English Knowledge Base

Many of the entries below are answers to student questions. Feel free to explore and if you have a question, I’ll do my best to answer it. 

Contact Form (#3)

Stop Playing Conversation Catch Sometimes, teachers say conversation is like playing catch because our ideas go back and forth like tossing a ball. Today, let’s …

Proofreading – Need proofreading services? We will check your writing for formatting, accuracy, word choice, style, and usage. Simple, safe.

Gauntlet My students and I often discus articles related to their industries or general business topics. Often, interesting or unusual vocabulary pops up and this …

Suggestions, recommendations, and Proposals: What’s the difference? Similarities  Suggestions, recommendations, and proposals are all used to share an idea. For example, my company bought some …

What’s the difference between end and finish? Finish and end both mean something stops, but finish typically means something is complete and end is the …

What’s the difference between overtime and overwork? Overtime is a noun. It means extra time a person works. In casual English, we sometimes say OT.  …

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day Idioms Valentine’s Day is the holiday of love. It’s an international holiday celebrated on February 14th in most countries. People celebrate the holiday …

Happy Thanksgiving

Native American Words in English English is a mishmash of words from all over the world with plenty of regional variations. American English is, of …

Lucky Rabbit's Feet

Why are rabbits’ feet lucky? Lucky rabbits’ feet are popular around the world, but why are they lucky? Read the story below at your level. …

Image showing positions on the bed in the bed

On the bed and In bed Students often ask about the difference between “in bed” and “on the bed”. Fortunately, it’s not too tough. 1. in …

farther vs further

Farther and Further What’s the difference between farther and further and how do you use them?  Many native speakers mix these words up. Why? Because …

A family enjoying the American Dream

Independence Day Idioms and Expressions Happy 4th of July!  Independence Day is an American holiday to mark the signing of the Declaration of Independence on …

Year's Experience vs Years' Experience

Year’s Experience vs Years’ Experience Is it “year’s experience” or “years’ experience”?   This is a simple grammar point that a LOT of people ask about, including …

This is not your father's board illustration.

Father’s Day Idioms Happy Father’s Day!  As a very happy dad, you can imagine that Father’s Day is pretty special to me. There are lots …

How to use Either

How to use either. “Either” is pretty easy to use, but there are some special examples to look out for.  Let’s start with the basics.  …

every day and everyday

Every Day and Everyday What’s the difference between every day and everyday? These words are easy to mix up, especially if you are typing fast, …

What's the difference? Whether weather wether

Whether, weather, and wether Whether, weather, and wether: what’s the difference?  These words aren’t too hard, but they are easy to mix up when we …

An example of clickbait.

What is clickbait? Clickbait is a leading title, usually with an image. Online, these titles make people want to “click” through to some content. Unfortunately, …

a mother with an ugly baby

Mother’s Day Idioms A face only a mother could love. Happy Mother’s Day!  There are lots of idioms in English related to to Mothers. So, …

Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test book cover

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test Instructions Read the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use them in your …

English words with silent K

Silent K in English I like to say that spelling and pronunciation in English are a bit of an adventure. The silent K is an …

Literally vs Figuratively

Literally and Figuratively Figuratively Figurative expressions mean something special. The words and meaning don’t always match. “Spill the tea” means “gossip”.  Literally Literal expressions mean …

list of world clocks with AM PM listings

How to write AM PM This drives me crazy. I look this up all the time, and always need to check again. Why? Because there are so …

North, South, East, and West I sometimes hear students mix up directions like “north of” or “in northern”. It’s an easy thing to confuse. Below …

affect and effect

Affect vs Effect What’s the difference between affect and effect?  English learners and native speakers alike get these words mixed up, myself included. So, let’s …

vocabulary cards

Five English Vocabulary Tips Learning English vocabulary takes some work, but these ideas will make it a little easier. Try these study tips and tell us …

meet with, meet, meet up with

Meet, Meet with, Meet up with What is the difference between meet with, meet, and meet up with?  This is a simple pattern I often …

Spider-man

Alliteration Alliteration is when several words close together start with the same sound.  Ex: Peter Parker is the sensational Spider-Man!  Why is alliteration important?  One …

Happy St. Patrick's Day

What to say on ST. Patrick’s Day! Having grown up in the States, St. Patrick’s Day is really special to me. Every year, my town …

a found object highlighted in a red circle

Find and Find Out One day, I was in the park, and I found something under a tree. It was a little metal figure. It …

