HELPFUL TIPS AND RESOURCES FOR ADULT ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
English Grammar
On this page, you will find videos and documents relating to some common problem areas for English language learners.
Grammar Quick Links
Word Order - Sentence Structure
Sentence structure in English is usually: Subject + Verb + Object
Adjective and Noun Word Order
Don't forget: adjectives in English come before the noun. (There are a few rare exceptions, but most English language learners will never come into contact with them.) For more information on adjective position, please click here: link.
Verb Tenses
'do' versus 'make'
'used to' versus 'would'
Phrasal Verbs
Prepositions
Adjectives - Word Order
The workbook English Grammar in Use has excellent explanations and exercises on prepositions, as well.
Exercises for Conjunctions and Prepositions - Units 113-120
Exercises for Prepositions - Units 121-136
Note: Before the adjectives + noun, there is usually a determiner: a, an, the, my, your, these, those, some, etc.
Examples:
The funny, little, old lady ate a sweet, bite-sized, chocolate cake.
The big, brown, energetic puppy played with the tiny, yellow, lazy cat.
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Opinion Opinion / Attitude / Observations
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Examples: funny, tasty, nice, mean
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Size Size / Height
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Examples: big, small, tall, short
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Shape Shape / Weight / Length
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Examples: square, long, round, fat, skinny
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Condition Condition / State
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Examples: healthy, sick, rich, poor, hungry
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Age Condition / State
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Examples: old, young, ancient, antique
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Color Color / Approximate Color
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Examples: red, blue, greenish, purplish
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Pattern Pattern / Design
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Examples: checkered, striped, spotted, zigzag
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Origin Where is it from?
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Examples: American, French, English
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Material What is it made of?
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Examples: plastic, wooden, metal, gold, silver
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Purpose What is it used for?
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Examples: riding, shopping, teaching, learning, gardening
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Adjectives & Adverbs
The workbook English Grammar in Use has excellent explanations and exercises on adjectives and adverbs, as well.
Exercises for Adjectives and adverbs - Units 98-112
Adjectives - Do I add -ing or -ed?
Articles - the, a, an
The workbook English Grammar in Use has excellent explanations and exercises on articles and nouns.
Exercises for Articles and nouns - Units 69-81