I (subject pronoun) vs Me (object pronoun)

Silent Letters

Silent letters are letters that you can't hear when you say the word, but that are there when you write the word.

-Silent letters can distinguish between homophones, e.g. in/inn; be/bee; lent/leant. This is an aid to readers already familiar with both words.
-Silent letters may give an insight into the meaning or origin of a word, e.g. vineyard suggests vines more than the phonetic 'vinyard' would.
-Silent letters help to show long vowels e.g. rid/ride
-Silent letters help to show 'hard' consonants e.g. guest/gest
-They can help to connect different forms of the same word e.g. resign/resignation.

taken from:

http://languagelearningbase.com/88832/silent-letters-examples-and-spelling-rules

The Most Frequent Collocations in Spoken English

A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations just sound "right" to native English speakers, who use them all the time. On the other hand, other combinations may be unnatural and just sound "wrong".

Why learn collocations?
-Your language will be more natural and more easily understood.
-You will have alternative and richer ways of expressing yourself.
-It is easier for our brains to remember and use language in chunks or blocks rather than as single words.

note: the collocations are written in bold blue letters. Their meaning is written in white

taken from:

http://languagelearningbase.com/88802/the-most-frequent-collocations-in-spoken-english

Future in the Past

Like Simple Future, Future in the Past has two different forms in English: "would" and "was going to." Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two different meanings.

They express future plans that were made in the past or to talk in the present time about predictions that were made in the past

FORM Would
[would + VERB]

Examples:
I knew you would help him.
I knew you would not help him.

FORM Was/Were Going To
[was/were + going to + VERB]

Examples:
I knew you were going to go to the party.
I knew you were not going to go to the party.

USE 1 Future in Past
Future in the Past is used to express the idea that in the past you thought something would happen in the future. It does not matter if you are correct or not. Future in the Past follows the same basic rules as the Simple Future. "Would" is used to volunteer or promise, and "was going to" is used to plan. Moreover, both forms can be used to make predictions about the future.

Examples:
I told you he was going to come to the party. plan
I knew Julie would make dinner. voluntary action
Jane said Sam was going to bring his sister with him, but he came alone. plan
I had a feeling that the vacation was going to be a disaster. prediction
He promised he would send a postcard from Egypt. promise
REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, Future in the Past cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of using Future in the Past, you must use Simple Past.

Examples:
I already told Mark that when he would arrive, we would go out for dinner. Not Correct
I already told Mark that when he arrived, we would go out for dinner. Correct

ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:
I knew John would finish the work by 5:00 PM. Active
I knew the work would be finished by 5:00 PM. Passive
I thought Sally was going to make a beautiful dinner. Active
I thought a beautiful dinner was going to be made by Sally. Passive

taken from:

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/futureinpast.html

Meet vs Get Together

The difference between Meet and Get Together

It’s Friday night and you have plans to have a drink with your friends.
So what expression do we use in English to explain that you will join with your friends at the bar at 10pm?

A. I will meet my friends at the bar.
B. I will get together with my friends at the bar.
C. I will meet up with my friends at the bar.
Correct answer: we use all three!

However there is a difference between sentence A and the other two (B and C).

Meet is normally used to say the place or the time you will get together with another person (or people).
Let’s meet at the library.
Let’s meet at 5 o’clock.

The other two (get together with and meet up with) both mean the same thing and expresses that you will spend some time with your friends in person.

Will you call your friends? No
Will you chat with your friends online? No
You will get together with your friends.
Many times, English learners say that they meet their friends on Friday night, which sounds like they are meeting (or knowing them) for the first time. (Not possible, you already know them otherwise they wouldn’t be your friends)

When you meet someone, it is usually for the first time.
That is why we say “Nice to meet you” the first time you are presented to someone.

You can meet a person for the first time OR
You can meet a person at a place
You can meet a person at a specific time

What they want to say is that they meet up with / get together with their friends.

Look at the response to this question: What do you normally do on the weekend?
I meet my family (incorrect – you already know them)
I get together with my family (correct – you plan to spend some time with them)

To meet = to reunite in a specific place (at a specific time)
I can’t leave work early, so I’ll just meet you at the bar.
To meet = to be introduced to someone for the first time.
Jack doesn’t want us to meet his girlfriend, so we don’t know if she’s real or imaginary.

To meet up = to make plans to be with someone in person
Can we meet up tomorrow to go over the new contract?

To get together = to make plans to be with someone and to spend time with them
I haven’t seen you for months! Let’s get together for coffee.
Olivia and Paul get together with their children every Thanksgiving.

There is also a noun form of To get together:

Get-together = (noun) a small informal meeting or social gathering
Let’s have a get-together at my place tonight.

taken from:
http://www.woodwardenglish.com/meet-get-together-difference/

Prepositions in Expressions of Time

Time phrases are words that show the verb tense we need to use

Note: We say at night when we are talking about all of the night:
Example: He sleeps during the day and works at night.

But we say in the night when we are talking about a short time during the night:
Example: He woke up twice in the night.

taken from:

http://languagelearningbase.com/88672/prepositions-in-expression-of-time-in-at-on-ago

Difference Between TO and FOR

To

Used to indicate the place, person, or thing that someone or something moves toward, or the direction of something, used to indicate relationship, used to indicate a limit or an ending point

For

Used to indicate the use of something, used to mean because of, used to indicate time or duration.

taken from:

http://languagelearningbase.com/87694/to-vs-for-a-very-simple-explanation

Past Modals

Could have, should have, would have
These past modal verbs are all used hypothetically, to talk about things that didn't really happen in the past, that is, actions that were not completed or realized.

Could have + past participle

1: Could have + past participle means that something was possible in the past, or you had the ability to do something in the past, but that you didn't do it.
I could have stayed up late, but I decided to go to bed early.
They could have won the race, but they didn't try hard enough.
Julie could have bought the book, but she borrowed it from the library instead.

Couldn't have + past participle means that something wasn't possible in the past, even if you had wanted to do it.
I couldn't have arrived any earlier. There was a terrible traffic jam (= it was impossible for me to have arrived any earlier).
He couldn't have passed the exam, even if he had studied harder. It's a really, really difficult exam.

2: We use could have + past participle when we want to make a guess about something that happened in the past. (modals of probability.) In this case, we don't know if what we're saying is true or not true. We're just talking about our opinion of what maybe happened.
Why is John late?
He could have got stuck in traffic.
He could have forgotten that we were meeting today.

We can also choose to use might have + past participle to mean the same thing:
He might have got stuck in traffic.
He might have forgotten that we were meeting today.

Should have + past participle

1: Should have + past participle can mean something that would have been a good idea, but that you didn't do it. It's like giving advice about the past when you say it to someone else, or regretting what you did or didn't do when you're talking about yourself.

Shouldn't have + past participle means that something wasn't a good idea, but you did it anyway.
I should have studied harder! (= I didn't study very hard and so I failed the exam. I'm sorry about this now.)
I should have gone to bed early (= I didn't go to bed early and now I'm tired).
I shouldn't have eaten so much cake! (= I did eat a lot of cake and now I don't feel good.)

2: We can also use should have + past participle to talk about something that, if everything is normal and okay, we think has already happened. But we're not certain that everything is fine, so we use 'should have' and not the present perfect or past simple. It's often used with 'by now'.
His plane should have arrived by now (= if everything is fine, the plane has arrived).
John should have finished work by now (= if everything is normal, John has finished work).

We can also use this to talk about something that would have happened if everything was fine, but hasn't happened.
Lucy should have arrived by now, but she hasn't.

Would have + past participle

1: Part of the third conditional.
If I had had enough money, I would have bought a car (but I didn't have enough money, so I didn't buy a car).

