ESL people are sometimes at a loss about the correct SVA (Subject Verb Agreement) aspect of sentences with "who." There are two angles to look at this question from. 1. Where only "Who IS" right! Suppose you are walking into a room where a number of people are present. Would you use a singular verb or a plual verb in these sentences? Who is/are interested in Football? Who wants snacks? Who is eating pizza tonight? Even if you are asking this question to a group of people and sure that there will be more than one person as an answer, you are supposed to use A SINGULAR VERB. It is because we donot know the number of people beforehand. 2. Where only "Who ARE" right! However, there are instances where you need to use a plural verb. It is when you know the number of people in advance. In fact, here, you are not trying to count the people, but rather you want to know the names or something of those persons. Suppose you are going to a restaurant and see two peopl

"Take notice" and "Take note" mean the same: to pay attention. Make sure you put no article in the phrase. We need to take note of possible dangers of this action. "Take notes" and "Take a note" mean the same: to write down key points from your tutor. I used to take notes from my teacher when I was in high school; otherwise, she would kick me out. "Make a note of" is the same as "Take notes." However, the former more means preparing a reminder-like record, whereas the latter means the typical class-time activity. We have another expression: "Make a mental note of." This is means make an effort to remember something in mind.

We have all studied that we can't use indefinite articles (A or An) before uncountable nouns. As a matter of fact, we can use indefinite articles before uncountable nouns if we refer to specific ones. Uncountable Nouns means nouns that we can't count. For the same reason counting them with an indefinite article is not reasonable. However, it is the teaching for beginners. When you reach an advanced level, you can find plenty of instances of indefinite pronouns coming before uncountable nouns. In these instances, we are not actually counting them; instead, we are meaning "certain kind of a."  The land was invaded by deadly pollution. (it is a general idea; there is no article). The land was invaded by a deadly pollution. (we are trying to specify the pollution by alluding to its intensity, nature, or cause; it tends to mean some kind of a) The usage of indefinite pronouns before uncountable nouns is plenty to see at places where such uncountable nouns are followed by a

"Where is John?" Well; you can't see John in the classroom because he has made a practice of not attending classes. In this blog, let us look at several ways of telling someone not attending classes. 1. Blow off John is a real slacker; he always blows off classes from the professor. 2. Skip Sam is known for skipping classes even before finals. 3. Cut class/school Sam was grounded last Friday for cutting class. 4. Play hooky John was caught by the principal again while trying to play hooky. 5. Ditch class She ditched class again today? What a loser!

What is the difference between ONLY BY and BY ONLY. Although they are interchangeable sometimes, they can mean differently in many places. ONLY BY means "this is the only means to carry out the mentioned thing." A serious tone. For e.g. You can pass the test only by studying. This sentence means only studying can help you pass the test. BY ONLY means "just this is enough." An easy tone. For e.g. You can pass thest by only studying the night before. This sentence means just studying the night before can help you pass the test. Sometimes, BY ONLY means "this alone." For e.g. You can't pass the test by  Furthermore, you can put ONLY in various places with the same meaning. Our interpretation is all that matters. For example, all these sentences are correct. You can't judge a clothe's quality only by looking at the fabric. You can't judge a clothe's quality by only looking at the fabric. You can't judge a clothe's quality by looking

Desert and Dessert are a minimal pair. They have different pronunciation and meaning. DESERT DESERT can be a noun or a verb. As a noun, DESERT means a sand stretch.  As a noun, the pronunciation is this:   / ˈdez.ɚt /. As a verb, DESERT means to abandon someone. As a noun, the pronunciation is this:  / dɪˈzɝːt /. DESSERT  DESSERT is a noun. It means the sweets that is had after meals.  The pronunciation is this:  / dɪˈzɝːt /. Watch a YouTube video lesson on the usage, pronunciation, and grammar of Desert and Dessert.

INTRODUCTION A sentence structure means a particular order in which words need to be arranged in order to form a meaningful sentence. There are several sentence structures in the English language for you to make up a sentence. The same idea can be put in different structures. SVO Sentence Structure SVO is structure is one of the most commonly used sentence structure in the English. S stands for the SUBJECT of the sentence. Subject is the person or the thing that does the action in the sentence or what the verb is about. V stands for the VERB of the sentence. Verb is the action that is carried out by the subject of the sentence or the what connects the subject to the complement (adjectives or other extra information about the subject). O stands for the OBJECT of the sentence. Object is the person or the thing that is affected by the action of the subject. Not all sentences should necessarily have an object; it is added if there is one. Sentences with intransitive verbs, for one, will ha

Despite the popular misconception and sometimes interchangeable usages, there is a difference between DREAM OF and DREAM ABOUT.   DREAM OF Dream Of refers to someone's ambition or desire. For example. He dreams of being the president of the country. He dreams of becoming a doctor in the future. DREAM ABOUT Dream About means the actual dream content someone see in his/her dream. Last night, I dreamed about my college-time friends. I always dreams about owing a car. HEADS-UP The verb Dream has two past tense forms (v2): Dreamed and Dreamt. Dreamed is more American. "Dream of" is normally followed by a gerund phrase, whereas "Dream about" normally has a noun after, not necessarily though. Watch a YouTube video lesson on the topic: The Difference Between Dream of and Dream about .

