Find out more about position of adverbs in English with these four helpful FREE printable grammar worksheets for INTERMEDIATE to ADVANCED-level learners! Full answers are included.
We all know that monkeys chatter and songbirds sing – just like us – but did you know that there are loads more animal noises that humans also make? Maybe your boss barks orders at you instead of asking you properly – just as a dog barks in the back yard. Or how about your grandpa humming absent-mindedly while in the middle of a little light DIY – just as a hummingbird hums!
Discover 30 animal noises that humans also make with these two wonderful FREE printable vocabulary worksheets for UPPER INTERMEDIATE to ADVANCED-level learners! Full answers are included.
If you join us for Connected Speech Club 4, you’ll get to know vowel sounds and which ones we use to connect VV sound connections. Sounds fun? It gets better from there! We continue by looking at idioms of new year and how the syllables they use connect:
– To turn over a new leaf.
– A change is as good as a rest.
It’s a very exciting and enlightening class! If you have any questions about connected speech, please leave a comment below or contact me here.
In this very special festive edition of Connected Speech Club, we discuss the lyrics to four favourite Christmas songs and discover how we can say them using connected speech.
We also look at pronouncing common phrases with function words, e.g. “where are” and “that were”.
If you have any questions about connected speech, please feel free to leave a comment, or contact me.
New Video Class on Sentence Stress and Connected Speech
This is a recording of the presentation I gave recently at the TWIST ’22 online conference, which was organised and hosted by LANG LTC Language Training Centre in Warsaw.
In it I give a clear demonstration of how to teach a pronunciation class about sentences stress and connected speech.
Learn and practice using 20 common phrases for business emails – in both formal and informal contexts – with our helpful new free printable worksheet (answers included).
Including: words for opening and closing emails; common greetings; phrases for acknowledging replies and drawing attention to attachments; good phrases for apologising, stating the reason for writing, and for mentioning bad news; phrases for requesting (indirect and direct questions); and finally, phrases for stating the call to action – i.e. your expectations of the recipient.
Learn how to use the present forms Have and Have Got for possession with our two free printable grammar worksheets – ready to download now!
‘Have’ and ‘have got’ both generally mean the same thing, although ‘have’ is more common in American English and ‘have got’ is more common in British English. One reason for this may be that ‘have got’ provides stronger sentence stress than ‘have’, which is preferred in British English. For example:
have: He has a new car.
‘Has’ tends to be unstressed or lightly stressed. We do not hear the rhythm that is familiar in British English:
have got: He’s got a new car.
‘Got’ provides a strong stress, before the weak stressed article ‘a’, followed by two strong stresses ‘new car’, creating a satisfying ‘up and down’ rhythm more typical of British English.
Additionally, we can say that ‘have’ is more formal and used in written English more often, while ‘have got’ is more informal and used in spoken English more frequently.
Note: in the categories above, have got is a present perfect form, but with a present simple meaning. It is therefore an anomaly in English. It is neither present simple nor present perfect, but rather an adjunct to present simple that is only used in regular time in the present for possession (states) rather than actions.
Here are some of the errors that often occur with this topic:
We all need a little extra motivation every now and again, whether it be to climb that mountain, write that first chapter of the world’s greatest novel, or simply to get out of bed on a freezing winter morning and run for the bus to work…
If YOU need motivation today, check out our handpicked list of 20 powerful English idioms of motivation, including quotations from nineteenth century novelist George Eliot and former US President Theodore Roosevelt, among others.
literal meaning: Now is the time to try your best.
example:
– ‘It’s all or nothing! Either I complete the sale on those two houses today or I’m gonna get fired.’
– ‘Carpe diem! Seize the day.’
– ‘Thanks, Tony.’
12. idiom:‘PMA: Positive Mental Attitude.’ – Napoleon Hill
literal meaning: Positive thinking is an active way of increasing your chances of success.
example: If you think you’re gonna fail – you probably will! Remember these three letters – PMA: Positive. Mental. Attitude.
13. idiom:It’s a marathon not a sprint.
literal meaning: Don’t rush to be a success – take your time and enjoy each stage of the process.
example:
– ‘I wish this course were over. But there are three more years to go!’
– ‘Look, just take it slowly. It’s a marathon not a sprint. Try to treasure each moment.’
14. idiom:Set your sights on sth.
literal meaning: Set a clear goal that you want to achieve.
example:
– ‘Are you still working a double shift? Still saving up for a car?’
– ‘Yeah. I’ve set my sights on a white MINI Cooper.’
15. idiom:To have [got] sth in the bag.
literal meaning: To be assured of success.
example:
– The interview went really well. The job looks perfect for me, really. But I don’t know how many other people they have seen.’
– ‘Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ve got it in the bag.’
16. idiom:To have the world at your feet.
literal meaning: Anything is possible for you.
example: Yeah, Jamie has just graduated with a First. He starts his new job next week. And he’s seeing a lovely lass. I reckon they’ll be getting married next year. They’re in the process of buying a house, I think. You know, it must be lovely to have the world at your feet.
17. idiom:To make inroads in(to) sth.
literal meaning: To make progress towards achieving your goal.
example:
– ‘There are so many leaves come down in the garden this year. It’s gonna take a while to get rid of them all.’
– ‘Looks like you’ve started making inroads into it, though, Paul.’
– ‘Yeah. I’ll get out there after lunch and have another try.’
18. idiom:Go for it!
literal meaning: Try to achieve your goal wholeheartedly.
example:
– ‘Hey, dad, can I borrow your guitar later? I want to learn some new chords.’
– ‘No problem. Go for it!‘
19. idiom:To bear fruit.
literal meaning: To show signs of success.
example:
– ‘I noticed that Jane’s oil paintings have really improved recently.’
– ‘Yes, all her hard work and dedication is definitely starting to bear fruit.’
20. idiom:‘I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.’ – Thomas Edison
literal meaning: Failure is not the end but represents the valuable opportunity to try again.
example:
– ‘I failed mum. I went to pieces in the exam. It was awful. I’m never going to understand maths!’
– ‘Failure is just a state of mind, darling. It’s actually a good opportunity to work out what you did wrong and then have another go. Remember that quote by Thomas Edison – about inventing the lightbulb – “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”‘
Can you think of any more English idioms of motivation? Why not comment and leave your suggestion below.
This material about English Idioms of Motivation is completely free to use and in the public domain, so please feel free to share it widely!
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Energy Saving Tips! – 7 Free Worksheets for English Classes
As energy prices go up, why not try to reduce your energy use by following our 60 great energy saving tips! By simply using less energy, your electricity and gas bills are sure to go down. Your students will enjoy English discussion practice while discovering easy ways to save energy with our 7 free printable worksheets for English classes.