Category: Learning English

The biggest problems with self-study EFL materials.

Short and long term solutions for those who want to speak more quickly and smoothly. Also useful for teachers planning classroom fluency practice.

70 practical tips for improving your English

List of UK gestures, with meanings of gestures used in the United Kingdom and how to make them.

Some ideas for using language exchange sites

A look at how you can improve your reading and writing skills in English.

Shaking hands, kissing, hugging, eye contact, bodily contact, proximity, and standing and sitting positions in the UK.  

A look at ways in which learners can improve their pronunciation.

Test your knowledge of accent reduction

Do games have a place in an adult ESL class?

Advice on choosing English classes for very young learners

This article has some suggestions on developing self-correction skills and starting to use more accurate English, all without the help of a teacher.

Ideas and tips to help you improve your pronunciation outside class

Easy and sensible ways to practise English with your children

A learner looks at how he learned English.

Using music and songs in teaching English as a second language or why people should sing to improve their language skills

Rude British gestures and other body language that could cause offense in the United Kingdom.

Some tips for learners to help them to proofread their writing

Understanding principles of learning can be as important for students as for teachers – especially adult learners.

Is it necessary to read authentic texts?

A look at the importance of non-verbal communication.

The most important phrases for taking part in business meeting in English.

The two biggest disagreements between teachers and students all over the world on how it is best to study English in class are about the amount of error correction and the amount of pairwork.

A look at whether one language can be said to be the hardest to learn

A number of reasons why your teacher might make you correct your own answers

Do learners need to know grammar terms?

Good and bad reasons for your teacher wanting you to learn the phonemic script

Why doesn't my teacher make or let us read aloud?

What's wrong with bilingual dictionaries?

Reasons why teachers sometimes speak at a speed at which students can't understand everything that they say – both good ones and bad ones – with possible student reactions.

One of the ESL classroom mysteries explained

Reasons why your teacher may stop you using dictionaries in class.

A teacher's view some possible answers to a question commonly asked by ESL learners