Lesson 1
Inversion
Put the auxiliary before the subject for emphasis — common after negative adverbials.
Never have I seen such a mess. · Not only did she sing, but she also danced.
Hardly had we arrived when it started raining. · No sooner had I sat down than the phone rang.
Tip: Inversion is formal. In casual speech: "I've never seen such a mess."
Lesson 2
Cleft sentences
Split a sentence to stress one part: It is…that / What…is.
It was the manager who made the decision. (not someone else)
What I need is a holiday. · The reason I called is to apologise.
Tip: Use clefts to answer "which one?" implicitly and to make writing feel sophisticated.
Lesson 3
Hedging language
Softening claims makes you sound careful and credible: tends to, appears to, arguably, somewhat.
It could be argued that the policy is outdated. · The results appear to confirm the theory.
To a certain extent, the findings are surprising.
Tip: Hedging is essential in academic writing — strong claims without evidence sound naive.
Lesson 4
Advanced modals of deduction
Deduce about the past: must have, can't have, might have, should have.
She must have forgotten the meeting. (logical conclusion)
He can't have seen the email. · They might have missed the train. · You should have told me earlier.
Tip: Should have + pp = criticism or regret; needn't have + pp = you did something unnecessary.
Lesson 5
The subjunctive & fixed phrases
The base form after certain verbs: recommend, suggest, insist, demand — formal and strong.
I recommend that he see a lawyer. · They insisted that she be present.
"If I were…" also uses the subjunctive: If I were in charge, things would change.
Tip: In everyday British English people often use "should": "I suggest that he should see a lawyer."
Lesson 6
Discourse markers
Link your ideas in writing and speaking: however, nevertheless, moreover, consequently, in contrast.
Sales fell. Nevertheless, profits rose. · Moreover, customer satisfaction improved.
Sequence: Firstly… Secondly… Finally…. · Contrast: In contrast to last year…
Tip: Don't open every sentence with a connector — vary sentence structure for readable prose.