Writing an essay takes a fair amount of effort – even for native speakers! When I write anything significant, it takes me the better part of a week to write and then I check it 2 or 3 times. Consider this when you are trying to put an essay together in an hour. Not even hardcore academics can do that, so please don’t. Essays are an important part of learning any language and if you do the due diligence, you will succeed. Read more
As I mentioned before, like is one of the most versatile words in the English language. So far, we have reviewed the 5 most commonly taught and traditional ways of using it. Now, we will explore all the fantastically diverse ways to incorporate like into your conversation.
CAUTION: Using like in the following ways will make you sound like a native speaker!
Like. We use the word like in nearly every conversation. More recently, since the advent of Facebook, it has even become a physical action. As we scroll through our friends’ timelines and posts, we make sure to click on that familiar icon just to show our friends that we have acknowledged their photo, their current status or even their tasty looking lunch. And, though we may hate to admit it, our self-esteem may even depend on how many of those likes we can gather on our own status updates and photos. Beyond our own egos, businesses large and small, are incredibly dependent on how many likes they can manage.
But, are all likes equal? Or has the simple, four letter, single syllabled word taken on a power of its own?
The Writing section of the IELTS test doesn’t have to be scary! With the information that we’re sharing with you here you can be confident of succeeding in this section of the test. We’re going to give you some expert advice as well as strategies on how to prepare and answer the different question types in the Writing test. Read more
In the BIG 5 Part 1, we learned how to construct the 5 basic sentence structures. In this post, we will learn how to expand those basic structures by adding other parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs). This helps to add certain details or information to our sentences. Read more
Real accuracy in English is easy once you know how to order the words in a sentence. Without the proper word order you may confuse the person you are speaking to, or at the least make it harder for them to understand you. Once you know the basic rules of word order you will find it much easier to speak and write in English with confidence.
In this first part we look at the basic elements of sentence structure. Please check out Part 2 for more information. Read more
So, now that we’ve gone over what it means when a verb tense is perfect, let’s go over the logistics. Before we can put the Perfect Aspect into use, we first have to know why we would use it and then how to construct it. Read more
They say that nobody’s perfect and that is true, especially when it comes to using English (even English teachers make mistakes!). However, there is an aspect of English grammar that is perfect, the Perfect Aspect. Though it may be perfect, it most definitely is not easy to understand.
You can improve the quality of your English by making use of certain phrases and words. Here is a list of words and phrases that we think will help you in everyday English – and which can be very helpful if you have to write an academic piece of English. This list is also a valuable tool if you are preparing for an English exam like IELTS for example. Read more
The Guinness Book of World Records has superlatives at its heart. It’s all about people who have competed globally to achieve the highest or lowest degree of a specific talent or skill. Superlatives are necessary to accurately describe the weird, wonderful and amazing skills that Guinness World Record holders have demonstrated. Read more
Many people think that learning English will be as easy as it was in their school days. They’ll quickly pick up the new words and reach a decent level of fluency in a month or two. Unfortunately, this is seldom the case!
Learning a new language as an adult is rather challenging. Learning grammar is tough, and remembering the correct pronunciation is even worse!
Here are some of the tips and hacks that we like to share with our students. I hope that they will help you as well!
For those of you preparing for the IELTS test – you no longer need to worry about the Listening section! We are happy to share our professional tips and advice to help you get the best possible result from the Listening section of the test. Read more
So you want to improve your English vocabulary. Where do you even begin? A quick look around the internet will find you the usual ideas like: read, keep a dictionary, make lists etc. And these are good ideas, but is it enough? First we’ll review the common ideas and then we’ll take a look at some of the excellent advice from our teachers to see if they have any new ideas. Read more
People ask us all the time, “how long does it take to learn English?” And there is no simple answer – there are certain factors that can speed up or slow down how quickly English sticks in your brain!
We’re going to take a look at which factors affect how long it takes to learn English, including: the moments when language learning can either be gained or lost, whether or not English takes longer to learn than other languages, and the questions to ask yourself to help define what “language learned” means to you!
Whether you’re asking so you can figure out how long to study English, or just out of sheer curiosity, let’s take a look at some of these factors to help you understand just how long it will take you to learn the English language. Read more
Want to learn English? Congratulations! Committing to learning English is a big step to make, since most people remain comfortable with the language they grew up speaking. Now that you’re ready to take the next step – actually learning the language – you’re probably wondering, what’s the best way to learn English?
Well, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll share with you the 3 of the best ways to learn English (or any language for that matter), where you can go to start learning, and the pros and cons for each option. Before we dig in, let’s first understand how we learn, and not just languages. Read more
English can be a daunting language to learn. It’s full of contradictions and odd rules and pronunciations, its idiosyncrasies are what makes it interesting, but it can be a challenge if you’re new to it – and even if you’re not! This is why we want to offer you some useful tips on how to speed up the process of learning this complex language, so that you’ll be fluent before you know it. Read more
Getting English pronunciation right is always a challenge for people learning the language. We have seen how certain first languages can influence a student’s attempts at improving their pronunciation. If you speak Arabic you are going to find certain sounds in English difficult to reproduce. But with some guidance and a bit of practice you will soon start sounding much better! Read more
For some people, learning English is easy. They pick up the language quickly and with ease while others struggle along. You may be tempted to think that certain people have a specific language gene or a secret skill that helps them to learn English so easily. But is this true? How much of learning English is based on talent and how much is really about motivation? Read on to find out. Read more
Learning English is like anything else in life that you want to achieve – it’s a long and often difficult journey. It’s been found that most people struggle to reach fluency not because of their age, their ability or how much money they have. But it’s because they give up too soon.
If you are learning English you will encounter certain inevitable obstacles during your journey to fluency. We believe that the best way to deal with these challenges is to be prepared for them and face them with the best strategies to overcome them.
So, here are 6 major obstacles you will face and how to overcome them. Read more
I have been helping students learn English for many years, and I have come across the same problems again and again. Here are some comments I took note of during the tutorials I recently did with some of my students. Read them and see if you can relate:
“I don’t read in English because I don’t have enough vocabulary.”
“I don’t watch English films because I don’t understand.”
“I don’t write because I don’t need to write in English.” Read more
If you struggle with your English pronunciation don’t worry! There are times when pronunciation can be a problem for native speakers too! Just watch Justin Trudeau mispronounce “heir” while being sworn in as the Prime Minister of Canada. Yes, the Prime Minister of Canada making a mistake with English pronunciation!
When we are born we rely on our mothers for survival right? And when we start to learn English the verb “be” is super important. That’s why I like to call it the mother verb, because without it we can’t learn English.
It is very important that you understand the verb “be” and its functions, and that you are able to use it across all skills with accuracy and fluency. This is because the verb “be” is the foundation of English, and as we know, a house built on sand will eventually collapse because it needs a strong foundation in order for it to survive. Read more
Think about this – every person in your life was once a stranger to you, until you had that first conversation with them. Every day we all meet strangers, people we know nothing about: the guy who sold you your coffee, the taxi driver, the receptionist at the company you visited. It’s only when we talk to these people that we make a connection with them, and through them a connection to more and more people. Read more
If you are self-studying and preparing to take the IELTS exam, you will need to evaluate your own writing. Usually, this is done by a teacher. Students who can evaluate their own writing are better equipped to independently produce polished and successful pieces. Read more
Doing a job interview is a stressful experience for everyone, and it is especially hard if you have to do it in English. Being well prepared for your job interview is the best way to make sure that you meet with success. In this post we take a look at five things that you can do to make sure you’re ready to make a great first impression and secure the job you want.