Quantifiers

B2.1

UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS can be made countable by using partitive constructions (a piece of, a bottle of, a loaf of, an item of...)

For a list of PARTITIVE EXPRESSIONS follow this LINK

QUANTIFIERS

B2.1

 ONLINE EXERCISES 

LITTLE/A LITTLE/ FEW/ A FEW
LINK

BOTH/NEITHER/NONE/MOST/ALL...

LINK

Phrasal verbs C1.1

FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR A LIST OF PHRASAL VERBS WITH A DEFINITION PLUS EXAMPLE.

MIXED PHRASAL VERBS EXERCISES
EXERCISE 1
EXERCISE 2
EXERCISE 3

http://www.englishpage.com/prepositions/phrasalverbs3.htm

PASSIVE VOICE

C1.1

HAVE SOME PRACTICE ON IMPERSONAL PASSIVE VOICE

TRY SOME MORE HERE

MODAL VERBS

What are Modal Verbs?

Modal verbs are special verbs which behave very differently from normal verbs. Here are some important differences:
1. Modal verbs do not take "-s" in the third person.

Examples:

• He can speak Chinese.
• She should be here by 9:00.

2. You use "not" to make modal verbs negative, even in Simple Present and Simple Past.

Examples:

• He should not be late.
• They might not come to the party.

3. Many modal verbs cannot be used in the past tenses or the future tenses.

Examples:

• He will can go with us. Not Correct
• She musted study very hard. Not Correct

Common Modal Verbs

Can Could May Might Must

Ought to Shall Should Will Would

BASIC EXERCISE TO REVISE MODAL VERBS
Exercise 2



PARTICIPLE CLAUSES

Participle clauses

We can use participle clauses after a noun in the same way as relative clauses. This gives more information about the noun. We sometimes call this a 'reduced relative clause'.

1.  A present participle (verb + ing) can be used in the same way as an active relative clause:

The man driving the car is a friend of mine.

(= The man who is driving the car is a friend of mine).

The present participle can replace any active tense, not just the present continuous tense:

Lorries coming over the bridge have to be careful of the wind.

(= Lorries that come over the bridge have to be careful of the wind).

Who was the girl wearing the red dress?

(= Who was the girl who was wearing the red dress?).

Students handing in their essays late will lose ten marks.

(= Students who hand in their essays late will lose ten marks).

2.   A past participle can be used in the same way as a simple passive relative clause:

We read the email sent by the manager.

(= We read the email that had been sent by the manager).

This vase, made in China in the 14th century, is very valuable.

(= This vase, which was made in China in the 14th century, is very valuable).

She only eats cakes made by her mother.

(= She only eats cakes that are made by her mother).

3. 'Being + past participle' can be used in the same way as a continuous passive relative clause:

The poem being read by the actor was written by my brother.

(= The poem that is being read by the actor was written by my brother).

The strawberries being eaten at the wedding were grown in Scotland.

(= The strawberries that are being eaten at the wedding).

Things to notice:

1: We generally don't use perfect participles ('having + past participle') in this case.

2: We can't use this kind of participle clause if we're talking about one finished action which is not repeated:

Not: Who was the girl dropping the coffee?

Instead, we use a normal relative clause:

Who was the girl who dropped the coffee?

 Participle clauses can be used as “reduced relative clauses”

·         Do you know those children standing at the bus stop? (who are standing at the bus stop)

But they can also give information about the time, cause or result of the events described:

·         Opening her eyes, the baby began to cry (when he opened her eyes)

·         Faced with a huge bill, John has taken an extra job (because he is faced with a huge bill)

·    Looked after carefully, the plant can live through the Winter (if it is looked after carefully)

Note that the subject of the participle clause is usually the same as the subject of the main clause.

