Was and were are used for the past. (To be precise: in the past simple, and also in the past progressive tense.) Now we’ll talk about was and were only in the past simple, so that means was and were are the only verbs in your sentence. This is really easy. When to Use You… Continue reading Easy Grammar: Was and Were
How to say I have and I haven’t. Let’s say someone asks you this question: Have you been in Paris? Maybe you’ve been there. So you say: Yes, I have. I was there two years ago. Or you haven’t been there. So you say: No, I haven’t. If you say: I do, or I don’t,… Continue reading What to Say when Someone Asks You a Question with Have You?
As I’ve told you in my last newsletter, English speakers find tenses very important. If you know you make lots of mistakes with tenses, or you don’t know when to use them at all, you definitely need to fix this. It would be one of the first things you’d need to fix about your English.… Continue reading In Which Order Should You Learn the Tenses?
Here is a video about how to say I will and I won’t. In this video you’ll practise saying answers to questions, with I will and I won’t. It’s pretty easy. Won’t means will not. The idea with this video is that you press pause and say the answer, before or after I say the… Continue reading Future with Will and Won’t – Video
Easy Grammar! I’m writing this newsletter now. This is what I’m doing now. What are you doing? You’re reading this. You probably know the grammar of these sentences: I’m writing You’re writing She’s writing He’s writing It’s writing Etc. If this looks mysterious to you, have a look here. This is present progressive tense. Some… Continue reading Present Progressive (Continuous) for the Future
Contraction means shortening. It also means the muscle contractions that a pregnant woman feels before she gives birth. Or it can mean muscle contractions (shortening), like when you’re exercising. I think you can already know that we’re not going to talk about pregnancy or bodybuilding. I’m not sorry about that. This is about the shortening… Continue reading Contractions (I’ve, he’s, I’m, don’t etc.)
Well, I don’t know. I’m not a fortune teller. But I hope you will be very happy, as much as possible, and that you’ll have fantastic English. This article is about the various ways that you can say something in the future in English. As you know, English has different tenses for past, present and… Continue reading What Will Be in Your Future?
By Jacqueline Schaalje J When you use “if,” it means that the situation can happen or not. If you say “when,” it’s certain the situation will happen. So “if” means = in the situation that, or in case that. And “when” means at the time that. If and when can both be conditionals, which you… Continue reading The Difference Between If and When
By Jacqueline Schaalje Native speakers use lots of modals throughout their speech, but non-natives often find this rather difficult. So let’s practise a bit more. This week I happened to receive an email in which one reader asked me about modals, and a student of mine asked me to go over some modals with him.… Continue reading Modals: May and Might
English with a Smile 