Hello, amazing learners! 🌟
Are you ready to talk about your future plans and dreams? 🌈✨
In this activity, you’ll jam to a fantastic song 🎸🎤 while practicing future tenses! 🔮📚
Improve your grammar, listening, and speaking skills—all while having fun!
Click below to get started! 🎧
In natural English speech, words don’t stand alone—they blend, connect, and flow together to create smooth, continuous sounds. This process is known as connected speech and includes several types of linking sounds. Let’s explore some common types of linking sounds with examples so you can sound more fluent and natural in English!
When a word ends in a consonant sound and the next word begins with the same consonant sound, the consonants are linked. Instead of pronouncing the consonant twice, it’s only said once.
Examples:
Sometimes, linking also occurs even if the consonants are not exactly the same but have a similar sound:
This kind of linking makes speech sound smoother and avoids the “choppiness” that can happen when each word is pronounced separately.
When one word ends in a consonant sound and the following word begins with a vowel sound, the two sounds flow directly into each other, often creating a new sound that feels like a single, continuous word.
Examples:
This linking creates a natural flow in sentences, making each phrase feel connected and smooth.
When one word ends with a vowel sound and the next word starts with a vowel sound, we often add a “/w/” or “/y/” sound between them to link the words together. This makes it easier to move smoothly from one vowel sound to the next.
Examples:
Adding this “w” or “y” sound when linking vowel sounds is a small change, but it can make a big difference in how natural your English sounds.
When to Use It:
Examples:
Explanation for Students: When you say “two apples,” notice how you glide from the “o” sound in “two” to the “a” sound in “apples.” The /w/ sound fills the gap, so it sounds like “twowapples,” not “two…apples.”
When to Use It:
Examples:
Explanation for Students: With phrases like “she asked,” the /y/ sound helps you glide from “she” to “asked” smoothly. If you said “she…asked” without a linking sound, it would feel like a break in your speech. Adding the /y/ sound makes it easier and smoother to say.
Try reading these sentences aloud and see if you can connect the sounds smoothly! Practice makes progress, so don’t be afraid to repeat each one a few times. 💪
Sentences:
Ready to improve your English skills without spending a lot of money? 🚀📖
Here you can find a list of fantastic websites that will help you practice and improve your English.
Are you an English learner looking to improve your English skills online?
Look no further! Here I’ll share tips and tricks to help you succeed in your language-learning journey.
The following tips can help you maximize your online classes so you can achieve your learning goals and become better at speaking English.
Plan out your study time, and attend online classes on time. Consistency is key to learning a new language.
The more you practice, the more confident you will become in your language skills. Look for opportunities to practice during your class, such as actively participating in the breakout room activities.
Listen to your English teacher and classmates and try to guess the meaning of new words from context. Don’t use your translator to translate every single new word you hear. Try to listen to different accents and dialects to improve your comprehension.
Read English language materials such as books, articles, and news stories to improve your reading comprehension and vocabulary.
Don’t be afraid to speak up and participate in class discussions. This will help you to practice your speaking and listening skills and will also give you the chance to learn from your classmates.
Taking notes during online classes can help you remember important information and improve your writing skills.
Ask your teacher for feedback on your language skills and areas that need improvement. Use this feedback to set goals and work on areas that need improvement.
Take advantage of online resources such as grammar websites, vocabulary lists, and language learning apps to supplement your class work and improve your language skills.
Connect with your classmates outside of class to practice your language skills and build your confidence. You can creat a Whatsapp/ Telegram/ Facebook/ Wechat study group.
Learning a new language takes time and effort. Be patient with yourself and persistent in your efforts to improve your language skills.
💡 Finally, learning a new language can be challenging, and it’s important to be kind to yourself during the process. Making mistakes is a natural part of learning, and it’s okay to not get everything right the first time.
🏆 Instead of being hard on yourself, try to focus on the progress you’re making and the improvements you’re seeing in your language skills. Celebrate your successes and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
🗵 Remember, everyone makes mistakes, even native speakers!
😊 By being kind to yourself and embracing your mistakes as opportunities for growth, you’ll be able to learn English with greater ease and confidence
Can you think of other tips to succeed in your online classes? Share your comments below ⬇️
A short story is a piece of fiction that has a limited number of words and a few characters.
Let’s see a short story sample for the B1 Writing test
Time expressions:
Adverbs and adverbials to spice up your story
Finishing your short story
Short stories usually take place in the past, for that reason, the most common narrative tenses you should use for your short story are:
Writing Practice 1You are going to write a short story about a past mistake you have made.
Plan your story
The following questions can help you make your own story
Write your story in about 100 – 120 words in the comment section below.
If you use this list, you can check that you have included everything you need to in your short story.
This will help you create a story that makes sense and is interesting for people to read. In addition, if you include all the items from the checklist, you will get an EXCELLENT writing score.
Type your story in the “LEAVE A REPLY” textbox and you will receive feedback directly to your email.
I will post your final story after you have received feedback.
So your dream is to improve your English. But how many times have you failed?
You have spent a lot of time dreaming, thinking or talking about what you want. But you haven’t taken the necessary steps to achieve it.
It’s not because you are lazy or incapable. It’s because perhaps you are confused or you don’t know where to start. You don’t have a PLAN yet.
