Learn English Online

Learn how to pronounce words with EmbedPlus

2012-05-20T20:33:00.006+01:00

EmbedPlus is leveraging its enhanced YouTube player to offer free video-centric learning experiences in different domains. The first is a language-focused tool for pronunciation learning.

From looking around, you’ll quickly see that it breaks the dictionary convention of simply providing short and isolated audio snippets by additionally providing time-stamped videos of real speakers using words in real situations.

The goal is to give learners greater context and less mechanical pronunciations for free. In some cases, like the video in the screenshot below, you’ll even get to observe the facial gestures used to produce pronunciations.

Using the tool is easy. Simply enter a word in its search box and you’re automatically given an audio pronunciation if one exists.The audio can be replayed as many times as you need. Most importantly, if videos have been matched to the word, their tiles are listed horizontally for you to click and watch. The enhanced embedded YouTube controls provided by EmbedPlus help you effectively navigate the playback.

To further improve the number and quality of the available videos, our team recently had the idea of time-stamping videos from interested ESL teachers on YouTube and using them as pronunciation examples. This would lead to an ESL specific track within the videos we serve and offer a two pronged benefit: (1) ESL teachers get more English learners viewing their videos as we grow to serve more of the many daily pronunciation requests, and (2) learners are able to gain more than just pronunciations as they watch content that inherently provides language learning lessons.

We suggest that interested teachers explore a few words on the site and find samples within their own videos. Note that we’d prefer to start with examples for commonly used English words that do not currently have matching videos, like awesome, cache, and tomato. If you are interested, please send an email to our team with the YouTube channel information here: submit@epronounce.com.

This is a guest post written by Tay Omojokun, Tay is the cofounder of EmbedPlus.

Learn English and improve your vocabulary base with Quizlet

2012-05-16T20:43:00.002+01:00

Quizlet is one of those free Internet resources that are worth trying and that you’ll love. It’s based completely on the use of flashcards for learning English, vocabulary or almost anything.

You can make your own flashcards at Quizlet and then share them so you’ll have millions to choose from. These flashcards are grouped in different categories, like Arts and Literature, Languages and Vocabulary, Maths and Science, History and Geography, Standardized Tests and Professional and Careers.

To study English, the most interesting subcategories are English (in Languages and Vocabulary), SSAT, TOEFL and TOEIC (in Standardized Tests). Moreover, as the majority of vocabulary is in English, you’ll be able to dip into the category you’re interested in and practice your English skills.

The following tools and games are available for each flashcard:

Flashcard Mode: allows you to familiarize yourself with the material.
Speller Mode: uses audio to let you type what you hear.
Learn Mode: is the most powerful study mode, keeping track of your scores, and retesting incorrect answers.
Test Mode: generates customizable tests with short answers, matching, multiple choice and true/false options.
Scatter: is a fun matching game which lets you drag and drop questions and answers with your mouse while racing against the clock.
Space Race: is the ultimate video game study simulation. Racing the clock, you type in answers to questions flying overhead before they evade your grasp.

You can see an example about the Learn Mode below:

Study these flash cards | Study english flash cards

Quizlet is also a very valuable resource for classes, as teachers will be able to create their own flashcards (which can include images) and then use them in class with their students. As it’s an interactive resource, the chances are that it will be fully accepted by the class.

Finally, you can also enjoy Quizlet on your phone or tablet as there are many available apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone and Kindle Fire.

Go on and check out Quizlet, it won’t disappoint you.

VocaTube - Learn the common expressions in English

2012-05-07T12:21:00.000+01:00

There are common expressions in English used in everyday conversations. Sometimes, it can be difficult to learn these expressions because they aren’t usually taught at school. However, there is no doubt that knowing the meaning of get the ball rolling or I’m broke will give a real boost to your English.

In this post, we present several videos with which you’ll learn the common expressions in English. Moreover, videos are sorted according to the levels of difficulty (from the elementary to the advanced level) so you’ll be able to jump and watch only the ones you’re interested in.

Remember that vocabulary can only be improved with practice and listening through repetition. It’s difficult for everyone to understand from the beginning but you’ll notice that the more hours you listen, the better your understanding.

Good introduction to common expressions in English – elementary English

Link to the video on YouTube

10 common expressions in English – intermediate English

Link to the video on YouTube

7 common expressions about money – intermediate English

Link to the video on YouTube

9 common expressions in English (slang language) – intermediate English

Link to the video on YouTube

Common expressions involving food – intermediate English

Link to the video on YouTube

English expressions associated with the word “book” – advanced English

Link to the video on YouTube

English expressions associated with the word “table” – advanced English

Link to the video on YouTube

English expressions associated with the word “hell” – advanced English

Link to the video on YouTube

Great video English expressions for making decisions – advanced English

Link to the video on YouTube

Get the pronunciation of English words with Forvo

2012-04-30T22:11:00.003+01:00

You probably have wondered more than once how to pronounce a word in English. The truth is that pronunciation is one of the most complicated aspects of English because there are no clear rules and many variations.

