By John Johnston

English Sayings

Common Expressions

If you are thinking about the over 145,000 word references with more than 200,000 definitions and roughly 1,200,000 vocabulary relationships between the definitions, it’s no easy task mastering the English language. Read the rest of this entry »

By Amy Nutt

When writing in the English language, there are rules that must be followed in order for the reader to understand what is written. Without writing rules, it would be impossible for words to be organized into thoughts. Words would be sprawled all over the page without conveying a message or meaning to the reader. Language rules allow what is on the page to be processed and a mental image can be developed. Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Sarris

Do you have an accent when you speak a foreign language? Is it a bad accent or are you a perfectionist (like me) that can’t stand mispronouncing words? I have a very good accent but I mispronounce words from time to time and, although it never bothers the person I’m speaking with, it drives me nuts! Read the rest of this entry »

By: Michael Lee

There will come a time when a person has to effectively deliver a speech in front of a group of people, so books that teach public speaking tips have become hot sellers. The rules of public speaking are as simple as A, B, C. Read the rest of this entry »

By: Alia Curtis

Corporate success today requires a diverse body of talent to implement new ideas, views, and perspectives. The client base has become multicultural and the need for effective communication demands diversity. In the past White males made up more than 60% of the American workforce. A steady growth pattern created a shortage of qualified personnel resulting in today’s multinational workforce and an alteration of the image of the typical American worker. Read the rest of this entry »

By: Manjusha Nambiar

American and British English are very similar. There are, however, a few differences of grammar, vocabulary and usage. The following guide is meant to point out the principal differences between American and British English. Read the rest of this entry »

Answer provided by Anthea Fraser Gupta (With input from other panelists), School of English, University of Leeds
There is not a single correct accent of English. There is no neutral accent of English. All speakers of English need to cope with many different aspects and learn how to understand them. Read the rest of this entry »

Which English accent is closest to the spelling?
Answer provided by Anthea Fraser Gupta (With input from other panelists), School of English, University of Leeds
English spelling is based on the pronunciation of the fourteenth century. No one speaks in that way now. English spelling therefore represents all accents of English equally well, or equally badly. As there are so many accents of English, it is fortunate that we have such an old spelling system which we can all use; otherwise Read the rest of this entry »

We are often asked what is the most difficult language to learn, and it is a difficult question to answer because there are a lot of things to take into consideration. Firstly, as a first language, or mother tongue, the differences are unimportant, so the question of how hard a language is to learn only arises in the area of second language acquisition. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Developing a passion for learning English
All English learners would like to speak English well. They are excited at the idea of being able to communicate in English fluently. However, they usually don’t care about the learning process itself. For most learners, Read the rest of this entry »