Quick Answer Passive reporting structures let you report what people say or think without naming them. There are two patterns, both formal and impersonal. People say he is rich. → It is said that he is rich. · He is said to be rich. See the Two Patterns Start from a normal sentence like “People…
Quick Answer Nominalisation means turning a verb or adjective into a noun. It makes writing sound more formal and academic, and packs more information into fewer words. Verb: They decided quickly. → Noun: Their quick decision… Verb: Prices rose sharply. → Noun: There was a sharp rise in prices. See the Pattern — Verbs and…
Quick Answer In formal English, you can drop “if” and invert the subject and verb to make a conditional sound more elegant. Three verbs allow this: Had, Were, and Should. If I had known → Had I known. · If it were not for you → Were it not for you. · If you should…
Quick Answer A participle clause makes a sentence shorter by dropping the subject and turning the verb into an -ing form (active) or an -ed form (passive). Full: Because she felt tired, she left early. Shorter: Feeling tired, she left early. · Built in 1889, the tower still stands. See the Three Types of Participle…
Quick Answer Use were for every subject when the situation is imaginary or unreal — including I, he, she, and it. This special “were” is called the subjunctive. Unreal: If I were you, I’d say sorry. · I wish it were Friday. Real past fact: When I was a child, I lived in Cairo. See…
Quick Answer A mixed conditional joins two different times in one sentence — usually an unreal past and an unreal present. The if part and the result part do not share the same time. Past cause, present result: If I had taken that job, I would be in Paris now. Present cause, past result: If…
blue /bloo/ Listen Blue is the colour of the sky on a sunny day, the sea, and your jeans. Quick Answer Blue is the colour of the sky on a sunny day, the sea, and your jeans. In English, colour words go BEFORE the noun: “a blue car”, not “a car blue”. Example: The sky…
yellow /YEL-oh/ Listen Yellow is the colour of bananas, the sun, lemons, and school buses. Quick Answer Yellow is the colour of bananas, the sun, lemons, and school buses. In English, colour words go BEFORE the noun: “a yellow car”, not “a car yellow”. Example: A banana is yellow. Yellow in 3 Sentences Read these…
green /green/ Listen Green is the colour of grass, trees, and most leaves. Quick Answer Green is the colour of grass, trees, and most leaves. In English, colour words go BEFORE the noun: “a green car”, not “a car green”. Example: Grass is green. Green in 3 Sentences Read these three sentences. Notice how green…
orange /OR-inj/ Listen Orange is the colour of pumpkins, traffic cones, and fire. Quick Answer Orange is the colour of pumpkins, traffic cones, and fire. In English, colour words go BEFORE the noun: “an orange car”, not “a car orange”. Example: The pumpkin is orange. Orange in 3 Sentences Read these three sentences. Notice how…
