Different uses of the word ‘being’
I recently received a question about the gerund being, as one of many uses of the -ing form to be. This is an interesting study of how one form of a verb can have many different uses and entirely different grammatical functions. In this case, being may be part of a...
Reading Practice: Shirley Jackson, a biography
Most years I try and do a few Halloween themed posts around October, and this time I’ve got a bit of reading practise focusing on one of my favourite writers, Shirley Jackson. I’ve written a little biography to share, including some of my thoughts on what we can learn...
Tips for Success in English Writing Exams
I’m often asked about tips for writing essays, particularly for exams. There is a section on this in my book, Advanced Writing Skills, but it’s such a universal topic I thought it would be good to share the general advice here. Planning to Succeed Writing for exams...
Compound subjects with ‘and’ – singular or plural?
A while ago I was asked about exceptions to a simple grammar rule: “compound subjects joined by and should always be plural”. For example, Jack and Jill go up the hill. Or Eggs and butter are great together. But what about the saying Slow and steady wins the race.? As...
Combing Different Tenses 2: Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous
Continuing my series demonstrating how each tense can combined with the other tenses, here I’m looking at the past perfect and past perfect continuous. The aim is to provide examples sentences that show how a single tense connects to the other 12 aspects; past,...Want to Master English?
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