by Phil Williams | May 9, 2019 | General English, Grammar
I was recently asked for some basic rules regarding how we can combine two different tenses in one sentence – for example which tenses can or cannot be used together. I’m not aware a comparison of the tenses being readily available in this way; my instinct is that...
by Phil Williams | Feb 5, 2019 | Definitions, General English, Words
The phrase “to be of help” is a construction roughly synonymous with “helpful”. “Of help” is particularly common in formal settings, and has a subtly different meaning and application to the adjective “helpful”. I briefly touched on such “noun of noun” constructions...
by Phil Williams | Dec 20, 2018 | General English
It’s that time of the year again where we put lights in the windows and try to bring good cheer, so I’ve got a new Christmas-themed exercise for you. In the style of the popular Christmas Mess exercise I shared before, the following is a short Christmas...
by Phil Williams | Dec 4, 2018 | General English
Having been asked frequently for exercises to go with The English Tenses Practical Grammar Guide, I compiled this list to share all the tenses exercises on this site together. I’ve since also produced The English Tenses Exercise Book to add over 150 more...
by Phil Williams | Nov 20, 2018 | General English, Writing skills
Emphasis is when a particular stress or importance is given to something. Many exceptions to grammatical rules in English relate to emphasising particular words or ideas, making it a very important and also very broad topic. Structure, word order, vocabulary choice,...
by Phil Williams | Oct 4, 2018 | General English
I’ve answered a few emails recently from potential teachers asking for advice on how to get into TEFL teaching, or teaching abroad in general, so it’s time I shared some of my thoughts. I started teaching English as a foreign language, as many teachers do,...