Latest Articles from ELB
Pronouncing -ed endings – exercises
Following on from the rules and patterns laid out in my previous post about how to pronounce –ed endings in English, here are a few exercises to test understanding of when it is appropriate to add a -t, -d or –id sound (with an extra syllable) to different words...
Using “to do” + “bare infinitive” to emphasise affirmatives
I received an interesting email from a visitor asking about the form of “to do” + infinitive, in this case in a past simple sentence. It was a complex sentence, which someone hides what is a rather simple, and useful, grammar construction – that we use a construction...
Reading comprehension – Joe Orton
Joe Orton was a famous English playwright who met a very unfortunate early death. His plays are still being performed today, though, and may still be considered controversial. His writing caused outrage and amusement, in dark comedies often covering scandalous topics....
How to rewrite English sentences using word order
When you have a good understanding of the fundamentals of English word order, English sentences can become very flexible. Longer sentences may be arranged in a large number of ways, and many of the rules can be bent. This is useful if you want to add variety or...
Past simple negatives and affirmatives exercise
Affirmative and negative statements in the different tenses have quite distinct forms, with the negatives using the auxiliary verb did. To test understanding and demonstrate the difference, this exercise scrambles sentences that you can practice putting into negative...
Pronouncing -ed endings, rules for -d, -t and -id sounds
Endings of words that use the suffix -ed are pronounced in 3 different ways in English – as an added –t or –d sound, or as an extra syllable, -id. It is actually quite easy to spot the difference between these different pronunciations, as this short explanation, with...
Felix and the Umbrella – a mixed past simple uses exercise
In the following reading text, all of the verbs should be in one of the past simple forms. Choose which past simple form to use, and complete the reading text by using the information in brackets. Sometimes the verb in brackets is also joined by a negative or subject....
5 excellent YouTube channels for learning English
The amazing amount of video material now available online makes resources like YouTube an excellent way to learn more English. If you want to pick up extra tips, practice your listening (and in many cases reading!) skills, or even find full lessons, there are hundreds...
What’s the difference between ‘solve’ and ‘resolve’?
The verb to solve is generally used to mean find a solution – for example an answer or explanation. We solve a problem, something with a logical or complete answer. The verb to resolve has a number of meanings, one of which is to deal with conclusively – that is, to...