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Grammar

Hard and Hardly

Average: 4.3 (32 votes)

Hard

Hard (adjective)

When something is difficult to understand or do, it is hard.

These questions are too hard for me.
Learning another language is hard.
She was given a hard task.
I'm tired. I've been working hard all day.

Hard (ajective)

When something is solid, firm and difficult to break or bend.

Using Unless

Average: 3.6 (110 votes)

Unless means if not. We use it in conditional sentences instead of if not.

Unless can be used with present, past and past perfect tenses. Use unless with present tenses when talking about the future.

Present

You will damage your health unless you stop smoking. = you will damage your health if you do not stop smoking.

A little and a few

Average: 4.2 (44 votes)

We use a little and a few to talk about the amount of something. To understand which term to use, you must understand uncountable nouns and plural nouns.

A little

A little is used with singular non-countable nouns i.e. rain, traffic, love.

a little + uncountable noun

There's a little food left on the plate.

I put a little money into the envelope.

Who, which and that

Average: 4.1 (48 votes)

Who

Who is used for people. In casual English that can be used.

The boy who sang.
Only men who are wearing neckties are allowed to enter.
She's the one who won the prize.

Which and that

Which and that are used for things and groups.

The Passive Voice

Average: 3.9 (38 votes)

When we want to focus on the object of a sentence instead of the subject, we use the passive voice.

Compare these two sentences:

John painted the picture. - The focus here is on John, he is the subject of the sentence.

The picture was painted by John. - The focus is on the picture, it is the object of the sentence.

If I were / If I was

Average: 3.6 (222 votes)

Take a look at the two following sentences. Why do we use were in the first sentence and was in the second.

If I were rich, I would buy you a car.

If she was feeling sick, it's good that she went home.

Explanation

If I were rich...<-- I am not rich, but I imagining what I would do if I were.

Using Do and Does

Average: 3.3 (260 votes)

Do

Use do with the subjects I, we, you and they. Do is usually used to make questions and it comes at the start of a sentence. Do is not used with the verbs be, can, might, ought, shall and will.

Do I have to speak too?
Do we have any milk left?
Do you remember her?
Do they always stay up so late?

Simple Present Tense and Present Progressive Tense

Average: 3.6 (70 votes)

Simple Present Tense for Habitual Actions

The simple present is the tense you use for any habitual action. Use it for things that you always do, are regular or true.

Lisa likes football.
Water boils at 100 °C.
I don't eat meat.
I clean my room every day.

'Up' Phrasal Verbs

Average: 3.9 (48 votes)

Up is a small word with a wide use in English. Today we look at phrasal verbs and collocations that feature it.

All can be an adverb, preposition, adjective noun and verb. Read through this text and choose the correct missing words.

Prepositions of Time, Place and Movement

Average: 3.6 (187 votes)

Prepositions show us a noun's relationship to another word in the sentence. Prepositions usually come before nouns.

Many prepositions are confusing because it is hard to define what they mean on their own and many have similar meanings. Although prepositions are simple for native-speakers to learn, they are usually difficult for English learners.

Prepositions are often used to give us more information about time, place and movement.