How many words in the English language?

That seems like it should be a relatively easy question to answer – just check a big dictionary, or ask chat GPT, right? Well, The Oxford English Dictionary (a super famous and detailed one, available online) has over 600,000 entries. That includes lots of old words that aren't used anymore. But even that huge number isn't the full story, and we can never get an exact count of every word in English today.

Lexemes. What is a Lexeme?

When you think about what language is made of, most people (including you and me when we're not thinking too hard) say: "Words!".

Let’s take a look at what words are.

Come and find what’s going on with the verbs to have, to be and to do.

In this post, using the regular tense of the verb, I'm going to show you how to form the past simple and how to form the past continuous and when to use them. I will show you the difference between the two.

The present perfect focuses on the result of a completed action, for example (I have finished eating).

The present perfect continuous emphasises the duration or ongoing nature of an action, for example (I have been writing all day).

Let’s take a closer look at the main differences in this lesson.

The present continuous tense (am/is/are + verb-ing)

Is used to describe actions in progress at the moment of speaking (e.g., "I am typing"), temporary situations ("She is studying in London"), planned future arrangements ("We are meeting at 5"), or trends/changing situations ("It is getting colder")

The present simple

Is used to describe habits, routines, general truths, or unchanging situations. It is also employed for scheduled events in the near future e.g., (the train leaves at 5pm) and to give introductions. It commonly uses the root form of the verb, adding ‘-s’ or ‘-es’ for third-person singular subjects (he, she. it).

Learn about the differences between the present simple and the present continuous. It’s easier than you think!

Clearing up common grammar mistakes.