Alright Dude, time to replace this triteful word with something more awesome.
Get comfortable with these phenomenal words. See how easy that was?
Synonyms for “Awesome”
Category: Beginning English
5 Quick Accent Reduction Tips That Make All the Difference
Accent Reduction Tip 1- a trick to help you pronounce the voiced and voiceless ‘th’ sounds more easily
Besides holding your tongue out between your teeth long enough, and not flicking it back too quickly, there’s also another tip you need to know.
As you hold your tongue out between your top and bottom teeth, you also need to consciously make it flat or wider. This makes it easier to send the air out over your tongue so it sounds like a proper ‘th’ sound. You may need to just stick your tongue out between your teeth at first without making a sound, and practise making the front of your tongue flat or wide. You could do this in front of a mirror at first to help you get the positioning and feel of it.
Accent Reduction Tip 2 – Using the ‘dark /l/’ sound makes it easier to speak more quickly
The light /l/ – the one up behind the top front teeth, is mostly used at the beginning of words, or when the /l/ has a vowel before and after it, and in some common endings such as ‘ly’.
The dark /l/ is mostly used when there is a consonant before or after it, and when the /l/ comes at the end of a word. When you use the dark /l/ in these instances, it makes it easier to get from one sound to the other in a word and to sound more natural.
Accent Reduction Tip 3 – Create a new audio recording in your head
Alfred Tomatis a famous Ear, Nose and Throat doctor said ” What the ear can hear, the voice can reproduce.”
When you want to sound like a native English speaker, or if you want to speak English more clearly, you need to build a ‘recording’ or auditory image in your brain to refer to when you want to know how a word or sentence needs to be pronounced. You do this by listening, and listening, and listening to a native English speaker or trainer. You need to expose and immerse the auditory centers of your brain to the sound and nuances of the accent or pronunciation you are aiming for.
Most of us can call up in our minds the sound and accent of our parent’s speech patterns, and how they sound. Just like that, you need to make a strong ‘picture’ or recording of how English sounds. This makes it easier and quicker to sound more like a native English speaker.
Accent Reduction Tip 4 – be patient and persistent
Some say they have used my accent reduction course for a couple of weeks and haven’t gained a complete English accent yet. Your mental attitude is important.
Of course, it takes time to acquire a new accent. You need to be patient with yourself and persistent and notice the gains you are making along the way with your practice. You didn’t learn to speak your Mother Tongue in a matter of weeks. Work on one or two speech elements at a time, and when you have consolidated them into your everyday speech, then move on to practice something else. Otherwise, nothing becomes automatic.
Accent Reduction Tip 5- Ideas To Make Your New English Pronunciation Automatic
- write out a list of sentences that you have to use often at work or socially, and use those to practise
- write out dialogues and conversations that you often use at work, maybe with customers or in meetings or on the phone, and practise those. Practise every day for 2-3 weeks, or until you are happy with how you sound when you listen to yourself saying them in a recording.
- don’t forget to practise saying your name if it isn’t a common one for the country you live in (the trick here is to say it slower), and the name of your work place or company.
- take a book, newspaper or magazine and read aloud to yourself every day and focus on saying what you are working on correctly, whenever it comes up in the text.
Source: 5 Quick Accent Reduction Tips That Make All The Difference – speakmoreclearly.com
Better Synonyms for “Different”
I love to learn/share!
Strategies to Improve English Listening Skills
As a new English speaker, your language skills are progressing well — grammar is now familiar, your reading comprehension is no problem, and you are communicating quite fluently — but listening is still posing a problem.
First of all, remember that you are not alone. Listening comprehension is probably the most difficult task for almost all learners of English as a foreign language. The most important thing is to listen, and that means as often as possible. The next step is to find listening resources. This is where the Internet really comes in handy (idiom = to be useful) as a tool for English students. A few suggestions for interesting listening selections are CBC Podcasts, All Things Considered (on NPR), and the BBC.
Listening Strategies
Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated by your limited understanding. Here are a few courses of action you can take:
- Accept the fact that you are not going to understand everything.
- Stay relaxed when you do not understand — even if you continue to have trouble understanding for a while.
- Do not translate into your native language.
- Listen for the gist (or general idea) of the conversation. Don’t concentrate on detail until you have understood the main idea(s).
First, translating creates a barrier between the listener and the speaker. Second, most people repeat themselves constantly. By remaining calm, you can usually understand what the speaker had said.
