English is a very flexible language and you can build on your vocabulary and learn how to

make new words.

One way of doing this is to add prefixes (such as dis, pre or co) before the word.

Here's a list of common prefixes with their meanings and some examples.

anti (= against)
antibodies, anti-social

auto (self)
autonomous, autobiography, automobile

bi (= two)
bicycle

co (= with)
cooperate, coordinate

contra (= against)
contradict, contravene

de (= remove)
deregulate, deselect

dis (= not)
disappear

il (= not)
illegal

im (= not)
immaterial, immature

inter (= between)
international

mis(= badly/wrongly)
misinform, misbehave, misunderstand

multi (= many)
multinational

non (= opposite)
non-profit

out (= more than)

outperform, outdone
over (= too much)
oversleep, overwork

post (= after)
postpone, postnatal

pre (= before)
predict

re (= again)
rewrite, relive

sub (= under)
submarine

super (= higher/improved)
supermarket

trans (= across)
transatlantic

uni (= one)
uniform

under (= not enough)

underpaid, underfed

Word Endings

You can also make new words from the words you already know by using different endings.
For example, "The person who employs me has a fast car". You can make this sentence simpler,
by replacing "the person who employs me" with "my employer". This gives you "My employer
has a fast car."

In English you can make nouns from verbs (to employ gives employer and employee). You can
also make verbs from nouns or adjectives: government gives to govern, modern gives to
modernise and so on. Learning what endings you can put on words means you can expand
your vocabulary and say what you mean more easily.

Here are some common word endings:

Nouns

-er /- or: a person who does something

adviser / advisor, teacher, learner

-ian
optician, mathematician
-ment: result of action
improvement, advancement

-ism: name of system or belief

realism, optimism

-ist: the person who believes in the system

realist, optimist

-ion
confusion, apparition

-ness
happiness

-ship
leadership

-ence / ance
permanence, appearance

-acy
lunacy

-age
marriage

-ity
annuity

-y
photography

-cy
fluency

Verbs

-ify
falsify, modify

-ise
modernise

Adjectives

-ic
idiotic, periodic
-ful
awful, wonderful

-able / ible
comfortable, terrible

-proof / resistant
waterproof, childproof, fireproof

-free
alcohol free beer, nuclear free zone

-less: without
hopeless, childless

English words connected with the bedroom.

Bedrooms come in all shapes and sizes. You can find bedrooms which contain just a single bed,
or those which have a double bed (bed which is big enough for two people), or even twin beds
(two single beds side by side). Some people choose to sleep in a futon (a Japanese bed which is
low on the ground) and some people who like luxury might have a four-poster (a bed which
has four posts – one in each corner – and from which you can hang curtains or mosquito nets).
When children share a bedroom, they might sleep in bunk beds, where there is one bed on top
of the other. The upper bunk is reached by a small ladder.

On your bed, you'll have at least one sheet (normally in cotton, but in a variety of colours or
patterns), and you normally lie on top of this sheet. Some people also have a sheet over them,
with blankets (made from wool) to keep them warm. Alternatively, you can replace the top
sheet and blankets with a duvet (a warm, but lightweight quilt). You're likely to sleep with
your head on a pillow, which is often filled with feathers. Pillows are normally put inside a
cotton pillow case, and the duvet is also put inside a cotton duvet cover. If it gets really cold,
you can also have a quilt or eiderdown over your blankets. Some people also have an electric
blanket that they use to warm up the bed. In England, many people use a hot water bottle (a
flat rubber bag that you fill with hot water then seal) to put into the bed to warm it up.

As well as a bed, you're likely to have other furniture in your bedroom, such as a chest of
drawers (a piece of furniture with several drawers to put clothes in); a wardrobe, which is a
piece of furniture with doors where you can hang shirts, trousers, or skirts and dresses on
clothes hangers; and a bedside table, which is a small table next to the bed. On the bedside
table, you might have a bedside light and an alarm clock. Some people also have a dressing
table, which is a small table that you sit in front of, with a mirror to see your reflection in when
you do your hair or make-up, and a couple of drawers. Other people might have their mirror
on their chest of drawers, as well a hair brush and even a clothes brush (a special brush that
you use to clean jackets and shirts).
Some people have a fitted kitchen, where all the kitchen units have been bought together, and
they are assembled according to a plan. Other people have a kitchen where the units are free-
standing: not necessarily bought together at one time.

In a kitchen you are likely to find cupboards (or cabinets), either at floor level, or at eye level.
In the eye level cupboards you will probably find dry goods (such as flour, sugar, rice, pasta,
spices) and maybe glasses and crockery (plates, bowls etc). In the floor level cupboards you
might find pots and pans: saucepans for cooking pasta etc; frying pans for frying food; baking
tins and roasting tins for cooking food in the oven; and serving dishes made from glass or
china. You could also find other kitchen implements such as a blender (= food processor) and
kitchen scales (for measuring and weighing food). Often the top part of a floor level cupboard
has a drawer, where various items are kept, such as cutlery (knives, forks and spoons);
aluminium foil (metal paper), cling film (thin plastic wrap), freezer bags, and other kitchen
items such as a bread knife, tin opener, corkscrew (to open bottles of wine), potato peeler (to
take the skin off potatoes), a rolling pin (to roll out pastry) and so on.

