Daily practice

Short sets you can do with a cup of tea. Write your answers down first, then open the key. Repeat a set a week later — that is when it sticks.

5 minutes

Set A. Word order in questions

Put the words in the right order.

  1. you / where / work / do ?
  2. been / ever / you / to Scotland / have ?
  3. what time / the train / does / leave ?
  4. know / you / do / where / is / the station ?
Key
  1. Where do you work?
  2. Have you ever been to Scotland?
  3. What time does the train leave?
  4. Do you know where the station is? (indirect question — no inversion after “where”)
5 minutes

Set B. Question tags

  1. It's cold today, ___?
  2. You didn't call him, ___?
  3. She can swim, ___?
  4. I'm late, ___?
Key
  1. isn't it
  2. did you
  3. can't she
  4. aren't I (not “amn't I”)
10 minutes

Set C. Irregular verbs that learners mix up

Give the past simple and past participle.

  1. lie (= rest in bed)
  2. lay (= put something down)
  3. rise
  4. raise
  5. bring
  6. buy
Key
  1. lay — lain
  2. laid — laid
  3. rose — risen
  4. raised — raised (regular)
  5. brought — brought
  6. bought — bought
5 minutes

Set D. Make or do?

  1. ___ a mistake
  2. ___ your homework
  3. ___ a decision
  4. ___ the shopping
  5. ___ friends
  6. ___ someone a favour
Key
  1. make
  2. do
  3. make
  4. do
  5. make
  6. do

Rule of thumb: do for tasks and routine work, make for creating or producing something — but many collocations simply have to be learnt.