How to Learn the Past Simple Tense

Many English Learner faces difficulty with the past simple tense. The number of uneven verbs can be demoralizing and the three different sounds of uneven verbs cause problems. But through good practice and tips you can easily understand this tense.

The problem with the past simple tense is due to pronunciation while the regular verbs rule is quite simple and easy. It is not easy to memorize and apply the three different sounds that follow the verb rules. –t, -d, and –id are the different sounds where first two need practice while the last one quite easy to remember. Instead of remembering and applying different rules, the most excellent way to practice each sound from common examples and repeat them over again. Through practice you will become more familiarized to the preceding sounds and will automatically begin to know each sound ending to use.

The uneven verbs cause a different type of difficulty as they don't follow the general rules. You can learn these uneven verbs from different language schools and through course books and different grammar books having table of irregular verbs in the appendix. These uneven verb tables are very important. Through practice and repetitive exercise by using these uneven verbs in different form make it ultimately easier to memorize them. The most common verbs are uneven so keep it in mind because this will greatly helps you to understand and remembering them in no time.

In our daily lives we use simple past tense regularly, so don’t stop practice if you want to expose yourself among English speakers and have frequent conversations. The best ways of practice includes: talking about your past life and university life, writing and speaking about your weekend programs. These are the excellent ways if you don’t have enough opportunity to speak English. This is very rare that you don’t have anyone to practice your speaking, but alternatively you can record your voice and assess yourself.

I hope you above mentioned tips would be helpful to improve your past simple tense although the past simple tense has some complicated features but through practice and regular use in writing and speaking makes you free and comfortable.

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Toeic Listening Test

Listening is a difficult skill to practice for many students. Until recently, there has not been much quality listening material available. The Toeic test requires a specific type of practice. Movies and TV will not assist you more than enough because they designed for native peoples so you would be unable to practice your vocabulary as required by Toeic test through them. Here I am giving you few tips to improve your Toeic Listening practice and enhance your chance for getting high score in Toeic Test.

1. ESL podcasts are an interactive show designed for an intermediate to advanced level students. Practice your listening through this and learn the use of new vocabulary being used in different sentences. It contains explanation from different examples from beginning to advance level which would be definitely helpful for Toeic test. Practice through ESL podcasts more and more if you feel that it’s improve your performance. I hope this tip will greatly help to enhance your skill.

2. One of the best ways to increase your vocabulary through reading. Arrange and Practice list of vocabulary that is specific for TOEIC test. Memorize the vocabularies constantly use in Toeic while you hear and try to understand these words. Learn the speed of words while native speakers usually speak to use them.

 3. Consistently practice before the actual exam because it takes time to learn set of vocabulary. Many students leave practice and presume themselves prepared for the test. It’s not important how difficult to study because there is no quick way to learn all of them. This is particularly correct with Toeic listening practice. When you hear new words its quite irritating to memorize and understand them. Only daily practice can reduce your stress of learning. Learn 4 or 5 new words daily and practice these words in writing and speaking. Through this practice method gradually adds up. Practice and practice until these words become your part of your own vocabulary.

I hope above mentioned Toeic Listening tips definitely help you to get high score. Good Luck !

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VocaTube - English Vocabulary about the Hospital

Do you know the meaning of surgeon, ambulance or examining couch? Not really too sure? Don’t worry, this new post on the VocaTube series comes to the rescue.

In this post, we present several videos with which you’ll learn vocabulary related to the hospital. Moreover, videos are sorted according to the levels of difficulty (from the elementary to the advanced level) so you’ll be able to jump and watch only the ones you’re interested in.

Remember that vocabulary can only be improved with practice and listening through repetition. It’s difficult for everyone to understand from the beginning but you’ll notice that the more hours you listen, the better your understanding.

