Are you too pretty or too intelligent? You’d better hope you are NOT too pretty or too intelligent. It’s much better to be so intelligent or very pretty. In this video lesson, I explain the difference between too + an adjective and so/very + an adjective. See the transcript below if you can’t understand. Hello, [...]
What have you done to improve your English? Some of my students have watched a lot of American TV. Some of my students decided they wanted to study five hours a day after going to class for six hours. Some of my students partied with Americans (to party with s.o. = to go out with [...]
Sometimes you really need a caffeine fix (a caffeine fix = caffeine to help your brain work). If you do, you don’t want to be stressed out about (to be stressed out about s.t. = to be worried about s.t.) how to order your java (java = coffee). This is a simple explanation to help [...]
I went to the Getty Center for this video post. I think this museum is thoroughly enjoyable and those of you who come through LA should bathe, put on clean clothes and go. Though you should leave your gothic, moth-eaten clothes along with the Christmas wreaths in your filthy closet. Does this seem like a [...]
Today I want to talk about the value of television (the value of s.t. = the benefit of s.t.) (s.t. = something). But first, I must start with a confession: I’ve always been anti-TV (anti- s.t = you don’t like s.t. or you disagree with s.t. or you think it’s bad in some way). I [...]
Should you swear in English? The answer is NO! Think about when foreigners swear in your language (swear = saying a bad word). Usually, it sounds wrong. They don’t use the word in the right situation or they say it a bit wrong. It’s like when a child swears. It makes you wince (wince = [...]
Here’s a lesson that will be useful for you in the street and in the boardroom. It’s a bit hard to hear because of the wind on the beach, but it will be good for you to practice listening in less-than-perfect situations. If you have problems, check out the transcript below! Transcript for Real ESL [...]
One way to learn vocabulary fast is to put a sheet of vocabulary words in your pocket as you leave the house. Then, every time you have to wait for something, pull it out and learn a few words or test yourself or practice using the words in sentences. How do you get this sheet? [...]
Here’s a video on using the vocabulary words, ‘hanging out, going out and meeting’. The big mistake a lot of ESL students make is that they say they met their friend last night. Meeting someone has two meanings, either it’s the first time you introduced yourself to this person, so you cannot be their friend [...]