PASSWORD HELP

Type your password in the box and click the button under the box.

You must click the button. The password will not work if you press the ENTER/RETURN key.

Be very careful: password PASS4567XX is not the same as password pass4567xx.

ENGLAND, GB, OR THE UK?

GB is the abbreviation for Great Britain: the island made up of England, Scotland, and Wales. Scotland and Wales aren't in England. Scottish and Welsh people aren't English.

Ireland is the island made up of Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. Southern Ireland is also called Eire.

The British Isles is the geographical name for the two islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and some smaller islands such as the Isle Of Man and the Isle Of Wight. The Isle Of Man is also called Mann.

UK is the abbreviation for United Kingdom. The UK is a political whole made up of the four countries England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and some small islands. The Isle Of Man is not part of the UK.

The main language spoken is British English, usually just called English. However, sometimes, to make it clear that it is not the English spoken in the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa, India, and other countries, it's called UK English.

If you were born in England, you're English by birth but British by nationality, and have a British passport. If you're an immigrant and have a British passport, you're British, not English.

My passport is titled The United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland but, inside, says I am a British Citizen. The word Kingdom is used even when there's a queen.

JAPAN

On the television, someone was talking about Japan as if it was a small island somewhere near China.

Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands with a population of over 127 million, located in East Asia in the Pacific Ocean.
The characters that make up the name Japan mean sun origin, so Japan is sometimes referred to as the Land Of The Rising Sun.

Japan's four main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Tokyo, the capital, is on Honshu, the largest island.
Greater Tokyo, which includes several surrounding prefectures, is probably the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.

20% of the world's earthquakes take place in Japan, which sits on the boundaries of at least three tectonic plates.
Schools and office workers regularly rehearse earthquake drills, and 'waiting for the big one' is part of the national psyche.
And, as over 70% of Japan is mountainous, nearly everyone lives in cities along a coastal strip that's vulnerable to tsunamis.

POP-UP WINDOWS

To learn more about a green word, hold your mouse over it and keep it still. You do not need to click it.

Pop-ups help you with meanings, pronunciations, examples, explanations, grammar, and interesting related facts.

As the pop-up window is top-right on your screen, it won't work on a small screen such as that on a mobile phone.

MEANING: ETHICAL

Ethics are the moral values held by an individual or a group. For example: I do not think it is ethical to hunt animals for pleasure.

CHANGING THE VOLUME

Click the speaker icon on the taskbar to see the pop-up playback volume control. To change the volume, move the marker up or down, with your mouse. To close the pop-up, click anywhere outside it.

Double-click the icon to see all the volume controls. Make sure they're not off, or set very low.

Does your taskbar show the correct time and date? If not, reset them in Control Panel.

MEANING: UNIQUE

Unique means: no identical others. Things are unique, or not unique. They can't be nearly unique, almost unique, or very unique.

Spoken: you need pick   Emphasis: unique.

MEANING: STRATEGY

Strategy means: a long-term plan for success, usually in politics or business.

For example: The company strategy is to deliver internet services to schools.

Spoken: strong at the jee
And spoken: strategy.

MEANING: SOCIAL LIFE

Social life means: time spent with your family and friends away from work. For example: at home, in a cafe, or at a party.

Spoken: so shall full   Emphasis: social.

MEANING: SKILL

A skill is something you do well, and is the result of natural ability, practice, learning, or training. For example: cooking, drawing, and typing.

Usually, a skill is something you have learnt, and a talent is something you find very easy. For example: My brother is a very skilled pilot and my sister is a very talented pianist.

Question: Are some people born with a talent?

PRONUNCIATION: BUSINESS

A business is an organisation that sells services or products to make money.

Pronounced: be is not miss
And spoken: Business
Spoken: bizniss, not biz i niss

MEANING: THE INTERNET

The internet is important for information, communication, business, education, and entertainment.

Businesses are changing their expensive office locations and traditional paper systems for a cyberspace identity, providing their information, sales, and support as flexible 24 7 52 net services.

English is the international business language, and most internet pages are written in English.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND CONTRACTS

An engineering company in Gothenburg makes medical equipment. Although successful in Sweden, it also gets enquiries from clinics and hospitals all round the world.

Most phone calls and meetings are in English; designs are discussed in English; contracts are written in English; and English is spoken at medical conferences.

To compete and succeed in other countries, people in the company need to read, write, and speak English.

EDWARD ELGAR: 1857-1934

Elgar was self-taught, and began his career by teaching and writing music for local performances.

Inspired by the surrounding countryside, and supported by his wife, he was eventually recognised as one of the leading English Late Romantic composers.

The Enigma Variations is one of Elgar's most popular works. Each variation represents a close friend. This one, Nimrod, is about A J Jaeger.

OXFORD: ENGLAND

Oxford is on the river Thames, surrounded by fields, woods, streams, and villages.

It grew up around colleges, some dating from the 12th century, which now make up the university.

Oxford successfully combines the old and the new, and is a memorable place for a holiday.

I said that Oxford is on the river Thames. This means next to the river or on both sides, not on an island.

WATCH MY LIPS

To hear a coloured word spoken, hold your mouse over the word and keep it still. You do not need to click it.

If you can't hear anything, make sure that the volume is not off, or set very low. Double-click the speaker icon in the taskbar to see all the volume controls.

KEW GARDENS: ENGLAND

Kew Gardens includes tropical gardens, desert gardens, woodland gardens, water gardens, and glasshouses.