Great video with questions and answers for children – elementary English



Link to the video on YouTube

Health Professions – elementary English



Link to the video on YouTube

Hospital movie words – intermediate English



Link to the video on YouTube

Visiting someone in the hospital – advanced English



Link to the video on YouTube

The Hospital, subtitled series (part 1) – advanced English



Link to the video on YouTube

The Hospital, subtitled series (part 2) – advanced English



Link to the video on YouTube

The Hospital, subtitled series (part 3) – advanced English



Link to the video on YouTube

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Two Free Apps to Learn English with your BlackBerry Phone

It’s quite amazing seeing how learning English has evolved over the last few years. The Internet revolution came first; it allowed learning English from any remote area connected to the net. In recent years, a similar revolution has been happening with smartphones and their apps.

If you have a BlackBerry phone and wish to learn English, this article will be especially useful for you. We describe two great and free apps to learn English that you can download from BlackBerry App World.

English Word Usage Examples



This app makes it easier to learn new vocabulary in English as you can look up sample sentences (there are more than 100,000), and learn how to use the vocabulary properly.

You can also share your knowledge by sending the sentence to you friend via e-mail.

Download English Word Usage Examples from BlackBerry App World

Dictionary.com - Dictionary and Thesaurus



A wonderful English dictionary for your BlackBerry phone; the main features of this app are:

• More than 325,000 words and definitions
• More than 275,000 synonyms and antonyms
• Phonetic and audio pronunciations
• Spelling suggestions
• Recent history
• Social networking functions
• Email integration.

This app also features the Word of the Day functionality. There is no doubt that Dictionary.com is a must-download for your mobile phone.

Download Dictionary.com - Dictionary and Thesaurus from BlackBerry App World

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A brief introduction to compound and complex sentence construction in English

You can dramatically improve your English writing skills by revising paragraphs written in short, simple sentences so that they reflect a deeper understanding of your subject. You can do this by combining and connecting previously written simple sentences into longer complex sentences which communicate more information and display a firm grasp on written English. A few compound and complex sentences express a more nuanced thought than a whole paragraph of shorter sentences with limited meaning. I’ll give brief examples of how you can incorporate compound and complex sentences into your everyday writing.

Compound sentences

The easier of these two structural styles to grasp is the compound sentence. Compound sentences essentially link together two independent simple sentences, often by adding a coordinating conjunction such as “but,” “and,” “so,” “yet,” or “for”. Though grammatically correct, it looks strange when two short sentences that address the same idea follow each other in a paragraph. Compound sentences work to unite short sentences into a coherent long thought that addresses several aspects of the same main idea. Below are a few examples of simple sentences transformed into compound sentences. I’ve underlined the coordinating conjunction in each compound sentence.

Simple sentence: I won tickets by calling the radio station. The DJ told me to invite along all my friends to the show!

Compound sentence: I won tickets by calling the radio station, and the DJ told me to invite along all my friends to the show!

Simple sentence: Mary said she could come to the show. She got sick the day before.

Compound sentence: Mary said she could come to the show, but she got sick the day before.

Complex Sentences

Complex sentences link together an independent clause with one or more dependent clauses and contain multiple verbs, thus explaining much more information in one sentence than a string of related simple sentences. The independent clause and dependent clause are typically linked by a relative pronoun (that, which, who, whose, etc.) or a subordinate conjunction (when, because, since, although, so, etc.).

The best way to think about the difference between independent and dependent clauses is that independent clauses make grammatical sense on their own, independent of anything else in the sentence. Dependent clauses, on the other hand, depend on the independent clause to make grammatical sense -they can’t stand by themselves. The following are examples of complex sentences with the conjunction underlined and the dependent clause in bold.

Complex sentence: We sold our quota faster than the team that walked because we biked.

Complex sentence: I ate the cookies that you left out.

Complex sentence: Jeff said he thought he compiled more data than I did.

Complex-Compound Sentence

A little more difficult than the previous two sentence types, the complex-compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses, usually linked by a dependent clause. These sentences can communicate several big ideas about the same subject without breaking the thought for a new sentence. Below are a few examples of complex-compound sentences with the linking dependent clause underlined.

Complex-Compound sentence: Although Frank enjoyed cooking, he always forgot to buy groceries ahead of time, so he usually went out to eat for dinner.

