While proper grammar and precise word choice are essential, the correct pronunciation of individuals’ names holds an even greater significance – and that’s what I’ll be discussing today. You might be wondering, “What’s so complicated about pronouncing someone’s name, and why does it matter so much?” As non-native English speakers, we often make assumptions about […]
When to use MYSELF vs. BY MYSELF
The other day, one of my students told me she was confused about when to say myself vs. by myself. Since I’ve heard others struggle with these expressions too, I decided to make this post. Today, we’ll delve into the difference between the expressions myself, yourself, etc. and by myself, by yourself, etc. […]
20 years in the US: what I still can’t get used to
Use of ADVISE, RECOMMEND, SUGGEST in a sentence
Today, we’ll explore how to correctly use the verbs of suggestion: advise, recommend, and suggest. Other verbs of suggestion include ask, demand, insist, prefer, propose, request, and urge. But I’ve chosen to focus on advise, recommend, and suggest because they tend to be the most confusing for some of my students. Let’s start with […]
This is why you are afraid to speak English
In this post I’ll discuss different phases that I’ve noticed English learners go through when they start speaking English. They are based on my personal experience and observation. So, if you are learning English, but feel stuck and shy away from speaking with native speakers, this read is for you. Understanding where you are in […]
Where are you from? How to react to this question
I often hear that if your pronunciation in English is clear, your foreign accent doesn’t matter. Then why do I meet so many people whose English is intelligible and fluent, but they still cringe when someone asks where their accent is from? In this post, I’m gonna talk about having a foreign accent in the […]
Shadowing session with Leila Hormozi
Hey, welcome to another post about shadowing in English. This time I chose a speaker who is a first-generation Iranian American entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist. Her name is Leila Hormozi, and in this particular video that I selected she talks about how she quit her job and started a multi-million-dollar business at a very young […]
How to use THOUGH in a sentence
In today’s post you will learn how to use the word though in sentences and the several different meanings that it can have depending on how it is used. But before I move on to the different meanings of though, let’s talk about how to pronounce it. Some people are confused because it’s spelled with […]
You nailed it and other English idioms
In this post, you will learn five idioms that Americans use to praise someone for a job well done. Idioms are a type of figurative language where the words put together lose their literal meaning. The problem is that when we study English at school, we learn the literal meaning of words. And when we […]
Shadowing session with Maria Menounos
Today I’m going to talk about something that I’ve been planning to show you for a while because it tremendously helped me to sound more fluent when I was learning English. And this is the shadowing technique. It’s also called imitation. To be honest, I’d never heard of shadowing as a technique for learning a […]