Study Online English

From the blog

Informal and Formal English

Part Oneinformal and formal english

Ways to speak, write a letter, email or even how to send an informal Whatsapp!

As with your native language we always use formal speech when we don’t know the person and for official documents, books, news reports, articles, business letters or official speeches. Once we are friendly with the person we use more casual speech or informal.

Asking for permission

  • Formal: Do you mind if I…? / Do I have your permission to…? / Might it be possible for me to…? / Would it be acceptable for me to…?

  • Informal: Is it alright (for me) to…? / Can I…? / Am I allowed to…?

 

Making arrangements ( suggesting a time and place to meet)

  • Formal: Would you be available…? /I can meet at 1pm if that is convenient with you.

  • Informal: Are you free…? / … is best for me. /

Inviting someone to socialise together

  • Formal: We would like to invite you to…/ Please find enclosed an invitation to…/ It would be our great pleasure if you could attend…

  • Informal: Why don’t you … (with me/ us)? / How about… (with me/ us)? / Fancy coming to…?

 Offering help

  • Formal: Please contact me if I can be of any assistance (with…). / It is our great pleasure to offer you…

  • Informal: Drop me a line if you want me to lend you a hand (with…)/ Give me a call if you need any help (with…).

I hope you have found this article helpful. Part 2 is coming up with some more useful examples.

Read More »

When do you use get?

How to use get

It’s really getting hotter today!

In the English language we use get a lot! Here in this example, we are using get with an adjective to express that we think the weather is hotter.

Here is how we generally use the verb get:

getting excited

Let’s get excited!

To obtain

  • She got her driving license last week.
  • They got their visa a month ago.

To receive

  • I got an email from my friend in Australia.

  • He gets €1,000 a month from the government.

To buy

  • She got a new ski coat from Decathlon.
  • We got a new tablet at the airport.
  • Will you get me some more shampoo please?

To arrive at a place

  • We got to London around 6 p.m.
  • What time will we get there?
  • When did you get back from New York?

To get + adjective

  • It’s getting hotter.
  • I’m getting bored of this film.
  • It gets dark very early in the winter.
  • Don’t touch the oven it gets very hot.

Used in phrasal verbs

He got on his bicycle (Sat on)

We got off the train just before the bomb exploded. (exited the train)

He gets up at 6.00 a.m. every morning. (wakes up)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read More »

When to use BY

BY?

How to use BY

made by The meaning of by is the same as beside,
at the side of, next to or near somebody/something

Examples:

Were you sitting by (beside) the door?

Jana parked her car by (beside) mine.

The police station is by the church isn’t it?

Showing motion usually shows movement past a place:

We walked by your office this morning.

Who was that man who just ran by us?

Action

writing

To show who or what does, creates or causes something:

He was knocked down by a bus.

A play written by Shakespeare.

Who’s that book by?

I was frightened by the noise of the storm.

To show how something is done:

We send a postcard or a letter by post.

We contact someone by phone or by email.

Travel

To show how someone travels:

They came by car/ by taxi/ by train/ by plane.

For an amount

‘We sell tomatoes by the kilo.’

‘By’ as ‘alone’

By can be used with:

myself/yourself/himself/herself/ourselves/yourselves/themselves

These all show someone or something being alone:

‘I stayed at home by myself and read the newspaper.’

‘The cat opened the door by himself.’

 

 

Read More »

Driving me mad!

diving me mad

Drive someone up the wall

To make someone extremely angry.

  • My flat-mate is driving me up the wall.

Driving me round the bend

To make someone very angry, especially by continuing to do something annoying.

  • You’re driving me round the bend with your constant complaining.

 driving me mad twoDrive someone mad

To feel irritated

  • I wish that person would stop kicking my chair it’s driving me mad.

 

These are common idioms that you will hear a lot when you are with native English speakers when they want to express that they are feeling irritated or annoyed about something.

 

 

Read More »

Different ways to express you’re happy

Are you really happy about something???

happy-employee-clipart-GjYY0S-clipart

These are different ways to express you’re happy in English.

Ecstatic

Extremely happy:

  • I am ecstatic about my exam results.

Buzzing

A feeling of excitement, energy and pleasure.

  • I’m absolutely buzzing about my promotion.

Over the moonyellow again

To be very pleased:

  • She is over the moon with her new car.

Delighted

Very pleased:

  • I’m delighted for you. What great news!

Thrilled

Extremely happy about something:

  • I’m so thrilled you’re coming to my housewarming.

yellow happyOverjoyed

Really happy:

  • Emma was overjoyed she got the job with Emirates.

 

How happy are you today?

 

 

 

Read More »

Idioms

Winter Idioms

Hello everyone, It’s absolutely freezing outside! There is snow, really strong cold winds, rain and ice on the roads most mornings it’s really feeling like winter now!!!!

london idiomsI personally love this time of year, the woolly hats and gloves, big warm coats and the cold air on my face. One of my favourite things to do is to watch the snow fall while sitting inside with a big mug of cocoa it’s my favourite time of year.

In English as you have probably noticed we love our idioms. Here are a few winter themed idioms for you to learn. Although they all seem very winter like you can use them all year round.

 Left out in the cold

Feel excluded, forgotten or ignored.

  •  I felt left out in the cold, the group weren’t very friendly or welcoming.

 Snowball effect

It is when a situation starts small and gets built up increasing in power and momentum as it grows.

snowmen idiom

A snowball effect can be negative or positive.

