English Refresher

EnglishRefresher
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English grammar that finally clicks.

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Irregular Verbs Trainer Tense Map Grammar Arcade Complete Grammar Guide
The Grammar Transformer

Press a button. Watch grammar move.

Same idea, nine different sentences. Switch the tense, flip it to a question or a negative, and see exactly which words do the heavy lifting — the rule rebuilds itself underneath.

She writes a letter.
Structure: subject + verb (+ -s)
Use it for facts, habits and routines.
Sentence
Tense
Form

Like the idea? Every transformation here has a full lesson below — browse the grammar lessons →

A2

Elementary

Build your core grammar foundation
A2

Present simple

Habits, routines, facts and permanent states.

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A2

Present continuous

Actions happening now and temporary situations.

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A2

Past simple

Completed actions and events in the past.

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A2

There is / There are

Describing existence and location of things.

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A2

Modal verbs

Can, could, must and should — ability, permission, obligation and advice.

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A2

Articles: a, an, the

A and an by sound, the for shared reference, and when to use no article at all.

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A2

Adjectives & adverbs

Describing nouns and modifying verbs and adjectives.

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A2

Question forms

Yes/no questions, wh- questions, and question tags.

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A2

Future simple

Will, going to, and the present continuous for what’s ahead.

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A2

Comparatives & superlatives

-er and -est, more and most, and as…as for comparing people and things.

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A2

Countable & uncountable nouns

Which nouns take a plural, when to use a or an, and how to count bread and advice.

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A2

Quantifiers

Some and any, much and many, a few and a little, too much and enough.

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A2

Possessives

My and mine, his and hers, the apostrophe with names, and whose.

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A2

Intensifiers

A bit, quite, very, really and so — and why too is a problem, not a degree.

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A2

Common collocations

The five core patterns behind the word pairs that sound natural together.

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B1

Intermediate

Expand your grammar range and accuracy
B1

Present perfect simple

Connecting past experiences to the present moment.

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B1

Past continuous

Actions in progress at a specific time in the past.

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B1

Zero & First conditional

Real and likely situations and their consequences.

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B1

Reported speech

Shifting tenses, pronouns and time words to report what someone said.

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B1

Passive voice — basics

Shifting focus from the doer to the action or object.

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B1

Future continuous

Actions in progress at a future time, or happening anyway.

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B1

Phrasal verbs

Learn how English phrasal verbs work.

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B1

Contrasting ideas

Although, despite, however and whereas — sorted by what may follow each one.

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B1

Word transformations

Prefixes and suffixes: turning one root into the right noun, verb or adjective.

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B2

Upper intermediate

Master complex structures and nuance
B2

Past perfect simple

Events that happened before another point in the past.

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B2

Present perfect continuous

Ongoing activity, its duration, and results you can see right now.

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B2

Past perfect continuous

An earlier activity explaining a state at a later past moment.

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B2

Second & Third conditional

Imaginary situations in the past and their results.

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B2

Reported speech — advanced

Reporting verbs, reported questions and commands, and when tenses do not shift.

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B2

Relative clauses

Defining and non-defining clauses with who, which, that.

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B2

Gerunds & infinitives

When to use -ing forms vs to + verb after other verbs.

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B2

Wish & if only

Expressing regrets and desires about the present and past.

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B2

Transition words & cohesion

Linking paragraphs and arguments: addition, result, sequence and emphasis.

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B2

Future perfect

What will already be finished by a point in the future.

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C1

Advanced

Achieve precision and sophistication
C1

Inversion

Inverted structures after negative adverbials for emphasis.

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C1

Cleft sentences

It is… that / What… is — focusing on key information.

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C1

Subjunctive mood

Formal structures: I suggest that he be / It is vital that she attend.

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C1

Mixed conditionals

Blending time frames to express complex hypothetical ideas.

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C1

Fronting

Moving objects, adverbials and complements to the front for emphasis and cohesion.

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C1

Advanced passive

Passive continuous and perfect forms, and passives with reporting verbs.

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C1

Advanced modal verbs

Must have, can't have, should have — deduction and speculation.

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C1

Participle clauses

Using -ing and -ed clauses to condense and add detail.

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C1

Emphasis structures

Do / does / did for emphasis, fronting, and other devices.

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C1

Future perfect continuous

Duration and evidence reaching up to a moment in the future.

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C2

Proficiency

Reach native-like command of grammar
C2

Ellipsis & substitution

Omitting or replacing words to avoid repetition fluently.

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C2

Complex inversion

Advanced inversion patterns in formal written English.

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C2

Nominal clauses

Clauses functioning as nouns — as subjects, objects, and complements.

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C2

Grammar for style

Choosing structures for rhetorical effect in writing and speech.

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C2

Advanced passive structures

Causative, reporting, and complex passive constructions.

