Permission We use may or can when we ask for or give permission. We use may not or can’t to refuse permission. May is more formal. A: May / Can we leave? B: No, you may not / can’t. We use be allowed to to talk about rules made by someone else. The teacher... Continue Reading →
Modal Verbs
Can / can’t and could / couldn’t for factual (im)possibility We use can / can’t to say what is generally possible / impossible in fact. It can get very hot at this time of year. Plants can’t survive without sunlight. We use could / couldn’t to say what was / wasn’t generally possible in fact... Continue Reading →
The Passive: Complex Passive Forms
Reporting with the passive We often use It and a passive form of a reporting verb (e.g. suggest, say, believe, think, report, rumour) with a that-clause, in formal situations, to report opinions and beliefs. It has been suggested that it was caused by secret experiments. It was reported that the remains of an alien spaceship... Continue Reading →
Present Simple and Present Continuous
Present Simple (subject + v1/v5 + object) We use the present simple: to refer to scientific facts and universal truths Water boils at 100 °C. The sun rises in the east. to refer to specific routines or habits I wake up at six o’ clock every morning. with adverbs of frequency We usually smile because... Continue Reading →
Achieving Coherence in an Academic Essay
Coherence in a paragraph means that all the ideas fit together in a logical flow. In a coherent paragraph, the relationship between ideas is clear, and one idea connects logically to the next. Coherence can be achieved by using transitions, logical order, pronouns, and parallel forms. Using Transitions for Coherence Transitions show how one idea... Continue Reading →
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