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How do you balance the need for your English students to demonstrate a rich, robust vocabulary with concerns about “zombie nouns”?  Do you agree with Sword’s critique of nominalizations as “zombie nouns”? Or do you believe our English students should use nominalizations to...

‘Chandos’ Portrait of Shakespeare in the National Portrait Gallery, London “There’s not a man I meet but doth salute me As if I were their well-acquainted friend.” Shakespeare’s A Comedy of Errors, Act IV, Scene 3: William Shakespeare (1564-1616), British playwright...

Prefixes and suffixes are essential to the structure of the English language, and help expand student vocabulary. But how? Let's become word detectives!

Context remains crucial in many English conversations, and phrasal verbs go a long way in establishing context. Let’s talk about "talking" with phrasal verbs!

Many phrasal verbs with "take" and "make" have multiple meanings and are easy to confuse. By "taking" a look at context, we can "make" comprehension easier!

Idioms can be difficult for ESL beginners to make sense of. Here are some examples and tips to get you started.

Christian Science Monitor’s Ruth Walker spotlights English as a fascinating language   “There is no such thing as “the Queen’s English.’ The property has gone into the hands of a joint stock company, and we own the bulk of the stock.” Mark Twain...

Idiom lessons by IAB in EET   “These lessons will help you use more colorful English in your life. Idiom by idiom, you will find speaking English less difficult and more fun. You might even find speaking English ‘a breeze.’” -It’s a Breeze book descriptionIdioms certainly...

Certain grammar rules unnecessary for comprehension, everyday conversation “Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.” -Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) Spanish surrealist painterIs it always essential to have perfect grammar? Must we always avoid split infinitives, dangling...

The nominalization of nouns creates abstract, dry and often misleading language “Simplicity is the glory of expression.” -Walt Whitman (1819-1892) American poetSometimes, it’s fun to play with the English language and transform its adjectives, adverbs and nouns into more...