improve English speaking skills with grammar

 Noun

A noun is a word used to refer to people, animals, objects, substances, states, events, ideas and feelings. A noun functions as a subject or object of a verb and can be modified by an adjective.

Examples - John, lion, table, freedom, love

• I live in United States of America.
• Emma is my sister.
• I love to play with my cat.

 

Different types of Nouns

There are different types of nouns:

1. Abstract Noun - An Abstract Noun names an idea, event, quality, or concept (freedom, love, courage etc) Concrete nouns name something recognizable through the sense (table, dog, house etc)

Examples –

• Love-Love is a wonderful thing!
• Peace-Let there be peace on
• Fear-I was full of fear.

2. Compound Noun – A Compound nouns refer to two or more nouns combined to form a single noun (sister-in-law, schoolboy, fruit juice)

Examples –

• Get your hair-cut today, please.
• Emma is my girl-friend.
• The Police-man rushed to the scene of the crime.

3. Collective Noun - A collective noun describes a group of things or people as a unit (family, flock, audience)

Examples –

• Our class took a field trip to the natural history museum.
• We waited anxiously for the jury to come to a verdict.
• Napoleon’s army was finally defeated at Waterloo.

Some Collective Nouns

• Flock– A group of birds; also used to discuss small hooves animals such as sheep or goats.
• Swarm– A group of insects.
• Shoal– A group of fish.
• Group– A very general term used to describe people, places, things, and animals.
• Crowd– Usually used to describe a group of people.

4. Common Noun - Common noun is the name of a group of similar things (table, book, window) Proper nouns, however, refer to the name of a single person, place or thing (John, Joseph, London)

Examples –

• Let's pick the yellow flowers for Dad.
• I really like the song that is playing on the radio.
• Sophia gives us homework every day of the week except Sunday.

More Examples of Common Nouns:

• People: boy, man, teacher, nurse, firefighter, president
• Places: house, yard, building, church, city, country, beach
• Things: desk, phone, book, candle, pencil, basket, dog
• Ideas: confidence, sadness, courage, speed

5. Animate Noun - Animate nouns refer to a person, animal, or other creature (man, elephant, chicken etc) An inanimate noun refers to a material object (stone, wood, table etc)

Examples –

• Tigers and Elephants are found throughout the country.
• The young Lions are far more destructive than the old.
• The new office block has become an expensive leopard.

6. Countable Noun- Countable (or count) nouns have a singular and a plural form. In plural, these nouns can be used with a number- they can be counted. (Friends, chairs, houses, boys) Uncountable (or non count) nouns, however, can only be used in singular. They can't be counted. (Money, bread, water, coffee)

Examples –

• There are almost 35 restaurants in New York where I like to go.
• We took many photographs when we went to Los Angeles.
• I have only few

 

Plural Vs Singular

Nouns can be singular or plural. The plural form of a noun is usually formed by adding s at the end of the noun. But this is not always the case. There are exceptions to the rule. Some plurals are irregular.

Singular Vs Plural Examples –

Leaf – Leaves

Knife – Knives

Scarf - Scarves

Singular Examples –

• A girl was playing football in the ground.
• My horse is hungry and tired.
• There is only one window in that house.

Plural Examples –

• My sisters have given me a gift.
• That boy has been beaten up by those boys.
• We have bought new brushes.

Improve English speaking

 Parts of Speech

In grammar, a part of speech is a linguistic category of words. In English there are eight parts of speech.

In the English language, words can be considered as the smallest elements that have distinctive meanings. Based on their use and functions, words are categorized into several types or parts of speech. This article will offer definitions and examples for the 8 major parts of speech in English grammar:

A list of parts of speech

A list of parts of speech in English grammar include the following:

1. Noun- A noun is a word used to refer to people, animals, objects, substances, states, events, ideas and feelings. A noun functions as a subject or object of a verb and can be modified by an adjective.

Examples - John, lion, table, freedom, love

• I live in United States of America.
• Emma is my sister.
• I love to play with my cat.