We’d like to bring to your attention today a free resource known as Forvo, which may be defined as All the words in the World. Pronounced.

It’s actually a definition not far from the truth as it contains over 86,000 words and their English pronunciation. Words can be found very easily as they are grouped in different categories (adjectives, nouns, verbs, sports, animals ...) or you can search for them directly on the Forvo searcher.

Another advantage of Forvo is that many words have been pronounced by more than one person so that you’ll be able to get your ear used to different accents hence improving your comprehension skills. For every word, a map of the World is also displayed so that you can see where the person that pronounced the word actually lives.

Visit Forvo to answer any question about English pronunciation that you might have.

GrammaTube - learn everything about the modal verbs in English

2012-04-24T23:08:00.003+01:00

Do you know how to use the modal verbs in English? Would you be able to use can, could, should, must or have to properly?

If you’re not sure, in this new post we introduce several videos chosen from YouTube that will allow you to understand and properly use modal verbs in English. These videos are full of explanations, examples and exercises to help you understand their use.

Grammar can be one of the most difficult skills to develop in English but it is without doubt the key to progress throughout your learning. A good grammar base will help you to write properly and speak in English, hence improving communication with other people.

List and brief explanation about modal verbs in English

Link to the video on YouTube

Good introductory video to modal verbs along with exercises to practice

Link to the video on YouTube

Explanation about modal verbs “can” and “could”

Link to the video on YouTube

Lesson about modal verbs “must” and “have to”

Link to the video on YouTube

Explanation about modal verb “should”

Link to the video on YouTube

Learn the difference in meaning between “should” and “must”

Link to the video on YouTube

Learn the difference in meaning between “must” and “have to”

Link to the video on YouTube

Modal verbs of obligation, with lots of interactive exercises

Link to the video on YouTube

Using the modal verbs to express past possibilities

Link to the video on YouTube

Good compilation of songs to learn about the modal verbs in English

Link to the video on YouTube

iPhone Apps that help you refine your English

2012-04-09T11:09:00.003+01:00

While there are countless apps out there that claim to teach people the basic mechanics of the English language, there are far fewer apps available that help people refine those skills once they learn the fundamentals. After you learn the bare necessities of English—phonics, basic nouns, verbs, and adjectives, the structure of a simple sentence, and so forth—you have to learn what to do with all the new information in order to keep it fresh and growing in your mind.

With that in mind, here are three free apps for your iPhone that can help you get to the intermediate level of English language competency. Try them out and good luck!

Grammar App

The simply titled Grammar App is a free app for the iPhone that teaches a variety of English grammar lessons to users. Grammar App utilizes a diversity of lesson plans to tackle components of English grammar, including verb tenses, prepositions, interjections, punctuation, and adverbs.

The app allows you to select an area of grammar where you need a lesson, and then presents you with several exercises, usually in the form of a sentence that needs a grammatical tune up. For example, there might be an adverb lesson that shows sentences with incorrect usage, and your job is to point out the misused adverbs. After you complete a lesson, Grammar App tabulates your overall “score” so that you can keep track of your progress.

Download Grammar App

Sentence Maker

If you’re having trouble with the basics of sentence syntax, then you’d better check out Sentence Maker. This app presents you with vibrant photos of various situations and asks you to construct a sentence to describe the scene. There’s a wheel of options to choose from below the picture, typically divided up into sections based on subject, verb, and object.

A picture of a Martian landscape might read “The green aliens are in front of the red rocks.” Sentence Maker offers sentences of varying complexity, so you can change it up depending on your English competency. This is an app primarily meant for children, but it can work just as well for someone new to the English language.

Download Sentence Maker

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

The classic dictionary works just as well on the iPhone as it does in book format. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary app contains millions of words in the English language, each with descriptive and understandable definitions to help you understand them better.

This is an essential tool for someone working on the English language because so many words have multiple meanings that you’ll be lost on their proper use without context. The easy to use interface makes the dictionary much less intimidating than the real thing, which is probably the biggest book you’ll ever see. It’s also a free app, so there’s really no reason not to download it.

Download Merriam-Webster Dictionary

This guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes on the topics of online universities advice. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katherynrivas87@gmail.com.

Are you looking for a pen friend? Find one on PenPal Palace

2012-03-29T20:23:00.002+01:00

As with many things in life, the best way to improve your level of English is by using it. The idea is simple, but putting it into practice can be difficult. If you live in a non-English speaking country, it’s difficult to find people with whom you can practise your English.

