27 Short Grammar Challenges to Determine your English Grammar Ability

Hello lovely students and welcome back to English  with Lucy. Are you ready to put your English  

grammar skills to the test? I have a mega grammar  lesson for you today! I have selected all of my  

best grammar tips and tricks and compiled them  into this one huge lesson. This is going to make  

a serious impact on your English grammar skills.  You're going to tackle tricky grammar rules, take  

some tough quizzes and test your knowledge with  fun challenges, all designed to help you sharpen  

your skills. We'll be covering prepositions,  spelling, collocations and grammar tests and I  

know some of you have certain doubts about what  your level of English is. Don't worry, I have a  

solution for that as well. I have developed a  free online English-level test. You can take  

now. It will help you figure out where you are on  your learning journey and what to focus on next. I  

will send you your results via email. If you would  like to take this free online English-level test,  

you can click the link in the description box  or scan that QR code there. Right, let's jump  

into our first grammar video and see how you  do. I stopped drinking water or I stopped to  

drink water. Which should I say? Uh , no I stopped  drinking water. If I say I stopped drinking water  

it means I have given up, I don't drink water  anymore. Maybe I only drink milk now. If I say  

I stopped to drink water, it means I stopped  what I was doing to drink water. A few or  

few? Which should you use and when?The meaning is  totally different. If I say I have a few friends,  

this is quite positive. It means I have some  friends, it's enough. If I say I have few friends,  

this means I don't have many friends. It's a more  negative meaning. Stop saying how do you call in  

English. How do you call this in English? Let me  explain. What is used when we ask questions when  

we want to find out information like the Identity  or nature of something ? What is her name? What is  

that? What do you call this in Italian? ´How´ is  normally used to ask about the way that something  

is done. How can I do this? How can I get there?  How can I say this in English? When you're asking  

about a translation - how can I say this in  English? When you're asking about the name  

of something - What do you call this in English.  Every day versus every day. What's the difference?  

So many people get this wrong. ´Everyday´  without a space is an adjective. It means regular  

or happening every day. It describes something  ordinary, something every day. She enjoys painting  

everyday objects - ordinary objects. Or going on  the tube is an everyday activity for him. Every  

day with a space means each day. She paints every  day. He rides on the tube every day. Sometime,  

some time and sometimes. Sometimes we say sometime  and sometimes we say some time. Let's break this  

down. Sometime as one word is usually used  as an adverb to mean at some point. I saw him  

sometime yesterday - at some point yesterday.  Some time as two words is used to refer to  

a particular length of time, typically a long  time. We hadn't seen each other for some time,  

for a pretty long amount of time. And sometimes,  one word with the letter s - used to describe  

something that happens occasionally rather than  all the time. They sometimes get together at the  

weekend. Should you say in on or at? Prepositions  of time. We use on to talk about dates or specific  

days of the week. Can you come over on Tuesday?  We will see you on the third of September. We  

use at when we talk about a specific time or a  holiday period. We will meet at 7 a.m. They will  

come over at Christmas. We use in to talk about  months, years, centuries and other long periods of  

time. My birthday is in June. He was born in 1991.  This house was built in the 15th century. Say and  

tell. They might seem similar but there are key  differences you must learn. Tell means to give  

information through speaking. Say means to express  something using words. The definitions are similar  

but here comes the real difference. Tell is a  transitive verb. This means that we need an object  

to receive the action. The object is typically a  person. Tell him about it. Tell me what you think.  

She told him the good news. We will tell them when  they get here. With say, we don't necessarily need  

an object but we can use one. I always say good  morning to my neighbours. What did you say? See,  

no object there. Sorry teachers, here are some  grammar rules that I give you permission to  

ignore. Number 1 - don't start a sentence with  a conjunction. Yeah, in formal writing maybe but  

if you're writing informally, go for it. Don't  end a sentence with a preposition. Uh, native  

speakers do this all the time. You can absolutely  end a sentence with a preposition if you want to.  

