If we hadn’t invented subordinate conjunctions, we wouldn’t have conditional language. Just as, if we never found fire, we wouldn’t know the sweet taste of BBQ(barbecue). Or even worse, we would eat raw meat.
It’s no puzzle, the * holds the place of an omitted “if.” And, “if” is the hinge of today’s lesson.
It’s a word that means: in case that; granting or supposing that; on condition that.
The Subordinate Conjunction “if”, like all other conjunctions, links two clauses together. One of the clauses is a complete idea whereas the other is incomplete.
For example in the sentence: “If mankind never found fire, we would eat raw food.”
Imperatives give commands, warnings and, instructions, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be polite, hence the Polite Imperative. I guess I should say, please keep reading.
Polite Imperatives often make use of the word “please.” And, “please” is usually followed by a Verb, like in a sentence:
Imperative Sentences give direction. For example, someone may say, “Marry me, you dashing (stylish and energetic) and debonair (kind and well mannered) gentleman (a polite form of man).”
Speaking of politeness, these word groupings aren’t necessarily so. In fact, they can be curt (rudely brief in speech or abrupt in manner).
To clarify, Imperative Sentences are sometimes called directives because they provide direction to the listener. They are used to give commands, instructions, advice, and issue warnings. And you may have read ‘Don’t touch’ on instructions for electronics.
The Phrasal Verb “look for” is one of those idiomatic sayings, the meaning is hard to get upon hearing. But, it simply means to search for something. And so for this blog, we’ll focus on the phrase “Help me look for my marbles!” It’s funny because lost marbles have a double meaning, it could refer to a lost set of small glass spheres used to play a game or losing one’s mind.
As for using “look for” in a sentence, often “look” becomes the Verb. And, the phrase follows normal verb conjugation. To make it past tense, add “ed” to the end of “look,” in the case that “look” follows a pronoun like “we.”
For example, you might say: “We looked for my marbles.”
Phrasal Verbs are much like idioms; their meaning isn’t clear at first. However, it’s easier to get their meaning through context.
The Phrasal Verb “look after” according to the Oxford dictionary means to care for something or someone. For example, you may hear a native English speaker say:
“Look after yourself.”
By saying this, the speaker is telling the listener to take care of him or herself.
The Imperative is used to command, request, or forbid (tell others not to do things that may harm them). But, Imperative Sentences don’t come across all that polite. In fact, Imperative Sentences can sometimes be seen as rude by the listener.
Meaning of Polite Imperative:
However, the speaker can use “please” to form a Polite Imperative.
To form a Polite Imperative, place the word “please” at the beginning or end of a sentence. For example, a speaker may say:
Please turn down the radio
The above sentence is a polite way to request the listener to lower the radio’s volume. The speaker may also say:
“Please turn down the radio.”
Both Polite Imperative Sentences are correct. And, both mean the same thing.
Grammar is the backbone of any language and helps us understand each other. English grammar rules are guidelines that are necessary for accurate communication, whether that be for writing in English or speaking. We need it to avoid misunderstandings and to express our thoughts and emotions clearly.
There are many ways to learn English Grammar in the modern world. From basic English grammar books that have practice exercises to English-speaking online courses.
The internet is full of resources that anyone can access and use. Many people opt for online English classes because it lets them study from anywhere, and give them access to the best teachers from around the world.
Simple Methods to Learn English Grammar
1. Identify and focus on your weak areas
After learning basic English grammar, you need to find out which areas are the most difficult for you. Each of us learns at a different pace and that applies to English, too. You might not be clear about the tenses in English, while someone else might be struggling with English articles.
Once you know where your skills are lacking, you can focus on revising and practicing that rule so you can improve.
2. Set aside enough time to learn and practice
This would seem obvious to most people, but many of us lack the determination to make learning a part of our daily routine. If you are a student, you would have more free time and can plan accordingly. For people who go to work daily, maybe setting aside 15 to 30 minutes daily would be possible.
Our brains are equipped to pick up things we do often, so it is necessary for us to make it a habit to study English grammar daily. This helps us retain what we learn and practice, which in turn makes it easier for us to recollect and use when needed.
3. Keep a record of your progress
While learning a language, having a point of reference is important to go back to when in doubt. English grammar has many rules that a beginner might not be able to memorize easily. Writing down these rules and practicing them by doing grammar exercises is a basic step to learning them.
You can use a notebook to do this or keep an online record that you can access anywhere. Having a record of what you learn will not only show you how much you are learning but also serves as a reference when you are unsure about something. You can also share this record with your friends for their input and feedback.
Top 5 Online Apps to Help You Learn English
English grammar is a skill that a learner needs to practice to develop. Grammar practice exercises and writing in English are important for fluent communication. Having a teacher to interact with and get feedback from will greatly help a learner get perfect. Here is our list of the top 5 online services that you can use to learn and practice English grammar while having fun conversations with teachers.
