More about Vocabulary

It is well-known that "Funny" words are usually easier to remember than the "normal" lexical units. English-Language Skills resource offers you the list of funny words you can train your brain with. Some of them are actually quite useful :)

Try these ones, for instance:

Merry Christmas!

I’ve Been Studying English Too Long…

as well as 66% or respondents who have participated in the most recent poll

Studying a language is an ever-lasting process. Even when you believe you know it really well, you come across a lot of new words, expressions that appear to be hard to figure out. You are sure that a particular word is never used in some context, however, the very next episode of some series you watch disproves that. You are certain that this verb is state and is not allowed with the “ing” ending but…

Well, that truly is annoying. On the other hand, this is what learning languages is all about. This process never ends. That’s why when somebody says they know English perfectly; I assume they are liars or geniuses. IMHO even native speakers are unlikely to be perfect at their own language :)

Life VS Living

Another example of the importance of vocabulary for successful communication

And what do you make, life or living?

Intonation and Stress

I didn't say he stole the money... Astonishingly, the sentence suggests 7 different meanings

To learn to express what you really think in English, follow the advice of the guy from the video.

So, what is it, you are always missing?

Russian Beats Them All. Again :)

The goal of the latest poll was to find out if one language is enough or a person should know at least two foreign languages. 

Apparently most of respondents (27%) believe that they need to brush up their Russian after their English is good enough to communicate freely. I will also add 22% on top, since those ones believe that English is enough for their purposes.

Peek-A-Boo, I See an Umbrella

I have recently asked myself if something like a list of most beautiful English words exists

My personal one would start with the word “umbrella” and would also include “library” and “lullaby”. A friend of mine would add “passive voice” and “the Pacific ocean”.

Apparently, an official list of best English words does exist! By the way, my “umbrella” is included.

Google told me that mother, passion, smile, love and eternity are the words appreciated by almost 100,000 non-native who speakers participated in the vote held by the British Council. Apart from the five lexical units mentioned, there are 65 more words that English learners love:

Polishing Pronunciation Properly

Trouble with pronunciation may be solved by old-fashioned but reliable technique – tongue twisters

The more of them you practice, the easier it becomes to get the hang of the hurtfully difficult English ‘th’, ‘w’ vs ‘v’, ‘ir’, ‘ur’ and so forth.
I am happy to provide you with the set of my favourite ones that I used to hate as a student. I still dream sometimes myself holding a mirror in front of my tongue, trying to figure out if the tongue has been fixed in the right position :)

• Are our oars oak? 

The Winner Takes It All

The majority of respondents (59%) chose Movie Club as the most preferable out-of class activity. Perhaps, they will be happy to know that namely this project will soon be implemented 

Going for the Jugular

Pronunciation and Communication Skills are two most vulnerable spots indicated by students