Grammar Bank

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very much vs a lot

Very much vs a lot Both much and a lot can be used as adverbs meaning "to a great extent or...

Such meanings

Such As well as the more common uses of such, it is used heavily in academic, literary or for...

by + ing

By + ing To indicate the method or means of achieving or doing something we can use by + ing. ...

needn't vs don't need to

Needn't - Don't need to Needn't+verb and don't need to+ verb are synonymous and interchangeable in ...

Get passive

Get passive We normally form the passive with the verb to be + participle; however, we can also use...

Should have - Could have

Should have - Could have When it comes to modal verbs in the past tense, English is a lot more limi...

kind(s) of thing(s)

Kind(s) of thing(s) A common confusion arises when translating tipo de from Spanish to English...

Get someone to do something

Get someone to / have someone do something Both get and have can be used in a causative sense...

If + Would clause

If + Would clause Learners of English are often taught that if should not be followed by would or w...

Much affirmative

Much - affirmative Although we are generally taught that much should be avoided in affirmative sent...

She inanimate

She - boats, countries and others When referring to inanimate objects, we sometimes use the fe...

his or her, their

His or her, their When referring to antecedents of indeterminate gender, we have three options...

Gerund with possessive pronoun

his having Gerunds can take either the genitive (his-less common/more formal) or the accusative (hi...

There are

There are A common mistake among Spanish speaking learners of English is to say "subject + are" ins...

Will-present

Will - present To talk about habitual actions in the present, we can use will+ infinitive. It indic...

Out-prefix

Out-prefix The prefix out can be added to many verbs, especially action verbs, to mean "...

I.e. and E.g

I.e. and E.g. The abbreviations e.g. and i.e. are used frequently in English. E.g. is for g...

word stress

word stress In English we often stress particular words to emphasise them. Sometimes the pr...

Participle Clause

Participle Clause In English we often avoid the relative clause by using the present partic...

-wise sufix

-wise suffix In informal context especially, wise can be used as a suffix, meaning "as far as som...

As...may be

As...may be The construction "(as) + adjective/adverb + as subject (may)+ verb" is...

Like-suffix

-like A common way of forming an adjective from a noun is to add -like as a kind of suffix....

So that

So (that) So (that) is used to express purpose like para que. The structure that follows it depends...

Of or 'S

Of or 'S A common doubt among learners of English is when to use of + noun, and when to use 's...

I think not

I think not In most situations we would say "I don't think so"; however, I think not can also be us...

Whatever

Whatever, whichever, wherever, however, whoever A question word followed by ever is used to say tha...

Yet

Yet vs However Yet can be used as a conjunction to mean nevertheless; it's similar to however. They...

Subjunctive

Subjunctive forms In English, the subjunctive is used less and less. It is mainly seen in lit...

Should-condition

Should-condition In formal situations, should can be used instead of if to form a conditional...

So-uses

So - A Substitute Among its many uses, the word so is used to substitute words or phrases in ...

Do-emphasis

Do-emphasis Do can be used in affirmative sentences to emphasise or contrast something. ...

Ish-suffix

Ish-suffix The suffix ish can be added to adjectives and nouns to mean "approximately" or "ch...

Types of Looking

Types of Looking English has many verbs to describe the act of seeing and looking. They ofte...

Such as vs Like

Such as vs Like Such as and like can be used interchangeably in most contexts, but...

Whether-uses

Whether-uses Whether is similar to if. It be used interchangebly in certain contexts, bu...

To be infinitive

is/are to infinitive 1) The construction is/are to + infinitive is used t...

Collective nouns

Collective Nouns Collective nouns are those that are made up of a number of individuals. The verb c...

The conditional clause

The Conditional Clause In English, the verb in the conditional clause is usually used in the ...

Prepositions of movement

Prepositions of movement In English, movement is usually described using Verb of movement+Prep...

On-onwards

On=onwards On is an abbreviated form of onwards= (más) adelante, posterior. 1. In time From then ...

Would for past habits

Would in the past Would is often used where the pretérito imperfecto would be in Spanish. Unlike us...

Common Confusion

Common Confusion 1 Hear about- enterarse de Have you heard about Brad Pitt?—¿Te...

Changing English

Changing English The English language has changed significantly over the last couple of decad...

Spelling Differences

British and American English have several variations in spelling and pronunciation. Here are the mo...

Reporting & Distancing

Alternative passive for reporting In order to distance oneself from the f...

Neither nor Either Or

Neither Nor & Either Or E.g. I haven't met my mother or my father (m...

Inversion

Inversion Used to change the emphasis in a sentence and to vary the writing styl...

By-Means and Conditions

By By has dozens of meanings. Here we describe 2 of the less commonly explained ones. Remember t...

