Saturday 28 September 2013

How to speak English fluently

Speaking crisp and fluent English effortlessly is the dream of every English language learner. It is also a prerequisite for success in today’s competitive world. Irrespective of the industry, proficiency in English is an important factor for almost every job profile today. Many of us might have studies English in school and might as well be reading and writing properly in the language.

However, we hesitate while speaking because we feel that we lack the fluency and may make grammatical mistakes. There’s no easy way to perfect your English speaking skills. There’s no alternative to rigorous practice and trying, trying and trying again till you do not reach a level when you realize yourself that you can speak English effortlessly and smoothly. Here are a few tips to get your started on this and to help you speak English fluently:

1.    Say goodbye to hesitation: Hesitation can be termed as the biggest hindrance in speaking fluent English. The best way to get rid of it is to practice speaking as much as possible. Talk to whoever you can. Decide among your circle of friends that you will only talk in English with each other.

2.    Talk in English with people you do not know: Talking to strangers can free you of your nervousness. Since you do not know them personally, you will feel less conscious whether they are judging you or not.

3.    Write your way out: Writing can help improve speaking skills to a great extent. Therefore, include writing in your daily learning schedule. You can either write online blogs or can even write a personal diary, whichever you prefer.

4.    Read as a ritual: Read books, newspapers, magazines, journals and anything under the sun daily. Read aloud so that you can hear yourself. Keep a track of the words you don’t understand and learn their meanings. Try to use these words in your daily conversation.

5.    Watch English movies and English news channels:  Take a few hours off a day to watch some English movies, serials, shows and news. This is one of the most effective ways of improving your comprehension. This will enrich your vocabulary and will also help you to gain fluency.

6.    Listen to English songs and podcasts: Make the most of the internet by listening to English songs and the Podcasts. Podcasts are audio and video files. These are a great way to practice listening skills and develop an understanding of different accents.

7.    Ask of experts:
Ask people who are experts in the field or speak fine English. There is no shame in seeking help especially if you are trying to improve yourself. Talk to them in English and ask them to correct you whenever you are wrong.

Friday 20 September 2013

Irregular Verbs in English

Irregular Verbs can be defined as verbs that change entirely while changing forms between tenses. The changed forms of these verbs are generally different from the root words. There are many irregular verbs in the English language. The change occurs mostly in the Past Tenses. Usually, regular verbs end with an -ed added to the root verb in the past tense. Interestingly, irregular verbs do not follow this pattern. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine what form an irregular verb is going to take in a changed tense. Therefore, the only option for a learner is to memorize the changes. They will gradually start become a second nature and will start coming naturally with constant usage.

Present Tense Past Tense
begin began
blow blew
break broke
bring brought
build built
burst burst
buy bought
catch caught
choose chose
come came
cut cut
deal dealt
do did
drink drank
drive drove
eat ate
fall fell
feed fed
feel felt
fight fought
find found
fly flew
forbid forbade
forget forgot
forgive forgave
freeze froze
get got
give gave
go went
grow grew
have had
hear heard
hide hid
hold held
hurt hurt
keep kept
know knew
lay laid
lead led
leave left
let let
lie lay
lose lost
make made
meet met
pay paid
quit quit
read read
ride rode
run ran
say said
see saw
seek sought
sell sold
send sent
shake shook
shine shone
sing sang
sit sat
sleep slept
speak spoke
spend spent
spring sprang
stand stood

Tuesday 17 September 2013

English phobias



Phobia’ is a Greek word. It is mostly used as a suffix in the English language. It means an irrational or excessive fear of something. A large number of phobia lists are available on the internet today. English provides an extensive list of all the possible things people can be afraid of. Though clinical phobias are dangerous and must be handled with the advice of a professional psychiatrist, the names for some of the more unlikely phobias can be extremely entertaining. The term phobia is encompassing and usually discussed in terms of specific phobias and social phobias. Specific phobias are nouns such as zoophobia or the fear of animals which is a specific type of fear, and social phobias are phobias within social situations such as public speaking and crowded areas. The list below includes both the phobias found in psychiatry as well as some more entertaining fears. Here is a list of some phobias


Phobias Meanings
Aerophobia Aeroplanes/ Flying
Dystychiphobia Accidents
Zoophobia Animals
Phalacrophobia Baldness
Haemophobia, Haematophobia Blood
Claustrophobia Confined spaces
Dromophobia Crossing streets
Demophobia Crowds
Nyctophobia, Lygophobia Dark
Necrophobia, Thanatophobia Death/ dead bodies
Dentophobia Dentists
Bathophobia Depths/ deep places
Cynophobia Dogs
Electrophobia Electricity
Pyrophobia Fire
Verminophobia Germs
Phasmophobia Ghosts
Acrophobia Heights
Nosocomephobia Hospitals
Pathophobia Illness
Trypanophobia Injections
Astrapophobia Lightning
Monophobia Loneliness
Mechanophobia Machines
Maniaphobia Madness/ Insanity
Neophobia New things
Gerascophobia Old age
Agoraphobia Open spaces/ going out in public
Spacephobia Outer space
Algophobia Pain
Galeophobia Sharks
Ophidiophobia Snakes
Sociophobia Society or people in general
Lalophobia, Glossophobia Speaking/ public speaking
Tomophobia Surgery
Ochophobia Vehicles
Kenophobia Voids or empty spaces
Hydrophobia Water

Friday 6 September 2013

Usage of Idiom Dictionary



Idioms is a phrase that is different from the meaning of its constituent words and is understood culturally. For example ‘a dime a dozen’ means something that is common and of very little value. ‘These days phones are a dime a dozen.’ 

An idiom is not to be confused with a metaphor where one thing is another thing (time is money), with a simile where one thing is like another thing (as fast as cheetah), with a hyperbole that uses exaggerated statement to create strong emotional response (tons of money) or proverb that has an obvious truth (ignorance is bliss).  

Below is a list of commonly used idiom examples:

Achilles heel
A small fault or weakness in a person or system that could result in failure
She is a good applicant for this post, but her Achilles heel is her poor communication skills. 

Add fuel to the fire
If you add fuel to the fire, then you do something that makes an already bad situation worse
Children are already upset, and you’ll add fuel to the fire if you don’t take them out. 

Beat around the bush
To avoid talking about what is important
 Don’t beat around the bush if you don’t know the answer!

Bite your tongue/ hold your tongue
To avoid saying something that you really want to say
My friend needs to learn to hold her tongue. 

Call it a day
To avoid doing something related to work.
We decided to call it a day because there was no electricity.