One place I see a lot of students making mistakes is in using the verb agree . Specifically, which preposition to use after it: Do you agree on something or agree with something or agree to something? We actually use ALL of these in English - but in different situations. So today you'll learn 5 ways to use the verb agree correctly, with example sentences. It's really easy to make these little mistakes when you're learning English, and it's hard to discover and correct your own errors! As an teac...
Aug 26, 2020•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast HAVE is one of the most common verbs in English, and we use this word in many different ways! In today's lesson, you'll learn 30 different collocations with have. These are the typical combinations of words that native speakers often use. I'll show you the collocations in example sentences. You can also create your own sentences using these collocations to help you remember them better. A lot of students tell me they know a lot of English words, but they have a hard time putting the words togeth...
Aug 19, 2020•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Students often say, “I have a doubt” and then ask me something about English. However, native speakers DON'T usually say it this way. If you want to know the answer about something, you should say “I have a question.” So how can you use the word "doubt" correctly? You'll learn how - with lots of examples and expressions - in today's lesson! When you're not exactly sure about the right word to use, it can make you lose confidence in your English skills, and then you hesitate to speak. But when yo...
Aug 12, 2020•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast You might be thinking... why make a video about pronouncing CAN and CAN'T - that's so easy and obvious! But there are some pronunciation changes when native English speakers say these words fast. This lesson will help you understand can/can't better when you HEAR them, and it will also help you SAY these words more naturally in sentences. These pronunciation differences between can and can't are small but important... and native English pronunciation is FULL of these little details! If you want ...
Aug 05, 2020•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you know what it means to have a "free spirit" or "free rein"? Is being a "freeloader" a good thing or a bad thing? Today you'll learn the answers to these questions and much more - I'll teach you 10 interesting expressions with the word "free." Expressions like "get off scot-free" and "give someone free rein" are examples of idioms - short phrases that can't be explained or translated literally. What's the best way to learn idioms, if you can't translate them literally? The best way is to le...
Jul 29, 2020•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast In soccer, we don't say "make a goal," we say "score a goal." Outside of sports, we don't say "follow a goal," but we do say "pursue a goal " or "work towards a goal." Learn 20 collocations with the word "goal"! "Collocations" are the common combinations of words that are frequently used by native speakers. These typical combinations of words can be hard to learn because often there are no rules that can help you know which words to use together - these expressions simply exist because people co...
Jul 22, 2020•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast A lot of students ask me about phrases and idioms they've heard in conversations and TV shows. In today's lesson, I'm going to share the answers with you, explaining each expression with a few examples. Quick answers to your questions about idioms There are a lot of idioms in English... and sometimes even native English speakers come across expressions we don't know! So how do we figure them out? We interpret them from the context . Based on the situation in which the idiom is said, we make our ...
Jul 15, 2020•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast When you're worried, it's even harder to express yourself in English - but this lesson will help: 10 Practical English Phrases for Talking about Worries & Relief. These can help expand your vocabulary by going beyond the basic "I'm worried" and "I'm relieved." To learn more, join my Everyday English Speaking Course: https://www.espressoenglish.net/everyday-english-speaking-course...
Jul 08, 2020•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Did you know that these words all have DIFFERENT ways to pronounce the "u" in the beginning? ultimate union urgent urine In today's lesson, you'll practice pronouncing English words starting with U . Listen and repeat to improve your pronunciation! Just like when you do exercise in the gym to improve your physical condition, doing pronunciation exercises improves your ability to speak English correctly! That's why my American English Pronunciation Course is full of practice. Whatever sounds you ...
Jul 01, 2020•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Prepositions like in, of, at, from, and to are used very frequently in English. However, there are some cases in which you SHOULDN' T use one – and in today's lesson, you'll learn 5 times you should not use a preposition . This is one of my top grammar lessons on Espresso English. I hope you enjoy it! English grammar can certainly be complicated... but I'll make it clear to you when you join my Advanced Grammar Course! The 45 lessons in this course will teach you all the verb tenses as well as a...
