Drag the correct words to complete this traveler's postcard home.
Yesterday I had to get a taxi to the airport because I almost missed my flight! Luckily, I managed to catch my plane just in time. Now I need to check into my hotel. Wish you were here! 🌴
The correct answer for the first blank is get.
We say get a taxi — this is the natural collocation for obtaining a taxi ride.
The correct answer for the second blank is catch.
We say catch a plane/flight — meaning to be on time to board it.
The correct answer for the third blank is check.
We say check into a hotel — this is the standard collocation for arriving and registering at accommodation.
Verb
- walk → walk / walks / walked / walked / walking (5 forms, regular)
- go → go / goes / went / gone / going (5 forms, irregular)
- be → am/is/are/was/were/be/being/been (8 forms)
- can → can / could (modal: only 2 forms, no -s, no -ing)
A verb is the one word class every English sentence requires. Carries tense (when), aspect (duration), mood (attitude), and voice (active/passive). Regular verbs add -ed; ~200 irregular verbs have unpredictable past forms.
Key insight: fix your verbs and most grammar problems disappear. Wrong tense, wrong agreement, wrong form — verb errors account for the majority of grammatical mistakes.
Phrasal verb
- give up = quit — ≠ give + up literally
- come across = find by chance — ≠ come + across literally
- put up with = tolerate — 3-word phrasal verb
- look into = investigate — ≠ physically look inside something
Phrasal verbs = verb + particle/preposition forming a unit with non-literal meaning. There are thousands, and they dominate casual native English. They must be learned as whole units.
Key fact: the particle completely changes the verb's meaning. Look up (search), look after (care for), look into (investigate), look down on (disrespect) — all different.
Collocations
- ✅ make a decision — ❌ do a decision
- ✅ strong coffee — ❌ powerful coffee
- ✅ heavy rain — ❌ strong rain
- ✅ highly unlikely — ❌ very unlikely (grammatical, but less natural)
Collocations are word pairs that English habitually puts together. Both options may be grammatically valid, but one sounds native and the other doesn't.
Pattern: there's no logic to predict them — you make decisions but do homework, you have strong coffee but heavy rain. They must be learned as chunks, not deduced from rules.
Vocabulary for A2/Elementary/Pre-Intermediate
- Routine social: appointment, holiday, invitation, plan, weekend
- Work & school: colleague, meeting, exam, homework, deadline
- Basic phrasal verbs: get up, look for, turn on, put on, take off
- Common collocations: make a mistake, do homework, have a shower
A2 vocabulary = ~1,500–2,500 words. Covers routine social life, work/school, leisure, basic phrasal verbs, and common collocations. The level where English starts feeling dynamic rather than just naming things.
Focus: high-frequency phrasal verbs (top 50), verb-noun collocations (make/do/have/take + noun), and the vocabulary of daily routines.
A2 | Elementary | Pre-intermediate
- ✅ I went to the cinema yesterday. — past simple
- ✅ I have visited Paris twice. — present perfect (life experience)
- ✅ If it rains, I'll take an umbrella. — first conditional
- ✅ You should see a doctor. — modal for advice
These patterns are A2 — the second CEFR level. At A2 you move past survival phrases into real grammar: past tenses, the present perfect, basic conditionals, and modals for advice/obligation.
Marker: if you can describe yesterday and give simple advice, but struggle with abstractions or nuance, you're at A2.
Easy
- She is a teacher. — one verb form, one rule
- I have two cats. — basic possession, short sentence
- He doesn't like coffee. — simple negation with do-support
- Only one answer is clearly correct; distractors are obviously wrong.
Easy marks beginner-level challenges: A1–early A2, one rule at a time, everyday vocabulary, no trick questions.
Use "Easy" when you want to build confidence on a specific rule without interference from other grammar or tricky contexts.