You shouldn't write in the passive voice. The  passive voice has its time and its place. It's  

a great way to avoid revealing the subject  of a sentence. Perfect for politicians. Tax  

will be decreased. Not saying by who, I'm just  saying they will be, Do you know any other silly  

grammar rules? Let me know! I'm going to test you  on the past tense. I'll read you a sentence, you  

say the correct verb. Let's go. Jessica _____a new  book last night. Jessica bought a new book last  

night. My dad____ are house by hand. My dad built  our house by hand, I can't believe she ____him,  

I can't believe she forgave him. We ____in last  night. We flyed in last night. Just kidding,  

it's flew, I hope you're concentrating. Tim ___his  job yesterday. Tim quit his job yesterday. Tell me  

how many you got right. Do you know the irregular  plurals? Do this quiz to find out. Knife,  

knives. Child, children. Person, people. Wife,  wives. Life, death. Just kidding, lives.Shelf,  

shelves.Octopus ,octopuses, not octopi as  people like to think. Fish, fish. Mouse,  

mice and goose, geese. Really important grammar  in one minute. How to use though. We use though  

at the beginning of a sentence when we have two  contrasting ideas but both ideas are true. Though  

she was new, she was the best accountant in the  company. We use though at the end of a sentence in  

place of anyway, nevertheless or regardless. I'm  not hungry but I'll take one of those doughnuts,  

though. We also use though as a conjunction to  replace but or however. I will come for a meeting  

though I'll be late. Though this lesson was short  I hope it helped you. Hardest prepositions quiz  

ever. Only true geniuses are going to get this.  1. She was annoyed___ his constant interruptions.  

With, at or through? 2. Speak ____the microphone  so we can hear you. In, into or inside? 3. She's  

an expert ___solving puzzles. About, on or  at? 4. He travelled __train to get there. By,  

on or in? 5. hHe shouted ___the top of his  lungs. At, with or from? 5. He's interested  

___learning about ancient civilizations. About,  in or with? And number 7. Mark glanced____ her  

with curiosity. At, by or to? How did you do? Let  me know your score out of seven. You need to know  

these prepositions in English. I'm going to go  fast. Are you ready? Married to. I'm married to  

Will. Proud of. I'm so proud of you. Interested  in. She's interested in baseball. Good or bad  

at. My dad's good at cooking. Pay for. I'll pay  for dinner. Depend on. We might go for a picnic,  

it depends on the weather. Excited about. I'm  really excited about my trip to Japan. Wrong  

with. What's wrong with Pete? Aware of. Imogen´s  aware of the problem. Belong to. Who does this  

jacket belong to? Laugh at. Don't laugh at me.  Listen to. Are you listening to me? Which of those  

prepositions do you use accurately? Let me know in  the comments. Do you know the basics of English?  

Can you answer these 20 questions? Let me know  your score out of 20 in the comments. What's the  

past tense of go? Went. How many letters are in  the English alphabet? 26. What's the opposite of  

hot? Cold. What do you call it when a word sounds  like what it describes? Onomatopoeia. What's  

the plural of child? Children. Which indefinite  article is used before vowel sounds? An. What's  

the comparative form of good? Better. How do  you spell February? February. What's the third  

person singular of have? Has. What's the past  participle of eat? Eaten. How many syllables are  

in this word?Two. Chocolate not chocolate. What  is the possessive pronoun for she? Hers. What is  

the opposite of expensive? Cheap. Which season  comes after summer autumn? If you said fall,  

that's also fine. What's the superlative form of  bad? Worst. What's the question word for asking  

about time? When. What's the plural of the animal  ‘mouse’? Mic. Which modal verb expresses ability?  

Can. What's the past simple of ‘write’? Wrote.  And what's the opposite of ‘remember’? Forget.  

There you have it! 20 questions. Let me know  your score out of 20 in the comments. Can you  

pass this super hard vocabulary test? There are  only two options for each question. Let me know  

your score in the comments and I won't believe you  if you say 5 out of 5. 1. _____ of the weather,  

the football match will go ahead as planned.  Which one? Regarding, regardless? Regardless,  

meaning no matter what. 2. Mario's Italian  cuisine has the best pizza in town. Supposing or

supposedly? Supposedly, meaning believed to be  true. 3. I _____ brought an umbrella it's raining  

heavily now. Should have or should? Should  have, the past of should. We're talking in  

the past here. Should have brought, should bring.  Number 4, _____ she's one of the best teachers in  

our school. Doubtfully or undoubtedly? Notice  the silent B there. Undoubtedly. Certainly or  

without a doubt. 5. After a long day of work I'm  quite ____ and ready for some rest. Wary or weary?  

