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Copyright: © Copyright Shayna Oliveira 2015
A gerund is a word that looks like a verb, but functions as a noun in the sentence. Gerunds are formed by using the -ING form of the verb - reading, swimming, studying, etc. - but when it comes to grammar, they act as nouns.
Here are some common ways to use gerunds in English - and some practice sentences so you can use them yourself!
You can study grammar for hours, but can you actually use grammar well?
It's very important to create your own sentences with the grammar you are learning - this will help you remember it better, and then you'll be able to use English grammar more naturally when speaking or writing.
You can try putting grammar into practice by yourself, but it's easier when you have a ready-made exercise or writing task. You'll find these inside my Advanced English Grammar Course.
What if you're not yet advanced?
In that case, I'd recommend studying my Basic & Intermediate English Grammar E-Books, or watching my grammar playlist on YouTube - you will learn a lot!
The word spot has a few different meanings in English.The word spot has a few different meanings in English. Here are the three most common:
Today we'll focus on definition #2 - spot meaning a place, location, or area. There are many common collocations (word combinations) with "spot."
Learning collocations is a great way to help you put words together in ways that sound natural.
My 1000 collocations e-book makes studying collocations quick, easy, and fun! It only takes about 10 minutes to read each lesson and take the practice quiz, making this the perfect e-book for you if you don't have much time.
Are you ready to practice your pronunciation? Today we're going to work on three very common words in English: where, were, and we're - individually and in sentences.
To get the most benefit out of this lesson, don't just watch... instead, actually repeat everything after me!
When it comes to pronunciation, practice makes perfect! If you keep working on it - especially by listening to a native speaker and trying to imitate - your pronunciation will get better and better.
I can help you practice more if you join my Pronunciation and Shadowing Courses, which include lots of listen-and-repeat exercises. You can try some free samples here:
Today I'll teach you 10 English expressions with the words "easy" and "hard." These individual words have simple definitions, but when they are used in idioms, the expression might have a different meaning than you expect. You'll learn what it means when we say "easy does it" and "hard pass," as well as "he got off easy" and "that's hard to swallow." Take the lesson to find out what these idioms mean!
How can you learn idioms like these more effectively? My 300+ English Idioms Course can help you! Each lesson follows this format:
You can sign up and start learning today – or try the free sample lesson: English Idioms - Food.
Do you know when to use "of" vs. "from" in English? Using the wrong preposition is a very common mistake. Many other languages have just one word for both "of" and "from," but in English we use these two words in several different ways.
Learning English grammar can seem like an impossible task... but I want to help you do it step by step! That's why I have grammar products for all levels of English learners:
My students who have these e-books and courses love the easy-to-understand lessons and practical examples and exercises. If you're having difficulty with grammar, or if you want to build your confidence in using English correctly, check out the e-books and course.
Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb + preposition, like get up and find out. Phrasal verbs often have specific meanings that may not be obvious from the words themselves. In today's lesson, I'll explain four phrasal verbs that students have asked me about recently: hook up, plug away, ward off, and whip up.
These are just a few of the THOUSANDS of phrasal verbs we have in the English language - and we use them every day! You can learn more than 500 phrasal verbs in the Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course. This is an easy and fun way to learn phrasal verbs in context and put them into practice in your own English.
Spoken English has a lot of little expressions that are used frequently by native speakers - and some of these expressions are so similar that you might accidentally mix them up. Two such expressions are "give you peace of mind" and "give someone a piece of your mind" - they sound almost the same, but they are in fact very different.
I hope this lesson has helped make these expressions clear! As always, try to put the phrases into practice by creating your own examples. If you want to learn hundreds more phrases that native English speakers use in everyday life, you can join my Everyday English Speaking Courses. They are based on dialogues, and very useful for improving your spoken English.
A lot of English learners get confused about the words food, dish, meal, and cuisine. These all refer to the general topic of eating, but there are some important differences in how we use each one. In today's lesson, I'll explain when to use these words so that you'll understand them clearly.
If you enjoy my explanations and you want to learn more, then you'll love my e-book, 600+ Confusing English Words Explained! This e-book will teach you the distinctions among "families" of words (like ache, pain, and hurt; critic, critical, criticism, and critique) as well as words that look or seem similar, but are actually different (explore and exploit, interfere and intervene, raise and rise).
Are you ready for some pronunciation practice? In today's lesson we're going to work on pronouncing English words starting with DR-. There are two small but important details that you need to know in order for your pronunciation of these words to sound good - click on the lesson to learn, listen, and repeat!
If you want to train all the different sounds in English and improve your pronunciation, you can sign up for my pronunciation and shadowing courses. There's a discount if you join both courses together.
Today's question comes from a student who was watching a movie. In this movie, one character said to another, "Get lost," so the student is asking what this expression means in context. Today, I'll explain this phrase and also teach you some other informal expressions with the word "get," such as get a grip, get off my case, get bent out of shape, and more.
That's just a small sampling of the many colorful informal expressions that we have in the English language using the word "get." In order to remember these phrases better, I suggest trying to write your own sentences with them! If you want to add more interesting expressions to your own English, join my 300+ English Idioms Course. Not only will you learn a lot of common idioms, but you'll also practice them with quizzes and short-answer exercises that you can send in for correction and feedback.
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