Betterment

Idiom "bless your pointy little head"

You're not sure...

Idiom "lay down and die"

Idiom "king of the hill"

Idiom "kick the can down the road"

Idiom "from Monkeys to Potatoes"

Idiom "hit (someone) when (he or she) is down"

Idiom "kick the tires"

The Ideal Length of Everything You Write Online

https://wordcounter.net/blog/2017/11/24/103182_the-ideal-length-of-everything-you-write-online-infographic.html

Do schools kill creativity?

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

Silent "T" – Natural American English Pronunciation

 https://www.myhappyenglish.com/?powerpress_pinw=14793-podcast

I noticed that quite often when there is an N and a T together in a word, we….I mean us Americans… often drop the T in usual pronunciation. A common example of this is the word Twenty…eighteen, nineteen, twen(t)y. Tweny!

Conversations

A Rescue at Sea

Hi students! This is your teacher from EspressoEnglish.net, and this month I’ll be teaching you English vocabulary from the news. Today’s article is about two women and their dogs who were recently rescued after their boat broke down in the middle of the ocean.

Describe a book you have recently read

This sample answer takes around 2 minutes, which is the maximum amount of time you need to speak for Part 2 of the IELTS exam. 

You should say: what kind of book it is; what it is about; what sort of people would enjoy it; and explain why you liked it. 

安室奈美恵 / Golden Touch

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D0%BC%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BE,_%D0%9D%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%8D

Learn English through story "Three Men In A Boat"

Jerome Klapka Jerome (2 May 1859 – 14 June 1927) was an English writer and humourist, best known for the comic travelogue Three Men in a Boat (1889)

Contrast of Short [i] and Long [i:]

In the last two days, you’ve practiced the Short I and Long E sounds individually. Now, you’re ready to tackle them both together. This lesson will help you stop pronouncing “it is my first visit” like “eat ease my first veezeet.” You can do it!

The language of annoying others+

He really winds me up!

Long [i:] Sound

In this lesson, we’re going to look at the Long E [i:] vowel sound (as used in the words heat, speak, and receive). This sound is easier than Short [i] because it is commonly found in a lot of other languages. How about yours?

Henry VIII

Short [i] vowel sound

Sherlock Holmes and Blue Carbuncle

Conversations

Conversations

Harvard University

Harvard College Is Founded (1636)

Founded with a grant from the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Harvard  College was named for its first benefactor, John Harvard. He bequeathed his books and  about £780 to the fledgling college. The oldest and one of themost prestigious institutions  of higher education in the US,Harvard originally trained Puritan ministers. Today, it has  the largest university endowment in the US, estimated at more than $25 billion in 2009.  Why did Harvard athletes first adopt the color red?

Deadpan

Deadpan is often used in comedy to make viewers feel uncomfortable, or to add contrast to an otherwise slapstick set. This term is an Americanism from the 1920s, when it started being used as slang for the face itself.

Why Making Your Bed Matters

The world is divided into two kinds of people: Those who make their beds, and those who just…don’t. If you’re part of the latter group, it’s time to get your act together! Why, you might ask. Well, besides the fact that your mother said so, everyone from feng shui devotees to sleep researchers has found good reasons to keep the Sheets neat. Here are some of them…

Talk About Your Friends

Now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.Each week, this program tells about words and expressions in American English.

Who, Which, Whom, What, Whose, That

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate relative pronoun.

1. ……………… she said made me angry.

That;            What;            Which

2. She has acted in a movie …………….. name I don’t remember.

Which;            what;            whose

3. The only thing ………………. keeps me awake is tea.

That;            what;            which

How to Write an Apology and More

None of us really likes to apologize when we’ve done something wrong. 

In fact, the ways we avoid apologies are so common they’ve been given names. There’s the “nopology,” the “unpology,” and the “fauxpology,” just for starters. And the hashtag #sorrynotsorry

British icons: the postbox

Speaking Tests

a Formal Letter in English

A formal letter is a letter that is written in the formal language with a specific format for business or official purpose .

