absence and truancy: Long time no see.… Read More »Vocabulary and Idioms – Absence and Truancy
Major Classes of Pronouns
Today we’ll be talking about the major classes of pronouns. Pronouns are function words that are used instead of a… Read More »Major Classes of Pronouns
English Vocabulary – MELLOW
The adjective MELLOW, pronounced /ˈmɛloʊ/, means very calm and relaxed. Its comparative and superlative forms are mellower and mellowest respectively.… Read More »English Vocabulary – MELLOW
Status of -ING Words – Nouns, Verbs or Adjectives
Before we start talking about -ING words, it’s worth mentioning that in English in general it’s not always easy to… Read More »Status of -ING Words – Nouns, Verbs or Adjectives
English Vocabulary – JUMP THROUGH HOOPS
The informal idiomatic expression jump through hoops means to do a complicated or annoying series of things in order to… Read More »English Vocabulary – JUMP THROUGH HOOPS
Characteristics of Adverbs
Let’s have a look at the morphological, syntactic and semantic characteristics of adverbs. You can watch the video version of… Read More »Characteristics of Adverbs
Abbreviation vs Acronym vs Initialism
The term ABBREVIATION is often used in a general sense for any abbreviated form of a word or group of… Read More »Abbreviation vs Acronym vs Initialism
English Vocabulary – TO SLASH
The verb TO SLASH is a regular verb, pronounced /ˈslæʃ/. It has several meanings, all in some way related to… Read More »English Vocabulary – TO SLASH
Characteristics of Adjectives in English
In my previous articles I discussed the characteristics of nouns and verbs. Now it’s time for the characteristics of adjectives.… Read More »Characteristics of Adjectives in English
English Vocabulary – TO EVICT
The verb TO EVICT is a regular verb, pronounced /ɪˈvɪkt/. It means to force sb to leave a place. Here… Read More »English Vocabulary – TO EVICT
Vocabulary and Idioms – Ability and Lack of Ability
Here are some idioms and words that you can use to talk about ability and the lack thereof. Ability Vocabulary… Read More »Vocabulary and Idioms – Ability and Lack of Ability
Characteristics of Lexical Verbs in English
Today we’ll be talking about the main characteristics of verbs. Here’s a video version of this article: There are two… Read More »Characteristics of Lexical Verbs in English
English Vocabulary – ON FIRE
Literally on fire means in the process of burning: The factory was on fire. But the expression on fire is… Read More »English Vocabulary – ON FIRE
English Vocabulary – IMPOSTOR
An impostor is a person who deceives others by pretending to be someone else. You can also come across another… Read More »English Vocabulary – IMPOSTOR
Characteristics of Nouns in English
Today we’ll be talking about the main characteristics of nouns. Nouns can be characterized in a couple of ways, depending… Read More »Characteristics of Nouns in English
English Vocabulary – A BLESSING IN DISGUISE
A blessing in disguise is something that at first seems to be a bad or unfortunate thing but eventually turns… Read More »English Vocabulary – A BLESSING IN DISGUISE
Homonyms, Homographs, Homophones
Homonyms, homographs and homophones – what do these terms mean and how do they differ? Let’s find out. Here’s a… Read More »Homonyms, Homographs, Homophones
Multi-Word Lexical Units in English
Multi-word lexical units are similar to compounds. A multi-word unit is a lexicalized sequence of words that functions as a… Read More »Multi-Word Lexical Units in English
Morphological Processes – Inflection, Derivation, Compounding
Some lexical words consist of just one morpheme, but many consist of more than one morpheme. Such complex forms are… Read More »Morphological Processes – Inflection, Derivation, Compounding
WIDE vs BROAD
The two adjectives, WIDE and BROAD, are synonymous to an extent, but they are not completely interchangeable. As a rule… Read More »WIDE vs BROAD
Lexical Words, Function Words, Inserts
There are three major groups of words: lexical words, function words and inserts. You can watch the video version here:… Read More »Lexical Words, Function Words, Inserts
Open Classes vs Closed Classes
What are open classes and closed classes? Some of the main classes of words, also known as parts of the… Read More »Open Classes vs Closed Classes
Indefinite Articles in English – A vs AN
Let’s talk about indefinite articles today. The indefinite article in English is used in two versions: A and AN. Choosing… Read More »Indefinite Articles in English – A vs AN
Orthographic Word, Grammatical Word and Lexeme
We intuitively know what a WORD is. In written language words are separated by spaces. In spoken language you can… Read More »Orthographic Word, Grammatical Word and Lexeme
Vocabulary and Idioms – Leaving and Abandonment
Here are some idioms that you can use to talk about leaving, departure or abandonment. Strictly speaking, some of them… Read More »Vocabulary and Idioms – Leaving and Abandonment
Sentence, Clause, Phrase, Word and Morpheme
The terms SENTENCE, CLAUSE and PHRASE are sometimes used interchangeably, although they are not the same thing. There is usually… Read More »Sentence, Clause, Phrase, Word and Morpheme
Register vs Text vs Discourse vs Corpus
A REGISTER is a variety of English, such as conversation, newspaper language, fiction, academic prose. A TEXT is an extended… Read More »Register vs Text vs Discourse vs Corpus
Hundred, Thousand, Million vs Hundreds, Thousands, Millions
Numerals like dozen, hundred, thousand, million and such like are sometimes used in singular, sometimes in plural. So, we have… Read More »Hundred, Thousand, Million vs Hundreds, Thousands, Millions
Phrasal Verbs with UP – a Selection
Today we’ll learn some phrasal verbs with UP, which is a frequently used particle. But before you go on, here’s… Read More »Phrasal Verbs with UP – a Selection
Habitats – Where Do They Live?
