How would you describe a storm that destroyed a bridge? You could say, “It was a destructive storm.” The adjective tells us the storm caused serious damage. Three useful word families share the ending -ive. Their adjectives describe a characteristic or tendency. - destroy → destructive · “Strong winds can be destructive.” - repeat → repetitive · “The job was repetitive. I packed the same box fifty times.” - act / action → active · “Jo takes an active part in meetings. She asks questions and suggests ideas.” Learn each pair together. The spelling before -ive can change, as in destructive and repetitive. Only some verbs have an adjective with this ending. Try it. You’re describing a song. The same four lines play six times. “I liked the tune, but the lyrics were a bit ___.”

An online meeting is arranged for six. But six in whose time zone? The UK clocks went back on 25 October. When arranging international calls, make the time zone clear. “Is that 6 pm UK time?” “What time will that be where you are?” “Just to confirm, we’re meeting at 6 pm GMT.” Use at before a time: “at six”. Use on before a day: “on Tuesday”. Try from memory: “Just to confirm, we’re meeting ___ Tuesday ___ 6 pm GMT.” Now write a confirmation for a fictional meeting. Include the day, time and time zone.

Something in your home has stopped working. How can you explain what needs doing? Use need + -ing to describe a necessary job: “The tap needs fixing.” “The window needs cleaning.” “The battery needs replacing.” The thing before “needs” receives the action. The tap does not fix anything: someone needs to fix it. Compare: “I need to clean the window.” “The window needs cleaning.” Your turn: complete each sentence with the correct form. 1. The door needs ___ (paint). 2. I need to ___ (replace) the battery.

Can you ask to use someone’s charger without mixing up borrow and lend? Libraries offer a useful example. Borrow means receive something temporarily: “I borrowed a book from the library.” Lend means give something temporarily: “The library lent a book to me.” The same exchange, from two different viewpoints. With a friend, you could ask: “Could I borrow your charger?” “Could you lend me your charger?” Your turn: Complete both sentences: 1. Could I ______ your pen? 2. Could you ______ me your pen?

A friend asks about your favourite dish. Can you explain what goes into it and what comes alongside it? With World Food Day coming on 16 October, practise these two useful expressions: Made with introduces ingredients: “This soup is made with lentils, carrots and onions.” Served with introduces something accompanying the dish: “It’s served with bread.” The difference matters: bread alongside the soup is not the same as bread used to make it. Your turn: Choose a dish you know. Complete both sentences: “It’s made with…” “It’s usually served with…”

Choosing a film with a friend? Explain what it’s about without giving away the ending. With the London Film Festival running from 7–18 October, try these three useful patterns: 📍 It’s set in… introduces the place or time. “It’s set in London in the 1990s.” 📖 It’s based on… introduces the source. “It’s based on a novel.” 👤 It follows… introduces the central character and their story. “It follows a chef who moves to a small village.” Your turn: Describe a film you know using two patterns. Leave out its title and ending. Can someone guess it?

How long have you had it? Use for with a period of time: “I’ve had this plant for two years.” Use since with the point when that time began: “I’ve had this plant since 2024.” The action or situation began in the past and continues now. Plants understand neither grammar nor calendars, but fortunately, you do. Your turn: Choose something you own. Write one sentence with for and another with since. Check that both sentences describe the same length of time. Photo: Janet Guynn

I was explaining the synecdoche “a friendly face” to a student today, and it got me thinking about how often we use this figure of speech in everyday English. A synecdoche (pronounced si-NEK-duh-kee) is when we use a part of something to stand for the whole, or the whole to stand for a part. Some common examples: All hands on deck → “hands” means the sailors or workers. Nice wheels → “wheels” means a car. The crown will decide → “crown” means the king or queen. England won the World Cup → “England” means the football team. It’s one of those things we hear all the time without noticing! I’d love to hear your examples (either in English or in your own language). What synecdoche do you use every day?