1. Duolingo – Play Your Way to English Fluency
Duolingo is one of the highest-rated educational apps on the App Store. Most of the features are available with the free version and users can learn any of the 37 available languages, including English.
The app follows a game format and users gain virtual coins for completing a lesson. New levels are unlocked and the user’s fluency score increases. Lessons on the app adapt to the user’s method of learning. According to a study, 34 hours on Duolingo can be compared to a university semester of language courses.
What I like best about this app
Voice recognition tests the user’s pronunciation, while translation and listening exercises build a user’s vocabulary. Users can certify their progress by attempting the Duolingo English Test on the app. The certificate is accepted by universities worldwide.
Fun fact: Game of Thrones fans will be overjoyed to know that High Valyrian is a course on the app. And so is Klingon for the Trekkies (Star Trek) out there.
Duolingo Plus takes away any disruptive ads the free version has and comes with the Mastery Quiz which checks what you’ve learned.
Plus users can also download courses from the app. Plans range from $9.99 to $79.99.
2. Preply – Fully Satisfied or Your Money Back
Preply is an online service that offers private lessons with tutors from around the world. Apart from English, there are 23 other languages that a user can choose to learn. With around 18,000 English tutors, a user can filter through the tutor profiles and find one that is most suitable. Whether it be for IELTS, pronunciation, or business English, there are experienced teachers who can help. The service is available on desktop and mobile, so a user can book a lesson in a matter of seconds.
What I like best about this app
Preply has its own video platform called Preply Space and lets the user keep track of his/her progress online. In-built Learning plans focus on skills such as speech and vocabulary. There are also tutors who specialize in teaching kids and beginners, and tutors who focus on conversational classes.
Tutors charge at an hourly rate which can range from $5 to $100 for native speakers.
The service promises a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so a user can get a refund if the trial lesson is not up to mark.
3. Eigooo – Real Conversations Anytime, Anywhere
Eigooo has been around since 2013 and offers English learners the opportunity to write in English, attempt grammar exercises, and study English grammar with a real teacher. Eigooo is supported on iPhone, Android, and desktop, which allows the user to log into the app or website and connect to a teacher immediately. It is a 24-hour service with teachers from around the world.
The focus of Eigooo is to create a relaxed space where users are able to learn at their own pace, so there is no fixed curriculum for the user to follow. Instead, users can opt for a normal chat related to everyday topics, or pick one of the grammar challenges which are inbuilt into the app.
What I like best about this app
Live chat with an English teacher. A service that is unique and one of its kind. The main advantage of using the app is the immediate correction that the teachers provide. A user can get a “good stamp” for every sentence without an error. Sentences with errors are corrected and sent back to the user with the incorrect areas highlighted. This feature enables the user to avoid making the same mistake in the future.
For those who would rather do something more fun, there are simple games which the user can play with a teacher. The user gets graded by the teacher based on how well the challenge was done. A+, A, and B are the grades that come with every challenge, and the user needs to avoid any error to get the coveted A+.
Completed challenges, frequency of usage, good stamps, and A/A+ grades all play a role in the ranking system on the app.
Enjoy a free trial chat with teachers with 20 free messages.
Subscribe when you like the service. There are different subscription plans ranging from a 50 message pack for $3.99 to the All Day Premium plan for $299.99.
4. Cambly – Find the Perfect Tutor For You
Cambly is another service that offers one-on-one English lessons through online video sessions. There are certified English tutors as well as native speakers from other walks of life who teach on the app.
A user can search for tutors based on interests ranging from IELTS and Business English to Harry Potter. Tutors state their availability on the app, so users can schedule lessons or select a tutor who is online.
What I like best about this app
There are varied courses such as Academic Test Preparation, Basic to Advanced Conversation Topics, Practicing Presentations and Job Interviews, IELTS Speaking Mock Tests, and even Raising Children. Each course has a number of lessons that give users comprehensive training in the topic they want to learn.
Classes are held in an interactive classroom, which enables users to practice what they learn with online exercises. The lessons are recorded so users can review what they’ve learned.
A subscription gives the user unlimited access to tutors and courses.
Plans range from a 1-month package for $60 to a 6-month package for $244.
5. RedKiwi – Learn by Imitation
RedKiwi is a Korean app that is designed to teach English learners through English videos from YouTube. The focus is on developing a learner’s listening and speaking skills. Users get to choose videos and do quizzes based on the content they watch.
The challenge is to select the correct word from the given options that match the audio. This strengthens the user’s grasp of the language and is a strong foundation to build on.
