Present Perfect

The present perfect is NOT perfect. It can be difficult and complicated, but is a VERY important verb form in both spoken and written English.

Grammar books (and teachers) often disagree on how to best teach this form; however, I think the best way to learn it is to study these three rules and gets LOTS of practice

Click here to view my RULES document with examples and explanations

And now, to get some basic practice with FORM for the present perfect, try these web sites:

Practice 1
Practice 2
Practice 3
Practice 4

Now, you can try these web sites to practice with the present perfect and past simple together (these are a bit harder but great practice!)

These first few exercises are fairly easy, but a great place to start for review:
Practice 5
Practice 6
Practice 7
These exercises are a bit more challenging!
Practice 8
Practice 9
Practice 10
Practice 11
Practice 12
Practice 13
Practice 14
Practice 15

Do you like music? Have you heard any songs lately that use the present perfect? We use it a lot!  Here are links to a few that I like:

Rod Stewart: Have I Told You Lately? (live)
Click here to view the lyrics to this song.

Rod Stewart (again!): Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
Click here to view the lyrics.

U2: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. (Live in Italy!) (Oh, I like this one a lot!)
Click here to view the lyrics.

Prepositions

Prepositions, those tricky little words like "in," "on," and "at," that give all English learners some trouble, are among the most challenging aspects of our language to master.

How well do you know your prepositions?

Start be CLICKING HERE for an easy "usingenglish.com" quiz!

Next, CLICK HERE to view a list of English prepositions and some rules.


For more good practice quizzes, click the links below:

Quiz 1

Quiz 2


For more information about the rules, (how many did you already know? how many are new for you?) click below:

Comprehensive preposition rules

Rules for ON, IN, AT


The sites below include a number of other good practice activities:

Better English.com practice

Practice site 2


Finally, prepositions are made even more complicated by the fact that they are an essential part of phrasal verbs and many idioms and collocations.  Click the links below to learn more and practice with these:

Prepositions and phrasal verbs practice


Time prepositions, in idioms, etc.


Prepositions in expressions

Best OF luck TO you WITH your preposition practice!

Transition Words

Transition words, also known as “conjunctive adverbs,” are excellent additions to a writer's toolbox.  INDEED, they are especially useful for improving the clarity and quality of a piece of writing.

These words and phrases allow us to connect ideas (mainly in formal, written English) in a variety of ways.  FOR EXAMPLE, we might use them to add information, contrast ideas, or inform the reader of time relationships between events.  IN ADDITION, transition words can be used to introduce a summary of ideas and connect clauses that show cause and effect. There are so many possible ways to use them!

Transition words are particularly important in written communication. HOWEVER, if they are used incorrectly, they can do more harm than good.  THEREFORE, let’s get some practice and make sure we know how to use them…

Some Transition Word Videos:

• Adding information (Engvid)
• Cause and effect (Engvid)
• However(LearnAmericanEnglish Online)
• Nevertheless (Learn AmericanEnglishOnline)

Additional information: 

• All About Transition Words (Grammarly)

For Practice:

• Here is a useful Quizlet page to review these words (*Note- this also includes some coordinating and subordinate conjunctions)
  
• Practice from "to Learn English" (Multiple choice activity)
  
• Another Practice from "to Learn English" (Multiple choice activity)
• 4 Linking word practice exercises from "Flo Joe"
• Chart and printable exercises, from MDC.EDU
  
• Practice using a variety of connecting words in writing (English Hints)
  

 

 

Adjective Clauses, Part 1

An adjective clause (also called a ”relative clause”) is a group of words that modifies a noun. It is used to link two ideas, to give us more information about a noun in the sentence.

A few things to remember:

1. Adjective clauses begin with a word called a “relative pronoun.” These include: who, whom, which, that, whose (and also where and when).
 
2. Each adjective clause should have a subject (see notes 7 and 8 below), a verb, and express some kind of  idea.
 
3. Apart from the adjective clause, the sentence should also have a main clause with its own subject, verb, and ”complete” idea.

• CORRECT: The scientist who researched DNA in the 1980s made many important discoveries. (modifies “scientist”)

• INCORRECT: The scientist who researched DNA in the 1980s. (the main clause in not complete- has only a subject)

4. An adjective clause is (generally) placed directly after the noun (or noun phrase) it modifies.

• CORRECT: The scientist who researched DNA in the 1980s made many important discoveries. (modifies “scientist”)

• INCORRECT: The scientist made many important discoveries who researched DNA in the 1980s. (OOPS! Does not modify “discoveries”!)

5. Because of rule number 4, adjective clauses sometimes fall at the end of a sentence…

• EXAMPLE: The researcher made many important discoveries that changed the world’s view of human evolution. (OK- this one modifies “discoveries”)

6. Or sometimes the adjective clause will split the main clause and fall in the middle of the sentence. (see “the scientist” example in #7)

7. Sometimes a relative pronoun acts as the subject of the adjective clause…

• EXAMPLE: The scientist who researched DNA in the 1980s made many important discoveries. (who=subject, researched=verb)

8. And sometimes a relative pronoun acts as the object of the adjective clause…

• EXAMPLE: The scientist whom he assisted made many important discoveries about DNA. (he=subject, assisted=verb, whom=object)

9. WHOSE is a possessive relative pronoun.  It is always followed by a noun and can act as either subject or object…

• EXAMPLE: The scientist whose research changed the world’s view of human evolution is recognized around the world. (Her research=subject, changed=verb)

• EXAMPLE: The archaeologist whose program we watched on the History Channel discovered a lost Greek city. (we=subject, watched=verb, his program=object)

Try this exercise to practice with subject and object relative pronouns:

• Exercise 1

Here is one to practice combining sentences with adjective clauses:

• Exercise 2

With this one, you can practice with “who” (subject) and “whom” (object):

• Exercise 3

And here are a few to practice with the relative pronouns who, which, and whose:

• Exercise 4
• Exercise 5
• Exercise 6
• Exercise 7 (also includes "who's," and is not only relative clauses)

 

Welcome!

I love English grammar! Do you?

 

This blog is meant to serve as a resource for advanced level English Language Learners who are interested in improving their grammar and increasing their knowledge of all of the (admittedly crazy) rules that determine how we speak and write in English.

I created this blog for students in my adult education advanced grammar course and my university-level ESOL writing classes;  in order to be effective writers and editors, we need to know as much as we can about the structure and mechanics of the language (or at least we should know where to find this information!)

So, non-native speaking university students, high school students, business-people, and anyone living abroad and ready to explore the advanced aspects of English grammar, this just might be the blog for you!

Thanks!