 

2. Pronoun- A pronoun is used in the place of a noun or phrase.

Examples - I, you, he, she, it

• This House belongs to us.
• I won the race.
• The matter is between Olivia and me.

 

3. Verb- A verb is used to show an action or a state of being

Examples - go, write, exist

• Sophia is throwing the ball.
• He accepted the job offer.
• The Dog sat by the window.

 

4. Adjective- Adjectives are used to describe or specify a noun or pronoun

Examples - Good, beautiful, nice

• The gray tree is in my backyard.
• Skinny cats are not necessarily healthy.
• Hairless cats look like rats.

 

5. Adverb- An adverb is used to modify a verb, adjective and other adverbs.

Examples - Completely, never, there, Slowly, Rapidly, Clumsily.

• Mia ran fast.
• Sophia is always on time.
• Yesterday, we learned about multiplication.

 

6. Preposition- Prepositions are used before nouns to form a phrase that shows where, when, how and why

Examples - In, above, to, for, at

• I will have a tour in 2020.
• She will have her birthday on the 11th of August.
• He will meet you at night.

 

7. Conjunction- Conjunctions join clauses or sentences or words

Examples - And, but, when

• He is very tired, yet he has lots of work to do.
• I like to read science books and story books.
• He often goes running or biking.

 

8. Interjection- Interjections are used to show surprise or emotion.

Examples - Oh!, Hurrah!, Oops

• Hurrah! We have won the match.
• Oh, what's a surprise?
• Oops, I’m sorry. That was my mistake.

 

learn vocabulary to be fluent in English and crack any interview

 

common mistakes to avoid for beginners

 Common Mistakes to Avoid for Beginners

English is a confusing language; there is no doubt about that. There are a lot of mistakes even native speakers make.

Focusing on Grammar

This is the most common mistake new learners make. If you focus on correcting your grammar, your English would sound extremely weird to a native speaker. Grammar actually hurts your ability to speak English.

Confusing ‘in time’ and ‘on time’

‘On time’ as in punctual. For example: ‘I am always on time.” Where ‘in time’ means before a deadline. For example: “I submitted by college assignment just in time.”

Practice using these two phrases.

Gender pronouns

It is common to make mistakes with he/she/him/her. In languages where no gender is specified, it can be a problem for people to learn gender specific pronouns. In many cases, people mix up ‘he’ and ‘she’. It does not cause any difference in speech, but would make for very funny incidents.

Fun and funny

A lot of people have been seen to make mistakes with ‘fun’ and ‘funny’. ‘Fun’ is a noun, while ‘funny’ is an adjective. For example: ‘The rides were fun’ and ‘My friend is funny’. Something that causes enjoyment and pleasure is ‘fun’, on the other hand, a person or incident that can make you laugh is ‘funny’.

Singular and plural

This is another common mistake for people learning English. Sometimes, new learners do not place the ‘s’ at the end of a word to make a plural. Problems arise when a word is considered uncountable, or a name that already ends with an ‘s’. For example, if a person's last name is Smiths, you would not say ‘There are a lot of Smithses in our building’, you would say ‘There are a lot of Smiths’ in our building’.

Less and fewer

AvLess and fewer are confusing terms and are often used interchangeably. There are not ‘less’ people, there are ‘fewer’ people.

A and the

Another common mistake is the use of ‘a’ and ‘the’. ‘A’ is used when referring to something for the first time. ‘The’ is used when referring to something specific. Do not use these articles when speaking about things in general such as means, transport or places.

Who and that

‘Who’ is used for a person, while ‘that’ is used for an object? This is a common mistake. ‘Who’ describes a living being? For example: ‘The boy who yelled wolf’ and ‘the cycle that rolled off the hill’

“Do It Right Now”: Steps to Start Improving instantly

Step 1: Go on the Internet and look common mistakes made while learning English for your native language

Step 2: Keep a pen and paper besides you

Step 3: Write down all the mistakes you have been making

Step 4: Understand the correct way to use the words or phrases

Step 5: Make your own sentences using these words and phrase

hidden secrets to learn English in a weekend

 The hidden secrets that will help you learn English in a weekend

Since you can read English, you could strive to perfect it in one weekend. It will not be easy to learn everything there is to learn in a weekend but if you work hard enough, it can be done. However, implement what you learn is probably the hardest part.

