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Choose the right response

Average: 3.6 (25 votes)

When someone is asking you a question, it is vital that you listen carefully and answer in the correct manner. You should always respond only with information related specifically to the question asked.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Can you repeat that, please?"

"I'm sorry, I don't understand. Can you say that again?"

How would you respond to the following? Here are ten basic questions with three possible responses per question. Choose the best answer to each question:

Instagram now more popular than Twitter

Average: 4.1 (17 votes)

Do you use social media? Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, which do you prefer and why?

Instagram, a photo- and video-sharing app owned by Facebook, announced on Wednesday that it now has 300 million monthly active users posting 70 million photos a day.

Since it was set up by co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger in October 2010, Instagram has grown rapidly. It now appears to have overtaken micro-blogging service Twitter, which has 284 million monthly active users.

Drive Idioms

Average: 3.4 (36 votes)

In the driving seat

When you are in the driving seat, you are in control of a situation.

"During negotiations, he felt he was in the driving seat."

The driving force

The driving force behind someone or something is the person or thing that motivates and directs it.

"His wife was the real driving force behind his success."

Driving blind

'Shut' expressions

Average: 1.9 (830 votes)

When we close something or it becomes closed it is shut.

Can you shut the door, please?

She shut the suitcase.

He shut his eyes and listened to the music.

Here are some other common shut expressions:

Shut yourself away
When you stay at home so you don't have to see anyone, you shut yourself away. Usually because you or unhappy or because you need a quiet place to work/concentrate.

All about A, An and The

Average: 3.5 (64 votes)

The three aticles in English are a, an and the. They are used before nouns to give us more information.

A and An - Indefinite Articles

A and an are indefinite articles. Use indefinite articles before countable nouns.

Use a/an when it is not imortant or not known which thing (noun) we are talking about.

Let's watch a movie tonight. - Which restaurant hasn't been decided yet.

If I was or If I were

Average: 3.9 (77 votes)

Why is was used in the first sentence and were in the second?

If I were a millionaire, I would buy a yacht.
If I was late, it was because I got stuck in traffic.

Were for unreal situations

Use were when talking about imagined, hypothetical situations.

If I were you, I would book a flight now.
If you were an animal, you would be a cat!
I would ask her out on a date if I were ten years younger!

Thanksgiving in America

Average: 3.7 (26 votes)

November 27, 2014, is Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

_1_ 1863 Thanksgiving has been an annual holiday in America.

The holiday _2_ a harvest festival celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621, and is held in the US on the fourth Thursday in November. A _3_ holiday is held in Canada, usually on the second Monday in October.

'Piece' Idioms

Average: 1.9 (790 votes)

a piece of cake

When something is a piece of cake, it is very easy to do.

Jane passed her driving test. She said it was a piece of cake.

Taking exams is a piece of cake if you are prepared.

Finding the way to your house was a piece of cake thanks to your instructions.

give someone a piece of your mind

When you give someone a piece of your mind you speak angrily with them because they have done something wrong.

Can you find these ten mistakes?

Average: 1.6 (1516 votes)

Here are ten sentences. Each one has a mistake. What are the ten mistakes? As you read the sentences, think about grammar, spelling, parts of speech and word forms.

Write your answers in the comments area below.

1 - This trousers are too tight for me.

2 - Have you ever seeing a monkey in the wild?

3 - She's been living in London since six months.

4 - Its much colder today than yesterday.

5 - Driving in bad weather can be danger.

6 - We are begining to see more and more birds in our garden.

7 - Are their more of those biscuits?

Should Have

Average: 3.9 (60 votes)

When we talk about mistakes we made in the past, we use 'should have' with a past participle.

Should Have

Use should have to talk about past events that did not happen.

Subject + should have + past participle

I should have worn a suit to the party.

You should have taken John with you.

We should have done more research.

Should Not Have

Use should not of to talk about regretting past actions.