Between you and me? Between you and I? Between me and you? Even native speakers of English confess to feeling perplexed when it comes to choosing the correct pronouns. In his entertaining podcast Lexicon Valley on the online news website Slate, Mike Vuolo presents a satisfyingly thorough and often funny discussion of the confusion provoked by… Read more »
Posts Tagged: vocabulary
Comic Strip English – Doonesbury
A great way to practice English is to read the comics – they’re short and funny, they feature everyday English vocabulary that you can really put to use, and like movies they give you plenty of visual clues to what’s going on. A classic American comic strip is Gary Trudeau’s Doonesbury. in circulation since 1970 and featuring such… Read more »
Hike up Ragged Mountain
Writing about your experiences in a full immersion English course is a great way to help yourself remember the vocabulary you’ve learned. It also encourages you to start thinking in English, rather than translating words that are new for you into your native language. Last week, Daniela, human resources director for a software company in… Read more »
Learn TOEFL Vocabulary Fast
To learn the most common English vocabulary words tested on the TOEFL, check out these online flashcards created by Acadia Center. Read and listen to the words and their definitions, and test your knowledge by studying the flashcards, taking the word quiz, and playing word games online. Each set of flashcards presents a new group… Read more »
Want to Expand Your English Vocabulary? Read.
The best way to learn new words in English is to read something challenging. Read articles in an online magazine like Slate, or choose a book that interests you – probably non-fiction unless your English level is very advanced. Avoid getting frustrated by the difficulty of the reading by following these steps: 1) First try to understand… Read more »
Business English: How to Learn Business Vocabulary
What is the best way to improve your knowledge of business English vocabulary? Read. And I don’t mean read business English textbooks, which can be useful in a classroom setting. Read business newspapers, magazines, and websites. Choose articles that interest you and are related to your business. If you work for a bank, read the… Read more »
Film Notes: The Young Victoria
The third in a series, this article provides a preview of a current movie along with a vocabulary lesson for intermediate to advanced English learners. The selected vocabulary words are in bold and followed by succinct definitions. Previous articles: Invictus and Sherlock Holmes . Victoria, crowned queen at the age of 18 in 1837 and… Read more »
English through Song: John Gorka
Gritty (showing fortitude in a difficult situation) songs about hardscrabble (earning a bare subsistence) or mean-street (poor or rough part of town) childhoods are a folk music tradition and the truth has often been bent (changed enough to give a false impression) by songwriters with middle-class backgrounds jealous of the aura that comes with hardship, so it’s refreshing… Read more »
Try an Online Lesson for Free
Since the launching of the new program last fall, our online English conversation lessons have become very popular. Convenient, affordable, and very effective, our online classes can help you improve the two skills that most English learners feel are their weakest points: speaking and comprehension. All you need is a telephone (landline, mobile, or internet phone)… Read more »
Film Notes: Invictus
The second in a series, this article provides a preview of a movie you might like to see along with a vocabulary lesson for intermediate to advanced English learners. The selected vocabulary words are in bold and followed by succinct definitions. Sherlock Holmes was the previous article in the series – check back soon for… Read more »