Speak English daily

Do not slip up and start using your native language. Even when you are with your own people, speak in English. If you do not have any way to speak English outside, do it at home. Watch T.V. or read a book and repeat out loud. Not speaking English will not help you learn. You have to use it to remember it!

Study it

Everyday, for at least one hour, study the language. Study the words, the history of the words, learn the grammatical rules etc. Even if you spend only half an hour a day, that will work. Think of your English skills as a piece of iron that will rust and break apart if you do not study and oil it.

Goals

Setting goals for yourself is a good way to learn English. Pick common everyday words, and decide to use them regularly by the end of the week or month. You could set any goal you want. This would also turn learning English into a challenge with yourself.

Be confident

Being confident means speaking English when you are outside, even if you are not good at it. Do not apologize for not being able to speak properly, instead ask for help and advise. It is essential to be confident or you will never have the guts to speak out in the open and you will never find out what your level of English is.

Keep a small notebook with you

While you are learning, it would be a good idea to keep a notebook with you at all times. Every time you come across a word that you do not understand, write it down! After that look for its meaning. At the end of your day, go through this list and learn the words on it. Try making sentences in which you can use these new words that you learned. This is a good practice because without writing down the words, chances are that you will forget them.

Learn to listen

Speaking in English outside with other people is not your only problem, you also have to learn to listen. Speaking and listening require two different parts of your body. You have to train your ears to listen to a new language and differential the words. Listen as much as you can. You could also read aloud and this way you would be listening to yourself.

Do not lose confidence

Learning anything new can be emotionally draining, but do not start thinking in a negative way. Instead of thinking “I can’t” think “I will”. Set a date, say a year or two years down the line, when you will be a fluent speaker, reader and writer in English.

Work hard

Everything requires hard work, even learning a language. It is important not to think of it as something that will occur in its own time. You can work hard and reduce your learning time.

Treat yourself

Motivation is the best tool! Treat you and your friends to dinner after you complete a particular goal. Also, ask your friends to test you. This way you will not only look forward to dinner with friends every weekend, but also completing goals on time.

Thesaurus

To develop a vast vocabulary, use a thesaurus. Learn different words with the same meanings, and then use these words in a sentence. Here, you might also see a word that you find fascinating.

Group study

If you know other people trying to learn English, propose a group study. They always work better than trying to study alone. In the group, test each other using flashcards. This will not only be fun, but you will retain more when you are in a group.

Spellings

Do not just learn new words, remember to learn their spellings as well. Spelling as important to learn pronunciations. However, many times in English the words are not always pronounced as they are spelled. I would suggest using an online source to perfect your pronunciations, and then writing each word while pronouncing it aloud. This would develop an association in your brain for the word.

Pay attention to idioms and colloquialisms

To talk as a native speaker talking in English, it is important to pay special attention to idioms and colloquialisms. Make a separate notebook for these and follow the same process as you use for the words.

Revise

Revise every word you have learned during the week on Sunday, or any other day. This way you make sure that the words stay with you. Remember to speak out loud so you hear yourself and your ears are trained to catch the word.

English movies and songs

Whenever you have time on your hands, watch an English movie. This way you will get used to the idea of listening to and speaking English. It will begin to seen like a natural language. Songs can be heard any time, so pick your favorite songs and play them. Pay attention to pronunciations. Do not use subtitles or you will not pay attention to what the person is saying. Books are for readings, when you are watching a movie, listen!

