You Understand Tag Questions, Don’t You?

A tag question is basically a little question tacked on to the end of a statement in order to gather more information, clarify understanding, or illicit a response to the statement.  For instance, you can use the regular question format…”Isn’t that dog cute?”  Or you could make a statement and add-on a tag question to the end…”That dog [...]

What Did You Learn About Thanksgiving?

Now that your belly is filled with leftover turkey, you’ve enjoyed a little afternoon football game with the family, and perhaps even scored some awesome Black Friday shopping deals…it’s time to get back to learning some English!  In keeping with the Thanksgiving holiday theme; however, let’s take a moment to find out how much you’ve learned about this popular [...]

The History of Thanksgiving

For many of you studying English in the United States, this may be the first time you have had the opportunity to experience an American Thanksgiving holiday.  Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays in the United States and it is usually celebrated by gathering together with family and friends to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving feast, watch the [...]

ESL Study Tips and Motivation

In order to learn English quickly and correctly, you have to commit yourself fully to the process of learning a new language.  Fully immersing yourself into the English-speaking world is the best way to learn English quickly, but many people are not able to do this easily.  However, making English-speaking friends, watching English television shows, listening to English [...]

The Misunderstood Comma

The comma is one of the most misunderstood and misused punctuation marks in the entire English language.  Even native speakers with advanced degrees commonly misuse the comma.  While understanding the correct usage of the comma can be confusing, it is not a lost cause.  Learning a few basic comma rules can significantly increase your ability to [...]

Practice TOEFL Tests

Are you getting ready to take your TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), but want to practice a little bit more before you take the real test?  Check out the following links to several different online practice TOEFL tests.  The key to scoring well on any standardized test like the TOEFL is to [...]

Confusing English Words

English can be confusing for second language learners because there are so many similar words to choose from.  Unfortunately, the only way to improve your English fluency is to practice, practice, practice!  So, try taking these quizzes to help you with some commonly confused English words.  After you complete each quiz, look up the ones you [...]

Bilingual Celebrities

As a student struggling every day to learn a second language, you may find yourself wondering if you will ever become fluent.  It does seem like a long, difficult road, but eventually you will find yourself speaking, reading, listening, writing, and even thinking in English!  This, of course, cannot be achieved without a great deal of [...]

Vowel Sounds

Practicing your pronunciation of English is very important if you want to be understood when speaking.  Students from different countries have a variety of different pronunciation problems when learning English due to the fact that they are not used to forming their mouths or tongues in the way that is required to pronounce the English words properly, [...]

Add New Vocabulary Every Day

Need to add some more vocabulary words to your studies?  In order to become fluent in English, you need to learn new vocabulary words every day and use them in conversations.  Get a notebook, some flashcards, or use a computer program like Word or Excel, and add at least five new English words every day.  Look up their definitions in the [...]

Slang of the Day

Learning English slang words and phrases are very important for understanding common, informal speech.  While slang terms may not necessarily be grammatically correct, they are an essential part of becoming fluent in the language and sounding more like a native speaker.  You can visit the links below to learn a new slang term every single day [...]

Using Movies to Improve Your English Understanding

Movies are a wonderful way to help you with your understanding of English in an enjoyable and entertaining way.  However, in order to truly advance your comprehension skills you really need to pay close attention to the words and phrases that are used while also noting pronunciations and common speech patterns.  The site below is a [...]

Spelling is Essential to Understanding

Spelling is so very important when it comes to understanding English and communicating properly.  The English language is filled with words that sound the same; words that are spelled the same; and words that have letters in them you don’t even hear when spoken…it’s crazy!  Many native speakers have poor spelling skills, but as a [...]