Complex-Compound sentence: I started eating an apple every day at lunch, but George, who loves his junk food, continues to eat chips.

Complex-Compound sentence: Jessie didn’t care about the weather before, but since the storm, he’s made a point to bring his umbrella everywhere.

This guest post is contributed by Lauren Bailey, who regularly writes for online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: blauren99 @gmail.com.

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GrammaTube - learn the difference between “used to”, “be used to” and “get used to”

Do you know the difference between “used to”, “be used to” and “get used to”? “Used to” is for past situations that are no longer true, “Be used to” is a verb phrase for situations or activities that you do regularly and “Get used to” indicates that you have adapted or become accustomed to something you may or may not like.

In this new post on the GrammaTube series we introduce several videos chosen from YouTube that will allow you to understand and properly use the expressions “used to”, “be used to” and “get used to”.

Grammar can be one of the most difficult skills to develop in English but it is without doubt the key to progress throughout your learning. A good grammar base will help you to write properly and speak in English, hence improving communication with other people.

Good explanation showing how to use “used to” in a sentence (by Learn American English)



Link to the video on YouTube

Many examples to learn how to use “used to”



Link to the video on YouTube

Entertaining video that explains “used to” through several songs



Link to the video on YouTube

Great explanation showing how to use “be used to” (by Learn American English)



Link to the video on YouTube

Learn how to use the expression “get used to” (by Learn American English)



Link to the video on YouTube

Common mistakes with the expressions “used to” and “be used to” (by JenniferESL)



Link to the video on YouTube

Differences between “used to” and “be used to” (by Steve Ford)



Link to the video on YouTube

Common mistakes in English: “get used to” (by JenniferESL)



Link to the video on YouTube

Good video with the difference between “used to” and “I’m used to”



Link to the video on YouTube

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Model Answer - IELTS (Task 2)

Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good members of society. Others, however, believe that school is the place to learn this.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Being a good member of society involves having a good character and being able to contribute positively to society. Such skills need to be learnt as they do not come with us when we are born. This can be taught in the home environment by parents or during school hours.

Parents are the first source of contact for children and ideally they should be good role models for their children. Considering that many children start going to school only after having spent several years at home, parents are their initial teachers. At this crucial young age, adults may teach their children manners, social skills, how to respect others and accept difference.

School is another influential environment for children. Teachers continue the work of a parent. As a classroom is a social setting, children get to learn how to be part of society on a larger scale there. Teachers are impartial and well-equipped to offer useful lessons to children whereas some parents may not have adequate training in this area. On the other hand, a school may have a limiting view of how a good society member should act and what principles are important.

As parents have a good idea of what kind of future citizens they would like their children to be and as what children learn at home stays with them for a lifetime, perhaps it would be better if they taught their children how to be good society members. School can play a facilitating role extending and building upon what has been learnt in the home environment.
Question taken from IELTS 8 past papers p. 31

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Model Answer - IELTS (Task 2)

Nowadays the way many people interact with each other has changed because of technology.
In what ways has technology affected the types of relationships people make?
Has this become a positive or negative development?

We have many technological options available to communicate with each other. We can use mobile phones to make calls, send text messages and send photos of important moments to each other. Computers allow us to communicate by messaging each other through various popular applications such as MSN, Facebook and Skype.

Technology has made the world smaller, allowing us to contact people anywhere in the world for free and at a fast pace. Many people are able to find their partners through social networks and make new friends in this way. A computer has replaced a traditional match maker. Although some people, particularly those who are shy feel confident behind a computer screen, it is not always possible to have deep relationships with virtual people. In a virtual relationship a person can hide their true identity by posting fake photos and lie about all aspects of their life.

There are many negative aspects of communicating through technology. Sending text messages are a cowardly way of getting out of difficult situations such as breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend. In addition, open ways of communicating are lost to technology. Face-to-face communication with body language and facial expressions are lost as are a genuine sense of connecting.

