Hot English Language & Culture How-Tos

How to Speak English: Pronounciation tips

In this tutorial, we learn pronunciation tips to Speak English. To help someone learn this, use an analogy, imagery, and vivid explanation so they understand what you are talking about in full detail. Use your hands to make the motions, then relate words to your base words. You will need to repeat yourself a lot, and also draw pictures so it can help them visually understand. Don't use difficult words, just start by doing simple words that are easy to understand. Once the easy letters are und...

How to Speak English: Reported speech/Indirect speech

In this Language video tutorial you will learn how to report another person's words. In other words how to restate what someone else said. This video focuses on two aspects. #1. What's the difference between quoted and reported speech? #2. When can we use say and tell? In quoted speech you quote the exact words spoken by a person within inverted commas or quotation marks. It is also called direct speech. Here is an example. Jennifer said, "I like birthdays." Whereas, reported speech does not ...

How To: Use separable verb phrases for the classroom

In this tutorial, we learn examples on how to use separable verb phrases for the classroom. The first one is, "Do over", this is the same thing as "to do something again". If you make a mistake on an assignment, your teach might ask you to "do it over". "Fill in", means to write in answers on a test or assignment, to fill in the blanks. "Turn in" means for the student to give something or hand it in to the teacher. "Hand out" is to give something to the students and this is what a teacher doe...

How To: Describe problems in English

This video tutorial is in the Language category which will show you how to describe problems in English. When describing problems in English, many people use the word trouble. When you frame a question, you can frame it in the present or the present continuous tense. For example; what do you have trouble with or what are you having trouble with? Similarly, when you answer the question you can use the present or the present continuous tense. Examples of this are; I have trouble with my car or ...

How To: Describe solutions in English

In this video, we practice describing solutions in English. For example, if the problem is that you have stomach problems, the solution is that you should go to the doctor. Should simply means a good idea or a recommendation. You could also say the solution is that you need to go to a doctor. For the next example, if your problem is that your car won't start, this means your car will not start. You could also say that your car does not start, which is a good way to describe the problem. For t...

How To: Use the phrase "go shopping" in American English

Learning proper American English usage is a challenge, but fortunately this video is here to explain the usage of one common phrase to the non-native English learner. That phrase, one near and dear to the hearts of Americans, is "go shopping". This simple instructional video point out common mistakes that English learners make and shows how to use the phrase correctly in context.

How To: Use the word 'got' in the English language

In this video it is explained how to use the words "got" "got to" and "gotta'". "Got" is the past tense of the word " get". Sometimes Americans say "have got" in place of "have" or "got" in place of "have". For example there is a sentence "I've got my wallet". Some Americans say "I have my wallet" and some may say "I got my wallet". All of them are correct. "Gotta'" is used in place of "have got to". For example there is a sentence" I have got to go". Some Americans may say

How To: Use double comparatives in the English language

This is a tutorial segment of Double comparatives of English Grammar. In this lesson, the instructor is explaining about how to express a cause and an effect in a easier way with examples. She says that it’s the relationship where one thing makes a change on another or one factor say for example sunshine, produce a result in another by making us to feel happy. Comparative forms are used to express a cause and effect. Words like brighter, happier are examples for that. For example, in the sent...

How To: Use the 'stop' verb in the English language

The verb "stop" in the English language can be used with a gerund and an infinitive. The word "stop" has different meanings depending on how it's used. Look at the sentence, "I stopped eating fast food." Stopped is used in the past tense and eating is a gerund, or a word that describes an activity and functions as a noun. Look at the sentence, "I stopped to eat some fast food." In that sentence, there is an infinitive. The first sentence means I no longer eat fast food. The second sentence me...

How To: Rhyme

From nursery rhymes, to rap songs, to love poems, rhyming is an important part of the English language. If you're feeling a little shaky on your rhyming abilities, glance over some of these simple rules and you'll be off and rhyming again.

How To: Use the future perfect tense in English easily

The future perfect tense describes a situation which is finished in the future. This video tells us how we can use future perfect tense easily. It gives us a deep insight through the grammatical aspect of future perfect tense. It shows us how to use the helping verb i.e "will" with the third form of verb to form a statement in future perfect tense. the basic formula for making a correct statement in future perfect tense is "subject + helping verb + past participle (v3). It's easy to remember ...