List of articles in category Grammar
Title
Yet
Whatever
I think not
Of or 'S
So that
Like-suffix
As...may be
-wise sufix
Much affirmative
If + Would clause

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of all things meaning

Of all things/places/people/etc. The expression of all + noun is used to indicate that...

as of - meaning

as of (now, today, etc.) The preposition as of, and its expressions (as of now, as of today...

affair meanings

Affair - meanings The word affair has several closely related meanings: 1. a situa...

get one up/over on

get one up/over on (somebody) The expressions get one up on or get one over on both have simi...

do for + noun

do for + noun The construction do for + noun is like saying "manage" or "contrive" . It ...

work out phrasal verb

work out The phrasal verb work out is one of those tricky ones that has several meanings...

might/may as well

Might/may as well The expression might/may as well is very common in British English and ofte...

come into its own

Come into its own When something comes into its own, it becomes especially useful or successful in ...

friendly suffix

-friendly suffux As a suffix, friendly means "not harmful" or "suitable for". E.g. This is a do...

forgiven for thinking

Forgiven for A common construction in English is subject+could/would/may be forgiven for+verb ...

See witness

See (characterized by/witness) Among its many meanings, see can be used to say that a time or...

Point out - Point to

Point out - Point to - Point at The verb point can take several prepositions. Three com...

come up with

Come up with Come up with is one of those tricky phrasal verbs that encompasses several relat...

supposed to

be supposed to A verb that many learners of English struggle with is suppose. The adjective f...

fest suffix

-fest The suffix -fest means "A gathering or occasion characterized&nbs...

all too

All too The construction all too+ adjetive is used to say "to an extreme or excessive degre...

fall for

Fall for The phrasal verb fall for has two meanings: 1. To fall in love with 2. To ...

Make a difference

Make a difference The expression "make a difference" is very common in English and is used in sever...

May well

May well After the auxiliary verbs may, might or could, we sometimes add the adverb well to empha...

How + adverb/adjective

How + adverb/adjective To ask "to what degree?" we can use how+adverb/adjective. In Spanish the p...

Like crutch word

Like-crutch word Among its many uses, the word like is often used as a kind of crutch word. It is...

Not that

Not that In spoken English especially, not that can be used when one assertion contrasts with ano...

guess

Guess In the US especially, guess can mean suppose or imagine. E.g. Where's John? - At ...

On another note

On another note A common error made by Spanish speaking learners is to translate "por otra par...

Kind of

Kind of The adverbial phrase kind of (or sort of) is very common in spoken Englis...

By God

By God/My god By God and my god can be used as an intensifier or an interjection. Both can b...

Come as

Come as To come as + noun is commonly used with the following: surprise, shock, disappointment &a...

Away

Away When used after a verb, away means "repeatedly, continually, or intensely". E.g. H...

Or so

Or so When used after a quantity, or so means "approximately". E.g. How many people sho...

For That Matter

For that matter The expression for that matter is used to emphasize that the second piece of inform...

Never Mind

Never mind / Let alone Never mind and let alone are both used to emphasize that what foll...

if you will

If you will If you will has two meanings, one of which is somewhat antiquated. 1) A formal...

Oner

oner A colloquial way of saying "in one sitting" is in a oner. E.g. He drank the ayahuasc...

Ridden

ridden - suffix When used as a suffix, the word ridden means "afflicted or affected by something ne...

Amidst

Amid(st) The word entre in Spanish can mean between, among(st), or amid(st). Between is usually (n...

Joe Bloggs

Joe Bloggs In English, there are several ways to refer to an unspecified or average person: Joe Bl...

Red Herring

A Red Herring A red herring is something that distracts us from our main concern or original arg...

fuck

Fuck One of the most versatile words in the English language. It can be used as a noun, a verb, a...

Onto a winner

be onto a winner If you are onto a winner, you are doing something that is likely to succeed. &nbs...

When the shit hits the fan

(When) the shit hits the fan This expression is very common and rather vulgar. It means "when a sit...

Money Mouth

Put your money where your mouth is This idiom means "to support what you say by paying for it, usua...

That is

That is This expression is often translated as es decir or o sea. However, it is also us...

Stretch

Stretch (of the imagination) A stretch is something that goes beyond a normal limit, or an exaggera...

take it upon oneself to

Take it upon oneself to This expression means: "to take on the responsibility for something wi...

seeing as

Seeing as In spoken English especially, the conjunction seeing as is very commonly used instead of ...

Say

(a) say The word say, when used as a noun, means "an opinion or input in a matter". E.g. ...

Lengths

Lengths One meaning of length, especially in plural, is "the extent or degree to which we will go t...

Over a

Over (a) A common way of saying "while having/doing" is over (a). E.g. Let's talk about t...

Grammar Bank

Word Usage