Exercise: Bare Infinitives in Mixed Tenses
Continuing from a series of exercises that identify and aid understanding for the bare infinitive in different tenses (see the exercise for bare infinitive in the past for more), here’s a quick exercise spanning both the past and present. The answers are given below....Out now – Word Order in English Sentences 2nd Edition!
The updated version of Word Order in English Sentences is now available in eBook and, for the first time, print form. Through extensive editing, and feedback from my readers, this new edition is over twice the size of the original – and looks a lot nicer! The...Why we say Bachelors and Masters for degrees
When we refer to the degrees BA or MA in English, we use an s at the end – calling them a Bachelors or Masters. This may sound strange as it is one degree, not a plural, so why do we say it? Actually it’s not a plural at all, it is a possessive – and...
Where are prepositions placed in English sentences?
How can we define the rules for placing a preposition in a sentence? Before a noun? After a verb? One of the additions to the second edition of Word Order in English Sentences is a guide to prepositions. Though they are often connected to other parts of a sentence,...Coming this February – the expanded Word Order guide
Members of my mailing list will already be aware that I have been working on a long-overdue update to Word Order in English Sentences – and with the help of my readers it is now almost ready for publication. This February I will be releasing the 2nd Edition...
2 Quick Exercises to Practice Rewriting Sentences
Here are 2 new exercises to help practice some of the lessons given in my article on the various methods that can be used to rewrite English sentences. These exercises involve rewriting given sentences based on a specific component or rule – and it combines a...
Why we say 21st Century for years starting 20…
The way we describe ages, including years or people’s ages, can sometimes seem strange if you consider that years beginning “20” are referred to as “21st Century” (and similarly, years starting “19” were the “20th Century”). There is a very logical reason for this,...
The Christmas Mess – Mixed Tenses Reading Exercise
To bring in Christmas, I’ve prepared a themed reading exercise of the sort seen in the most horrible exams. The short story below (a harrowing tale of chores and presents) has lots of incomplete sentences. The verbs needed are all in brackets next to the gaps, but the...
The Impact of Dickens’ Christmas Carol – in Language and Culture
In 1843, Charles Dickens wrote a novella called A Christmas Carol, a story still told today. The story followed a miser (a nasty man who does not want to share his wealth) on Christmas Eve, as he is visited by three spirits that teach him about kindness and caring....Want to Master English?
ELB has produced a series of bestselling English guides, available from all major retailers, with over 45,000 copies sold worldwide. Click a cover to learn more!
