english grammar

Some basic questions Spanish speakers may ask can cause occasional problems in English because English only has one word, to be, where Spanish has two, ser and estar.

First, we know that “¿Cómo está él?” is “How is he?”, as we learned it in the first weeks of class.

But then we have the question “¿Cómo es él?” Our first reaction is to translate literally, but there we have a problem…

Choose the correct tense from the choices.

Ursula: 1) Have you heard/Did you hear the latest news about our boss?

Frank: No! Tell me everything!

Ursula: Well, it seems that the police 2) have pulled him over/pulled him over last night because he 3) used to drive/was driving erratically.

Read the following monologues. Then, report what was said below, using the verbs given. Keep in mind, these words were said one week ago!

Adele: “I had gone to the shop to buy just one dress, but this jacket was irresistible!”
Brian: “I’ve never enjoyed reading, but that book was excellent!”
Connie: “If I ever see Henry again, I don’t know what I’d do.”
David: “Marina told me she saw Tyler yesterday at the mall with Vinnie.”

Fill in the spaces with the appropriate preposition: in, at, on, to.

I went 1)___ the movie theatre last night because I wanted to see the new Star Trek movie. When I arrived 2)___ the box office*, the line was out the door: apparently, I wasn’t the only one. So I waited 3)___ the line for ten minutes. When I finally got to the window, the sales clerk told me that there was only one seat left: 4)___ the first row, 5)___ the far right of the room. I was desperate, so I took it, even though I knew it wouldn’t be a fun experience.

These wonderful little “question-ettes” are a great way to make your English sound more native-like, as well as being a very useful tool.
So, if you need a quick way to ask a question, or you’re just tired of always adding “really?” or “no?” or “right?” at the end of sentences, start using question tags!

A common problem for English learners is spelling. Oh, let’s be honest, whoever designed English spelling needs to be _____ (I’ll let you fill in the blank with your idea for the best punishment). Despite all the horrible spellings, there are usually rules to most words—we just have a LOT of rules with their nuances (and exceptions).

These are probably among the most misused false friends, undoubtedly due to their incredible similarity with their Spanish counterparts. However, they have no relation at all!

Actual and Actually are used to present factual information, usually after another person has said something wrong. It’s a great way to politely correct someone. It’s similar in meaning to “real(ly).

Smoking is often considered a nasty habit, and those who want to quit have several ways to give up the habit. Some try to slowly reduce, perhaps with the help of patches or gum. Others turn to electronic cigarettes. A few even do acupuncture or hypnosis. But often the quickest, cheapest, and most dramatic way to give up smoking is to quit cold turkey.

Verb Tenses: Choose the right one

1.March is always / has always been my favorite month.
2.A lot of very interesting things happened / have happened in this 31-day period.
3.Back in 44BC, Julius Caesar has said / said his famous last words: “Et tu, Brute?”
4.In 440AD, St. Patrick died and gave / has given the Irish an excuse to drink.
5.And in 1983, I born / was born.

While success and suceso both do ultimately derive from the Latin word successus, their meanings have changed over the millennia.

In English, success is the noun used to describe situations in which some goal has been achieved, or a person has obtained great wealth, respect, awards, etc. Its verb is to succeed, and its adjective is successful.

Success can come with a heavy price.

Despite having an amazing voice, Eva Cassidy was not successful until after she died.