Click on the links below to look at the free sample sheets.
These practise the use of words denoting common places to indicate either the function of the place or the place itself, and the uses of various quantifiers.
| Function or place 1 | at college, at the college; at home, at the home |
| Function or place 1 gapfill | at college, at the college; at home, at the home |
| Function or place 2 | in prison, in the prison; at university, at the university (subscription only) |
| Function or place 2 gapfill | in prison, in the prison; at university, at the university (subscription only) |
| Indefinite article 1 | Inclusion or exclusion of the indefinite article |
| Indefinite article 1 gapfill | Inclusion or exclusion of the indefinite article |
| Indefinite article 2 | Inclusion or exclusion of the indefinite article (subscription only) |
| Indefinite article 2 gapfill | Inclusion or exclusion of the indefinite article (subscription only) |
| Quantifiers 1 |
aany, few, fewer, less, little, lot |
| Quantifiers 1 gapfill |
aany, few, fewer, less, little, lot |
| Quantifiers 2 |
avery little, very few, quite a little, quite a few (subscription only) |
| Quantifiers 2 gapfill |
avery little, very few, quite a little, quite a few (subscription only) |
Stative and dynamic verbs
Verbs in English can be stative or dynamic. Stative verbs describe an unchanging state, while dynamic verbs describe changes of state. For example, I'm getting married is dynamic because it indicates a change of state, while I'm married is stative because it indicates the unchanging state of marriage. Generally, stative verbs are not used in continuous tenses, though there are exceptions.
| Stative and dynamic verbs 1 | Verbs referring to the five senses |
| Stative and dynamic verbs 1 gapfill | Verbs referring to the five senses |
| Stative and dynamic verbs 2 | Verbs of perception (subscription only) |
| Stative and dynamic verbs 2 gapfill | Verbs of perception (subscription only) |
Many verbs can be followed by more than one preposition, usually with different meanings. Some verbs can also be used either with or without a preposition. These exercises practise these types of verbs.
| Verbs and prepositions 1 | The verbs speak and swear |
| Verbs and prepositions 1 gapfill | The verbs speak and swear |
| Verbs and prepositions 2 | The verbs talk and look |
| Verbs and prepositions 2 gapfill | The verbs talk and look |
| Verbs and prepositions 3 | Verbs with or without prepositions (subscription only) |
| Verbs and prepositions 3 gapfill | Verbs with or without prepositions (subscription only) |
| Verbs and prepositions 4 | Verbs followed by to and at (subscription only) |
| Verbs and prepositions 4 gapfill | Verbs followed by to and at (subscription only) |
| Verbs and prepositions 5 | Verbs followed by to and at (subscription only) |
| Verbs and prepositions 5 gapfill | Verbs followed by to and at (subscription only) |
Middle verbs are not generally taught as such in standard textbooks. Most verbs are transitive; in other words they can be used in both the active and passive voices. However, there are some verbs which can also be used in another way which refers back to the subject like a reflexive verb. These are active in form, but passive in meaning, as the subject of the verb is affected in a similar way to a passive subject. We have chosen to call these verbs middle verbs as they are between active and passive. Students need to recognise when these verbs are used as middle verbs as there is no object in these cases and the reference if different to that of active verbs. Here are examples using burn:
Active: Fire burns wood. Passive: Wood is burned by fire. Middle: Wood burns.
| Teacher's notes | Detailed explanations of this area of grammar. |
| Middle verbs 1 | change, drive, feel, increase, return |
| Middle verbs 1 gapfill | change, drive, feel, increase, return |
| Middle verbs 2 | break, close, develop, end, give |
| Middle verbs 2 gapfill | break, close, develop, end, give |
| Middle verbs 3 | continue, create, move, open, part |
| Middle verbs 3 gapfill | continue, create, move, open, part |
| Middle verbs 4 | count, drop, extend, sell, turn (subscription only) |
| Middle verbs 4 gapfill | count, drop, extend, sell, turn (subscription only) |
| Middle verbs 5 | charge, clear, fly, grow, meet (subscription only) |
| Middle verbs 5 gapfill | charge, clear, fly, grow, meet (subscription only) |
| Middle verbs 6 | form, smell, sound, start, taste (subscription only) |
| Middle verbs 6 gapfill | form, smell, sound, start, taste (subscription only) |
| Middle verbs 7 | bite, build, carry, hold, run (subscription only) |
| Middle verbs 7 gapfill | bite, build, carry, hold, run (subscription only) |
There is a lot taught in textbooks about conditional sentences, and some of it is simplistic and even inaccurate. The worksheets in this section explore aspects of conditionals which are not often explored in detail elsewhere and the aim is to throw light on unusual and different conditional types.
