The present Continuous


Stage 5 Stage 6 Stage 7 Stage 8 The Present Continuous is a verb tense in English. It is also known as the Present Progressive. In general, we use the Present Continuous for an action that is in progress at the moment.   Download Exercise   To form the Present Continuous, we use the auxiliary …

Tail Questions – Part II


Stage 6 Stage 7 Stage 8   In Spanish, there’s a very interesting way that we can use the word ‘no.’ When we think something is true and we want confirmation from another person, we can say it at the end of a sentence, with the intonation we use to indicate a question. The following …

Using ‘Should’ for the Past and Future


Stage 7 Stage 8 Stage 9   The modal auxiliary ‘should’ communicates the idea that we don’t necessarily have to do a particular action, but that it is the right thing to do; it is the best idea. You have alternatives, but the particular action is the right thing to do. Consider the following examples: …

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 …

Easily Confused Words: Lie, Lie and Lay


If there is one thing that can make learning English hard for students, it’s the fact that there are many easily confused words. For example, you have homographs, which are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings (the present of the verb ‘read,’ and the past simple and past participle ‘read’). You …

The Three Meanings of ‘Then’


The word ‘then’ is a commonly used word in English. This is because it has three different meanings. And as we’ve seen with words like ‘get,’ ‘even,’ and ‘anyway,’ words with various meanings are naturally used quite often. Download Exercise The first meaning of ‘then’ is the same as ‘next.’ In this case, it’s normally …

Mixed Conditionals (Part Two)
Free English resources


Stage 8 Stage 9 Stage 10   This week’s blog is about mixed conditionals. We sometimes mix the structure of conditional sentences. Generally, this is done by mixing the second and third conditionals.   Download Exercise   This week’s blog is about mixed conditionals. We sometimes mix the structure of conditional sentences. Generally, this is …

Uses of the Passive Voice
Free english resources


Stage 5 Stage 6 Stage 7   In general we use the Active Voice in everyday speech. But there are some very common instances when it is useful to use the Passive Voice when speaking. Today we are going to look at four of these uses.   Download Exercise   1. When we don’t know …

Verb + Gerund or Infinitive?


Stage 8 Stage 9 Stage 10 In English, when we want to follow a verb immediately with another verb, the second verb must take the form of either a gerund or an infinitive. The tricky part is discovering which verb is followed by what form. There is no rule that will help you to decide …