The present simple

Blaze of Glory, Jon Bon Jovi

Blaze of Glory, Jon Bon Jovi Level: A1 (Elementary) – American English Practise the present simple (active) and the present simple passive form with this Jon Bon Jovi song.  Glossary “candle in the wind”: something fragile which could easily come to an end, like a candle burning when a wind is blowing “to go down /go out in a blaze of glory“: to die or to […]

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The Present Simple

We use the present simple to talk about things which happen in general, when we talk about things which we do every day, always, sometimes or often (see also adverbs of frequency). I get up at 7 am. I play tennis three times a week. You drink two cups of coffee a day. You sleep out every night (Big Rock Candy Mountain) The present simple of regular verbs uses the base form for all its forms except the 3rd person […]

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The present simple

The present simple

The Big Rock Candy Mountain Level: A1 (Elementary) – American English Practise the present simple with this Harry McClintock song.  Glossary “hobo”: a person who travels around looking for work and does not have a permanent home “handout”: something given to the poor for free, for example money, food or clothes “boxcar”: railroad car used to carry goods “cop”: slang term for police […]

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English Phrasal Verb – Add up

Phrasal Verb add up  Definition to make sense  Examples His explanation doesn’t add up. He can’t have been there alone. It all adds up now. He was having an affair. This new law doesn’t add up. It won’t help anyone. Verb and preposition separated? Can’t be separated Normal or Informal Normal American / British/ International International Regular / Irregular Add is a regular verb.

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English Phrasal Verb – Act up

 Phrasal Verb act up  Definition to behave badly  Examples The teacher was really frustrated as the children had been acting up all morning. The computer’s acting up. I can’t get it to work properly. If you don’t stop acting up I’ll send you to bed. Verb and preposition separated? Can’t be separated Normal or Informal Normal American / British/ International International Regular / Irregular Act is […]

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English Phrasal Verb – Account for

Phrasal Verb account for  Definition to explain  Examples He couldn’t account for the diamonds in his suitcase. Can you account for your absence yesterday? He couldn’t account for his whereabouts yesterday afternoon. Verb and preposition separated? Can’t be separated Normal or Informal Normal American / British/ International International Regular / Irregular Account is a regular verb.

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The Past Continuous

We use the past continuous to talk about an action which was happening at an exact time in the past. I was sleeping at 6 o’clock this morning. The construction is the same as the present continuous except the verb to be is in the past. The present continous refers to a specific moment in the present -now- while the past continuous refers […]

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The Passive

We use the passive form when the action is more important than who performs it: Look at the constructions: Present simple / Past simple Subject to be past participle of verb (by + object pronoun/name) The song is sung by Bob Dylan. The song was sung by Bob Dylan. Grapes are grown in France. The dishes were washed by my mother. Present continuous / Past […]

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Ordering in a cafe, restaurant or pub

When we order something in a cafe, restaurant, bar or pub, we can use the following expressions: Can I have an orange juice, please? Could I have some cheese and tomato sandwiches, please? I’d like a glass of mineral water, please. I’ll have steak and a jacket potato, please. Have you got any ginger beer? Do you have any prawn cocktail crisps?

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