Update on My Personal Situation: Why I’m Doing a PC Course
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7TQG35nQ2I
English Idiomatic Expression: “Nothing could be further from the truth”
English Idiomatic Expression: “Such and similar”
The English Language is Multidimensional Indeed!
Today I’d like to talk about diversity of the English language. Here at English Harmony I’m focusing on spoken English which tends to be more informal as opposed to formal English as it’s taught in schools. The other day I was reading a blog post by Aaron from Phrasemix.com about differences between formal and casual English and he’s put up a very interesting chart on his blog post about how people from different backgrounds speak. According to Aaron’s chart, ordinary people you’d meet on the street in your local estate would speak mostly conversational English, but advanced English students, strangely enough, would be quite on the opposite side of the chart having mastered conversational skills of a native English speaking toddler yet their formal English knowledge would be nearly as high as that of a business executive :!: Well, I have to say that I agree with Aaron 100%, and this is the first time I’m seeing formal and conversational English skills of people from different backgrounds compared in such an interesting way! (more…)
English Idiomatic Expression: “It Came to Light That…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2So82jE7Zkw Another day – another English idiomatic expression! Today we’re going to look at the following English phrase which I’m sure will come in handy for you: IT CAME TO LIGHT THAT… This expression can be used whenever you FIND something OUT. In case you’re wondering why I’m giving you this English idiom in this exact way (Past Tense) instead of keeping the verb in its infinitive form: “To come to light” – it’s because most likely you’ll be using this expression when talking about something that happened in the past! What’s the use of memorizing this exact English sentence “TO come to light” if every time you’re going to have to modify it to suit the context which is most likely going to be in the Past Tense? It’s so much easier to speak if you actually memorize the phrase the EXACT way you’re going to use it! Here’s a couple of example sentences containing the phrase IT CAME TO LIGHT THAT… (more…)
English Phrasal Verb “To Pull Off”
English Harmony Q & A: Foreign Accent & Learning English for Free
Another English Fluency Question and Answer session – this time around it’s all about me speaking with a foreign accent and free vs paid English learning resources!
English Idiomatic Expressions: “Correct Me if I’m Wrong” & “If I’m not Mistaken”
My Phone-call to Airline Support & All the Embarrassing Experiences
A couple of days ago I had to make a phone call to my local airline company’s Ryanair support line to sort out a few queries over my family’s summer flight to our home country. I got through to the call center within a matter of seconds for the simple reason that it was one of those premium rate phone numbers. I doubt that would be the case had it been a normal phone line or a toll-free phone number; most likely I would have to spend at least five minutes on the line! Anyway, my customer support agent was a Russian girl so the first thought that crossed my mind was – “Cool! It’s going to be quite easy to speak with her because she’s also a foreign English speaker – just like me!” You see, the thing is that on some occasions it’s easier to speak with another fellow foreign English speaker than a native English speaker, so I thought this chat was going to be a walk in the park. A short time later, I realized it wasn’t the case with this particular conversation. I was having a hard time understanding if the person on the other end of the phone line actually understood me, so I constantly had to second-guess her replies which made the conversation not-so easy, to say the least! (more…)
English Collocation: The Worst Case Scenario
How to Speak During a Job Interview If You’re a Non-Native English Speaker
“Beat – Beat – Beaten”: Learn Irregular English Verbs Through Expressions!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dsvsomHg_c Hello my friends foreign English speakers! I’m back with another English irregular verb, and this time around it’s TO BEAT. As you know from my previous videos (if you don’t, please watch it HERE, it’s super-important!), you shouldn’t be learning English irregular verbs by repeating and memorizing word strings such as BEAT, BEAT, BEATEN (these are the respective Present, Past and Past Participle forms of the verb TO BEAT). Instead, you should learn each of those verb forms as part of a word combination and that way you’ll achieve all the following: You’ll avoid getting mixed up when using BEAT and BEATEN in real life; You’ll be able to use these irregular verb forms without much THINKING; You’ll INSTINCTIVELY feel when to use them – just like a native speaker! So, without a further ado, let’s look at the phrases containing the various forms of the irregular verb TO BEAT, and alternatively you can watch the video or listen to the podcast above to gain even more insight into using the following phrases: It BEATS me; I BEAT the traffic on the way to; BEATEN to death. (more…)
30-day Vocabulary Acquisition Course- Day 22- What a small world!
