Adjectives and prepositions

Do you know how to use adjectives with prepositions like interested

in or similar to?
Look at these examples to see how adjectives are used with prepositions.
I'm interested in the idea.
My jacket is similar to yours.
She's brilliant at maths.
My neighbour is angry about the party.

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation
Some adjectives go with certain prepositions. There are no grammatical rules
for which preposition is used with which adjective, so it's a good idea to try to
learn them together. To help you do this, write new vocabulary in your
notebook in a sentence or phrase.
However, there are some patterns that can help you. Let's look at them first.
Remember that a preposition is followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form).

With at
We use at with adjectives like good/bad/amazing/brilliant/terrible, etc. to talk
about skills and abilities.
He's really good at English.
She's amazing at the piano.
They're terrible at organising anything.
I'm not very good at drawing.
With about
We often use about with adjectives of feelings
like angry/excited/happy/nervous/sad/stressed/worried, etc. to explain what is
causing that feeling.
I'm angry about the decision.
He's nervous about the presentation.
She's excited about the new job.
They were worried about the exam.

With of
However, sometimes we use of with feelings.
She was afraid of telling her mum.
I'm frightened of having an accident.
He's scared of flying.
You should be proud of your progress.

With to
We can use to to show the connection between people or things.
He's married to the director.
I'm addicted to my phone.
I'm allergic to nuts.
It's similar to the old one.
We can also use to to talk about someone's behaviour towards someone else.
They were really friendly to me.
Was he nice to you?
He is always polite to everyone.
She was very rude to the waitress.
Here are some other useful adjectives with prepositions.

With for
Exercise is good for you.
Stress is bad for you.
The town is famous for its cheese.
I'm responsible for the financial side of the business.

With in
She's interested in the project.
They want someone who's experienced in design.
I didn't want to get involved in the argument.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Adjectives ending in '-ed' and '-ing'

Do you know the difference between bored and boring?

Look at these examples to see how adjectives ending in -ed and -ing are
used.
I was really bored in that presentation.
That was a really boring presentation.
Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation
Adjectives that end in -ed (e.g. bored, interested) and adjectives that end in -
ing (e.g. boring, interesting) are often confused.

-ed adjectives
Adjectives that end in -ed generally describe emotions – they tell us how
people feel.
I was so bored in that lesson, I almost fell asleep.
He was surprised to see Helen after all those years.
She was really tired and went to bed early.

-ing adjectives
Adjectives that end in -ing generally describe the thing that causes the
emotion – a boring lesson makes you feel bored.
Have you seen that film? It's really frightening.
I could listen to her for hours. She's so interesting.
I can't sleep! That noise is really annoying!
Here are some adjectives that can have both an -ed and an -ing form.

annoyed annoying
bored boring

confused confusing

disappointed disappointing

excited exciting

frightened frightening

interested interesting

surprised surprising
 tired tiring

worried worrying

Do you know how to use a, an and the?

Look at these examples to see how articles are used.
She's a doctor.
I need an umbrella.
Have you heard the news?
I don't like spiders.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation
Here are some of the most important things to know about using articles.

Jobs
When we say what people's jobs are, we usually use a/an.
He's an architect.
She's a scientist.
My grandmother was a teacher.

Singular nouns
Singular, countable nouns always have an article – a/an or the (or another
determiner – my, your, this, that, etc.).
We use a/an – the indefinite article – when we talk about something for the
first time, or something that is part of a group or type.
I saw a good film yesterday.
Do you want a drink?
We use a when the word that follows it begins with a consonant sound. We
use an when it's followed by a vowel sound. This makes pronunciation easier.
She has a university degree.
It took me an hour to get home.
We use the – the definite article – when the listener already knows which thing
we are talking about because it was mentioned before or because there's only
one of them.
I'm going to take the dog for a walk.
Have you seen the car key?
They go to the school next to the bridge.

Things in general
When we talk about things in general, we normally use a plural or uncountable
noun with no article.
Birds eat worms.
Water freezes at 0°C.
Children need a lot of sleep.
Particular groups of things
When we talk about a particular group of things, we use the.
We went to the zoo and saw the kangaroos. (These are the particular
kangaroos in that zoo – not kangaroos in general.)

Articles 2

Do you know when you need to use the in common phrases and place
names?
Look at these examples to see when the is and isn't used.
I'm going to bed.
I walk to work.
My children are going to start school.
I visited the school yesterday.
Mount Everest is in the Himalayas.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
Grammar test 1

Grammar explanation
Here are some ways we use articles in common phrases and place names.

