English vocabulary: useful words to talk about relationships

‘Hugs and kisses’, ‘butterflies in your stomach’, ‘a pounding heart’ – what am I going on about? Love and relationships of course! Talking about relationships can be a tricky, and you don’t want to make a mistake when trying to tell someone else how you feel about them. To avoid

Word of the week: theatre

Talking to EF English Live students I am often reminded of how connected a world we live in. If I mention a writer from Japan, a Brazilian student will have heard of him; or if I talk about the latest French film, students in Russia will have seen it. But what about ‘theatre’? Is

Common English mix-ups: where, wear, were, we’re

To help you learn and improve your English [https://englishlive.ef.com/en/], let’s look at some words that are easily mixed up in the English language: where, wear, were, we’re. These words may look similar and sound similar, however they all have very different meanings. WHER

English grammar help: pesky apostrophes

THE APOSTROPHE In English there is one form of punctuation that causes a lot of problems. Apostrophes are only little, like commas in the air, but they influence the sound of a word and are an important part of written English. TYPES OF APOSTROPHES There are two basic types o

Common English mix-ups: advice and advise

Two words that are mixed up all the time, even by native speakers, are ‘advice’ and ‘advise’. Definition: Advice – A noun meaning a suggestion you give someone. For example: “Listen to the advice your parents give you, they only want you to stay safe.” Advise – A verb meaning

Common English mix-ups: much and many

‘Much’ and ‘many’ are two words a lot of my students mix up and confuse regularly. To help you with your English learning, let’s take a look at how to use each word. ‘Much’ is used when we are speaking about a singular noun. ‘Many’ is used when we are speaking about a plural no

Often confused words: hard vs hardly

So far in our ‘often confused words’ series, we’ve seen ‘late and lately’. This time, let’s have a look at ‘hard’ and ‘hardly’. These words look similar, but using them incorrectly can give a sentence almost the opposite meaning to what you might want. ‘Hard’ can mean several t

Word crimes: lose my weight

I had several resolutions for this year, but the main ones were to eat more healthily and do more exercise. I bet these are the most common resolutions around the world; they were with my friends and family, anyway. I was nervous when I stepped on to the scales at the end of the

English test-taking tips: words to describe chronology

Describing a series of events is a vital skill in English. It is important to report with clarity and organization so that you are not misunderstood. Start from the event that happened first, and describe the sequence in order. You should also strive to vary your vocabulary. On

Useful phrases for taking a group class

“What did the teacher say?” “Please put your hand up if you can hear me!” “Can you say that again?” “Well done!” The EF English Live group class [http://www.englishtown.com/online/conversation-classes.aspx] is a great way to practice speaking English. To help you join in, it is

Useful English words to talk about sleep

Sleep, we all need it. Most of us even look forward to it after a long day, and we most certainly need it in order to think clearly and function. Sometimes we might even need to take a rest during the day just to make it through. So let’s discuss useful words which describe sleep

Useful English phrases to use in a restaurant

One of the most common reasons why people choose to learn English online is to be able to travel abroad. Once on holiday, speaking English will make it a lot easier to check into a hotel or order food in a restaurant. If you’re currently practicing your tourist English, have a lo

English grammar help: how to use ‘into’

Even if you’re new to learning English you will have come across two of its most common prepositions, ‘in’ and ‘to’, but have you come across ‘into’? ‘Into’ is a preposition that’s related to direction. It’s sometimes difficult to distinguish when to use ‘into and ‘in to’. Here

English grammar help: ‘to have something done’

Have you ever cut your own hair? I have. I have a shaved head so it’s easy for me to cut my own hair. I don’t need someone to cut it for me. What about other people though? I often hear students make the mistake “I cut my hair last week” when actually someone cut it for them. S

Foreign words in English: international food

One of the joys of travelling is trying the local food, but there are some foods that are so popular that you can buy them almost anywhere in the world, and their names have entered the English dictionary. They include ‘pizza’, ‘hamburgers’, ‘fajitas’, ‘kebabs’, ‘sushi’ and many

Tricky English: cardinal numbers Vs ordinal numbers – when should you use which?

