Funny mistakes!

Funny language mistakes!

Hi, it’s Andy here. This is a FREE lesson from our fantastic magazine Learn Hot English! It’s based on some stories about language mistakes. First, learn some useful vocabulary. Then, do the listening activity. After that, scroll down for the script and listen again while you’re reading the text (this will develop your listening skills). Finally, do the quiz to see how much language you’ve learnt! Good luck!

Silent Letters

Words with Silent Letter A

Artistically

Idiom "go to the mattresses"

Ways to say "I don't know"

Conversation practice: parties

At this time of year it´s good to talk about PARTIES!
Christmas is a great time to party with your family, friends or work colleagues. So, just to help you talk about all the parties you go to over this festive period (or whatever time of the year), we're going to teach you lots of useful words and expressions.
We really hope you enjoy our video class on talking about Parties.

Holiday or vacation?

Right now it’s just a couple days away from Christmas, which is a major holiday in the United States. So in today’s lesson I’m going to teach you about the difference between the words holiday and vacation. English learners often ask me about this, and it’s a little more complicated than you might think!

Idiom "go to Canossa"

Idiom "be potty about (something)"

Idiom "drive (someone) potty"

Phrasal Verbs For The New Year

How are you going to celebrate the New Year?

If you’re going to a party on 31 December, check out this list of ten phasal verbs for the New Year. They’re all common in spoken English, so when you use them, you’ll sound more like a native speaker.

Idiom "go soft"

Conversation practice "shopping"

English conversation practice: Shopping!

 When was the last time you went shopping? Not very long ago, I imagine. After all, shopping is something we all do at least once a week! So, as a result it’s a great topic of conversation for language learners like you.

Quotation Marks

Quotes can be tricky, but quotes inside of quotes? Quoteception! Quick and Dirty Tips presents "How to Use Single Quotation Marks" with Grammar Girl, Mignon Fogarty. In this video, learn how to use single quotation marks (for American English).

Today's topic is single quotation marks versus double quotation marks.

Idiom "go out with a bang"

American Idioms

What does the idiom, be in hot water mean?
When you are in hot water, you are in trouble.

• I was in hot water when I lost my passport when I was traveling in Europe.
• You are going to be in hot water if you come to work late again.

How to Say "Thank you"?

Dinner vs Diner 🍟​

Prefixes and Suffixes from A to Z​

Idiom "advanced in years"

Linking Words

25 Phrases Every English Intermediate Learner Must-Know

Idiom "advance notice"

Conditionals

Fill in the blanks with if or unless.

1. ................................. you are caught cheating on the exam, you will be disqualified.

Idiom "affable personality"

The Word Stories Behind The “Twelve Days Of Christmas” Gifts

partridge in a pear tree

The likelihood of finding a partridge in a pear tree is slim, and not just because partridges aren't big fruit eaters. Partridges are ground-nesting birds, preferring to avoid soaring journeys and high perches. The word ultimately comes to us from perdix, the Greek word for the bird. This word is thought to be based on a verb meaning "to break wind" ... apparently referring to the sound of the bird’s wings as it flies off.

Idiom "a sly dog"

Things you should know about Thanksgiving!

Have you ever heard of the festival Thanksgiving?

Everyday English Phrases & Expressions

Here are some English phrases used in everyday situations. They’re very common, but they’re rather colloquial, so you often won’t find them in an English textbook! Learn these phrases and expressions as well as the situations in which you can use each one.

Idiom "gentleman's agreement"

Learn English Through Story | L A Winners

Idiom "Is the glass half empty or half full?"

Idiom "from a mile away"

Funny language mistakes!

Funny language mistakes!

Hi, it’s Andy here.

Most Important English idioms

50 Most Important English idioms

Talking about Work and Jobs in English

How to introduce yourself & other people

Idiom "fire-breathing"

English Similes For Describing People

Ever Wonder Why We Call It Fall? 🍁

Fall Once Had A Different Name

We may now call it fall, but once upon a time, the season that comes after summer but before winter was referred to simply as harvest.

A cool trick for memorizing sentences

(Watch this video or read the article below.)

Someone recently told me about a cool trick for memorizing things.

Idiom "fair-weather fan"

It's a shame you missed it!

  
“It's a shame you missed it!”

Last week you went to a great party that was thrown by one of the companies that you do business with. You had a great time. Today you see your coworker, who didn't go to the party. You want to tell him how fun the party was. You say this to show that you wish he had been there.

Idiom "(the) elephant in the room"

Prepositions During and For

During and For

'During' and 'for' can be a little tricky. They both talk about time, but they're different. Here's how they work.

Idiom "have (something) down cold"

4 common mistakes English learners make

In my last post, I pointed out that the kind of mistakes that you read about on the Internet are mistakes that English speakers make, not ones that English learners should watch out for. So the obvious question is: what should English learners look out for?

Idiom "stand on the shoulders of giants"

Ever had a problem saying an e mail addresses?

Idiom "Don't call us, we'll call you."

Words To Know For Your First Year Of College

A student's first year of university or college can be an exciting time, but also an intense time of transition. There's a new campus to get used to, friends to make, passions to discover, and even new words to learn. The first degree awarding college was founded in 859 a.d. ... so the higher education system has loads of terms that are used to describe its workings.

