Questions are essential part of communication in any language.
If we want to get information or more details we usually place a question word at the beginning of the question. The question word refers to the information that we want to get. For example:
Question word
Information we want to get
Example
Who
person
Who is the man who has long hair?
What
thing
What’s the best place you’ve visited?
Where
place
Where are you from?
When
time
When did you graduate?
Why
reason
Why are you studying English?
*How
manner
How did you like the movie?
Examples of question words
There are some two-word questions that start with How…?
For example: How far…? How tall…? How long…? How fast…? How often…? How old…? How much…? and How many…?
In the chart below there are more details and examples about two-word questions that start with How.
Imagine that you are in a meeting where an important discussion is going on and suddenly your manager calls you out and says “What’s your opinion about this topic?
You start feeling nervous and you can’t say anything. You have a lot of great ideas but you don’t know how to express them.
It is common that when we have to share our opinion we feel insecure and nervous. The fear to speak up can be ever worse if we have to speak in a different language. Fear often prevents us to share our opinions with our classmates, colleagues, managers, and other English speakers.
It’s time you learned useful phrases that will make you feel confident enough to speak up. This in turn will allow you to grow professionally, academically and personally.
In this post I share useful phrases that you can use in your next class or meeting.
GIVING YOUR OPINION
BASIC OPINIONS
STRONG AND PERSONAL OPINIONS
WEAK OR HESITANT OPINIONS
I (don’t) think…
I (don’t) really think …
As far as I know,…
I (don’t ) believe …
I strongly believe that …
As far as I’m concerned, …
I (don’t) feel …
There’s no doubt that …
It seems to me that …
In my opinion/ view …
I honestly think that ….
I might be wrong but …
The way I see it …
I’m convinced that…
You probably won’t agree, but …
ASKING FOR OPINION
What’s your opinion?
What do you think?
How do you feel about …?
How do you see the situation?
What’s your view?
RESPONDING TO AN OPINION
AGREEING
DISAGREEING
REACTING
I agree.
I disagree.
Really?
I think so too.
I don’t think so.
+ That’s a great suggestion – That doesn’t make any sense
I couldn’t agree more.
I’m not quite sure.
I’m not very familiar with the topic.
You might be right.
That’s not true.
Know what I think?
I couldn’t have said it better.
I totally disagree.
I see what you mean.
Practice time
What do you think about this blog?
What topics would you like to be discussed in this blog?
Class participation is important if you want to learn faster. Participating in class will allow you to use your English like you would do in the real world. When you participate you are practicing and the more you practice using the language, the faster you will improve it.
Your classes will be more fun if you participate actively and communicate with your classmates and your teacher. Nobody wants to be in a classroom where nobody speaks. It is normal to feel nervous when you have to participate or ask a question. But after you participate you will feel more energetic and alert. That in turn will help you remember what you learn and feel more confident.
Here I’m going to share with you different ways of participating during your online classes:
1. Be proactive and thoughtful
Turn ON your camera and keep it on during the whole class.
Turn ON your microphone when you participate.
Turn OFF your microphone when other people participate.
Use the chat box to ask questions or communicate with your teacher and classmates during the class.
Join the breakout rooms and participate in the group activities.
Offer to share your screen
2.Ask questions
If you have a question or if you are confused you can ask for help to your teacher or your classmates. Here there are some sentence starters that you can use during your class.
Here you have a list of useful phrases that you can use during your English classes:
I have a question about _________________.
I’m confused about _____________________.
I need help with _______________________.
I have difficulties understanding __________________.
I would like to know more about ___________________.
Can you give me an example?
What’s the difference between ________ and __________?.
What is the answer to question/ exercise ______?
What does _______________ mean?
How do you pronounce this word?
How do you spell _________?
How did you get the answer?
Can you repeat the last part that you just said?
3. Offer your help
If you want to help your classmates or if you know the answer you can use the following sentence starters:
I might know the answer to that.
I think I can help you with ________.
I’m not sure, but I think the answer is _____________.
4. Volunteer
If you want to volunteer or start the activity
Can I go first?
I’ll go first.
I can do it
Who’s next?
5.Share your gratitude
Thanks for helping me understand __________.
I appreciate your help.