This article is part of the 30-day Vocabulary Acquisition Course. Sign up here to get every lesson in your inbox for free: (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//forms.aweber.com/form/28/1528169428.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, "script", "aweber-wjs-gh9mm2tmz")); Helloooo everyone out there, How are you all doing? Welcome back again to English Harmony and a new of chapter of our “Free 30-day Vocabulary Acquisition Course” where you'll learn something new every day with context and examples, and so will you today. So without wasting even a single second, let’s get down to the business and read the given context: Context (First day at college) Josh (moving to a table with his coffee): Can I sit here? Emma: Yeah, of course. Josh: So it’s your first day, how are you feeling about this new place? Emma: I think it’s nice. But as I am a bit shy, so getting along with people takes me some time. Josh: Oh, I see that. I am sorry, but you didn’t mention your name. Your name, please? Emma: My name is Emma Clarke, and you? Josh: I am Joseph Watson aka Josh. Emma: Great! Nice to meet you, Josh. Josh: Same here! So you must have scored quite well in your high school, I mean getting admission in this college is not easy. Emma: I was an average student at my school times. It’s because of sports quota why I have been admitted to this college. Josh: What a small world! I also got admission from sports quota. Emma: Oh really! What do you play then? Josh: Tennis, and you? Emma: Me too. Why don’t you come to practice today at 4:00 pm? Josh: Alright. See you then at 4:00 pm sharp at the sports complex. Emma: Done! Bye-bye. Josh: Bye. Expression-What a small world! Explanation- People often use this expression in reaction to an unexpected coincidence. “It’s a small world!” is also a phrase that can be used instead of “What a small world”. Let’s say you meet a person who is from the same university where you graduated from, or you and your friend decide to go to a common place without even telling each other, these are situations where you want to use this phrase, as it’s a coincidence that same things happened unexpectedly. So how did find today’s chapter? Did you like it? I hope today’s lesson added some new vocabulary to your arsenal of active vocabulary which will be definitely useful in your daily life. Make sure you read this article thoroughly and practice it with your own examples so as they become your second nature. See you tomorrow with some new topic and vocabulary. Till then keep learning and improving. Take care and? Bye-bye. This article is part of the 30-day Vocabulary Acquisition Course. Sign up here to get every lesson in your inbox for free: (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//forms.aweber.com/form/28/1528169428.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, "script", "aweber-wjs-gh9mm2tmz"));
How to Decide Which Tense and Which Verb Form to Use?
Improve Your Spoken English Upon Success!
Any improvement process can be accelerated ten-fold if one focuses on the positive instead of the negative. Speaking in terms of spoken English improvement, I can paraphrase the above statement as follows: You can accelerate your spoken English improvement big time if you focus on your success (things you can say correctly) instead of focusing on your mistakes and imperfections. If you’ve been following my blog for some time, you’ll know that I’ve been writing about similar matters in the past. The following article, for example - Focus on What You CAN Say in English Instead of What You CAN’T! - highlights the fact that many foreigners feel overwhelmed by the feeling of NOT KNOWING certain things in terms of English vocabulary and grammar. I’ve also been pointing out that we, foreigners, should ignore our mistakes in the sense that we don’t have to freak out every time it happens; we merely need to take action upon it, simple as that! Well, this advice doesn’t always go down well with my audience because people often think I’m encouraging my fellow foreigners to ignore their mistakes and not improve their English (I’ve tried to explain it in this video and that’s the last time I’ve touched upon that subject), but nothing could be further from the truth! In today’s article, however, I’m going to put a different twist on the whole concept of making mistakes, spoken English improvement and success. I’m going to look at the EMOTIONAL connection between spoken English improvement and success, and how it affects your chances of succeeding as an English student. (more…)
Speaking in English Made Super Easy – Follow my Tweets and Just Stick Word Chunks Together!
