Don’t sound boring - use discourse markers to improve your English!

A quick way to make sure your English isn’t repetitive is to vary the discourse markers or ‘fillers’ you use when you speak. Words or sounds like ‘basically’, ‘well’, and ‘hmm’ can be ‘fillers’. They can have a vague meaning or no meaning at all when used in conversation. We all

English vocabulary help: high and tall explained

‘High’ and ‘tall’ are both expressions of height and can be used to describe the size of something. Though they are often used interchangeably in spoken English, ‘high’ and ‘tall’ can have slightly different meanings. Find out below how to use each word correctly. “The building

Improve your English: idioms about work

As we all know, idioms are used throughout the English language. It’s important to understand and know how to use them so you can communicate clearly. There are quite a few English idioms related to the word ‘work’. Below is a quick activity to help test your knowledge. Remember

Easily confused words: Sick and Ill

When someone isn’t feeling well it’s quite probable that they will declare that they are sick or ill. Although both can be used to describe feeling unwell, these two words can have slightly different meanings. Do you know the different between sick and ill? SICK ‘Sick’ can be

Teacher’s viewpoint: my favourite English student

I want to take the time to look back on a truly awesome student that I had the pleasure of meeting during my time teaching with EF English Live [https://englishlive.ef.com/en/teachers/]. Not only does this student stick out in my mind and make me love what I do, but hopefully he

Key words for talking about art in English

For many people there is nothing more highbrow (meaning cultured and intellectual) than having knowledge of the art world.  Although it’s largely a matter of opinion and preference, having the words to describe the art you see can be a useful and impressive skill.  Here’s our pic

English grammar help: last, latter and latest explained

It can be confusing when words in English have similar sounds and spellings but different meanings. ‘Last’, ‘latter’ and ‘latest’ are a perfect example. Even my university students have trouble with these words. Here are some quick examples to help you remember how and when to us

English grammar help: when to use ‘a’ or ‘an’

Finding the difference between using ‘a’ and ‘an’ is something my students really struggle with. My younger students especially stress themselves out trying to decide whether it’s “a apple” or “an apple”, and whether it’s “a umbrella” or “an umbrella”. So here are some great ways

5 fun ways to read faster in English

Reading in English can be tough – especially if it’s not your mother tongue. It’s easy to get stuck on words you don’t know which can really slow you down. In order to read quickly and effectively in English, it’s important to develop your skimming and scanning skills. Skimming

Improve your English: typical casual English phrases

Many students at EF English Live are learning English for their work, so they will need to master a lot of formal English. However, many others simply want to learn in order to communicate, and therefore will be happy to learn more informal English. There are many casual phrases

What is a fixed binomial and how will it help my English?

How many speeches have you heard start with the words ‘Ladies and gentlemen’? Quite a lot, right? What about speeches beginning with the words ‘Gentlemen and ladies’? I know, none. So why do we always use the words ‘ladies and gentlemen’ in the same order? They form what we cal

Job , work, office - what's the difference?

I often have students ask me about the difference between the words ‘job’ and ‘work’. There are obvious differences, such as ‘job’ being a countable noun and ‘work’ being uncountable. ‘Work’ can also be a verb but ‘job’ can’t. Here are some of the most common ways people confuse

Metalanguage: What is it and how will it help my English?

‘Metalanguage’ is probably the most unusual word you will see today. It’s very useful for learning a language, but first, what does it mean? Although it looks like a complicated word, the meaning is quite simple: Metalanguage is words or symbols for talking about language itself.

Silent letters in English and how to pronounce them

SILENT LETTERS IN ENGLISH The English language is full of words whose written form can be deceptive. Unlike a language like Spanish, in English we rarely sound out all the letters that we see. The result is a series of words which are written in a way which seems very different

12 English loan words in other languages

Linguistic exchange has been at the heart of some of the world’s most spoken languages. As we have explored earlier in this series, the English language is itself a composite of several languages that dominated the British Isles during its history: Anglo-Saxon, Norse, French and

Don’t be a word bore: alternative ways of saying ‘happy’

The English language is full of lovely words and phrases used to describe this emotion that we all love and crave – happiness. The sources of these words come from dialects, Ancient Greek, even nursery rhymes, showing you just how varied the sources of English expressions can be.

