May Day – traditions and celebrations in England
May Day is the festival of the Spring, popular across the Northern Hemisphere as a time for various traditions. It is celebrated on the 1st of May, and in many countries coincides with International Workers’ Day. In the UK, the focus is on Spring fertility, with...Should you say “on foot” or “by foot”?
When we talk about walking, we can say you go on foot or by foot, as a mode of transport. Which preposition is correct? Technically, on is more accurate, and common, and in exams you may be marked incorrect for using by foot. But why is by foot a mistake? Or is it a...Writing email subject lines – exercise
This exercise will test your use of the tips offered in the previous lesson, Writing Informative Email Subject Lines. Below, I have given you 9 possible email summaries, explaining the contents of a complete email. These become increasingly complicated. For each email...How to write informative email subject lines
Informative email subject lines must be short and descriptive. It is a challenge to be noticed in someone’s inbox, so make sure your business and information emails get straight to the point and highlight important information, without being dramatic or appearing like...How to write dates in British and American English
Calendar dates can be written in a wide variety of ways in English, and the choice often depends on formal or informal writing, personal style and whether you are writing British or American English. Whatever the format, in British English, dates are usually written...Embedded Questions explained, with exercises
Embedded or included questions are used in two main situations: when we ask for information indirectly or when we report questions. This is common in more passive, or softer English (“Do you know…”), for reported speech (“She told me where…”) or to discuss...Using ‘this’ or ‘next’ to describe a coming day of the week
There is sometimes disagreement among English speakers when labelling days in a sequence with this and next, and you may hear people say either this or next to refer to the coming day. If you study sequences of time more carefully, it can help you to understand why...Forming Subject Questions without Auxiliary Verbs
Questions in English are usually formed by either inverting the verb and subject, or by adding an auxiliary verb before the subject (and putting the main verb in bare infinitive form). This form is normally followed whether we use question words or not. However,...Teach English at a football academy in Sierra Leone
The Craig Bellamy Foundation is looking for volunteer English teachers to take part in its professional development program for a minimum of three months from either May or September 2014. The Foundation is a sports’ charity which trains and educates young...Want to Master English?
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