English as a Foreign Language

2021-05-10 09:00:43 We can use be able to in more formal contexts: 
The hotels on the island are able to accommodate hundreds of visitors. (more formal) or ... can accommodate ... (less formal) 
We use be able to to talk about ability on a specific occasion in the past: 
Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control fairly quickly ( not could)
In negatives in the past both are possible: 
They couldn't / weren't able to prevent the fire damaging the school's sports centre. 
We usually prefer can or could with verbs of sense and verbs of thinking: I can't believe...
We prefer can and could in passives: 
The news can be read on our website. 
To talk about a future ability, we use will be able to: 
Islanders won't be able to buy properties. 
We use can or be able to to talk about possible future arrangements and can (or more politely could) to ask for permission: 
The President can't / is not able to visit the country until next month. 
Can/Could I ask you what you think of the new bridge? Open / Comment

2021-05-07 09:00:32 REVISION:
Making uncountable words countable Open / Comment

2021-05-06 08:25:56 ​​CAN YOU GUESS THE WORD?
“There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of _____. _____separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.” – Buddha Open / Comment

2021-05-05 09:00:57 REVISION: Contrast Open / Comment

2021-05-03 09:00:23 Be to + infinitive is commonly used:
in news reports:
Extra lifeguards are to be posted at the beach after a shark was seen close to the shore.
to talk about formal plans, and rules or instructions:
Students are to hand in project reports at the end of semester two. (active)
Project reports are to be handed in at the end of semester two. (passive)
We only use am, is, are to + infinitive to talk about future events that people can control:
The weather will still be warm even in winter.
The weather is to be warm even in winter
We often use be to + infinitive in if-clauses when we mean In order to:
If she is to get a good grade in her project report, she needs to work on her statistics. (= in order to get a good grade she needs to work on her statistics) Open / Comment

2021-04-30 09:00:51 REVISION: I just got a second wind Open / Comment

2021-04-29 08:00:49 The intonation of this phrase Open / Comment

2021-04-28 09:00:18 REVISION: Conditions with -ever Open / Comment

2021-04-26 09:00:36 The future perfect continuous tense is used in a very similar way to the future perfect to describe the duration of a completed future action. They both carry the same meaning when used in this way, but the future perfect continuous emphasizes the continuous nature of the action.
By the time I get there, she will have waited / will have been waiting for over an hour.
The meaning is technically the same in the example above; however, will have been waiting stresses the fact that she was continuously waiting during the future period by the time I get there. The change in meaning is subtle, but it adds greater depth to the sentence. Here are some other examples:
“I will have been working on this ranch for more than half my life when I turn 40.”
“She’ll have been studying Japanese for four years by the time she graduates.” Open / Comment

2021-04-23 09:00:52 “Content” means the words on a page, or the ideas in a book. It is the message, meaning and information.
The content on this website is really great, but the design is terrible!
“Contents“, with an “s”, means things that are inside a container. 
Please show me the contents of your bag.
Fire has caused severe damage to the contents of the building.
"The contents of a book" is the list of chapters or articles or parts that are in the book, with the number of the page they begin on. The contents page is telling you what is contained in the book you are reading:
If you look at the contents, you’ll see there’s a chapter on Japanese folk music.
REVISION: Rolled into one Open / Comment