Good-better-best
To get better
To improve
To increase, go up
Bad-worse-worst
To get worse
To decrease, go down
As good as/the same as (don’t use “so good
as”)
I agree with/I disagree with NOT I’m not
agree/I’m agreed
I haven’t got a dog/ I don’t have a dog NOT I
haven’t a dog
Many students study to get a good job/in
order to get a good job/so as to get a good job
NOT for get a good job
At present/today/nowadays/now/currently
NOT actually
To graduate/to get a degree/ I have a degree/I
graduated from university in 2005/I am a
graduate
One of the best films I have ever seen/one of
my favourite films/one of the longest days of
my life
To travel – a journey/trip/voyage NOT a
travel
To work – a job/an occupation/to be
employed/employment NOT a work
To arrive/get home NOT at home/to home
I’m thinking of going to Paris/I’m dreaming
of going to Paris (future plans)
I’m thinking about my holiday/my boyfriend
or I dreamt about(past or present)
I said I was sorry
I said “sorry”
I told her I was sorry
She asked me my name
She asked me/told me to do the washing up
A long time NOT a lot of time
Later, then we went to the disco… NOT after,
we went to the disco
Or/
After something (e.g.lunch), we went
out/After + ING (e.g. eating), we went out
Fantastic/wonderful/amazing/great/cool NOT
beautiful
To look forward to doing something
To look forward to something
“I think he will phone this evening” in
reported speech: I thought he would phone
marks = exams
votes = elections
notes = written notes (appunti)
ON tv/ON the radio/IN the newspaper
ON a day (on Sunday)/ IN a month (in
February) and a year (in 1999)
Too + adjective: too hot, too cold
Too much/many + noun: too much coffee, too
many cigarettes (too much or too many means
MORE THAN NECESSARY, MORE THAN
I SHOULD HAVE not ‘a lot’ or ‘very’)
I hope + future (I hope I will be able to …)
WHO is not a subject unless you are asking a
question
You can’t say “Who respects himself is ….).
You must say “People who respect
themselves are…) or use
WHOEVER/WHATEVER/WHENEVER
Abstract nouns do not need a definite article:
love, peace, war, hatred
Stop/start + ING
You MEET a person, then you GET TO
KNOW them, then, after a long time, you
KNOW them. You do not ‘know’ a person as
soon as you meet them!
 Just as
e.g. I met my boyfriend four years ago, now I Contrasting
know him really well.
However
You don’t ‘know’ news, but you hear about On the other hand
news/find out about news/discover something This is white whereas/while that is black
In contrast
Use ‘s only for living, animate things (that
respond if you kick them). Not “past’s event”/ Contradicting
“a vote’s right”
on the contrary
Politics (noun)/ political (adj) in actual fact

It depends ON/dependence ON

AT the same time (not “in the same time”)

You spend time (and money) you don’t

“pass” it
You waste time (and money) you don’t “lose”
it
You miss a bus or train you don’t “lose” it

To be satisfied WITH something

On the other hand (not “the other side”)

Expressing opinion

To my mind
To be honest
If you ask me
In my opinion/in my view
As I see it
I don’t feel that/I don’t agree that/I would not
say that
Personally
It seems to me that

Examples

First/First of all/First
Then/secondly
Finally

Comparing

In comparison
Likewise
Similarly