Translating Creates a Barrier Between Yourself and the Person Who Is Speaking
While you are listening to another person speaking a foreign language (English in this case), the temptation is to immediately translate into your native language. This temptation becomes much stronger when you hear a word you don’t understand. This is only natural as we want to understand everything that is said. However, when you translate into your native language, you are taking the focus of your attention away from the speaker and concentrating on the translation process taking place in your brain. This would be fine if you could put the speaker on hold. In real life, however, the person continues talking while you translate. This situation obviously leads to less — not more — understanding. Translation leads to a mental block in your brain, which sometimes doesn’t allow you to understand anything at all.
Most People Repeat Themselves
Think for a moment about your friends, family, and colleagues. When they speak in your native tongue, do they repeat themselves? If they are like most people, they probably do. That means that whenever you listen to someone speaking, it is very likely that they will repeat the information, giving you a second, third or even fourth chance to understand what has been said.
By remaining calm, allowing yourself to not understand, and not translating while listening, your brain is free to concentrate on the most important thing: understanding English in English.
Probably the greatest advantage of using the Internet to improve your listening skills is that you can choose what you would like to listen to and how many and times you would like to listen to it. By listening to something you enjoy, you are also likely to know a lot more of the vocabulary required.
Use Key Words
Use keywords or key phrases to help you understand the general ideas. If you understand “New York”, “business trip”, “last year” you can assume that the person is speaking about a business trip to New York last year. This may seem obvious to you but remember that understanding the main idea will help you to understand the detail as the person continues to speak.
Listen for Context
Let’s imagine that your English-speaking friend says, “I bought this great tuner at JR’s. It was really cheap and now I can finally listen to National Public Radio broadcasts.” You don’t understand what a tuner is, and if you focus on the word tuner you might become frustrated.
If you think in context, you probably will begin to understand. For example, bought is the past of buy, listen is no problem and radio is obvious. Now you understand: He bought something — the tuner — to listen to the radio. A tuner must be a kind of radio. This is a simple example, but it demonstrates what you need to focus on: Not the word that you don’t understand, but the words you do understand.
Listening often is the most important way to improve your listening skills. Enjoy the listening possibilities offered by the Internet and remember to relax.
Article by Kenneth Beare for thoughtco.com
Photo credit: Michael H/ Digital Vision/Getty Images
Sentence Connectors
Sentence connectors can seem confusing at first, but once you understand their purpose, they are easy to use.
Connectors are used to link large groups of words, phrases and sentences. You can also use them to connect paragraphs to give them coherence. Sentence connectors are usually placed at the beginning of a sentence.
Sentence connectors are words that link two or more clauses or sentences together. They connect ideas and show the relationship between them. There are many different types of sentence connectors, but some of the most common ones are:
-And
-But
-Or
-For
-Since
-Because
These connectors can be used in both spoken and written English.
Below is a list of 18 connector types:
Source: grammarcheck©
Learn to Use Prepositions of Place: In, Into, At On, Onto, and Out of
Prepositions are used to show relationships between objects, people, and places. The prepositions “in,” “on,” and “at” are often used to express these relationships, as are “into,” “onto” and “out of.”
How to Use the Preposition ‘In’
Use “in” with cities, regions, counties, states, and countries.
- I live in Portland which is a city in Oregon.
- She works in Seattle which is in King County.
Use “in” with spaces that you can physically walk into, or place something into. These could be inside or buildings or outside as well.
- in a room / in a building (indoors)
- in a garden / in a park (outdoors)
Examples:
- Let’s meet in the gym after class.
- I’m going to see Tom in that building over there.
- I enjoy walking in the garden at dusk.
- She’s out jogging with her friends in the park.
Use “in” with bodies of water:
- in the water
- in the sea / river / lake / pond / ocean
Examples:
- That duck is swimming in the water.
- You can see the fish in the water.
- Unfortunately, there’s a lot of pollution in this sea.
- How many fishing lines can you see in the river?
Use “in” with lines:
- in a row / line / queue
Examples:
- There are so many people standing in that queue.
- Please stand in a row and let me count you.
- You’ll have to stand in that line over there.
How to Use the Preposition ‘At’
Use “at” with places in a town, city or other community:
- at the bus-stop / movies / shopping mall / park / museum / etc.
- I’ll meet you at the bus stop.
- I saw Peter at the movies last night.
- I was at the shopping mall and decided I had to buy this sweater.
- Let’s see the exhibit at the museum.
Use “at” with places on a page:
- at the top / bottom of the page
Examples
- You’ll find the page number at the top of the page.
- Make sure to read the notes at the bottom of the page.
- at the back / front of the class / room / stadium
Examples
- I think you’ll find him at the front of the class.
