Read through this short text and guess what the missing words are:
Tim and Sara were brother and sister. They lived with their parents on a farm deep in the countryside.
As children they were never bored because there was always something to _1_ on the farm. Every day they would _2_ up early and help their parents feed the cows _3_ school.
If you do exactly what you are told to do, you follow instructions to the letter.
I don't know how it went wrong, I followed the instructions to the letter.
A letter a woman send to her boyfriend when she wants to end their relationship.
He's upset because he just got a Dear John letter from his girlfriend.
The core school subjects are English, Maths and Science. There are many subjects we learn in Bristish high schools. Here are some of the ones we remember from our school days.
Maths / Mathematics
The study of numbers and shapes.
As part of maths you learn amongst other things algebra and geometry.
Algebra
A type of mathematics in which letters and symbols are used to represent quantities.
Words that end in -re in British English usually end -er in American English:
British: centre
American: center
Words that end in -our in British English often end in -or in American English:
British: colour
American: color
-ise verbs are always spelled with -ize in American English:
Three physicists have been awarded the Nobel Prize for changing the way the world is lit _1_.
Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano of Japan and U.S. scientist Shuji Nakamura were _2_ by the committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to share the $1.1 million prize.
The main use of 'wish' is to say that we would like things to be different from what they are, that we have regrets about the present situation; we want something to happen or to be true even though it is unlikely or impossible.
I wish I was thin. (I am not thin.)
In formal English, use the subjunctive form 'were' and not 'was' after 'wish'.
I wish I were thin.
Your and you're sound similar and are sometimes confused even by native speakers.
Your is the possessive form of you. It shows ownership or relationship to the person you are talking to.
Examples:
Can I borrow your bike?
Your daughter is in the garden.
You're is the contraction of you are.
Examples:
You're cheerful.
People come to oxford to learn. You can learn English in Oxford as many EC students do, or at its prestigious university.
When you hear the word Oxford and you will probably think of _1_ renowned university. The university grew rapidly from 1167 when King Henry II prohibited English students from attending the University of Paris, resulting in many settling _2_ the University of Oxford.
Do you get confused about the use of to and too. Although they look and sound similar, they have different functions. Let’s find out more.
Too is used before adjectives and adverbs to say that something is more than needed or wanted; more than is suitable or enough. It is often used to emphasise negatives meanings.
I'm too old for nightclubs.
The exam was too difficult for me.
Let's take a look at the different uses of could.
Possibility
Simon could be studying English right now. (present)
Simon could have studied English in Malta. (past)
Simon could go back to Malta next year. (future)