Common phrases
We don't usually use an article in expressions with bed, work and home.
go to bed / be in bed
go to work / be at work / start work / finish work
go home / be at home / get home / stay at home
We also don't normally use an article in expressions
with school, university, prison and hospital.
start school / go to school / be at school
go to university / be at university
be sent to prison / go to prison / be in prison
go to hospital / be in hospital
But we usually use the if someone is just visiting the place, and not there as a
student/prisoner/patient, etc.
My son has started school now. I went to the school to meet his teacher.
I went to the prison a lot when I was a social worker.
I'm at the hospital. My sister has just had a baby.

Place names
We don't normally use an article for continents, most countries, cities, towns,
lakes, mountains or universities. So, we say:
Africa, Asia, Europe
India, Ghana, Peru, Denmark
Addis Ababa, Hanoi, New York, Moscow
Lake Victoria, Lake Superior, Lake Tanganyika
Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Elbrus
Cardiff University, Harvard University, Manchester University
Some countries are different. Country names with United have the. There are
other countries which are exceptions too. So, we say:
the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America
the Bahamas, the Gambia
Seas and oceans, mountain ranges and rivers have the:
the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Mediterranean
the Andes, the Himalayas, the Alps
the Nile, the Amazon, the Yangtze
Universities with of in the title also have the:
the University of Cape Town, the University of Delhi, the University of Tokyo

Do you know how to use a, some, any, much and many?

Look at these examples to see how to use countable and uncountable nouns
in a sentence.
I'm making a cup of tea.
There's some money on the table.
Have we got any bread?
How many chairs do we need?
How much milk have we got?
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation
Nouns can be countable or uncountable. Countable nouns can be counted,
e.g. an apple, two apples, three apples, etc. Uncountable nouns cannot be
counted, e.g. air, rice, water, etc. When you learn a new noun, you should
check if it is countable or uncountable and note how it is used in a sentence.

Countable nouns
For positive sentences we can use a/an for singular nouns or some for
plurals.
There's a man at the door.
I have some friends in New York.
For negatives we can use a/an for singular nouns or any for plurals.
I don't have a dog.
There aren't any seats.

Uncountable nouns
Here are some examples of uncountable nouns:

bread rice coffee information

money advice luggage furniture

We use some with uncountable nouns in positive sentences and any with

negatives.
There's some milk in the fridge.
There isn't any coffee.

Questions
In questions we use a/an, any or how many with countable nouns.
Is there an email address to write to?
Are there any chairs?
How many chairs are there?
And we use any or how much with uncountable nouns.
Is there any sugar?
How much orange juice is there?
But when we are offering something or asking for something, we normally
use some.
Do you want some chocolate?
Can we have some more chairs, please?
We also use some in a question when we think the answer will be 'yes'.
Have you got some new glasses?

Other expressions of quantity

A lot of (or lots of) can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
There are lots of apples on the trees.
There is a lot of snow on the road.
Notice that we don't usually use many or much in positive sentences. We
use a lot of instead.
They have a lot of money.
However, in negative sentences we use not many with countable nouns
and not much with uncountable nouns.
There are a lot of carrots but there aren't many potatoes.
There's lots of juice but there isn't much water.
Go to Countable and uncountable nouns 2 to learn more.
Do you know how to use a few, few, very little and a bit of?
Look at these examples to see how these quantifiers are used with countable
and uncountable nouns.
I have a few friends, so I'm not lonely.
She has few friends, so she's quite lonely.
We've got a bit of time before our train. Shall we get a coffee?
We've got very little time before our train. Hurry up!
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation
A few and a bit of or a little mean some. Often we feel this amount is enough
or more than we expected. We use a few with plural nouns and a bit of or a
little with uncountable nouns.
I have a few ideas.
I've brought a few friends.
There's a bit of milk left.
It needs a little more work.
We use few and very little to show that we are talking about a small amount.
Often we feel this amount is not enough or less than we expected. Few is for
countable nouns and very little is for uncountable nouns.
Few people came to the meeting.
There are few places where you can still see these birds.
We have very little time.
I have very little money.
Note that you can use little without very, but it is less common and sounds
quite formal.
She had little water.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Past continuous and past simple

Do you know how to use the past continuous and past simple?
Look at these examples to see how the past continuous and past simple are
used.
When I woke up this morning, it was snowing.
I was sleeping when you called me.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation
The past continuous and the past simple help us to show how two past
actions or situations are connected.

