Grammar

A confusing point for both native and foreign English speakers is whether to use used to or use to in a phrase.

Used to is used to describe an action that was common or ongoing previously but no longer occurring.
Ex. This building used to be a hospital but has been converted into a school.

As a general rule, since the action described is in the past, it is correct to use the past-tense “used to”.
Ex. I used to like dogs, but I got bit by one last month and now they scare me.

October is a month loved by many - mostly because of Halloween! Fill in the blanks with the past tense of the verbs in parentheses using the possible answers below.

You may have heard your English teachers refer to two different kinds of numbers: cardinal numbers and ordinal numbers. If the difference is confusing for you, don’t worry! Continue reading below to learn when and how to use both types of numbers.

Cardinal Numbers
Cardinal numbers are primary numbers – that means that they show how many of something there are. These cannot be fractions or decimals, but have to be whole, counting numbers. These include one, two, three, four, five, six, etc.

Ex. Charlie has two (2) cats.

When your teacher talks about ‘parts of speech’, they’re talking about the building blocks of the language. It’s important to know the different ‘types’ of words as soon as possible, because these basics will make it easier to learn more complex pieces of language, and follow more advanced lessons when you’re getting ready to study English abroad!

Noun

A gerund is type of noun that is created by adding ‘-ing’ to a verb, for example:

Verb: Eat
Gerund (Noun): Eating

In some cases, we need to add an extra consonant before the -ing. This typically happens when the last consonant in the verb follows a single, short vowel:

Verb: Swim
Gerund (Noun): Swimming (Swim + m + ing)

Verb: Run
Gerund (Noun): Running (Run + n + ing)

Update: We are now offering online English courses with EC Virtual.

While both of these words are used to show the negative, knowing how and when to use ‘no’ and ‘not’ is an important skill and can make a big difference in your English.

‘No’ is usually used to mean something like “not any” or “not a/an”, and usually refers to a noun. It is commonly used in the following situations:

While they might not look very important, apostrophes ( ‘ ) can really change the meaning of a phrase. To make sure that you’re using apostrophes properly, check out our explanation of how to use these little symbols.

Using an apostrophe to show possession/ownership

To show that something belongs to something (or someone) else, use an apostrophe after the noun and add the letter s:

John’s book (the book belongs to John)

The school’s courses (the courses belong to the school)

What's the difference between well and good?

Basically, use good to describe a thing and use well to describe an activity.

Good is an adjective

Use good to describe a noun.

You smell good. I like your perfume.
(good describes the noun you)

This is a good song.

What a good boy.

You speak good English.

Well is an adverb

Below are ten sentences. Each sentence has one mistake. Only choose one option per sentence.

Use the comments area to explain what the mistakes are, why they are mistakes and what the correct sentence should be!

Which question is the most difficult? We think number nine!

English verbs have different forms in the simple present tense depending on the number and person of the subject. It is important that the verb and the subject agree. For the verb be these are:

Singular Present

I am 1st person

You are 2nd person

He is / she is / it is 3rd person

Singular Past

I was 1st person

You were 2nd person