by Phil Williams | May 12, 2020 | Definitions, Grammar, Vocabulary
I’ve been meaning to write some articles covering phrasal verbs, as these are always a difficult area to master with lots of specific considerations. To cover all the very specific meanings of the different phrasal verbs, in each article I’ll take one root verb and...
by Phil Williams | Jun 14, 2018 | Definitions, Grammar
Do we say “There is a lot…” or “There are a lot of…”? This question was put to me recently by a student who noted that “lot” is the first noun after a verb. In theory, the verb should be singular with “a lot of”, because it is a singular “lot”. Comparing “There are a...
by Phil Williams | Jan 23, 2018 | Definitions, Exercises, General English, Grammar, Prepositions
The verb “to be” can be used in descriptive clauses or as an auxiliary verb to create certain grammatical structures, such as the continuous tenses and the passive voice. This can lead to confusion when a verb or verb form follows the verb “to be” – how do you...