Why should you care about finite verb forms? Finite verb forms in English contain a lot of information. They mark number, person, tense, and mood, all of which contribute to meaning. Finite verbs are also the the part of the verb phrase that has to agree with the subject (in person and number). In the …
Learning phrasal verbs is a challenge for English learners. Here are some tips to make learning phrasal verbs as painless as possible, plus a free exercise!
Telling stories is a huge part of conversational English, so being comfortable with narrative tenses is important for English fluency. Most English lessons about narrative tenses in English focus on the following 4 tenses: Past simple Past perfect Past continuous Past perfect continuous But did you know that you can use present tenses in English …
Narrative tenses in conversational English – past, present, and future Keep reading »
Learn the idiom to throw someone/something for a loop, and test yourself with a quiz!
If you have ever taken an English course, you probably learned the phrase “One moment, please” or “just a moment” for politely asking someone to wait for a very short period of time. Phrases using moment are useful for formal situations. But in everyday conversational English they can sound stiff and unnatural. Here are three …
Just a sec! Three informal English phrases for asking people to wait a moment Keep reading »
You can do a lot of things with the word very in English. The simplest use of very is as an intensifer. An intensifier is a word that makes another word stronger or adds emphasis. Very as an intensifier You put very directly in front of the adjective or adverb that you want to intensify. …
How to use very and not very – intensifiers in English Keep reading »
If you’re trying to learn English on your own but are feeling overwhelmed by all the options, here are 3 of the best sites for finding free English courses online. Alison has a huge variety of (ad-supported) free online English courses for learners of all levels. The courses are self-paced, so you can study as …
3 of the best sites for free online English courses Keep reading »
If you’re wondering which is better for you, a free language partner or a paid teacher, this article explains some of the pros and cons of each.
Tips about how to succeed at your first English lesson at italki, and how you can overcome your fear and book that first lesson. I put off booking my first lesson with a professional teacher for far too long, and I hope the story of how I overcame my fear and went on to find a teacher and have a successful lesson will encourage you.
Idioms that use the word money or cash. Give you a run for your money, right on the money, put your money where your mouth is, money talks bullshit walks, cash cow, cold hard cash.