| Second conditional - real past | Conditionals that actually happened |
| Second conditional - real past gapfill | Conditionals that actually happened |
Students often make relatively predictable mistakes which are often uncorrected and can become ingrained. This section looks at some typical, common mistakes that students make and aims to correct them.
| The things we don't say 1 | Typical student mistakes |
| The things we don't say 1 gapfill | Typical student mistakes |
Most grammar in grammar books has clear and straightforward explanations, but there are are some areas of grammar which are poorly covered or which are very strange in appearance or formation, but which are actually relatively common. This section aims to highlight and explore these areas. The two worksheets in this section so far deal with passives and possessives. Some verbs like give and offer can take two objects and have two passive forms. In spoken English, the noun possessive form can also be attached to a phrase or sentence which acts as a noun phrase or part of a noun phrase.
| Double passives 1 | Verbs which have two passive forms |
| Double passives 1 gapfill | Verbs which have two passive forms |
| Possessive phrases 1 | Whole noun phrases with 's |
| Possessive phrases 1 gapfill | Whole noun phrases with 's |
This aspect of nouns is taught widely in textbooks with all nouns labelled either count or non-count. However, this division is not always accurate, as many nouns can be used as both count and non-count nouns usually with different meanings and uses. There differences are crucial for students to understand if they are to recognise and use them correctly. These exercises explore the uses of nouns as both count and non-count nouns.
| Count and non-count 1 | experience, light, pain, paper, reason |
| Count and non-count 1 gapfill | experience, light, pain, paper, reason |
| Count and non-count 2 | dress, egg, interest lamb, work |
| Count and non-count 2 gapfill | dress, egg, interest lamb, work |
| Count and non-count 3 | business, competition, difficulty, heart, life |
| Count and non-count 3 gapfill | business, competition, difficulty, heart, life |
Very often in English the same word can be used as either a noun or a verb with no change in its form. This can present students with problems of interpretation. For example, if the work book appears in a sentence, it is usually a noun, but it can also be a verb, in this case with very specialised meanings. However, many words may equally occur as a noun or a verb, like work or talk. Students have to look at the role that the word plays in a sentence to see if it is a noun or a verb.
The exercises in this section practise these words, showing how a lot of nouns can be used as verbs very easily, sometimes with similar meanings, sometimes with rather different meanings. The pronunciation may change, but not the spelling, or the stress may change to form a verb from a noun or vice versa. Not all words of this type can be covered here, but these exercises should give students a good grounding in the idea of noun-verb formation and use, so that they can extend their own knowledge of the area.
| Noun or verb 1 | These practise the difference between the uses of certain common words as nouns or verbs. |
| Noun or verb 1 gapfill | These practise the difference between the uses of certain common words as nouns or verbs. |
| Animal verbs 1 | Words for animals used as verbs |
| Animal verbs 1 gapfill | Words for animals used as verbs |
| People verbs 1 | Words for people used as verbs |
| People verbs 1 gapfill | Words for people used as verbs |
| Verbs to people 1 | Verbs used to denote people |
| Verbs to people 1 gapfill | Verbs used to denote people |
| Noun and verb stress variations 1 | Forming words through stress change |
| Noun and verb stress variations 1 gapfill | Forming words through stress change |
| Noun and verb pronunciation variations 1 | Forming nouns through pronunciation changes |
| Noun and verb pronunciation variations 1 gapfill | Forming nouns through pronunciation changes |
| Unpredictable verbs 1 | Verbs with unpredictable meanings formed from nouns |
| Unpredictable verbs 1 gapfill | Verbs with unpredictable meanings formed from nouns |
| Unpredictable verbs 2 | Verbs with unpredictable meanings |
| Unpredictable verbs 2 gapfill | Verbs with unpredictable meanings |
| Unpredictable verbs 3 | Verbs with unpredictable meanings |
| Unpredictable verbs 3 gapfill | Verbs with unpredictable meanings |
| Slang verbs 1 | Verbs with slang meanings |
| Slang verbs 1 gapfill | Verbs with slang meanings |
| Verb-Noun 1 Teacher's notes |
These practise the formation of new nouns from phrasal verbs. |
| Verb-Noun 1 gapfill |
These practise the formation of new nouns from phrasal verbs. |
| Answers | Answers to all the exercises (except for subscription-only activities) |
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