- They’re seated at the back of the bus.
How to Use the Preposition ‘On’
Use “on” with vertical or horizontal surfaces that you can lay something onto, or attach something to:
- on the ceiling / wall / floor / table / etc.
Examples
- I left the magazine on that table.
- Isn’t that a beautiful painting on the wall?
- You have such lovely candles on the mantelpiece.
Use “on” with islands:
- I stayed on Maui.
- Have you seen the volcano on the smaller island?
Use “on” with directions:
- on the left / on the right / straight on
Examples
- Take the next turn on the left.
- His house is on the right.
- Drive straight on to the stop light.
How to Use the Preposition ‘Into’
Use “into” to express movement from one area into another:
- I drove into the garage and parked the car.
- Peter walked into the living room and turned on the TV.
How to Use the Preposition ‘Onto’
Use “onto” to show that someone puts something onto a surface:
- He put the magazines onto the table.
- Alice put the plates onto the shelf in the cupboard.
How to Use the Preposition ‘Out of’
Use “out of” when moving something towards you or when leaving a room:
- I took the clothes out of the washer.
- He drove out of the garage.
Important Notes and Exceptions
In the corner of a room, but at or on the corner of a street.
- That’s a pretty box in the corner of the room.
- I’ll get off at the next corner.
In / at / on the front versus in the front or in the back of a car
- Can you hand me the sandwich in the front of the car?
- My jacket is in the back of the car.
At the front / back of buildings / groups of people
- He’s standing at the front of the crowd.
- You’ll find him at the back of the parking garage.
On the front / back of a piece of paper
- Write your name on the front of the test and hand it in.
- Make sure to check if there are any questions on the back of the page.
by Kenneth Beare & The Thought Co.©
Photo credit: Adam Angelides / Getty Images
NOUNS
Types of nouns
Nouns form a large proportion of English vocabulary, and they come in a wide variety of types.
Nouns can name a person:
Albert Einstein
the president
my mother
a girl
Nouns can name a place:
Mount Vesuvius
Disneyland
my bedroom
Nouns can name things:
Things might include intangible things, such as concepts, activities, or processes. Some might even be hypothetical or imaginary things.
shoe
faucet
freedom
The Elder Wand
basketball
Proper nouns vs. common nouns
One important distinction to be made is whether a noun is a proper noun or a common noun. A proper noun is a specific name of a person, place, or thing and is always capitalized.
Does Tina have much homework to do this evening?
Tina is the name of a specific person.
I would like to visit Old Faithful.
Old Faithful is the specific name of a geological phenomenon.
The opposite of a proper noun is a common noun, sometimes known as a generic noun. A common noun is the generic name of an item in a class or group and is not capitalized unless appearing at the beginning of a sentence or in a title.
The girl crossed the river.
Girl is a common noun; we do not learn the identity of the girl by reading this sentence, though we know the action she takes. River is also a common noun in this sentence.
Types of common nouns
Common or generic nouns can be broken down into three subtypes: concrete nouns, abstract nouns, and collective nouns. A concrete noun is something that is perceived by the senses; something that is physical or real.
I heard the doorbell.
My keyboard is sticky.
Doorbell and keyboard name real things that can be sensed.
Conversely, an abstract noun is something that cannot be perceived by the senses.
We can’t imagine the courage it took to do that.
Courage is an abstract noun. Courage can’t be seen, heard, or sensed in any other way, but we know it exists.
A collective noun denotes a group or collection of people or things.
That pack of lies is disgraceful.
Pack as used here is a collective noun. Collective nouns take a singular verb, as they refer to the collection of people or things they identify as one entity—in this case, the singular verb is.
A pride of lions roamed the savanna.
Pride is also a collective noun.
Source: grammarly.com
Basic English – Essential Lessons for Beginning English Learners Pt 1
Essential Basic English Lessons
These basic English lessons provide the most important learning points for beginning level English learners. Use these 25 short lessons to study for tests, review basic English essentials, or check your understanding of the basics.
The lessons are about how to use different words. I have set this up as 2 lessons per post. You should do all 25 lessons working at your own pace. No need to rush.
Lesson 1: When to Use ‘Any’ or ‘Some’
Some and any are used with both countable and uncountable nouns to ask about, confirm and respond negatively about an indefinite amount. Some and any are used with singular and plural verb forms. Here are some examples followed by the rules: Do you have any salt? There are some chairs in that room. She doesn’t have any money.
- Use “some” in positive sentences. We use some for both countable and uncountable nouns. Example: I have some friends.
