How to use the verb tell correctly ✅

How do I use ‘tell‘ correctly?

This word is often used in English, but it can be difficult to use correctly.

There are a few different ways to use it so let’s take a look at some common examples and patterns.

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Tell something to someone

I can always tell my secrets to my best friend.

Tell someone something

I can always tell my best friend my secrets.

Tell someone to + base verb (tell someone to do something)

I told my students to do their homework.

Tell someone + noun clause (tell someone some information)

I will tell you what you need to know about the exam.

The teacher told the class when they needed to hand in their essays.

Tell someone about/of something

She told me about her childhood.

Please note:
Tell to someone is incorrect.

I told to my friend my news. ❌

We can either say:

➡️ I told my friend my news or

➡️ I told my news to my friend.

We can also use tell in phrasal verbs.

The teacher told the students off for talking in class.

(to tell someone off means to reprimand or scold someone)

If you want to learn more about phrasal verbs,

please click on my blog➡️ Phrasal verbs- friends or foes?

There are also collocations with the word tell and here are a few common examples:

Tell the truth / tell a lie

Please tell me the truth as I can’t stand it when people tell lies.

Tell a story

I used to love listening to my grandmother telling stories about her childhood.

Tell the time

Can you please tell me the time? I have left my watch at home.

Tell the difference between

I can’t tell the difference between their voices on the phone as they sound exactly the same.

If you want to learn more about collocations, please click on my blog ➡️ collocations

I hope this has helped you to understand how to use tell correctly 😊

When not to use ‘s’ after nouns when it looks/sounds like we should! 😫

Nouns acting like adjectives

I often hear students using nouns in the plural when the nouns are acting as adjectives. This seems to be a common mistake, so I have made a little video to give some examples of when we use nouns in the plural and when we don’t. Happy watching😊

When not to use nouns in the plural

Question words and word order ❓❓❓

Word order after question words

Incorrect word order after question words is something I often see when I mark my students’ writing or hear when they are speaking. So, I thought I would make a small video on this topic and I hope it helps those of you who struggle with this 😊

Idioms and expressions with animals 🦘

Idioms and expressions using animals

One way to sound more natural in another language is to use expressions or idioms which native speakers use. There are so many of them in English, so I thought I would write a quiz using some idioms and expressions with animals.

Look at the expressions/idioms below and match them to the meanings:

  • be raining cats and dogs 🐈‍⬛ 🐕
  • be as stubborn as a mule 🐴
  • be as timid as a mouse 🐁
  • have ants in one’s pants 🐜
  • have a frog in one’s throat 🐸
  • fight like cats and dogs 🐱🐶
  • smell a rat 🐭
  • feel like a fish out of water 🐟
  • let sleeping dogs lie 🐩
  • the straw that broke the camel’s back 🐫

  • think something is suspicious
  • not get along and argue a lot
  • ignore a problem or situation in order to avoid making it worse
  • be raining heavily
  • get scared easily
  • a bad thing which happens after many bad things
  • not be willing to change your opinion
  • feel uncomfortable in new or different surroundings or situations
  • be unable to sit still (often due to being excited or nervous)
  • have a hoarse voice

Now, use the idioms or expressions to complete the sentences below:

Note: You may have to change some words in the idioms or expressions.

  1. You can talk to him but I don’t he will change his mind as he __________________________.
  2. My beach holiday was terrible because it __________________________ every day and _________________________was that I got food poisoning and was too sick to leave my hotel when the sun finally came out.
  3. When I first went to Japan, I ____________________________as it was so different from Australia.
  4. It is hard to believe that she __________________________when she was a child as she is so bold and brave now.
  5. She is going overseas for the first time next week, and she just can’t wait- she ________________and can’t focus in class this week.
  6. She was asked to invest in a business venture but pulled out at the last minute as she _________________. Luckily, she did as it turned out to be a scam.
  7. They _______________________________as many siblings do but they are always there for each other at the end of the day.
  8. Please excuse me as I ____________________ due to a cold. I hope you can understand what I am saying!
  9. She wanted to tell her boss about the ongoing issues in the staffroom, but she decided to _________________________as she thought it wouldn’t be worth the trouble it could cause.

