In English, there are two types of speech: direct and indirect, also known as reported. Direct speech is when you say exactly what someone else said. Quotes are an example of this: “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela Another form: He…

English can be a difficult language to use, especially when it comes to verb tenses (for a comprehensive review click here). Like other (often related) languages, English can use one verb tense but actually refer to a different point in time. An excellent example is when talking about the future. English has two distinct ways…

The present perfect is a verb tense that is used very often in English. While many languages either do not have a present perfect tense or use it the same way as the past simple, English uses these two tenses very differently. Unlike the simple aspect (i.e. present simple or past simple), the present perfect…

The past simple is probably the hardest tense to learn in English in terms of the wide variety of irregular verbs. While these sometimes fall into categories, identifying whether a verb should fall into one category or another can be a difficult if not impossible task. For example, ‘cleave’ (to cut something in two) becomes…

Conditionals sentences are an integral part of the English language. They are used every day in many situations; from the bank to driving to giving directions, they can be found just about anywhere. Let’s go through a review of conditional sentences. Basics of Conditional Sentences While conditional sentences come in many forms, shapes and sizes,…