Learn English

Tear and desert ‘Tear’ and ‘desert’ are words that are pronounced differently to indicate their meaning. The noun tear, which is a drop of fluid from the eye, rhymes with the word dear. ‘She shed a tear when her cat died.’ But when we use ‘tear’ as a verb, meaning to rip, it's pronounced 'tear' and that rhymes with the word 'bear'. ‘Don't tear the book.’ The noun ‘desert’ means a barren dry, sandy and often lifeless place. ‘It rarely rains in the desert.’ But when the word ‘desert’ is used as a verb, meaning to run away, it's pronounced 'desert'. ‘Don't desert me, stay and help please.’ When it's spelt with two Ss ‘desert’ is used to describe the part of a meal that is often eaten after the main course. It usually consists of something sweet. ‘I don’t think I'll have any dessert thanks, I am already full.’ Flickr CC: Elisa Banfi

Gonna and Gotta In informal English conversation, we often use shorter, versions of common word combinations. One of the most common is ‘gonna’ - short for ‘going to’. When we say the words ‘going to’ very quickly, they run together and sound like ‘gonna’. So ‘Are you going to wash the car today?’ becomes: B: ‘Are you gonna wash the car today?’ And ‘We are going to go home for dinner.’ becomes: ‘We’re gonna go home for dinner.’ We also shorten ‘got to’ so it sounds more like ‘gotta.’ Here, ‘got to’ means ‘have to’ or ‘must’: So ‘I have got to wash the car today,’ becomes: ‘I’ve gotta wash the car today.’ And ‘I have got to go home for dinner,’ becomes: ‘I’ve gotta go home for dinner.’ Flickr CC: Bark

Practising contractions Pronouncing contractions can be tricky - let’s practise some: ‘I am’ becomes ‘I’m’. I’m I’m going to the beach. I’m going to come with you. ‘You are’ becomes ‘you’re’ You’re You’re going to the beach today, aren’t you? You’re late. ‘She is’ becomes ‘she’s’ She’s ‘She’s coming to the beach with me.’ ‘She’s running late again.’ ‘He is’ becomes ‘he’s’ He’s ‘He’s coming to the party.’ ‘He’s already here.’ And ‘it is’ becomes ‘it’s’ It’s ‘It’s too late to start watching a movie now.’ ‘It’s too hot to go to the beach today.’ Flickr CC: Rob Parker

Doubt or Question? Many English learners confuse the nouns ‘doubt’ and ‘question’. A ‘question’ is something you ask when you want to find out information. ‘Can you answer my question?’ ‘Does anyone have any questions?’ The noun ‘doubt’ describes a feeling of not being sure about something. ‘I have doubts about my ability to pass the test.’ ‘I never had any doubt you could do it.’ So if you have ‘doubts’ it means you feel uncertain. If you have ‘a question’, it means you want to ask something in order to find out more information. Flickr CC: Noelia

How to join a conversation If you hear an interesting conversation, it’s a good idea to listen in and make sure it’s appropriate to join. If it’s a personal or private conversation, the speakers might not want you to interrupt. You‘ll have to use your own judgement, and take a risk. If they seem friendly and open, you can try to find something interesting to add. Don’t try to change the subject or talk too much about yourself. Remember to smile, be friendly and ask questions about others. You could try one of these phrases for joining in: ‘Excuse me, I overheard you talking about…’ ‘Hi, my name is … ‘ ‘I heard you talking about…’ ‘Did I hear you say…?’ Here are some examples: ‘Excuse me, I overheard you talking about travelling to Australia. My sister went there last year. When are you going?’ ‘Hi my name is Shirley. I heard you talking about Adelaide university. I’m a student there, too. What do you study?’ ‘Did I hear you say you’re watching the new Game of Thrones series? I’m half way through it, I love that show. Where are you up to?’ If you find it hard to find a natural way to join the conversation, you can say: ‘Excuse me, would you mind if I joined your conversation? I don’t know anyone here yet, and you look interesting to talk to.’ Of course, not everyone wants new people to join their conversation. If it doesn’t work out, don’t take it personally. Try again next time. Flickr CC: Ruth Ellison