On the top of the floor level cupboards you often find a worktop or work surface, where you can
prepare food. These surfaces are sometimes made of marble, or hard wood, and they can be
easily cleaned. Some people keep a toaster or microwave on the work surfaces, along with
things they need frequently, such as oil, salt, or various sauces.

Most kitchens also contain a cooker with an oven and four rings, (although some modern
cookers are split level, where the oven is separate from the rings), a fridge-freezer, and
perhaps a dishwasher or even a washing machine. You'll probably find a kitchen sink, where
you wash the plates and dishes, and larger kitchens also contain a kitchen table and chairs, so
you can eat in the same room.

Unless you live in a block of flats or a bungalow (one-storey house with or without an attic),
British houses normally have two or three floors or stories. On the ground floor you're likely to
find the living room, kitchen and dining room, while on the first floor you'll probably find
bedrooms and a bathroom.

On the second or top floor is the attic, or loft. On the roof of many houses you can still see a
chimney and chimney pot – even if the house now benefits from central heating.

The floors of a house are connected by stairs, with a landing (area) on the upper floor which
leads to the upstairs rooms.
Most British houses are made of brick and cement. In a row of terrace houses (houses joined
together), the interconnecting walls are cavity walls: they have a space between them to allow
air to circulate. On the interiors, the walls are covered in plaster, and then either painted or
decorated with wallpaper. The internal walls of a house fall into two categories: load-bearing
walls (those that are structural and support the weight of the floors) and partition walls
(those walls that divide rooms, but can be knocked down.) Floors and roofs are supported by
strong>beams, which are long, heavy pieces of wood or metal.

Floors can be covered in a variety of materials, such as parquet (wooden squares), laminate
flooring (a type of thin wooden plank), or tiles (either ceramic or vinyl). In living rooms and
bedrooms, the floors are generally covered with carpets.

Houses are normally connected to local utilities, such as mains water, electricity and gas
supply. In the countryside, not everyone is connected to mains gas, and some houses have gas
tanks in their gardens. The vast majority of people are connected to the local sewage system
(for waste water), but some people have their own septic tanks in their gardens to treat waste
water. Houses that are connected to utilities have separate meters to show how much they
consume. Representatives of these utility companies visit houses regularly to take meter
readings – with which they can then bill their customers.

Some electrical jobs (such as wiring or rewiring = installing the electrical cables) should only
be done by professional electricians, although you can still change a plug, or change a socket
(the hole in the wall where you put the plug in to connect to the electricity supply). For safety
reasons, the wiring in the house is on more than one circuit: lighting usually is on one circuit,
and the sockets are on another circuit.

Some plumbing (water piping) jobs should also be done by professional plumbers. For
example, although you can change taps, you should get a professional to install a gas boiler.

Some building work can be done without supervision. Many people enjoy doing DIY, such as
putting up shelves, fitting cupboards and doors, assembling furniture and so on. However, for
the big jobs, such as loft conversions and building extensions, you need to first apply for and
obtain planning and building permission (from the local authorities) then employ a firm of
builders.

In Britain, damp winter weather causes many problems to houses. For example, some houses
can suffer from damp (humidity) or dry rot, caused by water seeping into walls and timber
(wood). For this reason, houses have gutters (tubes attached just under the roof that run along
the length of the house to catch rain water) and some may need regular damp proof treatment
(special chemicals to prevent damp from spreading). Window sills (the piece of the wall –
internal or external – in which the window is set) and window frames (the wood that goes
around the window) should be made waterproof (so that water cannot get in), and most
people have central heating via radiators to keep the air inside warm and dry. Special
thermostats set on the wall help to regulate the temperature in the room. In addition, most
people have insulation in the loft to keep warm air in, and cold air out.
n English, the verbs "make" and "let" are followed by an object and the infinitive without "to":

They can't make you work late.

She made him do the exercise again.

She lets the students sing in class.

His parents let him paint his room black.

Be careful: in the passive, "make" is followed by the infinitive with "to":

They were made to do the exercise again.

"Have" can also be used in this pattern:

Please have your secretary call me as soon as possible.

(Please ask your secretary to call me…)

Other English verbs not followed by the infinitive + to

Modal verbs (can, will, would, etc) are followed by the infinitive without "to":

I can see him clearly.

They will leave early tomorrow.
If I were you, I would talk to her.

(Click here for more information on modals.)

