Look at how these sentences are linked:

1 Because it was raining, we stayed at home.
2 Because of the rain, we stayed at home.
3 Due to the rain, we stayed at home.
(Because + clause) – (Because of + noun) (Due + to + noun)

-ed adjectives

We often confuse adjectives that end both in –ed and –ing. (interested or interesting, bored or boring etc.)

Adjectives that end in –ed describe emotions – they tell us about how a person feels about something or even their opinion about something.

I’m surprised to see you.
He’s interested in fashion
I was bored during the lecture.
I was tired so I went to bed.

Third Conditionals are sentences with two clauses – an ‘if' clause and a main clause – that describe the past. They are used to describe ‘something that didn’t happen’.

We would have arrived on time if we had left earlier.
We left late so we arrived late.

If I had studied harder at school I would have gone to university.
I didn’t study very hard so I didn’t go to university.

So, we've covered similes… but what about metaphors?

Just like a simile, the non-literal figure of speech referred to as a metaphor also compares two things, but it does so in a more direct way, this time without using as or like.

The second conditional is a structure used to talk about impossible or imaginary situations.

If I won a lot of money I’d travel the world.
Where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world?
If he didn’t argue with everyone all the time, he would have a more relaxed life.

To form the second conditional we use: If+past simple and would+infinitive

Here are some adjectives and the prepositions we use with them. There is no real system and so the only way to learn them is to treat them as a 'fixed combination' and record them as you meet them when you read or listen. There are many adjective preposition combinations which are not show here.

at

I'm good at learning languages but bad at maths.
He's terrible at expressing his ideas.

Do you enjoy watching movies? If the answer is yes, then I hope you get to watch them in English sometimes – it will help you improve your vocabulary!

Reading movie reviews is also a great help. Let’s take a closer look at positive and negative adjectives which are very frequently used:

As and Like are both used to compare situations or actions. But here are some differences:

As

We use as to talk about something we do or how something is used.

I worked as a graphic designer for eight years.
She used her jacket as an umbrella when it started raining.

'As adjective as' is used to compare things or people.

It's not as cold as it used to be.
He studied as hard as he could for the exam.

Dave is 18 and lives in Bath, England. He has decided to go to Moscow for a week. This will his first time abroad. He has also decided to travel alone. This is the conversation he has with his friend Pete.

Pete – How will you communicate with the Russians when you don’t even speak the language?

Dave – I’ve been practising and I’m taking this phrase book with me. If I can’t remember a word, I’ll look it up.