What I like best about this app
Videos are divided into three difficulty levels, offering something for any level a learner is at. There are simple videos aimed at beginners and difficult ones for the experts. In case a user has a question, he/she can pose the query through the app and get a response from one of RedKiwi’s English experts. There are also specific lessons aimed at office users, travelers, and students living abroad.
New videos are uploaded daily and users can request videos that they like from YouTube to be used on the app. People who love movies and TV shows will surely enjoy this method of teaching because of its novelty. And the best part, no complex grammar rules to read through.
English learners can use limited features of the app for free
To access all features, there are subscription plans ranging from $4 for a month to $53 for a year.
Network with Learners and Native Speakers
English has become a required skill for most professionals around the world and a large number of them are in the process of learning it. This makes the internet the ideal place to build connections with fellow learners so you could help each other.
Apps like HelloTalk are a good example of how easy it is to interact with people from around the world. Services like Facebook and Twitter have a wide user base and anyone with minimum social skills can use them for networking. Joining groups that focus on English learning is a good way to enhance your knowledge. Another good idea would be to join online English forums for ESL and IELTS students as they are useful when preparing for exams.
Practice and enthusiasm will go a long way in your goal to master English, so make new friends who can help you on your journey.
IELTS or The International English Language testing system is an international test recognized worldwide that evaluates the English proficiency of non-native English language speakers. It was first established in the year 1989. It is one of the major English language tests in the world. This test assesses the English language proficiency of non-native English speakers. It was started about 41 years ago with more than 1600 test centers in over 140 countries now.
Countries accepting IELTS test scores for immigration purposes
IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, European, Irish, and New Zealand academic institutions, by over 3,000 academic institutions in the United States, and by various professional organizations across the world.
It is the only secure English language test approved by UK visas and immigration (UKVI). The IELTS tests assess the ability of a candidate to listen, read, write, and speak in English. It is developed by experts at Cambridge English language assessment with inputs from writers from around the world. The band scores of IELTS used for each language skill (listening, reading, writing, and speaking) range from 0 (these are the ones who do not attempt the test) to 9 ( these are experts who scored the highest in this test) with each institution setting a different threshold. Usually, institutions do not consider test scores older than two years as valid scores. There can be an exception if the candidate proves to have maintained their proficiency in English, though
Countries that popularly accept IELTS
Canada
In Canada, IELTS is accepted for citizenship and immigration to Canada. It is through universities and colleges across Canada. You must take the IELTS tests if you wish to shift to Canada for work, education, or to live there. You would need to score a minimum band score of at least 6, to be allowed to emigrate to Canada.
USA
More than 3,000 institutions in the USA accept IELTS test scores as evidence of proficiency in English Language skills. The minimum band score required in the USA can vary from 6.0 to 7.0.
New Zealand
To apply for a New Zealand visa permit, you need to apply in the category of skilled migrants. In which, the immigrant must have an overall band score of 6.5 in IELTS.
UK (United Kingdom)
IELTS Academic, General Training, and Life Skills are all accepted by the UK visa and immigration (UKVI). It is for those who want to work, study, or emigrate to the UK. You need to at least have a band score of 6.5 in each test and 7 as the overall band score for better placement.
Ireland
Ireland accepts an IELTS score with a band requirement of at least 6.5 overall and 6.0 in each module. Hence to emigrate to Ireland, a test score of a minimum of 6.0 is mandatory.
Australia
Australia has a point-based immigration system, and the IELTS is an important part of the assessment for it. It is acceptable by the Australian government. and has been approved. It is also needed for visa and immigration purposes. Further, you need to fulfill the minimum band requirements of at least 5.5 in every module.
Past Simple Tense is used to describe an event that began and ended in the past, like winking, the act of blinking your eyelids to convey an emotion. To put “wink” in Past Simple Tense, we simply change it to “winked.”
This is true for all Regular Verbs. Regular Verbs in the past tense get d/ed at the end. For example, “hug” turns to “hugged.” But, Nouns don’t change with tense.
In fact, to detect a Past Simple Tense sentence, merely look for the Main Verb. Most often, for those sentences that Regular Verbs are used, d/ed is found hidden among other grammatical features.
Many languages have idioms. Chinese and English are well known for these colorful phrases. Today, our idiom is “life of the party.”
“Life of the party” describes an animated, amusing person who is the center of attention at a social gathering.
This idiom dates back to the first half of the nineteenth century. It began as “the life and soul of the party”, but in time the second half was dropped. Today, English speakers just say “the life of the party” and most aren’t even aware that the word “soul” was dropped from the expression.
As for the noteworthy usage of the saying, the author Joshua Ferris used it in his short story, “The Pilot.” In this comedy, the main character was a recovering alcoholic. He was said to be the “life of the party.”