  • After the company promoted the new line of products, there was a snowball effect, the company got bigger and bigger.

Tip of the iceberg

 Only the part of something that can be easily observed, but not the rest of it, which isice idioms hidden. (Referring to the fact that the majority of an iceberg is below the surface of the water.)

  •  The problems that you see here now are just the tip of the iceberg. There are numerous disasters waiting to happen.

Walking on thin ice

 The expression is used to describe a situation of possible danger or risk, where the “ice” could break at any time and the person treading or walking on it could fall in.  It usually implies that the walker knows they’re putting themselves at risk, but is continuing nevertheless.

  • He knew when he handed in his project late that he was walking on thin ice,  it had become a regular occurrence with that professor.

Put something on ice

To delay something.

  • Both projects have been put on ice until they can be paid for.

Cold shoulder

Be intentionally unfriendly to someone.

– Are you talking to your brother?

– No, I am giving him the cold shoulder until he apologises.

Have or get cold feet.

Suffer from a loss of nerve or confidence about something you had planned to do.

  • I’m worried she might get cold feet before she goes on the date with Philip.

Freeze up

Become anxious and unable to move or speak.

  • I think I will freeze up before I do the bungee jump.

Left out in the cold

Feel excluded, forgotten or ignored.

  • I felt left out in the cold, the group weren’t very friendly or welcoming.

Whether it’s winter where you are or it’s bright and sunny. I wish you a great day!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read More »

How to use THE

THE

Ive noticed especially in writing activities that some people find how to use THE confusing.

The is a Definite article. The list may seem long but the main rule is: we use the when we are talking about something or someone specific.share_image(1)

We use The in front of a noun when we believe the listener/reader knows exactly what we are referring to

I’ll pass by and collect the children at four o’clock.

or there is only one of those places  in those surroundings:

When you’re in town you must visit the zoo. (there is only one zoo normally in a town)

I’m going to the Eiffel tower.

 

The is also used to talk about a person or thing that has already been mentioned:

I received the shirt and dress I ordered from a shop on the internet. I really like the dress but the shirt is a little tight.

There’s a position available where I work. The job will involve some international travel.

In a situation where it is clear what is happening:

Could you pass me the salt? Everyone can see it.

Used to talk about a particular person or thing:

I don’t like the comedian. (I don’t like that particular comedian)

I don’t like comedians (in general I don’t like comedians)

To identify a particular person or thing:

The US president is visiting Russia in May.

The sweater is on the chair.

The oranges are on the table.

The man sitting over there is famous.

Use the with countries that include the words “republic”, “kingdom”, or “states” in their names:

The UK

The USA

The UAE

Countries that have plural names:

The Netherlands.

With superlatives:

Everest is the highest mountain on the earth.

That’s the biggest sandwich l’ve never had.

With some adjectives to talk about groups of people:

A lot of rich people don’t know how the poor live.

We must look after the elderly.

When there is one of them in the world that everyone knows about:

The moon.

The sun.

The earth.

The internet.

When we talk about musical instrument:

I already know how to play the piano now I want to learn how to play the violin.

To refer to a system or service:

How long does it take on the train?
I heard it on the radio.
You should tell the police

For certain countries:

The USA

The UK

The UAE

For ordinal numbers (First, Second, Third etc.)

The third house on the left.

The first women on the moon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read More »

How to tell the time in English

how to tell the time in English

What time is it?

How to tell the time in English

Tick-tock it’s nearly 2017!

Let’s start by looking at the clock here on our right.

The clock shows for example, that it’s ten to two in the afternoon 13:50

The first half of the hour is always past and the second half is always to.

to and past in giving the time

 

Let’s use two o’clock (14:00) as an example.

First half of the clock

Five past two 14:05

Ten past two 14:10

A Quarter past two or you can say two fifteen  14:15

Twenty past two 14:20

Twenty- five past two 14:25

In English we always say that thirty minutes have Pasted.

Half past two or two thirty 14:30

Second half of the clock

After thirty minutes have pasted it changes to To because now we are looking towards the next hour:

Twenty- five minutes to three 14:35

Twenty to three 14:40

A Quarter to three or 14:45

Ten to three 14:50

Five to three 14:55

Three o’clock 15:00

What time is it?

When asked the time we should always say it is …….. or it’s three o’clock.

  • It’s ten past two. 14:10

We use AT+ Time when giving the time of a specific event.

  • The show starts at eight o’clock 20:00
  • Let’s meet outside at quarter to seven. 19:45
  • I’ll meet you at the restaurant at six thirty or half past six 18:30

When we write the time like in most languages we just use numbers:

  • Meet you at 19:30 there.
  • I get up at 08:30 every day.

See you in the next post!!!

 

 

 

Read More »

How to use the preposition IN

IN

In this short video I explain how to use the preposition IN.

The Preposition In

Used for unspecific times during a day, month, season or year:

  • I like reading in the morning
  • I like to do my exercises in the morning
  • It’s Christmas in December!!!

Used to indicate a shape, colour, or size:

  • Have you got these in size 7?
  • I always buy my coats in black.

Used to indicate a location or place:

  • I think I’m in the wrong town.
  • I live in town I’ll take you to the train station.
  • Oh no… I think my passport is in my other bag

Used to indicate a belief, opinion, interest, or feeling:

I believe in being positive!

Read More »