“Do It Right Now”: Steps to Start Improving instantly

Step 1: Pick a topic that is trending

Step 2: Decide on your opinion on the topic

Step 3: Prepare a speech on a pen and paper

Step 4: In a gathering of friends or family, make this speech!

how to improve English writing with tips and tricks

 English Writing - Improvement Tricks and Tips

As I said earlier, a language has four components – Reading, listening, speaking and writing. Each of these components is complementary to each other. Once you know how to listen, read and speak English, it is time to finish the process by writing properly. Writing is probably the easiest to do; however one can make mistakes in spellings. Also, a person thinks and writes at different speeds and that could unintentionally ruin the sentence. Still, writing is not all that easy. Problems arise when it comes to punctuation marks.

Write, write, and write!

Just like reading and expanding your vocabulary, writing properly involves a lot of practice. Pick a topic, and start writing. Do this exercise everyday. Make a portfolio of all your pieces and review them in a month and look for mistakes that you made. Once you are done, ask a friend to edit it for you.

Learn the correct version

Once you have figured out your mistakes, make it a point to learn the correct version. Incorporate the corrected version in your next piece of writing exercise.

Avoid using a guide

While you are practicing your writing skills, do not use a guide or dictionary. Make mistakes and then learn from those mistakes. If you do not make mistakes you will never learn. Once you know the mistakes you made, start writing again and try correcting those same mistakes.

Use new words and phrases

Make it a point to use at least two new words and phrases, as well as idioms, slang and colloquialisms in your article. Make sure you ask somebody to correct these if they are wrong.

Punctuation

The punctuation marks you use at the end of each sentence will set the tone of that particular sentence. Whether it is an exclamation (!) or a question (?) depends on how you frame your sentence.

“Do It Right Now”: Steps to Start Improving instantly

Step 1: Pick a topic that interests you and are passionate about

Step 2: Start a blog based on the topic.

common mistakes to avoid for beginners

 Common Mistakes to Avoid for Beginners

English is a confusing language; there is no doubt about that. There are a lot of mistakes even native speakers make.

Focusing on Grammar

This is the most common mistake new learners make. If you focus on correcting your grammar, your English would sound extremely weird to a native speaker. Grammar actually hurts your ability to speak English.

Confusing ‘in time’ and ‘on time’

‘On time’ as in punctual. For example: ‘I am always on time.” Where ‘in time’ means before a deadline. For example: “I submitted by college assignment just in time.”

Practice using these two phrases.

Gender pronouns

It is common to make mistakes with he/she/him/her. In languages where no gender is specified, it can be a problem for people to learn gender specific pronouns. In many cases, people mix up ‘he’ and ‘she’. It does not cause any difference in speech, but would make for very funny incidents.

Fun and funny

A lot of people have been seen to make mistakes with ‘fun’ and ‘funny’. ‘Fun’ is a noun, while ‘funny’ is an adjective. For example: ‘The rides were fun’ and ‘My friend is funny’. Something that causes enjoyment and pleasure is ‘fun’, on the other hand, a person or incident that can make you laugh is ‘funny’.

Singular and plural

This is another common mistake for people learning English. Sometimes, new learners do not place the ‘s’ at the end of a word to make a plural. Problems arise when a word is considered uncountable, or a name that already ends with an ‘s’. For example, if a person's last name is Smiths, you would not say ‘There are a lot of Smithses in our building’, you would say ‘There are a lot of Smiths’ in our building’.

Less and fewer

AvLess and fewer are confusing terms and are often used interchangeably. There are not ‘less’ people, there are ‘fewer’ people.

A and the

Another common mistake is the use of ‘a’ and ‘the’. ‘A’ is used when referring to something for the first time. ‘The’ is used when referring to something specific. Do not use these articles when speaking about things in general such as means, transport or places.

Who and that

‘Who’ is used for a person, while ‘that’ is used for an object? This is a common mistake. ‘Who’ describes a living being? For example: ‘The boy who yelled wolf’ and ‘the cycle that rolled off the hill’

“Do It Right Now”: Steps to Start Improving instantly

Step 1: Go on the Internet and look common mistakes made while learning English for your native language

Step 2: Keep a pen and paper besides you

Step 3: Write down all the mistakes you have been making

Step 4: Understand the correct way to use the words or phrases

Step 5: Make your own sentences using these words and phrase