I really liked that activity.
It was a really fun/ interesting activity.
I liked that!
Practice Time
It’s your time to participate!
How important is class participation for you? How do you feel when your classmates refuse to participate in class?
Asking for help is an important skill that we need to develop in order to communicate effectively with our classmates and colleagues.
Note: In English “a hand” sometimes means “help“
to lend someone a hand = to help someone
Example: I was very busy with the clients, so John lent me a hand with the final report.
As you can see, in English there are different ways of asking for help. Here there is a list of useful English phrases that you can use instead of saying:
Help me, please.
Could you help me, please?
Listen and Repeat
/kudju help mee pleez/
2. Could you lend me a hand?
Listen and Repeat
/kudju lenmee uh hand/
3. Would you mind lending me a hand?
Listen and Repeat
/wudju mind lenduhng mee uh hand/
4. Can I ask a favor?
Listen and Repeat
/kuhnai askuh fAyvr/
5. Can you do me a favor?
Listen and Repeat
/kuhnju doo mee uh fAyvr
6. I have a favor to ask.
Listen and Repeat
/ai havuh fAyvr tuhask/
7. I need a big favor.
Listen and Repeat
/ai needuh bigfAyvr/
8. Do you have a minute?
Listen and Repeat
/duju havuh minut/
9. Could you help me _________ ? (verb in the base form)
Listen and Repeat
/kuhdju help mee ______ /
10. Could you ________ for me? (verb in the base form)
Listen and Repeat
/kuhdju _______ for mee/
Practice Time
Read each of the phrases and record yourself. Listen to your voice.
For you, what sounds are difficult to pronounce?
How many times can you say each of the sentences without making a mistake?
If you don’t understand what other people say, it’s a good idea to ask for clarification instead of saying:
“I don’t understand” or “Sorry, my English is very bad”
Here there is a list of useful expressions for asking for clarification. These expressions will help you speak fluently and communicate better with your classmates or colleagues. It’s important that you learn how to pronounce each of the phrases correctly. There is an audio below each phrase so you can check the pronunciation that will help you learn them easily.
Pardon me?
Listen and Repeat
2. Excuse me. Could you repeat that, please?
Listen and Repeat
3. Could you say that again?
Listen and Repeat
4. I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you properly.
Listen and Repeat
5. I’m sorry, I missed that.
Listen and Repeat
6. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.
Listen and Repeat
7. What do you mean?
Listen and Repeat
8. What does _________ mean?
Listen and Repeat
9. Could you give an example?
Listen and Repeat
10. Did you say ________? (say the word you heard)
Listen and Repeat
Practice Time
Read each of the sentences out load and record yourself using your cellphone or your computer. Listen to your voice.
For you, what sounds/ words are difficult to pronounce?
For you, what is the easiest phrase? How many times can you say it without making a mistake?
💬 Objective: Practice speaking skills by sharing ideas about healthy habits for improving English.
Step 1: Warm-Up Questions
Start by answering these questions with a classmate or a speaking partner:
Which of the healthy habits in the picture do you already practice?
Do you think these habits help you improve your English? How?
What other habits do you think are important for learning a language?
Step 2: Healthy Habits Discussion
🗣 Task: Work in pairs or small groups. Discuss the following habits from the picture:
Sleep Well 🛌
How many hours do you usually sleep?
How do you feel when you don’t sleep enough?
Drink Plenty of Water 💧
Why is it important to stay hydrated while studying?
How much water do you drink every day?
Relax and Take It Easy 🧘♀️
What activities help you relax after studying?
Do you think relaxation improves memory?
Exercise 🏋️♂️
What’s your favorite way to stay active?
Do you think exercise helps you focus? Why?
Eat Well 🍎
What healthy foods give you energy to learn?
Do you prefer studying after a snack or a meal?
Hobbies 🎨
What hobbies can you do in English (reading, watching movies, puzzles)?
How can hobbies make learning English more fun?
Step 3: Share Your Ideas!
🌟 Challenge: After your discussion, share your thoughts with the class or your teacher.
Example: “I think sleeping well is the most important habit because it helps you concentrate. I sleep 8 hours every night, and it really works for me!”