One glasshouse shows how plants developed over 3500 million years.

It's also a research centre, caring for the largest plant collection in the world.

SIMILAR WORDS: BUY, BY, AND BYE

The word buy is a form of the verb to buy, as in: Can we buy a new kitchen table?

Its forms are: buy, buys, buying, bought. There is no word spelled buyed.

Do not confuse it with the preposition by, as in: Meet me by the cinema.
Do not confuse it with 'bye, the short form of goodbye, as in: Say 'bye to your mum for me.

All three words sound the same.

SIMILAR WORDS: LICENCE AND LICENSE

The noun is spelled licence. A licence is a document that gives permission, as in: My new driving licence allows me to drive a bus.

The verb is spelled license, as in: Our company licenses timetable management software to schools.

Both words sound the same.

MEANING: CHEAPEST

The adjective cheap has three forms: cheap, cheaper, and cheapest.

Cheap means does not cost much. Cheaper means being more cheap. Cheapest means being the most cheap.

Most adjectives only have three forms, but some just have one. For example: important, more important, and most important.

There are no words spelled importanter and importantest.

CREDIT AND DEBIT CARDS

Cards issued by Barclays Bank: in common use in the UK.

A credit card allows you to pay for something now and pay the card issuer later.

A debit card takes the money from your bank straight away.

HYPHENS

Words are sometimes joined with a hyphen to make a new word. For example: ex-president, pop-ups, real-life.

The word email is short for electronic mail. When emails were new, the word was usually written as e-mail.

However, in often-used words with clear meanings, the hyphen-less forms gradually become the usual forms. So, e-mail is now written as email.

It's becoming increasingly common to join words with hyphens, to make a new adjective. For example: As a student, I had a lot of heat-and-eat meals.

CONTACT LEARNING ENGLISH

You can contact Learning English:

Cherry Heaven
West Holme Cottage
West Holme
BH20 6AQ
England

+44 1929 552063

mail@cherryheaven.co.uk

If you telephone, remember that the time here is London time, sometimes called GMT.
At mid-day in England, it is later in eastern countries and earlier in western countries.

KENSINGTON: ENGLAND

Kensington is in West London, near Chelsea, Notting Hill, Hyde Park, and Knightsbridge.

The Royal Albert Hall is home to the BBC Prom Concerts, the world's biggest musical festival.

For more culture, there's the V+A, the world's greatest museum of art and design, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, and the Commonwealth Institute.

MEANING: LANGUAGE

A language is a system that uses sounds, symbols, or signs, to express ideas. For example: the Thai language, Braille, Javascript computer programming language, and Scriabin's musical language.

Every language has ways of putting its elements together to express meaning.

Questions: Would random musical notes interest and please you? Does book I yesterday that read mean anything?

EXPLANATION: HYPHENS

Words are sometimes joined with a hyphen to make an adjective, a word that describes a noun.

Here, the words world and wide are joined to describe the noun communication.

Other examples are: an on-line database, a quick-release lock, a stop-start economy, and home-cooked food.

However, in popular adjectives with clear meanings, the hyphen-less forms gradually become the normal forms. So, world-wide is now usually written as worldwide.

UK AND US ENGLISH

In the UK, films are shown in cinemas. In the US, films are called movies and cinemas are often called theatres.

In the UK, both words are used. For example: Film On Four and The Late Movie are television programmes.

Sometimes, we say we're going to the pictures, instead of the cinema or the movies. For example: Shall we go to the pictures this evening?

VIDEO, FILMS, AND MOVIES

The meaning of the word video depends on the context. Years ago, video meant relating to vision. There were no video cameras or video cassettes.

Now, from television, we record programmes on video tape cassettes, a hard disk, DVDs, or USB memory.

Most films are released on video, we take video cameras on holiday, we play video games on computers, and we video things tonight to look at tomorrow. In the last example, video is being used like a verb: it's something we do.

In Latin, audio, video, disco means I hear, I see, I learn.

MEANING: SENTENCE

A sentence is a group of words which has a meaning and expresses a complete idea: a statement, a question, or a command. For example: Do young chimpanzees ever think about their parents?

Question: My hungry dog. Is this a sentence or a phrase?

ABBREVIATIONS

An abbreviation is a short form of a word or group of words. Abbreviations are used a lot in spoken English and informal writing. The word don't is short for do not.

For example: I don't want to go Coventry next Saturday.

Pronounced: dim note want   And spoken: don't,

The apostrophe replaces the missing letter, or letters, as in the word isn't, short for is not.
However, in some popular abbreviations, such as bus, short for autobus, we don't write 'bus.

MEANING: FUTURE

The future is time that has not started. Take care with your future: the rest of your life will be spent there.

MEANING: MEDIA

The media means all types of communication. For example: newspapers, magazines, the internet, adverts, radio, television, and theatre.

It's usually used in this plural form rather than the singular form medium.

EXPLANATION: HYPHENS

Words are sometimes joined with a hyphen to make an adjective, a word that describes a noun.

For example: an on-line database, a quick-release lock, a stop-start economy, home-cooked food.

However, in popular adjectives with clear meanings, the hyphen-less forms gradually become the usual forms. So, world-wide is now written as worldwide.

SIMILAR WORDS: YOUR AND YOU'RE

An abbreviation is a short form of a word or a small group of words: you're is short for you are.

Do not confuse it with your, which is possessive, as in: I like your sister. Both words sound the same.

