- Comparing two parts: Which part of the church is oldest? Here it means that the rest of the church is oldest. Older than the tower is the rest of the church. If you want to say the tower is oldest, use The tower is older than the rest of the church.
- Correct! The chilli is so hot (independent clause) / that it feels like my mouth is on fire (dependent clause) - it functions as an adverbial clause of comparison.
- Incorrect: It looks as if the doctor cannot help the patient. It is an adverbial clause of comparison. The word order is incorrect.
Clause
- I missed the bus. — ✅ independent clause (stands alone)
- Because I overslept. — ❌ fragment (dependent clause, can't stand alone)
- Because I overslept, I missed the bus. — ✅ dependent + independent = complete sentence
- I missed the bus, and I was late. — ✅ two independent clauses joined by and
A clause is a unit built around a verb with a subject. Independent = can stand alone. Dependent = needs an independent clause to complete it.
Test: does the group of words have a subject + verb AND can it be a sentence on its own? Yes → independent clause. Has a subject + verb but feels incomplete → dependent clause.
Dependent clause
- ❌ Because I was tired. — fragment (dependent clause standing alone)
- ✅ I left early because I was tired. — attached to independent clause
- ✅ The man who called is my uncle. — relative clause (modifies man)
- ✅ If you're ready, let's go. — conditional dependent clause
A dependent clause has a subject + verb but cannot be a complete sentence. It starts with a subordinating word (because, if, when, although, who, which) and must attach to an independent clause.
Test: does the clause start with a subordinator and feel incomplete on its own? → dependent clause. On its own, it's a fragment — attach it to a main clause.
Complex sentence
- ✅ Because I overslept, I missed the bus. — dependent clause (reason) + independent
- ✅ The man who called is my uncle. — relative clause inside the sentence
- ✅ If it rains, we'll stay inside. — conditional dependent + independent
- ❌ Because I overslept. — fragment (dependent clause alone)
A complex sentence pairs an independent clause with one or more dependent clauses linked by subordinating conjunctions (because, although, if, when) or relative pronouns (who, which, that).
Pattern: independent clause = the main point. Dependent clause = the background, reason, or condition. Move the dependent clause around for emphasis.
Adverb
- ✅ She sings beautifully — ❌ She sings beautiful
- ✅ He drives carefully — ❌ He drives careful
- ✅ They arrived late — ✅ a late train (same form, both roles)
- ✅ She works hard — ❌ She works hardly (different meaning!)
The -ly words are adverbs — they modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, telling you how, when, where, or to what degree.
Pattern: most adjectives become adverbs by adding -ly, but watch the exceptions — fast, hard, late, well — that keep the same shape or change meaning entirely.
Medium
- If I were you, I would apologise. — one rule (second conditional), but distractors like was tempt you
- Answers require active thought, not instant pattern recognition
- Vocabulary and context are realistic, not artificially simplified
- Usually tests one rule, but the wrong answers are plausible
Medium marks middle-difficulty challenges: A2–B1, one rule tested, but with realistic distractors that require genuine understanding.
Use "Medium" when Easy feels too obvious but Hard feels overwhelming. This is where most productive learning happens — the sweet spot of difficulty.