Fortunately, the Internet offers many opportunities to find online language partners. Pen pal or pen friend is a person with whom one becomes acquainted through a friendly, regular correspondence (like email or letter). You can even speak in English with this person using programs like Skype or Google Talk.

A great website to find a language-learning partner is PenPal Palace. It’s free, quick and easy. With PenPal Palace you’ll not only be practising your English, but you’ll also have the chance to get to know new people and their cultures, as well as exchanging ideas with others.

Visit PenPalPalace.com

VocaTube - learn the vocabulary related to the classroom and school in English

2012-03-19T23:10:00.001Z

In this new post about the VocaTube series, we present you a list of high quality educational videos that we have selected from YouTube. These videos will show you the most relevant vocabulary related to describing people and objects in the class, like for instance blackboard, notebook or exam.

Remember that vocabulary can only be improved with practice and listening through repetition. It’s difficult for everyone to understand from the beginning but you’ll notice that the more you listen, the better your understanding.

English school vocabulary (includes a test) – elementary English

Link to the video on YouTube

Classroom objects – elementary English

Link to the video on YouTube

Slang that you might hear in the classroom – intermediate English

Link to the video on YouTube

The classroom song: learn numbers and commands – intermediate English

Link to the video on YouTube

Classroom of the future: education and technology – advanced English

Link to the video on YouTube

The Ultimate Firefox Add-on Combo to Learn English

2012-03-06T22:43:00.004Z

Learning English can be a challenge so the tools should be easy and fun to use. Most of all, they should be simple, helpful and not get in the way.

This post describes three great add-ons that you can install on Firefox and that would certainly help you in your journey of improving your level of English.

The Multi-Translator

This new translator has everything you need. It has the ability to get translations from up to three sources (Google/Bing/Pragma) in more than 60 languages. It has a drag and drop ability, a ctrl-M quick translate, and you can even type in your own text for translation. It does however lack the ability to translate the whole page, but I do not think that is needed when you are trying to learn English.

Add this Multi-Translator to Firefox

The Dictionary - Audio Companion

Yes, a dictionary but with one great feature that allows you to hear the word being pronounced. Pronunciation is very important, why learn English if no one can understand you? I chose this add-on not only because of the audio pronunciation tool, but also because it’s other great features like a thesaurus, idioms, example sentences and many more.

Add this Dictionary - Audio companion to Firefox

The Spell Checker

There is a lot of bad spelling online. If you are using the web to learn, you need to make sure that you are learning correctly. This add-on simply highlights all the spelling mistakes on a page. It doesn't get in the way and it’s a helpful time saver when you are translating text or listening to it.

Add this Spell Checker to Firefox

This is a guest post by Ernest Smuga. Ernest is the creator of English Language Learning Software i Immersion. Check out i Immersion on Facebook.

GrammaTube - Causative Verbs in English: let, get, have, make

2012-02-26T21:06:00.003Z

Causative verbs are used to express that someone or something caused someone or something else to do a particular task. This might sound a bit confusing, but if you watch the videos that we’ve compiled you’ll see that it’s not that difficult.

These YouTube videos will show you how to use several causative verbs like let, get, have or make.

Grammar can be one of the most difficult skills to develop in English but it is without doubt the key to progress throughout your learning. A good grammar base will help you to write properly and speak in English, hence improving communication with other people.

Good video with examples about the causative verbs in English

Link to the video on YouTube

Structures and causative verbs in English

Link to the video on YouTube

Causative verbs with Passive and Gerunds

Link to the video on YouTube

Good video that explains the passive causative

Link to the video on YouTube

Learn American English shows us how to use the verb "have" in the causative form

Link to the video on YouTube

How to use the verb "make" as a causative verb

Link to the video on YouTube

3 Wonderful Google Chrome Extensions for English Language Learners

2012-02-23T20:04:00.003Z

Learning a new language is one of the most difficult tasks you can take on once you enter adulthood. There are few things you can learn that will add more to your professional resume or enlighten you more culturally.

While learning English as a second language is no doubt difficult, it is one of the most useful tools you can have as a professional. There are an endless amount of tools and resources available today that can help you master almost any task at hand. With applications for better blogging, browser extensions for computer programmers, and much more, the internet is full of possibilities.

As internet technology continues to grow and expand, more and more endlessly useful tools and resources are popping up online. These three Google Chrome extensions are extremely useful and intuitive tools to help you learn English right from the comfort of your personal computer.

Phras.in

While learning the specifics of grammar and punctuation are essential steps in learning English thoroughly, one of the first steps in learning English is typically learning common conversational phrases.

Phras.in is a wonderful browser extension that can help people learn the eccentricities and peculiarities of various phrases in the English language. The extension has an intuitive interface that makes it simple to use and extremely useful. Compare two phrases to see which is used most often or which is correct. The application will show you the number of times that phrase is used through the web in real world sentences. This helps you decide which phrase is more common and gives you access to immediate examples of how that phrase is used in various sentences.

