¶ The Library
The Verb System
The young-learner edition — same rules, smaller steps, friendlier examples.
Young LearnersUK & US
In this pillar
Every young-learner article- Ability & Permission (can/could/may) "Can you come and dig out the dens?" — the difference between asking and being able
- Active vs Passive — Why & When Red-penned for using passive voice? Learn what that means, and when it actually wins
- Causatives (have/get something done) Someone else fixes your bike, not you — the pattern that shows who really did the work
- Forming the Passive Across Tenses "The ball was kicked" — now try that in the future or the past perfect, without freezing
- Gerunds vs Infinitives After Verbs "I enjoy to play" or "I want playing"? Learn which verbs take which, and why
- How English Tenses Work (the 12 combinations) Teacher points and asks 'what tense is this?' Learn all 12 tense combinations on one timeline
- Mixed Conditionals Past cause, present result (or the other way round) — mix your conditionals without the mess
- Modal Verbs — Overview Spell-check stays quiet on "She can sings well" — learn to catch what it misses
- Obligation & Advice (must/have to/should) "You must put your kit on!" — when must, have to and should each carry different weight
- Past Participles (adjectives, reduced clauses) "The window was broken" — turn passives into tight adjectives and clauses that pack more in
- Possibility & Deduction (may/might/must) "I might come over" — one word, and yet it changes exactly how sure you sound
- Present Participles & Participle Clauses That "-ing" clause you write without thinking — learn how to build it so it actually works
- Present Perfect vs Simple Past — UK vs US "Have you eaten yet?" or "Did you eat yet?" — when British and American English reach for different tenses.
- Reported Speech — Statements & Backshift Retelling what someone said? Learn how tense shifts back so your report sounds natural
- Reporting Questions, Commands & Requests "She asked me what did I want" — untangle question order so reported speech sounds right
- Second & Third Conditionals "If I was rich..." — learn why it's "were," and how second and third conditionals differ
- Stative vs Dynamic Verbs You write "I'm knowing the answer" and it just looks odd — learn why, and fix it
- Talking About the Future You type "I go to the cinema Saturday" and it looks wrong — find the right future form
- The Get-Passive "I got soaked" isn't lazy grammar — learn when get beats be, and why it fits
- The Imperative Mood "Open your books" works without an "I" or "you" in sight — see how commands are built
- The Past Continuous Mid-story you write "I see" then pause, wondering if it should be "saw" — sort it fast
- The Past Perfect Every event in your story happens "in the past" — learn to show which came first
- The Past Simple "I go" becomes "I went" without you even thinking — see why, every time
- The Perfect Continuous Tenses "I've been reading all afternoon" — three verbs in a row that look like a trap, but it's really two ideas you already know
- The Present Continuous Told to 'use the present continuous' and unsure why? Learn what it means in your sentence
- The Present Perfect (UK) 'I just finished' crossed out for 'I've just finished'? Learn why British English wants that have
- The Present Perfect (US) You text "I scored!" then a worksheet asks for the tense — learn to nail it
- The Present Simple Sit down to write homework and freeze on tense? Learn when present simple is right
- The Subjunctive Your teacher crosses out "was" and writes "were" — the subjunctive that trips up everyone
- To- & Bare Infinitives "I wanted run home" — spot the missing to and learn when infinitives drop it
- Used To, Would & Be/Get Used To "I used to..." looks simple until "would" sneaks in — learn which one fits, and when
- What Is Grammatical Mood? Three teachers, three different tones in one lesson — spot the mood behind each sentence
- Will, Would & Shall Your teacher ticks "I will help you" — learn why will, would and shall aren't interchangeable
- Wish, If Only & Conditional Inversion "I wish I'd started earlier" — learn wish, if only, and inversion in one go
- Zero & First Conditionals "If this happens..." — learn to pick zero or first conditional so your meaning lands right