Essential Phrases for Essays, Articles, and Letters

Essay Writing Phrases

Expressing Personal Opinions

  • In my opinion
  • I believe (that)
  • I feel (that)
  • It seems to me
  • In my view
  • As I see it
  • I think
  • Personally

Showing Purpose

  • To
  • In order to
  • So as to
  • So that

Listing Ideas

  • Firstly
  • Secondly
  • Finally
  • In the first place
  • Lastly

Contrasting Ideas

  • However
  • Although
  • In contrast
  • Whereas
  • But
  • Nevertheless
  • In spite of
  • Despite

Describing a Cause

  • Because
  • Since
  • As
  • Due to

Showing Sequence

  • First of all
  • Then
  • After that
  • Eventually
  • In the end
  • Finally

Adding Information

  • In addition
  • Moreover
  • What is more
  • Besides
  • Too
  • Furthermore
  • And

Describing

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Language Skills Practice: Fill-in-the-Blanks

Vocabulary & Grammar Completion

  1. After the accident, medical staff gave my father the best treatment possible.

  2. Keeping your options open is always a good idea when applying to university.

  3. Who do you recommend I turn to if I need help in school?

  4. Which photo do you think I should use for my profile?

  5. I would hate to live in a country where winter lasts for most of the year.

  6. After dropping out of college, Mark Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook.

  7. The introduction of cheap air travel has had a major impact on

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Practical English Sentences and Grammar Structures

Example English Sentences

  • It is said that New York is one of the safest cities in the world.
  • Shall I make the tea for you?
  • I can’t stand getting up in the dark.
  • If I had known you were coming, I would have met you at the station.
  • Last month was drier than this month.
  • I took a cookery course so that I was able to make (or could make, or would be able to make) special dishes.
  • Although he is very old, he is very active.
  • The weather wasn’t good enough for us to go sailing.
  • Her parents said that they would take
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The Secret Agent: Characters, Plot, and Intrigue

The Secret Agent: Characters and Plot

Key Characters

  • Adolf Verloc: A big, heavy man with a fat, smooth face and large eyes. He was notably lazy. Living in London, he was an anarchist and a secret agent for a foreign embassy. He ran a poorly lit shop selling newspapers, European magazines, and writing materials.
  • Vladimir: The new First Secretary at the Embassy, described as slim and handsome.
  • Winnie Verloc: Adolf Verloc’s wife, a dark-haired, pretty, and neatly dressed woman, some years younger than
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English Grammar Exercises: Pronouns, Comparatives, and More

English Grammar Exercises

English Task: Read the dialogues and choose the correct answer. Adjective or possessive pronoun.

  1. Where is my/mine book? Oh, here it is!
  2. That’s not my/your book. It’s my/mine.
  • We’ve got a dog. Your/Our dog is big and black.
  • What is it/its name?
  • Not “it”, “she”. She/Her name is Princess.
  1. Complete the sentences with object pronouns.
  2. Antonio is my friend. I always phone him at the weekends.
  3. Where is my mobile phone? Can you see it?
  4. We are going to London. Do you want to
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English Language Test Answer Keys (Tests 1 & 2)

Test 1 A

Grammar

  1. older / never / that / have.
  2. will have left / were built / was playing (or had been playing) / weighs.
  3. hadn’t destroyed / worrying / had sent / would buy.
  4. won’t be allowed into the theatre unless you have got a ticket / having my carpet cleaned at the moment / to buy a cake for the party / whose coat this is.

Vocabulary

  1. boring / under / preparing / confident.
  2. donate / delay / depress / develop.
  3. international / peaceful / responsible (or reliable) / innocent.
  4. respectful to their teachers
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