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Saturday, 24 July 2021
Friday, 16 July 2021
5 SIMPLE WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITTEN ENGLISH
Many people struggle with writing in English and it can seem like a real challenge to improve. Don’t worry, though. Here are some simple steps that you can take to improve your written English and impress people with your writing skills.
1. Expand your vocabulary
To express yourself clearly, you need a good active vocabulary. That’s not just being able to recognise lots of words – it means actually being able to use them correctly. Do this by learning new words with example sentences, not just word lists.
Tip: When you learn a new word, try learn all the forms of that word and the prepositions that are usually used with it. (For example, rather than just the word ‘depend’, make a note of: to depend on, to be dependent on, a dependant.)
2. Master English spelling
You must know how to spell those words correctly. Incorrect spelling changes the meaning of your sentence. For example: ‘bare’ and ‘bear’ sound the same but ‘bare’ means naked and ‘bear’ is a large animal. Additionally, incorrect spelling makes it difficult for the reader to understand what you’ve written.
Tip: Practice your spelling using flash cards and test yourself whenever you have some spare time.
3. Read regularly
People often say that we learn to write best by reading. Reading in English is useful in many ways. It is a great way to get an idea of the different styles of writing and see how to use words appropriately.
Tip: Choose books or articles with topics that interest you. Learning shouldn’t be boring. Read each text several times to make sure you understand how to use new words and expressions in the text.
4. Improve your grammar
Grammar is very important because it improves the quality of your writing. Always use the appropriate tense and remember to use punctuation. Punctuation is a great way to make your writing clear and fluent.
Tip: Always proof-read your writing twice. The first time, look for general mistakes and the second time look for mistakes with the particular grammar point your are studying at the moment.
5. Just do it!
Writing can be daunting. However, the best way to improve is get a pen and paper or sit in front of your computer and actually write. Be prepared to write several versions of each text because even for professional writers, the first draft is never perfect. Remember, practice makes perfect, so now is the best time to sit down and get started with our free English quizzes!
8 PHRASES TO MAKE A GREAT IMPRESSION ON YOUR ENGLISH WORKMATES
There is a saying that it only takes a few seconds for someone to judge you based on your body language, actions, and words. And once someone has formed their impression of you it can be quite hard to change this. That’s why it is so important to always make a good first impression. When you start a new job, it’s vital to make a great impression on your new colleagues. After all, they are the people you will be spending most of your time with while you are at work. So, how do you make a good impression on your colleagues in your new English-speaking workplace? Being friendly is a good start and these English expressions will help you go further in making a great impression on your new English-speaking colleagues. In this article, we will give you advice on how to make a great first impression at work and what phrases to use for your first day at work.
Four things to think about on your first day at work:
- Confidence, confidence, confidence: We cannot stress this first advice enough. A good confidence is vital when meeting new people. Each person has their own level of confidence and while it’s quite hard to maintain good confidence on your first day at work when you’re surely quite nervous, there are some things that you should try to have in mind when you meet your new colleagues. When you beam with good confidence, other people will feel comfortable around you. But how do other people notice your good confidence? Have in mind your body language and posture when trying to make a good first impression. A good body language is for example a steady handshake, relaxed facial impression, arms unfolded and keeping a good eye contact with the people you speak with. It’s okay to be nervous, but also try to be happy and relaxed, after all they chose you for the position, so do not worry too much!
- Dress appropriately: Every office place has its own dress code. So, the best thing you can do is to ask your manager before your first day what your office dress code is. Dress to impress on your first day or even on your first week at the office. You want to give the impression of professionalism on your first day, so remember to dress appropriately and professionally when meeting your new colleagues.
- Be on time: It’s your first day at work and one of the more important things is to be on time! Since it’s your first day, things can go wrong on the way to work. This is a new route that you haven’t taken before so you might not be aware of the possible delays and traffic jams that might occur on this new route. Be well prepared for possible delays in traffic or getting lost on your first walk to work. Arriving early and prepared is better then showing up stressed and sweaty for your first day at work.
- Smile: Don’t forget to smile! There is nothing like a contagious great smile. This is something that will help you when making a good first impression. A confident smile will be remembered and will make others feel happy around you.
Phrases to use on your first day at work to make a good first impression:
1. Would you like a hand with that?
Helping people put is always a good way to impress. Offer to help by saying “Would you like a hand with that” if it looks like a colleague is struggling with too much work.
2. Could I have your advice on this?
People are always flattered when they are treated as experts. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice and make sure you let people know that you value their opinions?