The apostrophe replaces the missing letter, or letters, as in isn't, short for is not.
However, in some popular words, such as phone, short for telephone, we don't use it.

EXPLANATION: HYPHENS

Words are sometimes joined with a hyphen to make an adjective, a word that describes a noun.

For example: a quick-release door lock, an on-line database, a stop-start economy.

Words are only joined in this way when they are used as a new adjective. For example: I like on-line shopping..

Sometimes, on line does not act as an adjective, so does not have a hyphen, as in: on time, on paper, on television.

Generally, hyphens are being used less, if the meaning is clear, so online may become the adjective.

ABBREVIATION: IT'S

An abbreviation, or contraction, is a short form of a word or a small group of words. For example: it's is short for it is.

Do not confuse it with its, which is possessive, as in: My cat ate its food. Both words sound the same.

Abbreviations use apostrophes to replace missing letters, so is not is shortened to isn't.

You might think that shall not needs two apostrophes, as in sha'n't, but modern English just uses one, as in shan't.

Some popular abbreviations don't use an apostrophe. For example: autobus used to be shortened to 'bus but now it's just bus.

MEANING: GRAMMAR

The grammar of a language is the ways that its elements are changed, combined, and put into a sequence to express meaning.

Question: Does am I Madrid to going mean anything?

MEANING: PHRASE

A phrase is a small group of words that has a meaning, but does not express a complete idea. For example: near the river, four broken windows, and move slowly away.

It's pronounced: from stays

In English, about 4000 words have ph pronounced as f. For example: alphabet, dolphin, graph, pharmacy, and photo.

Question: I like cake. Is this a phrase or a sentence?

MEANING: TOPIC

A topic is a subject that can be talked about or written about.

The topic Why I Like Cycling could be talked about, or made the subject of a text.

REAL PEOPLE: E-MALES AND E-FEMALES

Many of the people you read about in Learning English are real. The stories about them are from their lives, and are told by natural English speakers.

Martin designs transport control systems, Serena is a translator, David is a technical manager, Kristin teaches at a university, Lucy is a fashion model, Kenny is a television presenter, Greg is a single parent, and Rebecca works as a conference organiser.

LONDON: ENGLAND

By 1750, London was the cultural, economic, educational, and political centre of the nation. About one tenth of the population of the UK lived there, as it does today.

When you fly into London, you can usually see many of its historic buildings and landmarks, and the river Thames with its famous bridges.

MEANING: SEQUENCE

A sequence is things arranged one after another. For example: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

When we put things into a special sequence, we often say we are putting them in order. For example, in alphabetical order: apple, bread, cheese, duck, eggs, and fish.

Question: Put June, March, May, April, and July in order.

Did you realise that there's more than one sequence? For example: time, alphabetical, the numbers of letters in the words, or the numbers of days in the months.

THE BAMPTON MIDI CHORALE

The chorale is well known for its skilful interpretations, and sings everything with optimism, courage, and luck.

It says on their concert programmes: Always be happy: never B flat, never B sharp, always B natural.

In the UK, a programme is a list or timetable of events, and a program is a set of instructions for a computer. In the US, the spelling program is used for both.

GEORGE FRIEDERICH HANDEL: 1685-1759

Handel was born in Germany, but became an English citizen. Although he was successful for thirty years, he got into debt, and became ill and depressed.

When he was asked to write a new work, he stayed at home for three weeks and composed The Messiah.

FEW, LESS, MANY, AND MUCH

Generally, few and many are used for things you can count and less and much for things you can't. For example:

I've had too many days off work this year, but fewer than last year.

I have too much sugar in my tea, although less than my boyfriend.

However, English isn't a language with rules and there are some things that can be counted in one context but not in another.

This is explained in the Support module called Quantity And Measurement.

CELTIC OR CELTIC?

Celtic, the name of a group of Indo-European languages, is spoken as: cat well ticket.

Celtic, the name of the Scots football club, is spoken as: sell ticket.

MEANING: DISPERSED

To disperse means to separate and spread in different directions over a large area. For example: Many plant seeds are dispersed on the wind.

MEANING: ALTERNATIVELY

To alternate means to change two things regularly, one for the other. For example: Day alternates with night.

An alternative is a possible choice between two things. For example: Call me at 9:30 or, alternatively, 12:15.

An option is a possible choice from two or more things. For example: We could meet for lunch on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday. These are not alternatives.

MEANING: SYLLABLE

A syllable is part of a word which is pronounced as a unit and contains a single vowel sound.

For example: never, railway, discount, and terminal.

MEANING: HOWEVER

However is used when we say something that contrasts with something we have just said.

For example: I usually enjoy Indian food. However, the meal last night was very disappointing.

MEANING: LAUGHTER

Laughter is an expression of fun shown by noise and body movements.

Pronounced: leg car for master

And spoken: Laughter.

MEANING: LEGAL

Legal means having values set by law. For example: It is legal to use cameras to catch drivers going too fast.

RICHMOND: ENGLAND

Richmond is on the River Thames, near London. In 1637, King Charles I enclosed land to make Richmond Park a royal hunting park. There was local opposition so, to win back support, he allowed public access.

It's now one of the largest deer parks in the country, and is a protected National Nature Reserve.

GREENWICH MEAN TIME: GMT

Greenwich is about six kilometres east of London, and is the home of the Royal Observatory.

Before 1884, almost every town in the world used its own local time, and there were no conventions about how time should be measured in different places.