For Extra Practice
Leave a comment below! Write about the habit you think is the most important and how it helps you. 😊
Lately most of us have been attending virtual meetings. Zoom has become one of the preferred platforms for working and learning remotely. In one hand virtual meetings have become an effective way to communicate with colleagues, teachers and classmates. On the other they have become a source of stress and anxiety especially for non-English speakers.
This quick guide will offer useful vocabulary and phrases to improve your communication skills online.
First of all you need to become familiar with the icons and their functions. It’s important that you learn how to pronounce their names in English. Some words are universally used around the world but the pronunciation varies according to the language.
USEFUL WORDS
Here is a list of words that can help you for your next virtual meeting/ class.
video conference
host
participants
camera on
camera off
adjust volume
microphone on
microphone off (mute)
share screen
poll
turn up the volume
turn down the volume
chat
record the session
USEFUL PHRASES
Here are some common phrases used during virtual meetings. How many of them have you heard before?
Can you hear me?
Can you see me?
Can you see the presentation?
Can you hear the audio?
I can’t hear you / I’m having trouble hearing you.
Your mic is off
Please turn your mic off
I can see you but I can’t hear you
I’ll share my screen
Can you share your screen?
I’ll stop sharing my screen
Can you stop sharing your screen?
Are you on mute? / I think your microphone is off
I have a problem with the connection
Sorry, I got kicked out
The connection is slow
I’m lagging / You’re lagging
My/ your video is freezing
Did you receive the link?
I’m waiting for it to load
It’s not loading
Scroll up please
Scroll down please
Do you want to practice pronunciation? Download a worksheet with pictures and audio
In English the apostrophe is used to make contractions. It is easy to use contractions when we are in the classroom studying grammar. The problem is when we come across with the same contractions while watching a movie or speaking with other people. In English there are different contractions and one of the most confusing one is the ‘s contraction.
The apostrophe + s or ‘s contraction can represent three of the following situations: is, has or possession.
Look at the following example:
My sister’s husband, who’s an English teacher in Vietnam, speaks three languages. He’s studied Vietnamese for five years and French for one year. Currently, He’s working in a high school in Hanoi.
Can you identify the full form of each of the contractions? If you can, share your answer in the comments below.
If not, watch a mini lesson where I explain the different meanings of ‘s. After you watch it download a guide with more examples to practice on your own.
If you want to improve your English it is critical that you have a rich vocabulary. Among other skills, the ability to identify word meanings is extremely important if you want to speak fluently.
Here I am going to share five tips that will help you remember new words and their meanings easily.
Tip # 1
Identify the part of speech of the words you learn. Along with the writing or pronunciation patterns, learning the part of speech can help you remember words and create sentences more easily. The part of speech indicates how the word functions in meaning as well as grammatically within the sentence. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are examples of parts of speech.
Tip # 2
Organize your vocabulary by word families. A word family is a group of words that have a common pattern. Words that belong to the same family have the same combination of letters or a particular sound. They are an excellent tool to learn and remember words.
Tip # 3
Look for other words that belong to the same family. Most online dictionaries display a list with nearby words or other entries for the word. Look for those entries to find out other words that belong to the same family.
(source: McMillan Essential Dictionaries Magazine, Issue 14, December 2003)
Tip # 4
Write down in your notebook all the words that belong to the same word family. Graphic word organizers are the best. You can draw a table in your notebook or download a super cool word organizer that I have created specially for my students.
Write your own examples using each of the words that you add to your notebook or word organizer. It is crucial that you understand the meaning and how to use each word that you learn.
It seems like a lot of work. However, in the long run it will pay off; specially if you are planning to take the IELTS, TOEFL, CELPIP or any Cambridge test.
Challenge
Let’s practice. Complete the sentences below using the correct word from the table above.
“_____________ is in the eye of the beholder” ~Shakespeare (hint: noun)
Although Maria has been looking for a new job _________, she hasn’t ___________ yet. (hint: adverb, verb)
John is a very ___________ person. He exercises every day. (hint: adjective)
What’s you final _____________? Are you going to buy the detached house in the suburbs or the condo downtown? (hint: noun)
I’m not going to _______________ such disrespectful behavior! (hint: verb)
Let’s practice!!
