By now you’re starting to become more comfortable with complex topics at work or school and during your leisure time. B2 English grammar raises the bar yet again, introducing complicated tenses and new conditionals to keep you on your toes.
PHRASAL VERBS
“I hate phrasal verbs!” is a common phrase among English-learners. Those weird [verb]+[preposition] things that have thousands of meanings with no rules attached are a nightmare for many people. Even native speakers run into [meet/encounter by accident] new ones every now and then. But don’t fear, phrasal verbs can be fun too.
13 Essential Phrasal Verbs to Boost your Vocabulary!
ESL Blog Post: Expressions with “Get”
Test Out Your Phrasal Verb Skills
Paul the Cat – Phrasal Verbs in Action
ABOUT TO
That moment right before you start something. “What are you doing?”
RATHER
This is like a fancy way of saying “I would prefer X to Y.” So, “I’d rather have dinner at a restaurant than cook at home.” Or, my personal favorite, “I’d rather study English grammar than go to happy hour!”
I’d Rather | English Grammar Exercise
REMIND vs REMEMBER
The easiest way to keep this straight is: “remember” is the opposite of “forget,” while “remind” is making sure that somebody doesn’t forget something. “Remind me to remember that!”
Remember to do vs. Remember doing
GERUND vs INFINITIVE
Sometimes it just doesn’t matter, ya know?
Gerund vs. Infinitive: English Grammar Exercise
PRESENT PERFECT
The Present Perfect has a lot of different uses including describing events that started in the past and continue to the present, events in the very recent past, repeated actions over an unspecified time, and more!
Quiz: Present Perfect Continuous
USED TO
This one’s for things you did in the past, but don’t do anymore. “When I was a kid I used to collect Pokémon cards” (I don’t collect Pokémon cards anymore).
Quiz: Used to + (verb) vs. Used to (verb-ing)
SECOND CONDITIONAL
The 2nd conditional is fun. It’s used to imagine present or future situations that are impossible or unlikely in reality. “If you won the lottery, what would you do?” is the usual example. An unusual example is “If you just robbed a bank and had to choose a country to hide in, which would you choose?”
Even if / Even though – English Grammar Exercise
2nd Conditional Quiz – English Grammar Exercise
Give Advice – Second Conditional
THIRD CONDITIONAL
B2 English grammar introduces the 3rd conditional, which is for expressing the past consequence of an unrealistic action or situation in the past. Sometimes the 3rd conditional is replaced with a mixed conditional because it sounds more natural.
3rd Conditional – English Grammar Exercise
GIVING ADVICE / SUGGESTIONS
“Know any good restaurants around here?”
Advice with the 2nd Conditional
To Advise, Suggest and Recommend
TALKIN’ ‘BOUT THE FUTURE
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