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 …
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.
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. …
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 …
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 …
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. …
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 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 …
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 Is it “year’s experience” or “years’ experience”? This is a simple grammar point that a LOT of people ask about, including …
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. “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 What’s the difference between every day and everyday? These words are easy to mix up, especially if you are typing fast, …
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 …
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, …
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, …
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 …
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 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 …
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 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 …
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, Meet with, Meet up with What is the difference between meet with, meet, and meet up with? This is a simple pattern I often …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
Present Perfect vs Simple Past Present perfect and simple past are two patterns which learners often make mistakes with. Compare the following sentences: – I …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 / So What’s the difference between “because” and “so”? Because = the reason why So = the result Study the examples below, and then …
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 has three different sounds. “Ch” sounds like “tsh”, “k”, and “sh”.. Below is a partial list of words with these sounds. Need …
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 …
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 …
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 …
First – At First “First” and “at first” look similar but they are a little different. Keep reading to find out more. First – At …
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 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 Instructions Read the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use them in your conversations and …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …