Essential English Grammar & Vocabulary Concepts

Core English Vocabulary

Expand your English word knowledge with these essential terms and their definitions:

Midnight

Twelve o'clock at night.

Tradition

Beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., passed down through generations.

Handkerchief

A small piece of silk or fabric, often used for wiping the face or nose.

Disagreement

A situation where people do not agree with each other.

Laughter

The action or sound of laughing.

Seaweed

Any plant growing in the ocean.

Chase Away

To get rid of something unpleasant.

Celebration

A gathering in a place for a special occasion.

Pine Branch

A stick or limb from a pine tree.

Sacred

Considered to be holy, especially because of a connection with God.

Mall

A large indoor shopping center.

Junk Food

Food that is not nutritionally beneficial.

Oysters

Seafood that can produce a pearl from a grain of sand.

Allowance

A small amount of money children receive weekly, often for chores.

Strangers

People who do not know each other.

Suitcase

A rectangular case used for packing clothes when traveling.

Make-up

Cosmetic colors applied to the face.

Understanding Future Tenses: Will and Won't

The auxiliary verbs will and won't (will not) are used to talk about future actions and predictions.

• She won't be happy.
• I will do homework.
• She will eat junk food.

Note: We use will to talk about offers and promises. We use going to to talk about intentions.

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Nouns in English are categorized as either countable or uncountable, affecting how they are used in sentences.

• Countable nouns can be used in the singular or plural form (e.g., one apple, two apples).
• Uncountable nouns do not have a plural form and are treated as singular (e.g., water, information).

Using "Some" and "Any"

The determiners some and any are used to refer to an indefinite quantity or number.

• We use some in positive sentences when we don't specify the exact quantity or number.
• We typically use any in negative sentences with plural and uncountable nouns.
• We usually use any in questions with plural and uncountable nouns.
• Exception: We use some in questions when we expect a 'yes' answer or when we are offering something.

Past Simple vs. Past Continuous

These two past tenses describe actions that happened in the past, but with different nuances regarding their duration and completion.

Past Continuous: Forms and Usage

Affirmative Form: Subject + was/were + verb-ing

• She was working.
• They were working.

Negative Form: Subject + was/were not + verb-ing (wasn't/weren't)

• She was not working / She wasn't working.
• They were not working / They weren't working.

Interrogative Form: Was/Were + subject + verb-ing?

• Was she working?
• Were they working?

Usage:

• We use the Past Continuous to describe an action in progress at a specific point in the past.
• Example: What were you doing at eleven o'clock last night? I was getting ready for bed.
• We often use the Past Continuous to describe a continuous action in the past that was interrupted by another event.
• We can also use the Past Continuous to describe two continuous actions happening simultaneously in the past.