How to help clarify when your colleague is struggling. Here’s the situation: you’re in a meeting, and your colleague is […]
Journal: Elementary (Preview) Improve your English speaking and writing with journal. Practice topics you care about, then talk about them in class. […]
Journal: Beginner (Preview) Improve your English speaking and writing with journal. Practice topics you care about, then talk about them in class. […]
Explaining and Understanding Technical Points I had the pleasure of teaching JICA volunteers in the Maths and Science department for […]
100 Common Uncommon Words 2 Tiktok Instagram Improve your English vocabulary with over 100 amazing words that come to English […]
100 Common Uncommon Words Tiktok Instagram Improve your everyday English vocabulary with well over 100 curious words and the uncommon […]
Learn Vocabulary on TikTok This year, I’ve been working on a new project that I’m really excited to share with […]
Understanding Long English Sentences Students often ask for help with long, complicated sentences. Sometimes, they need to understand presentation scrpits, […]
Explaining Documents Documents like contracts can be confusing even for native speakers. It can also take a long time to […]
How to use the ampersand. The ampersand is often called the “and mark” by people less nerdy than me, but […]
Five things to avoid in professional English. Recently, I’ve been focusing a bit more on academic English in a business […]
What does “supposed to” mean? I heard it’s supposed to rain today. “Supposed to” is a great English expression that […]
How to Keep Up with Fast English Speakers Many of my students study English for work. Very often, they tell […]
How to Use Comparatives We compare things all the time, which is good because we have lots of ways to […]
How to Handle Angry People at Work Did you know I make custom LINE stickers? Check them out! Dealing with […]
Understanding Wordy Questions Sometimes native speakers ask very wordy questions. This happens a lot when we are nervous, uncertain, or […]
Starting Conversations I’m a total introvert. That does not mean I don’t like talking to people, but it does mean […]
Stop Playing Conversation Catch Sometimes, teachers say conversation is like playing catch because our ideas go back and forth like […]
Proofreading – Need proofreading services? We will check your writing for formatting, accuracy, word choice, style, and usage. Simple, safe.
What is a gauntlet? My students and I often discus articles related to their industries or general business topics. Often, […]
Suggestions, recommendations, and Proposals: What’s the difference? Similarities Suggestions, recommendations, and proposals are all used to share an idea. For […]
What’s the difference between end and finish? Finish and end both mean something stops. Finish typically means something is complete […]
What’s the difference between overtime and overwork? Overtime is a noun. It means extra time a person works. In casual […]
Valentine’s Day Idioms Valentine’s Day is the holiday of love. It’s an international holiday celebrated on February 14th in most […]
Native American Words in English English is a mishmash of words from all over the world with plenty of regional […]
Why are rabbits’ feet lucky? Lucky rabbits’ feet are popular around the world, but why are they lucky? Read the […]
On the bed and In bed Students often ask about the difference between “in bed” and “on the bed”. Fortunately, it’s […]
What’s the difference between farther and further? Many native speakers mix these words up. Why? Because they usually, but not always, mean […]
Independence Day Idioms and Expressions Happy 4th of July! Independence Day is an American holiday to mark the signing of […]
Year’s Experience vs Years’ Experience Is it “year’s experience” or “years’ experience”? This is a simple grammar point that a LOT […]
Father’s Day Idioms Happy Father’s Day! As a very happy dad, you can imagine that Father’s Day is pretty special […]
How to use either. “Either” is pretty easy to use, but there are some special examples to look out for. […]
What’s the difference between every day and everyday? These words are easy to mix up, especially if you are typing […]
Whether, weather, and wether: what’s the difference? These words aren’t too hard, but they are easy to mix up when […]
What is clickbait? Clickbait is a leading title, usually with an image. Online, these titles make people want to “click” […]
Mother’s Day Idioms A face only a mother could love. Happy Mother’s Day! There are lots of idioms in English […]
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test InstructionsRead the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, […]
Silent K in English I like to say that spelling and pronunciation in English are a bit of an adventure. […]
Literally and Figuratively Figuratively Figurative expressions mean something special. The words and meaning don’t always match. “Spill the tea” means […]
