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

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

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

Phrasal Verbs: Birthdays

Most Common Non-Separable Phrasal Verbs

back out of desert; fail to keep a promise	bear down on lean on; browbeat	bear on have to do with
bear up under endure	break in on interrupt	break into interrupt
call for come to get; require	care for like; guard; supervise; maintain	carry on with continue
catch up with cover the distance between oneself and	check up on examine; verify	come across find accidentally
come along with accompany; make progress	come by find accidentally	come down with become ill with
come out with utter; produce	come up with utter; produce	count on rely on
cut in on interrupt	disagree with cause illness or discomfort to	do away with abolish
do without deprive oneself of	drop in at/on visit casually without planning	drop out of leave; quit
face up to acknowledge	fall behind in lag; not progress at required pace	fall back on use for emergency purpose
fall out with quarrel with	fill in for substitute for	get ahead of surpass; beat
get around evade; avoid	get away with do without being caught or punished	get by with manage with a minimum of effort
get down to become serious about; consider	get in enter (a vehicle)	get off descend from; leave
get on enter (a vehicle); mount	get on with proceed with	get through with terminate, finish
go back on desert; fail to keep (a promise)	go for like a great deal	go in for be interested in; participate in
go on with continue	go over review	go with harmonize with; look pleasing together
go without abstain from	hang around remain idly in the vicinity of	hear from receive a communication from
hear of learn about (sometimes accidentally)	hit on discover accidentally	hold on to grasp tightly
hold out against resist	keep at persevere at	keep to persist in; continue
keep up with maintain the pace of	lie down on evade; fail to do	live on support or sustain oneself by means of
live up to maintain the standard demanded of	look after take care of	look back on remember nostalgically
look down on feel superior to	look forward to anticipate	look up to respect; admire
make up for compensate for	pass on transmit	pick on tease; bully
play up to flatter for personal advantage	put up with tolerate	read up on search out information on
run against compete against in an election	run away with leave; escape from	run for campaign for
see about consider; arrange	see to arrange; supervise	settle on decide on; choose
stand for represent; permit	stand up for support; demand	stand up to resist
stick to persist	stick up for support; defend	take after resemble
talk back to answer impolitely	talk over discuss	tell on report misbehavior to authority
touch on mention briefly	turn into become	wait on serve
wait up for not go to bed while waiting for	watch out for be careful for