GMT is now used as the reference time for international time. At mid-day in England, it is later in eastern countries and earlier in western countries.

Question: As you can see in the diagram, all the time-zone lines go north to the North Pole. So, what time is it there?

EXPLANATION: HYPHENS

Words are sometimes joined with a hyphen to make a new word. For example: ex-president, pop-ups, real-life. The word email is short for the two words electronic mail. When emails were new, it usually written as e-mail.

However, in often-used words with clear meanings, the hyphen-less forms gradually become the usual forms. So, e-mail is now written as email.

DIVERSION

The word mankind, or just man, is sometimes used instead of humans. It means the animal group called humans.

It is usual to say, for example: Man is a social animal, not men are social animals.
Although man is singular, in this context it's collective, and means men and women.

But times are changing. Mankind, like other one-sex words in English, is about men, and we could use humankind, or just humans, which includes women.

DIVERSION

The living world is divided into two groups: animals and plants.

Animals are divided into more groups. For example: birds, fish, humans, and insects.
Plants are divided into more groups. For example: algae, grasses, flowers, and trees.

Most people think that spiders are part of the group called insects. However, spiders have eight legs, not six, and belong to a group called arachnids.

Mushrooms don't have green leaves so aren't like plants but they're not animals? However, genetic studies have shown that fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants. You might like to read more about them.

EXPLANATION

In English, a thing usually means an object. However, it can also mean event or activity. It is not used to mean person.

An event is something that happens. For example: the door opens, visitors arrive, or a football match begins.

An activity is something you do, usually as a sequence of connected actions. For example: drinking tea, having a meeting, kissing, or tidying your desk.

MEANING: VERB

Verbs tell us that a state existed in the past, exists in the present, or will exist in the future.
Or that an activity, or an event, happened in the past, happens in the present, or will happen in the future.

The infinitive form of a verb is its basic form from which all other forms are made. For example: to be, to shop, to see, to want, to need, to buy, to have, to give, and to enjoy.

Question: Are be, fun, soft, talk, think, and ran all verbs?

MEANING: MODAL AUXILIARY VERB

An auxiliary verb is a helper verb used to add to the time-meaning of a main verb. For example: I am thinking about my daughter.

Mode means the way that something is done, the way it works, its style, or its fashion.

A modal auxiliary verb is a helper verb used to change the context-meaning of a main verb. For example: All the restaurant staff must remain on duty until midnight.

MEANING: PAST

The past is the time that started. States started to exist. Actions, activities, and events, began. Some finished.

It is the time period before the present, and the time place we lived in.

For example: Dinosaurs lived and died in the distant past.

Do not confuse it with passed, as in: I passed your house this morning. Both words sound the same.

MEANING: PRESENT

The present is the time at this moment. States exist now. Actions, activities, and events are happening now.

It is the time period between the past and the future, and the time place we live in.

For example: The present is the only time we can live in.

In English, we can express the present in two ways: the exact moment now, and the general time we live in. For example: 11:15, a time point, and today, a time period.

Do not confuse it with present, as in: My brother gave me a birthday present.

MEANING: FUTURE

The future is the time that will start. States will start to exist. Actions, activities, and events will begin.

It is the time period after the present, and the time place we will live in.

For example: We will go to South America next February.

DIVERSION

Is our idea about time passing correct? Unfortunately, the true nature of time is a complex and difficult subject. Is it the fire that eats us?

However, a simple believable explanation makes it easy for us to express how time seems to affect and control our lives.

THE BAMPTON MIDI ORCHESTRA

The orchestra is well known for its unusual interpretations, and plays everything with optimism, courage, and luck.

It says on their concert programmes: Always be happy: never B flat, never B sharp, always B natural.

In the UK, a programme is a list or timetable of events, and a program is a set of instructions for a computer. In the US, the spelling program is used for both.

DIVERSION

Sometimes, we need to believe that the future is certain. However, having breakfast tomorrow is mostly certain, but the weather next weekend is mostly uncertain. Really, because they are both in the future, we don't know for sure.

So remember that when we say that things are certain we mean that we expect them to happen. But they might not.

ADVANCED

By reducing language to the level of popular television, we will gradually lose the fine variations in meaning that make English so expressive.

So, the future of English will depend on people like you.

MEANING: INFORMAL

Informal means relaxed and friendly, without using social rules.

You usually speak informally to your family, friends, and work colleagues.
You usually write informally in emails, in letters to your children, and in your diary.
You usually dress informally at home, in the garden, and on holiday.

ABBREVIATION: THERE'S

An abbreviation, or contraction, is a short form of a word or a small group of words: there's is short for there is.

Theirs is possessive. For example: The black BMW in the car park is theirs. It belongs to them.

Don't confuse them, as both words sound the same.

The apostrophe replaces the missing letter, or letters, as in isn't, short for is not. In some popular words, such as bus, short for autobus, we have stopped using the apostrophe and don't write 'bus.

It's pronouced: apple lost tropical fee

And spoken: apostrophe

Although most people use the word abbreviation, the word contraction is correct. To contract means to make shorter.

UK AND US ENGLISH

In the UK, a holiday is a break from studies or work, usually spent relaxing. In the US, a holiday is called a vacation.

DIVERSION

Perhaps a butterfly can start a cyclone. True or not, this is a colourful way of saying that even a small low-energy event can have a powerful and unpredictable effect.

EXPLANATION

Everything takes time to happen, however little. English is not a computer language, with an exact grammar. It has evolved so that we can express things in our lives, in an easy way without describing every detail.