Ten common English grammar and vocabulary errors

Getting your head around the subtleties of the English language can be a tricky business. Here are some common mistakes that even native speakers may struggle with, and if you can get your head around these then you really are on the path to advanced English learning! 1. Your/Yo

English pronunciation: verbs ending in ‘-ed’

The English language can be very confusing, especially when it comes to pronouncing words. There are silent letters and letters that are pronounced differently depending on how they are written. This post is going to help with pronouncing past simple verbs that end in ‘–ed.’ The

Travel English: ordering at a restaurant

Eating out at restaurants is great. You don’t have to worry about cooking anything or cleaning up after yourself. How do you feel about eating out at restaurants? Do you prefer to cook? Well, if you’re like me, and love being served at a restaurant, take a look at some of these w

Expert tip: learn English by listening to music

Learning a new language should spark all your senses, as well as your creative side. Therefore, it’s helpful to try and think of new techniques that you can use to help you learn. Of course as a student you need to study your new English vocabulary, and you must practice your ne

Topic of the moment: gossip and rumors

Pssst, over here. Have you heard any gossip lately? Do you know the latest rumor? Oh, well that’s no fun! Maybe you need some phrases and idioms to help spark something, but first: what are ‘gossip’ and ‘rumors’, and what’s the difference? ‘Gossip’ is essentially talking about o

Key words for comparing and describing food

Food, food, food! Who doesn’t love food? You need it to live, and it’s the perfect thing to share with friends and family. But do you know how to compare food in English, or to describe how different things taste? Let’s do a quiz about basic words to describe food. Find out how

English vocabulary: words to use with ‘time’

‘Time’ is a word that forms many collocations. It’s part of lots of phrasal verbs, idioms and expressions. Let’s take a look at 11 of my favourite common words that go well with ‘time’ in this short story. Make a note of the expressions with ‘time’ as you spot them in the text:

English grammar help: present perfect and past perfect

Some of the most confusing tenses in the English language are the present perfect and past perfect. They become especially confusing when you have to identify which tense to use and which one is being used. So today, let’s practice both of those tenses. PRESENT PERFECT: The pr

English vocabulary help: common homonyms

In English, we have some words that often cause confusion due to their sound and spelling. ‘Homonyms’ are what I’m talking about, and they can give any English learner a headache. Homonyms are words that are spelled differently, but have the same exact sound. Here are some common

Easy English mix-ups: by, buy, bye

Let’s discuss some words that are often mixed up by students when writing in English. This mix up is ‘bye’, ‘buy’, and ‘by’.” These three words are pronounced the exact same way, but are spelled different and have completely differently meanings. Let’s first look at ‘bye’. This

English vocabulary: words that are used differently across the US

Most students are aware that there are differences between British English, Australian English and American English; but did you know that American English also differs from state to state within the country itself? Across the United States of America (USA), Americans use comple

Commonly confused words: compliment and complement

Words in English that look similar are easy to confuse [https://englishlive.ef.com/blog/language-lab/accept-except-top-10-confusing-english-words-need-know/]. Words that sound similar are even easier to confuse. That means that two words that sound exactly the same and look almos

American English: 9 ways of saying hello casually

A smile is a great way of starting a conversation. Yet the next part is much more challenging, and the communication that follows depends on the situation. HOW TO SAY HELLO CASUALLY Several different informal greetings can be used for casual situations in the United States whi

English grammar help: using ‘ing’ for future plans

In English, we have lots of ways of talking about the future. In fact, it can be a little confusing knowing which to use sometimes. The most common ways of talking about the future we encounter use ‘will’ or ‘be going to’ followed by an infinitive, and we tend to use ‘be going t

Topic of the moment - graduation

Graduation is a word used when someone receives a degree after completing his or her education. It can also be used as a verb: to graduate. In many countries graduating from school, college or university is a reason for celebrations. To mark the occasion, the school or universit

Five key phrases for asking for directions

Are you travelling to an English speaking country? If you are, one of the most important things you are going to need to know is how to ask for directions: so here are some useful phrases. Remember to be polite when asking for directions, and don’t forget to say “thank you”! “H

5 key phrases you need to study in the USA

A few weeks ago I had a student in one of my classes who was learning English so they could enroll in a college in the US. As I talked to the student, I realized that relevant language tips would also be important for others with the same ambitions: so here are five key phrases y

English vocabulary: funny word pairs

As a native speaker I do not find English a very poetic language, but there are some words in English that are a pleasure to say and hear, such as ‘higgledy piggledy’,’hugger mugger’, ‘topsy turvy’ and ‘pell mell’. Most of these words are rhymes, so they have the same end sound

Easy English mix-ups: complement & compliment

‘Complement’ and ‘compliment’ are two words that are very easy to mix up, especially as they are pronounced the exact same way but are spelled a little differently. First let’s look at the definitions: Complement – Can be a noun and a verb. It is defined as something that makes