21 Sep Borrow or Lend?
These two verbs can be very tricky to use properly if your first language uses one verb for both meanings. Such is the case in German and Swiss German, so it comes as no surprise when learners of English make this mistake. I've heard students using these verbs incorrectly a number of times, so let's have a look at how they're used.
01 Sep Stop smoking vs. Stop to smoke
Posted at 15:04h
in Grammar
Which is correct: 'I want to stop smoking' or 'I want to stop to smoke'? Grammatically, both sentences are correct. However, they have different meanings. The verb stop can be followed by a verb in the infinitive (to ...) or an -ing form (also known as gerunds).
29 Aug Fun with literal translations
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25 Aug Fun or Funny?
Posted at 15:32h
in Vocabulary
Have a look at these two sentences - one of them is incorrect:
The party was funny. The party was fun.
Which one is right? Fun and funny are two words in English (out of many!) that sound similar but have slightly different meanings - no wonder so many students confuse the two. Read on to find out which sentence is correct (and why).
18 Aug Apostrophes and Possessives: the ‘s form
The owner of this hair and nail salon close to where I live should have paid more attention in class (or at least checked their grammar before getting this sign). Using an apostrophe + s to make a noun plural is incorrect - a very common mistake which unfortunately looks even worse on a shop window. So how should we use the 's form?
28 Jul How do I talk about future plans?
In Swiss German, future tenses aren't really necessary to talk about future plans. Most of the time, words or phrases like 'tomorrow', 'next month' or 'next year' serve as indicators of the future.
It's not that simple in English, however. We can use two tenses when talking about future plans or decisions: be going + infinitive or the present continuous.
So, how do we use these two tenses to talk about future plans and arrangements in English?
21 Jul Word building: Prefixes
Prefixes can be quite confusing. Although some languages make use of prefixes like un- or in- to form negative adjectives, mentally translating from one language to another won't always help you get it right. The use of unsensitive instead of insensitive is a common mistake - here's why:
11 Jul Make or do?
Why is it wrong to say 'make the dishes?' Many students confuse do with make, but how can we tell which verb we should use? It all depends on the kind of activity you're talking about. Read on to find out!
02 Jul What verb form follows ‘didn’t’?
Didn't is used in negative sentences when we talk about finished actions. What verb form should I use after didn't?
