English Grammar & Vocabulary Guides
Clear explanations of English grammar and vocabulary with rules, examples, and common mistakes. Read a guide, then practise it with free interactive exercises. Aligned to CEFR levels A1 through C1.
Every guide is free to read with no sign-up required, for self-study learners and classrooms alike.
A1 Grammar exercises A2 Grammar exercises B1 Grammar exercises B2 Grammar exercises C1 Grammar exercises A1 Vocabulary exercises A2 Vocabulary exercises B1 Vocabulary exercises B2 Vocabulary exercises C1 Vocabulary exercises Present simple (A1 grammar guide) Present simple: negatives (A1 grammar guide) Present simple: questions (A1 grammar guide) Plural Nouns (A1 grammar guide) Plurals: Special Spellings (A1 grammar guide) Possessive 's (A1 grammar guide) This, That, These, Those (A1 grammar guide) Object Pronouns (A1 grammar guide) Imperatives (A1 grammar guide) Have vs Has (A1 grammar guide) Was / Were (A1 grammar guide) Can / Can't (A1 grammar guide) Short Answers (A1 grammar guide) Simple Past (Regular) (A1 grammar guide) Possessive Adjectives (A1 grammar guide) Basic Adjectives (A1 grammar guide) There is / There are (A1 grammar guide) Would like (A1 grammar guide) Have got / Has got (A1 grammar guide) Going to (A1 grammar guide) Will (I'll) (A1 grammar guide) Simple Conjunctions (A1 grammar guide) Where things are (A1 grammar guide) at, on, in for time (A1 grammar guide) Simple Past (Irregular) (A1 grammar guide) Could / Couldn't (A1 grammar guide) Now or every day? (A1 grammar guide) the (A1 grammar guide) no article (A1 grammar guide) Make it a question (A1 grammar guide) A or An (A1 grammar guide) Am, Is, Are (A1 grammar guide) Am not, Isn't, Aren't (A1 grammar guide) Am I? Is he? Are you? (A1 grammar guide) Past: didn't and Did (A1 grammar guide) How often ...? (A1 grammar guide) always, usually, sometimes, never (A1 grammar guide) some or any (A1 grammar guide) Things you can count, things you can't (A1 grammar guide) How much or How many? (A1 grammar guide) Big red, not red big (A1 grammar guide) In the Kitchen (A1 vocabulary guide) What time is it? (A1 vocabulary guide) Places in Town (A1 vocabulary guide) Colors (A1 vocabulary guide) Family (A1 vocabulary guide) Animals (A1 vocabulary guide) Body Parts (A1 vocabulary guide) Fruits (A1 vocabulary guide) Vegetables (A1 vocabulary guide) Jobs (A1 vocabulary guide) Sports (A1 vocabulary guide) Clothes (A1 vocabulary guide) Weather (A1 vocabulary guide) Transportation (A1 vocabulary guide) Classroom Objects (A1 vocabulary guide) Personal Items (A1 vocabulary guide) Drinks and Snacks (A1 vocabulary guide) School Subjects (A1 vocabulary guide) Food and Drinks (A1 vocabulary guide) Fruits and Vegetables (A1 vocabulary guide) Seasons (A1 vocabulary guide) Describing People (A1 vocabulary guide) Daily Routine (A1 vocabulary guide) Feelings (A1 vocabulary guide) Numbers (A1 vocabulary guide) Numbers 11 to 20 (A1 vocabulary guide) Numbers: Tens (A1 vocabulary guide) Countries and Nationalities (A1 vocabulary guide) Thank You, Sorry & Asking for Help (A1 vocabulary guide) Likes and Dislikes (A1 vocabulary guide) Personal Information (A1 vocabulary guide) Opposite Adjectives (A1 vocabulary guide) Days of the Week (A1 vocabulary guide) Comparing two things (A2 grammar guide) The most in a group (A2 grammar guide) Comparing how we do things (A2 grammar guide) mine, yours, hers (A2 grammar guide) myself, yourself, themselves (A2 grammar guide) most, most of, the most (A2 grammar guide) used to (before, but not now) (A2 grammar guide) There was / There were (A2 grammar guide) as ... as (the same) (A2 grammar guide) should (giving advice) (A2 grammar guide) Can I ...? Could you ...? (A2 grammar guide) something, anything, nothing (A2 grammar guide) much, many, a lot of (A2 grammar guide) Joining with who, which, where (A2 grammar guide) Who won? vs Who did you call? (A2 grammar guide) So do I / Neither do I (A2 grammar guide) will or going to? (A2 grammar guide) have / has done (A2 grammar guide) Did it, or have done it? (A2 grammar guide) for and since (A2 grammar guide) mustn't or don't have to? (A2 grammar guide) because, so, although (A2 grammar guide) might / may (maybe) (A2 grammar guide) What was happening (A2 grammar guide) The one that happened first (had done) (A2 grammar guide) won't and Will you ...? (A2 grammar guide) Timetables: the train leaves at 6 (A2 grammar guide) Choosing a future form (A2 grammar guide) too and enough (A2 grammar guide) very, really, quite (A2 grammar guide) no longer / not anymore (A2 grammar guide) Giving instructions: do, don't, please (A2 grammar guide) always, carefully, well (A2 grammar guide) to go or going? (A2 grammar guide) Plans: I'm meeting Lars tomorrow (A2 grammar guide) At the Airport (A2 vocabulary guide) At the Doctor (A2 vocabulary guide) At the Hotel (A2 vocabulary guide) At the Restaurant (A2 vocabulary guide) Technology and Internet (A2 vocabulary guide) Money and Banking (A2 vocabulary guide) Hobbies and Free Time (A2 vocabulary guide) Health and Illness (A2 vocabulary guide) Cooking and the Kitchen (A2 vocabulary guide) Jobs and Workplace (A2 vocabulary guide) Nature and Environment (A2 vocabulary guide) Entertainment and Media (A2 vocabulary guide) Personality and Character (A2 vocabulary guide) Daily Routines (A2 vocabulary guide) House and Home (A2 vocabulary guide) Asking for Directions (A2 vocabulary guide) Giving Advice (A2 vocabulary guide) Requests and Offers (A2 vocabulary guide) Agreeing and Disagreeing (A2 vocabulary guide) Apologizing and Complaining (A2 vocabulary guide) Feelings and Opinions (A2 vocabulary guide) Past Experiences (A2 vocabulary guide) Everyday Phrasal Verbs (A2 vocabulary guide) Common Collocations (A2 vocabulary guide) Shopping for Clothes (A2 vocabulary guide) Travel and Vacations (A2 vocabulary guide) have been doing (still going on) (B1 grammar guide) will be doing (in progress later) (B1 grammar guide) will have done (finished before then) (B1 grammar guide) had been doing (going on before then) (B1 grammar guide) be / get used to (it feels normal) (B1 grammar guide) 'd better / 'd rather (B1 grammar guide) have / get something done (B1 grammar guide) is done / was done (the passive) (B1 grammar guide) has been done (already finished) (B1 grammar guide) can be done / must be done (B1 grammar guide) The passive across times (B1 grammar guide) He said he was tired (reporting) (B1 grammar guide) She asked where I lived (reporting questions) (B1 grammar guide) ..., isn't it? (question tags) (B1 grammar guide) Do you know where it is? (polite questions) (B1 grammar guide) must be doing (a guess about now) (B1 grammar guide) If it rains, we'll stay in (B1 grammar guide) If I had known, I would have come (B1 grammar guide) should have / could have done (B1 grammar guide) I wish I knew ... (wishes and regrets) (B1 grammar guide) Real plan, or just imagining? (B1 grammar guide) Always true, or just this time? (B1 grammar guide) must be, might be, can't be (B1 grammar guide) used to and would (past habits) (B1 grammar guide) when, while, as soon as (B1 grammar guide) stopped smoking or stopped to smoke? (B1 grammar guide) I wish you would ... (complaints) (B1 grammar guide) Telling a story: which past? (B1 grammar guide) had done (the past before the past) (B1 grammar guide) Which one do you mean? (B1 grammar guide) enjoy doing, want to do (B1 grammar guide) advised me to, offered to, suggested that (B1 grammar guide) Asking for things: who you're talking to (B1 vocabulary guide) Relationships and social life (B1 vocabulary guide) Environment and nature (B1 vocabulary guide) Phrasal verbs for work (B1 vocabulary guide) Speculating and guessing (B1 vocabulary guide) Word formation: prefixes (B1 vocabulary guide) Strong collocations (B1 vocabulary guide) Idioms and fixed expressions (B1 vocabulary guide) Adverb + adjective collocations (B1 vocabulary guide) Phrasal verbs for problems (B1 vocabulary guide) Education and learning (B1 vocabulary guide) Crime and law vocabulary (B1 vocabulary guide) Personal development and goals (B1 vocabulary guide) Expressing preferences (B1 vocabulary guide) Entertainment vocabulary (B1 vocabulary guide) Comparing and contrasting (B1 vocabulary guide) Phrasal verbs for communication (B1 vocabulary guide) Media and news vocabulary (B1 vocabulary guide) Science and innovation vocabulary (B1 vocabulary guide) Money and economy (B1 vocabulary guide) Work and career vocabulary (B1 vocabulary guide) Persuading and convincing (B1 vocabulary guide) Phrasal verbs for relationships (B1 vocabulary guide) Interrupting politely (B1 vocabulary guide) Giving reasons and justifications (B1 vocabulary guide) Summarizing and rephrasing: closing and restating phrases (B1 vocabulary guide) Expressing certainty and uncertainty (B1 vocabulary guide) Changing the subject (B1 vocabulary guide) Word formation - suffixes (B1 vocabulary guide) Turning verbs and adjectives into nouns (B2 grammar guide) will have been doing (for how long, by then) (B2 grammar guide) be to, be about to, be due to (B2 grammar guide) being told, being asked (the -ing of a passive) (B2 grammar guide) dare: a few fixed ways to use it (B2 grammar guide) have / get something done, get someone to do it (B2 grammar guide) is being done (the passive, in progress) (B2 grammar guide) Walking home, ... (shorter clauses) (B2 grammar guide) ..., most of whom ... (formal relative clauses) (B2 grammar guide) Never have I seen ... (inversion for emphasis) (B2 grammar guide) It was ... that ... (clefts for emphasis) (B2 grammar guide) This problem, I can solve (fronting) (B2 grammar guide) I think so. He does. (saying less) (B2 grammar guide) Were I you, ... / Had I known, ... (formal if) (B2 grammar guide) must have been doing (guessing about the past) (B2 grammar guide) however, therefore, furthermore (linking ideas) (B2 grammar guide) Where you put only changes the meaning (B2 grammar guide) A past choice, a result you feel now (B2 grammar guide) Softening a claim (careful wording) (B2 grammar guide) Hypothesizing and theorizing (B2 vocabulary guide) Academic and formal language (B2 vocabulary guide) Formal and informal register (B2 vocabulary guide) Formal and idiomatic expressions (B2 vocabulary guide) Academic discourse markers (B2 vocabulary guide) Latin expressions in formal English (B2 vocabulary guide) Verb and noun collocations (B2 vocabulary guide) Adjective and noun collocations (B2 vocabulary guide) Adverb and Adjective Collocations (B2 vocabulary guide) Verb and adverb collocations (B2 vocabulary guide) Philosophy and ethics vocabulary (B2 vocabulary guide) Politics and governance (B2 vocabulary guide) Economics and finance vocabulary (B2 vocabulary guide) Psychology vocabulary (B2 vocabulary guide) Science and