- Use “any” in negative sentences or questions. We use any for both countable and uncountable nouns. Example: Do you have any cheese? – He doesn’t have any friends in Chicago.
- Do use “some” in questions when offering or requesting something that is there. Example: Would you like some bread? (offer) – Could I have some water? (request)
- Use “any” in negative sentences or questions. We use any for both countable and uncountable nouns. Example: Do you have any cheese? – He doesn’t have any friends in Chicago.
- Do use “some” words—somebody, someone, somewhere and something—in positive sentences. Example: He lives somewhere near here.
- Use “any” words—anybody, anyone, anywhere and anything—in negative sentences or questions. Example: Do you know anything about that boy? – She doesn’t have anywhere to go.
Lesson 2: Use Basic Prepositions In / On / To / At
When and How to Use ‘In’
Use ‘in’ with spaces:
- in a room / in a building
- in a garden / in a park
Do use ‘in’ with bodies of water:
- in the water
- in the sea
- in a river
Use ‘in’ with lines:
- in a row / in a line
- in a queue
When and How to Use ‘At’
Do use ‘at’ with places:
- at the bus-stop
- at the door
- also, at the cinema
- at the end of the street
When and How to Use ‘On’
Do use ‘on’ with surfaces:
- on the ceiling / on the wall / on the floor
- on the table
Use ‘on’ with small islands:
- I stayed on Maui.
Use ‘on’ with directions:
- on the left
- on the right
- straight on
When and How to Use ‘To’
Use ‘to’ with movement from one place to another:
- I went to school.
- Did you go to work?
- Let’s go to the shopping mall.
DO NOT Use ‘to’ with ‘home.’
Source: thoughtco.com/basic-english-essentials-4122690
Part 2 begins here:
How to Practice English Speaking Alone at Home
This lesson is perfect for those people who want to improve their English pronunciation and fluency. This is very important if you struggle to lessen any accent you may have and become more understandable when speaking English.
You have no problem practicing your English reading, writing, or listening skills when you’re alone, but when it comes to practicing speaking, what are you supposed to do?
You need to practice peaking
Everyone says that you have to practice speaking in order to improve, and that reading, writing, and listening are not enough. But it’s not always possible to find an English teacher or friend to speak with, right? Are you supposed to talk to yourself?
Yes! And it’s not as weird as you think! It might feel strange at first, but the more you do it, the more natural and fun it will become.
Besides, it’s not just about talking to yourself. It’s about finding creative ways to speak when you’re alone.
Teach yourself a speech or monologue
You need to practice speaking, but if you don’t know what to talk about, memorizing something. It’s a great place to start. It allows you to get more comfortable with hearing yourself speak in English. Also strengthens your pronunciation muscles!
So, to begin, you should find your favorite scene from a movie or play and memorize it. Or a joke from your favorite stand-up comedian. I promise this can be a really entertaining way to spend your time.
If this sounds overwhelming, take it step by step. Choose a short passage to memorize, maybe a few hundred words. Read the passage and underline or highlight any phrases or expressions you don’t know. Look them up and practice using them in sentences so you can get comfortable using them.
Then, take the monologue or speech and break it down into small sections. Start with memorizing just a few sentences at a time. Subsequently moving on to lengthier material.
Memorize your favorite quotes to repeat out loud
If you’ve spent any time on social media, you know that quotes are an incredible way to connect with and inspire people instantly. And, if you don’t feel ready to memorize a speech yet, you should start with memorizing quotes.
The great thing about this strategy is that, if you check social media every day, you can make this part of your daily habit. It can also expose you to expressions and slang that you might not find in other places.
If you need ideas, just search for #inspirationalquotes on Instagram. Also search Google for quotes about a particular subject, like self-care or perseverance.
In the beginning, I recommend that you give yourself a small goal of learning one quote per week. Then repeat it to yourself or to friends and family, over and over, until they say, “Please find a new quote!”
Memorize your favorite song and sing it!
Many of my students laugh at me when I ask them if they’ve ever tried singing in English, but there’s a method to my madness! In a 2013 study conducted at the Reid School of Music in Edinburgh, researchers discovered that adults who sang in a new language instead of just speaking it performed better on a series of language tests.
I understand that people don’t like to sing, or they feel self-conscious about their ability, but if you’re by yourself, you should give it a try! And you’ll find that, because you’re singing it, it will be much easier to memorize a song than it is to memorize a monologue or famous speech.
Easy one first
For your first song, try not to choose something that’s too challenging or fast-paced, but do choose a song that you really enjoy so that you’ll want to listen to it again and again.
