Stefano Mortellaro The Most Popular Words in English In 1935, the American philologist (= an expert on written language & literature) George Kingsley ZIpf formulated a clever law about the most popular words in any language. We’ll only talk about English of course, which is the only language I know really a lot about. What… Continue reading Zipf’s Law or Which English Words Should You Know?
Floodllama Alfred Tennyson – The Kraken Below the thunders of the upper deep; Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea, His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep The Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights flee About his shadowy sides: above him swell Huge sponges of millennial growth and height; And far away into the sickly light, From many a… Continue reading Line-by-Line Explanation of Famous Poem “The Kraken” – Plus: Everything you need to know about giant squids
Let’s start with an example: Mr Baker was talking when the Finance Director entered the room. First of all you should notice this sentence is in the past. I used two different past tenses in this sentence. Was talking. This is past progressive or continuous. Past progressive means a time in the past when someone… Continue reading How to Choose between Past Simple and Past Progressive and Use Them Together
Few things are as good for your listening skills as listening to songs. And it’s also fun! Well, at least when the singer is understandable. Check out these links: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (from Monty Python) Father and Song by Cat Stevens Love is a Losing Game Back for Good Step
What is more important at your interview: to look good or to know what the organisation you’re applying to is doing? And how good should your English be? Here is a list of things that you should do in the interview. Try to rank them from least important (10) to most important (1). A To… Continue reading The Impression You Make at Your Interview
We’ll look at some useful phrases you can use when you’re writing an abstract of your paper. First of all: What’s an abstract? An abstract is a summary of your study, essay or project. It’s normally used for scientific or academic projects, but you can also use an abstract for other kinds of projects. Because… Continue reading How to Effortlessly Write an Abstract
By Harriet Anderson If you’re learning how to speak English, learning to pronounce words is the best way to get started. There are many types of English accents. There are the American accent and the British accent. But those are not the only ones, as English is also the first language of people in Canada,… Continue reading Quick Tips for Learning How to Improve Your English Accent
Annie Mole The London Underground is an underground train system covering 11 lines. The longest line is the Central Line, which measures 34.1 miles, which is … eh, let me see… 55 kilometres. This line is also the most travelled. All the lines of the Tube, as the underground is nicknamed, carries more than a… Continue reading Let’s Go Tubing! – Bits and Pieces about the London Underground, Plus Quiz to test your vocabulary about metros
By Bryony Stevens Last time we discussed British accents. Now I’d like to tell you a few more interesting bits about American and Irish accents. Yes, these two have some things in common! Continue reading to find out why. Understanding how these accents work can help you understand what goes into performing them. If you… Continue reading Understanding American and Irish accents and What They Have in Common
Gregg O’Connell A quick overview of the differences between these two basic tenses. Present Simple: Use this tense for habits and permanent things. Habits = things that people do regularly. Permanent things = things that are always the same. Examples: Tom washes his hair twice a week. I am a teacher. Her parents live in… Continue reading How to Choose between Present Simple and Present Continuous (Progressive)
English with a Smile 