Did you know?
The word 'besides' as a preposition can mean either "in addition to" or "except for".


1- When used to mean "in addition to", "besides" indicates that something is being added to a list of other things mentioned.

For example:
1a- Besides the cake, they also served ice cream and cookies at the party.
(They served cake + ice cream + cookies.)

1b- Besides English, she speaks Spanish and French.
(She speaks three languages: English + Spanish+ French.)

1c- Besides running, she enjoys swimming and cycling.
(In addition to running, she also enjoys swimming and cycling.)


2- When used to mean "except for", "besides" indicates that something is the only thing that applies, aside from the thing being mentioned.

For example:
2a- Besides her sister, no one else attended the wedding.
(ONLY her sister attended the meeting.)

2b- I've got no family besides my parents.
(His family is not bigger than a father and a mother.)

2c- There's nothing left to do besides finish the report."
(Except for finishing the report, there's nothing else to do.)

In these examples, you can see how 'besides' shifts its meaning based on context—either adding to something or excluding everything else except one thing.

The first meaning implies inclusion, while the second can imply exclusion or limitation.


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born vs borne

The passive form of the verb born (be + born) is used to talk about coming into the world at birth:

- He was born to poor parents.

- I was born on a Friday.

- She was born in Italy.


Borne is the past participle form of the verb bear. It is sometimes used to mean 'give birth to' or 'carry'.

- She has borne eight children. (= She has given birth to eight children.)


To sum up, use 'born' in passive sentences and 'borne' in active sentences.


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🛑 comparatives: a common error 🛑

In comparative sentences be careful to compare the same part of two things. 'That of', 'these of' and 'those of' are necessary words that are often omitted.


❌ His teaching was like Jesus Christ.
✅ His teaching was like that of Jesus Christ.


❌ The size of the shoe must be the same as this shoe.
✅ The size of the shoe must be the same as that of this shoe.


❌ My books are better than my friend.
✅ My books are better than those of my friend.


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🛑 Conjunctions 🛑

One conjunction is enough to join two clauses. English does not require a second conjunction.

❌ Though he is old, but he is healthy.
✅ Though he is old, he is healthy. OR He is old, but he is healthy.

❌ As he was fat, so he ran slowly.
✅ As he was fat, he ran slowly. OR He was fat, so he ran slowly.

❌ If you work hard, then you will succeed.
✅ If you work hard, you will succeed.

❌ Because he is clever; therefore, he gets good marks.
✅ Because he is clever, he gets good marks.


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🛑 Double Negatives 🛑

Never use a negative verb and a negative qualifier (e.g. nothing, hardly, scarcely, nobody etc.) together:

❌ I haven't nothing to prove.
✅ I have nothing to prove.

❌ Alice can't hardly wait until her birthday.
✅ Alice can hardly wait until her birthday.

❌ There wasn't nobody at the door.
✅ There was nobody at the door.


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🛑 Thank you vs. Thanks to you 🛑


✔️ 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 = I appreciate something you did.
✔️ 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 = You are the reason for something.



1- Joe: You speak English perfectly, Sue.


Sue: 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂. (Sue appreciates Joe's compliment.)
Sue: 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂. (Joe is the reason for Sue's perfect English.)


2- Thank you for helping me study for the exam. Thanks to you, I passed with flying colors!



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The problem with our sentence is the misuse of "including." This is actually a very common mistake in English learners' essays.

The word "including" means we are going to mention some but not all of the previously mentioned thing(s).


Here, we can see some examples:

- They sell many types of vegetables, including carrots and potatoes.
- We studied lots of different subjects at school, including English, maths, and geography.


How do we fix the sentence?

❌ She visited three countries last year, including France, Germany and Spain.

✅ She visited many countries last year, including France, Germany, and Spain.

✅ She visited three countries last year: France, Germany, and Spain.

✅ She visited three countries last year, which were France, Germany, and Spain.



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