Really vs Very What’s the difference between, “really” and “very”?  Really / Very + adjectives Ex: The whipped cream on the pancakes was really tall. Ex: Unfortunately, the …

Believe vs Believe in “Believe” and “believe in” certainly look very similar, but they are used a bit differently.  What is the difference between “believe” …

Later Later I often hear students make mistakes with this word, so here are some simple examples to help remember the right ways to use …

Three Common Spelling Mistakes (that native speakers make) My dictionary is definitely one of my best friends. Sadly, autocorrect is one of my greatest enemies. …

Quotation Marks Quotation marks have several simple uses, and a lot of specific rules. Try learning the general rules first, and focus on the details later. (There are a lot …

NASA Space Shuttle

Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Initialisms Abbreviations are shortened forms of words.  Ex: Mister = Mr.  Ex: Mistress = Mrs.  Ex: Avenue = Ave. Ex: Apartment = …

What are proper nouns and common nouns? Proper nouns are the names of special people, places, or things. Common nouns are the names of general people, places, …

a kangaroo and her joey

Have you heard of kangaroo words? Kangaroo words contain their synonyms. For example, the word “chicken” contains the word “hen” which means the same thing! A …

elephant at the zoo

Present Perfect vs Simple Past Present perfect and simple past are two patterns which learners often make mistakes with. Compare the following sentences:  – I …

Times Square

How to use present perfect. Present Perfect is a great sentence pattern in English. It helps us talk about our experience. For example: A: Have you ever been to New …

What’s the difference between wish and hope? I always need to double check the difference between hope and wish. Hopefully, the examples below will help …

by five

What’s the difference between by and until?  Check out the examples below and then use these words in your own writing and speaking.  by = …

Negative Agreement A: I don’t think John is really sick. B: Neither do I. How do you use “me neither”? Do you sometimes make mistakes …

active and passive What’s the difference between “active” and “passive”?   Check out the examples below and then use these styles in your own writing and …

I'm stuffed.

Thanksgiving Idioms Thanksgiving is a traditional American holiday that celebrates family and the harvest. It’s celebrated on the third Thursday of every November. If you …

crying face with semicolons

How to use Semicolons I’m not going to lie; semicolons are tough. They are the single most misunderstood punctuation mark for native speakers.  Are semicolons …

even though / even if What’s the difference between “even though” and “even if”?   Check out the examples below and then use these word pairs …

jack o'lantern

Halloween Idioms Practice the idioms below and use them in your next conversations. They’re creepy and they’re spooky, mysterious, and cooky, but they’re not just …

because it's raining

Because / So What’s the difference between “because” and “so”?  Because = the reason why So = the result Study the examples below, and then …

Woman and man talking

You and I Question: Which is correct, “you and me “or “you and I”?  Answer: They both are! Study the examples below so you can always …

ch sounds

CH Sounds CH has three different sounds. “Ch” sounds like “tsh”, “k”, and “sh”.. Below is a partial list of words with these sounds. Need …

Disrupting Japan Podacast

Disrupting Japan Instructions Read the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use them in your conversations and writing …

Four Idioms 2 Instructions Read the idioms below. Do you understand the example sentences? Check the meaning and then use them when you speak.  Idiom …

How to Make Chili Instructions Read the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use them in your conversations …

in the same boat

Four Idioms Instructions Read the idioms below. Do you understand the example sentences? Check the meaning and then use them when you speak.  Idiom Meaning …

Spartan Race Medals Building Confidence

Building Confidence Instructions Read the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use them in your conversations and writing …

a lovely cloudy sky

First – At First “First” and “at first” look similar but they are a little different. Keep reading to find out more.  First – At …

a picture of beautiful coffee cups

Job Perks Instructions Read the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use them in your conversations and writing …

Raising a Bilingual Child Book Cover

Raising Bilingual Kids Instructions Read the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use them in your conversations and …

climbing the walls

Climbing the Walls Instructions Read the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use them in your conversations and …

a book titled Dangerous Book for Boys

Banned Books InstructionsRead the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use them in your conversations and writing this …

headache

Aches How many “aches” are there in English? Can you name them all?  Keep reading to be sure you remember them all.  All the Aches …

A little boy playing with Legos.

Is it Lego or Legos? Should we say Lego or Legos? The answer might surprise you. It certainly surprised me.  In North America we use …

illustration of clam diggers

Clam Diggers Instructions Read the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use them in your conversations and writing …

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