Therefore, although technology has enabled friends and family to keep in touch over long distances it may not be ideal for new relationships. Virtual relationships lack human contact and interaction which are part of being close.
Question taken from IELTS 8 past papers p.54

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Model Answer - IELTS (Task 2)

Increasing the price of petrol is the best way to solve growing traffic and pollution problems.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
What other measures do you think might be effective?

Every metropolis has its own traffic congestion which in turn contributes to pollution. Carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles are on the rise and the world’s politicians have realised that this issue needs to be addressed if the planet is to have a future.

Increasing petrol prices may make drivers think twice about using their private cars. It might encourage people to opt for public transportation instead, prevent them from making unnecessary trips or even carpooling if several people are going in the same direction at the same time. However, I doubt whether petrol producing countries or multinational providers would be satisfied with this arrangement. Governments will also be reluctant to impose these measures as they are likely to be unpopular with consumers and they will feel the pressure from those with economic interests.

Instead, alternative transport methods may be promoted. In many European centres bicycles and walking are the preferred method of moving around. Car designers have also produced hybrid, electric and solar cars which do not depend on guzzling petrol. These could be sold at affordable prices with government subsidies to encourage travellers to purchase them. Alternatively, cities like London impose taxes on car users who drive to the centre during peak times and this somewhat reduces the load.

In conclusion, we all realise the dangers of exhaust fumes from vehicles and the harm it causes to the environment. Although increasing the price of petrol is a method that can reduce car use it might not be enforced due to economic pressure. Other measures such as improved public transport and environmentally friendly means might be a better option.
Question taken from IELTS 8 past papers p.79

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Model Answer - IELTS (Task 2)

In some countries the average weight of people is increasing and their levels of health and fitness are decreasing.
What do you think are the causes of these problems and what measures could be taken to solve them.

Obesity is a current problem especially in developed countries whose populations are increasingly overweight putting a strain on the health system. A lack of fitness also leads to health issues such as heart disease, cancer etc.

Our poor diet and busy lifestyle are the main causes of bad levels of health. There has been a shift from natural, home-cooked food towards fast-food, junk food and take-away options. These choices tend to have high levels of fat, sugar and are often dripped into oil which leads to weight gain. Additionally, a stressful daily routine does not allow time for eating well or exercising. Being fit and exercising improves a person’s level of health.

I believe an individual is responsible for their own lifestyle choices. A simple measure such as walking to work or climbing stairs in a building during office hours instead of using the elevator can add to a person’s physical well-being. Instead of eating out, an individual can make a healthy low fat sandwich to take to work. Not having time to look after our body is the easiest excuse for being lazy.

The government can help to a small extent by promoting health and fitness. It could for example provide more parks, bicycle lanes and free gyms. To encourage its citizens to eat fresh, local produce, it could limit imports of foreign food and heavily tax fast food restaurants.

To conclude, an overweight population is a present day phenomenon that should worry individuals as well as the government. To ensure good health people should take care of their diet and exercise more and the government could lend a hand in this respect.
Question taken from IELTS 8 past papers p.102

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Model Answer - IELTS (Task 1)

The pie chart below shows the main reasons why agricultural land becomes less productive. The table shows how these causes affected three regions of the world during the 1990s.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The pie chart provides the main causes of global land degradation while the table gives a regional breakdown of this degradation during the 1990s.

The three main reasons why land used for agriculture is becoming less productive are over-grazing by livestock, deforestation and over-cultivation of crops. The percentages for these categories are almost on an equal footing with over-grazing at 35%, deforestation at 5% less and over-cultivation accounts for 28%. Other reasons are considerably lower at 7%.

Europe has the highest deforestation figure of 9.8% followed by Oceania with 1.7% and North America with 0.2%. Similarly, Europe has the greatest percentage in the over-cultivation category (7.7%) whilst in North America land degradation due to over-cultivation lies at 3.3%. No agricultural land is degraded by this method in Oceania. Finally, 11.3% of Oceania’s agricultural land is affected by over-grazing, about half of this amount in Europe (5.5%) and a considerably small amount in North America (1.5%).

