Online English Academy

An active sentence like I drank two cups of coffee has the subject first (the person or thing that does the verb), followed by the verb, and finally the object (the person or thing that the action happens to).
So, in this example, the subject is 'I', the verb is 'drank' and the object is 'two cups of coffee'.

But, we don't always need to make sentences this way. We might want to put the object first, or perhaps we don't want to say who did something. This can happen for lots of reasons (see the explanation further down the page). In this case, we can use a passive, which puts the object first:

Two cups of coffee were drunk (we can add 'by me' if we want, but it isn't necessary).
How to make the Passive in English
We make the passive by putting the verb 'to be' into whatever tense we need and then adding the past participle. For regular verbs, we make the past participle by adding 'ed' to the infinitive. So play becomes played.

List of English idioms that start with B.

Babe In Arms: A baby being carried
Babe In The Woods: An innocent, naive person
Babe Magnet: A man to whom women are attracted
Baby Blues: Blue eyes.
Baby Boomer: A person born in the years following World War II, when there was a temporary marked increase in the birth rate
Babysitter Test: An evaluation of the ease of use of household appliances, especially remote control devices
Back And Forth: Dialogue, negotiations
Back At You: Same to you (used to return a greeting or insult)
Back Burner (On The): Not urgent; set aside until later
Back Forty: Remote, inaccessible land
Back in the Day: Formerly, when I was younger, in earlier times
Back Of Beyond: A remote location
Back Office: Support services for a business
Back on One’s Feet: Physically healthy again
Back to Square One: Back to the start
Back to Square One: Forced to begin something again
Back to the Drawing Board: Forced to begin something again
Back to the Salt Mine(s): We have to go back to work.
Back to the Salt Mines: It’s time for me (us) to go back to work
Back the Wrong Horse: To support the losing side
Backing and Filling: Delaying a decision by making small changes or arguing about small details
Backseat Driver: A passenger in a car who gives unwanted advice to the driver is called a backseat driver.
Backseat Driver: Someone who likes to give (often annoying) advice to the driver of a car, or the leader of some other enterprise
Bad Apple: A discontented, trouble making, or dishonest person
Bad Blood: Enmity or hatred that stems from something in the past
Bad Egg: Someone who is not to be trusted
Bad Taste In One’s Mouth: Unease, a feeling that something unspecified is wrong in a situation
Bag of Tricks: A set of methods or resources
Bail Out: To rescue someone from a bad situation, to shield someone from the consequences of his or her actions
Ball and Chain: 1. One’s spouse (derogatory but often affectionate); 2. an ongoing burden
Ballpark Figure: A rough estimate
Banner Year: A year marked by strong successes
Bang for Your Buck: Value for money
Bang for Your Buck: Value for your money
Bang One’s Head Against the Wall (Against a Brick Wall):Try repeatedly to do something without making progress
Baptism by Fire: A difficult task given right after one has assumed new responsibilities
Bar Fly (or Barfly): Someone who spends much of his or her time in bars
Bare One’s Heart (Soul): To confess one’s deepest secrets
Bark Up the Wrong Tree: Pursue a mistaken approach or belief; be wrong in a course of action
Basket Case: So upset or stunned that one is unable to function; in a hopeless condition
Bat/Play for Both Teams: To be bis*xual.
Bat/Play for the Other Team: To be homos*xual.
Batten Down the Hatches: Prepare for a storm
Batten Down the Hatches: Prepare for a storm
Be A Barrel of Laughs: To be fun, funny, and pleasant.
Be A Cold Day In Hell: (Something that) will never happen
Be An Item: Two people are an item when they are having a romantic relationship
Be Footloose and Fancy-Free: To be free of responsibilities, including romantic commitments
Be Head Over Heels (In love): Be in love with somebody very much
Be in Seventh Heaven: Extremely happy
Be in Two Minds (about something): To not be certain about something, or to have difficulty in making a decision
Be Like Chalk and Cheese: Things or people who are very different and have nothing in common
Be Lovey – Dovey: Expressing your love in public by constantly kissing and hugging
Be on the Mend: Be improving after an illness
Be Snowed Under: Be extremely busy with work or things to do
Bean Counters: Accountants, finance professionals in an organization
Bean Counters: Accountants, finance professionals in an organization
Beat Around the Bush: To speak in a roundabout way in order to avoid confronting an unpleasant topic
Beat Someone To The Draw: To accomplish or obtain something more quickly than someone else
Beat Someone to the Punch: Do something before or faster than someone else
Beat the Drum for (Something): Speak in favor of something to try to generate support
Beauty Is Only Skin Deep: External appearance is a superficial basis for judging someone
Bed of Roses: A comfortable situation
Bedroom Eyes: An expression of the eyes that seems to invite s*x
Bee in One’s Bonnet: Someone who has a bee in their bonnet has an idea which constantly occupies their thoughts.
Beggar Thy Neighbor: To do something beneficial for oneself without worrying about how it affects others
Behind the Eight (or 8) Ball: At a serious disadvantage
Behind the Scenes: In a way not apparent to the public
Behind the Times: Old-fashioned
Bell the Cat: Take on a difficult or impossible task
Bells And Whistles: Attractive but unnecessary features of a product
Belly Laugh: Loud, hearty laughter
Bend an Elbow: Drink alcoholic beverages at a tavern
Best (Greatest) Thing Since Sliced Bread: An innovative development.

