Here are 5 tips to reduce mistakes when you write in English : 1. Keep it simple Write short and clear sentences. Limit your sentences to one idea per sentence, and avoid writing any more than 15/20 words in each sentence. Avoid passive forms! 2. Use S.V.O.M.P.T
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The present – permanent In English, we use the present simple tense to refer to permanent situations in the present. I now live in Dublin. Nowadays I live in Ireland. These days, I don’t have much of a social life. The present – temporary In English, we use the
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In English, we use the present perfect when we want to look back from the present to the past. We can use it to look back on the recent past. I’ve broken my watch. She’s taken my copy. They have cancelled the meeting. The company has doubled
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In English, we use the past continuous to talk about past events which went on for a period of time. We use it when we want to emphasize the continuing process of an activity or the period of that activity. (If we just want to talk about
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In English, the present simple is used to talk about actions we see as permanent or long term. It is very common and very important. In these examples, we are talking about regular actions or events. I drive to work every day. She doesn’t come very often. The
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In English, the present continuous is used to talk about present situations which we see as temporary or short-term. We use the present simple to talk about present situations which we see as long-term or permanent. In these examples, the action is taking place at the time
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In English, we use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed in the past. We can use it to talk about a specific point in time. She came back last Friday. I saw her in Dublin. They didn’t agree to
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In English, we use ‘should’ for giving advice. You should speak English. You should see a doctor. You should ask a lawyer. We use ‘should’ to give an opinion or a recommendation. We should invest more in Ireland. They should do something about this terrible train service.
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In English, we use the past perfect simple to talk about what happened before a point in the past. It looks back from a point in the past to further in the past. I hadn’t known the bad news when I spoke to him. I checked with
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In English, ‘Could’ can be used to talk about the past, the present or the future. ‘Could’ is a past form of ‘can’. When I was living in Dublin, I could walk to work. He phoned to say he couldn’t come. I could see him clearly but
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