Learn American English Online Blog

Here’s a new video for the adjectives more, less, and fewer.

 

All of my students, from beginning to advanced, can benefit from today’s Blue Level lesson on the verb phrase "have to." There are two parts to this lesson. The second part is on forming questions with "have to."

  • What do you have to do today?
  • I have to go to school.

The word of the day is "panic."

The word of the day is "subtle." We use this word for slight changes in a person’s behavior or in the characteristics of a thing. Here are some examples:

  • Sandra dropped subtle hints that she wanted a new phone.
  • Changes in the Andrew’s attitude were so subtle that no one noticed he was unhappy with his job.
  • A very subtle smile seemed to indicate the woman’s interest in the man who lives next door to her.

The word of the day is "resist."

Today’s lessons in the Blue Level and the Red Level will help you if you have trouble reading numbers in English.

The word of the day is "purpose."

Here’s a new quiz for words that begin with the letter V.

This new video features 35 words that begin with the letter V:

 

Today is Presidents’ Day in the United States. This is a day when we honor Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson, among others.

This is NOT a day for the present occupant of the office. We do not honor with a holiday the person who currently holds the office. That would be weird, no matter who the President is!

The word of the day is "group."

The word of the day is "level."

Yesterday there was another school shooting in the United States. Seventeen people, mostly children, were gunned down at a high school in Florida. This sort of incident is becoming more frequent because it’s extremely easy to purchase powerful guns here legally. The gun used was an AR-15. The "AR" stands for assault rifle. These are the kinds of guns that are used for military purposes, but if you are 18 years old, you can walk into a gun shop and purchase one, no questions asked. When will the U.S. Congress finally do something to help prevent mass shootings? What will Trump do?

The word of the day is "tragedy."

Happy Valentine’s Day! Learn about Valentine’s Day by clicking here.

The word of the day is "love."

The word "like" is one of those small words in English that you must learn to use in many different ways. Lesson Thirteen in the Red Level gives you some examples, but I’ll post some here, too.

  • What was your day like today? (How was your day?)
  • How do you like your coffee? (What do you put in your coffee? Sugar, milk, cream…?)
  • Would you like to see a movie later? (Do you want to see a movie?)
  • Do you like to go see movies? (Give me a "yes or no" answer to the question.)
  • There were, like, thousands of people at the game yesterday. (The word "like" is not necessary here, but it’s common in American English to use it this way. )
  • Maria really likes Anthony. (She has a crush on him. She’s romantically interested in him.)
  • That sounds like fun. (I think that will be fun, but it might not be.)
  • That looks like it’s easy. (That’s my impression, but it might not be easy.)
  • This type of pastry is like a cookie. (This is a comparison.)
  • I like your car. (I think your car is nice.)
  • I got 47 likes for a post on Facebook. (In this case, "like" is a noun. This is a new way to use the word "like." )

Today’s Blue Level lesson is on prepositions. It takes a long time to learn how to use these types of words. Why is that? It’s because the decision to use a preposition often depends on the noun, adjective, or verb with which it’s used.

As an example, here’s a video for the preposition "with."

 

 

The word of the day is "garage."

There’s a new video for nouns. I had to redo the old video because it was way too old:

 

The word of the day is "fish."

Here’s a new video that explains a few things about the imperative form, also known as commands.

 

The word of the day is "deaf."

The Superbowl is being played today in Minneapolis, which is where I happen to live. All week there have been fun things to do around the Twin Cities. Here are some pictures of people skiing on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis:

skiing

I’m reposting this video because I’ve had several students contact me this week regarding the verb "do."

 

The verb "do" is very important. You use it as a helping verb when forming the present tense and the past tense. It’s also a common main verb.

Have you begun a new set of lessons this month? If you follow the program here, you will be working on Lesson Two for the level that you are studying this month.

The word of the day is "bear."

Each course level on this website has a checklist. Print out and keep the checklist next to your computer, tablet, or phone and use it to track your progress as you move through the lessons:

PRINT:

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