Jun 24, 2020•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast These two words are pronounced the same, but they are spelled differently and have different meanings! Lesson text: https://www.espressoenglish.net/difference-between-compliment-and-complement/ This is a free sample from the e-book 600+ Confusing English Words Explained. It will help clear up your doubts about how to use English words correctly, so that you can speak and write more confidently. Click here for more information....
Jun 17, 2020•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today I'm sending you a special class all about compound words ! Compound words are when two or more words are put together to form a new word with a new meaning - like notebook, mother-in-law, and post office. Sometimes compound words are easy to understand: a bookstore is a store that sells books; a dishwasher is a machine that washes dishes. But others might not be so obvious, for example: brainstorm – an intense process where you think of many different ideas scapegoat – someone who bears th...
Jun 10, 2020•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast My recent videos were all about staying motivated when learning English ... ...but what's MY secret to staying motivated when teaching English? There are some days when I feel sad, lazy, and discouraged. Sometimes I don't have the energy to prepare new lessons, and I don't want to turn on my video camera. Yes... even your English teacher lacks motivation sometimes! But here's how I get motivated again: I visit a page on the Espresso English website that you might not know about... it's called "S...
Jun 04, 2020•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast I’m sharing my tenth and final tip for how to stay motivated to learn English. This one is really interesting and fun, and it can really help you keep up your motivation and desire to make more progress in your English. Tip #10 is Challenge Yourself, Then Reward Yourself When You Reach Goals Sometimes when you’re studying English by yourself, it can be discouraging because there’s nobody to say “Nice work!” or celebrate your successes. But if you give yourself challenges and rewards, it can give...
May 31, 2020•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s tip for staying motivated is Find A Partner Or Join A Community Scientists have discovered that one of the most effective motivators is “peer pressure” – that’s encouragement or expectation from people who are similar to you.
May 28, 2020•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast today’s tip for how to stay motivated to learn English is very important. It’s so simple, but it will make a big difference in your English learning experience. Make Learning Enjoyable You don’t have to study the exact same way every time! Try to have some variation, to keep things interesting. Here’s another tip for making English more fun – find material in areas of your interest. Finally, learn from a teacher who you like!...
May 25, 2020•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hi there! Today I’ll share my seventh tip for how to stay motivated to learn English, and that is: Plan For Breaks, But Also Plan To Come Back If you have a very busy day, it’s OK to skip your studying – just make sure to come back to it the next day. If you’re going on vacation for a week, it’s OK not to look at English. Relax and enjoy your vacation, then resume your studies afterwards. The key is always to come back to English – don’t let yourself get so busy that you forget to study for week...
May 22, 2020•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hello students! I’m back with another tip for how to stay motivated to learn English. This tip is for you on those days when you really have low motivation and you feel lazy, and you just aren’t very interested in studying English. When You Feel Lazy, Just Take A Baby Step A “baby step” is a very small action.
May 19, 2020•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today I’m giving you tip #5 on how to stay motivated when you’re learning English. This is something very practical and if you do it, you will find it very helpful and encouraging. Keep A Record Of Your Progress (Success Journal) It’s very motivating to keep a record of what you’ve accomplished. Get a notebook, and after every study session write down the date and a summary of “what I learned today.” This results in three benefits....
May 16, 2020•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hi students! Are you ready to learn tip #4 for how to stay motivated to learn English? This one is something you can put into practice every time you sit down to study. Visualize The End Goal, And Know That Every Bit Of Time You Invest Is Bringing You Closer! Do you know WHY you want to learn English? Whatever your reason is, try this simple exercise: when you sit down to study English, spend a couple minutes visualizing (imagining) reaching your goal. Then, tell yourself that EVERY study sessio...