Add Phras.in to Google Chrome

Google Dictionary

This Chrome extension is one of the most popular dictionaries downloads available online and is extremely useful for English language learners and otherwise. This tool allows users to find the definition, part of speech, pronunciation, examples, synonyms, antonyms, and much more of any word they see while browsing online by simply double clicking on any word in the browser.

This dictionary has many other languages and tools that are extremely useful for any individual surfing the web. However, it can be extremely useful for users wishing to learn English online. Save time by having a dictionary right at your fingertips at all times.

Add Google Dictionary to Google Chrome

Learn English Assistant

This Chrome extension is an extremely useful resource for learning English at home. The Learn English Assistant extension collects various resources that are available online, so that you have all of your English language resources in one easy to access location. While this tool does not offer you any specific language guidance, it does make finding useful resources much simpler. The resources that this extension collects are geared towards both ways to learn spoken English as well as ways to write English correctly.

Add Learn English Assistant to Google Chrome

This is a guest post by Nadia Jones who blogs at accredited online colleges about education, college, student, teacher, money saving, movie related topics. You can reach her at nadia.jones5 @ gmail.com.

VocaTube - the Olympic Games in English

2012-02-19T22:29:00.001Z

With the London Olympic Games just around the corner, it’s time for us to join the Olympic spirit. For this, we have compiled a series of videos from YouTube with which you’ll be able to learn all the English vocabulary about the Olympic sports.

Remember that vocabulary can only be improved with practice and listening through repetition. It’s difficult for everyone to understand from the beginning but you’ll notice that the more hours you listen, the better your understanding.

Good video with English Sports Vocabulary – elementary English

Link to the video on YouTube

Video with general vocabulary for Sports in English – elementary English

Link to the video on YouTube

Vocabulary with Winter Olympic Sports – elementary English

Link to the video on YouTube

Subtitled video with sports in Britain – intermediate English

Link to the video on YouTube

Introduction to London Summer Olympics 2012 – advanced English

Link to the video on YouTube

English vocabulary about the Olympic Games (part 1) – advanced English

Link to the video on YouTube

English vocabulary about the Olympic Games (part 2) – advanced English

Link to the video on YouTube

English vocabulary about the Olympic Games (part 3) – advanced English

Link to the video on YouTube

Visit the official website for the London 2012 Olympic Games

Nobuna - improve your level of English through listening games

2012-02-13T22:00:00.002Z

There is no doubt that in order to get a good level of English, you need to be patient and repeat things a lot. The first time you watch a video or listen to something you probably don’t understand a great deal, but with second and successive hearings as your ear gets used to English the sounds will become more familiar.

This is the idea behind Nobuna, a great website that allows you to improve your level of English by watching videos and completing listening games.

The way it works is very simple; as you go through the exercises, you’ll be absorbing a lot of information by listening to and analyzing the texts. You’ll also be learning and using new words as you fill in the blanks.

The recommended system at Nobuna to learn English is to watch and listen to the entire video without interruption and try to understand the dialogue. Then you watch and listen to the video a second time and try to fill in the blanks. When you’re done with the exercise (it doesn’t matter if you haven’t filled in all the gaps), click on “Finish” to view your results and check them against the video to identify your mistakes and look up words you didn’t understand in the dictionary.

You can see more information about Nobuna on the following video

Link to the video on YouTube

Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed. Visit Nobuna now!

GrammaTube - learn about the uses of “get” in English

2012-02-09T21:59:00.003Z

Do you know the meaning of expressions such as “get a life” or “get into something”? If you are not sure you might keep reading, in this new post of the GrammaTube series, we introduce several videos chosen from YouTube that will allow you to understand these sentences and many other uses of the English word “get”.

Grammar can be one of the most difficult skills to develop in English but it is without doubt the key to progress throughout your learning. A good grammar base will help you to write properly and speak in English, hence improving communication with other people.

English grammar lesson/presentation with the word “get”

Link to the video on YouTube

English idioms with “get”

Link to the video on YouTube

The many uses of the verb “to get”

Link to the video on YouTube

Good video with many situations where you can use “get”

Link to the video on YouTube

Phrasal verbs with “get”

Link to the video on YouTube

An explanation of the phrasal verb “to get something off”

Link to the video on YouTube

Learn everything about the grammatical structure “get + adjective”

Link to the video on YouTube

Learnamericanenglish explains the structure “get + adjective / past participle”

Link to the video on YouTube

Common collocations with the word “get”

Link to the video on YouTube

Going Back to Basics - 3 iPhone Children’s App for English Learners

2012-01-31T21:02:00.004Z

You may very well be over the age of 30, but sometimes when you want to learn a language, its best to go back to the basics—we’re talking about using children’s picture books and games to help you achieve your goal. The apps listed below are technically designed to teach young children how to speak English; however their fun and interactive platform can really be beneficial to beginning adult English-learners as well. And the best part? They’re completely free. That said; to learn some iPhone and iPad apps that can help you perfect your English skills, continue reading.