Can Present Continuous Substitute Present Simple Tense?
I’ve discussed usage of the Present Continuous Tense in a number of grammar video lessons and the conclusion so far is that this English Grammar Tense is very, very widely used. You can use Present Continuous to describe past events, talk about future arrangements and of course, use it to describe actions going on at this very moment. The latter one is the typical use of Present Continuous and there was a time I thought it’s the only one. However, you should never assume that something is set in stone when it comes to English grammar, and especially – the Present Continuous Tense! It appears that it can also replace Present Simple on certain occasions, were you aware of that? Well, it might come as a surprise, but nonetheless it’s true and if you hear someone say “She’s always doing three things at once” or “I’m constantly arguing with her, I just can’t stand her!” it doesn’t mean it’s bad English grammar. You see, following the formal English Grammar rules, you’d use Present Simple with reoccurring activities, because that’s what it says when you open any English Grammar book. Present Simple Tense is to be used with known facts, routines, habits and permanent things. Personally I have a good visual memory (although sometimes it can be a bad thing) and I still remember a sample sentence in one of my first English Grammar books explaining Present Simple – “Sun rises in the east”. It’s a known truth, a permanent, regular activity, so we use Present Simple and the same goes with other things that are of a permanent nature. Where we live, what we usually do, our daily routines – it’s all the Present Simple Tense. “I live in a three bedroom house. On most days I get up at 6:00 AM and have oat porridge for breakfast. I drive to work because it’s not accessible by public transport.” The Present Continuous Tense, however, describes actions that are happening right now, not general things. So for example, “I drive to work every day” is a general statement about something I do on a regular basis, whereas “I’m driving to work” would imply that I’m sitting in the car right at this very moment and driving to work. Normally I would also add “at the moment” or a similar time indicator if I’m on phone, for instance. I would say “I can’t really talk now; I’m driving to work at the moment”. This is the way English Grammar books explain differences between the two tenses, and by and large it’s correct. In real life spoken English, however, things can’t be always strictly separated. I know that’s what English students want – to get rid of any ambiguity so that it would be easier to pass English tests. Every English Grammar Tense should serve only its own purpose and by learning the respective rules of usage we can construct nice and correct English sentences. Sounds like every English student’s dream, doesn’t it? Well, after you’ve spent some time with native English speakers in natural English speaking environment, you’ll realize that English tenses are sometimes used in a way you don’t expect! ;-) “I’m always driving to work along the highway, but occasionally I take back roads for a change.” Please note that I used Present Continuous where Present Simple would be normally used, and if we stick to formal English Grammar rules to the letter, you may want to re-write the above sentence and make it into “I always drive to work along the highway.” It’s a typical routine activity; it’s something that I always do – as indicated by the very word “always” – so it requires Present Simple, right? (more…)
You Won’t Fool a Native English Speaker During a Job Interview So Better Stop Trying!
English Idiom: “To Your Heart’s Content”
How to Learn English Synonyms and Antonyms Effectively
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq0rmbwJ78o
English Idiomatic Expression: “It’s been dealt with”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCA4gJjTuvM Today I’m going to provide you with a new English idiomatic expression which will come in handy in situations when you have to report completion of an assignment. “IT’S BEEN DEALT WITH” is the phrase in question, and you’re more than welcome to watch the video above where I’m discussing the merits of this particular phrase. To be honest with you, there are simpler expressions which can be used in pretty much the same situations: “It’s done”, “It’s sorted” or “I’ve done it”. “It’s been dealt with”, however, implies that your assignment has demanded quite a lot of effort, so you may want to use this expression when you’ve been dealing with a complicated matter and you’re telling someone that it’s been dealt with. Chat soon, Robby ;-)
How To Make Your English Sound Right? Use Collocations!
