Tag: English Language

Interesting stories, informative facts, useful learning tips, and all things related to the English language.

Posted on

Learn English by listening to great stories – Sherlock Holmes stories read by actor Benedict Cumberbatch

Learn English by listening to great stories – Sherlock Holmes, Verbalists Language Network

An English audio book is the perfect solution when you are learning the English language. Not only will you be able to practice your comprehension, but you will also learn the correct pronunciation of many everyday words.  When you listen to books you are able to follow along with the text and hear how an English speaker will pronounce different words you are unfamiliar with. This is the best way to learn new vocabulary and how to use specific grammar skills when speaking, reading and writing. Today, Verbalists Education brings you one of the most exciting audio books.

Continue reading “Learn English by listening to great stories – Sherlock Holmes stories read by actor Benedict Cumberbatch”
Posted on

Meet the famous Oxford Comma

There has been a long and heated debate among linguists and publishers about this popular comma. A song was even written about it. ! It has also earned many names – Oxford Comma, Harvard Comma, Serial Comma…however, in this brief intro, we will stick to “Oxford Comma.” It is interesting that the Oxford Comma originated from British English, but is more used in American English. There are many debates and views about the Oxford Comma, yet we Verbalists like the best the article made by Oxford Royal Academy. So, let’s meet this “serial offender” up close. READ MORE

Posted on

Best books to improve your English skills

best-books-to-improve-english-skills-verbalists

Get cozy this winter with some tea or coffee and a good book. Reading can open your mind to brilliant new worlds and take you to a new level of English language learning. By choosing your first English books wisely, you should have a very positive experience, and we are going to help you get there. Ready, bookworms? Let’s jump in! READ MORE

Posted on

Why is there an ‘r’ in Mrs.?

Why there is an „r“ in Mrs, VerbalistsThere are a couple of odd things about the title Mrs. First, the word it stands for, missus, looks strange written out that way in full. In fact, except in the jokey context of “the missus,” meaning the wife, you almost never see it written out. “Missus Claus” looks far more awkward than “Mister Rogers.” Second, the abbreviation has an ‘r’ in it, and the word doesn’t. Why is there an ‘r’ in Mrs.?  READ MORE

Posted on

Word of the Year 2014 – heart-shaped emoji

The Heart ♥ Emoji (for love) is top word, Pope Francis topped by Ebola as top name, “Hands Up, No Shoot” is top phrase

Heart-shaped emoji named ‘word of the year’

For the first time ever the most used word of the year is actually not a word – it’s a graphic symbol. The heart-shaped emoji topped an annual survey by the Global Language Monitor, having appeared billions of times a day around the world. READ MORE

Posted on

The contentious sexually-charged video turned into an English lesson

Weird Al Yankovic parody of Robin Thicke’s raunchy Blurred Lines teaches proper English

“Weird Al” Yankovic parody of Robin Thicke’s raunchy Blurred Lines teaches proper English.

Weird Al Yankovic - Word CrimesThe satirist’s latest release ‘Word Crimes’ is a spoof on Al’s pet peeve – poor grammar. Yankovic says he chose a theme which was deliberately contrary to the contentious sexually-charged video which accompanies Robin Thicke’s 2013 single ‘Blurred Lines’.

What could be more surprising than an English lesson? READ MORE

Posted on

The British Dialects – an Excellent Vocal Tour

The major native dialects of English are often divided by linguists into the three general categories: the British Isles dialects, those of North America and those of Australasia.

British accentThe United Kingdom is probably the most dialect-obsessed nation in the world. With countless accents shaped by thousands of years of history, there are few English-speaking nations with as many varieties of language in such a small space. Dialects and accents vary amongst the four countries of the United Kingdom, as well as within the countries themselves. READ MORE

Posted on

Will YOLO Become More Popular Than SELFIE?

YOLO, you only live once, Verbalisti

YOLO is an acronym for the phrase ‘You only live once.’ Similar to carpe diem or memento mori, it implies that one should enjoy life, even if that entails taking risks.

It’s grown in popularity over the last few years, gaining particular prominence in youth culture. Some view it as a ‘seize the day” mentality, others as an excuse for reckless behavior.

What do you think, will YOLO become more popular than SELFIE?

 

Posted on

Foreign Language Teaching and the Concept of Repetition

Repetition for better English

Fundamental ESL/EFL teaching principles which are easy to forget – or tempting to ignore

One of the essential principles of the language learning process – fundamentals that have been known and understood for decades but which we as teachers have sometimes failed to implement – is the pedagogical concept of Repetition. Yes, Repetition. To summarize: Repetition. READ MORE

Posted on

English Dialects – Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off

English dialects, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

Discussion of the effects of location on different English dialects has been studied by Linguists for years. Pronunciation discussion has been in the mainstream since 1937, when George and Ira Gershwin composed the song “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off” (shown below), originally sung by Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in the film Shall We Dance.

In this scene from Shall We Dance, with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the two create another trademark classic with both their dancing on skates as well as the song, “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off”, or better known for…

“You say ‘Potato’, I say ‘Potato’

you say ‘Tomato’, I say ‘Tomato’…”

_