English First High Flyers

The English First High Flyers app is a great way for you to improve and expand your vocabulary—the best part is that you’re having fun with it through games instead of just writing down the words and memorizing them. There are five games in total, each include audio flashcards. Once you master each set of flashcards and earn the appropriate points, you can then move on to the next level of the game. Each level gradually get’s more complex as you move on.

Download English First High Flyers for iPad

English for Kids

The English for Kids app is a little bit more mature than the one mentioned above, but it’s still a fun and aesthetically pleasing way for you to perfect your spelling and pronunciation of simple English terms. Subjects include the human body, food, numbers, colours, and the personality / characteristics of certain people just to name a few. The app is also equipped with a native English speaking “helper” that will notify you when you’ve selected the wrong answer.

Download English for Kids for iPod touch, iPhone and iPad

Reading Monster

Like the name suggests, the Reading Monster app is designed to improve one’s reading and comprehension. This app is best used for those who are comfortable with vocabulary since learners will build on sentence structure. Although the curriculum of the games and stories are for elementary school students, it can definitely ease off the pressure of trying to comprehend extremely complex sentences.

Download Reading Monster for iPad

Yes, the apps mentioned above may seem quite juvenile for a few individuals, but it’s a good way to ease people into learning English—after all, when you learned your native language you started the same way. Naturally, once you’ve mastered the “fun” portion of learning the English language, you can definitely move on to more advanced and “serious” learning applications.

This is a guest post by Kimberly Wilson. Kimberly is from accredited online colleges, she writes on topics including career, education, student life, college life, home improvement or time management.

VocaTube - English vocabulary about illnesses and health problems

2012-01-25T23:19:00.002Z

How do you say “I have a headache” in English? What if you get sick and you don’t know how to explain your symptoms to the doctor? Whether you know it or not, we’d like to invite you to read the following article that contains a series of videos from YouTube with a lot of English vocabulary about illnesses and health problems.

Remember that vocabulary can only be improved with practice and listening through repetition. It’s difficult for everyone to understand from the beginning but you’ll notice that the more hours you listen, the better your understanding.

Vocabulary about illnesses in English – elementary English

Link to the video on YouTube

Great video that teaches different health-related vocabulary – elementary English

Link to the video on YouTube

Subtitled video from Mr Duncan about health and exercise – intermediate English

Link to the video on YouTube

Good subtitled video with vocabulary about teeth and the dentist – intermediate English

Link to the video on YouTube

Subtitled video teeth idioms – intermediate English

Link to the video on YouTube

Visiting the doctor – advanced English

Link to the video on YouTube

Making doctor visits fun with Sesame Street characters – advanced English

Link to the video on YouTube

Two Great Apps for Your Phone - Podcasts and Vocopedia!

2012-01-16T22:07:00.003Z

Learning any new language is a difficult process, and many people consider English to be one of the hardest languages to learn. Not only is English proficiency important for strictly English majors today, but it is also important in many fields of work ranging from information technology to medical transcription.

But technology is a wonderful tool that can help you learn English more quickly and effectively. With most mobile phones allowing development of apps, and popular internet browsers like Firefox and Google Chrome doing the same, there are now more tools than ever available to help you learn English. Here are some of the best ones out there. As a bonus, all the apps listed are free - just download and get started!

LearnEnglish Elementary Podcasts

The British Council's Learn English division has numerous apps for mobile phones and Facebook targeted at English language learners. The free Elementary Podcasts app is designed for elementary English learners, and helps increase spoken and written English proficiency.

Each podcast is 20 minutes long and features two speakers who ask the listener questions about English. The listener can answer the questions as the podcast progresses. A written transcript is also provided in real time alongside the audio, allowing the listener to read alone with what is being spoken. If the learner is confused, there is an option to contact the podcasters via Facebook directly from the app so their questions can be answered.

Download LearnEnglish Elementary for iPhone and iPad

Download LearnEnglish Elementary for Android

Download LearnEnglish Elementary for Nokia

Download LearnEnglish Elementary for Blackberry

Vocopedia

For English language learners of all proficiencies, from those who are just starting out to advanced speakers, the free Vocopedia Android app is a great vocabulary builder with many interactive features that will add an element of fun into your language learning.

Over 3900 English words of varying difficulties are presented on flashcards, alongside their synonyms, their part of speech, and examples of their usage in real sentences. You can bookmark flashcards and save specific flashcard sessions to go over later. Also included is a hangman game that features words from the flashcards. This app is useful not just for English learners, but also for those studying for tests such as the SAT, the GRE, or the TOEFL.

