Hi friends,

A shorter-than-normal email this week, but nonetheless, here’s what you can look forward to:-

Download your free worksheet
Article of the week:- For high-earning workers, it's hard to break free from 'golden handcuffs'
Common misunderstandings explained: its versus it’s

Don’t forget I have a whole host of worksheets teaching you advanced grammar and vocabulary that you can download for FREE!

Just click the button below to download your free resources.

Click here to download your FREE worksheets

2. Article of the week 📚 - For high-earning workers, it's hard to break free from 'golden handcuffs'

I’ve said before how important it is to develop your English vocabulary in specific areas. Business English is a whole subject of its own and even if you don’t need to speak it for your job, having a selection of Business English words under your belt can be invaluable when preparing for official exams.

That’s why I’m recommending this article from BBC Worklife this week. It explains how corporate firms entice promising employees with large salaries and bonuses that effectively shackle them to the firm. Once you get used to that kind of compensation, it can be very difficult to leave. These high salaries are the golden handcuffs of the title.

This short article contains a wealth of business-related vocabulary that you may wish to learn. Why not give it a read and learn your golden handcuffs from your junior-level role?

3. Common misunderstandings explained 🤷‍♂️: its versus it’s

Here are another pair of words that cause no end of trouble, even for native speakers of English. What is the difference between ‘it’s’ and ‘its’ and how do you know when to use each one?

There’s a very simple rule you can follow that should make everything clear:-

“It’s” with an apostrophe, is the contracted form of ‘it is’ or ‘it has’ e.g.

“It’s a lovely day today, isn’t it?”
“It’s been too long since we last saw each other!”

This is the only time we write “it’s” with an apostrophe, so any other time you write the word, you’ll know to write “its” e.g.

“Summer, with its high temperatures, is my least favourite time of year.”

And that’s basically it.

If you’d like to learn a little bit more about the history of its and it’s, you might be interested in this article from the Mirriam-Webster dictionary.

On the other hand, if you’ve got the difference between these two words clear in mind, why not try this little quiz? Choose between ‘its’ and ‘it’s’ to complete the sentence. Each sentence uses ‘its’ and ‘it’s’ once.

Post your answers in the comment section below or send them to me at afarmerteach1@gmail.com and I’ll reply.

1. The cat washed ___ paws before sitting on ___ favourite cushion.
2. ___ important to double-check ___ accuracy before submitting the report.
3. The company is known for ___ commitment to sustainability in ___ operations.
4. ___ not often that ___ possible to achieve such remarkable results in a short time.
5. The smartphone has lost ___ battery power because ___ been in use all day.

Don’t forget you can follow me on X where I post daily content to help you Master English. This week, I taught my followers 5 very common travel-related idioms.

Have a great week everyone!

Andrew

4. Bonus vocabulary : did you know the meaning of the following words and phrases, used above?

shackle (v) chain someone to an immovable object

have something under your belt (idiom) to have achieved or fully understood something

entice (v) tempt

1 comment

50 Not Out! Thank you! 🤩

1 Reason For Learning how to Swear in English 😡

💡Study Better: 2 Tips and 1 Recommendation

3 Tips For English Mastery! 🚀

1 Key Lesson Weightlifters Can Teach You 🏋️‍♂️

See all posts from Andrew Farmer