What's new?

Intermediate

The British short vowel ‘ɒ’ & other English vowel sounds

There’s a short vowel that we use in British English that doesn’t occur in American. You’ll find it in words like ‘lot’, ‘rock’ and ‘bomb’. In this vowel pronunciation video, we compare it with two other vowel sounds that Americans commonly use instead. Working on English vowels is a great way to improve your accent. Whether you want to sound British or American, this video will help. Click here to see some more pronunciation videos.

July 20, 2018 2 Comments

Intermediate

How to use ‘There is’ and ‘It is’

‘There is’ and ‘it is’ are really common and useful phrases. In some languages, you can translate both these phrases with just one phrase, so they can be confusing. We show you how to use them in this video lesson and you’ll also learn how to use it and there as dummy subjects in lots of common English expressions. Click here to see more grammar videos. Click here to learn when to use an apostrophe

July 13, 2018 8 Comments

Intermediate

The R sound in British and American English

Learn how to pronounce the R sound in British and American English. Jay has a rhotic accent and Vicki has a non-rhotic accent. You’ll hear how that affects our pronunciation of R before consonants and at the end of words. We’ll help you recognize the pronunciation differences and also share some tips for making perfect R sounds in both British and American English. Click here for some more pronunciation lessons. Click here for more videos

July 6, 2018 7 Comments

Elementary

How to use much, many, a lot and lots of

Much and Many – do you know how to use these words in English? And what about lots of and a lot of? We can help you understand them fully and avoid mistakes. Join us for a tour of our deck and learn how to use these words and phrases with countable and uncountable nouns. You’ll see how we use them in action and you’ll also see where we’ll be for the fireworks on this

June 29, 2018 No Comments

Intermediate

Some and Any – Three rules you need to know

Some and Any – do you know how to use these words with countable and uncountable nouns? In this video you’ll learn three important grammar rules that will help you get them right. You’ll also learn how we make lentil soup! Click here to see our video on much , many, a lot of and lots of. Click here to learn how we use the uncountable noun ‘travel’. Click here to see more grammar videos.

June 22, 2018 No Comments

Intermediate

i before e except after c – a useful English spelling rule

English spelling is tricky because sometimes words look nothing like they sound. But here’s a rule that can help: i before e except after c. Join Vicki and Jay at a spelling bee, or spelling competition as we call them in the UK. You’ll learn when it’s useful to apply the rule and when it isn’t. You’ll also meet our friend Claire from English at Home and learn about some British and American English differences.

June 15, 2018 2 Comments

Intermediate

Top tip for international communication

Do you want to communicate with people from other cultures? Then this video is for you. Back in the 1980s computer scientists were creating the world wide web and looking for ways to connect computers that spoke different languages. The Dutch scientist, Jon Postel, came up with a computer protocol that’s helpful and relevant for international and intercultural communication today. Click here to see more ‘how to’ videos. Top tip for communicating across cultures I

June 8, 2018 3 Comments

Intermediate

8 words that are hard to pronounce in English

We’re back with another eight words that are hard to pronounce in British and American English. Watch some English learners pronounce them and learn how Vicki and Jay say them. You’ll learn how to say: fifth, basically, chaos, refrigerator, fridge, Tuesday, photograph, photography, height, weight and eight. You’ll also get some pronunciation tips for how to pronounce long words and shifting words stress. Click here and click here to see more words that are hard to

June 1, 2018 2 Comments

Elementary

Make or do – The rules we follow

Make or do? Do you ever wonder which verb to use? We have some good news and some bad news. The good news is there are some rules we follow and you can learn them in this video. You’ll see how we use do for non-specific activities and work and how we use make with creative tasks. The bad news is there’s still more work to do because we use these verbs in lots of

May 25, 2018 5 Comments

Intermediate

Travel Phrasal Verbs and Common English Expressions

Enjoy a funny English story and learn lots of phrasal verbs and expressions for traveling while you watch. Here are some of the phrasal verbs and expressions you’ll see in action: stop by, stop off, pick someone up, drop someone off, give someone a ride/lift, touch down, check in, set off, hurry up and take off. Click here to learn more phrasal verbs for: computers and technology, food and eating, organizing things. Click here to

May 18, 2018 No Comments

Social Media