Weary, meaning very tired. What was your score? Be  honest. What nouns do we get from these C1 level  

adjectives? Extra points for pronunciation here.  Chivalrous. Chivalry. Prosperous. Prosperity.  

Notorious. Notoriety. Cruel. Cruelty. And  persistent. Persistence. I'll show you a country,  

you tell me the nationality. Belgium, Belgian.  Denmark, Danish. Iceland, Icelandic. Laos,  

Lao. The Netherlands, Dutch. Vietnam, Vietnamese.  I give you a country, you tell me the nationality.  

First one, Mexico, Mexican. Peru, Peruvian. Italy,  Italian. Jamaica, Jamaican. Poland, Polish. Don't  

confuse it with ‘polish’ the varnish. And Ireland,  Irish. These words are really hard to spell,  

can you do it? Let's see! Necessary.  Necessary. Necessary. Occasion. Occasion.  

Occasion. Double C, 1 A. Neighbour. Neighbour.  Neighbour. Accessory. Accessory. Accessory. Double  

C, double S. And embarrass. Embarrass. Embarrass.  2 R, 2 S. How did you do? Let me know. These words  

are really hard to spell, can you do it? I'll  say the word you spell it out for me. Ready?  

Rhythm. Rhythm. Rhythm. No vowels in this one.  Perfect hangman word. Definitely. Definitely.  

Definitely. I was taught it contains the word  ‘finite.’ Definitely. Receive. Receive. Receive.  

I before E except after C. And guarantee.  Guarantee. Guarantee. Double E at the end  

there. How did you do? Let me know. Can you  name the punctuation in English? Full stop.  

Comma. Question mark. Exclamation mark.  Colon. Semi-colon. Pound or hashtag. Next,  

ampersand. An ampersand. This one? Asterisk,  not asteris. Asterisk. This little one here?  

Carrot. Carrot. Next, tilder. Tilder. This one?  At. And finally, percent or percentage sign. Can  

you name these punctuation marks in English?  Speech mark. Forward slash. Backslash. Hyphen.  

Parenthesis. Brackets. Curly brackets. Do you  know the opposite of these words in English? Do  

this and see if you can get 5 out of 5. Ready?  Good, bad. In, out. Hot, sad. Just kidding,  

I hope I didn't make you too angry there. It's  cold. Fast, slow. And top, bottom. Super hard  

spelling test. A or B? Tell me how many you get  out of 5? Mediterranean. Pneumonia. Supersede.  

Miscellaneous. And questionnaire. Did you  get 5 out of 5? Are your grammar skills at  

a C1 or advanced level? Let's find out. Share  your score out of 5. 1. There's a chance that  

this approach may not work. Is it hedging  boosting or paraphrasing? It's hedging.  

Number 2, complete the sentence. You won't be  here tomorrow. Are you, won't you or will you?  

It's will you. Number 3, fill in the gap. By this  time next year the house, ____ sold. It's B. Will  

have been. Number 4, my mom____ is known for her  wacky stories, just told me the funniest thing.  

Which, that or who? It's who. And number  5, fill in the gap. It was her personality  

that made her so likeable. B, matter of  fact with two hyphens. Collocations test:  

C1 or advanced level. Share your score out of  5. 1. Her blatant _____ caught us off guard.  

Disregard, blatant disregard. 2. She's in _____  debt and can't afford her car payment. Crippling,  

crippling debt. 3. The exceptional _____ on  display was impressive. Talent. Exceptional  

talent. 4. His _____ rise to fame was attributed  to his father's success. Meteoric, meteoric rise.  

And 5, we've made remarkable _____ in the past  few weeks. Progress, remarkable progress. Wow! You  

just worked through some of the trickiest grammar  and English challenges out there. Congratulations!  

And don't forget you can always re-watch this  video and use the timestamps to revisit any  

parts you'd like to review. And if you're ready  for the next step in your English journey, don't  

forget to take my free online English-level test.  It's the perfect way to understand your strengths  

and identify areas for improvement so that you  can create a clear plan for reaching your English  

goals. Click the link in the description box or  scan the QR code there to get started. I will  

send you your results by email. Thank you so much  for joining me. I will see you in another lesson.