So, when we say that something happens in an instant, we don't usually mean a time period so short that it can't be measured.

ADVANCED

A Swedish friend, learning English, often uses the simple present in this way. For example: On Saturday, I go to Gothenburg, I eat something, I shop for some tools, and I meet Danny.

A more natural way to say it would be: On Saturday, I am going to Gothenburg to have something to eat, buy some tools, and meet Danny.

MEANING: AUXILIARY VERBS

An auxiliary verb is a helper verb used to add meaning to a main verb. Here are some examples:

I am playing football for our school this mornng.   Note: the main verb is playing

I do like the way you make banana pancakes.   Note: the main verb is like

We can walk to the hotel in about two minutes.   Note: the main verb is walk

They have given me two tickets for The Nutcracker ballet on December 17th.   Note: the main verb is given

ABBREVIATION: O'CLOCK

An abbreviation is a short form of a word or a small group of words: o'clock is short for of the clock.

Usually, o'clock is only used for whole hours. For example: ten o'clock, not ten thirty o'clock. We just say ten thirty.

EXPLANATION: PHRASAL VERBS

The verb to give can be combined with up to make a new verb, to give up.

This new verb, a small group of connected words, is like a phrase and is called a Phrasal Verb.

However, it has a meaning which can't be understood from the separate meanings of give and up.
It means to stop doing something, as in: I want to give up drinking so much coffee.

Look at the Use Of English module called Phrasal Verbs.

EXPLANATION: IRREGULAR VERBS

Most verbs are regular. Their forms follow a simple pattern. For example, for the verb to talk: talk, talks, talking, and talked.

Irregular verbs do not follow this pattern. For example, for the verb to break: break, breaks, breaking, broke, and broken.

Look at the Support module called Irregular Verbs.

MEANING: NOUN

A noun is a naming word. For example: factory, runway, Thomas, uniform, Venezuela, and window.

Names of people and places are called proper nouns. They begin with a capital letter. For example: Argentina, Barbie, China, Jacko, Madrid, and Neptune.

Names of things are called common nouns. They do not begin with a capital letter, and can be singular or plural. For example: ants, decision, garages, idea, and months.

Normally, we write Toyota. However, sometimes we use all capitals as in the Toyota logo in the photo.

Question: Are best, choose, gift, speech, and car all nouns?

MEANING: ADJECTIVE

An adjective describes a noun or pronoun. It tells you more about something or someone. For example: a pink dress, she is tired, and a long day.

The thing it describes does not have to be real. It can be a thought, a feeling, or an idea.

There's a Grammar module called Adjectives and Adverbs.

Question: Are big, loud, quickly, and soft all adjectives?

MEANING: IDIOM

An idiom is a group of words, accepted by popular use, which has a meaning that is not related to its exact meaning. For example: We get on like a house on fire.

This means that we get on well, and enjoy being with each other.

The phrasal verb to get on is explained in the Use Of English module called Using The Verb To Get.

MEANING: STATE

The state of something or someone is an expression of condition or existence. It stays the same unless something or someone changes it.

For example: After the divorce, Simon was in a bad state for weeks, but his friends supported him and he gradually felt better.

The State of Texas is the name of the area. It is not about the way Texas is, although, after a cyclone, you could say that Texas was in a terrible state.

MEANING: CASUAL

Casual means relaxed and friendly, without using social rules.

You usually speak casually to your family, friends, and work colleagues.

Casual conversation is often called chat. You usually wear Casual clothes at home. Casual relationships are not regular or serious.

SIMILAR WORDS: AROUND AND ROUND

To walk around the town means to walk from one place to another to another, often with no plan. For example:

In Prague, we walked around the city centre all day. We looked at the shops, crossed the bridges, had lunch by the river, went to the park, and took lots of photos.

The A351 road goes round Wareham means that the A351 road is on the edge of the town but doesn't go through it.

This type of road is called a bypass, because it passes by. For example: the Wareham Bypass.

SPELLING: LEARNED OR LEARNT

Most verbs have a regular past form that ends in ed. For example: cook:cooked, paint:painted, and wish:wished.

However, in English, there are lots of irregular verbs which have different past forms. For example: hide:hid, feel:felt, make:made, and sing:sang.

There's no rule for this: you just have to learn them.

Although most UK English speakers usually say dreamt and learnt, most US English speakers usually say dreamed and learned.

THE DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998

The 1998 Data Protection Act became law in March 2000, replacing, and building on, the 1984 act.

Personal data must be collected fairly and lawfully, and can only be kept for a time appropriate for the intended purpose. It is your legal right to be able to check that your data is accurate.

Personal data must be reasonably protected from loss, theft, corruption, and unauthorised or unlawful access.

MEANING: RULE

A rule is an instruction about necessary arrangement or behaviour. For example: sports have rules, we drive on the left-hand side of the road, and we start names of people with a capital letter.

However, in many areas of life and art, rules are broken, and the person who breaks the rule always has a reason or an excuse

UK AND US ENGLISH

In the UK, we write radio programme, concert programme, and a programme of events.

In the US, they write program, although both spellings sound the same.

However, in the UK and the US, we both write computer program.

EXPLANATION

Adjectives often follow a pattern, as in: long, longer, and longest. Long means has length. Longer means has more length. Longest means has the most length.

Easier means more easy. But there isn't a rule, and easier is not spelled easyer and easiest is not spelled easyest.

And remember to say: good, better, and best.

