This post is from our partners at ABA English Hey everyone! How is your English coming along? Do you understand most accents? What about the Irish one? Ireland, like most English-speaking countries, has a variety of accents. The most common one is from the Dublin area, though there are slight variations in this area as well. […]
Most Recent English Language Skills

Check out this post originally published on the Listen & Learn blog! Learning English is incredibly difficult, which is something non-native speakers of English don’t always understand. The English language is insane, with rules that almost always have exceptions, homophones, homonyms, gerunds, and a ton of other things that make the language incredibly tricky to […]








I could answer this question in two words: “not very.” I don’t mean to say that spelling is completely unimportant for TOEFL essays, but it’s only one part, and it’s not one of the most important aspects. Most of the time, spelling does not cause any problems. It’s rare that I see an essay from […]



In a recent post, I gave the definitions of several idioms, including the idiom “a fine line.” As I explained, “a fine line” means an unclear boundary between two similar things. This got me thinking about the fine line between grammar and vocabulary. A lot of students wonder whether they should focus more on grammar […]

When it comes to listening in English (or any second language), one of the biggest challenges is detecting the boundaries of words. By this, I mean that it can be hard to tell where one word begins and another one ends as you listen. In writing, of course this isn’t an issue—but in listening there […]

Being able to effectively communicate is important to achieve success in various aspects of life. While it’s considered one of the most important life skills we can learn, a lot of individuals don’t usually put a lot of effort into it. Take a look at the following tips that will help you develop good communication skills. […]

All too often, dictionaries and translators get an unfair reputation as “cheats” or ineffective tools in English study. A lot of this is because dictionary and translator abuse produces terrible English coursework. As an ESL teacher, I’ve seen this so many times: some student will always try to use a dictionary or automated translator to […]