Carnivores, herbivores and omnivores A ‘carnivore’ is a meat eating animal. It eats other animals. ‘The lion is a carnivore, as is the leopard.’ Carnivorous, an adjective, means ‘meat-eating’. ‘The Tasmanian devil is the world's largest carnivorous marsupial.’ A ‘herbivore’ is an animal that eats only plants. ‘Zebras are herbivores.’ An ‘omnivore’ is an animal that is able to eat both animal and plant life. ‘People are omnivores.’ Flickr CC: Chen Wu

The final ‘s’ sounds in words can be confusing as there are three different ways that we can pronounce ‘s’ endings. Listen to the following three words and listen for the difference: Cooks Earns Damages There are slight differences here: Cooks makes the /s/ sound. Cooks / cooks. Other examples are: Checks Graduates Hates Earns makes the /z/ sound. Earns / earns. Other examples are: Boys Girls Hours Messages makes the /iz/ sound. Messages / Messages. Other examples are: Closes Damages Faces Listen to the following examples of words ending with ‘s’ and Identify the correct sound. We will tell you if you are right or wrong: wants things sandwiches products loves places paints lives phrases Flickr CC: William Chew

More tongue twisters Tongue twisters are an excellent way to practise your pronunciation. Listen to the following tongue twisters and follow the script below. Then, practise saying the tongue twister yourself. Practise a few times slowly so you can pronounce the sounds of each word. You will hear yourself improve each time. You might also like to record your voice then compare your pronunciation to ours. Tongue twister number 1 A big black bug bit a big black dog on his big black nose. Listen again. A big black bug bit a big black dog on his big black nose. Tongue twister number 2 Santa's short suit shrunk. Listen again. Santa's short suit shrunk. Tongue twister number 3 Whether the weather is warm, whether the weather is hot, we have to put up with the weather, whether we like it or not. Listen again. Whether the weather is warm, whether the weather is hot, we have to put up with the weather, whether we like it or not. Flickr CC: Thorsten Ludewig

Word Pairs ‘Wine and dine’; means to entertain someone with food and drink - often with a motive in mind. The only way to win the new contract is to wine and dine the clients. ‘Sink or swim’; means to fail or find a way to succeed. Note that we always say ‘sink or swim’ in that order. The phrase ‘sink or swim’ is used to talk about someone who is thrown into a difficult situation where they must succeed without help from others. It’s a difficult job and there’s no training. He will sink or swim.

Up ‘Bring up’ means to take care of and educate a child. Some people think it is better to bring up a child in a small country town. The past tense is ‘brought up.’ She was born in Sydney but brought up in Melbourne. ‘End up’ means to become or turn out to be. She started doing business at university but ended up doing medicine. No matter what she ends up doing, she will succeed. ‘Use up’ means to finish. Someone’s used up all the bread. Don’t use up all the toothpaste, I haven’t brushed my teeth yet. ‘Take up’ means to begin or resume. Do you want to play chess? Let’s take up where we left off last time. When did you take up fishing? You’re very good at it. Flickr CC: Eigenberg Fotografie

Wander or Wonder? To ‘wander’ is to walk around without a clear purpose. An elephant wandered into the garden. ‘Wonder’ refers to feeling curious. I wonder why the elephant is there. Flickr CC: muzina_shanghai

Advice or advise? ‘Advice’ is the noun. 'You should follow your doctor’s advice.' ‘Advise’ is the verb. 'I advise you to listen carefully.' 'My doctor advised me to stop smoking. ' Flickr CC: Vic