Words To Know For High School

Football games. Band practice. Cramming for tests while still trying to get eight hours of sleep.

High school can be overwhelming. On top of it all, there's also whole new set of lingo you have to learn. There's the alphabet soup of AP, IB, and MLA. There's the tongue twister: extracurriculars.

But, don't worry: We've got you covered. Whether you are an incoming freshman, a parent of a student, or teacher or tutor trying to teach some life skills, here is a handy guide to some essential words for a successful high school career.

"Do You Capitalize It?" Gameshow

https://www.dictionary.com/e/video/capitalize-it-gameshow/?param=slideshow-email&click=7id75z&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Weekend%20Best%20Of%20Email%202019-10-19&utm_term=Daily

Idiom "the devil is in the details"

Asking for Directions in English

Have you ever been in a situation where you understand each individual word - but not the meaning of the sentence?

Idiom "desperate times call for desperate measures"

4 Sentence Types: Declarative, Interrogative, Exclamatory, & Imperative

Idiom "dead asleep"

Why Do We Call Coffee ‘a Cup of Joe’?

What’s the origin of the word "coffee"? And why do we call coffee "a cup of joe"?  September 29 is National Coffee Day. So raise your mug and take a sip because today we’re looking at some of the weird words we use to talk about coffee.

Idiom "day or night"

English phrases: Good grief & For goodness' sake

When you learn English, I recommend learning phrases and not just individual words. When you just study individual words, it’s hard to put them together into a phrase – but when you study phrases, then you can use the complete phrase in your speaking and it’s much easier.

Idiom "dealbreaker"

How To Talk About Years

 Types Of Yearsa leap year = this is a year when there are 366 days rather than 365 days. The extra day is on 29 January. A leap year occurs once every four years.

“When’s the next leap year, do you know?”

Idiom "dead last"

How to use 'whereas'

 Whereas

'Whereas' is a bit of a formal word and if you use it correctly in formal writing, it's impressive.

It's used to talk about two different things and to show a contrast between them.

Idiom "party crasher"

Idiom "creature of habit"

50 English Phrases to Use in a Conversation

Idiom "can't be bothered"

Idiom "cool reception"

50 Ways To Use Just

English is full of little words that we use all the time in conversation - and "just" is one of those words.

Here are a few typical expressions with "just" to get you started:

"Just in case"
"Just because"

Idiom "control freak"

For / since / during / while?

DURING     During is followed by a noun.  For example, we can say ‘during the party’. This usually means ‘at some time between the start of the party and the end of the party’. 

Do you know the 5 senses in English?

Idiom "contrary to popular opinion"

Don't SAY: I DON'T like it

Idiom "conspicuous consumption"

Idiom "concrete jungle"

6 past tense irregular verbs

Do you know how to pronounce these 6 verbs? We’re going to look at 6 past tense verbs that are difficult to pronounce. But by the end of this lesson, you’ll know how pronounce them perfectly! Here are the 6 past tense irregular verbs we’re going to look at: bought, brought, fought, thought, caught, taught.

Idiom "The Second Mouse Gets the Cheese"

Idiom "castles in the sky"

Set phrases with prepositions

Why do we say 'go ON a diet'? Or 'be IN a hurry'? Unfortunately, there's usually no good explanation! But the phrases don't change, so once you know them, you can be sure you're correct. 

Idiom "come close to blows"

Native English Phrases

There are some phrases in every language that tell you ALL you need to know about the culture! Here are some which can help you understand British English speakers. They all describe different characteristics.

Idiom "collect dust"

Idiom "collect (one's) wits"

Students’ Mistakes

English Vocabulary Mistakes From Students’ Homework

ERROR 1 – ACTUALLY / CURRENTLY

The first mistake is using actually when you should say currently – for example, if someone asks a student, “Where do you work now?” and they say, “I actually work at a university.” This is incorrect.

Idiom "code of silence"

What Are Passive Verbs?

Idiom "clout list"

Why Is The Word "Conversate" In The Dictionary?

https://www.dictionary.com/e/video/conversate-video

Why I dress as a Regency gentleman...

Idoim "cloud the issue"

Breaking the Bucket List

Idiom"bucket list"

They had a spread like you wouldn't believe!

“They had a spread like you wouldn't believe!” Last week you went to a great party that was thrown by one of the companies that you do business with. You're telling your coworker, who didn't go to the party, about it.

English Conversation Practice

English Intonation - to sound professional and intelligent

Advanced Vocabulary Test

Idiom "brood over"

25 ways to say "sorry"

Knowing how to apologize is an important part of being polite. You probably already know "sorry", but there are many other ways to apologize in English. 

Idiom "broken record"

All 12 English Grammar Tenses!

Adjectives to Sound Smarter

Sound SMART!

Idiom "bring a knife to a gunfight"

PERSON and PEOPLE

Idiom "a bridge too far"

Business English - Telephone calls

Idiom "bored to tears"

Idiom "boots and all"

Idiom "blood in the water"

Health Vocabulary

Are you healthy? Do you often get ill, or do you suffer from a particular condition? This health vocabulary will help you talk about health problems, lifestyles, cures and treatments in English. There are also common collocations to help you use the vocabulary in context.