How to write AM PM This drives me crazy. I look this up all the time, and always need to […]
North, South, East, and West I sometimes hear students mix up directions like “north of” or “in northern”. It’s an […]
What’s the difference between affect and effect? English learners and native speakers alike get these words mixed up, myself included. […]
Five English Vocabulary Tips Learning English vocabulary takes some work, but these ideas will make it a little easier. Try these […]
Meet, Meet with, Meet up with What is the difference between meet with, meet, and meet up with? This is […]
What is alliteration? Alliteration is when several words close together start with the same sound. Ex: Peter Parker is the […]
What to say on ST. Patrick’s Day! Having grown up in the States, St. Patrick’s Day is really special to […]
What’s the difference between find and find out? One day, I was in the park, and I found something under […]
What’s the difference between “really” and “very”? Really / Very + adjectives Ex: The whipped cream on the pancakes was really tall.Ex: Unfortunately, […]
What is the difference between “believe” and “believe in”? “Believe” and “believe in” certainly look very similar, but they are […]
How to use “later.” LaterI often hear students make mistakes with this word, so here are some simple examples to […]
Three basic English words even native speakers often get wrong. There are some words in English that look and sound […]
Quotation Marks Quotation marks have several simple uses, and a lot of specific rules. Try learning the general rules first, and focus […]
Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Initialisms Abbreviations are shortened forms of words. Ex: Mister = Mr. Ex: Mistress = Mrs. Ex: Avenue […]
What are proper nouns and common nouns? Proper nouns are the names of special people, places, or things. Common nouns are the […]
Have you heard of kangaroo words? Kangaroo words contain their synonyms. For example, the word “chicken” contains the word “hen” which […]
Present Perfect vs Simple Past Present perfect and simple past are two patterns which learners often make mistakes with. Compare […]
How to use present perfect. Present Perfect is a great sentence pattern in English. It helps us talk about our […]
What’s the difference between wish and hope? I always need to double check the difference between hope and wish. Hopefully, […]
What’s the difference between by and until? Check out the examples below and then use these words in your own […]
Negative Agreement A: I don’t think John is really sick. B: Neither do I. How do you use “me neither”? […]
active and passive What’s the difference between “active” and “passive”? Check out the examples below and then use these styles […]
Thanksgiving Idioms Thanksgiving is a traditional American holiday that celebrates family and the harvest. It’s celebrated on the third Thursday […]
How to use Semicolons I’m not going to lie; semicolons are tough. They are the single most misunderstood punctuation mark […]
What’s the difference between “even though” and “even if”? Even though = despite (the fact that)– Even though today was […]
Halloween Idioms Practice the idioms below and use them in your next conversations. They’re creepy and they’re spooky, mysterious, and […]
What’s the difference between “because” and “so”? Because + reasonSo + result Study the examples below, and then make your […]
You and I Question: Which is correct, “you and me “or “you and I”? Answer: They both are! Study the examples […]
CH Sounds CH has three different sounds. “Ch” sounds like “tsh”, “k”, and “sh”.. Below is a partial list of […]
Four Idioms 2 Instructions Read the idioms below. Do you understand the example sentences? Check the meaning and then use […]
How to Make Chili InstructionsRead the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use […]
Four Idioms Instructions Read the idioms below. Do you understand the example sentences? Check the meaning and then use them […]
Building Confidence Instructions Read the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use them […]
What’s the difference between first and at first? “First” and “at first” look similar but they are a little different. […]
Job Perks Instructions Read the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use them […]
Raising Bilingual Kids Instructions Read the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use […]
Climbing the Walls Instructions Read the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use […]
Banned Books InstructionsRead the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use them in […]
Aches How many “aches” are there in English? Can you name them all? Keep reading to be sure you remember them […]
Is it Lego or Legos? Should we say Lego or Legos? The answer might surprise you. It certainly surprised me. […]
Clam Diggers Instructions Read the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use them […]
Journal