Learning NEW Words

Languages How to Learn a New Word Every Day Whether you're a student preparing for a standardized test or simply an unabashed logophile (lover of words), you'll find these daily word lessons intellectually nourishing. READ NOW

Starting a Conversation in English

Languages The Best Ways to Start a Conversation in English These simple questions, focused on basic facts and personal hobbies, will help you strike up a conversation with new people. READ NOW

Learning Skills: Links

If you need to know how to write essays with correct structure, grammar usage, and strong, logical content, then you are not alone. Essay writing is probably one of the most struggled-with topics in high school, university, and beyond. Most people never learn how to write essays properly in their developmental years, and they miss out on opportunities as a result. Fortunately, learning how to write essays and communicate correctly, with the content in proper, standard English, is actually quite easy as long as you can stay calm and break the work down so that you can tackle it step-by-step.   

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Literally or Figuratively

Languages Did You Mean That Literally (or Figuratively)? The word literally is becoming a Janus word — that is, a word that has opposite or contradictory meanings. And despite the best efforts of language experts, one of those meanings is... "figuratively." Let's see if it's still possible to keep these two words straight. READ NOW

English for Everyone

See the links below from English for Everyone.

These worksheets will help with these topics…

Words to Avoid (pt 1)

Words and Phrases to Avoid

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If you miss the humor of this introduction, you won’t after reading this document. The sentence contains a basic grammar error, a style slip, and several vague words.)

When editing a manuscript, some words deserve to die — not always, but usually. In the works we edit, and in our own works, we encounter words and phrases that are overused, imprecise, and… boring. Writing needs to compel readers to continue from one sentence to the next.

Passive and Active Voice

May 02, 2016

by Chelsea Lee

Principles of Writing: Passive and Active Voice

Few topics in scholarly writing raise as many questions as passive voice. Many writers have gotten the impression that passive voice isn’t allowed in APA Style or that if it is allowed, it is to be avoided at all costs. However, that’s an oversimplification. The reality is that sometimes the passive voice is appropriate, but many writers overuse it.

American and British English Differences

Languages The Differences Between American and British English There are three major differences between between American and British English: pronunciation, vocabulary, and spelling. READ NOW

ADVISOR or ADVISER??

Languages Is Someone Your Advisor or Adviser? Much like toward and towards, the words advisor and adviser often pose some common conundrums: Do the two different, but correct, spellings of the same word convey subtly different meanings? READ NOW

Grammar Terms You MUST KNOW!!

Languages All the Grammar Terms You Should Know By Now Nouns and verbs, active and passive voice, compound and complex sentences: These are terms you probably learned in school. But if you need to brush up on grammar, here are key components everyone should know. READ NOW

Confused by Apostrophes??

Languages Are You Confused By Apostrophes? The apostrophe has two main jobs in English: to mark contractions and to indicate possession. While that may sound simple enough, many people are baffled by the little squiggle. The apostrophe is often misplaced or forgotten, and sometimes it shows up in words where it isn't needed at all. READ NOW

What Makes VERBS Irregular?

Languages What Makes Verbs Irregular? Irregular verbs, also known as strong verbs, are considered irregular because they do not follow the usual rules of forming the past tense, such as adding -d, -ed, or -ied at the end. Using an irregular verb in past tense is unpredictable and must be memorized. READ NOW

!!POWER!! Verbs

For Students & Parents Punch Up Your Writing With Power Verbs If your writing feels bland or lackluster, take a verb inventory to weed out repetition and punch up those action phrases. Instead of walking, you can saunter. Here’s a guide to using more descriptive verbs to make your writing more powerful. READ NOW