Clauses Expressing Purpose Clauses of purpose are used to express the reason why someone does something. A clause of purpose answers the question: “Why?” or “For what purpose?” There are several ways to express purpose in English. Using to + infinitive Most common and simple way to show purpose. To + verb is informal and natural.
What Are Past Modals? Past modals are used when we look back at the past and make a judgement, guess, or evaluation. Past simple tells us what happened. Past modals tell us what we think happened. Past modals are used to talk about: possibility / probability in the past certainty about past events regret / criticism
Adjective–preposition Combinations Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns. Sometimes, certain adjectives are followed by prepositions to give more information about a person, thing, or situation. These combinations are called adjectives with prepositions. For example: She is interested in music. He is afraid of spiders. They are good at sports. In English, using the
Ways to Talk About Regret, Frustration, and Unreal Situations English gives us several ways to talk about regret, frustration, and unreal situations. Two of the most powerful are I wish and If only. Many students find I wish and If only confusing at first. The verb tense often looks “wrong”, and it’s not always clear
Used to, Would, Be/Get Used to Used to would be/get used to are used to speak about past habits/states (not now), repeated past actions, something which is normal/familiar or becoming familiar. Used to + infinitive We use this expression to talk about habits or repeated actions in the past which we don't do in the present. We also use
What Are Defining and Non-defining Relative Clauses? Defining and non-defining relative clauses are two types of relative clauses used in English to give more information about a noun. Relative pronouns are who, which, that, whose, where, that. That is often used instead of who or which. Defining Clauses (Restrictive Clauses) define or identify exactly which person or
Prepositional Verbs In English, many verbs are followed by specific prepositions. These combinations often create meanings that are different from the individual words. Learning these verb + preposition combinations is important for understanding and using natural English. Below is a list of common examples with simple definitions and sentences to help you learn how to
Present Perfect vs. Present Perfect Continuous Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous? Both Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous connect the past to the present, but they are used differently. Present Perfect (have/has + past participle) focuses on the result of an action that happened at an unspecified time in the past or has recently
How to Use Numbers with Currencies Let's learn how to use numbers with currencies. Whole Numbers with Currencies $5 → five dollars €20 → twenty euros £100 → one hundred pounds ¥1,000 → one thousand yen Decimals in Currencies (for amounts with cents, pennies, or smaller units): $12.50 → twelve dollars and fifty cents €99.99
Second Conditional The second conditional is used to imagine present or future situations that are impossible or unlikely in reality. If we had a garden, we could grow flowers and vegetables. If I won a lot of money, I'd buy a big house by the sea. I wouldn't so lazy if I were you. The