11 Love and Relationship Phrases for this Valentine’s Day
Warning! Don’t Start Improving Your English Before Watching THIS!
English Idiomatic Expression: “To Go the Extra Mile”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdiXDxmdFGg Hello boys and girls! ;-) I haven’t posted any English idiomatic expression videos lately, so I figured why not record one and put it up on YouTube and on my blog so that you can learn something new! Today’s phrase is the following: TO GO THE EXTRA MILE and if you want to find out how it’s to be used in real life English conversations, please watch the video above. In this video I’m providing 3 examples of using this particular idiomatic expression, but obviously there’s a whole lot more ways of using it when communicating with other English speakers. The expression TO GO THE EXTRA MILE can be used whenever you want to describe someone making extra effort – if you think about it, it actually makes a lot of sense. Walking another mile when you’ve already walked the entire way quite obviously involves some extra work, and apparently at some stage native English speakers started using this phrase to describe making extra effort in general. So, watch this video, do some spoken English practice with this expression in order to cement it into your brain, and if you’ve any questions in relation to this phrase – let me know in the comments section below! Cheers, Robby
FREE eBook – Practical English Grammar!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=/tMXnbFX3JXY #af-form-2014040194 .af-body .af-textWrap{width:98%;display:block;float:none;} #af-form-2014040194 .af-body a{color:#094C80;text-decoration:underline;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;} #af-form-2014040194 .af-body input.text, #af-form-2014040194 .af-body textarea{background-color:#FFFFFF;border-color:#919191;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;color:#000000;text-decoration:none;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-size:12px;font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;} #af-form-2014040194 .af-body input.text:focus, #af-form-2014040194 .af-body textarea:focus{background-color:#FFFAD6;border-color:#030303;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;} #af-form-2014040194 .af-body label.previewLabel{display:block;float:none;text-align:left;width:auto;color:#000000;text-decoration:none;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-size:11px;font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;} #af-form-2014040194 .af-body{padding-bottom:15px;padding-top:15px;background-repeat:repeat-x;background-position:inherit;background-image:url("http://forms.aweber.com/images/forms/download/royal/body.png");color:inherit;font-size:11px;font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;} #af-form-2014040194 .af-footer{padding-bottom:2px;padding-top:2px;padding-right:10px;padding-left:10px;background-color:#EEFA49;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:top left;background-image:none;border-color:#000000;border-width:1px;border-bottom-style:none;border-left-style:none;border-right-style:none;border-top-style:none;color:#000000;font-size:11px;font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;} #af-form-2014040194 .af-header{padding-bottom:9px;padding-top:240px;padding-right:10px;padding-left:99px;background-color:transparent;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:inherit;background-image:url("https://englishharmony.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/practical-english-grammar1.jpg");border-width:1px;border-bottom-style:none;border-left-style:none;border-right-style:none;border-top-style:none;color:inherit;font-size:16px;font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;} #af-form-2014040194 .af-quirksMode .bodyText{padding-top:2px;padding-bottom:2px;} #af-form-2014040194 .af-quirksMode{padding-right:10px;padding-left:10px;} #af-form-2014040194 .af-standards .af-element{padding-right:10px;padding-left:10px;} #af-form-2014040194 .bodyText p{margin:1em 0;} #af-form-2014040194 .buttonContainer input.submit{background-image:url("http://forms.aweber.com/images/auto/gradient/button/1b1.png");background-position:top left;background-repeat:repeat-x;background-color:#009b00;border:1px solid #009b00;color:#FFFFFF;text-decoration:none;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-size:14px;font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;} #af-form-2014040194 .buttonContainer input.submit{width:auto;} #af-form-2014040194 .buttonContainer{text-align:left;} #af-form-2014040194 body,#af-form-2014040194 dl,#af-form-2014040194 dt,#af-form-2014040194 dd,#af-form-2014040194 h1,#af-form-2014040194 h2,#af-form-2014040194 h3,#af-form-2014040194 h4,#af-form-2014040194 h5,#af-form-2014040194 h6,#af-form-2014040194 pre,#af-form-2014040194 code,#af-form-2014040194 fieldset,#af-form-2014040194 legend,#af-form-2014040194 blockquote,#af-form-2014040194 th,#af-form-2014040194 td{float:none;color:inherit;position:static;margin:0;padding:0;} #af-form-2014040194 button,#af-form-2014040194 input,#af-form-2014040194 submit,#af-form-2014040194 textarea,#af-form-2014040194 select,#af-form-2014040194 label,#af-form-2014040194 optgroup,#af-form-2014040194 option{float:none;position:static;margin:0;} #af-form-2014040194 div{margin:0;} #af-form-2014040194 fieldset{border:0;} #af-form-2014040194 form,#af-form-2014040194 textarea,.af-form-wrapper,.af-form-close-button,#af-form-2014040194 img{float:none;color:inherit;position:static;background-color:none;border:none;margin:0;padding:0;} #af-form-2014040194 input,#af-form-2014040194 button,#af-form-2014040194 textarea,#af-form-2014040194 select{font-size:100%;} #af-form-2014040194 p{color:inherit;} #af-form-2014040194 select,#af-form-2014040194 label,#af-form-2014040194 optgroup,#af-form-2014040194 option{padding:0;} #af-form-2014040194 table{border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} #af-form-2014040194 ul,#af-form-2014040194 ol{list-style-image:none;list-style-position:outside;list-style-type:disc;padding-left:40px;} #af-form-2014040194,#af-form-2014040194 .quirksMode{width:453px;} #af-form-2014040194.af-quirksMode{overflow-x:hidden;} #af-form-2014040194{background-color:transparent;border-color:transparent;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;} #af-form-2014040194{display:block;} #af-form-2014040194{overflow:hidden;} .af-body .af-textWrap{text-align:left;} .af-body input.image{border:none!important;} .af-body input.submit,.af-body input.image,.af-form .af-element input.button{float:none!important;} .af-body input.text{width:100%;float:none;padding:2px!important;} .af-body.af-standards input.submit{padding:4px 12px;} .af-clear{clear:both;} .af-element label{text-align:left;display:block;float:left;} .af-element{padding:5px 0;} .af-form-wrapper{text-indent:0;} .af-form{text-align:left;margin:auto;} .af-header,.af-footer{margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px;} .af-quirksMode .af-element{padding-left:0!important;padding-right:0!important;} .lbl-right .af-element label{text-align:right;} body { } Your Name: Your Email: Your e-mail will never be sold or rented to a third party. I hate spam as much as you do and I'll contact you only to send news about improving English fluency! Right after the request you’ll receive an e-mail with a confirmation link which will bring you straight to the download page. And here’s the good news – you can read this eBook on your computer or laptop as a PDF file, you'll get a MOBI version of it in case you have a Kindle eBook reader, but if you have an iPad - you can make use of the EPUB file! Bear in mind, my fellow foreigners, that this isn’t your traditional English grammar reference book or textbook :!: This “Practical English Grammar” eBook contains my own observations, analysis and interpretation of how English grammar is sometimes much different in real life than we expect it to be, and instead of having this “why would I speak like that, it’s not what my English teacher taught me!” attitude, I’m suggesting you to make it easier for yourself to speak English by speaking exactly like native English speakers speak! There are twelve chapters in the eBook covering aspects of English Grammar that you wouldn’t have probably even heard of – such as how to substitute Present Simple Tense for Present Continuous Tense in order to sound more natural and friendly - yet they’re very relevant for us, foreigners! And don’t worry, I’m not being very technical in the eBook and I’m not using very specific English Grammar related terms. All you need to know is what the Past Perfect Tense is and what GOING TO + Infinitive Future form is and you’ll understand everything I’m writing in the “Practical English Grammar” eBook! ;-) Wishing your Happy Reading, Robby
Focus on What You CAN Say in English Instead of What You CAN’T!
