In/into and on/onto
English prepositions cause a great deal of confusion for non-native speakers. This article is about some…
Rarely will a person be able to explain such a thing!
Apparently, generally speaking, we invert subject and verb (or DO as auxiliary) when a (near-) negative…
Reduce reduce reduce!
What am I talking about? - Reductions!What are reductions? - These are shortened, combined, or 'reduced'…
“So” or “too”? Know the difference and why it matters!
One of the most common problems I hear with my students every day is the misuse of “so” or “too.”
Wow,…
Do you know your colloquial pairs?
Many of my IELTS students make a point of studying their idioms and phrasal verbs, mostly as it's a clear…
The Word Detectives
In the Scripps National Spelling Bee championship held in the USA, the joint teenage champions had to…
Don’t recommend it, suggest it instead
I recently had a query from one of my students which went a bit like this...
“I have understood all…
5 Common Grammar Mistakes
Error #1: Run-on Sentence or Comma Splice
A run-on sentence is a sentence that joins two independent…
Hold the front page!
I think that this little exercise is one of the most fun activities that you can do that will vastly…
IELTS
I have a lot of students who are studying for the IELTS exams, both Academic and General. A lot of them…
Tips on making “small talk”
For the majority of my students, making “small talk,” or short conversation with strangers or co-workers,…