Quick Answer Regular verbs add -ed to make the past tense: walk → walked, play → played. Irregular verbs change in their own way: go → went, eat → ate. You cannot add -ed to irregular verbs — you need to learn each one. Walk, Walked vs Go, Went — See the Difference Look at…
Quick Answer Mass nouns are words for things you cannot count one by one — like water, rice, or information. You do not say “two waters” or “three informations.” Collective nouns are words for groups — like team, family, or flock. You can count groups: “one team, two teams.” Mass Nouns vs Collective Nouns —…
Quick Answer A contraction joins two words into one shorter word with an apostrophe: do not → don’t, I am → I’m. The apostrophe (‘) stands exactly where the missing letters used to be. Contractions You Hear Every Day Native speakers use contractions in almost every sentence. Look how they are built: Did you see…
Quick Answer A compound word is made from two or more smaller words put together. The new word has its own meaning. sun + flower = sunflower (a type of plant)ice + cream = ice cream (a cold dessert)mother + in + law = mother-in-law (your partner’s mother) Three Types of Compound Words — See…
Quick Answer An acronym is a short word made from the first letters of other words — like NASA or ASAP (as soon as possible). You say it like a normal word. If you say each letter separately, like BBC, it is called an initialism. Acronyms You Already Know You probably use acronyms every day…
Quick Answer Auxiliary verbs are helping words. They help the main verb to make questions, negatives, and different tenses. The three main helping verbs are be, have, and do. Example: She is reading a book. (is = helping verb, reading = main verb) Be, Have, Do — The Three Helping Verbs Look at these sentences….
Quick Answer English has different types of verbs. The main ones are modal verbs (can, must, should), stative verbs (know, love, believe), action verbs (run, eat, write), transitive verbs (need an object after them), intransitive verbs (no object needed), and infinitives (to + verb). Example: She can speak English. (can = modal verb — it…
Quick Answer Illicit (adjective) means illegal or not allowed: “illicit trade”. Elicit (verb) means to draw out a reaction or answer: “Her joke elicited a laugh.” They sound identical — the meanings are worlds apart. Illicit and Elicit — See the Difference Same sound, completely different jobs. Look: Did you see the pattern? Illicit describes…
Quick Answer Use Ms. for any woman (married or not). Use Mrs. for a married woman. Use Miss for an unmarried woman. Not sure? Ms. is always safe. Ms. (say it like “Miz”) — Ms. Lee is our new teacher.Mrs. (say it like “Missiz”) — Mrs. Adams got married last year.Miss (say it like “Miss”)…
Quick Answer The past tense of know is knew. With “have” or “has,” use known. Every day: I know the answer. Yesterday: I knew the answer. Many times: I have known her for years. Know, Knew, Known — See the Pattern Read these sentences. Look at how the verb changes: Did you see the pattern?…
