Match each sentence to the correct position in the matrix. Focus on time, aspect and form.
| SIMPLE | CONTINUOUS | PERFECT | |
|---|---|---|---|
Present |
✓ affirmative ✕ negative ? question |
✓ affirmative ✕ negative ? question |
✓ affirmative ✕ negative ? question |
Past |
✓ affirmative ✕ negative ? question |
✓ affirmative ✕ negative ? question |
✓ affirmative ✕ negative ? question |
Choose a subject and a verb. Then complete your own grammar matrix.
| SIMPLE | CONTINUOUS | PERFECT | |
|---|---|---|---|
Present |
|||
Past |
A collocation is a verb + noun (or adjective + noun) combination that native speakers use naturally. The verbs in Unit 1 — build, create, manage, project… — only make sense when you see which nouns they attach to, and how those nouns connect to each other.
You've recorded the verbs — but which noun does each one go with? And what's the connection between them? A list like this is easy to write and hard to use.
You can add as many branches as you need — and keep adding to the diagram as you work through the unit.
When you meet adjectives that mean something similar — like reliable and trustworthy — writing them in a flat list loses the key information: which words pair up, and what that pairing tells you about register or context.
Twelve words recorded, but none of the meaning is captured. Which ones are positive? Which pair with which? You'd have to re-check the textbook every time.
The pairing is the knowledge. The column labels add a bonus insight — the right-hand words tend to appear in more formal written English.
The key expressions for arranging a meeting aren't just phrases to memorise — they belong to specific moments in a conversation. Recording them in the order they appear tells you not just what to say, but when.
The categories are helpful, but there's no sense of sequence. When exactly do you use each phrase? What comes before and after?
Now you can see the whole conversation at a glance — and you'll know exactly when each phrase belongs.