May 12, 2020•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hi there! I’m back with tip #3 on how to stay motivated when learning English, and this is a big one – it is: Don’t Take Mistakes So Seriously/Personally MISTAKES – they have the power to make you afraid to use your English… they can also make you feel humiliated when someone corrects you… they represent your failure to know the rules of English… right? WRONG! Mistakes only have all that power if you allow them to have such power. Remember that making mistakes does NOT mean you are stupid. Choos...
May 09, 2020•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hi students! It’s Shayna from EspressoEnglish.net and I’m excited to share with you my second tip for how to stay motivated to learn English. Tip #1, which we learned last time, is to be encouraged because your English is probably better than you imagine. Now let’s consider tip #2, which is: Never Compare Your English Skills To Others’
May 06, 2020•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you ever feel sad and discouraged about your English-learning progress? Do you sometimes find it hard to stay motivated, because learning English takes such a long time? Are there days when you just don't feel like studying? If you've ever experienced these emotions, then you will really enjoy the lessons I have for you this month. I’m going to teach you 10 practical ways to stay motivated in your English learning. Click here for tip #1! This is a special series of lessons that isn’t specific...
May 03, 2020•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today I'm going to teach you an exercise for practicing the pronunciation of long, difficult multi-syllable words. Our example words for this exercise will be particularly and individualistic . But you can use this exercise with ANY English word! I hope you’ll remember the tips in this lesson next time you see a long, complicated English word! When it comes to pronunciation, practice makes perfect. The only way to get better at English pronunciation is by doing it, by saying the words, and by tr...
Apr 29, 2020•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today you'll learn some common English expressions for talking about education. This lesson will also help you put these phrases into practice by asking you questions that use the expressions - so you can pause the video and say your answer, or write it down! And at the end of the lesson, I explain a very common error in English when talking about what you studied in school or college... make sure to watch or read to the end so that you can avoid this mistake. If you're following my lessons, it ...
Apr 22, 2020•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast In today’s lesson you’re going to improve your business English vocabulary by learning some interesting verbs that are used in the business world. If you work in an English-speaking environment – or if you want to do so – you’ll encounter a lot of words that you might not have learned in English class. This video is going to teach you 10 business English verbs and how to use them. They’re also used outside business, so you might also see these words in news articles, for example. If you’re learn...
Apr 15, 2020•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Did you know that there are at least four different ways to use the -ING form of verbs in English? You might already know one or two of these, but after this lesson you'll have a more complete understanding of when we use English verbs in the -ING form. English grammar can be difficult, but I try to make it easy for my students! To learn grammar from me, you can get my $1 grammar e-books - these cover basic and intermediate grammar. If you're a more advanced student, then check out my Advanced E...
Apr 08, 2020•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you frequently confuse the verbs SAY, TELL, SPEAK, and TALK, you’re not alone – these are some of the most commonly confused English words! They seem like they all mean the same thing - and they are similar - but we actually use them differently in English. In this lesson, I’ll teach you the difference between say, tell, speak, and talk , and help you avoid some common mistakes with these words. For more lessons like this, check out my e-book, 600+ Confusing English Words Explained . When you...
Apr 01, 2020•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today I want to answer a question from a student who asked how to pronounce words ending in -ILE, like the word "mobile." Words with this ending are a little tricky because there’s a pronunciation difference between British and American English. I’m from the U.S., so I’m going to teach you the way we say these words in American English. We’ll practice 20 words with the -ILE ending - there are two different ways to pronounce it (plus a couple of exceptions). Come check out my American English Pro...
Mar 25, 2020•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast "Time" is one of the most common words in English - but do you know all the different ways you can use the word time? In today's lesson, you'll learn 16 common collocations with the word TIME , such as: waste time, kill time, it's about time, stall for time There's also a quiz to help you practice the collocations in this lesson - you can click here to try it! One common problem among adults who are learning English is not having much time to study. Between work, school, family, and hobbies, it'...
Mar 18, 2020•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