There are no words spelled gooder and goodest.

MEANING: LEXICON

A lexicon is the words that make up the vocabulary of a language.

At the age of 11, children know around 13,000 words, but only use about 1,000 regularly.
At the age of 16, they know around 60,000 and, at 20, around 100,000, but only use about 5,000.

A typical dictionary has 70,000 entries, but the number of words in reference books totals more than a 1,000,000.

MEANING: PREPOSITION

A preposition is a word, or sometimes several words, used before a noun or a pronoun to connect it to other words.

Generally, prepositions work in three contexts: position, movement, and time. For example: We met at a party. I swam to the island. I will call you before seven thirty.

It's important to understand that prepositions always have objects. For example: party, island, and seven thirty.

Look at the Grammar module called Prepositions.

MEANING: CONTEXT

A context is the surrounding facts, ideas, actions, feelings, and thoughts that give something its full meaning.

English is a context-based language, and the words we use depend on the context.

MEANING: CONCEPT

A concept is an idea. For example: democracy, healthcare, and freedom.

A concept car is a design for the future. When, or if, it's ever made, it usually looks more normal.

MEANING: PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES: UN AND LESS

A prefix is added before a word. Adding un means not, so unread means not read.

It can be used before many adjectives and adverbs. For example: unnecessary, unimportant, unsure, uncertainly, unhelpfully, unusually.

A suffix is added after a word. Adding less means with no, so painless means with no pain. It can be used after many nouns to make adjectives. For example: thoughtless, hopeless, pointless, shapeless.

Prefixes and suffixes are explained in the Support module called Spelling.

EXPLANATION: HYPHENS

Words are sometimes joined with a hyphen to make an adjective, a word that describes a noun.

The words every and day can be joined with a hyphen to make a new adjective every-day as in: An every-day pair of shoes.

Other examples are: an on-line database, a quick-release lock, a stop-start economy, and home-cooked food.

However, in popular adjectives with clear meanings, the hyphen-less forms gradually become the normal forms. So, every-day is now usually written as everyday.

PRONUNCIATION: READ OR READ?

The simple present forms of the verb to read, as in You read very well and He reads very well, are pronounced reed and reeds.

The continuous present form, as in I am reading about my family history, is pronounced reeding.

The simple past form, as in She read your letter yesterday, is pronounced red.

When written, the same sentence can describe the present or the past, as in I read a book every day. When spoken, the meaning depends on the pronunciation: reed or red.

MEANING: VERSION

A version is a copy of something, but not an exact copy. For example: when computer software or a mobile phone is improved, it's often called the new version.

MEANING: EVENT

An event is something that happens. For example: the door opens, visitors arrive, or a football match begins.

Events can happen quickly or slowly. An explosion and a rock concert are both events.

The Millennium celebration, as the year 1999 became 2000, was an event. Many people thought that the Millennium ended on 31 December 2000, not 1999. What do you think?

MEANING: ACTIVITY

An activity is something you do, usually as a sequence of connected actions. For example: swimming, making tea, washing your hair, and tidying your desk.

Outdoor Activities is the general name for things such as camping, climbing, cycling, and jogging.

MEANING: SUMMARISE

To summarise means to make a short version of written or spoken information. For example: I wrote a summary of the report about organic food prices.

The short version is called a summary. Writing summaries isn't easy because you need to include the main points but still make them interesting.

DIVERSION

Sometimes we say one thing but mean the opposite. For example, at a wedding, Mrs Wooley is wearing a large colourful hat, covered in flowers. Mrs Cotton, who is about the same age, says What an interesting hat, because she likes it.

Ms Cotton, who is sixteen, says What an interesting hat. But she pauses before hat, and changes the intonation to make it sound like a question. She thinks the hat is a fashion mistake, and no one could possibly like it.

MEANING: PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy is about the understanding of the nature and significance of beliefs, and the testing of concepts by finding rational explanations.

It's pronounced: fill boss off tea

And spoken: philosophy

In English, about 4000 words have ph pronounced as f. For example: alphabet, dolphin, graph, pharmacy, and photo.

MEANING: INTONATION

Intonation is the rise and fall of pitch and volume as we speak. It gives language a melody.

DIVERSION

In the UK, the sound that a cat makes is written meow. Spoken with good intonation, it does sound like a cat.
In many other languages, the word also begins with a letter m. For example: meu, miau, miauw, mjau, and myau.

We get frequent visits from a cat that lives in one of the nearby houses. Every meow it makes sounds nearly the same.
As meow seems to be the only language element, or word, it must be very unlikely that cats can use it as part of a descriptive language.

SPELLING: PRONUNCIATION

The word pronunciation is spelled with the letter u. The word pronounce is spelled, and pronounced, differently.

DIVERSION

Many of you will be familiar with one example of hearing and reading text at the same time.

Company presentations are often on a big screen. When the text appears, the speaker usually reads it aloud.

This is not a good way to communicate. The audience reads faster than the speaker speaks, finishes reading quickly, and begins to think about something different.

PASSWORD HELP: UNLOCK LEARNING ENGLISH

Type your password in the box, then click the blue button under the box.

You must click the button. The password will not work if you press the ENTER key.

Be very careful: password PASS4567XX is not the same as password pass4567xx.

DIVERSION

The export manager, who spoke very little English, received a large order from a company in England for 320 surgical tweezers to be sent ASAP.