Note that we can use either a present participle (-ing) or having + past participle with a similar meaning when the action in the participle clause is complete before the action in the main clause begins:

·         Taking off his shoes, Ray walked into the house (= having taken off his shoes)

Have some practice following the LINKS:

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

PRONUNCIATION -ed ENDING

Irregular verbs

Verb patterns

INDIRECT QUESTIONS

Have some practice HERE

DESCRIBING HABITS

ONLINE EXERCISES

ONE

 TWO

AGREEING AND DISAGREEING

ONLINE EXERCISES

ONE

TWO

THREE

PHRASAL VERBS

FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR A LIST OF PHRASAL VERBS WITH A DEFINITION PLUS EXAMPLE.

HERE IS ANOTHER ONE. YOU'LL FIND THEM TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH.

MIXED PHRASAL VERBS EXERCISES
EXERCISE 1
EXERCISE 2
EXERCISE 3

http://www.englishpage.com/prepositions/phrasalverbs3.htm

VERB PATTERNS

I KNOW THIS IS A HIDEOUS GRAMMAR ISSUE BUT YOU MIGHT IMPROVE YOUR KNOWLEDGE WITH A BIT OF PRACTICE. 
TRY THE FOLLOWING LINKS.

EXERCISE 1

EXERCISE 2

EXERCISE 3

USED TO / WOULD

EXERCISE 1

EXERCISE 2

GIVING OPINIONS

Useful expressions to give opinions LINK

You can download a recording HERE

British vs American English

While there are certainly many more varieties of English, American English and British English are the two varieties that are taught in most ESL/EFL programs. Generally, it is agreed that no one version is "correct" however, there are certainly preferences in use. The three major differences between between American and British English are:

• Pronunciation - differences in both vowel and consonants, as well as stress and intonation
• Vocabulary - differences in nouns and verbs, especially phrasal verb usage
• Spelling - differences are generally found in certain prefix and suffix forms

The most important rule of thumb is to try to be consistent in your usage. If you decide that you want to use American English spellings then be consistent in your spelling (i.e. The color of the orange is also its flavour - color is American spelling and flavour is British), this is of course not always easy - or possible. The following guide is meant to point out the principal differences between these two varieties of English.

Use of the Present Perfect

In British English the present perfect is used to express an action that has occurred in the recent past that has an effect on the present moment. For example:

I've lost my key. Can you help me look for it?

In American English the following is also possible:

I lost my key. Can you help me look for it?

In British English the above would be considered incorrect. However, both forms are generally accepted in standard American English. Other differences involving the use of the present perfect in British English and simple past in American English include already, just and yet.

British English:

I've just had lunch

I've already seen that film

Have you finished your homework yet?

American English:

I just had lunch OR I've just had lunch

I've already seen that film OR I already saw that film.

Have your finished your homework yet? OR Did you finish your homework yet?

Possession

There are two forms to express possession in English. Have or Have got

Do you have a car?

Have you got a car?

He hasn't got any friends.

He doesn't have any friends.

She has a beautiful new home.

She's got a beautiful new home.

While both forms are correct (and accepted in both British and American English), have got (have you got, he hasn't got, etc.) is generally the preferred form in British English while most speakers of American English employ the have (do you have, he doesn't have etc.)

The Verb Get

The past participle of the verb get is gotten in American English. Example He's gotten much better at playing tennis. British English - He's got much better at playing tennis.

Vocabulary

Probably the major differences between British and American English lies in the choice of vocabulary. Some words mean different things in the two varieties for example:

Mean: (American English - angry, bad humored, British English - not generous, tight fisted)

Rubber: (American English - condom, British English - tool used to erase pencil markings)

There are many more examples (too many for me to list here). If there is a difference in usage, your dictionary will note the different meanings in its definition of the term. Many vocabulary items are also used in one form and not in the other. One of the best examples of this is the terminology used for automobiles.

American English - hood

British English - Bonnet

American English - trunk

British English - boot

American English - truck

British English - lorry

Once again, your dictionary should list whether the term is used in British English or American English.

