English Vocabulary and
Grammar Tips

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Here are some recent tips:

Tip #1

Question: What's the difference between "good" and "well"?
When should you use each?

Answer:

"Good" is an adjective. This means it describes people, things and places, not verbs.

These sentences are correct:

• "Sam is a good boy."
• "They live in a good house."
• "This is not a good place live in."

These sentences are incorrect:

• "Sam behaves good."
• "They eat good."
• "She sings really good."

"Well" is an adverb. It describes actions.
 
These sentences are correct:

• "Sam behaves well."
• "They eat well."
• "She sings really well."

Tip #2

Question: "e.g." and "i.e." – what is that?

Answer:

These two come from Latin and they are quite common in English writing. Here is a short explanation on what they mean and how to use them properly:

e.g.

It stands for the Latin phrase "exempli gratia", which means "for example."

And here are some examples:

• "Big cities, e.g. New York, London and Tokyo offer more exciting activities."
• "You should hang out more with people in your own age, e.g. Tom, Kate and James."

i.e.

It stands for the Latin phrase "id est", which means "that is." You use this "i.e." when you want to explain exactly what something means.

Examples:

• "He is rather confused, i.e. he is not sure what to do."
• "We are going on a short vacation, i.e. 3-4 days."
• "Is moving to the north, i.e. Canada."

So the difference is that with "e.g." you are just giving an example, but with "i.e." you are explaining exactly what you meant to say.

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