Most Common Separable Phrasal Verbs

add up add back up cause to move backwards; support blow up cause to explode; destroy by explosives break down analyze; list the parts of separately bring about cause to happen bring off accomplish bring on cause bring out publish; emphasize bring over bring bring to revive bring up raise; care for from childhood brush out brush the inside of burn down destroy by burning burn up consume by fire buy out by the other person's share of a business buy up buy the whole supply of call off cancel; order away call up telephone; summon for military service calm down become calm carry on continue carry out fulfill; complete; accomplish; perform carry over carry; continue at another time or place cheer up cause to become cheerful chew up chew thoroughly chop up chop into small pieces clean off clear the surface of clean out clean the inside of clean up tidy clear out clear the inside of clear up clarify; clear the inside of close down close permanently close up close temporarily count in include count out exclude count up calculate; count; add to a total cross out eliminate cut off interrupt; sever; amputate cut out eliminate; delete cut down reduce in quantity draw up write; compose (a document) dress up put clothes on; adorn dust out dust the inside of eat up eat completely figure out interpret; understand figure up compute fill in complete (a printed form) fill out complete (a printed form) fill up fill completely (a container) find out discover fix up repair; arrange in a suitable manner get across cause to be understood give back return give out distribute; announce give up surrender something hand down deliver; pronounce formally; leave as an inheritance hand over yield control of hang up suspend have on be dressed in have over entertain someone informally at one's home hold off delay; restrain hold up delay; rob; threaten with a weapon keep up continue; keep the same pace leave out omit let down disappoint let out release from confinement; make larger (in sewing) light up light; illuminate thoroughly live down live in such a way as to cause something to be forgotten make over remake move over move to the side pass out distribute pass up not take advantage of (as an opportunity) pass on transmit pay back repay pay off discharge a debt completely; give someone his final pay pick up come to meet an escort; lift with hands or fingers; learn casually;initiate an association publicly play down minimize play up emphasize point out indicate pull down pull in a downward direction; raze push across cause to be understood or accepted put off postpone put on dress in; deceive or fool put up preserve (food); receive as an overnight guest quiet down be quiet ring up the telephone rinse off rinse the surface of rinse out rinse the inside of rule out eliminate run down trace; disparage; hit with a vehicle run off cause to depart; reproduce mechanically save up accumulate see through complete; in spite of difficulties see off accompany someone to the beginning of a trip send back send to a place where formerly located send over send to where someone is set up arrange show off exhibit ostentatiously shut off cause to cease functioning slow up cause to move more slowly spell out enumerate; state in detail stand up fail to keep an appointment with sweep out sweep the inside of take back return; retract a statement take down remove from a high position; write from dictation take in understood; fool; deceive; make smaller (in sewing) take over take; assume command of tear down destroy tear up tear into small pieces tell off scold; reprimand think over consider think through consider from beginning to end think up create; invent throw away discard throw over reject tie up tie securely or tight tire out cause to be exhausted touch up repair try on put on a garment to verify the fit try out test turn down refuse; lower the volume turn out produce; force into exile, extinguish (a light) wash off wash the surface of wash out wash the inside of wear out use until no longer usable; tire greatly wind up finish, tighten the spring of a watch or machine wipe off wipe the surface of wipe out wipe the inside of; decimate work out solve write down record write out write down every detail; spell out write up compose; prepare (a document) taken from: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/630/02/

For vs. Since (Past Perfect)

taken from: 

http://languagelearningbase.com/87438/for-and-since-with-present-perfect-tense

Phrasal Verbs: Travel

Phrasal Verbs

Stand For / Stand Up

When Not to Use an Article

15 Most Useful Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verbs

Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

Passive Voice

Passive Voice

Yes, this is a major headache for students to learn and for teachers to illustrate. Here is the easiest way I've found to explain it.

Use of Passive:

Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action.

Example: My bike was stolen.

In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.

Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:

Example: A mistake was made.

In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).

Form of Passive:

Subject +  finite form of  verb To Be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)

                

Example: A letter was written.

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:

• the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence 
• the finite form of the verb is changed (To Be + past participle) [Introduce the verb To Be in the same tense as the original direct speech sentence]
• the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)

The following charts will make it easier for you to understand how to rewrite sentences from active voice to passive voice.

Examples of Passive (easy)

Tense		Subject	Verb	Object
Simple Present	Active:	Rita	writes	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	is written	by Rita.
Simple Past	Active:	Rita	wrote	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	was written	by Rita.
Present Perfect	Active:	Rita	has written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	has been written	by Rita.
Future Simple (will)	Active:	Rita	will write	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	will be written	by Rita.
Modal Verb (can)	Active:	Rita	can write	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	can be written	by Rita.

Examples of Passive (difficult)

Tense		Subject	Verb	Object
Present Progressive	Active:	Rita	is writing	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	is being written	by Rita.
Past Progressive	Active:	Rita	was writing	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	was being written	by Rita.
Past Perfect	Active:	Rita	had written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	had been written	by Rita.
Future Perfect	Active:	Rita	will have written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	will have been written	by Rita.
Conditional I	Active:	Rita	would write	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	would be written	by Rita.
Conditional II	Active:	Rita	would have written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	would have been written	by Rita.

Passive Sentences with Two Objects (medium)

Passive Sentences with Two Objects (medium)Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on. 1

	Subject	Verb	Object 1	Object 2
Active:	Rita	wrote	a letter	to me.
Passive:	A letter	was written	to me	by Rita.
Passive:	I	was written	a letter	by Rita.

Further study:

1.https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive