Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Subjunctive

A webpage on the use of subjunctive is hereby made available.
 
Here you can find more information with exercises on the subjunctive and unreal uses past forms.  Here is the key for the exercises. 

Modal verbs

Here you can find some information and exercises on modal verbs along with the key for the exercises. (Source: English Grammar in Use. Intermediate by Raymond Murphy)
Here you can find more exercises on modal verbs.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Gerund vs. infinitive

Numerous exercises on gerund vs. infinitive along with their key are hereby made available for you to have access at your convenience.  You can also find the list of verbs used with gerund and/or infinitive here.

Here you can find more information and exercises on the same topic.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Linking words

The first and second parts of the documents on linking words are hereby available.  You can also find the key for the exercises here.  As you do the exercises, please remember the following three types of linking words we have identified:


  • Linking words that connect two parts of the same sentence as in the following example: We only have one week off for Easter, so we will be staying in Brussels.
  • Linking words that connect two separate sentences as in the following four examples, which are different ways of saying the same thing:
  1. We only have one week off for Easter.  Therefore, we will be staying in Brussels.
  2. We only have one week off for Easter; therefore, we will be staying in Brussels.
  3. We only have one week off for Easter.  We will, therefore, be staying in Brussels.
  4. We only have one week off for Easter; we will, therefore, be staying in Brussels.
  • Linking words that are covered under both the first and second types as in the four following examples:
  1. Besides giving his friend a lift after work, he helped her with her grocery shopping.
  2. He helped his friend with her grocery shopping, besides giving her a lift after work.
  3. I am afraid I am not allowed to help you with that question.  Besides, I do not know the answer myself.
  4. I am afraid I am not allowed to help you with that question; besides, I do not know the answer myself.
Note that the meaning of the word 'besides'  in the first two examples is different from its meaning in the last two examples.

In all these examples, please pay special attention to the punctuation.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

State vs. action verbs

Here is  a document where you can find information and exercises on state vs. action verbs, along with key for the  exercises. (Source: English Grammar in Use: Intermediate by Raymond Murphy)

Here is a link for a webpage where you can find some  exercises on the same topic.   

Here you can find the list of verbs we have looked at. (Source: LONGMAN Advanced Learners’ Grammar by Mark Foley &  Diane Hall )

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Position of adverbs

Here are the main rules and exceptions on the position of adverbs in sentences:

First rule: if there is only
one verb in the sentence, the adverb comes before the verb as in the following example: He usually comes to work on time.
Exception to the first rule: if the only verb in the sentence is 'to be', the adverb comes after the verb as in the following example:  He is usually on time.

Second rule: If there is
more than one verb in the sentence, the adverb comes after the first verb as in the following example: He has already arrived at work.
First exception to the second rule: if the first verb in the sentence is an auxiliary verb with 'to', i.e., have to, need to, ought to and used to, the adverb comes before the first verb as in the following example: He usually has to start working by 9:30 AM.
Second exception to the second rule: if the first verb in the sentence is a contracted negation, the adverbs 'probably', 'possibly' and 'certainly' come before the first verb as in the following example: He probably won't come to work on time.

These being the main rules and exceptions, there is more to this topic.  You can find more information on
this webpage, which also provides you with some exercises. 

Here is another document with exercises on the same topic.  You can find the key for the exercises here.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

First-name gender

Here you can have access to the website called "Behind the Name: the Etymology and History of First Names".  Thank you C!

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Greetings and closers

Here is a list of greetings you can use in your formal emails depending on the recipient:
  • Anonymous singular:
  1. Dear Sir/Madam
  2. Dear Madam/Sir
  3. Dear Sir or Madam
  4. Dear Madam or Sir
  • Anonymous plural:
  1. Dear Sirs/Ladies
  2. Dear Ladies/Sirs
  3. Dear Sirs and/or Ladies
  4. Dear Ladies and/or Sirs
  • With a given male name: Dear Mr Smith
  • With a given female name:
  1.  Dear Ms Smith (civil status irrelevant or unknown)
  2.  Dear Mrs Smith (married)
  3.  Dear Miss Smith (single and younger than fifty)
  • With given names to a group of less than three people (male):  Dear Messrs Smith and Jones
  • With given names to a group of less than three people (female):
  1. Dear Mses Smith and Jones (civil statuses unknown, irrelevant or different)
  2. Dear Mesdames Smith and Jones (both of them married)
  3. Dear Misses Smith and Jones (both of them single and younger than fifty)
  • With given names to a group of less than three people (mixed gender and not related to each other by marriage or blood): 
  1. Dear Messrs Smith and Jones, and Ms Presley 
  2. Dear Ms Presley, and Messrs Smith and Jones
  • With a given name to a couple who use the same last name:
  1. Dear Mr and Mrs Smith 
  2. Dear Mrs and Mr Smith 
  • With given names to a group of more than three people (mixed gender):
  1. Dear Sirs/Ladies
  2. Dear Ladies/Sirs
  3. Dear Sirs and Ladies
  4. Dear Ladies and Sirs
  • With given names to a group of more than three people (all male): Dear Sirs
  • With given names to a group of more than three people (all female): Dear Ladies 
  • With a given first and last name and the gender is not clear:  Dear Alex Smith
Here is a list of closers which apply to all formal emails regardless of their content:
  • With kind regards
  • Kind regards
  • Regards
You can hereby find a document on how to address various VIPs in different contexts.

Composite nouns and possessives

Here you can find some information on composite nouns and possessives with exercises, as well as the key for the exercises. I am hereby also making another document on the same topics with exercises, as well as the key for the exercises.

Prepositions

Basic prepositions:
Here you can find some exercises on basic prepositions.  The key to the exercises is hereby made available. (Source: English Grammar in Use: Intermediate by Raymond Murphy)

Noun, adjective and verb + preposition:
Here you can find some exercises on nouns, adjectives and verbs which are used with certain prepositions.  The key for the exercises are also hereby made available. (Source: English Grammar in Use: Intermediate by Raymond Murphy). Here is a list of words with prepositions.

Phrasal verbs:
Here you can find some exercises on phrasal verbs.  The key to the exercises is hereby made available. (Source: English Grammar in Use: Intermediate by Raymond Murphy)

You can hereby find a link for more online exercises on the topics above.

Future tenses

Here you can find many exercises on tenses.  I am also hereby making a list of all the tenses and key words available. You can do exercises 18 - 28, which deal with future tenses.