May be, might be and must be are all basically the same, and you use them when you want to say that you think something is true. Suppose you have a boss, but you don’t know how old she is. You think she is around 45, but she could also be 41, or 47.… Continue reading She Might Be a Police Officer May be, Might be, Must be
Have a read first, then we’ll explain: One Day I Wrote Her Name Upon the Strand Edmund Spenser (1552–1599) ONE day I wrote her name upon the strand, But came the waves and washèd it away: Again I wrote it with a second hand, But came the tide and made my pains his prey. Vain man… Continue reading Let’s Read A Poem – Classic Sonnet: One Day I Wrote Her Name Upon the Strand – Edmund Spenser
‘Nothing is lost until we choose to give up’: Captain Richard Phillips reunited with his family in Vermont, April 2009 Photo: Getty Here is a long and interesting story from the Daily Telegraph to practise your skills in unctuation and such. Now please be a good sport and don’t look up the article in the newspaper,… Continue reading Punctuation, Quotation Marks and Capitals – Lots and lots of practice!!
Students of English who have only heard their teacher speak English are often amazed that other speakers of English can be so hard to understand. Why is that? It’s because of two reasons: – They speak fast. – They have an accent. The accent is something that goes together with speaking a… Continue reading Why are there so many different English accents?
Time for a quick fix video again: This time about how to say the correct words with having meetings, parties, receptions and ordering food. Do you say: I’m having a meeting or I’m throwing a meeting. Do you hold parties or throw parties? Do you have a steak or invite a steak? You’ll find everything… Continue reading I’m Throwing a Party Tonight – Video
Any idea why you use words like: and, also, too, next, besides, first (second, etc.), further, furthermore, in addition, in the first place and moreover? The above words are conjunctions. You use them to introduce to your reader that you’re going to add more information. You can use most of these words at different places… Continue reading Besides, I’m telling you – Writing Practice: Conjunctions of Addition
When you go to a restaurant or a shop, it doesn’t sound good if you say: I want this and that. Children talk like that. The polite way to ask for things is with “I’d like.” The “’d” stands for “would.” If you would like something, it means you want something. You could say: I’d… Continue reading What Would You Like? – Sentences and Questions with Would Like
A while ago I discussed essay writing. You can catch up here. Now we’re going to look at paragraphs. Paragraphs are mini-essays, if you like. They tell about one subject, and the what and why of that subject. The paragraph isn’t or should not be a random bunch of sentences about that subject. It should… Continue reading Tips for Better Writing – Finding Topic Sentences
In a few weeks I will be starting to teach at a college for the rest of the school year. I do this a few hours once or twice a week, so I have plenty of time left to teach my other students and to do some writing. One of the subjects that I teach… Continue reading How to Survive a Presentation
Something that many people find difficult, even yours truly at times. When is an event historic and when historical? Is a person whose head blows up when he nibbles some peanuts allergic or allergical? Read and find out. Most adjectives are with –al at the end, and don’t end in –ic. When you see a… Continue reading Economical Than Most – Adjectives With or Without Ending in –al
English with a Smile 