How To: Diagram gerunds & gerund phases

For those who don't know, a gerund is a noun whose root word is formed from a verb. Anyone interested in brushing up on their grammar skills should view this video by Yossarian on how to diagram gerunds and gerund phrases. Yossarian uses various sentence examples to break down the subjects and verbs to find gerunds and gerund phrases. Learn how to break down the components of any sentence to find the gerund and gerund phrases by following this video tutorial.

How To: Pronounce the English /r/

If you are learning the English language make sure to follow this video which can better explain to you how to pronounce the letter R. When speaking in the English language we may often make common errors on how to pronounce the letter R in the words we use. One tip to pronounce the letter r better is not to touch the top of our mouth with our tongue when saying the letter r. Secondly, you have to make your lips shape in a tightly rounded manner to say the letter r accurately. You could also ...

How To: Practice saying the "t" sound in the middle of words

In words like bottle and mitten, the "t" really isn't a "t" sound; it is more of a "d" sound or a very fast "t" sound. Practice the "t" sound with the words button, carton, brighten, tighten, fatten, eaten, rotten, matter, butter, flutter, water, bottle, settle, and metal. In American English, the "t" sound is very difficult to hear in some words. An example of this is the word butter, where the "t" sounds more like a "d." Remember, the way people speak English in the United States is differe...

How to Speak English: Verb "be" in the present tense

ESL teacher Jennifer Lebedev teaches the proper usage of the English verb 'be' in the present tense. The verb 'be' has three forms in the present tense: 'am', 'is', 'are'. Sentences are formed with a subject and a verb. To make sentences with the verb 'be', use the correct form with the subject. Subjects are nouns and pronouns (people, places and things). Use 'am' for the pronoun 'I', e.g. 'I am hungry. 'Use 'is' for singular nouns (one thing) and the pronouns 'he', 'she', 'it', 'this', e.g. ...

How To: Describe situations that didn't happen in the past

This video shows us how to describe the situations that are opposite of the future perfect tense. Here it is shown how to describe the situations that did or did not happen in the past using would, have and past participle. He gives us 3 very good examples that are describing such situations. In these examples he describes a situation which happened in the past which is actually a negative and uses a fact that is described in the present tense to give the reason why that situation ended in a ...

How To: Use "live" as a verb & adjective in English

Paul, an English teacher, gives a lesson on the difference between the word "live" as a verb and as an adjective. To make to "v" sound when saying the word, the lower lip has to touch the teeth. "Live" as verb is an action, so you say "I live in Minneapolis". The singular form is "live," and the plural form is "lives". Live" as an adjective is a describing word, so you say "Live TV is fun". "Live"" as an adjective describes the subject of a sentence. "Live" as an adjective can mean something ...

How To: Ask "How do you like your job?" in English

This video teaches English-language learners how to respond to questions beginning with the words "How do you like". There are two types of questions in English that begin with the words "How do you like". The first kind requires an answer in the form of an opinion. The second requires that the answer come in the form of giving instructions. The video explains the difference, then gives several examples for each to model practice. For example, "How do you like the weather?" is a question whic...

How To: Use the word "like" properly in English

This how to video describes how to properly use the word "like." Since "like" is one of the most misused words in the English language this is great for anyone who is not an English professor. The author begins by describing what types of words you can use the word "like" with and then he presents numerous examples for its correct usage. The video itself will only take about two and a half minuets of your time and will greatly improve your speaking skills.

How To: Use count and mass nouns correctly

Mrthoth will show you how to use, count, and mass nouns correctly. Listen to a sample sentence and try to find the grammatical errors in the sentence. A mass noun ca refers to a whole group of objects, for example you would not say a lot of butter you say a lot of butter. A count noun is basically a noun you can count. You can make it plural and you can put a number in front of it. Like you say it was a lot of pencils.

How To: Cite sources in the APA format

In this video, , peakDavid, demonstrates how to use and understand the APA (American Psychological Association) format for citing sources for references in papers, essays, and theses. You will learn the different types of citations used in APA format, and learn to understand how they are used to reference the works you used in your paper. Also, you will learn why you should use the APA format to cite your research, to avoid confusion by the reader, as well as any claims of plagiarism.

How To: Make the AH sound in American English

The ah sound. The jaw drops more on this sound than it does on any other vowel sound. Ah, ah. And as you can see, the tongue is laying there on the bottom of the mouth. Ah. So, the jaw drops here, make the sound, ah: pretty basic, simple, and straightforward. Ah. Sample words: father, collar, calm. Sample sentence: The party at the bar was a mob scene.