Browse Articles by Category
- English Grammar (42) - Articles and notes dealing with English grammar and English language usage topics
- English Language Examinations (19) - Articles looking at how to teach or study for ESL exams
- General Articles (20) - General English Language Articles
- Learning English (42) - Articles on how to learn English successfully
- Spelling and Punctuation (6) - Articles looking at English spelling & how to punctuate in English, including the differences between British English and American English variants
- Telephoning (8) - Telephoning is one of the most difficult things to do in another language, but these articles and guides should make making and receiving phone calls easily manageable.
- Vocabulary (5) - Vocabulary
- Writing (7) - Writing
Latest Articles & Notes
70 ways to improve your English Pinned
Category: Learning English
Topic: Learning and Teaching
Learning a new language can be hard work, so here are 70 practical tips for improving your English that you can do outside of school or college
The 100 most useful phrases for IELTS Writing Task 1 tables
Category: English Language Examinations
Topic: Exam Traps and Tricks
Essential phrases for describing tables in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, with important phrases for the introduction and body of such essays.
The 100 most useful phrases for IELTS Writing flowchart tasks
Category: English Language Examinations
Topic: Exam Traps and Tricks
Essential phrases for IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 describing processes tasks, with important phrases for the introduction and body of essays describing all kinds of flowcharts
English Tenses and Aspects 7 - The Habitual Aspect
Category: English Grammar
Topic: Verbs and Tenses
A look at the difficulties of classifying "used to"
English Tenses and Aspect 6 - The Prospective Aspect
Category: English Grammar
Topic: Verbs and Tenses
A look at the use of the 'going to' form in English
English Tenses and Aspects 5 - The Retrospective Aspect
Category: English Grammar
Topic: Verbs and Tenses
A look the the forms traditionally known as the perfect aspect
English Tenses and Aspects 4 - The Durative Aspect
Category: English Grammar
Topic: Verbs and Tenses
A look at the form traditionally known as the continuous or progressive
English Tenses and Aspect 3 - The Marked Tense
Category: English Grammar
Topic: Verbs and Tenses
This tense, the traditional 'past simple', sometimes referred to as the preterite, like the unmarked tense, can refer to past, present, future and general time.
English Tenses and Aspect 2 - The Unmarked Tense
Category: English Grammar
Topic: Verbs and Tenses
It is true that the uses of the unmarked tense can present three major problems for the learner
English Tenses and Aspects 1 - Introduction
Category: English Grammar
Topic: Verbs and Tenses
I believe the tense/aspect system of English verbs is far less complex than many suppose. There is an underlying logic to the system that, when understood, clears away most of the problems that have caused misery to many learners and their teachers.
How to make a personal connection in presentations
Category: Learning English
Topic: Functions & Text
Tips on connecting personally with a presentation audience, including useful phrases for making a personal connection with attendees.
100 common mistakes with starting and ending emails
Category: Writing
Topic: Vocabulary
The most common mistakes in English emails, including grammar, formality, fixed phrases, paragraphing, punctuation, etc.
The 100 most useful phrases for ending emails
Category: Writing
Topic: Vocabulary
Common closing lines, closing greetings and ways of writing your name at the end of emails, including phrases for formal and informal business and personal emails.
The 100 most useful phrases for starting emails
Category: Writing
Topic: Vocabulary
Useful opening greetings and first lines for formal and informal business and personal emails.
Writing emails checklist
Category: Writing
Topic: General
70 questions to check that you've written the perfect email
Formal Letter Writing - Help with formal and business letter writing. A summary of writing rules including outlines for cover letters and letters of enquiry, and abbreviations used in letters.
Speaking Out - A collection of thoughts, comments and articles regarding some of the issues and discussion points that have been raised in our ESL Forum.
More English Articles
These articles are in PDF format for which you will need to download Adobe Reader.
- Bring & Take - How to use these verbs in English.
- Inchoative verbs - A practical list of inchoative verbs in English.
- Modals of Possibility - Understanding how could, might and may are used to express possibility.
- Learning Vocabulary - Some suggestions about learning vocabulary