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Vocabulary

Common Irregular Verbs List

Average: 3.5 (28 votes)

Here is a list of the most common irregular verbs. This list is by no means the complete list of irregular verbs in English but the most regularly used.

How to talk about future situations

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Future Real Conditional

The future real conditional describes what the speaker will do in a specific situation in the future. Although we do not know what will happen in the future the future real conditional is called 'real' because it refers to a possible action that could occur.

Lesson by Tristan, teacher at EC Malta English school

List: Verbs that take a gerund or an infinitive

Average: 2.9 (53 votes)

Verbs that take a gerund or an infinitive with different meanings:

Begin

When 'begin' is used in non-continuous tenses, you can use a gerund or an infinitive: She began singing. She began to sing.
When 'begin' is used in continuous tenses, an infinitive is used:
She is beginning to sing.

Advanced Level: Present Conditionals

Average: 3.9 (20 votes)

There are two kinds of conditional sentences: real and unreal. Real Conditional describes real-life situations. Unreal Conditional describes unreal, imaginary situations. Although the various conditional forms might seem quite abstract at first, they are actually some of the most useful structures in English and are commonly included in daily conversations.

Lesson by Tristan, teacher at EC Malta English school

Movember at EC!

Average: 3.8 (28 votes)

Movember is a moustache growing event held during each November that raises funds and awareness for men's _1_, you'll probably start to notice more and more men sporting moustaches as the month goes on.

Confusing Words: Being and Been

Average: 3.5 (181 votes)

The words ‘being’ and ‘been’ are sometimes confused. As a rule the word ‘been’ is always used after ‘have’ whereas ‘being’ is never used after ‘have’. It is used after ‘be’.

'Been' is the past participle of the verb 'be' and is usually used with the perfect aspect with ‘have’ in all its forms i.e. had and has
I have been busy. NOT I have being busy.

Amount, Quantity and Number

Average: 4.4 (30 votes)

There are slight differences between 'amount of', 'quantity of' and 'number of'

Amount of

Amount of is used for things you can’t measure. It is usually in front of a singular word.
I have a reasonable amount of work this week. Work – singular non-count word
He has a certain amount of respect for the sales team. Respect – singular non-count word

Confusing Words: Lay and Lie

Average: 4.6 (9 votes)

There is often confusion over the verbs to lay and to lie.

Lay

To lay means to put something in a horizontal position.
The staff lay the tables for dinner at 8 o'clock.
The rebels were urged to lay down their arms and surrender.
His chickens have stopped laying eggs.

It's and Its

Average: 4 (36 votes)

When we are writing it is very easy to get confused by 'it's' or 'its'. Here is an explanation that may help avoid confusion:

It's

'It's' is short for 'it is' or 'it has' and this is the rule. If you can't expand 'it's' to 'it is' or 'it has' then you're using 'its' when you shouldn't and that is wrong.

It's been raining all week and now it's starting to snow. (it has – it is)
It's been a very difficult year for me.
(It has)

The Order of Adjectives

Average: 3.8 (15 votes)

Adjectives are words which give us more information about people, places and things.