The way we pronounce English words is often different from how words are spelt. A good example is the -ough ending, pronounced differently in the words “though”, “thought” and “tough”. But there are also some common word patterns in English. When you know these patterns, you can expand your vocabulary and also improve your spelling… Read More

There are many ways to speak English. You can speak “professional” English and use words and phrases which are suitable for work. You can also speak “cute” English, and use words and phrases which show affection and familiarity. When we want to be cute in English, we often use “diminutives”: a form of the word… Read More

There are many situations when you can use “fast” in English. Which of these collocations and expressions with “fast” do you use? Learning tip: Try to use some new collocations with “fast” in your own sentences so that you can remember them more easily. Common Collocations With ‘Fast’ Here are some typical collocations with fast:… Read More

Here are more than thirty common English idioms with numbers. You’ll hear these idioms in conversations, and also see them in newspapers, blog posts and advertising. Make a note of any idioms that you have never seen before (or for which there isn’t a translation in your language). English idioms – One be one step… Read More

We use many different “collective nouns” to talk about groups of animals, birds or insects. Here’s a list of ten common collective nouns. You can often use these with more than one animal, but often the animals share certain characteristics. Collective Nouns – Animals, Birds & Insects herdUse this with many animals that eat grass.A… Read More

One of the best ways to become more fluent in English is to learn “collocations”. Collocations are words which naturally go together, such as “pass an exam”, or “sports car”. When you know a collocation, you can speak more fluently, because you remember words in phrases. There are different types of collocations. For example: adjective… Read More

One way to become a better and more interesting English speaker is to use a variety of words and phrases. Native speakers often use very descriptive phrases to add interest in conversations. In this lesson, there are ten English phrases to talk about extremes. You can use these expressions to talk about general life, but… Read More

“Onomatopoeia” (pronounced “on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh”) is when a word sounds like the word it describes. For example, a “moo” is the sound that a cow makes, while “bark” is the sound that a dog makes. We use onomatopoeia all the time when we speak English – but you don’t often find these words in textbooks. When you… Read More

How much risk do you take? Or do you prefer to play it safe? Here’s a list of the most common risk and safety idioms in English. You can use these to talk about your personal situation and decisions, your career and business, and also risk of physical danger. Risk Idioms You can use many… Read More

In the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen worldwide demonstrations which started after a black man was murdered by a white policeman in the USA. These protests have been the biggest in more than 50 years. Here are some useful phrases and collocations to describe the protests. Stand stand up for = protect something /… Read More