Will or going to: intention, evidence and a decision now
Compare an existing intention with a decision made while speaking. Use going to for a prediction grounded in present evidence and recognise overlap with will.
Read and practiseAdventure journal
English grammar
Understand English sentence patterns and verb forms with examples, explanations and exercises you can use.
Adventure journal
English grammar
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Questions and negatives with used to
Former habits and states come into focus through questions and negatives, including the spelling used after did and the less common alternative.
Read and practiseMyself and yourself for emphasis: doing it personally
A reflexive pronoun can highlight who did something personally, while by plus a reflexive pronoun can show that someone acted alone.
Read and practiseFuture continuous: an activity in progress later
Use will be plus -ing to picture an activity at a future moment or a temporary future routine. Practise negatives, plan questions and ongoing versus finished meaning.
Read and practiseSingular they: referring to one person
A person’s gender may be unknown, or their pronouns may be they and them. See how these forms work with singular reference.
Read and practiseIt, one and that: referring back to a noun
A lost key, a replacement cup or a comparison: the choice of pronoun shows whether the referent is the same item or another.
Read and practiseWould for past habits: repeated actions in a story
Use would and a base verb for recurring actions within an established past setting. Contrast those memories with a continuing past state and a single completed event.
Read and practiseGeneric you and formal one
Everyday speech and formal writing have different ways to talk about a general experience or rule that applies to people.
Read and practiseBe used to and get used to: familiarity and adjustment
Distinguish being accustomed to something from becoming accustomed to it. Follow be or get used to with a noun, pronoun or -ing form, not an infinitive.
Read and practiseDeterminer order: all my friends and the first two days
Words before a noun follow a useful order: quantity words, articles or possessives, and then position words and numbers.
Read and practiseA few, few, a little and little
A small amount can be welcome or insufficient: choose the phrase that matches the noun and the meaning you want to convey.
Read and practiseBe able to: ability across different verb forms
Express ability with will be able to, have been able to, to be able to and being able to. Learn where can cannot fit and keep to before the main verb.
Read and practiseLess or fewer: amounts and numbers
A smaller number of objects or a smaller amount of something calls for a choice between fewer and less, with useful exceptions for measurements.
Read and practiseHad better: strong advice for a specific situation
Use had better and had better not for advice when an unwanted consequence is possible. Decode ’d as had, keep the base verb and distinguish this form from past time.
Read and practiseMay and might: expressing uncertain possibilities
Describe uncertain present and future situations with may and might. Form negatives and may be doing, and avoid assigning fixed probability percentages to these modals.
Read and practiseA number of and the number of: verb agreement
Several people or a single count? The article before number helps you choose a plural or singular verb in these common phrases.
Read and practisePresent deductions: must, might and can’t
Draw conclusions from clues with must, express an uncertain explanation with might, may or could, and reject an explanation with can’t. Separate inference from obligation.
Read and practiseShould have: looking back on choices and expectations
Reflect on earlier choices with should have and shouldn’t have, ask what was advisable, and recognize an expected completed event. Practise have plus a past participle.
Read and practiseWould rather: preferences, alternatives and another person’s action
State preferences with would rather, compare alternatives with than and place not correctly. Learn why I’d rather you kept uses a past form for a present or future preference.
Read and practiseIndefinite pronouns and singular verbs
Everyone and nobody refer to people without naming them. Match these pronoun subjects with singular verbs in statements about people and things.
Read and practiseSecond conditional: imagining a different present or future
Explore imagined situations with if plus a past form and would in the result. Give advice with if I were you, use could for possibility and distinguish form from past time.
Read and practiseUnless and if not: state an exception clearly
Use unless to name an exception to a plan or rule. Compare it with if not, place the comma, and avoid adding a negative that reverses your meaning.
Read and practiseCollective nouns: the team is or are
A team can act as one unit or as individual members. Agreement also varies between British and American English.
Read and practiseIn case: prepare for a possibility, then distinguish if
Explain precautions with in case and compare a response introduced by if. Practise present and past situations, just in case, and in case of before a noun.
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