Every sentence in English follows a certain pattern. There are several sentence patterns in English. A decent understanding of these structures will help you to express your ideas in several different ways. Subject + verb + object + complement After some verbs an object alone does not make complete sense. In addition to the object, [...]

Indirect speech exercise

January 25, 2012

Change the following into indirect speech. 1. Jane said, ‘Depend upon it, I will return in time.’ 2. He said, ‘Good bye, my friend!’ 3. The mother said to me, ‘Welcome home.’ 4. The boy said, ‘Thank you for your help.’ 5. He said to me, ‘I hope you are well.’ 6. The accused said, [...]

Sentence synthesis exercise

January 24, 2012

Combine the following groups of simple sentences into one sentence – simple, complex or compound. 1. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet. He is worshipped by people. They believe that he is a reincarnation of Lord Buddha. 2. Dick Turpin broke his chain. He leapt out of the window. He escaped. The [...]

Read the full article →

Difference between simple and continuous tense forms

January 23, 2012

Continuous tenses are often used to talk about more temporary actions and situations. To talk about longer-lasting or permanent situations we prefer simple tenses. Note that sometimes both forms are possible in the same situation, with a slight difference of emphasis. Compare: I was tired because I had been walking for a long time. (Here [...]

Read the full article →