Did you learn English last year?

Use the present-tense form lives with a singular third-person subject, and in with a city name.

Tone and use: Standard grammar pattern for describing someone’s residence. Say where one person lives: “She lives in Cincinnati.”

May not fit: With I, you, we, or they, use live; for a specific point or address, at may be appropriate.

A present-simple negative for a singular third-person subject; doesn’t is followed by the base verb like.

Tone and use: Neutral everyday grammar. Describe a current preference or regular dislike.

May not fit: Do not add -s to the main verb after doesn’t: say doesn’t like, not doesn’t likes.

Use an before a word that begins with a vowel sound; the sound, not just the first letter, determines a versus an.

Tone and use: Standard article choice. Introduce one nonspecific item whose next sound is a vowel sound.

May not fit: For a specific apple already known to the listener, use the; some words beginning with a vowel letter take a, as in a university.

A past-tense question formed with did plus the base form go.

Tone and use: Neutral question about a completed past experience. Ask whether someone attended college in the past.

May not fit: Do not put go in the past form after did; the auxiliary already marks past time.

The passive expression was born states someone’s birth in the past; in introduces the year.

Tone and use: Standard biographical phrasing. Say the year or place someone was born.

May not fit: Use were born with you, we, or they; do not say “I borned.”

A gerund phrase can act as the subject of a sentence; drinking names the activity and takes -ing.

Tone and use: Neutral grammar pattern; widely useful in advice and general statements. Make a general statement about an activity: “Walking is relaxing.”

May not fit: For an action happening right now, use the progressive form, such as “I’m drinking water.”

Use by plus a mode of transport to describe how someone travels.

Tone and use: Standard travel collocation. Say how you commute or get from place to place: by bus, by train, by car.

May not fit: With a specific vehicle, use on the bus or in the car: “I left my bag on the bus.”

Use home without to when it means the destination of movement.

Tone and use: Standard everyday phrase. Say someone is going to their own home: “I’m going home.”

May not fit: Use to the home when referring to a specific building or institution, not home as a destination adverb.

The standard preposition after married is to when naming a spouse.

Tone and use: Neutral relationship language. Say who someone is married to.

May not fit: Do not use married with a doctor for the spouse; with can describe being accompanied, not marital status.

Had is the simple past of have; with just, it says the meal finished very recently.

Tone and use: Natural conversational way to report a recent meal. Explain that you finished dinner a short time ago.

May not fit: In some varieties, the present perfect “I’ve just had dinner” is also common; match the variety and context.

Present perfect: have plus the past participle had, linking earlier trips to the current period this year.

Tone and use: Standard; often used for experience within a time period that is still open. Talk about experiences so far in a period that continues into the present.

May not fit: With a finished time such as last year, use simple past: “I had many trips last year.”

Present perfect question asking whether a task is complete now; simple past “Did you finish?” is also correct in many contexts.

Tone and use: Neutral; often emphasizes the task’s current relevance or result. Check whether a task is complete, especially when the result matters now.

May not fit: For a specific finished past time, use simple past: “Did you finish it yesterday?”

A polite expression of anticipation; to here is a preposition, so it is followed by a noun or gerund, meeting.

Tone and use: Warm and polite; common in messages and introductions. Close a professional or friendly message before an expected meeting.

May not fit: Do not use the infinitive “to meet” after this expression; say look forward to meeting.

Use good at to name a skill or activity someone does well.

Tone and use: Neutral and common ability language. Describe a strength: good at languages, cooking, or solving problems.

May not fit: For a subject studied in school, good at is common; good in may refer to performance within a particular situation or role.

Loudly modifies the verb bark; at identifies the person or thing the barking is directed toward.

Tone and use: Neutral descriptive grammar. Describe an action and its direction or target.

May not fit: Use to if the verb means communicating or speaking toward someone; barking at someone is not the same as talking to them.

Informal U.S. slang for five dollars; one buck means one dollar.

Tone and use: Casual and common in conversation; not usually used in formal financial writing. Talk informally about small prices or amounts of U.S. money.

May not fit: Use dollars in formal, financial, or international contexts where the currency should be explicit.

A casual sign-off suggesting you expect to speak with the person again later; often abbreviated TTYL in texts.

Tone and use: Friendly and informal. End a chat or call when you expect to reconnect.

May not fit: If you do not expect to speak again, a simple goodbye is clearer.

Informal American English for a man or guy; it can also be used as a casual form of address.

Tone and use: Very informal; its friendliness depends on the relationship and delivery. Recognize the word in casual conversation, films, and popular culture.

May not fit: In professional or formal contexts, use the person’s name or an appropriate title.

Wait, slow down, or be patient before acting.

Tone and use: Informal and often playful, though it can sound impatient when said sharply. Ask someone to pause before moving ahead.

May not fit: For a respectful workplace request, say “Could we pause for a moment?” instead.

A widely recognized informal nonstandard contraction that can stand for forms such as am not, isn’t, aren’t, or haven’t, depending on dialect and sentence.

Tone and use: Common in speech, music, and dialogue; strongly informal and treated as nonstandard in many edited contexts. Understand it in casual speech, lyrics, or a character’s voice; use it only when the variety and setting make it appropriate.

May not fit: Avoid it in formal academic or professional writing unless directly quoting or discussing the form.