Artículos escritos por profesores particulares de Inglés nativos

This is a topic that usually confuses students, but it's really interesting and important to know as English Language Learners (ELL).   Have you ever heard of homographs and homophones?   You probably have.   Homographs Also called heteronyms, their spelling is the same, that is, their pronunciation is different, e.g: tear and tear, that is to say, these words are written the same way, but they have different pronunciation, [er] a...

  ✔️Practice your reading skills Becoming a better reader makes you a better writer because you develop an instinct for what looks right. ✔️Improve your listening skills Becoming a better listener makes you a better speaker because you hear natural pronunciation. ✔️Get better at multitasking You're listening to the other person and thinking about how to express what you want to say naturally. ✔️Take a break of endless lists of vocabulary a...

    1. Stop scouring the Internet for questionable IELTS advice and tips. Unless the source of your tutorials, posts, videos, etc. is Cambridge Assessment English, or the British Council, you should take everything with a pinch of salt at best. Basically, seeing as how any Tom, Dick and Harry can post to their heart´s content, it doesn´t mean you should take this content at face value. 2.The Speaking Paper looks deceptively “straightfo...

Okay o OK es una palabra muy básica en inglés que usamos para expresar aceptación o que estamos de acuerdo con algo.  Okay no solo está mal escrita, sino que su uso tan recurrente puede llegar a aburrir a cualquier nativo. Si quieres impresionar, sustituye esta palabra por otras fórmulas que significan exactamente lo mismo y no se usan tantísimo.  ¿Qué palabras usar en lugar de ok? SOUNDS GOOD TO ME If we’re agreeing with som...

If you believe that you can never learn another language, take note! 1.     Know why you're learning This might sound obvious, but if you don’t have a good reason to learn a language, you are less likely to stay motivated over the long-run. Wanting to impress English-speakers with your French is not a very good reason; wanting to get to know a French person in his or her own language is another matter entirely. No matter your...

When you a learning a new language, everybody makes mistakes at some point and they are normally the same mistakes. The fun part of learning is to make mistakes and learn from them. Missing subject: This mistake happens because in Spanish it isn't always necessary. However, in English, it is! You must specify the subect. For example: "It is very important to brush your teeth, NOT "Is very important to brush your teeth". Not using the present pe...

With such a wealth of methodologies at our finger tips, how do English teachers choose how to approach their lesson planning and activity creation to ensure the very best experience for the student during class and during the process of language acquisition?     The very basis of any approach to teaching should be the student’s goals, objectives and motivations; and the related student needs. This endeavour becomes ...

  New Year resolutions have a rather bad press. Maybe you are, just like me not long ago, one of those who every New Year's Eve think something like "this year I will definitely do this gym thing, I'll go everyday, honest!!". I think we all have excitedly and purposedly, set out, on our way to a better "us", to spectacularly fail just a few days into the brand new year. This, of course, leads to a feeling of disappointment and dissatisfacti...

En el trabajo, en la universidad, en la vida... para todo hay que escribir un correo hoy en día. Saber cómo hacerlo bien es esencial para proyectar una buena imagen personal. Si quieres bordarlo en tus e-mails, coge libreta y boli. Cómo empezar... Dear Sir/Madam To whom it may concernDear Mr/Ms Jones  Informal expressions:Hi MaryHello Mary Dear Mary Por qué estamos escribiendo este email...  I am writing to ask for …I am writing ...

El present simple se forma en afirmativa con el infinitivo, sin partícula to, para todas las personas, excepto para la tercera persona del singular, que siempre requiere una -s final: to live (vivir) I live (yo vivo) you live (tú vives) he lives (él vive) she lives (ella vive) it lives (ello vive) we live (nosotros vivimos) you live (vosotros vivís) they live (ellos viven) HOWEVER, los verbos que acaban en -o, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x añaden -es a la t...

We use the modal verb can or can't to express ability (= capacity) or inability to do something in the present. Example: I can do it. / He can't drive. / Can you swim? However, to talk about general ability or inability to do something in the past, we use the modal verb 'could' or 'couldn't'.   Example: I could swim when I was four. / My grandmother couldn't speak French. Nevertheless, for questions in the past, we prefe...

La formalidad es un punto a tener en cuenta cuando escribimos trabajos o projects en la universidad o incluso en bachillerato. En ocasiones, no contamos con las herramientas necesarias para estructurar e hilar las ideas que queremos presentar. Pues bien, hoy os traigo algunas phrases que podéis usar para mejorar vuestros trabajos y quedar como kings and queens. ¡Ahí van!: 1. Establishing why your topic (X) is important: X is the m...

Some of my students find it difficult to remember or spell certain English words.  The good news is that we can learn to use our memory constructively to improve our retention and spelling of new words.  I would like to share a simple memory improvement technique that I remember (ha ha) from my NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) class I attended back in 2013. If you're finding it difficult to remember or spell a word, for example 'Rhyt...

Taking a break from life is by no means a new concept, nevertheless, the need for it has become exponentially more important. Research has shown that, unlike past generations, our brains are constantly being bombarded with information. Instant access to new information via our cellphones, tablets, laptops, and TVs have created a new reality for us.    Next time you are walking down the street, taking the metro or bus, at a restaurant, ...