For over an hour he looked everywhere for an international delivery company, finding APX, DHL, TNT, UPS, and a lot more. But he couldn't find ASAP.

In English, ASAP means As Soon As Possible.

ASAP is called an acronym. An acronym for several words is generally made from the first letters of each of the words. You say it as a new word, and often write it in capitals to show that it is not a normal word. Other examples are: NATO, UNICEF, laser, and radar.

COUNTING: HOW MANY?

A few means more than one but not many, probably less than five. A couple means two. Several means more than two but not many, probably less than five. A lot means many but depends on the context.

Quantities are explained in the Support module called Quantity And Measurement.

EXPLANATION: THE VERB TO SPEAK

Most verbs are regular. Their forms follow a simple pattern. For example, for the verb to talk: talk, talks, talking, and talked.

Irregular verbs do not follow this pattern. For example, for the verb to speak: speak, speaks, speaking, spoke, and spoken.

There is no word spelled speaked.

MEANING: WORD

A word is the smallest unit of speech or writing that has a meaning. For example: a, by, cup, do, event, and fish.

A book with all the words that a language uses, and their meanings, is called a dictionary.

The ancient Greeks thought that words must have natural meanings because of their sound. This idea was abandoned when they realised that they couldn't naturally understand any other languages.

The theory now is that words have very mixed origins and have meanings through use and agreement.

If you and your friends started to use a new word zigger, it might become popular and end up in a dictionary.

SIMILAR WORDS: THEIR, THERE, AND THEY'RE

Their means belongs to them. For example: My parents said we can stay at their house.

There means position. For example: Wait there, next to the door.

They're is the short form of they are. For example: They're staying at the Minerva Hotel.

Don't confuse them, as all three words sound the same and are pronounced the hair.

EXPLANATION

The letters ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ are called the upper case letters, named after the case, or box, used in the printing industry to store them. Most people call them capitals.

The letters abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz are called the lower case letters, named after the case, or box, used in the printing industry to store them. Children often call them little letters.

In maths, science, and engineering, the single numbers 0123456789 are called digits.

MEANING: FULL STOP

A full stop is the small dot at the end of a sentence, and it represents a pause, usually at the end of a sentence.

In US English, it's called a period. In internet addresses, it's called a dot.

Used with numbers, in mathematics it's called point and in finance and banking it's sometimes called spot.

MEANING: NEUTER

Neuter means neither male nor female. A male domestic cat is often neutered, by removing some of its sexual parts, to prevent it fathering kittens.

ADJECTIVE, NOUN, AND VERB FORMS

English nouns generally have two forms, singular and plural, although some have only one. For example: book and books, day and days, sheep, and fish.

Verbs generally have four forms, although some have five. For example: talk, talks, talking, and talked, and write, writes, writing, written, and wrote.

Adjectives have one form. For example: long, interesting, new, difficult. Because they have only one form, you will never say: the longs roads.

HAMLET BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

In the play Hamlet, the sentence To be or not to be? is followed by That is the question.

Shakespeare uses two very simple short sentences to express a complex idea.

Hamlet is questioning himself. Question forms are a very important part of language.

SIMILAR WORDS: PRACTICE AND PRACTISE

Practice is the noun. For example: I'm Italian, and I run a dental practice in West London. A dental business.

To practise is the verb. For example: I need to practise my English, because not one of my patients speaks Italian.

Both words sound the same.

GIOACCHINO ROSSINI: 1792-1868

Rossini thought that William Tell was the best of his 38 operas so, at the age of 37, he stopped writing opera for the remaining 39 years of his life, and became a gourmand, an excellent chef, and a famous host.

It includes expressive music, interesting orchestrations, spectacular ballets, and elaborate processions.

SIMILAR WORDS: COMPARE AND CONTRAST

To compare people or things means to see how similar they are. To contrast means to see how different they are.

MEANING: MEMORABLE

Memorable means able to create a memory. Although it's made by joining the two words memory and able, it's not spelled memoryable.

MEANING: ENOUGH

Enough means as much as is needed, no more and no less.

Pronounced: eat nut off   Emphasis: enough

EDVARD GRIEG: 1843-1907

Edvard Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist, best known now for his A minor Piano Concerto. However, much of his life was a struggle, and he was desperately unhappy at school, regularly suffering torment and abuse from his fellow students.

Traditional Norwegian music became an important part of his own compositions.

EXPLANATION

The adjective long has three forms: long, longer, and longest.
Long means having length. Longer means having more length. Longest means having the most length.

This pattern is good for most adjectives, but there are exceptions.

Remember to say: important, more important, and most important.

There are no words spelled importanter and importantest.

MEANING: FACT

A fact is an item of information that is correct and which can be proved to be true. For example: Menorca is one of a group of islands in the Mediterranean.

Some facts are harder to be sure about. For example: are the left-to-right lines in the photo horizontal and parallel?

And some facts might seem true to one person but not to another. For example: It's too hot on the beach, The apple wasn't very sweet, and Vanessa is the kindest person.

MEANING: PARTICIPLE

A participle is a word made from a verb and used as a verb. For example: did, folded, made, playing.

Some can be used as adjectives. For example: We bought four painted chairs for our kitchen.

SAMUEL BARBER: 1910-1981

This was originally the second movement of a string quartet, written in 1936. Arranged for string orchestra, it became his most popular work.

It's been used in a number of films, and is the unofficial American anthem of mourning.

INFINITIVE

The infinitive form of a verb is its basic form from which all other forms are made.