English learning plans, can serve as a roadmap or guide to making your dreams a reality.
An English learning plan can help you if:
An English learning plan is both a roadmap and a reminder of your goals. It helps you realize your dreams and the things that you need to do to make them true.
An English learning plan can help you to become aware of your strengths and your weaknesses.
Your English learning plan doesn’t need to be super detailed. It should be flexible so you can adapt it according to the circumstances.
Don’t forget that LIFE IS UNPREDICTABLE. Things happen. Your plan needs to leave room for unexpected changes and crises.
Making English learning plans can help you achieve your goals easier than if you are confused and have no idea what to do.
An English learning plan gives you the confidence to take action and be proactive.
Making an English learning plan helps you identify what you want and focus on things that move you in the right direction
When you know your goals it is easier to make the right decisions that help you accomplish your goals
When you write down your goals it’s easier to stay focused and motivated.
An English learning plan is a tool that makes you think critically and reflect on your learning needs. It helps you identify the skills that you master and the skills you need to improve to achieve your goals.
1. The most important thing to making any plan is, to BE HONEST with yourself.
2. Take a moment to reflect on your habits, your learning story, your circumstances, your strengths, and your weaknesses.
3. No one but you can identify the things that are easy for you and the things that are challenging for you.
4. You are the only one that can identify the things/ habits/ beliefs that are preventing you from moving forward.
5. Finally, remember that becoming fluent in English is a goal that will require that you spend a lot of time and resources. If you are not willing to pay the price then it will always be a DREAM.
6. If you are not willing to organize your life, give up unhealthy habits or if you can’t change your lifestyle to accommodate time to practice, then it’s going to be very difficult to improve your English.
Below you can see a template that will help you reflect and create your own English learning plan.
Formal emails are the ones that people write to people they don’t know well. The language used in these types of emails is more formal and polite.
| informal email | formal email |
| friends family members people we know well | people we don’t know bosses or managers doctors, teachers and professors |
Formal emails have a standard format, so they must include the following parts:
We say hi to the other person. Depending on the kind of relationship we have with the person we are writing to, we can use the following greetings:
For example: Dear Mr. Smith,
If you don’t know the name and last name of the recipient
This is a more generic formulaic expression.
2. Introduction
In this part, we must indicate briefly and clearly the reason for writing. It should be consistent with the subject of the email. We can use the following introductory phrases:
3. Body
There are no formulaic expressions or conventional formulas for the body of the text because the information that we share in the body of the email varies according to what you need to communicate.
There is one general rule for this part: it should be divided into short paragraphs.
4. Closing paragraph
There are various ways to end your email. The most common formulaic expressions are the following:
5. Goodbye
Here you can find a list of the most common phrases to end a formal email:
6. Signature
We write our full name (name + last name)
Now that you know which parts should be included in a formal email, let’s see an example:
Ana has read an ad about some English courses on a school website.
| Language School Come and study English at our school! Summer and winter intensive courses Highly experienced teachers One month courses for all levels Reasonable prices Accommodation with host families |
Pro tips for writing formal emails Time to practiceThe best way to improve your writing is to practice. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Remember that practice makes progress.
Write an email to get more information about the following course:
| Computer courses in Canada One -or two-week courses in different parts of Canada (Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Halifax) Professional instructors Morning and afternoon classes All levels, beginners to advanced Small groups or private lessons For more information email Robert Anderson at info@academy.com |
Don’t forget to explain why you are writing and give some personal information
Ask your questions, and ask them to send you information
Although, though, even though, in spite of, and despite are words that help us connect contrasting ideas clearly and fluently. We use them to introduce a clause in a sentence which is in contrast to another clause in the same sentence.
You already know how to use basic connectors such as so and but. In the example below, but is a contrast connector.
Now, it’s time to learn other connectors that help us communicate more complex ideas.
NOTE: A dependent clause is NOT a full sentence. It is a phrase (group of words) that is incomplete, in other words, it is an incomplete thought. We need to complete the idea by using a connector and an independent clause.
An independent clause is a phrase that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought.
Time to practiceThe best way to improve your English is by practicing. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Remember that practice makes progress.
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Adverbs are words that describe an action (e.g. She speaks slowly) or modify adjectives (e.g. This car is incredibly expensive) or other adverbs (e.g. He works very hard). They can be one word (e.g. often) or a phrase (every now and then).
2. Adverbs of frequency tell us how often an action is performed.
3. Adverbs of time and place tell us when and where an action is performed
4. Adverbs of degree describe how much something is done, or modify the adjective
5. Comment adverbs give the speaker’s opinion about a particular topic.
Watch the following videos to find more examples and exercises Grammar PracticeLevel of difficulty: ⭐
Level of difficulty: ⭐⭐
Speaking PracticeLevel of difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐
In a previous post we discussed the basic differences between the indefinite articles (a/an) and the definite article (the).
As you can see in the Introduction to articles some of the patterns for the usage of articles in English are easy to remember. However, the use of articles in English is very complex.
Using articles in English can be very challenging for speakers of other languages because:
In this post you can find more specific rules and exceptions of article usage in English.
Practice Time
Leave a Reply