One of the constructions that English learners learn very early is “used to do”. We can say, for example I used to go there. I used to play the guitar. So it would seem logical that “use to do” (in the present tense) should correspond to the English verb “do”, but it doesn’t. The phrase […]

In English, the second degree of adjectives is formed by adding the suffix -er (except for a few irregular adjectives like good/better). Therefore, students (and native speakers) sometimes think that if something is “looser”, it should be “freer”. The fact is, however, that there is no word with three “e “s in a row in […]

In English we say “everything that …”, for example “not everything we want can be bought”, and it is similar in some other languages, for example German. In English, however, we literally say “everything that …” (“all that”) and the “what” variant is wrong. For example, the saying “not all gold is gold that glitters” […]

The order of words in questions in English is different from the order of words in subordinate clauses (i.e. sentences starting with expressions like “the place where …”, “the time when …”, “the man who …”, etc.). This often causes problems for students because both types of sentences typically begin with the same words (“where”, […]

Both words, effect and affect, can be used as a verb and as a noun. But if you found this page through a search engine, it is almost certain that if you want to use a noun, it will be “effect”, e.g. It has a negligible effect on me. And if you want to use […]

These four terms often confuse people because we translate them all into English with the word “period”, but the difference is actually quite simple. A period at the end of a sentence is called a period in American English and a full stop in British English, even when we pronounce it for emphasis – for […]

What preposition should we use in English after the adjective “different”, e.g. in the sentence “My car is different from/than/to your car?” Fortunately, there is no difference in meaning – “different from”, “different than” and “different to” mean the same thing. The difference, however, is in what parts of the world and how often each […]

This phrase is particularly often misused by Czechs, as “to” in English usually implies the infinitive (e.g. in “want to” or “have to”). However, the phrase “look forward to” is used differently: I look forward to. “Hear” is obviously not a thing, but a verb, so it does not make sense to “look forward to […]

The use of plurals and singulars in English can sometimes be a bit complicated. One situation where English differs significantly is the phrase “a lot of”. “A lot of” is singular (as we can clearly see from the use of “a”), and so many people will think that, like in English, the verb that follows […]

If you want to express in English that you are good at something, it is not possible to use “in” (as it might seem based on the English construction), but “at”, e.g.: He is good at playing the piano. (correct) He is good in playing the piano. (wrong) Some native speakers use “in” in connection […]