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Vocabulary

Than and Then

Average: 4.4 (29 votes)

Confusing then and than is a mistake we frequently see online, even made by native speakers. Although their spelling and pronunciation may appear similar, they have very different meanings.

Than

Than can be either a conjunction or a preposition.

It can be used to join two parts of a comparison or used with 'more' or 'less' to compare numbers or amounts:

I am a lot older than my brother.

There are fewer people here than last year.

I would rather go to a restaurant than a bar.

Use the correct verb

Average: 3.8 (85 votes)

A verb is a word that shows an action. It is important to choose the verb that fits with the subject and object in a sentence otherwise your English will not sound natural or you may not be able to make yourself understood.

For example it would be very strange for someone to say, "we is" instead of "we are", or "I need to make a break", instead of, "I need to take a break".

We can also change the form of verbs to show when an action happens.

Star Sign - Leo

Average: 3.6 (22 votes)

What's your star sign?

People born between July 23 and August 22 are Leos.

Leo (the Latin word for Lion) is the fifth of the 12 signs of the zodiac. Leo is one of the 88 modern constellations, and one of the most easily recognisable constellations in the night sky because of its many bright stars and distinctive shape that is reminiscent of the crouching lion it depicts.

In the news: Robots and the future of work

Average: 3.3 (9 votes)

'When Robots take all the work, what'll be left for us to do?' is the title of this interesting article published in the equally interesting 'Wired.'

Read through a few select parts of this article, and find out what the words in bold mean:

Beauty/Appearance related Idioms

Average: 1.8 (192 votes)

Today's set of idioms are related to beauty or appearance. We're sure you will find them useful when describing people you know, or when talking about fashion or style in general :)

1. cut a dash - to make a striking impression by having a very positive appearance and wearing attractive clothes.

E.g. My dad cut a dash at my cousin's wedding last summer. He looked very elegant!

 

2. deck out - to dress or decorate something/someone in a special way.

Vocabulary: Renting accommodation

Average: 3.9 (15 votes)

Happy Monday to you all! :)

We've prepared a list of useful and easy short questions you can ask when you're looking to rent accommodation - rooms, apartments, a flat, a house, whatever it might be!

1. I would like to rent a flat/apartment please.

2. I would like to be close to the town centre, with a view of the beach.

3. What does the flat/apartment contain?

4. Is bed linen available?

5. Are towels provided?

6. Is there a cleaning/housekeeping service?

7. Are there any sports facilities?

Phrasal Verbs: MAKE

Average: 3.7 (48 votes)

Today we're going to look at phrasal verbs with the word 'make'. Read these definitions and examples, and then try to complete the sentences below with the correct phrasal verb.

Note: You will have to change the tense!

1. Make something out - to see/recognise something in the distance

In the news: Wild animal photos & 'Tiger selfies'

Average: 3.4 (16 votes)

Here's an article from 'The Guardian' about the rise in the popularity of 'tiger selfies', and the harm this social activity is causing...

An animal protection charity is _1_ tourists to turn down opportunities to take photos of themselves with wild animals, as a growing number of such images, including “tiger selfies”, surface online.

Animal-related Adjectives

Average: 3 (5 votes)

Hello everyone! We hope you're having a great start to the week :)

Today's lesson is about animals... actually, about using adjectives related to animals!

The names of animals are among the first words learned by learners of any language... However, learning the related adjectives can be a bit confusing.

Let's start with a few words which are derived from Latin:

1. canine (from the Latin word 'canis') = use this word when talking about things associated with dogs.

E.g. Those canine accessories are really cute!

Friday Slang!

Average: 3.8 (13 votes)

It's Friday and we have a nice mix of slang words and phrases for you! :)

Remember slang is very casual and used only in informal situations.

1. give you a bell = call you

E.g. I will give you a bell when I get home!

 

2. gutted = very sad, devastated

E.g. She was absolutely gutted when she found out her pet dog had died.

 

3. dodgy = suspicious

E.g. The man in the long black coat and hat looked rather dodgy.