Download Vocopedia for Android

These apps aren't designed to completely replace all the other elements of your learning process (classes, books, and one-on-one lessons), but when used alongside them, they are great ways to start enjoying the process of learning English. The days of learning without technology are long gone now. These days, your phone and computer are some of the most important tools you have to make your goal of learning English a reality.

This is a guest post by Marina Salsbury. Marina planned on becoming a teacher since high school, but found her way instead into online writing after college. She currently writes on a variety of topics, but always seems to veer back to education-related articles.

Dictionary with ‘real’ British translation

2012-01-11T22:33:00.001Z

British people are known for being very polite when speaking and expressing themselves. However, those who learn English and come from societies that use a more 'direct' way of communicating can misunderstand the message being transmitted.

The following is a list of examples (includes humour) that explains what a British person says, what they mean and what others understand from such expressions.

Table 1: Dictionary with ‘real’ British translation
What the British say	What the British mean	What others understand
I hear what you say	I disagree and do not want to discuss it further	He accepts my point of view
With the greatest respect...	I think you are an idiot	He is listening to me
That's not bad	That's good	That's poor
That is a very brave proposal	You are insane	He thinks I have courage
Quite good	A bit disappointing	Quite good
I would suggest...	Do it or be prepared to justify yourself	Think about the idea, but do what you like
Oh, incidentally / by the way	The primary purpose of our discussion is...	That is not very important
I was a bit disappointed that	I am annoyed that	It doesn't really matter
Very interesting	That is clearly nonsense	They are impressed
I'll bear it in mind	I've forgotten it already	They will probably do it
I'm sure it's my fault	It's your fault	Why do they think it was their fault?
You must come for dinner	It's not an invitation, I'm just being polite	I will get an invitation soon
I almost agree	I don't agree at all	He's not far from agreement
I only have a few minor comments	Please re-write completely	He has found a few typos
Could we consider some other options	I don't like your idea	They have not yet decided

GrammaTube - an explanation about the difference between “used to” and “would”

2011-12-19T22:54:00.002Z

Many students of English have trouble with the difference between “used to” and “would”. We use both of these to talk about things in the past which we don't do now or are not happening now. Sometimes both “used to” and “would” are OK in one sentence - sometimes only “used to”.

This post contains a selection of YouTube videos that explain in a clear way the difference between “used to” and “would” when talking about things in the past.

Grammar can be one of the most difficult skills to develop in English but it is without doubt the key to progress throughout your learning. A good grammar base will help you to write properly and speak in English, hence improving communication with other people.

Good subtitled video with differences between “used to” and “would”

Link to the video on YouTube

Great video that explains how to use “would” in the past

Link to the video on YouTube

Good subtitled video with examples about using “used to” and “would”

Link to the video on YouTube

The difference between I used to, past simple and would for past habits

Link to the video on YouTube

A Guide to Free Online Exposure to English

2011-12-10T19:36:00.006Z

The internet is providing more people with access to language learning resources than ever before. In addition to great online courses, modern students also have a wide range of free tools at their disposal. By using your initiative and staying motivated, you can greatly lower the cost of studying English.

Exposure Is Key

Before looking into your options, you must understand that exposure is fundamental to learning a new language. You need to hear, read, write and speak English as frequently as possible. An online resource will only work if it guarantees a decent amount of exposure. Don’t bother wasting your time with an online resource that doesn’t benefit you – it will only frustrate you and sap your motivation. Here is a short step-by-step guide to using free online resources to gain exposure to English.

Step 1 – Listening (BBC Languages)

BBC Languages is an excellent online resource for people who want an introduction to English. One of the best features on the site is that it encourages the online community to participate in the learning process. Every week the site releases a video in which Londoners are asked a question. By listening to these short videos, you are exposed to the natural speaking habits of native English speakers. This exposure will make you feel more comfortable in real-life situations.

Step 2 – Writing (Language Schools)

Many language schools offer free services on their websites. Visit these web pages and pull off any information you can. Free tests are useful to download, as they will help you gauge your progress. When searching for online resources, look into the language schools London, Toronto, Cape Town and New York offer. These are some of the major hubs of English learning, and schools in these destinations tend to feature more online resources.

Step 3 – Reading (Project Gutenberg)

If you enjoy reading, then Project Gutenberg is the site for you. It features a wide range of e-books with expired copyrights that can be downloaded for free. Project Gutenberg recently added a Kindle option, which allows Kindle owners to download the books directly to their e-readers.

