There is no reason to suppose that anyone anywhere can speak English. It isn’t a universal language. By native speakers, English is ranked No.3 after...
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Are there any letter combinations that have as many different sounds as -ough in English?
As far as I know, the -ough grouping has the biggest pronunciation variation of any group in English. /ʌf/ enough, hough, rough, slough, tough (rhymes...
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Which was the most polluted: modern day Chinese cities or the European cities during the industrial revolution?
When you look at these photos you might think that the pollution in China is worse or equal to the pollution of London in the...
Read More >>How can I speak English like a native speaker if I’ve already lived for years in an English-speaking country and have yet to reach this level of fluency?
I understand this question has been asked many times but what I want to know is a little different. I can carry on conversation pretty...
Read More >>Do native English speakers learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) when they start to learn English as children in kindergarten or primary school?
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is intended to represent pronunciation. When learning a new language, using the IPA allows learners to map spelling to new...
Read More >>How different are Scots and Scottish English?
Scots is nearly as different from Scottish English as Scots is different from English English or British English. There is a small number of shared...
Read More >>What is your methodology for teaching English as a foreign language?
Don’t try to teach English. At least for teenage and above who are past foundation level. Teach something interesting – art, history, simple science, geography,...
Read More >>What city in China do you recommend for teaching English?
Keep away from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Too many foreigners live in the areas. This saturates the market meaning that you’ll end up with...
Read More >>How are language and emotion linked?
People are different people when using different languages. Studies show that people think differently, behave differently and even have different morals. One example is to...
Read More >>What barriers are there to non-native English teachers teaching English in China?
I have been teaching English in China for just over 6 years. However, I don’t teach English. Very little of my class time is spent...
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