2: Because 'would' (and will) can also be used to show if you want to do something or not (volition), we can also use would have + past participle to talk about something you wanted to do but didn't. This is very similar to the third conditional, but we don't need an 'if clause'.
I would have gone to the party, but I was really busy.
(= I wanted to go to the party, but I didn't because I was busy. If I hadn't been so busy, I would have gone to the party.)
I would have called you, but I didn't know your number.
(= I wanted to call you but I didn't know your number, so I didn't call you.)

Prepositions after Adjectives

Here is a list of some commonly used adjectives and the prepositions that are normally used with them.

taken from:
http://languagelearningbase.com/82944/prepositions-after-adjectives

Tag Questions

Question tags are short questions at the end of statements.

They are mainly used in speech when we want to:
a) confirm that something is true or not, or
b) to encourage a reply from the person we are speaking to.

If the sentence is affirmative, the tag will be negative. And if the sentence is negative, the tag will be positive.

Question tags are formed with the auxiliary or modal verb from the statement and the appropriate subject.

Examples:

Affirmative Sentence/ Negative Tag
You are Tom, aren’t you?
Mike can play the piano, can't he?
It's a lovely day, isn't it?
You will go there, won't you?

Negative Sentence/ Affirmative Tag
He isn’t Joe, is he?
She can't cook, can she?
You didn't do your homework, did you?
You won't see her, will you?

Special points:
1. Although the negative word not is not in the sentence, the sentence can be negative. Then we use the positive question tag.
He hardly ever speaks, does he?
They rarely eat in restaurants, do they?

2. If the verb is in the past simple we use did.
They went to the cinema, didn't they?

3. We use shall after Let's.
Let's take the next bus, shall we?

4. We use won't with a polite request.
Open the window, won't you?

5. Exception with Verb To Be "am" in Simple Present (negative)
I am not a bad friend, am I?

I am right, aren't I?

taken from: 

http://languagelearningbase.com/87649/question-tags-english-grammar-lessons

Could Have/ Should Have/ Would Have

Could Have, Should Have, Would Have are known as Past Modals.

These past modal verbs are all used hypothetically, to talk about things that didn't really happen in the past or to express regrets about things that occured in the past.

Could have + past participle
1: Could have + past participle means that something was possible in the past, or you had the ability to do something in the past, but that you didn't do it.
I could have stayed up late, but I decided to go to bed early.
They could have won the race, but they didn't try hard enough.
Julie could have bought the book, but she borrowed it from the library instead.
He could have studied harder, but he was too lazy and that's why he failed the exam.

Couldn't have + past participle means that something wasn't possible in the past, even if you had wanted to do it.
I couldn't have arrived any earlier. There was a terrible traffic jam (= it was impossible for me to have arrived any earlier).
He couldn't have passed the exam, even if he had studied harder. It was a really, really difficult exam.

2: We use could have + past participle when we want to make a guess about something that happened in the past. (See also "Modal Verbs for Deduction in the Past"). In this case, we don't know if what we're saying is true or not true. We're just talking about our opinion of what maybe happened.
Why is John late?
He could have got stuck in traffic.
He could have forgotten that we were meeting today.
He could have overslept.

All of these sentences express deductions or guesses about a past situation.

We can also choose to use might have + past participle to mean the same thing:
He might have got stuck in traffic.
He might have forgotten that we were meeting today.
He might have got stuck in traffic.
(See "Modals Verbs for Deductions in the Past")

Should have + past participle
1: Should have + past participle can mean something that would have been a good idea, but that you didn't do it. It's like giving advice about the past when you say it to someone else, or regretting what you did or didn't do when you're talking about yourself.

Shouldn't have + past participle means that something wasn't a good idea, but you did it anyway.

