Recently I was doing some research about learning and came across a term that I hadn’t heard before – the hierarchy of competence. It piqued my curiosity and I kept reading. The hierarchy of competence is often visualized as a pyramid with four stages of learning and the goal of the learner is to climb […]
Learning English with comprehensible input
“When the rubber meets the road” and other idioms
I’ve heard from some nonnative speakers that they are reluctant to use idioms at work as they think that such phrases are unprofessional. But the truth is that Americans use them everywhere, so don’t be afraid. Of course, if you are not sure if the situation is appropriate, you can always stay more on the formal […]
“To run out of steam” and other idioms
What to do when others comment on your accent
Confusing English pronunciation: voiceless stops
The other day I was watching an Instagram live of a well-known guy in the marketing field. He was sharing his business strategy and talking about how he pitched to clients. The only thing is, instead of “pitching” he was saying “bitching.” Now, pitching to clients and bitching to clients are two very different things […]
Top five posts of 2022
New Year’s resolutions
As the New Year approaches, this is the time when many people make their New Year’s resolutions. But do resolutions really work? According to the article Reasons Why We Don’t Achieve New Year’s Resolutions published in Forbes, 80% of people give up on their New Year’s resolutions by mid-February. The reasons are picking non-realistic goals, […]
Enjoy the experience, don’t dwell on the goal
English modals: must not vs. don’t have to
I recently saw someone saying “teachers don’t have to make mistakes” while he meant “teachers must not make mistakes.” Although I don’t agree with this statement, I’d like to clarify the difference between must not and don’t have to. Must is one of the modals in the English language. The word “modal” comes from the […]