Here are just three of the interesting language-related articles I’ve read this past week – well actually, one of them is a video 🙂 I hope you find them interesting and useful. Swedish boys learning English from World of Warcraft On Slate.com I read about a recent study by Swedish academics that has shown […]
What is a phrasal verb?
September 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment
An introduction to English phrasal verbs Here’s a slideshow I made to explain some aspects of English phrasal verbs. I hope it’s useful 🙂 What are phrasal verbs? from Angela Boothroyd
6 easy ways to learn phrasal verbs
September 5, 2014 by 2 Comments
Many learners of English say they’re worried about learning phrasal verbs. I don’t think there’s any real reason to be worried. I know they can be a little confusing sometimes, but the best thing to do is to think of each phrasal verb as a single word with a specific meaning, and then learn […]
Jargon words and phrases
September 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment
jargon (noun) British/UK English pronunciation: /ˈdʒɑː(r)ɡən/ American English pronunciation: /ˈdʒɑrɡən/ from Old French jargoun The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology (my favourite etymology guide) has these definitions for jargon: meaningless talk speech specific to a trade or profession twittering or chattering of birds debased or hybrid language It’s one or both of the […]
Almost wordless Wednesday #5
September 3, 2014 by 2 Comments
How do these images make you feel? Does summer look like this in your country? Practise your English by answering the questions or leaving a comment 🙂
Phrasal verb: bend over backwards
September 2, 2014 by 1 Comment
To bend over backwards is to make a special effort for someone or something. Informal English. Example sentences 1. She bent over backwards to give the children a good Christmas. 2. We bent over backwards to help him when he lost his job. 3. He bent over backwards for his son, but never had […]
Weekly language learning roundup – September 01, 2014
September 1, 2014 by 8 Comments
Every week I read many blog posts, news articles, and other content about the English language, learning English, and language learning in general. I share a lot of this content on my Twitter, G+ and Pinterest accounts, and from this week I’m going to share some of my favourite posts in a weekly roundup here […]
Idiom: blow the cobwebs away
August 31, 2014 by Leave a Comment
To blow the cobwebs away (or clear away the cobwebs) means toget some fresh air and exercise so that you feel refreshed and can think more clearly. Examples of use: 1. Come on. A nice brisk walk by the sea will blow the cobwebs away! 2. I went for a run to blow the […]
Phrasal verb: witter on
August 30, 2014 by 4 Comments
To witter on is to talk in a long-winded* way about things that are not very important. This expression is informal British/UK English. Pronunciation of ‘witter’: /ˈwɪtə(r)/ *long-winded (adjective) – using too many words or tediously long Example sentences: 1. I wish you would stop wittering on while I’m trying to work! […]
100 English superlatives
August 29, 2014 by 1 Comment
A superlative is the form of an adjective or adverb that’s used to show that someone or something has the extreme or unsurpassed level of a particular quality – more than anyone or anything else. We use superlatives when we’re comparing more than two items, people, and places etc. We use the comparative form […]