research vocabulary (B2 vocabulary guide) Technology and innovation (B2 vocabulary guide) Medicine and health vocabulary (B2 vocabulary guide) Common Idioms (B2 vocabulary guide) Time and patience idioms (B2 vocabulary guide) Metaphorical idioms (B2 vocabulary guide) Binomial expressions (B2 vocabulary guide) Three-part phrasal verbs (B2 vocabulary guide) Formal Alternatives to Phrasal Verbs (B2 vocabulary guide) Advanced phrasal verbs (B2 vocabulary guide) Complex Prefixes (B2 vocabulary guide) Compound adjectives: impact, effect and time (B2 vocabulary guide) Compound adjectives: people and workplaces (B2 vocabulary guide) Compound adjectives: reviews and judgements (B2 vocabulary guide) Complex suffixes (B2 vocabulary guide) Analyzing and evaluating (B2 vocabulary guide) Presenting and supporting arguments (B2 vocabulary guide) Persuasive language (B2 vocabulary guide) Concessive and contrastive linkers (B2 vocabulary guide) Paragraph cohesion (B2 vocabulary guide) Academic reporting verbs (B2 vocabulary guide) The harder you work, the more you achieve (C1 grammar guide) But for your help, I would be lost (C1 grammar guide) So good that … / Such a success that … (and the emphatic "So great was …") (C1 grammar guide) She was going to accept, but ... (C1 grammar guide) Much as I'd like to ... / However hard you try ... (C1 grammar guide) The board insisted that she be present (C1 grammar guide) She admitted having made a mistake (C1 grammar guide) Formal prepositional phrases: in the event of / on the basis of / with a view to (C1 grammar guide) Albeit ... / Notwithstanding ... / Lest ... (C1 grammar guide) The policy introduced last year (saying more in fewer words) (C1 grammar guide) So impressive was the performance that ... (C1 grammar guide) No sooner had I arrived than ... — dramatic time inversions (C1 grammar guide) Innovation is what will decide it (C1 grammar guide) Whatever you decide, I'll support you (C1 grammar guide) Mei ordered coffee, and Lars tea (C1 grammar guide) It is said that ... / She is said to ... (C1 grammar guide) She suggested that he apply / He denied having seen it (C1 grammar guide) The analysis of the data (packing an action into a subject) (C1 grammar guide) Knowing the answer, she raised her hand (C1 grammar guide) It has been shown that ... / What matters is ... (C1 grammar guide) If I had studied medicine, I would be a doctor (C1 grammar guide) needn't have done vs didn't need to do (C1 grammar guide) Diplomatic and negotiation language (C1 vocabulary guide) Advanced verb and noun collocations (C1 vocabulary guide) Advanced adjective and noun collocations (C1 vocabulary guide) Academic discourse markers (C1 vocabulary guide) Latin expressions in academic and legal English (C1 vocabulary guide) Formal single-word verbs (C1 vocabulary guide) Three-part phrasal verbs (C1 vocabulary guide) Advanced idioms and metaphors (C1 vocabulary guide) Subtle differences in meaning (C1 vocabulary guide) Legal and formal binomials (C1 vocabulary guide) Abstract and conceptual language (C1 vocabulary guide) Functional language for academic discussion (C1 vocabulary guide) Evaluative language: praise and criticism (C1 vocabulary guide) Collocations with prepositions (C1 vocabulary guide) Themes and topics: politics and economics (C1 vocabulary guide) Academic Word List core (C1 vocabulary guide) Advanced word formation (C1 vocabulary guide) Formal register transformations (C1 vocabulary guide) Business and legal collocations (C1 vocabulary guide) Professional euphemism (C1 vocabulary guide) Text cohesion devices (C1 vocabulary guide)