You can get my contact information by clicking on the ➡️ contact page of this website or connect with me on social media for the answers and explanations to this quiz 📝

Idioms and expressions with parts of the body 👣

Idioms and expressions using parts of the body

This is for one of my dear students, Chayeni, who loves learning and using idioms in English. One way to sound more natural in another language is to use expressions or idioms which native speakers use. There are so many of them in English, so I thought I would write a quiz using some idioms and expressions using parts of the body.

Look at the expressions below and match them to the meanings:

  • see eye to eye
  • slip one’s mind
  • have a sweet tooth
  • be all thumbs
  • be in over one’s head
  • have butterflies in one’s stomach
  • cost an arm and a leg
  • have itchy feet
  • from the bottom of one’s heart
  • be a shoulder to cry on
  • think on one’s feet
  • has the cat got your tongue ?

  • clumsy and awkward with one’s hands
  • fully agreeing with someone
  • being sincere when you say something
  • having a very high price
  • asking someone why they are being unusually quiet
  • being kind and offering support when someone is sad
  • reacting quickly and effectively to a situation
  • feeling nervous or excited
  • a situation you cannot manage as it is too difficult for you
  • a strong desire to travel
  • loving sugary food
  • forgetting something

Now, use the idioms or expressions above to complete the sentences below:

Note: You may have to change some words in the idioms or expressions to fit into the sentences correctly.

  1. Due to the pandemic, I haven’t been overseas for over two years and I have________________.
  2. I am so sorry about what I said to you. I was furious when I said it and I didn’t mean it. I apologise _____________________.
  3. He took the job offer but now he is worried he is ________________as he is responsible for more staff members than he thought he would be.
  4. Why are you so quiet today ?___________________?
  5. When new teachers teach their first class they often ___________________.
  6. She _______________________so I think she would prefer something sweet to something savoury.
  7. Australia has a very high cost of living and many overseas visitors are surprised that things which are reasonably cheap in their countries _______________________here.
  8. I have to remind my students to do their homework as it often seems to______________!
  9. Even though we rarely __________________ at work, we get on well outside of the office.
  10. Being a manager means you have to _______________________ as unexpected issues can often crop up.
  11. He was such a good friend when she was going through a terrible time and he was ________________ for her.
  12. He has a brilliant mind but he __________________when it comes to handy work around the house.

You can find my contact information by clicking on the ➡️ contact page of this website or connect with me for the answers and explanations to this quiz. 📝

The semicolon ; 👩🏻‍🏫

How do I use a semicolon?

You might not see the semicolon used as much as other punctuation marks, but it is good to use as it can be pretty useful😊

It can add variety to your writing. This is important if you plan to sit an English proficiency exam like IELTS, PTE or one of the Cambridge English tests.
So how do we use it?

  1. We can use it with a transition. When we use a semi colon with a transition, we use it before the transition and then a comma is usually used after the transition.

Note: A transition is a word or phrase which links ideas.

Let’s take a look:

I didn’t answer the question in my essay properly; therefore, my teacher said I had to rewrite it.

I think learning English is enjoyable; in addition, I believe it will help me in my career.

He barely studied for the test; nevertheless, he passed it with flying colours.

2. We also use a semicolon to join two simple sentences or independent clauses together, but the clauses must be closely linked to each other in meaning.

She is a diligent student; she studies every day.

I love teaching; I enjoy seeing my students develop their English skills.

3. We use a semicolon in a list of things where there are already commas. 

My student worked hard on her punctuation problems which included comma splices, capitalization errors, and apostrophe mistakes; her grammatical mistakes which included tense problems, subject verb agreement issues, and incorrect verb patterns; and her vocabulary errors which included spelling and collocation mistakes.

So, as you can see, the semicolon is handy to use and not difficult when you know how to use it. Why not try it next time you are writing an essay ?😊