Learning English Grammar

George thought he was witnessing a crime and Phil thought a town in India was quiet until he came across an exciting festival. Learn how to use 'seem', 'it was as if' and 'it was as though' when you see something happening and you're not sure what's going on.

An old, black guitar or a black, old guitar? Believe it or not, one sounds much more natural. We have some general rules about adjective order in a sentence. Learn about it with grammar guru Georgie and presenters Phil and Pippa.

What would you like to make a programme about? Might I suggest dogs and cats? Listen to Neil and Becca talking about ideas for a new programme, while grammar guru Georgie gives you language tips to make your own suggestions.  _____________

What's more stressful? Learning to drive or learning a new language? Listen to Pippa and Phil talking about stressful things and grammar guru Georgie explaining how to make comparative and superlative sentences.

Why has Phil been doing lots of washing this week? Neil and Beth tell us what they've been up to recently, and our grammar guru Georgie teaches us about the present perfect simple and present perfect continuous tenses.

Sometimes we need people to do things for us. Maybe we pay them to do it, maybe we just ask for a favour. Listen to Beth and Neil talking about mechanics, hairdressers, doctors and opticians and grammar guru Georgie explaining the causative. 

What kinds of films do you like? Neil and Beth talk about film genres and grammar guru Georgie explains the quantifiers, 'both', 'every', 'all', 'most', 'all' and 'any'. 

Was Pippa's date with her friend a success? Neil and Beth talk about dates and teach some phrasal verbs like 'get on', 'hit it off' and 'settle down', with grammar guru Georgie. 

What possession was stolen from Neil, and who stole it? Neil and Pippa talk about crime, and Beth and Phil discuss the passive, e.g. 'was stolen', with our grammar guru Georgie. 

Do you enjoy climbing mountains and swimming in lakes? Beth and Phil talk about being outdoors, and our grammar guru Georgie explains how to use articles like 'a', 'an' and 'the'. 

What's the most unusual food you've ever eaten? Or the furthest you've travelled in one day? Beth and Phil answer questions like this and our grammar guru explains how to form and use superlatives. 

Are you the kind of person who plans a trip last minute? Or do you prefer to build a spreadsheet months in advance? Pippa and Phil talk about what they tend to do when they're planning a trip, and our grammar guru Georgie explains how to use the phrase 'tend to' and modal verbs 'will' and 'might' to talk about usual behaviour. 

What language can you use when you're gossiping? Pippa and Phil talk about some office gossip, and our grammar guru Georgie explains language we can use when we're speculating about something which may or may not be true. Learn about reported speech, and how to use 'may' or 'might' to speculate.

What did you know how to cook before you learnt properly? Maybe it was a simple cake, or you could boil an egg and put bread in a toaster! Pippa and Phil talk about how they learnt to cook, and our grammar guru Georgie explains how to use adverbs like 'finally', 'previously' and 'once before' with the past perfect tense. 

What language can you use when you notice or see something suspicious? Pippa and Phil talk about surprises they've had in their life, and our grammar guru Georgie explains language we can use when we're curious about what's happening. Learn to use notice/see/hear + object + -ing verb.

What's the best advice you've been given? Phil and Pippa talk about giving advice while grammar guru Georgie explains how to use the verb try. 

What does it mean to be on the verge of crying? And what are some other ways we can talk about our emotions? Learn 'make someone do or feel something', 'on the verge of' and 'about to' in this episode, with Pippa, Phil and grammar guru Georgie. 

How can you ask questions politely? Pippa and Andrew talk about what they would ask a receptionist in a new school, or a stranger if they were lost in a city, and our grammar guru Georgie explains the grammar of indirect questions. Learn to use 'I was wondering...', 'Could you tell me...' and 'I wanted to know...'.

What's the most interesting job you've ever had? What did you have to do? Neil and Beth talk about the most interesting jobs they've had while grammar guru Georgie explains how to use whose to make relative clauses. 

Do you want a house that's a bit, sort of or a lot bigger? Neil and Pippa talk about why they chose to live where they do while grammar guru Georgie explains how to use 'a bit', 'sort of' and 'a lot' with comparisons, as well as how to compare something to a clause. 

Do you have any social obligations? Beth and Neil talk about doing things they don't really want to do and our grammar guru Georgie explains ways to talk about social obligations. Learn to use 'have to', 'be meant to', 'be supposed to' and how to use the second conditional.

What are your predictions about the future? Neil and Pippa talk about what they think will happen in the future, and our grammar guru Georgie explains the grammar of future predictions. Learn to use 'will', 'going to' and how to use the future perfect tense.

Do you have any hobbies you'd like to start doing? Beth and Neil talk about things they enjoy and our grammar guru Georgie explains the grammar of -ing verbs and infinitives. Learn which verbs to use when we have two verbs together in English. 

Do you collect anything? Beth and Neil talk about what they collect and have in their house and our grammar guru Georgie explains the grammar of quantities. Learn to use language like 'absolutely loads of', 'some' and 'only a few'. 

Regrets are things you wish you could change about your past. For example, someone might have regrets about not learning a musical instrument when they were younger.

When I was younger, I used to go to school by bus. We would get up early and wait for the bus driver. We always said good morning to him when he arrived.

Do you prefer dogs or cats? Neil and Phil talk about choices and preferences and our grammar guru Georgie explains the grammar of these choices. Learn to use prefer, would prefer and would rather.

How long is your to-do list? Beth and Neil talk about the jobs they need to do, and our grammar guru Georgie explains the grammar of your to-do list. Learn to use 'need to', 'have to', 'got to' and 'needs doing'.