I should have studied harder! (= I didn't study very hard and so I failed the exam. I'm sorry about this now.)
I should have gone to bed early (= I didn't go to bed early and now I'm tired).
I shouldn't have eaten so much cake! (= I did eat a lot of cake and now I don't feel good.)
You should have called me when you arrived (= you didn't call me and I was worried. I wish that you had called me).
John should have left early, then he wouldn't have missed the plane (= but he didn't leave early and so he did miss the plane).

2: We can also use should have + past participle to talk about something that, if everything is normal and okay, we think has already happened. But we're not certain that everything is fine, so we use 'should have' and not the present perfect or past simple. It's often used with 'by now'.
His plane should have arrived by now (= if everything is fine, the plane has arrived).
John should have finished work by now (= if everything is normal, John has finished work).

We can also use this to talk about something that would have happened if everything was fine, but hasn't happened.
Lucy should have arrived by now, but she hasn't.

Would have + past participle

1: Part of the third conditional.
If I had had enough money, I would have bought a car (but I didn't have enough money, so I didn't buy a car).

2: Because 'would' (and will) can also be used to show if you want to do something or not (volition), we can also use would have + past participle to talk about something you wanted to do but didn't. This is very similar to the third conditional, but we don't need an 'if clause'.
I would have gone to the party, but I was really busy.
(= I wanted to go to the party, but I didn't because I was busy. If I hadn't been so busy, I would have gone to the party.)
I would have called you, but I didn't know your number.
(= I wanted to call you but I didn't know your number, so I didn't call you.)
A: Nobody volunteered to help us with the fair
B: I would have helped you. I didn't know you needed help.
(= If I had known that you needed help, I would have helped you.)

taken from:

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/could-have-should-have-would-have.html

Modal Verbs for Expressing Deductions in the Past

Must have, Can't have, Couldn't have:

expressing past probability
Structure: modal verb + have + past participle
must have been, can't have gone, couldn't have gone, etc.
We use must have to express that we feel sure that something was true in the past.

They must have left early.
He must have already gone.
We use can't have or couldn't have to say that we believe something was impossible in the past. 

He can't have escaped through this window – it’s too small.
She can't have said that.
She couldn't have said that.

May / Might / Could have: 

expressing past probability
Structure: modal + have + past participle
may have been, could have gone, might have lost, etc.
We use may have, could have, might have to say that it was possible that something happened in the past (but we are not 100% sure). 

He may have missed the bus.
The road might have been blocked. (= ‘I think the road was blocked, but I’m not 100% sure.’)
The negatives are may not have and might not have. We don’t use couldn’t have in the same way. He may not have left yet.
I might not have given her the money; I’m not sure.
I could not have given her the money, I’m not sure. (incorrect)

taken from:

http://speakspeak.com/resources/english-grammar-rules/modal-verbs/past-probability-must-have-cant-have-couldnt-have

When Not to Use an Article

Adverbial Clauses of Time

An adverb clause of time shows when something happens. It is usually introduced by time adverbs. Examples are: before, after, as, when, while, until, as soon as, since, no sooner than, as long as etc. Note that all adverb clauses are subordinate clauses. They cannot stand on their own and must be attached to an independent clause.

Read the examples given below.
I always take a bath before I go to bed.
Will you wait here until I am ready?
I was not at home when he came to see me.
Do not disturb me when I am busy with my work.
As soon as she finished that project, she started working on the next.
After I have finished my work, I will accompany you to the park.

Notes
An adverb clause of time can come before or after the main clause. When it comes before the main clause, we usually separate it with a comma. Commas are not necessary when the adverb clause goes after the main clause.
Whenever I think of her, my eyes get misty.
My eyes get misty whenever I think of her.

Verbal Tense
If you are talking about something that is yet to happen in the future, use a present tense in the adverb clause and a future tense in the main clause.
I will start when I am ready. (NOT I will start when I will be ready.)
I will not go until I get my money back. (NOT I will not go until I will get my money back.)

Tag Questions

Punctuation marks