Listen to the song first as you read the lyrics and look up any words or phrases you don’t know. Then, play the song again, and try singing along as you read the lyrics. Do this a couple of times until you feel ready to start singing the chorus – or the part of the song repeated after each verse – without reading the lyrics.
Once you’ve memorized the chorus, work on the first verse. Take the song one verse at a time until you know it by heart (without reading the lyrics).
Then, sing it all the time: in the shower, in the car, in the supermarket when no one’s around. Sing it until you’re sick of it, and you’re ready for a new song.
If you need inspiration, I highly recommend choosing a song from The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, or Prince. These are just a few examples of musicians who have been around for a long time, but who are still popular and who have really influenced modern culture.
Source: englishwithlove©
Most Common Prefixes
A prefix is a letter or a group of letters attached to the beginning of a word (or word root) that partly indicates its meaning. Basically, the word prefix itself begins with the prefix pre-, which generally means “before” or “in front of”. By contrast, a letter or group of letters attaching to the end of a word is called a suffix.
Generally, many of today’s English words contain prefixes from Greek or Latin. Thus, understanding the meanings of the most common prefixes can help us deduce the definition of new words we run across in our reading. Especially knowing a prefix can make a word mean its opposite, such as the difference between “possible” and “impossible”.
Still, we do need to be careful. The same prefix may be spelled in more than one way (pre- and pro-, for instance). Also, some prefixes (such as in-) have more than one meaning (“not” or “without” versus “in” or “into,” as an example). Even so, being able to recognize prefixes can help us build our vocabularies and parse out words we may not know.
Common Prefixes
| Prefix | Meaning | Examples |
| a-, an- | without, lack of, not | amoral, acellular, abyss, achromatic, anhydrous |
| ante- | before, earlier, in front of | antecedent, antedate, antemeridian, anterior |
| anti- | against, opposite of | anticlimax. antiaircraft, antiseptic, antibody |
| auto- | self, same | autopilot, autobiography, automobile, autofocus |
| circum- | around, about | circumvent, circumnavigate, circumscribe |
| co- | with, together | co-pilot, co-worker, co-exist, co-author |
| com-, con- | together, with | companion, commingle, contact, concentrate |
| contra-, contro- | against, opposite | contradict, contrast, contrary, controversy |
| de- | down, off, away from | devalue, deactivate, debug, degrade, deduce |
| dis- | not, apart, away | disappear, disagreeable, disbar, dissect |
| en- | put into, cover with | enclose, entangle, enslave, encase |
| ex- | out of, from, former | extract, exhale, excavate, ex-president |
| extra- | beyond, outside, more than | extracurricular, extramarital, extravagant |
| hetero- | different, other | heterosexual, heterodox, heterogeneous |
| homo-, homeo- | same, alike | homonym, homophone, homeostasis |
| hyper- | over, more, beyond | hyperactive, hypersensitive, hypercritical |
| il-, im-, in-, ir- | not, without | illegal, immoral, inconsiderate, irresponsible |
| in- | in, into | insert, inspection, infiltrate |
| inter- | between, among | intersect, interstellar, intervene, interpenetrate |
| intra-, intro- | within, inside | intravenous, intragalactic, introvert |
| macro- | large, prominent | macroeconomics, macrostructure, macrocosm |
| micro- | very small | microscope, microcosm, microbe |
| mono- | one, single, alone | monocle, monologue, monogamy, monotony |
| non- | not, without | nonentity, nonaggressive, nonessential, nonfiction |
| omni- | all, every | omniscient, omnivorous, omniscient, omnidirectional |
| post- | after, behind | postmortem, posterior, postscript, postoperative |
| pre-, pro- | before, forward | precede, predict, project, prologue |
| re- | again | reelect, readmit, resubmit |
| sub- | under, lower | submarine, subsidiary, substandard |
| sym-, syn- | same time, together | symmetry, symposium, synchronize, synapse |
| tele- | from or over a distance | telecommunications, telemedicine, television, telephone |
| trans- | across, beyond, through | transmit, transaction, translation, transfer |
| tri- | three, every third | tricycle, trimester, triangle, triathlon |
| un- | not, lacking, opposite of | unfinished, unskilled, ungraceful, unfriendly |
| uni- | one, single | unicorn, unicellular, unicycle, unilateral |
| up- | to the top or north, higher/better | upbeat, updo, upgrade, upload, uphill, upstage, upscale, up-tempo |
Lastly, the general rule is to use the whole prefix in a word—as in, refrain from adding or removing letters.
Source: thoughtco.com©
Graphic by learningenglishonlinefree.wordpress.com