3. I’ll get right on it
If you can start working on a task immediately, let your colleagues know by saying “I’ll get right on it.” Make sure to only use this phrase if you do actually intend to do the task right away – nobody likes to be kept waiting.
4. It’s great to meet you / It’s a pleasure to meet you
If you meet a new colleague working at a similar level in the company to you, say “It’s great to meet you!” the first time you meet him or her. If you meet someone more senior than you, use the more formal “It’s a pleasure to meet you!”
5. I’m looking forward to working together
This is a particularly useful expression for emails and letters. When you start a project with a new colleague or a client, adding “I’m looking forward to working with you on this project” near the end of your email shows respect and that you are keen to get on well together.
6. That sounds like a plan
A nice informal expression to use when one of your colleagues has a good idea about how to do something. If you want to sound even more enthusiastic, you could say “That sounds like a great plan!”
7. Let’s put our heads/minds together
If you think it would be a good idea to work closely with a colleague to solve a problem, you can say “Let’s put our heads/minds together to solve this.” Sometimes, people also say “Two heads are better than one.” This means that it’s better to work together than alone.
8. Let’s get this done
When you are ready to start working on something, you can use a casual expression like “Let’s do this!” or “Let’s get this done!” to encourage your team and colleagues to get started.
TOP 10 WAYS TO SAY “THANK YOU” IN AN ENGLISH EMAIL
When we’re sending emails, it’s easy to be too direct. This can upset the reader or cause offence. Saying “thank you” is a great way to make your email more polite and personal. What’s the best way to do it, though? Find out with our top ten ways to say “thank you” in an English email.
The first five of our ways to show your thanks work best at the beginning of the email. Thanking your reader is a wonderful way of opening an email. It sets the right tone and makes the reader feel appreciated, which is very important if you want them to help you again in the future.
10. Thank you for contacting us
If someone writes to enquire about your company’s services, begin your email with this sentence. Show your appreciation for their interest in working with your company. This is also a useful way to introduce the main topic of your email when used with the prepositions “about” or “regarding”. For example, “Thank you for contacting us regarding our current products and prices.”
9. Thank you for your prompt reply
When a client or colleague replies to a previous email in a short amount of time, let them know and thank them. If the reply wasn’t quick, simply removing “prompt” will work, or, you can opt for, “Thank you for getting back to me.”
8. Thank you for the information
If you have asked someone for information, and they took the time to send it to you, use this sentence to demonstrate that you value what they’ve done. Again, you can use “about” or “regarding” to refer to the specific information provided. For example, “Thank you for the information about your current pricing.”
7. Thank you for all your assistance
If someone has gone out of their way to help you, thank them! If you want to offer more specific recognition for what they have done, follow this sentence with, “I really appreciate your help in resolving the problem.”
6. Thank you raising your concerns
Even if a client or manager writes to express some concerns they have regarding your work, you can still thank them. This shows that you value their input and will take their concerns seriously. Alternatively, you may wish to use, “Thank you for your feedback.”
While thank yous at the beginning of an email are typically written to thank the reader for past actions, thank yous at the end of an email tend to imply you are thanking the reader for a future action. By showing your appreciation in advance, you are more likely to get a positive reaction.
5. Thank you for your kind cooperation
If you need the reader to cooperate by assisting you with something, then thank them in advance for their cooperation. You can add the expression “in advance” to this sentence and say “Thank you in advance for your cooperation.”
4. Thank you for your attention to this matter
Similar to above, this sentence implies that you would appreciate the readers’ further assistance. This expression also shows that the request you have made is important and that the reader should pay special attention to it.
3. Thank you for your understanding
This sentence isn’t to congratulate the reader on understanding the words you have written. We use this sentence to say “Thank you” in advance if we have done something or requested something that may cause inconvenience to the reader.
2. Thank you for your consideration
If you are requesting a benefit or an opportunity, such as when you apply for a new job, end your email with this sentence.
1. Thank you again for everything you’ve done
This sentence, which is used at the end, is a bit different from those above. Use this if you have already thanked the reader at the beginning of the email, but due to their great efforts, you wish to thank them again for their past actions.
Now you know how to say “thank you” in an English email, the only question left is who you want to thank.
10 TOP TIPS FOR LEARNING ENGLISH AT HOME
You don’t need to live in an English-speaking country to become fluent in English. If you are smart about the way you learn English, you don’t even need to leave your home town. Use these 10 top tips and see how to learn English without even leaving your city.
1. Surround yourself with English
You don’t need to be in an English-speaking country to surround yourself with English. Find ways to make English part of your everyday life at home, like writing your shopping list, reading the newspaper, listening to the radio, writing a diary in English, or listening to English on your cellphone while traveling to work.