Adverbs of Manner
An adverb of manner will explain how an action is carried out. Very often adverbs of manner are adjectives with -ly added to the end, but this is certainly not always the case. In fact, some adverbs of manner will have the same spelling as the adjective form.
Some examples of adverbs of manner include:

Slowly
Rapidly
Clumsily
Badly
Diligently
Sweetly
Warmly
Sadly
Adverb of manner examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

She passed the exam easily.
They walk quickly to catch the train.
The dinner party went badly.
John answered the question correctly.
Notice how the adverbs are formed by adding -ly to the adjectives bad, correct and quick, although there is a slight spelling change when forming an adverb with the adjective easy.

As mentioned, some adverbs of manner take the same spelling as the adjective and never add an -ly to the end:

The boys had worked hard.
The car drives
Julia dances well.
Adverbs of place
An adverb of place, sometimes called spatial adverbs, will help explain where an action happens. Adverbs of place will be associated with the action of the verb in a sentence, providing context for direction, distance and position: southeast, everywhere, up, left, close by, back, inside, around. These terms don’t usually end in -ly.

Adverbs of place examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

Directions

New York is located north of Philadelphia.
They traveled down the mountainside.
First, I looked here, and then I looked there, but I can’t find them anywhere.
Notice that here and there are often used at the beginning of a sentence to express emphasis or in exclamation.

Here comes the sun.
There is love in the air.
Here you are!
Many times, adverbs of place can be used as prepositions as well. The difference is, when the phrase is used as an adverb, it is modifying a verb; when it is used as a preposition, it is always followed by a noun.

New York is located north of Philadelphia -> New York is on the map.
They travelled down river -> They travelled in the first compartment.
That puppy was walking around by itself-> We put a collar around its neck.
Distance

There was a deli
Jane is moving far away.
Carly is sitting close to me.
Position

The treasure lies underneath the box.
The cat is sleeping on the bed.
Why are you standing in the middle of the dancefloor?
In addition, some adverbs of position will refer to a direction of movement. These often end in -ward or -wards.

Oscar travelled onward to Los Angeles.
Hannah looked upwards to the heavens.
Molly, move forward to the front of the queue, please.

Adverb placement
By Marina Pantcheva
Adverbs are words that answer the questions when, where, and how, for example, recently, never, below, slowly, frankly. Typically, adverbs end in -ly though there are a few adjectives that take this ending too, such as lovely, friendly, lonely.

Adverbs can be used to modify an adjective or an entire sentence. When modifying an adjective, the adverb immediately precedes it: particularly hot weather, recently re-elected president.

When modifying an entire sentence, adverbs can be placed in four positions:

at the beginning;
at the end;
after the verb to be and all auxiliary verbs: can, may, will, must, shall, and have, when have is used as an auxiliary (for example in I have been in Spain twice);
before all the other verbs.
Some adverbs can appear in all four positions; others have less freedom, for example, they cannot be the first word in the clause.

Beginning of the sentence

Adverbs placed at the beginning of the clause are often separated by a comma. The comma is obligatory after however, in fact, therefore, nevertheless, moreover, furthermore, and still.

(1) Usually the summer is hot and humid.

(2) Sometimes she wishes it was not so hot.

(3) Unfortunately, this summer is particularly hot.

Some adverbs cannot begin a declarative sentence. These are: always, ever, rarely, seldom and never.

Next to the agreeing verb

There are two positions next to the agreeing verb (this is the verb that changes its form depending on the number of the subject, and also the tense): immediately before and immediately after the verb. In which of the two positions the adverb will appear depends on the verb.

auxiliary verbs (have, be): the adverb follows the verb;
(4) The summer is usually hot and humid.

modal verbs (have, can, will, shall, may, must, might): the adverb follows the verb;
(5) This summer will hopefully be cool and dry.

all other verbs (sleep, dance, read, want, etc): the adverb precedes the verb.
(6) She sometimes wishes it was not so hot.