To sum up, the main cause of worldwide land degradation is over-grazing. In terms of the greatest region where land degradation is most prominent, Europe comes first with 23%, followed by Oceania and lastly North America (13%).

Question taken from IELTS 8 past papers p.30

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Model Answer - IELTS (Task 1)

The pie charts provide a breakdown in annual spending over a 20 year period in a UK school.

In 1981 almost a half (40%) of the total school spending was on teachers’ salaries followed by other workers’ salaries (28%). 30% of spending went on resources and furniture and equipment in equal parts. The smallest amount spent was on insurance at 2%.

Ten years later there was a 10% increase in teachers’ salaries and a 6% drop in other workers’ salaries. A 10% fall in spending can be noted in furniture and equipment while 5% was added to resources. Finally insurance spending rose by 1%.

In 2001 teachers’ salaries were reduced by 5% to 45% and other workers’ salaries were cut further to 15%. Spending on resources also fell to 9%. Insurance and furniture and equipment had a considerable increase from 1991 reaching 8% and 23% respectively.

Over the 20 year period, teachers’ salaries make up a substantial part of total school spending and insurance was a category with increasing importance. Spending on resources went down as did other workers’ salaries whilst furniture and equipment accounted for a small rise in spending.

Question taken from IELTS 8 past papers p.53

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Model Answer - IELTS (Task 1)

The graph below shows the quantities of goods transported in the UK between 1974 and 2002 by four different modes of transport.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The line graph shows how many tonnes of goods are transported over a 28 year period in the UK via road, water, rail and pipeline.

To begin with, in 1974 about 70 million tonnes are transported by road and this amount increased to almost 100 million over the next 28 years. Transportation by water stood at almost 40 million in 1974 and rose by approximately 22 million in 2002. Between 1982 and 1994 the amount was stable at 60 million.

On the other hand, although rail transportation was used to move 40 million tonnes of products in 1974, the same as water, this dropped to below 40 million between 1978 to 1998. In 2002 this means of transport was used at the same level as 1974. Finally, the use of pipeline was minimal in 1974, about 10 million and this figure more than doubled in 2002.

To sum up, road was used more than any other transport means throughout the period under review and pipeline the least. Road, water and pipeline noted increases while essentially rail use ended up the same as its initial usage.

Question taken from IELTS 8 past papers p.101

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Model Answer - IELTS (Task 1)

The diagrams below show the stages and equipment used in the cement-making process, and how cement is used to produce concrete for building purposes.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The first diagram shows how cement is produced whereas the second demonstrates how this cement is utilized to produce concrete for the construction industry.

Initially limestone and clay are passed through a crusher to produce powder. Once this powder has been through a mixer it goes to a rotating heater where heat is applied. The produce is placed on a conveyer belt and with the aid of a grinder, cement is produced. Finally, the cement is packed into bags.

In order to make cement, a mixture of four components is used in different proportions; cement (15%), water (10%), sand (25%) and gravel which makes up half of the ingredients. This mixture is put into a rotating concrete mixture and then applied to a building surface.

In conclusion, limestone and clay produce cement in a process that involves crushing, rotating and applying heat. When three more elements are added to the cement and stirred on site, concrete is produced for building purposes.

Question taken from IELTS 8 past papers p.78

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Three effective tips to increase your reading comprehension in English

Increasing their reading comprehension level is the goal of many ESL students; the ability to understand more complicated texts and even being able to understand English newspapers is really satisfactory. The good news is that the path to reach a good level of comprehension would not be so hard if you put into practice the following tips.

1. Learn and practise all the vocabulary that you can. The secret to increase your reading comprehension is to increase your vocabulary base. Very often, when you don’t understand the meaning of a sentence, it’s because you don’t know the meaning of one or more words within it. In the same way, the more you read, the more new vocabulary you’ll learn hence progressing on your reading level. One of the big advantages of learning vocabulary this way is that you are learning vocabulary within context.

