Vocabulary: Compliment vs Complement - In this article we'll take a look at another pair of English words that can cause confusion: Compliment vs Complement. Although they look very similar and sound exactly the same, their meanings are very different. Let’s see how...
Vocabulary: 8 Common English Phrases with Surprisingly Dark Origins - What do criminals, horse-drawn carriages, and hats have in common? They all helped shape the way we speak English today! English is full of strange and colorful expressions that don’t always make...
Vocabulary: Using Normal, Typical and Regular Correctly - English has many words that seem similar but carry important differences in meaning and usage. Three such words—normal, typical, and regular—are often confused by English learners. While these words can...
Vocabulary: Using Say, Tell, Talk and Speak - This video lesson will help you recognize how and when to use these four important verbs. Click here to download a free pdf of the charts presented in the video:For more practice, try completing the practice exercises...
Participial Adjectives: Grammar Guide - This video lesson offers rules and examples for understanding participial adjectives and using them to create great English sentences.When working with participial adjectives, remember the rule: Use Present Participle (-ing)...
4 Apostrophe Rules: Grammar Guide - Apostrophes may be small, but they have a big impact on grammar! Correct usage of the apostrophe shows your reader that you care about the details. They may seem easy, but there are plenty of places where any of us can have a...
Understanding Clauses and Phrases - Developing advanced language skills requires understanding the structures and rules that are working inside sentences to create meaning. Language learners need to know the jobs that words can do both individually and when they join...
3 Useful Rules for English Phrasal Verbs - Look at the following sentences: “We need to find out when this happened, and why.” “If you don’t have a solution to the problem, why bring it up?” “She makes up little stories to entertain the kids.” The verbs find out,...
Using A and The in Sentences: Grammar Guide - Even for people who are quite fluent in English, using A and The can still be confusing. This guide will help you use them correctly! A/An and The have the grammar name 'articles.' These three words belong to a larger...
Conditional Sentences: Grammar Guide - Conditional sentences are all about expressing possibilities. They include a main clause that offers the central content, and also a dependent clause that limits that content with a condition. For example: If you spend time...
More from ESL Advantage
Your First Halloween in the U.S. - 5 Things to Expect: Halloween—there is no denying that this October celebration is an important part of American culture. Although not an 'official' U.S. holiday, Halloween is a fall tradition that many Americans look forward to with...
Helping Your Child Have a Great Start to the New School Year in the US - For families that have recently moved to the U.S., the start of a new school year can bring a lot of questions. The school system, classroom culture, and even daily routines may feel quite...
4 Steps to Confident Conversations - It happens quickly: At a small gathering of people, you suddenly find yourself face-to-face with someone you've never met. You smile awkwardly for a moment, wondering if you should try to start a conversation or simply move on....