Step 4 – Constant Exposure (Blabbinit Podcasts)

Our mobile phones are powerful tools, and they offer great language learning potential. Today, we can stream videos no matter where we are. Instead of always listening to your favourite songs, why not download an English podcast to listen to while in your car or on the way to work? Blabbinit has 30 English-learning podcasts, which you can stream for free. By maximising the amount of time you listen to English, you will be able to improve your language proficiency faster.

Step 5 – Speaking (Skype)

A great way to communicate with a foreign friend is through Skype. If you feel self-conscious, you can start by typing instant messages. As you become more comfortable, you can begin to speak in person and even use the video call feature. This will enable you to practise reading, writing, listening and speaking on a regular basis. Skype is great for people who don’t have many foreign friends, because it provides the exposure that is so necessary for language learning.

Step 6 – Total Immersion (Travel)

Sometimes the best way to learn is by throwing yourself in at the deep end. Visit an English-speaking country and try to communicate with locals. When you are surrounded by a language every day, your proficiency will grow and you will learn to enjoy using the language more.

Final Pointer

Even if you have signed up for an English course London, Toronto, New York or Cape Town offers, you should still take advantage of the free resources at your disposal. If you supplement your English lessons with online learning, you will maximise your exposure – and that means you will get fluent faster.

Guest post by Damien Venuto on behalf of Content Lobby. Content Lobby’s copywriters have experience creating original and quality content for sites across the web. If you’re interested, feel free to contact them at info@contentlobby.com.

Three great apps to learn English that you should add to Google Chrome

2011-12-06T22:45:00.003Z

Lyrics for Google Chrome

This fantastic extension for Google Chrome allows you to get the lyrics of any song on YouTube, Last.fm, Grooveshark and Google Music.

It’s very easy to use. If for instance you visit YouTube and watch a musical video on the address bar you’ll see the icon for the app; if you click on it, a text box with the lyrics for the song will appear on the right side of the video.

Learning English through listening to music is very amusing and effective. You can find some tips and more resources on this learning guide to learn English from scratch using Music.

Add Lyrics to Google Chrome

How Do You Say

This extension allows you to improve your level of English by getting real-time words pronunciation just by highlighting them on the web page. For example, if you visit the website for the English newspaper The Guardian, you’ll see on the address bar the icon for the app (the United Kingdom flag). It’ll be in a shade of grey and if you click on it and then on the “Enable” button you’ll be able to use the real-time pronunciation functionality:

You’ll then be able to select any word from the text and listen to its pronunciation. This app is really useful for learning how to pronounce new vocabulary.

Add How Do You Say to Google Chrome

American / English Radio

Last but not least, a great extension to increase your number of listening hours and thus immersing yourself more in the English language and improving your listening comprehension skills. This app allows you to listen online to several stations from the US and GB like Kiss, BBC Radio 1 or Pulse 87.

Using this app is very simple, you just need to launch it and select the station that you wish to listen to.

Add American / English Radio to Google Chrome

VocaTube - English Vocabulary about the Hospital

2011-11-24T21:39:00.002Z

Do you know the meaning of surgeon, ambulance or examining couch? Not really too sure? Don’t worry, this new post on the VocaTube series comes to the rescue.

In this post, we present several videos with which you’ll learn vocabulary related to the hospital. Moreover, videos are sorted according to the levels of difficulty (from the elementary to the advanced level) so you’ll be able to jump and watch only the ones you’re interested in.

Remember that vocabulary can only be improved with practice and listening through repetition. It’s difficult for everyone to understand from the beginning but you’ll notice that the more hours you listen, the better your understanding.

Great video with questions and answers for children – elementary English

Link to the video on YouTube

Health Professions – elementary English

Link to the video on YouTube

Hospital movie words – intermediate English

Link to the video on YouTube

Visiting someone in the hospital – advanced English

Link to the video on YouTube

The Hospital, subtitled series (part 1) – advanced English

Link to the video on YouTube

The Hospital, subtitled series (part 2) – advanced English

Link to the video on YouTube

The Hospital, subtitled series (part 3) – advanced English

Link to the video on YouTube

Two Free Apps to Learn English with your BlackBerry Phone

2011-11-21T21:57:00.004Z

It’s quite amazing seeing how learning English has evolved over the last few years. The Internet revolution came first; it allowed learning English from any remote area connected to the net. In recent years, a similar revolution has been happening with smartphones and their apps.

If you have a BlackBerry phone and wish to learn English, this article will be especially useful for you. We describe two great and free apps to learn English that you can download from BlackBerry App World.

English Word Usage Examples

This app makes it easier to learn new vocabulary in English as you can look up sample sentences (there are more than 100,000), and learn how to use the vocabulary properly.

You can also share your knowledge by sending the sentence to you friend via e-mail.

Download English Word Usage Examples from BlackBerry App World

Dictionary.com - Dictionary and Thesaurus

A wonderful English dictionary for your BlackBerry phone; the main features of this app are:

More than 325,000 words and definitions
More than 275,000 synonyms and antonyms
Phonetic and audio pronunciations
Spelling suggestions
Recent history
Social networking functions
Email integration.

