Three everyday moments:

• "I need a new umbrella — mine broke in the wind, so I borrowed my sister's old one."
• "These shoes pinch a bit — could I try the brown ones instead?"
• "The queue took forty minutes, the machine was broken, and the woman at the counter was rude about it — I've never had such a frustrating morning at the bank."

What job is one doing in the first sentence? What about ones in the second? And is such a naming something new, or summing something up? Say your answer before you check.

1. I tried on the red dress and the blue dress.

Tell the shop assistant: "In the end I bought the blue ."

2. All the mugs in the cupboard were dirty.

Ask a flatmate: "Could you grab me two clean from the drawer instead?"

3. The interview room was freezing, the interviewer's phone kept ringing, and it ran forty minutes over — stressful from start to finish.

Complete what she said afterwards: "I've never sat through interview."

4. Everything went wrong on the trip: the flight was delayed six hours, they lost the suitcase, and then they rebooked the flight for the next morning.

Complete: "I've never had nightmare of a trip."

Three real exchanges:

• "Is the meeting still happening at three?" "I believe so — nobody's told me otherwise."
• "Did they fix the leak?" "I'm afraid not — the plumber couldn't come until Thursday."
• "We might move the party outdoors if the weather's good." "And if so, we'll need extra chairs."

Do "so" and "not" replace a single word, or a whole idea? Say it out loud before you check.

• "She quit her stable job to travel for a year. That took real courage."
• "He never apologised, which surprised me — I hadn't expected that from him."
• "Interest rates are rising and rents keep going up. This is making it harder for young people to buy a home."

These words aren't replacing a single noun here — what are they pointing back to? Say it before you check.

1. "Is Marco still working at the hospital?"

Reply: "I — I saw his name on the staff list last month."

2. "Has the parcel arrived yet?"

Reply: "I'm afraid — the tracking says it's still in customs."

3. "We might move the party outdoors if the weather's good."

Reply: "And , we'll need extra chairs."

4. Your friend says: "I've decided to quit my stable job and become a full-time potter."

You reply, surprised: " is a huge risk — are you sure?"

5. You're in the middle of it: your internet has cut out three times today, and you've got a video call in ten minutes.

You say: " is driving me mad."

• "She asked me to close the window, so I did so straight away."
• "He told the child not to touch the exhibit, but she did it anyway."
• "I said I'd call her back, and I fully intend to do that this evening."

What action does each bold phrase replace? Say it before you check.

• "Have you told your parents about the move?" "Not yet, but I will this weekend."
• "Can you actually fix a leaking tap?" "I can, yes."
• "I don't think he's coming." "He isn't — he texted me an hour ago."

What's missing after "will", "can" and "isn't" in each reply? Say it before you check.

1. The landlord asked us to leave the keys under the mat.

"We before we left."

2. My sister keeps telling me to update my resume.

"I really should this week."

3. "Are you going to apply for the job?"

Reply: "I — the closing date is Friday."

4. "I haven't read the whole book, but I have read the first three chapters." Shorten the second half.

"I haven't read the whole book, but I ."

Think of a decision or change you made recently — a job, a habit, a purchase, a plan you replaced or dropped. (If nothing comes to mind, invent one.)

Talk about it out loud for one minute. Try to cover:

• What did you decide, and why?
• Do you think it was the right call?
• What are you going to do next?

Write a short message (3–5 sentences) to a friend, catching them up on the same decision or change. Use all three groups of today's tools: something with one/ones or such a, a reaction or answer with so/not, and an action with do so / do it / do that. The checker will tell you which it finds.

1. "My umbrella broke, so I need to buy a new."

2. "I am not sure if he is coming, but I think."

3. "She told him to apologise, but he refuses doing so."

4. Someone asks if you can speak Mandarin. A learner's mistaken reply: "I would, a little." Rewrite the reply correctly.

5. "Are they still renovating the kitchen?" "___ — I saw the tiles delivered yesterday."

6. Your friend texts: "You really should back up your files before your laptop dies." You reply: "I know — I'll ___ tonight, I promise."

7. Someone asks if you can speak Mandarin. You reply, using ellipsis: "___, a little."

1. Replace the repeated noun with a pronoun: "I saw Maria yesterday. looked tired."

2. Say it out loud: before today, what's the difference between "this" and "these"?

3. "Do you reckon the meeting will finish on time?"

Reply: "I — it always has before."

4. I've lost my glasses again.

"So I'll have to wear my old until I find them."

5. He said he'd tidy his room.

"And after weeks of nagging, he finally ."

Which of today's stand-in words do you think you'll actually use this week — one/ones, so/not, do so/it/that, such a, or leaving words out altogether? Say why.