Probably, you´ve been doing this wrong. I have :(.

source: 100LifeHacks.com

Improve your vocabulary - from basic to advanced

image from here

I always try to improve my vocabulary somehow but, in my view, it´s a hard challenge. Actually, what I´m trying to do is using different words to say the same and make my English even better. 

So, let´s practice !!!

BASIC	INTERMIDIATE	ADVANCED
good meal	tasty	delicious
nice evening	fun	enjoyable
good meeting	useful	productive
nice holiday	pleasant	delightful
	quiet	relaxing
bad journey	difficult	problematic
bad experience	scary	traumatic
bad  day	hard	stressful
bad song	sad	depressing
bad weather	cold	freezing

source: www.engvid.com  

everyday x every day

image from here

EVERYDAY is one word, and it´s an adjective. These are my everyday shoes.

EVERY DAY is two words, and "every" modifies "day". I drink tea every day.

Source: Happy English

WAY TOO - meaning

image: from here

WAY TOO - is a great way to make the noun stronger: I stayed up late (it´s a fact)  //  I stayed up way too late (this means "very, very late")

The coffee is way too hot.

It´s way too cold today. 

source: https://www.facebook.com/easyenglishuscom/posts/447050908684080

Prepositions : by / for/ in/ on / at - how can we use them?

image from here

I don´t know about you, but for me, prepositions are hard to learn. At first, I used to try to understand the rules, but it was not simple. So, I decided to memorize some commonly spoken phrases that help me a lot. Of course, I still make mistakes, but fewer than before :) :) . Give it a try and tell me if it works ;).

by - mistake; accident; chance; the way; bus/train/car; day by day; step by step

for - for a walk/ dance/ drink/ swim; for breakfast/ dinner

in - fact; case; future; love; time; in the morning/ evening/ afternoon

on - television; holiday/ a trip; 

at - home/work; night; present

Friends and Pottery Barn

I love this episode when Phoebe says that she hates Pottery Barn. I remember when I've watched it, I felt curious about what was Pottery Barn :) :). So, I've checked it out its website and some years later I thought: that´s one more good way to practice my vocabulary :) :) :).

There are different sections such as: furniture, rugs and windows, bedding, bath and so on. Also, there are its stunning pictures showing all the products.

I highly recommend this to improve vocabulary, by using a delightful way to learn.

PS. I just figured out that Pottery Barn has a youtube channel. \o/ \o/ \o/ Be sure to visit it. ;) 

source: Sharing Materials

is your coffee hot enough?

source: iTweetFacts

Using Siri for learning - Surround yourself with English #5

image from here

Ok ok... you may not be comfortable with the idea of talking to a robot. And many people know that Siri (the personal assistant software made by Apple), sometimes, doesn´t work properly. But, why not to use it now and then to practice and have this as one more tool to be surrounded by the English language?

Reminder from "101 ways to learn English" : Surround yourself in English. (...) The best way to learn is through speaking.

PS.: other cellphones have the same service, like Samsung and its Galaxy voice ;).

Improve your speaking

image from here

Yesterday I was watching a teacher called Jack giving an English class (free and live on youtube - now and then he does that) and, I've got some enriching tips to improve our speaking skills. Here they are:

You need to be able to say the English sounds (pronunciation)

• learn how to say the sounds
• get feedback (if possible, from a native speaker)
• practice

Practice your speaking in general:

• specific practice (not only about pronunciation, but everything)
• speaking with a teacher (to correct you)
• natural practice (still better with another student, without any worry about mistakes - just talk)

He also said:
Many students feel nervous about what other people think. To overcome this:

• recognize and accept it 
• speak to people who make you feel comfortable
• start gaining confidence

"101 Ways to Learn English"

image from here

Today I came across a useful list. They are 101 ways to learn English and I felt especially glad when I saw this:

38. Why not start an online blog and share your writings with the world? 

It´s good to know that you are doing the right things :) :)

Among the others tips, here are some of them which I follow and it's been nice for me since I started learning English:

15. Create an atmosphere in which you want to learn, not because you have to. You’ll learn more when you’re learning because you want to.

16. Know what works best for you. Think about what methods have been successful for you in the past and stick with them.

19. Review! Review! Review! Make sure that you take the time to review things you have studied in the past.

22. Watch DVDs rather than TV. It’s better to use something that you can watch over again to catch information you might have missed the first time.

33. Use English whenever you can. It’s as simple as that!


There are much more here! Click and check it out! It´s worth it. :)

source: 9GAG

Go down (to x by)

image from here

go down TO - means it drops to a certain number 

(Inflation went down to 5% last month)

go down BY - refers to the disparity in between

(Inflation went down by 3% last month)

source: VOA Learning English

At the airport - Surround yourself with English #4

Airports are always good for reviewing our travel vocabulary, 

even when it´s a domestic flight. ;)

PS.: What a great coincidence. After I posted it, I saw that today Adam has a new video about travel vocabulary ;)

IN behalf of/ ON behalf of

As we know, one small and innocent preposition can change the meaning of what we want to say. Here it comes an interesting example:

ON behalf of - on the part of, in the name of
IN behalf of - for the benefit of

On behalf of my government I would like to thank you for the money you raised in behalf of the refugees. 

source: Tecla SAP

Go/ Go to/ Go to a/ Go to the/ Go on/ Go for

(image from here)

Go
home, downtown
shopping, swimming, camping,
dancing, fishing, sailing.

Go to
class, work, school, college, university,
bed, prison, jail,
Washington, Amsterdam, Japan, Italy, Europe.