2. Make English friends
Even if you don’t live in an English-speaking country, there are probably many foreigners living nearby. Find ways to meet native English-speakers: going to foreign bars and restaurants, joining sport and social clubs, or arranging language exchanges. You could even volunteer as a guide at a local tourist attraction to meet English-speakers from all over the world.
3. Find study partners
You don’t need native speakers to practice your English. Find a study partner, or form an English club and meet regularly to speak English. You can motivate each other, and you will learn by helping others with their problems.
4. Use authentic materials
Just reading English in textbooks can get boring. Try reading English texts written for and by native speakers. It will be a challenge at first but a lot more interesting once you can do it. If you can’t find English books or magazines, use the Internet to read the news in English every day. Why not take a look at the EF English Live free Engish resources and check your skills with our free English test, try fun quizzes, learn with our ebooks and more?5. Get online
Get online and you can be in contact with people from all over the world. Join chat rooms or forums, take an online English course, or find a penpal to practice your English while learning about different cultures. With social media, it’s easier than ever to stay in touch with friends from all over the world.
6. Set yourself realistic goals
Give yourself a reason for studying: do you want to get a promotion, be able to talk to your foreign colleagues, study abroad, or spend your next holiday in an English-speaking country? Set short-term as well as long-term goals, and keep track of your progress.
7. Listen to real English
Train your ear by listening to English spoken at normal speed, even if you don’t understand everything. Also practice listening without seeing things written down and don’t be afraid to listen to things several times to catch any interesting or unusual vocabulary in there. It’s easy to find free English podcasts online and news agencies from most English-speaking countries have audio and video news available for free online.
8. Find fun ways to learn new words
If you like singing, then look up the words for your favorite English songs. Or if you remember what you see, write new words on ‘Post-it’ notes and stick them up around your house. Make funny example sentences or draw little pictures next to new vocabulary to help you remember it.
9. Learn about the culture
Find out about the people and the culture of English-speaking countries. Learning a language is not just about grammar and vocabulary: it’s about communicating with people who have different ways of thinking as well as speaking!
10. Have fun!
Learning a language does take work, but you’ll be more likely to stick to it if you are enjoying yourself. Play games, do crossword puzzles, sing songs, read comics, and don’t worry too much about making mistakes – making mistakes is often the way to learn best!
10 TIPS FOR PERFECT ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION
Accurate pronunciation is an important part of learning any language, and especially when you’re learning English. The way your speech sounds can have a big impact on whether or not people understand what you are saying and their initial impression of you. The tricky thing about pronunciation is that it not just a question of acquiring knowledge, it’s a physical skill that you need to practise regularly.
How to improve English pronunciation
There are no shortcuts to perfect pronunciation, however there are some ways you can practise more effectively and improve your skills faster. Follow our ten top tips, start improving your pronunciation today and take a step closer towards your goal of perfect English pronunciation.
- Listen to yourself
- Slow down!
- Picture it…
- Get physical!
- Watch yourself
- Copy the experts
- Practice English alone
- Find a language buddy
- Pay attention to intonation and stress
- Sing a song!
Listen to yourself
It’s often difficult to hear pronunciation errors in your own speech because you are concentrating actually communicating rather than the sound you are making. If you can’t hear your pronunciation problems, it’s tough to correct them. Try recording your speech with your smartphone or PC and making a note of specific areas you need to improve on.
Slow down!
Many English learners think that speaking fluently means they need to speak fast. This is wrong. Speaking too fast reinforces bad habits and makes the speaker sound nervous and indecisive. Speaking slowly will give you time to breathe properly and think about what you want to say next. Because it gives you time to think while you are speaking, you’ll feel more relaxed and be able to concentrate on making your English sound fantastic.
Picture it…
Close your eyes and think about how to make a sound before saying it. Visualize the positioning of your mouth and face. If you have studied with the phonemic chart, think about the sound you are making and how it relates to other English phonemes. If you have used diagrams of the mouth and tongue, think about the shape you need to make inside your mouth if you want to make the sound correctly.
Get physical!
Pronunciation is a physical skill. You’re teaching your mouth a new way to move and using different muscles. Focus on difficult sounds each day. Having trouble with ‘th’? Put your tongue between your teeth (don’t bite down) and blow air out of your mouth. Feel the air move over the top of your tongue.
Watch yourself
Stand in front of a mirror to see the placement of your tongue, lips, and shape of your mouth when you make certain sounds. Compare what you see with a video of a native-speaker saying the same thing.
Copy the experts
There’s no replacement for learning pronunciation from the experts – native-speakers. So listen! Listen to English radio programs and watch television and movies in English. Imitate what you’re hearing – even if you’re not sure what they’re saying yet.