'Used to' or 'Used for'? ‘Used to’ refers to something that was true in the past. 'I used to ride to work every day, but I live too far away now.' ‘Used to’ also means to be accustomed to. 'By the end of summer, I'm used to the heat.' ‘Used to’ refers to the purpose of something. 'Pens are used to write.' You can also say ‘used for’ to mean the same thing, but you say ‘for writing’ and not ‘for write’. 'Pens are used for writing.' Flickr CC: Daniel López

Lend and borrow Borrow something [from someone] Lend something [to someone] Lend someone [something] We use borrow to say that we take something temporarily with the intention of giving it back. Do you mind if I borrow a few dollars for the bus? That book looks great, may I borrow it once you have finished? We use lend to say that we give something temporarily with the understanding that it will be returned. Can you lend me your car? Her father lent her some money to buy a house. Flickr CC: Simon Cunningham

‘Stay in touch’ means to keep contact. I will be leaving today to go camping and will be away for a month, but don’t worry I will stay in touch. ‘Drop me a line’ means to send someone a note or a message in an informal way. 'As soon as you settle in to your new house, drop me a line.' ‘A shoulder to cry on' is someone who is willing to listen to your problems and offer advice. She needed a shoulder to cry on and went to visit a close friend. Flickr CC: Kevin Dooley

Loud / aloud / allowed ‘Loud’ is an adjective and means to make a lot of noise. Turn the music down, it is so loud. And it can also refer to bright clothes. Wow, look at his shirt, it sure is loud. ‘Aloud’ is an adverb and means to speak out, so you can be heard. The teacher told the students to read aloud. And ‘allowed’ is a verb meaning to have permission. We are not allowed to ride our bikes in there, look at the sign on the gate. Flickr CC: Sam Leighton

Debate and discussion A discussion is a detailed conversation. ‘We had a long discussion about which school I should go to next year.’ ‘The discussion was very helpful. I think I’m ready to make a decision.’ A ‘debate’ is a discussion in which people argue or consider opposing points. ‘We debated whether to have pizza or sushi for dinner.’ ‘The meeting went on for hours as we debated the benefits of both sides.’ The word ‘debate’ can also describe a formal speaking contest in which two teams argue a given question. Formal ‘debates’ are most likely to take place at school or university. ‘Our team won the debating contest.’ Debates also take place in politics. ‘Parliament sat late into the night as members debated the bill.’ Flickr CC: Simon Blackley

Concern and Sympathy There are many ways we can express concern and sympathy. We could say: ‘That’s terrible.’ I had a car accident on the weekend. That’s terrible, are you OK? ‘I am sorry to hear that.’ I can’t come to the party on Saturday night. I’m sorry to hear that. ‘I know how you feel.’ I’m so upset this morning. I lost my wallet on the way to work. I know how you feel, that happened to me a few years ago. ‘I hope you feel better soon.’ I’m going to leave early. I’ve got a bad headache. I hope you feel better soon.

Asking for advice. There are many ways to ask for advice, here are some of the more common ones: What do you think I should do about _____? ‘What do you think I should do about the broken window?’ What should I do about _____? ‘What should I do about John? He never does his homework.’ What would you do about____? ‘What would you do about finding a new job? I don’t know where to start. What do you think I should do? ‘I can’t decide which car to buy. What do you think I should do?’ What do you think I should do about_______? ‘What do you think I should do about a new hair style?’ Can you give me some advice about_______? ‘Can you give me some advice about how to apply for a new course?’ Flickr CC: Rita M.

Past continuous You use the past continuous tense to talk about something that occurred in the past. Past continuous tense is used when the action you’re talking about started before the moment you’re describing, but had not finished. For example, in past tense, you might say: ‘I watched a film on TV yesterday. The film started at 7pm and finished at 9pm.’ When we use the past continuous we say: ‘At 8pm yesterday I was watching TV.’ The past continuous can be used to say that something happened in the middle of something else. For example, in past tense, you might say: ‘I cooked dinner yesterday. My sister called me.’ When we use the past continuous we say: ‘I was cooking dinner when my sister called.’ Flickr CC: Dwight Sipler