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C2

Complex sentence structure

Embedding multiple clause types for sophisticated expression.

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Quick reference

The Complete Grammar Map

Every English grammar topic in one place, with a one-line guide to each. Browse by category and jump straight to the full lesson.

01 · The building blocks

Parts of Speech

Overview lesson

Nouns

Words that name people, places, things, and ideas.
CommonProperAbstractConcreteCountableUncountableCollectiveCompound

Pronouns

Words that stand in for nouns, such as he, she, it, and they.
PersonalPossessiveReflexiveRelativeDemonstrativeIndefiniteInterrogativeReciprocal

Adjectives

Words that describe or modify nouns.
DescriptiveQuantitativeDemonstrativePossessiveInterrogativeComparativeSuperlative

Verbs

Words that express actions, states, or occurrences.
ActionLinkingAuxiliaryModalTransitiveIntransitiveRegularIrregularPhrasal

Adverbs

Words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
MannerPlaceTimeFrequencyDegree

Prepositions

Words that show relationships of time, place, and direction.
TimePlaceDirectionPrepositional phrases

Conjunctions

Words that join other words, phrases, and clauses.
CoordinatingSubordinatingCorrelative

Interjections

Short exclamations that express sudden emotion, like oh, wow, and ouch.
02 · How sentences are built

Sentence Structure

Subject & Predicate

The two core parts of every sentence: who or what it is about, and what they do.
Simple subjectComplete subjectCompound subjectSimple predicateComplete predicateCompound predicate

Clauses

Word groups with a subject and verb — independent, or dependent on another clause.
IndependentDependentAdjectiveAdverbialNoun

Phrases

Word groups that work as a single unit but lack a subject–verb pair.
NounVerbPrepositionalGerundInfinitiveParticipialAbsolute
03 · The twelve tenses

Verb Tenses

Overview lesson

Simple Tenses

Facts, habits, and completed actions across past, present, and future.
Present simple Past simple Future simple

Continuous Tenses

Actions in progress at a particular moment in time.
Present continuous Past continuous Future continuous

Perfect Tenses

Actions completed before — or connected to — another point in time.
Present perfect Past perfect Future perfect

Perfect Continuous Tenses

Ongoing actions viewed up to a point in time, stressing duration.
Present perfect continuous Past perfect continuous Future perfect continuous
04 · Key structures & usage

More Grammar Topics

Articles

The small words a, an, and the that introduce and specify nouns.
The (definite)A / an (indefinite)

Determiners

Words that signal which or how many, such as this, some, and three.
QuantifiersDemonstrativesPossessivesNumbers

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Matching pronouns to the nouns they replace in number and gender.

Subject-Verb Agreement

Making the verb agree with its subject in number and person.

Sentence Types

The four purposes a sentence can serve, from statements to exclamations.
DeclarativeInterrogativeImperativeExclamatory

Active & Passive Voice

Choosing whether the subject performs or receives the action.

Direct & Indirect Speech

Reporting what people say, either word-for-word or paraphrased.

Comparatives & Superlatives

Comparing two or more things with -er/-est and more/most.

Conditional Sentences

If-clauses describing real, unlikely, and hypothetical situations.
ZeroFirstSecondThirdMixed

Modals & Semi-Modals

Verbs like can, must, and should that express attitude and possibility.
Can / couldMay / mightWill / wouldShall / shouldMustOught toNeed / dare

Gerunds & Infinitives

Verb forms (-ing and to + verb) used as nouns and complements.

Relative Clauses

Clauses that add detail about a noun using who, which, or that.

Question Formation

Building yes/no, wh-, and tag questions with the right word order.
Yes / NoWh-Tag

Negation

Making sentences negative with not and other negative words.

Punctuation

The marks that structure writing and make meaning clear.
PeriodCommaSemicolonColonApostropheQuotation marksExclamation pointQuestion markParenthesesHyphenDash

Ready to put it into practice?

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Reference · Flashcards · Game

Irregular Verbs Trainer

The verbs that don't follow the rules — browse them, flip through flashcards, then race the clock to lock them in.

The list

Search any form, or filter by pattern. The colored tag shows how the three forms relate.

BasePast simplePast participlePattern
These power the Past Simple and Past Perfect lessons. The participle is the form you use after have/had and in the passive.
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Interactive reference · A2–C1

The English Tense Map

All twelve tenses in one picture. Tap any square to see how it's built, when to use it, and where it sits in time — then test yourself.

Explore the twelve tenses

Three times (present, past, future) across four aspects (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous). Click a square to open it.

Tip for teachers: project this and click through the grid to show how aspect changes meaning across time.

Spot the tense

Six sentences — can you name the tense? Instant scoring and a short explanation for each.

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Answer a question to begin.
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