Practice English alone
Pronunciation problems persist because we’re afraid to make mistakes. Create scenarios – meeting someone for the first time, ordering at a restaurant, asking for directions – then act out the dialogue by yourself. Don’t be shy.
Find a language buddy
Getting feedback from an outside observer is crucial. Find a friend who’s also interested in improving their English. Try exchanging recorded messages so you can listen closely to each other’s pronunciation.
Pay attention to intonation and stress
Good pronunciation is more than just mastering individual sounds. It’s also understanding intonation (the rise and fall of the voice) and stress (some sounds in words and some words in sentences are louder or clearer than others). Read poems, speeches and songs aloud, concentrating on the word stress and intonation.
Sing a song!
Learn the words to popular English songs and sing along. Singing helps you relax and just get those words out, as well as helping your rhythm and intonation. Because you don’t need to concentrate on constructing sentences for yourself, you can concentrate on making your pronunciation sound great!
Give each of these tips a try next time you have a chance and find out which of them works best for you. Remember, none of them is an instant fix but they will all help you reach your goals as part of regular practice. Are you ready to improve your English pronunciation?
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Thursday, 15 July 2021
50 Common Grammar Mistakes in English
50 Common Grammar Mistakes in English
Below are some of the most common English mistakes made by ESL students, in speech and in writing. Go through the examples and make sure you understand the corrections. Then try the grammar test at the end to check your progress.
Wrong I have visited Niagara Falls last weekend. Right I visited Niagara Falls last weekend. Wrong The woman which works here is from Japan. Right The woman who works here is from Japan. Wrong She’s married with a dentist. Right She’s married to a dentist. Wrong She was boring in the class. Right She was bored in the class. Wrong I must to call him immediately. Right I must call him immediately. Wrong Every students like the teacher. Right Every student likes the teacher. Wrong Although it was raining, but we had the picnic. Right Although it was raining, we had the picnic. Wrong I enjoyed from the movie. Right I enjoyed the movie. Wrong I look forward to meet you. Right I look forward to meeting you. Wrong I like very much ice cream. Right I like ice cream very much. Wrong She can to drive. Right She can drive. Wrong Where I can find a bank? Right Where can I find a bank? Wrong I live in United States. Right I live in the United States. Wrong When I will arrive, I will call you. Right When I arrive, I will call you. Wrong I’ve been here since three months. Right I’ve been here for three months. Wrong My boyfriend has got a new work. Right My boyfriend has got a new job. (or just "has a new job") Wrong She doesn’t listen me. Right She doesn’t listen to me. Wrong You speak English good. Right You speak English well. Wrong The police is coming. Right The police are coming. Wrong The house isn’t enough big. Right The house isn’t big enough. Wrong You should not to smoke. Right You should not smoke. Wrong Do you like a glass of wine? Right Would you like a glass of wine? Wrong There is seven girls in the class. Right There are seven girls in the class. Wrong I didn’t meet nobody. Right I didn’t meet anybody. Wrong My flight departs in 5:00 am. Right My flight departs at 5:00 am. Wrong I promise I call you next week. Right I promise I’ll call you next week. Wrong Where is post office? Right Where is the post office? Wrong Please explain me how improve my English. Right Please explain to me how to improve my English. Wrong We studied during four hours. Right We studied for four hours. Wrong Is ready my passport? Right Is my passport ready? Wrong You cannot buy all what you like! Right You cannot buy all that you like! Wrong She is success. Right She is successful. Wrong My mother wanted that I be doctor. Right My mother wanted me to be a doctor. Wrong The life is hard! Right Life is hard. Wrong How many childrens you have? Right How many children do you have? Wrong My brother has 10 years. Right My brother is 10 (years old). Wrong I want eat now. Right I want to eat now. Wrong You are very nice, as your mother. Right You are very nice, like your mother. Wrong She said me that she liked you. Right She told me that she liked you. Wrong My husband engineer. Right My husband is an engineer. Wrong I came Australia to study English. Right I came to Australia to study English. Wrong It is more hot now. Right It’s hotter now. Wrong You can give me an information? Right Can you give me some information? Wrong They cooked the dinner themself. Right They cooked the dinner themselves. Wrong Me and Johnny live here. Right Johnny and I live here. Wrong I closed very quietly the door. Right I closed the door very quietly. Wrong You like dance with me? Right Would you like to dance with me? Wrong I go always to school by subway. Right I always go to school by subway. Wrong If I will be in London, I will contact to you. Right If I am in London, I will contact you. Wrong We drive usually to home. Right We usually drive home.
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