The placement of adverbs with respect to the verb to have depended on whether to have is used as an auxiliary verb (part of a verb complex) or as a main verb (standing alone and meaning ‘possess’). When it is an auxiliary, the adverb follows it; when it is the main verb, the adverb precedes it.

(7) He has always been very interested in technology.

(8) She always has a pair of pliers in her handbag.

End of the sentence

The adverbs that most frequently appear at the end of the sentence are:

adverbs of frequency: usually, normally, often, frequently, sometimes, occasionally;
adverbs of manner (answering the question how): slowly, quickly, badly, silently;
adverbs of time: today, already, last week, this year.
(9) The summer is very hot usually.

(10) She opened the envelope carefully.

(11) There is no wind today.

Some adverbs cannot be last in a sentence. These are the same adverbs that cannot come first: always, ever, rarely, seldom, and never.

The following list of verbs will take you through various different verbs in alphabetical order for you to consider. See if you can spot one you would usually use and try to find one with the same meaning for you to try using in a sentence instead.

Verbs List (A)
List of verbs that start with A with verb examples.

Accept: I accept your appolozy.
Accuse: Tom accused me of lying.
Achieve: She achieved remarkable results
Acknowledge: She acknowledged receiving assistance.
Acquire: Meg acquired many new friends.
Adapt: He adapted himself to his new life.
Add: I added a room to my house.
Adjust: You will soon adjust to living in a dormitory.
Admire: I admire your confidence.
Admit: He was embarrassed to admit making a mistake.
Adopt: I liked your idea and adopted it.
Adore: He adores his grandfather.
Advise: He advised applying at once.
Afford: I can’t afford to spend any more money this week.
Agree: Why did you agree to meet her in the first place?
Aim: We aim to increase the speed of delivery.
Allow: Swimming isn’t allowed here.
Announce: She announced her intention to retire.
Anticipate: I didn’t anticipate having to do the cooking myself!
Apologize: You don’t have to apologize.
Appear: Jack appears to be tired today.
Apply: Tom applied for a leave of absence.
Appreciate: I appreciate having a trouble with his supervisor.
Approach: She approached him with a smile on her face.
Approve: I don’t think Tom would approve.
Argue: I don’t want to argue with you.
Arise: The problem has arisen simply because you didn’t follow my instructions.
Arrange: Have you arranged to meet Mark this weekend?
Arrive: We arrived home late.
Ask: Historians frequently ask to consult the collection.
Assume: I assume Tom didn’t show up.
Assure: I assure you Tom will be perfectly safe.
Astonish: I was astonished by his ignorance.
Attach: You need to attach your photo to the application form.
Attempt: Are you going to attempt to pass the exam?
Attend: She attends school at night.
Attract: Tom certainly attracted a lot of attention.
Avoid: She decided to be a nun in order to avoid meeting him.
Awake: Tom awoke at daybreak.

common English idioms and phrases

1. ‘The best of both worlds’ – means you can enjoy two different opportunities at the same time.
“By working part-time and looking after her kids two days a week she managed to get the best of both worlds.”

2. ‘Speak of the devil’ – this means that the person you’re just talking about actually appears at that moment.
“Hi Tom, speak of the devil, I was just telling Sara about your new car.”

3. ‘See eye to eye’ – this means agreeing with someone.
“They finally saw eye to eye on the business deal.”

4. ‘Once in a blue moon’ – an event that happens infrequently.
“I only go to the cinema once in a blue moon.”

5. ‘When pigs fly’ – something that will never happen.
“When pigs fly she’ll tidy up her room.”

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6. ‘To cost an arm and a leg’– something is very expensive.
“Fuel these days costs and arm and a leg.”

7. ‘A piece of cake’– something is very easy.
“The English test was a piece of cake.”

8. ‘Let the cat out of the bag’ – to accidentally reveal a secret.
“I let the cat out of the bag about their wedding plans.”

9. ‘To feel under the weather’ – to not feel well.
“I’m really feeling under the weather today; I have a terrible cold.”

10. ‘To kill two birds with one stone’ – to solve two problems at once.
“By taking my dad on holiday, I killed two birds with one stone. I got to go away but also spend time with him.”

English Idioms with Surprising Origins

Straight from the horse's mouth. Meaning: getting information directly from the most reliable source. ...

Let the cat out of the bag. Meaning: to mistakenly reveal a secret. ...

Butter someone up. ...
Pulling someone's leg. ...
Wolf in sheep's clothing. ...
Hands down. ...

Riding shotgun. ...
Barking up the wrong tree.