For example: to be, to shop, to see, to want, to need, to buy, to have, to give, and to enjoy.

Infinitives are not used with the personal pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we and they. So don't say: We to live in Rome.

ADVANCED

If we think of a new regular verb to gimp, we know that the four forms will be gimp, gimps, gimping, and gimped.

So, saying that you are in the middle of gimping and can't open the door, would immediately sound OK.

If it was irregular, the four forms might be: gimp, gimps, gimping, and gomped or gompt.

TOMASO ALBINONI: 1671-1751

The adagio is based on a fragment found in a Dresden library by Remo Giazotto. He reconstructed it in 1945, using the surviving bass line and six bars of melody, and adding an organ.

Albinoni was rediscovered largely because of this piece.

UK AND US ENGLISH

In the UK, some verbs end in ise. For example: maximise, organise, realise, and recognise.

In the US, nearly all of these words are spelled with ize. For example: maximize, organize, realize, and recognize.

EXPLANATION: TO WAKE UP

The verb to wake means to stop sleeping. For example: I usually wake the kids around 7:00.

The verb to wake up means to stop sleeping. For example: I never wake up feeling tired.

The verb to awake also means to stop sleeping, but is used less often. For example: I was awake most of last night.

To wake up is a phrasal verb. These are explained in the Use Of English module called Phrasal Verbs.

MEANING: PREFIXES: UN AND DIS

A prefix is added before a word. Adding un means not, so uninterested means not interested For example: Television quiz programmes are so uninteresting.

It can be used before many adjectives and adverbs. For example: unnecessary, unimportant, uncertainly, unusually, unhelpfully, and unsure.

Do not confuse it with disinterested which means having no opinion either way. For example: Everyone at the meeting was disinterested in regional agricultural subsidies.

Most people don't know that there's a difference, so usually use uninterested.

EXPLANATION: STARTING A SENTENCE WITH AND

Some grammar books still say that it is wrong to begin a sentence with and.

However, it can add emphasis, improve the spoken melody, or be part of your personal written style.

EXPLANATION: EXPRESSING THE FUTURE

The auxiliary verb will. For example: I will go to the new Monet exhibition next week.

The auxiliary verb shall. For example: I shall take my car back to the garage on Wednesday.

The auxiliary verb phrase am going to. For example: I am going to download a newer internet browser tomorrow.

Also: It is going to be expensive to change all the desks.

Also: Are you going to give money to that cancer charity?

EXPLANATION: VOWELS AND CONONANTS

The alphabet has five vowels aeiou and twenty-one consonants, bcdfghjklmnpqrstvwxyz.

There's one exception: in words such as pretty or sky, the consonant y is used, and pronounced, like a vowel.

When we make a vowel sound, the outward air flow is unbroken by the lips, teeth, or tongue. When we make a consonant sound, the outward air flow is partially or completely broken.

MEANING: ALLITERATION

Alliteration means the use of the same letter or sound in a sequence of words. For example: On Friday, Freddie and Fiona had fresh fruit.

EXPLANATION: THE ALPHABET

The word alphabet is made from alpha and beta, the first two letters of the Greek alphabet.

It's pronounced: pal offer bet

And emphasised: alphabet

In English, about 4000 words have ph pronounced as f. For example: alphabet, dolphin, graph, pharmacy, and photo.

EXPLANATION: ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

An abbreviation for several words is generally made from the first letters of each of the words. You say each of the letters, usually emphasising the last one.
For example: European Union is often shortened to EU, and pronounced: meet you.

An acronym for several words is generally made from the first letters of each of the words. You say it as a new word, and usually write it in capitals to show that it is not a normal word.
For example: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is usually shortened to NATO, and pronounced: name toes.

EXPLANATION: ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

An abbreviation for several words is generally made from the first letters of each of the words. You say each of the letters, usually emphasising the last one.
For example: European Union is often shortened to EU, and pronounced: meet you.

An acronym for several words is generally made from the first letters of each of the words. You say it as a new word, and usually write it in capitals to show that it is not a normal word.
For example: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is usually shortened to NATO, and pronounced: name toes.

EXPLANATION: NUMERALS

It is often said that we use Arabic Numerals. However, if you look at an Arabic car number-plate you will not be able to recognise any of the numbers.

Hindu numbers were adopted by Arab mathematicians. A refined system, and the concept of zero, spread through Europe.

Roman numerals were generally very difficult to work with. Try multiplying CCLXIX by MDXXVII.

MEANING: ADVERB

An adverb describes a verb. It tells you more about how a state exists or an activity happens. For example: to live happily, to listen carefully, to swim often.

There's a Grammar module called Adjectives and Adverbs.

Question: Are loud, quickly, tiny, and never all adverbs?

MEANING: INFINITIVE

The infinitive form of a verb is its basic form from which all other forms are made. For example: to be, to shop, to see, to want, to need, to buy, to have, to give, to enjoy.

Infinitives are not used with the personal pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we and they. So don't say: We to live in Rome.

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH: 1685-1750

Many musical experts say that JS Bach must be the greatest composer in the history of western music.

He combined melodic invention, harmonic richness, and complex technical structures, to express the fullness of human feelings.

WAREHAM: ENGLAND

Wareham is a small market town in Dorset, England, quite near the coast.

The surrounding countryside includes winding rivers, green farmland, dramatic cliffs, pretty cottages, historic buildings, sandy beaches, rocky coves, open heathland, panoramic views, peaceful villages, and lively seaside resorts.