For a more complete list of the vocabulary differences between British and American English use this British vs. American English vocabulary tool.

Prepositions

There are also a few differences in preposition use including the following:

American English - on the weekend

British English - at the weekend

American English - on a team

British English - in a team

American English - please write me soon

British English - please write to me soon

Past Simple/Past Participles

The following verbs have two acceptable forms of the past simple/past participle in both American and British English, however, the irregular form is generally more common in British English (the first form of the two) and the regular form is more common to American English

Burn

Burnt OR burned

Dream

dreamt OR dreamed

Lean

leant OR leaned

Learn

learnt OR learned

Smell

smelt OR smelled

Spell

spelt OR spelled

Spill

spilt OR spilled

Spoil

spoilt OR spoiled

Spelling

Here are some general differences between British and American spellings:

Words ending in -or (American) -our (British) color, colour, humor, humour, flavor, flavour etc.
Words ending in -ize (American) -ise (British) recognize, recognise, patronize, patronise etc.

The best way to make sure that you are being consistent in your spelling is to use the spell check on your word processor (if you are using the computer of course) and choose which variety of English you would like. As you can see, there are really very few differences between standard British English and standard American English. However, the largest difference is probably that of the choice of vocabulary and pronunciation. 

ENGLISH VS AMERICAN PRONUNCIATION

AMERICAN AND BRITISH ENGLISH

American	British	Spanish
antenna	aerial	antena
apartment	flat	apartamento
baggage	luggage	equipaje
cab	taxi	taxi
can	tin	lata
candy	sweet	caramelo
chips	crisps	papas fritas (en bolsa)
closet	wardrobe	armario
cookie	biscuit	galleta
corn	maize	maíz
cuff	turn-up	dobladillo del pantalón
diaper	nappy	pañal
drapes	curtains	cortinas
elevator	lift	ascensor
eraser	rubber	goma de borrar
fall	autumn	otoño
faucet	tap	grifo
fender	bumper	parachoques
first floor	ground floor	planta baja
flashlight	torch	linterna
fries	chips	patatas fritas
garbage	rubbish	basura
garbage can	dustbin	cubo de basura
garbage collector	dustman	basurero
gas pedal	accelerator	acelerador
gasoline	petrol	gasolina
gear shift	gear lever	palanca de cambios
highway	motorway	autopista
hood	bonnet	capó
jello	jelly	gelatina
kerosene	paraffin	queroseno
license plate	number plate	patente
line	queue	cola, fila
mail	post	correo
movie	film	película
movie theater	cinema	cine
odometer	milometer	contador de kilómetros
overalls	dungarees	peto
pajamas	pyjamas	pijama
pants	trousers	pantalones
parking lot	car park	estacionamiento
period	full stop	punto
Scotch tape	Sellotape	cinta adhesiva
side mirror	wing mirror	espejo retrovisor lateral
sidewalk	pavement	acera
muffler	silencer	silenciador
sneakers	trainers	zapatillas
soccer	football	fútbol
splash guard	mudflap	guardabarros
stove	cooker	cocina
subway	underground	metro
suspenders	braces	tirantes
tire	tyre	neumático
truck	lorry	camión
undershirt	vest	camiseta
vacation	holiday	vacaciones
vest	waistcoat	chaleco
windshield	windscreen	parabrisas
windshield wiper	windscreen wiper	limpiaparabrisas
yard	garden	jardín
zip code	postcode	código postal
zipper	zip	cremallera

GRAMMAR REVISION

DO YOU STILL HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT GRAMMAR RULES?

FOLLOW THE LINK

IF YOU SCROLL DOWN YOU'LL COME TO THE INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED SECTIONS

INTENSIFYING ADVERBS

PRACTISE SOME USEFUL COLLOCATIONS 

 HERE

CLEFT SENTENCES

Explanation + Exercises HERE,  HERE and HERE