Question 1

What is the difference between log in and sign in?

Accepted Answer

"Log in" and "sign in" both mean to access a website, app, or computer system by entering your username and password. In practice, they are almost completely interchangeable — most people use whichever they are used to, and both are widely understood. Some technology companies prefer one over the other: Google uses "sign in," while many traditional software systems use "log in." The opposite forms are "log out" and "sign out," which also mean the same thing. Both are inseparable: "I logged in to my account" (not "I logged my account in"). The related noun forms are "login" (one word) and "sign-in" (with a hyphen). For exams, either is acceptable, so use whichever feels more natural to you.

Question 2

What is the difference between sign up and sign in?

Accepted Answer

"Sign up" and "sign in" describe two different steps in using an online service. "Sign up" is the first step: creating a new account by providing your details: "I signed up for a free trial of the streaming service." You only sign up once. "Sign in" is what you do every time after that: entering your username and password to access your existing account: "I sign in to my email every morning." The opposite of "sign in" is "sign out" (leave your account), while "sign up" does not have a direct opposite — you could say "cancel your account" or "delete your account." This distinction is important because confusing the two can lead to creating duplicate accounts or failing to access an existing one.

Question 3

What phrasal verbs should I know for talking about computer problems?

Accepted Answer

When something goes wrong with technology, you need these phrasal verbs: "break down" (a device stops working completely: "My laptop broke down in the middle of an important presentation"), "cut out" (a connection suddenly stops: "The Wi-Fi cut out during the meeting"), "freeze up" (a screen or program stops responding: "The screen froze up and I had to restart"), "shut down" unexpectedly (the computer turns off by itself: "My computer shut down without warning"), and "slow down" (a device or connection becomes very slow: "The internet always slows down in the evening"). To fix these problems, you might "start up" (turn on again) or "restart" the device. These phrasal verbs are useful for describing problems to technical support.

Phrasal Verbs for Technology Exercises

All 20 questions

Grammar review

Quick Rule

Continue Practising

-ed vs -ing Adjectives

Conditionals

Present Perfect

Reported Speech

Passive Voice

Past Simple