After the success of our first homophones lesson, we saw your comments asking for something more difficult. We have responded with a more advanced homophones quiz available on our blog!
Check it out, and don't forget to let us know what you think in the comments!
Being polite and having good manners are essential skills in English. Although English may seem a little too formal to non-native speakers, it is a super important part of effective communication - especially in business situations.
These expressions show respect and politeness when asking for something.
Look at these two examples and decide which one is more appropriate.
A) Give me the coffee.
B) Would you pass the coffee please?
Did you know that different cultures celebrate Christmas in different ways, and not always on the same day?
What are homophones?
A homophone is a word which sounds the same as another word, but has a different meaning and/or spelling.
Do you know the difference between some of the most common homophones in English?
Test your skills by choosing the correct homophone in the examples below!
Top tip: When you complete the exercise, check your answers and be sure to look for the meaning of each word in your dictionary.
Interested in learning English abroad? Start your journey to success today!
1 - Listen to the poem below without writing anything down. This will give you an idea of the content and you will become familiar with the reader’s voice and pronunciation.
2 - Listen to the poem again and fill in the blanks as you listen.
3 - Listen again before checking your answers!
Ever since 1932, Black Friday has signalled the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the United States. This shopping extravaganza follows Thanksgiving, on the fourth Thursday of November, and comes just before ‘Cyber Monday’.
Thanksgiving is celebrated in the USA on the fourth Thursday of November and it lasts four days. The Pilgrim Fathers, who were the founders of a colony in North America started this long standing tradition. These people were ‘puritans’ who wanted to escape from the persecution of The Church of England. They sailed on a ship from Plymouth called The Mayflower on 6th September 1620. There were 102 men, women and children aboard The Mayflower.
A confusing point for both native and foreign English speakers is whether to use used to or use to in a phrase.
Used to is used to describe an action that was common or ongoing previously but no longer occurring.
Ex. This building used to be a hospital but has been converted into a school.
As a general rule, since the action described is in the past, it is correct to use the past-tense “used to”.
Ex. I used to like dogs, but I got bit by one last month and now they scare me.
Each line may contain a wrong word or is correct. Find the wrong word or leave as is if correct.
1) Today, the earth woke up so some unexpected news: Donald Trump won the US presidential
(2) elections, with 276 Electoral college votes to Hillary Clinton’s 218. The Republican group now
(3) holds a majority in the senate, having ousted the Democratic Party bossed by Hillary Clinton. In
(4) a victory talk he made earlier today in New York, Mr. Trump promised to be a ‘president
(1) Whatever happened to present day politics? Everybody seems to be hitting below the belt! Abuse and insults seem to be an everyday occurrence. Political debates quickly degenerate into shouting competitions. Where are manners?
