Russia, or more technically the Russian Federation, is the largest country in the world and spans 11 time zones. Its population is relatively small and unevenly distributed with the majority of the population in the European and Ural regions. It is a popular...
Silent Period and English Language Teaching
A Silent Period is a period of time during which English Language Learners avoid speaking in English. They may write in English, they may well understand what is being said in English, but they will shy away from saying anything in the language they are learning. This...
I before E except after C
Does the rule, I before E except after C actually work? Here we are using a concordancer to check whether it's true or not. The results may surprise you. This example demonstrates an approach to using a concordancer in investigating a particular aspect of language. NB...
Conditional Clauses in English Grammar
A conditional usually consists of 2 clauses known as the main clause and the conditional clause. The conditional clause usually begins with words like if or unless: {conditional clause}, + {main clause} if you leave me now, + you will take away the biggest part of me...
How To Become a TEFL Teacher
Do you want to teach English abroad? Quite simply, this this article will tell you how you can become a TEFL teacher abroad. Speaking English It's going to sound obvious, but first, you must speak English well. You don't have to be a native speaker, but an extremely...
What is a Common Noun?
A simple definition of a noun is that it's an object or concept; a thing. We can group nouns in various ways. One major group are Common Nouns. Simply put, a Common Noun is a noun which is used to talk about an object or concept. Here are a few examples: objects...
Apposition in English Grammar
Apposition is when you have 2 nouns (or noun phrases) next to each other and they both refer to the same thing. Each of them provides a bit of information about each other. For example, take these basic sentences: Clark Kent leaped into a phone booth.Clark Kent is an...
Subordinate Clauses in English Grammar
A Subordinate Clause (aka Dependent Clause) is a clause that doesn’t make sense fully on its own and always needs an independent clause to express a complete thought and make a complete sentence. These, for example, are subordinate clauses: * whenever I see her *...
Passive Verbs in English
To make a verb passive, we use the verb be conjugated in the same tense used in the active voice and change the main verb into the past participle. These are the main patterns used: Simple Tenses {be} + {Past Participle} active Eric kisses Amanda. passive Amanda is...
Age Limits for TEFL Teachers
This article looks at the age limits for TEFL or TESOL teachers around the world (Teachers of English as a Second or Foreign Language). Unfortunately, as with almost any job, the older you get the more difficult it becomes to start a new career. However thanks to the...