Some aspects of English grammar can be challenging, even for advanced speakers. This is because they are peculiar. Peculiar means unusual and special. These aspects of English grammar are peculiar because they are different from many other languages and even different from the way English usually works.
Using "they" correctly to refer to gender in English.
Using "they" for one person has a long history in English. This video looks at how to use personal pronouns.
Question tags
How the same words can form a question or statement in English. It all depends on how you use your voice.
Two of us
Describing how many people there are.
Only on Australia
When a sentence starts with a negative form, the main verb is usually expressed as a question.
Have a look at how this is used in practice.
Suggest
The word "suggest" isn't used the same way as some other verbs and can be a bit tricky. Here are some examples of how to use it correctly.
Reported speech
How do you talk about what someone else has said?
"Until" refers to a situation in the present continuing up to a certain point of time in the future, or a situation starting in the past which continued up to a certain point of time, or which may continue into the future. It may also refer to a time or situation that may not eventuate. It can be a difficult word to master.
This video looks at how "until" can be used correctly.
Colons and semi-colons
Many people avoid these two forms of punctuation because they feel unsure how to use them correctly. This video show you how you can use them in two clear and simple ways to improve your academic writing.
Apostrophes
The possessive apostrophe in English can be tricky.
This video looks at how to use it, with a special focus on how to apply it with plural nouns.
Gerund (-ing)
One of the most common grammar errors in English is forgetting or misusing the -ing form (gerund). This video shows how you need to use gerund after prepositions and certain verbs and explains the difference between 'stop / remember doing' and 'stop / remember to do'.
Research
Talking about research in your writing in English can be tricky.
Discover how to use terms such as "research", "study", "literature" or "article" correctly in your English academic writing.
"Hope" or "wish"
Both of these verbs express a sentiment relating to a desire for something to occur or to be different, but using them correctly can be tricky.
Shifting stress
Some words can be used as nouns or verbs, but need to be stressed differently in each case. This video helps you understand how stress the correct syllable depending on how the words are used.
Adjectives and prepositions
This video looks at adjectives followed by prepositions. This can be tricky because you need to know the right preposition to go with the adjective; word combinations like, "interested in" or "afraid of".
It can be a little bit difficult to get right because there are so many different adjectives that combine with particular prepositions.
Confusing words
English does have some words that can be confusing because they may be written in a similar way, but have different use or functions. We explore some of them in this video.
Activities
These tasks will help to practise using some of these confusing words in context.
Irregular verbs
English, like many other languages, has some verbs that don't follow the standard rules. These videos look at how to use some examples.
Real conditionals
This video looks at talking about how to express possible situations that use 'if'.
Unreal conditionals
This video looks at talking about imagined actions and consequences of events and situations in both the past and present that could have happened, or might happen.
Will
This video looks at how the word "will" can be used to talk about the future, or to infer something about which we are reasonably sure.
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