Prepositions can be hard to use in any language. The best way to learn them is with the word they go with. See our pages on Prepositions and Adjectives and Prepositions and Verbs for some of the most common combinations.
On our sister site Rich Reads, scroll down to Newest Links (on the right of the page) for the link "Nouns with Prepositions" for an exercise on using the correct prepositions with some common nouns.
On our sister site Rich Reads, scroll down to Newest Links (on the right of the page) for the link "Cooking Verbs" for a great exercise.
Review your vocabulary on our page on food vocabulary if you need some extra help.
Extra exercise
Choose a word from List B to combine with a phrase from List A to make pairs of things often found in a kitchen.
List A
bread and
bubble and
fish and
knives and
salt and
pestle and
pots and
List B
butter
chips
forks
mortar
pans
pepper
squeak
You might hear a lot of different phrasal verbs at the airport and here's a review of the most common ones.
Match the phrasal verb in List A with the correct definition in List B
List A
bump off
bump up
carry on
check in
get off
get on
go through
set off
sit back
take off
List B
activate
board the plane
disembark from the plane
have your luggage put into the hold
make yourself comfortable in your seat
pass through
take onto the aeroplane
when the plane leaves the runway
when you are taken off the flight because there are too many passengers
when you get moved up a class on the flight
Plenty of things can go wrong at the airport. Review useful vocabulary for airports by linking the problem in List A with what happens next in List B.
List A
Due to security alerts, the checks have become more thorough.
The airport is extremely busy at this time of year.
The baggage handlers are on strike.
The incoming flight was delayed.
You arrive late at the airport.
You didn't check in online for your Ryanair flight.
You left your belongings unattended.
You set off the security alarm as you passed through the machine.
Your bag is too heavy
Your hand luggage showed something suspicious.
List B
Allow extra time to go through security.
As a consequence, your outgoing flight is delayed.
Expect to be frisked and searched.
Go to the excess baggage check-in and pay an extra fee.
Now you'll be asked to open your hand luggage.
The check-in desk may have closed, and you may have missed your flight.
You can expect delays for your baggage to arrive on the carousel.
You need to contact a member of staff / security.
You will have to pay a €40 penalty.
Your plane may have to wait longer on the tarmac before it gets clearance to take off.
There are a couple of great reading and vocabulary exercises on our sister site Rich Reads. Scroll down to Newest Links (on the right of the page) for the links "Play your vuvuzela" and "2010 World Cup – who will win?"
I'm not so confident now about England's chances after Friday's match against a great Algeria. Who do you think will win?
A frequent question in the Help Me! forum is about when to use the past perfect ("had done") tense and when to use the past simple tense.
Check out the page on the past perfect tense, then head over to our sister site Rich Reads, for an exercise. Scroll down to Newest Links (on the right of the page) for the link "Past Simple or Past Perfect" for an exercise.
Extra exercise
Finish the sentences in List A with the second part in List B.
List A
He didn't go to the party because…
He failed the exam because…
She didn't feel well because…
She left home late because…
The children didn't go outside for their break because…
The children wanted to go to the Science Museum because…
The teacher told off the children because…
The teacher took the children to the Science Museum because…
List B
… he didn't feel well.
… he hadn't revised.
… she had overslept her alarm.
… she hadn't eaten.
… they had been naughty.
… they had been studying science in school.
… there were lots of interactive exhibitions.
… they were shouting.
For a quick review on the differences between adjectives and adverbs, check out our page on adjectives and adverbs.
Then head over to our sister site Rich Reads, for an exercise. Scroll down to Newest Links (on the right of the page) for the link "Adjective or Adverb – Elementary Level".
Extra exercise
Complete these famous film titles with the correct adjective or adverb from the list below.
1. ——– Encounters of the Third Kind
2. Die ——–
3. ——– River
4. ——– Born Killers
5. The ——– Tourist
6. The ——– Case of Benjamin Button
7. The ——– Knight
8. The ——– Suspects
9. Truly Madly ——–
10. 12 ——– Men
Accidental / Accidentally
Angry / Angrily
Close / Closely
Curious / Curiously
Deep / Deeply
Dark / Darkly
Hard/ Hardly
Mystic / Mystically
Natural / Naturally
Usual / Usually
Are you planning to go on holiday this summer? Will you go to a place where you'll need to speak English? Keep an eye out over the next few weeks for new blog posts on using English when you're on holiday. From holiday plans to solving holiday problems – check out the useful vocabulary and phrases.
The first in the "fit for summer" series is a new page on talking about your holiday plans in English.
There's also a page of useful vocabulary to talk about different types of holiday.
What was your best holiday ever?
Where did you go, and what did you do?
For a quick review, check out our page on animal idioms.
Then head over to our sister site Rich Reads, for an exercise. Scroll down to Newest Links (on the right of the page) for the link "Animal Idioms – Intermediate Level".
Extra exercise
Match a word in List A with a word in List B to find ten more common animal idioms.
List A
bear
cat
culture
dog
fox
hare
loan
pony
social
wolf
List B
brained
butterfly
hug
nap
shark
tail
tired
trot
vulture
whistle
If you're taking one of the Cambridge University exams, iTests gives you free practice. You need to register first, and then you get interactive English language exam practice for the exam you're taking, including FCE, CAE, PET, KET, IELTS, TOEFL and TOEIC. The practice tests follow the same format as the real exam.
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