Go to a 
party, conference, concert.

Go to the
doctor, dentist, specialist,
bank, supermarket, mall, airport

Go on
a vacation, a cruise, a trip

Go for
a walk, a drive

So x Such

So + adjective/ + adverb ..................................... Such + noun

so tall .......................................................... such a tall man
so hot .......................................................... such a hot day
so expensive .................................................. such an expensive shop
so delicious .................................................... such a delicious cake
so friendly ..................................................... such friendly people
so luxurious ................................................... such luxurious apts.

so quickly
so slowly
so carefully

so long........................................................... such a long time
so much, many ................................................. such a lot of time

AT the end x IN the end

AT the end of : as the opposite of "at the beginning of"
I'll meet you here at the end of the concert.
At the end of the class, the teacher said she wanted to talk to me.
I'll have an answer at the end of the day, ok?

IN the end of: as a synonym of "finally"
In the end,  they shook hands and made up.
In the end, it'll all be the same thing.
In the end, we decided not to buy it. 

source: Inglês na Ponta da Língua

no longer x anymore

No longer is a mid-sentence adverb. We use it in the negative form. People no longer send letters. They use the internet. 

Anymore is an end of sentence adverb. We use it in the negative form.  People don´t send letters anymore. They use the internet. 


source: http://www.falibo.com/video/1675/no-longer--anymore

Further x Farther

Farther : denotes physical advancement of distance. 

The children were too tired to walk any farther. 

Further : denotes an advancement to a greater degree, as in time.

If I want to achieve my goals and go further in my career, 

I need to study much more. 

Further can be used for talking about an additional thing or amount. 

I have nothing further to say on the subject. 

 Further information is available on this video :

amount of x quantity of x number of

A computer can store a vast amount of information.

Police found a small quantity of drugs on the premises.

A small number of stores.

from: 

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... 374&type=1
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/

To fall down x off x out

To fall down 
* I fell down the stairs.
* I fell down and broke my leg.
* He fell down and hurt his knee.

To fall off
* The book was on the table. When the earthquake hit, the book fell off (the table)

To fall out
* His keys were in his pocket. When he was jogging, his keys fell out (of his pocket)

source: Transparent English

Packing - Surround yourself with English #3

I'm packing my bag !!!! \o/ \o/ \o/ 

I´m going to my hometown tomorrow and it´s time to organize everything that is essential to my trip. How about doing this following a packing list? Still better: in English!

image from here 

According to the USAToday:

Make a packing list

"(...) Start your packing process days or even weeks ahead of your departure date; this gives you time to craft a complete list, plus purchase any additional items you might need for your vacation. Creating a packing list is a fail-safe way to ensure that you never, ever forget to bring something important."

So, let´s go to our packing list (click on the picture and and get yours):

Recording videos and practicing!

Robby Kukors is a non-native speaker, but a fluency expert. He has a website where there are a lot of tips to improve our English skills. One of them is: 

Recording Your Speech on a Camcorder

If you don’t like the concept of simply voicing your thoughts out loud in English, you may engage in a somewhat similar YET a whole lot more focused activity – recording your speech on a specific subject on a camcorder and then viewing it to see how you performed.
It’s got its advantages over a simple self-practice because your speech is going to be more focused due to the presence of the camcorder, and also you’ll get to playback the recording and spot your mistakes for later correction.

Following his advice, I made the video bellow. I know, I speak only few words in this recording, but I believe it´s a good activity. 

Give it a try and make yours as well !! :) 

Surround yourself with English #2 - shopping list

Have you tried to do a shopping list, even in your native language?

It's a great guide where you have those items needed to be purchased. 

There are different kinds of lists: a scrap piece of paper, apps for your smartphone or magnet sheets (these ones can stick to the refrigerator for using it as a whiteboard). How about doing this in English?  

Here it comes my fridge and my grocery list. :) :) 

Print your list here

"Miserable Men" - learning and having fun

"Miserable Men" is an Instagram account that features sad portraits of bored men killing time while their significant others go shopping.

source: The Poke

Get rid of the word "so"

I've been recording myself speaking English to recognize my biggest mistakes. Thus, I've noticed that I've been using a lot "so". Using fillers are an excellent way to make our conversation seem natural. However, saying these words many times doesn't sound nice either. Then, I've decided to fix it.

image from here

And today... what a great coincidence! I came across the article "Get Rid of the Word “So” to Increase Your Credibility" , that came in handy. As a non-native speaker, the overusing of the word "so" may have a different reason for me. However, these tips are also very useful to those who are learning English as a second language. I also suggest that you check this out : How Can I Avoid Filler Words Like "Um" When I Talk?

I hope you enjoy this, as much as I did! ;) 

"ripe tomato"

What about this hairstyle? Latest craze in Japan!

from here

Consent Condoms

Upsetting Rape Culture is an excellent initiative "to upset the culture of rape and promote a culture of consent." They "create art actions to generate media attention and get millions of people talking." 

Their latest creation (has developed along with the company Say It With a Condom) is  five different slogans printed on condom packings.  

Amazing, isn´t?

Stay aware of what is happening around the world. Read news in English ;) 

That improves our reading skills and we stay up to date. :) 

quit x quite x quiet

image from here

quit (verb) - 1. Put an end to a state or an activity. 2. Give up or retire from a position. 3. Go away or leave.

quite (adv) - 1. To a degree (not used with a negative). 2. Of an unusually noticeable or exceptional or remarkable kind (not used with a negative.

quiet (adj) - 1. Characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity. 2. Free of noise or uproar, or making little if any sound.