Past simple
The past simple shows us that an action was in the past, not in the present.
Regular past simple verbs have -ed at the end (e.g. called, played, arrived).
Irregular verbs have a different form, usually with a different vowel sound
(e.g. wake → woke, break → broke, feel → felt).
My parents called me yesterday.
I woke up early this morning.
Sam played basketball when he was at university.
We make the negative with didn't and the infinitive verb.
My parents didn't call me yesterday.
I didn't wake up early this morning.
We make the question form with did and then the subject and infinitive verb.
Did you wake up early this morning?
Did Sam play basketball when he was at university?

Past continuous
The past continuous shows us that the action was already in progress at a
certain time in the past.
What were you doing at 8 p.m. last night? I was studying.
This means that I started studying before 8 p.m. and I continued after 8 p.m.
The past continuous can also show that an activity was in progress for some
time, not just for a moment.
We were cleaning the house all morning.
We make the past continuous with was or were and the -ing form of the verb.
She couldn't come to the party. She was working.
Three years ago, we were living in my home town.
I tried to give him some advice, but he wasn't listening.
What were you doing this time last year?

Past continuous and past simple

When we use these two tenses together, it shows us that the past simple
action happened in the middle of the past continuous action, while it was in
progress.
While I was studying, I suddenly felt sleepy.
We often use these tenses to show an action interrupting another action.
I broke my leg when I was skiing.
As I was going to work, I saw an old friend.
We were watching television when the power went off.
Can you see a difference in the meaning of these two sentences?
When the guests arrived, Jane was cooking dinner.
When the guests arrived, Jane cooked dinner.
In the first one, Jane started cooking dinner before the guests arrived. We
know that because it uses the past continuous. In the second sentence, the
guests arrived first and then Jane started cooking.

Question forms

Do you know how to make questions?

Look at these examples to see how questions are made.
Is he a teacher?
Does she eat meat?
When did you get here?
How much does a train ticket cost?
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation
To make questions, we often put the verb before the subject. This is called
inversion.
 Affirmative Question

I am  late. Am I late?

I can help. Can I help?

She is  sleeping. Is she sleeping?

We have met before. Have we  met before?

If there is a question word (why, what, where, how, etc.), it goes before the

verb.

Question Question with question word

Are you late? Why are you late?

 Question Question with question word

Was she there? When was she there?

Can I help? How can I help?

Have we met before? Where have we met before?

This is true for sentences with be, sentences that have auxiliary verbs

(e.g. They are waiting. She has finished.) and sentences with modal verbs
(can, will, should, might, etc.).

Questions in the present simple and past simple

For other verbs in the present simple, we use the auxiliary verb do/does in the
question.
 Affirmative Question Question with question

You work at home.    Do you work at home? Where do you work?

It costs £10.  Does it cost £10? How much does it  cos

We use the auxiliary verb did in the past simple.

Affirmative Question Question with que

She went home.  Did  she go home? Where did she go

They went to the cinema.  Did  they go to the cinema? Where did they g

Subject questions
In some questions, who or what is the subject of the verb. There is no
inversion of subject and verb in these questions.
Who broke the window?
Who is knocking on the door?

Verbs followed by '-ing' or by 'to' +

infinitive 1

Do you know when to use -ing and when to use to + infinitive after a verb?
Look at these examples to see how the verb forms are used.
I enjoy learning languages.
I want to learn a new language.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation
A verb can be followed by another verb. The second one usually needs to
change into the -ing form or the to + infinitive form. Which form you need
depends on what the first verb is.

Verbs followed by the -ing form

When enjoy, admit and mind are followed by another verb, it must be in the -
ing form.
I enjoy travelling.
He admitted stealing the necklace.
I don't mind waiting if you're busy.
Other verbs in this group include avoid, can't help, consider, dislike, feel
like, finish, give up, miss, practise and suggest.
Like and love can be followed by the -ing form and the to + infinitive form.
They are both correct.

Verbs followed by to + infinitive form

When want, learn and offer are followed by another verb, it must be in
the to + infinitive form.
I want to speak to the manager.
She's learning to play the piano.
He offered to help us wash up.
Other verbs in this group
include afford, agree, ask, choose, decide, expect, hope, plan, prepare, promi
se, refuse and would like.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.