Grammar Lessons
Master grammar patterns used in real news articles, organized by CEFR level.
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Adverbs of manner: adjective + -ly
“She spoke quietly.”
As...as: equality comparisons
“She's as tall as her brother.”
Both...and, either...or, neither...nor
“Both Tom and Sarah speak French.”
Comparative adjectives: irregular (better, worse, farther)
“Her English is better than mine.”
Comparative adjectives: long adjectives (more...than)
“This book is more interesting than the film.”
Comparative adjectives: short adjectives (-er than)
“My brother is taller than me.”
Could: past ability
“I could swim when I was five.”
Could: possibility and polite requests
“It could be true.”
Don't have to: no obligation
“You don't have to come if you don't want to.”
Enough + noun / adjective + enough
“She's old enough to drive.”
First conditional: If + present simple, will + base verb
“If it rains, I'll stay home.”
First conditional: variations and negative forms
“If you don't hurry, we won't catch the train.”
Gerund as object
“I enjoy reading.”
Gerund as subject
“Swimming is good exercise.”
Going to: future plans and intentions
“I'm going to visit Paris next summer.”
Going to: negative and questions
“She isn't going to come.”
Going to: predictions based on evidence
“Look at those dark clouds.”
Have to: external obligation
“I have to wear a uniform at work.”
Indefinite pronouns + adjective: something interesting, nothing new
“I want to do something interesting this weekend.”
Infinitive of purpose
“I went to the shop to buy some milk.”
Irregular adverbs of manner: well, fast, hard
“She speaks English well.”
Might/may: possibility
“It might rain tomorrow.”
Must vs have to
“I must remember to call Mum.”
Must: strong obligation
“You must wear a seatbelt in the car.”
Mustn't: prohibition
“You mustn't use your phone during the exam.”
Past continuous: affirmative
“I was reading a book at eight o'clock last night.”
Past continuous: interrupted action with 'when'
“I was reading when the phone rang.”
Past continuous: negative and questions
“She wasn't sleeping.”
Past continuous: simultaneous actions with 'while'
“While I was cooking, my sister was doing her homework.”
Past simple irregular: buy → bought, eat → ate, drink → drank
“We bought some food, ate lunch, and drank coffee at the café.”
Past simple irregular: come → came
“My friends came to visit me last Saturday.”
Past simple irregular: do → did
“She did her homework after dinner.”
Past simple irregular: feel → felt, leave → left, lose → lost
“I felt tired, so I left the party early.”
Past simple irregular: get → got
“I got a new phone for my birthday.”
Past simple irregular: give → gave, find → found, tell → told
“He gave me a book, and I found a note inside.”
Past simple irregular: go → went
“We went to the beach last weekend.”
Past simple irregular: have → had
“They had a wonderful holiday in Spain.”
Past simple irregular: make → made
“My grandmother made a delicious cake.”
Past simple irregular: meet → met, pay → paid, sell → sold
“We met some old friends.”
Past simple irregular: run → ran, write → wrote, read → read
“She ran five kilometres, then wrote in her diary and read a chapter of her book.”
Past simple irregular: say → said, know → knew, think → thought
“She said that she knew the answer, but I thought it was wrong.”
Past simple irregular: see → saw
“I saw a beautiful rainbow this morning.”
Past simple irregular: send → sent, sit → sat, stand → stood
“She sent me a message.”
Past simple irregular: speak → spoke, bring → brought, begin → began
“He spoke to the teacher, brought his project, and began the presentation.”
Past simple irregular: take → took
“He took the bus to work yesterday.”
Past simple irregular: win → won, wear → wore
“Our team won the match.”
Past simple of be: questions
“Was he at the meeting?”
Past simple of be: was/were – affirmative
“I was happy.”
Past simple of be: wasn't/weren't – negative
“She wasn't tired.”
Past simple vs past continuous
“It was raining when we arrived at the restaurant.”
Past simple: negative with didn't
“I didn't see the film last night.”
Past simple: regular verbs (-ed)
“I walked to school yesterday.”
Past simple: short answers with did/didn't
“Did you finish your homework?”
Past simple: spelling – consonant + y → -ied
“He studied English for three hours.”
Past simple: spelling – double consonant
“She stopped the car suddenly.”
Past simple: yes/no questions with Did
“Did you enjoy the concert?”
Phrasal verbs (inseparable): look after, look for, get on/off, get up, go on, come back, run out of
“She looks after her grandmother.”
Phrasal verbs (separable): turn on/off, pick up, put on, take off, give back, throw away, fill in, find out, look up, try on
“Turn off the light.”
Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs
“This book is mine.”
Prepositions of movement: to, from, into, out of, through, across, along, up, down, past, towards
“She walked across the bridge, through the park, and along the river towards the station.”
Present perfect vs past simple
“I've been to Rome.”
Present perfect with already and yet
“I've already eaten lunch.”
Present perfect with ever/never
“Have you ever tried sushi?”
Present perfect with for (duration)
“I've lived here for five years.”
Present perfect with just
“He has just arrived home.”
Present perfect with since (starting point)
“She has worked here since 2020.”
Present perfect with still
“I still haven't received his email.”
Present perfect: affirmative with have/has
“I have visited Paris twice.”
Present perfect: negative and questions
“She hasn't finished yet.”
Reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves
“I taught myself to play guitar.”
Relative clauses with where (places)
“That's the restaurant where we had dinner last week.”
Relative clauses with which (things) and that (both)
“The book which I bought is very good.”
Relative clauses with who (people)
“The woman who lives next door is a teacher.”
Should/shouldn't: giving advice
“You should drink more water.”
So/such for emphasis
“It's so cold today!”
Superlative adjectives: irregular (best, worst)
“This is the best restaurant in town.”
Superlative adjectives: long adjectives (the most)
“It's the most beautiful city in the world.”
Superlative adjectives: short adjectives (the -est)
“She is the tallest student in the class.”
Too + adjective
“This coffee is too hot to drink.”
Used to: past habits and states
“I used to live in London.”
Verb + gerund or infinitive (different meaning): remember, forget, stop, try
“I remember locking the door.”
Verb + gerund or infinitive (same meaning): like, love, hate, start, begin, continue
“I like swimming.”
Verb + gerund: enjoy, finish, avoid, suggest, mind, keep, practice, consider
“I enjoy cooking.”
Verb + infinitive: want, need, hope, decide, plan, learn, promise, agree, offer, refuse
“I want to travel.”
Will vs going to
“I'm going to study medicine.”
Will: negative and questions
“He won't agree.”
Will: predictions and beliefs about the future
“I think it will be sunny tomorrow.”
Will: promises and offers
“I'll help you with your bags.”
Will: spontaneous decisions
“The phone is ringing.”
Would like: polite want
“I'd like a coffee, please.”