This app also features the Word of the Day functionality. There is no doubt that Dictionary.com is a must-download for your mobile phone.

Download Dictionary.com - Dictionary and Thesaurus from BlackBerry App World

A brief introduction to compound and complex sentence construction in English

2011-11-15T23:17:00.004Z

You can dramatically improve your English writing skills by revising paragraphs written in short, simple sentences so that they reflect a deeper understanding of your subject. You can do this by combining and connecting previously written simple sentences into longer complex sentences which communicate more information and display a firm grasp on written English. A few compound and complex sentences express a more nuanced thought than a whole paragraph of shorter sentences with limited meaning. I’ll give brief examples of how you can incorporate compound and complex sentences into your everyday writing.

Compound sentences

The easier of these two structural styles to grasp is the compound sentence. Compound sentences essentially link together two independent simple sentences, often by adding a coordinating conjunction such as “but,” “and,” “so,” “yet,” or “for”. Though grammatically correct, it looks strange when two short sentences that address the same idea follow each other in a paragraph. Compound sentences work to unite short sentences into a coherent long thought that addresses several aspects of the same main idea. Below are a few examples of simple sentences transformed into compound sentences. I’ve underlined the coordinating conjunction in each compound sentence.

Simple sentence: I won tickets by calling the radio station. The DJ told me to invite along all my friends to the show!

Compound sentence: I won tickets by calling the radio station, and the DJ told me to invite along all my friends to the show!

Simple sentence: Mary said she could come to the show. She got sick the day before.

Compound sentence: Mary said she could come to the show, but she got sick the day before.

Complex Sentences

Complex sentences link together an independent clause with one or more dependent clauses and contain multiple verbs, thus explaining much more information in one sentence than a string of related simple sentences. The independent clause and dependent clause are typically linked by a relative pronoun (that, which, who, whose, etc.) or a subordinate conjunction (when, because, since, although, so, etc.).

The best way to think about the difference between independent and dependent clauses is that independent clauses make grammatical sense on their own, independent of anything else in the sentence. Dependent clauses, on the other hand, depend on the independent clause to make grammatical sense -they can’t stand by themselves. The following are examples of complex sentences with the conjunction underlined and the dependent clause in bold.

Complex sentence: We sold our quota faster than the team that walked because we biked.

Complex sentence: I ate the cookies that you left out.

Complex sentence: Jeff said he thought he compiled more data than I did.

Complex-Compound Sentence

A little more difficult than the previous two sentence types, the complex-compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses, usually linked by a dependent clause. These sentences can communicate several big ideas about the same subject without breaking the thought for a new sentence. Below are a few examples of complex-compound sentences with the linking dependent clause underlined.

Complex-Compound sentence: Although Frank enjoyed cooking, he always forgot to buy groceries ahead of time, so he usually went out to eat for dinner.

Complex-Compound sentence: I started eating an apple every day at lunch, but George, who loves his junk food, continues to eat chips.

Complex-Compound sentence: Jessie didn’t care about the weather before, but since the storm, he’s made a point to bring his umbrella everywhere.

This guest post is contributed by Lauren Bailey, who regularly writes for online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: blauren99 @gmail.com.

GrammaTube - learn the difference between “used to”, “be used to” and “get used to”

2011-11-13T20:04:00.003Z

Do you know the difference between “used to”, “be used to” and “get used to”? “Used to” is for past situations that are no longer true, “Be used to” is a verb phrase for situations or activities that you do regularly and “Get used to” indicates that you have adapted or become accustomed to something you may or may not like.

In this new post on the GrammaTube series we introduce several videos chosen from YouTube that will allow you to understand and properly use the expressions “used to”, “be used to” and “get used to”.

Grammar can be one of the most difficult skills to develop in English but it is without doubt the key to progress throughout your learning. A good grammar base will help you to write properly and speak in English, hence improving communication with other people.

Good explanation showing how to use “used to” in a sentence (by Learn American English)

Link to the video on YouTube

Many examples to learn how to use “used to”

Link to the video on YouTube

Entertaining video that explains “used to” through several songs

Link to the video on YouTube

Great explanation showing how to use “be used to” (by Learn American English)

Link to the video on YouTube

Learn how to use the expression “get used to” (by Learn American English)

Link to the video on YouTube

Common mistakes with the expressions “used to” and “be used to” (by JenniferESL)

Link to the video on YouTube

Differences between “used to” and “be used to” (by Steve Ford)

Link to the video on YouTube

Common mistakes in English: “get used to” (by JenniferESL)

Link to the video on YouTube

Good video with the difference between “used to” and “I’m used to”

Link to the video on YouTube