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vocabulary

In the news: Nobel Prize

Average: 3.8 (20 votes)

Three physicists have been awarded the Nobel Prize for changing the way the world is lit _1_.

Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano of Japan and U.S. scientist Shuji Nakamura were _2_ by the committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to share the $1.1 million prize.

Using 'Wish'

Average: 3.8 (12 votes)

The main use of 'wish' is to say that we would like things to be different from what they are, that we have regrets about the present situation; we want something to happen or to be true even though it is unlikely or impossible.

I wish I was thin. (I am not thin.)
In formal English, use the subjunctive form 'were' and not 'was' after 'wish'.
I wish I were thin.

Your and You're

Average: 4 (58 votes)

Your and you're sound similar and are sometimes confused even by native speakers.

Your

Your is the possessive form of you. It shows ownership or relationship to the person you are talking to.

Examples:

Can I borrow your bike?

Your daughter is in the garden.

You're

You're is the contraction of you are.

Examples:

You're cheerful.

Culture Lesson Oxford

Average: 3.6 (13 votes)

People come to oxford to learn. You can learn English in Oxford as many EC students do, or at its prestigious university.

When you hear the word Oxford and you will probably think of _1_ renowned university. The university grew rapidly from 1167 when King Henry II prohibited English students from attending the University of Paris, resulting in many settling _2_ the University of Oxford.

Too and to

Average: 4 (45 votes)

Do you get confused about the use of to and too. Although they look and sound similar, they have different functions. Let’s find out more.

Too

Too is used before adjectives and adverbs to say that something is more than needed or wanted; more than is suitable or enough. It is often used to emphasise negatives meanings.

I'm too old for nightclubs.

The exam was too difficult for me.

Modal Verb: Could

Average: 3.6 (36 votes)

Let's take a look at the different uses of could.

Possibility
Simon could be studying English right now. (present)
Simon could have studied English in Malta. (past)
Simon could go back to Malta next year. (future)

Farther and Further

Average: 3.8 (35 votes)

What's the difference in meaning between farther and further?

Why do we use farther in the first sentence and further in the second?

How much farther is it to the school?
I don’t want to discuss it any further.

Use farther for physical distance: How much farther is it to the school?

Other words for Intelligent

Average: 4 (19 votes)

Synonyms for Intelligent:

These are all expressions we can use casually to describe intelligent people. Aprt from boffin, they are all adjectives.

Brainy
She's the brainiest student in the school.

Bright
She's a bright girl.

Clever
My dog is really clever, he can do a lot of tricks.

Smart
My brother's smarter than me.

Comparative + Than

Average: 3.5 (36 votes)

Use than with a comparative adjective when comparing two things or people.

In this sentence older is the comparative adjective. She is older than me.

France is bigger than England.
Malta is warmer than Germany.

Use -er with one-syllable words

Watch Less TV

Average: 3.7 (18 votes)

Read through this article and choose the correct missing words:

UK doctors are to start _1_ overweight patients have TV-free days or get strict and cut their viewing time to two hours _2_ day. TV free days would cut obesity and _3_ healthier lifestyle, says the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)