To increase your vocabulary base, we recommend you to visit the Vocabulary section where you’ll find many free resources. If you’d like to learn new vocabulary by watching videos, don’t miss out the VocaTube series.

2. Always have a good dictionary to hand. A bilingual dictionary is basic in order to search for the meaning of the words that you don’t know and therefore give a proper meaning to what you’re reading. When you look for a word, make sure to re-read the sentence in English again until it makes sense.

If you have an upper-intermediate or advanced level of English, you should be using a monolingual English dictionary in order to get the definition of the word in English. For those who like reading online content, there are many dictionaries available on the Web that will solve all your queries. You can find a selection of them on the Dictionaries section.

3. Be constant and get to know your limitations. Don’t start reading detective stories if you have a basic level of English. Instead, don’t be ashamed to choose titles for children where the amount of used vocabulary is reduced and easier to understand. From there and once you feel comfortable, you can move on to teenage titles to finally reach novels.

It’s also very important to be constant and to set realistic targets like reading 3 hours during the week or a book every week. If you’re constant, you’ll notice that your vocabulary increases progressively along with your reading comprehension.

If you travel to Ireland, the UK, the US or any other English speaking country, don’t forget to pay a visit to a bookshop. Many of them have second-hand books and you’ll be able to get bargains like 4 books for 1 euro, a pound or a dollar. Get some books whose difficulty matches your level of English and start reading them. If you don’t mind, you can underline and write the meaning of the words that you search for in the dictionary.

If you’re not travelling to an English speaking country, have a look at websites like Amazon or eBay for the relevant country (Amazon UK, eBay UK, Play.com, Amazon US, eBay US). You’ll probably find a book that you like at a reasonable price (remember to add the postage and packing costs of your country of residence).

Finally, when you feel comfortable with your reading comprehension level, try giving it a test by reading some of these online newspapers :)

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Three Free Mobile Apps to Help You Learn English

It is hard to learn a new language, and English is one of the hardest languages to learn in the world. Not only does English have words that sound the same but mean different things, it is also full of rules with exceptions, and sometimes doesn’t seem to follow rules at all. How can you hope to grasp such a complex language? Well, these three free mobile apps might help.



EF Mobile English Basic Edition. The world’s largest online English school, EF Englishtown, has gone mobile. EF Mobile English provides you with a wide range of interactive learning tools, including: 5,000 flashcards, audio tools, listening tests, pronunciation practice tools and much more – all at your fingertips.

EF Mobile English Basic Edition is available on iTunes



Busuu Mobile App. It has an extensive vocabulary: over 3,000 words and key phrases. It covers from beginner to advanced intermediate levels (A1 - B2). It also covers 150 different topics using day-to-day situations. It has comprehensive audio-visual learning material with photos and recordings by native speakers. Sections include vocabulary, dialogues and interactive tests. It works on iPhone (incl. iOS 4, optimized for Retina display), iPad, iPod touch and Android; no internet connection required.

The free version includes 20 complete learning units. Learning progress can be synchronized with your profile on busuu.com, the famous online community for learning languages with over 3 million users.

Busuu Mobile App is available on iTunes and Android Market



Mango Mobile App. Mango Mobile Library Edition is a powerful language learning platform that delivers fast, easy and effective language learning wherever your travels take you. The free app accesses the Mango Languages courses available through your library, and works just like Mango online. Simply touch the screen to reveal answers and to hear pronunciations by native speakers.

You’ll learn vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and culture in each lesson. For the app to work, you must have an account with Mango set up through your library’s website, and an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Once the app and lessons have been downloaded, you can learn at your own pace, with or without an internet connection.

Mango Mobile App is available on iTunes

There are many more free mobile apps that help learners of English to succeed, but these three should get you started on the path to learning. It takes time, patience, and practice, but anyone can learn to speak, read, and write English well. Good luck and happy learning!

This is a guest post by Kate Croston. Kate is a freelance writer, holds a bachelors degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She writes guest posts for different sites and loves contributing internet service related topics. Questions or comments can be sent to: katecroston.croston09 @ gmail.com.

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