Grammar Exercises

NEW! Spot the Grammar Mistakes! (49)

Which of these sentences are grammatically incorrect? Correct the mistakes. There may be more than one mistake in a sentence. Scroll down for the answers.

1. I have a seventy-page report to read this weekend.

2. Someone told you, didn’t he?

3. Naomi isn’t Canadian and either am I.

4. It didn’t take me long to get used to wear contact lenses.

5. Can you tell me what is the problem?

6. “Were there any emails for me?” – “No, any at all.”

7. It was the best film I’d never seen.

8. We ought to have told her the truth.


Remember, dear English learner – it is okay to make mistakes. Your English doesn’t have to be faultless.

Mistakes are an essential part of the language-learning process – we make progress by learning from them.

However, to communicate effectively (and to pass official exams!), you do need a certain level of accuracy. I hope these short exercises, which focus on the most common errors, will help you in this regard.


More Spot the Grammar Mistakes exercises


Answers

1. βœ”οΈ

2. Someone told you, didn’t they?

3. Naomi isn’t Canadian and neither am I.

4. It didn’t take me long to get used to wearing contact lenses.

5. Can you tell me what the problem is?

6. “Were there any emails for me?” – “No, none at all.”

7. It was the best film I’d ever seen.

8. βœ”οΈ


MY BEST GRAMMAR TIP!

When looking up grammar explanations I REALLY recommend doing it in your own language rather than in English. It will save you a lot of time and energy – it is a lot less effort for your brain if you read explanations that are written in your native language.

I know that traditionally English grammar is explained in English but there is no rule that you have to do it that way.

Try it and let me know. I bet you will find the process a lot smoother and quicker in the long run, especially when it comes to more complicated grammatical areas.

Here are just some of the free Grammar Exercises you will find here on Recipes for English.

Present simple or present continuous? Exercise 1

Present perfect continuous Exercise 1

Present perfect simple vs present perfect continuous Exercise 1

Question Tags, Basic  Exercise 1

Question Tags, Advanced  Exercise 1 Exercise 2

Reflexive pronouns – On my/your own vs. by myself / yourself, etc  Exercise 1

Reflexive vs Reciprocal pronouns  (myself, yourself, etc / each other) Exercise 1


Practice makes progress! πŸ’ͺ

𝑭𝑢𝑳𝑳𝑢𝑾 π’Žπ’† 𝒐𝒏 πŸ“Œ 𝑷𝑰𝑡𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑻!

Animals, Vocabulary Worksheets

SPLENDID SLOTHS – Vocabulary and ‘Slow’ Idioms Worksheet

Sloth climbing tree

Javier Mazzeo, @Unsplash


A) FUN FACTS

Fill the gaps with the following words:

belief, benefit, detection, hooked, lungs, mammal, moths, swivel, tinge, tropical, vulnerable, weigh     

Sloths have been around for over sixty million years, and until ten thousand years ago there was also even a giant sloth. These super-sized sloths called Megatherium could grow to the size of an elephant and a) __________ up to four tonnes!

Today sloths are found in the b) __________ forests of Central and South America. There are six species, two species are two-toed, and four are three-toed. Curiously though, it’s the number of claws on the forelimbs that is different, as all the species have three β€˜toes’ on their back legs. So perhaps we should call them two-fingered and three-fingered sloths!

Sloths are named for their extreme slowness. The pygmy three-toed sloth is in fact the slowest c) _________ in the world, moving at a speed of only 0.24 km/h.

Contrary to popular d) __________, however, sloths aren’t lazy. Their slow-paced lifestyle is a vital part of their survival kit as it helps them conserve valuable energy. Another bonus of moving so slowly is that it helps them avoid e) __________ by formidable predators such as jaguars and harpy eagles who hunt using sight.

Not only are sloths slowcoaches, but their digestion is also very slow – it can take weeks to digest just one leaf!

You may have noticed that sloths often seem to have green fur. This green f) __________ comes from algae. It turns out that a sloth’s shaggy coat is quite the ecosystem – providing a home not only to algae, but also to fungi, g) __________, and other insects. In return, the green colour lends the sloths camouflage, helping them blend into the canopy. Sloths may also h) __________ by snacking on the algae or other inhabitants in their fur.

Thanks to their anatomical design, sloths are adept at hanging upside down. Organs such as the liver, stomach and bowel are attached to their rib cage which prevents them from squashing the animal’s i) __________ and impeding breathing. Their strong j) __________ claws allow them to latch onto branches securely and even to sleep suspended from the trees.

Another design attribute allows three-toed sloths to k) __________ their heads 270 degrees like owls, which may come in handy for keeping an eye out for predators.

Sloths are very cumbersome on the ground as they have little power in their hind legs.  However, they are actually pretty strong swimmers and can even hold their breath underwater for forty minutes!

Sloths may be slow but they are three times as strong as humans. They can lift their whole body upwards using just one arm!

Sloths only come down from trees in order to poop, which they do about once a week. They are extremely l) __________ to predators when they are on the ground and so will even give birth up in the trees!

B) Idioms with SLOW

Complete the idioms with one of the words in brackets.

1.  The government was criticised for being slow off the _________ in helping its citizens affected by the hurricane. They should have acted faster.  (line, mark, step)

2.  Maybe I’m slow on the __________take but I found the plot of the film really confusing at times. Didn’t you? (off, on, up)

3.  The book was slow __________ at first but then it started to get a lot more interesting. (go, going, gone)

4.  Come on, slow__________, hurry up and have your breakfast or you’re going to be late for school. (bus, car, coach)

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Grammar Exercises

Verb Patterns (1): Verb + Gerund or Infinitive?

Download the PDF version: Verb Patterns – Gerund or Infinitive (1)

Add the gerund or infinitive form (with or without β€œto”) of the verb in brackets.

  1. Beatrice offered __________ (carry) my suitcase.
  2. β€œDo you mind __________ (babysit) Leo for a few hours? I really need __________ (get) some rest.”
  3. Kevin is tired of __________ (sit) in traffic jams every morning.
  4. We decided __________ (adopt) a dog from an animal shelter.
  5. As it was rush hour we avoided __________ (take) the bus and we chose __________ (walk) instead.
  6. Max has spent hours and hours __________ (study) in the library. He really deserves__________ (pass) his history exam
  7. In museums you are generally not allowed __________ (touch) anything.
  8. Most of us dislike people __________ (interrupt) us.
  9. Unfortunately we can’t afford __________ (live) in the city.
  10. I wonder if Paul will let me __________ (borrow) his brand new motorbike.
  11. __________ (eat) less meat is better for the environment, many scientists say.
  12. Ian prefers __________ (hike) in the mountains to __________ (relax) on the beach.
  13. Luckily I managed __________ (get) a doctor’s appointment at short notice.
  14. It was worth __________ (pay) a little extra to get a room with a sea view.
  15. Let’s try and persuade Cris __________ (come) on holiday with us.
  16. “The secret of __________ (get ahead) is getting started.” – Mark Twain.








Answers

1. to carry  2. babysitting; to get  3. sitting  4. to adopt  5. taking; to walk  6. studying; to pass  7. to touch  8. interrupting  9. to live  10. borrow  11. Eating  12. hiking; relaxing  13. to get  14. paying  15. to come  16. getting ahead


Would you like to practise VERB PATTERNS some more?

Verb Patterns (2): Gerund or Infinitive? (Special cases: Forget / Remember / Stop / Need)

Verb Patterns (3): Gerund or Infinitive?

Verb Patterns (4): Gerund or Infinitive?

Verb Patterns (5): Verb + Object + Infinitive