Unlike reading digits, reading years in English can be a bit tricky since the natural way of reading dates can vary from decades to decades and century to century. This blog will cover everything you need to know about telling years in English. Reading years in English 1. Years before 999 For years before 999, read them just like numbers. in 999 CE - in nine hundred and ninety-nine CE in 900 CE - in nine hundred CE in 801 CE - in eight hundred and one CE in 71 CE - in seventy-one CE 2. Years from 1000 to 1999 Reading dates from 1000 to 1999 is rather difficult since varied ways are there. We need to sub-categorize them further for convenience. 1. Years ending in 00 Read them as hundreds. in 1800 - in eighteen hundred in 1100 - in eleven hundred 2. Years ending in 01, 02, 03, 04, to 09 Read the first digits in tens, read the zero as "oh" and read the last digit in 1901 - in nineteen oh one in 1105 - in eleven oh five in 1509 - in fifteen oh nine 3. Years with first and third d

In English, there are quite a few constructions to express the obligation. Among them, sentences with "has/have" are more common. Interestingly, both formal and informal ways of putting them are in action. In this blog, we will introduce you to the way of phrasing obligation using has/have in both formal and informal ways. As a side note, regardless of what you hear, you better stick to one single method to accelerate your journey to being fluent. However, please be remembered that the usage mentioned below will be unacceptable in some states. 1. Has/Have + To This method is both formal and usual. As a rule of thumb, better you stick to this method. Positive : She has to go Negative : She does not have to go Positive question : Does she have to go? Negative question : Doesn't she have to go 2. Has Got/ Have Got You will be more familiar with this structure through movies. This is a bit informal but can be widely heard. But, this structure is most common with positive stat

Sometimes, we don't wear a watch. What if you need to know the time in such a situation? Well, there will be people around you whom you can ask for the time. Bow how will you ask? Don't sweat; this blog will teach you everything about asking and telling the time in English. All you need to do is just learn by heart one expression from the following and stick to it always. Telling and asking the time in English Common Expressions To Ask The Time In English What time is it? What is the time? Do you have the time? I don't have the time I am not wearing a watch Telling The Time In English 1. Reading in digits Tell the time in digits just as you see it. 4:25 - it is four twenty-five 4:00 - it is four 4:00 - it is four' o clock 4:23 - it is four twenty-three 4:07 - it is four o seven 2. Using terms like past, quarter, half 4:15 - it is a quarter past four 4:30 - it is half past four 4:45 - it is a quarter to five 4:10 - it is ten past four 4:12 - it is twelve minutes past fou

Telling the time alone or the date alone could be easy; what if there are both? What would be the order of putting them? Today, we will look into that. Suppose the event is "the prime minister will address the nation." Let us put the sentence together with different time and date frames. 1. Year only: 2025 example: The prime minister will address the nation in 2025. (Tips: if it is only year, use the preposition "in.") 2. Year and months: 2025, December example: The prime minister will address the nation in December 2025. 3. Time only: 4:00 p.m. Example: The prime minister will address the nation at 4:00 p.m. 4. Time and session of the day: 4:00 p.m., evening Example: The prime minister will address the nation at 4:00 pm in the evening. 5. Day and session of the day: Monday, evening Example: The prime minister will address the nation on Monday evening. 6. Day, session of the day, time: Monday, evening, 4:00 pm Example: The prime minister will address the n

cooking and kitchen vocabulary in English This American English lesson has incorporated both kitchen vocabulary and cooking vocabulary because while you prepare a meal both scenarios work out at the same time. In this spoken English lesson, you will learn 200 cooking-time dialogues, cooking instructions, cooking verbs, cooking vocabulary, kitchen vocabulary, and kitchen verbs. Although the lesson has plenty of content, the best part is that there are only so many verbs and phrases we say in English while we cook in the kitchen. Once you have mastered them, you are all set for talking about cooking in English. A trick to master cooking and kitchen verbs; the majority of them are in the form of phrasal verbs. If you have a knack for choosing the correct preposition with a verb, you can make many more commands with the same verbs with the same verb maneuvering them for separate contexts. For example, the verb "cut" can be used with prepositions like "off, out, in". For

Is it correct to say cousin brother or cousin sister? Is the usage of "cousin brother and cousin sister" correct in English? Absolutely no! The term means something entirely different from what you have in mind to convey. Many students from countries where English is taught as a second language use "cousin brother or cousin sister" to refer to their cousins. The problem is that the word "cousin" is a gender-neutral word. Those words have a meaning of their own. If you say "cousin brother or cousin sister", it implies the infidelity of your parents. Next question, what is the proper way to specify the gender of your cousin in the sentence? The answer is that you can say "male cousin" and "female cousin." Support My Mission : This is a single-man venture. If you find value in the free English lectures and resources provided here, please consider making a donation to support my ongoing efforts. Your contribution helps me maint

This blog post tells you how Americans give commands when driving. Of course, there are various ways to tell the same thing. But as a second language learner of English, the best way for you to approach these real-life English contexts is to stick to a single way of phrasing a particular thing. That way your mind won't get stuck up between different usages for the same command. It is pretty okay if you try to know every other usage, but be mindful to stick to one when you try using them. Driving vocabulary in American English There are only so many things we need to speak about driving. Never mind your usual chat during driving! Also, this blog is intended for advanced learners of English. So the grammar, meaning, or explanation won't be given for the phrases below. But you will get it! We are going to approach the vocabulary in the order of we approaching a car to drive. Also, notice that there are differences in terminologies. Americans would say blinkers for indicators, gas