Teaching adjectives to ESL students: 4 fun activities
Teaching adjectives to ESL students is easier with 4 activities: describe pictures and people, guess a hidden object, and compare things to learn degrees.
Online-Spellcheck Blog
English Language
The English language: its history, idioms, vocabulary, and slang, and tips for learning and teaching English as a second language.
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Self-learning tips for ESL students: 5 ways teachers can help
Self-learning tips for ESL students and their teachers: break goals into steps, share reading at the right level, use TED talks, and set up study groups.
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How to help ESL students overcome test anxiety
Test anxiety keeps even bright ESL students from doing their best. Learn 3 ways teachers can help: practice outside class, a clear test plan, and perspective.
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Is there a wrong way to teach grammar?
Yes, there are wrong ways to teach grammar. Learn 4 mistakes ESL teachers make, from giving no motivation to correcting every error, and what to do instead.
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5 tips for helping shy ESL students speak up
Shy ESL students often stay silent in class. Learn 5 tips for helping them speak up: find the cause, use pairs, start simple, and correct only a little.
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Should grammar be taught in ESL classes?
Should grammar be taught in ESL classes? Yes, but not as a separate subject. Learn why ESL learners need grammar and how to make it part of every lesson.
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Helping students to self-study English effectively
Help your students self-study English outside class with 4 ideas: songs with lyrics, films and TV shows with subtitles, online quizzes, and a grammar checker.
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The eclectic approach in teaching English: how to use it
The eclectic approach in teaching English mixes methods to reach every learner. See how to combine the Grammar Translation Method with the Direct Method.
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4 ways to improve vocabulary for ESL students
New words stick best when ESL students meet them in context. Learn 4 ways to improve vocabulary: context, phrases, visual cues, and planned repetition.
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The importance of literature in learning English
Literature builds vocabulary, grammar, and cultural knowledge. Learn why literature helps students learning English and how to bring it into your class.
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Caught red-handed: the meaning and origin of the idiom
Caught red-handed means caught in the act. Learn where the idiom comes from, from Scottish law in the 1400s to Walter Scott, and why it takes a hyphen.
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6 books to improve your English vocabulary
Want a bigger English vocabulary? These 6 books suit learners at every level, from a picture dictionary to Word Power Made Easy, plus tips to keep learning fun.
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Where does the term nickname come from?
The word nickname began around 1300 as ekename, an additional name. Learn what eke meant and how an ekename turned into a nickname over time.
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The 11 saddest words and phrases in the English language
From goodbye to it might have been: the 11 saddest words and phrases in the English language, what they mean, and why they can hurt so much.
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The easiest and most difficult languages to learn
Which languages are the easiest and the hardest to learn for English speakers? See the four difficulty groups, how long each takes to learn, and why.
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Why the ampersand was removed from the alphabet
The ampersand (&) was once recited as the 27th letter of the English alphabet. Learn where the & comes from, how it got its name, and why it was dropped.
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95 slang words for money and their meanings
From Benjamins to wonga: 95 slang words for money, what each one means, and where many of them come from. Keep them for talk, not for formal writing.
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How to get your made-up word into the dictionary
Can a word you made up end up in the dictionary? Learn how dictionary editors choose new words, why fame helps, and how a made-up word becomes a real one.
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Word of the Year: a history of the award since 1990
What Word of the Year is, who chooses it, how it began, and every winner from the American Dialect Society, Merriam-Webster, Oxford, and Macquarie.
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All you need to know about acronyms
An acronym is an abbreviation you say as a word, like NATO or scuba. Learn how acronyms are formed and how they differ from initialisms and other abbreviations.
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The haves and have-nots explained: meaning and origin
The haves and the have-nots are the rich and the poor. Learn what the phrase means, why haves is correct grammar, where the idea comes from, and how to use it.
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15 crazy and weird words in the English dictionary
From albertopolis to zopissa: 15 crazy and weird words in the English dictionary, what each one means, and how you might use them to have fun with English.
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Why is "I" capitalized in English?
Unlike most languages, English always writes the pronoun I as a capital. Learn where the word comes from and the theories that explain why the capital stuck.
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Why it's important to expand your vocabulary
Why expand your vocabulary? More words help you communicate with precision, open doors at school and at work, and widen the way you think. Here is why.
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50 synonyms for talking to use in your writing
Say, mumble, banter, or rant? Learn 50 synonyms for talking, each with its meaning, so the people in your story do more than just talk to each other.
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What are colloquialisms? Meaning, examples, and when to use them
Colloquialisms are the informal words and phrases of everyday speech, such as gonna or what's up. Learn what they mean, see examples, and when to use them.
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Facts and history of the English language
Learn the history of the English language, from the Germanic tribes and Old English to Middle English, Modern English, and the English spoken today.
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The history of the spelling bee
Where does the spelling bee come from? Learn its history, from the first spelling matches to the first national champion and the famous ties.
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Is there a word for that? 20 words you should start using now
Is there a word for that? Often there is. Learn 20 rare words for feelings and habits, from accismus and apricate to uhtceare and Waldeinsamkeit.
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Curiosity killed the cat: there is more to proverbs than you think
Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. Learn where 5 well-known proverbs come from and how a longer version can change their meaning.
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35 words and expressions every bibliophile should know
A bibliophile is a person who loves books. Learn 35 words every book lover should know, from biblioklept and tsundoku to bildungsroman and in medias res.
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Antonymy and the 3 different kinds of antonyms
Antonyms are words with opposite meanings, but not all opposites work alike. Learn the 3 kinds, gradable, complementary, and relational, with examples of each.
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Thou, thee, thy, and thine: how to use them correctly
Thou, thee, thy, and thine are the old English words for you and your. Learn what each one means, how to use thou and thee correctly, and where they come from.
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Learn to write in English: a plan in 4 parts
Learn to write in English with a simple plan: study the grammar of written English, grow your vocabulary, have your work checked, and read all you can.
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Language and gender: what sociolinguistic research found
Sociolinguistic studies found that women use more standard forms than men in every social class. Learn what Trudgill and others found, and why it may be so.
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Synonyms for walk: 61 verbs and what each one means
Looking for synonyms for walk? See 61 verbs, from amble and stroll to stride and trudge, with the nuance each one adds, so you can pick the right word.
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Why is English hard to learn?
Why is English hard to learn? Its sounds, its grammar exceptions, its spelling, and native speakers who shorten words. If you struggle, it's not just you.
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Idioms and metaphors: what is the difference?
Idioms and metaphors are both figures of speech, but they are not the same. Learn the difference between idioms and metaphors, with examples of each.
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Language and gender in the past: how women's speech was judged
Learn what writers and grammarians from the Middle Ages to the early 1900s believed about language and gender, and how they judged the speech of women and men.
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Language and gender: do women and men talk differently?
Do women and men talk differently? Learn what research on language and gender found, from competitive and cooperative talk to how doctors speak to patients.
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Who decides what's right or wrong in English grammar?
English has no official language academy. Learn who decides what's right or wrong in English grammar: dictionaries, style guides, history, and above all usage.