See / hear / watch someone followed by the infinitive without "to":

She saw the girl steal the money. (She saw all the action of stealing.)
I heard him tell her about the party." (I heard all about the party.)
I watched them do the exercise. (I watched them complete the exercise.)

But remember:
If you follow these verbs with the gerund form (ing), you only see part of the action.

She saw him talking to the teacher. (She didn't see the whole conversation.)

There are two types of relative clauses in English: those that add extra information (non-defining
relative clauses) and those that modify (or define) the subject of the sentence (defining relative
clauses).
Defining clauses

These clauses define the noun and they identify which thing or person we are referring to.

Things

"The present which he bought me is beautiful."

People

"The man who has started an English course is from Spain."

Using whom

Whom is used to refer to the object of the verb.

The people with whom I was sitting were very noisy.

However, it is hardly ever used in spoken English. Instead, “who† is used with the preposition:

The people who I was sitting with were very noisy.

To whom are you speaking? = Who are you speaking to?
For whom are you buying the present? + Who are you buying the present for?

Using that

In spoken English, "that" is often used instead of "which", "whom"or "who".

"The present that he bought me is beautiful."

"The man that has started an English course is from Spain."

When, where and whose

When: Is there another time when (that) I can call you?

Where: Can you tell me where I can buy wrapping paper?

Whose: (possessive) Have you seen the TV show whose catchphrase is “Deal no deal?”

Omitting that, who and which

If the pronoun ("that", "who", "which") is the object of the verb, it can be omitted.

"The company that she works for is based in London." ("That"is an object pronoun.)

= "The company she works for is based in London." ("That"can be omitted.)

But:

"The company that employs her is based in London." ("That" is a subject pronoun.)

The company employs her (the company is the subject). In this case, it is not possible to omit "that".
You need the pronoun because it is the subject of the verb.

Non-defining relative clauses

These clauses add further information.

"My students, who are all adults, are learning English to get a better job."

"The textbooks, which the students like, have lots of helpful examples."

Commas are used to separate the relative clause from the rest of the sentence.

"That" cannot be used instead of "who"or "which" in non-defining relative clauses.

You can use “some”, “none”, “all” and “many” with “of which† and
“of whom” to add extra information:
My students, many of whom are from Europe, are learning English to get a better job.
The textbooks, some of which the students like, have helpful examples.

Comparing defining and non-defining relative clauses

The meaning of the sentences changes if you use a non-defining clause rather than a defining clause.
Compare the following:

Non-defining
The students, who had revised hard, passed the exam. (All the students revised and they all passed
the exam.

Defining
The students who had revised hard passed the exam. (Only some of the students revised, and these
were the ones

There are many words and expressions to refer to time. You can use these to sequence events and to
make stories and anecdotes more interesting.

The present – permanent

Use the present simple tense to refer to permanent situations in the present.

I now live in a small town.

Nowadays I live in a small town.
These days, I don't have much of a social life.
The present – temporary

Use the present continuous tense to refer to temporary situations in the present.

At present / At the moment I'm living in a small town.

For the time being I'm living in a small town, but I hope to move soon.

Talking about a period of time in the past

My mother started work as a nurse in the 1960s.

In those days she lived in London.
Back then nurses were badly paid.
At that time, nurses lived in special accommodation.

Talking about a single event in the past

At one time she lost her door key and had to stay in a hotel.
On one occasion she nursed the son of a famous politician.

Sequencing events in the past

There are many ways to sequence events in the past. Here are some of the more common ones.

After (in the middle of a sentence)

Afterwards / After that / After a while (at the beginning of a sentence)
Then / Before (in the middle or at the beginning of a sentence)
Before that / Previously / Until then (At the beginning of a sentence)
By the time (in the middle of a sentence followed by a past perfect tense)
By then / by that time (at the beginning of a sentence)

I went shopping after I finished work.

I worked all day in the office. Afterwards / After that, I went shopping.
I went shopping. After a while, I got bored.
I worked before I went shopping.
I went shopping at 6pm. Before that / Previously / Until then I had worked all day in the office.
I worked all day, then I went shopping.
I was desperate to go shopping by the time I had finished work.
I worked until 6pm. By then / By that time, I was glad for the opportunity to go shopping.

Other expressions to refer to the next event in a story

Later on
Before long
At that moment / Suddenly
Meanwhile
At the same time
Simultaneously (a more formal way of saying meanwhile / at the same time)
I worked and then went shopping. Later on I met some friends for pizza.
I waited for a while in the restaurant. Before long, the waiter came up and asked me…
At that moment / Suddenly, I heard the door slam.
Meanwhile / At the same time / Simultaneously my phone started to ring.

People who are no longer "around"

An ex-president = no longer the president: "The ex-president of France is still influential."

A previous / former boss: "A previous boss taught me how to make presentations."
"My former boss now works for a different company."
My late wife = my wife who has died: "My late wife painted watercolours."