Food Idioms


Stage 9 Stage 10 Stage 11 Stage 12 Stage 13   Idioms: Forking Brilliant Idioms can come about from almost anything, and we have quite a few relating to such simple things as items we eat with and from, most of which are very commonly used in the language. Look in your kitchen drawer and …

“Adverbs in English”


Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5   For many students, the correct placement of adverbs in English sentences can be a real headache. This pain is made worse when one considers the fact that there are different types of adverbs, and they can take up different positions in a sentence.   Download Exercise   . …

The Preposition ‘By’ Used for Time


Stage 8 Stage 9 Stage 10   The preposition ‘by’ used for time communicates a very specific idea. When we use it for time, it communicates the idea of ‘some time before’ and ‘no later than.’ A classic example: when a child asks their parents if they can go outside to play with their friends …

The different uses of: If, Whether, Supposing and Provided


Stage 5 Stage 6   This week we will be looking at the different ways we use the words if, whether, supposing and provided. Most students immediately recognize the word if, as it is a fundamental part of forming the conditionals: the Zero, First, Second, and Third conditionals. Before we go any further, let’s refresh …

The meanings of the verb ‘get’


Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6   This week, we’ll be looking about some meanings of the verb ‘get’ that do not appear in the book. In class, we have practiced the verb ‘get’ with the meanings of ‘become,’ ‘arrive,’ ‘obtain,’ ‘receive,’ and ‘fetch.’ But there are many other meanings of the verb, some of …

The phrasal verb ‘pick up’


Stage 9 Stage 10 Stage 11 Stage 12 This week we’re going to look at the phrasal verb ‘pick up.’ First, let’s talk about phrasal verbs so that we know what we are dealing with. A phrasal verb is an expression made up of a verb and a particle, which in this case is an …

Active and Passive Voice in use


Stage 5 Stage 6 Stage 7   Today we are going to look at the Active and Passive Voice, and specifically look at the uses of the Passive Voice in everyday conversation and writing. We normally speak in the Active Voice, but sometimes it is necessary and very useful to speak in the Passive Voice. …

The Present Simple


Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4   Exams often require students to give examples of the vocabulary and grammar they have learned – using complete sentences. It is a common mistake for learners to give examples in the present simple, when the sentence should actually be written in another tense. The present simple is most …

Colloquial English Expressions and phrasal verbs – Part IV


Stage 14 Stage 15 Stage 16 Stage 17 Stage 18 Stage 19 Here are some tables of the items of vocabulary (idioms, phrasal verbs and colloquial language). The vocabulary is everyday language familiar to all English-speaking people and useful to anybody planning to visit an English-speaking country or do business with English-speaking people. The tables …