When You Focus Too Much on What You CAN’T Say in English… … you find it very hard to concentrate on the topic at hand; your mind seems to be drifting away in a hundred different directions leaving you unable to have a normal conversation… … you have a feeling as if the stuff you want to say is right in front of you yet you can’t read it out… … you keep confusing words and making mistakes when speaking… … you constantly question yourself if you said it correctly – as a result you start making even more and more mistakes… … you’re just unable to produce normal, fluent English speech. What can be worse for you as a foreign English speaker? :sad: But let’s begin by looking at this issue by drawing parallels between spoken English and another type of activity I’m into. (more…)
Don’t Judge Other People’s English Because of Lack of Vocabulary
3 Things ANY Foreigner Can Implement To Boost Their English Communication Skills!
1. Stop agreeing if you didn’t fully understand what was said to you! On way too many occasions foreign English speakers will just pretend having understood the other person and nod in agreement – but it may potentially damage the whole conversation and result in an even bigger embarrassment than if you just asked your conversation partner to say it again! There are many other English phrases you can use in such situations other than the overused phrase “Sorry, I don’t understand”; if you only ever respond to something you don’t fully get using that phrase, you may indeed make an impression that you’re not being able to speak English properly. Partially it’s because natives rarely say “I don’t understand” when they haven’t heard what’s being said, and partially it’s due to the fact that when a foreign English speaker says “I don’t understand”, most native English speakers will assume that that person’s English isn’t good enough. I know it’s just not the case on most occasions because we foreigners, just like native English speakers, might not get the message that has been communicated to us simply because we didn’t hear it properly (background noise, distinct accent of the speaker, very fast speech etc.) and it’s got nothing to do with our English listening skills. (more…)
English Idiomatic Expression: “We’ll Take It From There!”
EH System for Mac Users Available NOW!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVb13y-dLpo Hello my friends foreign English speakers :!: This is the first video recorded in my new home office, and it coincides with a very important announcement I’m going to make right now… … English Harmony System de Luxe Edition is now available to MAC users! It’s something that many of my followers have been waiting for a long, long time, and I actually have to apologize for making you wait. Now that the MAC edition of the EH System is finally available, however, I don’t think you’ll be crying over the time lost; instead you should jump right into the action and start doing the unique speech exercising lessons RIGHT NOW! So, what are you waiting for? Just follow these simple steps: Click on the ORDER button below (alternatively click HERE to read more about the EH System and what it will do for your English fluency) Create your own member’s profile on my website so that you can access the speech exercising lessons Proceed with a payment using either PayPal or a Credit Card Start doing the speech exercising lessons immediately after that! Basically the MAC version of the product will avail you of the very same benefits that the downloadable version does; the only exception is that you’ll have to log into your own profile on my website to access all the content. Are you a dedicated Apple fan? Are you using a MacBook Pro, an iPad or some other Apple device meaning you can’t run .EXE files on it? English Harmony System de Luxe Edition MAC version is what you’re looking for then, and you can get it by either clicking on the ORDER now button below or heading to the main salespage! Any questions – just post them in the comments section below and I’ll respond to them ASAP. Regards, Robby ;-)
How To Speak About Past Events During English Conversations
How to Improve Spoken English While Entering Sales Orders on a PC
Speaking in English is Like FIGHTING (Trick to Overcome Perfectionism)!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bayxGBITl8o Have you ever noticed that when you study English on your own, you tend to make fewer mistakes and you can speak much clearer and more eloquently than if you speak with another person? Well, it mightn’t necessarily be the case – after all, there are some people who bring out the best in you as a foreign English speaker - but I’m sure that it has happened to you on more than just one occasion that you struggle a bit to get the verbal message across to the other person. And guess what I realized one day? It’s pretty much like fighting a real life fight if you’re a martial arts practitioner or a boxer! (more…)