Cardinal and ordinal numbers can get tricky. It’s a common mistake for my students to say “the number five question,” instead of “the fifth question.” A lot of my students tend to rely on their knowledge of cardinal numbers only, but ordinal numbers are just as important to know.

English grammar help: Common Prepositions

There are nine very common words in English that, although small, are some of the most difficult words to learn and use correctly. They are the prepositions: > ‘with’, ‘at’, ‘by’, ‘to’, ‘in’, ‘for’, ‘from’, ‘of’, ‘on’. WHAT ARE PREPOSITIONS The English language [https://engli

English word crimes: ‘What means?’ ‘How to say?’

Whenever I start teaching a new class, whatever the level, the first topic I start with is always question-forming. Why do I do this? Because asking questions is the best way to learn. If you can ask questions well, you can find out anything you need to know about a language. Q

Common English Phrasal Verbs and their Meanings

When I teach my students at EF English Live [https://englishlive.ef.com], I offer a lot of help with phrasal verbs, which is one of the trickier aspects of English grammar. So that you can quickly have access to some common ones, I have made a list of them. Remember, a phrasal v

Five key words to talk about healthy eating in English

Food is one of the great pleasures of life, but if you have too much of a good thing it can be bad for your health. Healthy eating is the key: a balanced diet is one that is both yummy and good for you too. Here are some useful words to talk about healthy eating in English. A nu

Improve your English: words without a plural

One of the first grammatical rules you will learn when you start an English course [https://englishlive.ef.com/en/] is that when you have plural of something, you will add an ‘s’ to the noun to show that you have more than one. For example, if your house has more than one televi

Common English Mix Ups: two, to, too

Today I’m focusing on a very common mix up that confuses many English students – and even native English speakers: two, to and too. Two – this is the easiest one to understand. It is the number 2 (two). You always spell out numbers up to 10, so we always write ‘two’. To – there

Improve your English: American vs. British English

Have you ever watched an American movie or a British television show? Well, if you have, you will notice the accents are very different, and you might have spotted that each country has its own vocabulary and expressions. Whether you are more familiar with British English or the

Travel English: key words for staying at a hotel

If you travel abroad either on business or for a holiday, you will probably be staying at a hotel. Many hotels offer plenty of services other than providing you with a bed to sleep in, so here are some useful Travel English [http://www.englishtown.com/en-us/online-english-course

Easy English conversation starters

“Oh, I just love your phone; what kind is it?” Here you have an example of a conversation starter. Compliments often start conversations in all types of situations, and they can be used in formal and informal settings with people of all ages. Go on and try it; giving a complimen

What will I learn at each level of English?

What topics are addressed at each level? Why is following a topic guide so important? In this article, we're going to answer all these questions.

How to start a conversation in English - a guide to small talk

Want to boost your conversational English vocabulary? This guide will help you improve your small talk so you can start conversations in English more easily.

What does it mean to have an A2 level of English?

If you want to know what it means to have an A2 level of English, don't miss the opportunity to read this article. We will talk about the topics covered, how many hours of study are necessary to complete this level proficiently, and what the next steps are to advance in your learning.

What are the most important tenses in English?

If you are an English learning beginner, conjugation and tenses can be difficult when you realize how many there are. Even advanced English learners get their tenses mixed up sometimes! Read on to learn more about how to use the most important tenses in English.

Improve your English: idioms to talk about advice

Using idioms, or figurative speech, is a sure way of sounding more like a native English speaker and is key to learning English to a high level. So here are some idioms all about giving advice. 1. Don’t bite off more than you can chew – With the words “bite” and “chew” you might

Improve your English: food idioms

The English language [https://englishlive.ef.com/en/] has a seemingly endless list of idioms, but today, I want to talk about those related to food. My love for food grows everyday, I mean, who doesn’t love food? So, it’s perhaps no surprise that there are plenty of food idioms,

Useful Phrase: New Year

It’s January and for most countries in the world it’s goodbye 2012 and welcome 2013. The New Year is celebrated worldwide and it’s often a time for friends and family to gather for parties and festivities. So, how did this holiday originate and become such a widely celebrated da