Posts
Grow your English Skills with Articles, Guides, and Resource Posts from ESOL Advantage:
English Skills
Polite English: 3 Common Mistakes When Saying Please
Polite English: 3 Common Mistakes When Saying Please - Everyone recognizes the importance of being polite, whether it's in your first or second language. This is the reason that two of the first English expressions people learn are "please" and "thank you." In...
How to Make an Apology That Builds Trust
How to Make an Apology that Builds Trust - Regardless of where you live or what language you speak, we all make mistakes in life. Some people are true experts in repeatedly doing the wrong thing! And while this ability to make mistakes seems to come naturally, the...
Upgrade Your Writing with these 4 Great Sentence Styles
Upgrade Your Writing with these 4 Great Sentence Styles - When you need to make a great impression in your writing, basic sentence structures aren't always enough. The solution? Do what the professionals do: Upgrade your writing skills with dynamic new sentence...
5 Ways to Feel Confident in Your Spoken English
5 Ways to Feel Confident in Your Spoken English - How can you build confidence in your spoken English ability? Every language learner dreams of becoming a fluent conversationalist: someone who easily understands everything that people say, who gives the perfect...
Grammar Guides
3 Rules for English Phrasal Verbs: Grammar Guide
3 Useful Rules for English Phrasal Verbs - Look at the following sentences: “We need to find out when this happened, and why.” “If you don’t have a solution to the problem, why bring it up?” “She makes up little stories to entertain the kids.” The verbs find out,...
5 Rules for Using A and The in Sentences: Grammar Guide
Using A and The in Sentences: Grammar Guide - Even for people who are quite fluent in English, using A and The can still be confusing. This guide will help you use them correctly! A/An and The have the grammar name 'articles.' These three words belong to a larger...
Conditional Sentences: Grammar Guide
Conditional Sentences: Grammar Guide - Conditional sentences are all about expressing possibilities. They include a main clause that offers the central content, and also a dependent clause that limits that content with a condition. For example: If you spend time...
4 Apostrophe Rules: Grammar Guide
4 Apostrophe Rules: Grammar Guide - Correct usage of the apostrophe shows your reader that you care about the details. This small punctuation mark has an outsized impact on the readability and professional appearance of any content. Here are the basic do's and...
Their, There, or They’re: Grammar Guide
Grammar Guide for Their, There, and They're - The story is told about a local fast-food restaurant that wanted to share an exciting addition to the menu. On the large reader board in front of the restaurant, an enterprising employee posted in big letters: THEIR...
Living
4 Fun American Thanksgiving Traditions
4 Fun American Thanksgiving Traditions: Each November, Americans from all kinds of backgrounds celebrate Thanksgiving, a U.S. national holiday centered on friends, family—and lots of food! The modern American Thanksgiving includes a wide variety of traditions, and...
Your First Halloween in the U.S. – 5 Things to Expect
Your First Halloween in the U.S. - 5 Things to Expect: Halloween—there is no denying that this October celebration is an important part of American culture. Although not an 'official' U.S. holiday, Halloween is a fall tradition that many Americans look forward to with...
4 Surprising Things About Parenting in the U.S.
4 Surprising Things About Parenting in the U.S. - Moving to the United States from another country brings changes and challenges of all kinds. Some changes are things people might expect, such as hearing a new language, trying new foods, and discovering new places....
3 Great Ways to Make New Friends in the U.S.
3 Great Ways to Make New Friends in the U.S. - Moving to the U.S. can be both an exciting and a lonely experience. “At home in Japan I had a strong group of friends,” said one woman who recently moved to Seattle, Washington. “We all met in college, and we supported...
Resources
Great ESL Books for Kids 2023 (Updated)
Great ESL Books for Kids 2023 (Updated) - When it comes to ESL books for kids, the options can be overwhelming! How to choose? Every good English Language Learner book for young people will be grounded in current language research while also holding kids’ interest...
Resources for Vocabulary Building
Resources for Vocabulary Building - These are some of my resource picks for students who want to focus on building vocabulary. I've used all of them in the classroom with great results. Whether you are beginner or advanced, young or old, there is something here for...
Pronunciation and Grammar Resources
Pronunciation and Grammar Resources - These are a few of my top resources for students who want to focus on pronunciation and grammar in their private tutoring or group lessons:Grammar Resources:Top Pick: Grammar in Use (American English) by Raymond Murphy (available...
Videos
Mailing a Letter: English for Everyday Activities
Mailing a Letter: English for Everyday Activities Discover important vocabulary and expressions related to the everyday activity of mailing a letter in the United States. Video Transcript Hi, my name's Mark and this is English for Everyday Activities. In today's...
Changing a Light Bulb: English for Everyday Activities
Changing a Light Bulb: English for Everyday Activities Discover important English vocabulary and expressions related to the everyday activity of changing a light bulb.Video Transcript Hi, my name's Mark and this is English for Everyday Activities. How many times has...
More
For more great English resources, take a look at our recommended links. All included links feature free options, though some have for-pay options as well.
Community:
- English Language Learner’s Alliance – A Bellevue, Washington organization that sponsors activities for English Language Learners
Grammar:
- British Council LearnEnglish – This site features British English rather than American, but offers useful free lessons on a variety of grammar topics
- Dave’s ESL Cafe – Free resources for a variety of grammar topics that includes helpful examples and explanations
Pronunciation:
- The Pacific Northwest English Study – A scholarly look at unique pronunciation features of Pacific Northwest English
- Rachel’s English – A great collection of activities for both pronunciation and listening comprehension. Includes free and premium options.
Writing
- The Purdue Online Writing Lab – Helpful guides to MLA, APA, and Chicago Styles for academic writing
