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Passive vs Active Voice in English

2023-02-24T14:32:57+01:00

Sometimes when I'm writing these blogs, Microsoft Word will underline a sentence in green, saying that it has been written in the passive voice, and that I should consider revising (changing, rewording) the sentence. This is because the passive voice is not as common (often found) in the English language because we tend to use the active voice more frequently. We were definitely told to do this in school!! So what exactly is the difference between the active and passive voice in English? Active voice Most sentences in English are in the active voice. The active voice is when the [...]

Passive vs Active Voice in English2023-02-24T14:32:57+01:00

Singular Plurals – English Nouns Always in Plural Form

2023-02-24T14:09:16+01:00

If you're a Bespeaking devotee (loyal fan), we're sure you saw our blog on collective nouns in English (or the Easy English Blog here). Collective nouns in English are nouns that are in the singular form, but refer to many things, like hair, information, or money, so you would think they are plural. However, as with many rules in English, you can be sure that there's an opposite to any word form or grammar point. There are simply some English nouns that are always in the plural form- singular plurals. Plurals may seem like the easiest aspect of learning a [...]

Singular Plurals – English Nouns Always in Plural Form2023-02-24T14:09:16+01:00

Talk about Future in English: will, going to, present continuous – Easy English Blog

2023-02-03T12:24:28+01:00

How do you talk about future plans in English- meaning things that you will do or have planned after now? Talking about the future is an important step in learning any language. There are a few easy ways to talk about future plans in English: using will, be going to and the present continuous tense. We talk in the future tense all the time because we like to speak about things coming soon. There are a few ways to do this. Do you know the difference? For example: Will you help me? What are you doing when you get home? [...]

Talk about Future in English: will, going to, present continuous – Easy English Blog2023-02-03T12:24:28+01:00

Double Trouble: Double Negatives in English

2023-02-03T12:20:18+01:00

Have you ever heard that two negatives make a positive? This is not only a concept in math class, but in English, too! This week, our blog is all about double negatives in English. Even though double negatives, for example: not never, don’t neither, may be standard in some regional dialects, they are incorrect in standard English. You may know this already from your English teachers, but they may not have told you exactly why. We hope to clear this up for you (make it clear to you). If you've ever used a double negative in the past, keep reading to [...]

Double Trouble: Double Negatives in English2023-02-03T12:20:18+01:00

Root Word Se: Learn English with Root Words

2023-02-03T12:15:29+01:00

Have you ever had a secret that you want to keep away from someone? Or severed something from something else? Or even selected something? Then you have used words that stem from the root word se, meaning to keep something apart. Root words are extremely important to know about when studying a language because they can help you to understand many words at one time, and think critically about what these words truly mean. If you're learning a new language and know some Greek or Latin root words, you may be able to figure out (guess the context) the meaning [...]

Root Word Se: Learn English with Root Words2023-02-03T12:15:29+01:00

8 Parts of Speech in English – Easy English

2023-02-03T11:59:08+01:00

Ask a native speaker what a part of speech in English is and they may not know the answer. A part of speech is something that native speakers learn very early in school to explain the parts of a sentence. Sometimes, it's easy to forget the parts of speech- we don’t talk about them everyday. However, they're all necessary (needed) to build (make) sentences. There are eight parts of speech in English. Every word in the English language is one of these parts of speech. Are you learning English for the first time? Do you need a good review of the basic [...]

8 Parts of Speech in English – Easy English2023-02-03T11:59:08+01:00

Adverbs of Place in English

2023-02-03T11:51:51+01:00

Do you know The Beatles' song "Here There and Everywhere"? That song is a great example of adverbs of place. Think about all the words we use to describe where things are around us. Whether someone says, "come here” to you, if you're looking around the neighborhood, or if you've searched everywhere for something, you're using an adverb of place. To help break it down (make it understandable) for you this week, we want to help you figure out adverbs of place...here, there, and everywhere! Adverbs of Place -- Here & There Adverbs of place show where the action happens [...]

Adverbs of Place in English2023-02-03T11:51:51+01:00

Academic English- The Dos and Don’ts

2023-02-03T11:41:27+01:00

If you're learning English, you may have come across an academic article or two. This may be confusing for an English learner, as academic English is a lot different from spoken English. Academic English is quite different from the "normal" English you would use in the office, or even the English we use in this blog! Academic English uses a certain structure that is rarely (almost never) seen anywhere else. It's more formal, scientific, and follows a certain formula. Now, the tricky thing with academic English is that there are different style guides, meaning that there are different styles of [...]

Academic English- The Dos and Don’ts2023-02-03T11:41:27+01:00

Were, Where, We’re, & Wear – Pronunciation and Meaning

2023-02-03T11:33:45+01:00

One of the biggest problems English learners face is pronouncing words that look or sound similar to each other - were and where, for example. I know that my students sometimes have difficulty hearing the difference between similarly pronounced words, and get them easily confused with each other, even though the meanings are usually very different. Some of the most easily confused words to pronounce are were and where, as well as we're and wear. They can be especially tricky because they look and sound similar to each other. We want to clear up the differences between them, so read on to find [...]

Were, Where, We’re, & Wear – Pronunciation and Meaning2023-02-03T11:33:45+01:00

V and F Sounds in English – Easy English Blog

2023-02-03T11:22:13+01:00

English pronunciation can be tricky (difficult, complicated). It takes a lot of practice to pronounce some words correctly. Two sounds that can be hard to pronounce (say) are the V and F sounds. For example, what's the difference between live and leaf? Good pronunciation means that other people can understand you easily (very easy). This is important when speaking because you want to communicate well! V (/v/) and F (/f/) sounds are paired together because they're in the same position in your mouth when you say them. That definitely makes things a little easier. We'll break it down (make it [...]

V and F Sounds in English – Easy English Blog2023-02-03T11:22:13+01:00

Root Word Ject- to throw

2023-01-31T16:36:07+01:00

This week, we'd like to focus on the root word ject, which means "to throw." A lot of common English words have their roots in the word ject, and if you think about what they mean, they usually have something to do with something being thrown in one way or another. If you've ever studied a language, even briefly (for a short time), or participated (took part) in a Spelling Bee, it is very likely that you have encountered root words. A root word is the main word that a series of words are based off of (founded on, built [...]

Root Word Ject- to throw2023-01-31T16:36:07+01:00

Gerund Form and Verb-ing in English

2023-01-31T16:25:34+01:00

What do the words having, playing, singing, and walking all have in common (have the same)? They're all in the gerund form of the verb! Don't let a word like gerunds scare you. Gerund is just a fancy word for words ending in -ing. Gerunds, or -ing verbs, are verb forms used as nouns. For example: I don't like standing. In this sentence, standing is used as a direct object (accusative tense). Gerunds can also be used as subjects, or used after prepositions. How to use gerunds and prepositions Prepositions can follow any word, whether it's a noun, pronoun, verb, or adjective. [...]

Gerund Form and Verb-ing in English2023-01-31T16:25:34+01:00
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