Today we’ll learn some vocabulary that you can use to talk about habitats. A habitat is the place where a… Read More »Habitats – Where Do They Live?
Frieda and Her Family Rearrange Furniture
Frieda thinks the living room looks boring and she decides to rearrange the furniture quite drastically. After some attempts she’s… Read More »Frieda and Her Family Rearrange Furniture
Some Interesting Verbal Expressions
Today we’ll be talking about some interesting verbal expressions that you can come across in everyday language. They are mainly… Read More »Some Interesting Verbal Expressions
Literary Words vs Everyday Words in English
Today we’ll be talking about poetic and literary words, which are words that are hardly ever used in everyday language… Read More »Literary Words vs Everyday Words in English
How To Define Personal Status
Today we’ll see how to define personal status, in particular a position or rank of a person. As an example… Read More »How To Define Personal Status
Phrasal Verbs with the Verb TAKE
Today we’ll learn some phrasal verbs with the verb TAKE. There are lots of them, so we’ll have to make… Read More »Phrasal Verbs with the Verb TAKE
English Prepositions Used After Nouns
Nouns in English are often followed by prepositions. English prepositions include words like in, at, for, with, from, etc. Probably… Read More »English Prepositions Used After Nouns
Fictional Characters in Everyday Language
Today we’ll be talking about fictional characters that are used in everyday language to describe people who share with them… Read More »Fictional Characters in Everyday Language
Such a Klutz
Borg wants to fix the window, which he promised to do some time ago. He doesn’t listen to his wife… Read More »Such a Klutz
Third Person Singular Forms in Present Simple
Today we’ll be talking about the third person: OK, maybe not the third person in the picture, but rather about… Read More »Third Person Singular Forms in Present Simple
How To Read Math – the Basics
Today we’ll be reading some mathematical expressions. How to read math? If you learn math, you will sooner or later… Read More »How To Read Math – the Basics
The Battle-Ax Gives Me the Creeps
The doctor wants to stay at Frieda and Borg’s house for a while because he’s afraid of his mother-in-law, who… Read More »The Battle-Ax Gives Me the Creeps
Collocation Examples with Adjectives
Today we’ll be talking about collocations. A collocation is a fixed expression that becomes established through repeated context-dependent use. An… Read More »Collocation Examples with Adjectives
Present Participle Forms in English
Today we’ll be talking about present participle forms in English. These are forms that we make by adding the –ING… Read More »Present Participle Forms in English
Idiomatic Expressions with Nouns
Today we’ll learn some idiomatic expressions with nouns. Idiomatic expressions are expressions with a meaning that cannot be understood literally.… Read More »Idiomatic Expressions with Nouns
The Pot Calling the Kettle Black
Ike and Kev are in their room. It’s quite late and they are tired. Ike is reading in his bed… Read More »The Pot Calling the Kettle Black
English Tenses at a Glance – Names and Construction
Today I’d like to show you how you can easily memorize all English tenses. Well, I mean their names and… Read More »English Tenses at a Glance – Names and Construction
Portmanteau Words – Word Blends
Today we’ll be talking about some portmanteau words. These are words that blend the sounds and combine the meanings of… Read More »Portmanteau Words – Word Blends
Landscape Formations – Majestic and Beautiful
Let’s learn some useful vocabulary used to describe the landscape today. You definitely know words like mountains, shore, valley or… Read More »Landscape Formations – Majestic and Beautiful
Subject-Verb Agreement Subtleties
Today we’ll be talking about subject-verb agreement, so when to use a singular form of the verb and when to… Read More »Subject-Verb Agreement Subtleties
Body Parts in Adjectives – a Selection
Today I’d like to have a look at some interesting adjectives. What they all have in common is that they… Read More »Body Parts in Adjectives – a Selection
Phrasal Verbs with OUT – a Selection
There are tons of phrasal verbs in English. A phrasal verb generally consists of two parts: the verb and the… Read More »Phrasal Verbs with OUT – a Selection