In English there are a number of conventions that should be used when writing a formal or business letter. Furthermore, you try to write as simply and as clearly as possible, and not to make the letter longer than necessary. Remember not to use informal language like contractions.

Death Sails

Question Tags

Choose the correct option to complete each sentence.

1. I’m right, ………..?

am I          am'nt I          aren't I

2. Shut up, …………?

can't you         can you         will you         All of the above

3. Don’t forget, …………?

will you          won't you          can you

The Stork Brings the Baby

In this lesson we'll be watching a scene from the 80s hit show, 'The Cosby Show'. In this episode Dr. Huxtable explains what his job is to his granddaughter.

Prepositions & More

·  Incorrect: I recommend you to take a long vacation.

·  Correct: I recommend that you take a long vacation.

·  Incorrect: Come to here.

·   Correct: Come here.

·  Incorrect: The sun rises from the East.

·   Correct: The sun rises in the East.

·   Incorrect: The thief got in from the window.

·   Correct: The thief got in through the window.

Present Perfect Simple оr Continuous Tense

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate verb form.

1. How long ........................ Julie?

have you known;     have you been knowing;     Either could be used here

2. I ............................. all morning. I am tired.

have worked;    have been working;    Either could be used here

3. I ........................ ten letters since morning.

Wrote;       have written;       have been writing

Columbus Day

This is Columbus Day, the second Monday in October, in the United States. It is a federal holiday. That means most federal offices are closed.The holiday honors the first visit to America by the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. Columbus thought he could reach the Far East by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe.

Do you Make Mistakes?

Minimal Pairs

The story of the Australian pig farmer whose livestock were decimated by floods has been circulating on the Internet recently. A reporter misheard him say that 'Thirty thousand pigs were floating down the river', and reported it as such. In fact, what he had said was: 'Thirty sows and pigs...'. 

London - City Tour 2017

Passive In The Subordinate Clause

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate active or passive verb form.

1. It seems that somebody ..................... the room.

was cleaned;     has cleaned;     has been cleaned

American English Pronunciation

Learn English + Sleep Learning

Mom-and-Pop

Don't Devoice Voiced Consonants

A friend of mine was translating from English into Russian in front of a small crowd. The American was talking about the "ice" [ais], that she'd walked outside and slipped on the "ice." My friend had thought the lady had somehow slipped on her eyes [aiz], but couldn't really figure it out.

It's time to...

Какой ИЯ самый сложный и простой в изучении

Хотя для успешного изучения иностранного языка самым главным является мотивация, многих все же интересует вопрос – а какой язык выучить легче? Но делить языки на простые и сложные – неблагодарная задача, так же, как делить книги на интересные и не очень. Это зависит от многих факторов, и во многом от языка, носителем которого вы являетесь.

Давайте все же попробуем разобраться, какие иностранные языки проще, а какие сложнее освоить человеку, говорящему на русском.

Different Ways to Pass and Fail

Students prepare for an exam in suburbs of Yangon, Myanmar, February 2016.

Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories. On this show, we explore the origins and usage of common expressions in American English.

Bring or Take

Bring vs. Take       Some words have certain similarities in meaning and use, and this, oftentimes, causes confusion among us. This is the case with the terms  bring and take. These two refer to moving something or someone from one place to another. But the goal of this post is to help you differentiate the two so you can use them properly.

Listening Comprehension

Three Word Phrasal Verbs

Elder, Older, etc.

Fill in the blanks.

1. My …………….. sister took care of me after the death of our mother.

Oldest          eldest          Either could be used here

2. She is two years …………….. than her husband.

Elder           older           Either could be used here

3. I have two …………….. sisters.

Elder           older           Either could be used here

Этимология некоторых названий стран мира

Афганистан - возможно, от 'Upa-Ghana-Stan' (на санскрите "земля объединенных племен").

Албания - земля горцев. Корень "Алб" означает "белый" или "гора". Предполагается, что горные племена из современного Косово принесли свой горский этноним на узкую прибрежную равнину.