GrammaTube - Causative Verbs in English: let, get, have, make

Causative verbs are used to express that someone or something caused someone or something else to do a particular task. This might sound a bit confusing, but if you watch the videos that we’ve compiled you’ll see that it’s not that difficult.

These YouTube videos will show you how to use several causative verbs like let, get, have or make.

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 video with examples about the causative verbs in English



Link to the video on YouTube

Structures and causative verbs in English



Link to the video on YouTube

Causative verbs with Passive and Gerunds



Link to the video on YouTube

Good video that explains the passive causative



Link to the video on YouTube

Learn American English shows us how to use the verb "have" in the causative form



Link to the video on YouTube

How to use the verb "make" as a causative verb



Link to the video on YouTube

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Carnival at Expressteach

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3 Wonderful Google Chrome Extensions for English Language Learners

Learning a new language is one of the most difficult tasks you can take on once you enter adulthood. There are few things you can learn that will add more to your professional resume or enlighten you more culturally.

While learning English as a second language is no doubt difficult, it is one of the most useful tools you can have as a professional. There are an endless amount of tools and resources available today that can help you master almost any task at hand. With applications for better blogging, browser extensions for computer programmers, and much more, the internet is full of possibilities.

As internet technology continues to grow and expand, more and more endlessly useful tools and resources are popping up online. These three Google Chrome extensions are extremely useful and intuitive tools to help you learn English right from the comfort of your personal computer.


Phras.in

While learning the specifics of grammar and punctuation are essential steps in learning English thoroughly, one of the first steps in learning English is typically learning common conversational phrases.

Phras.in is a wonderful browser extension that can help people learn the eccentricities and peculiarities of various phrases in the English language. The extension has an intuitive interface that makes it simple to use and extremely useful. Compare two phrases to see which is used most often or which is correct. The application will show you the number of times that phrase is used through the web in real world sentences. This helps you decide which phrase is more common and gives you access to immediate examples of how that phrase is used in various sentences.



Add Phras.in to Google Chrome


Google Dictionary

This Chrome extension is one of the most popular dictionaries downloads available online and is extremely useful for English language learners and otherwise. This tool allows users to find the definition, part of speech, pronunciation, examples, synonyms, antonyms, and much more of any word they see while browsing online by simply double clicking on any word in the browser.

This dictionary has many other languages and tools that are extremely useful for any individual surfing the web. However, it can be extremely useful for users wishing to learn English online. Save time by having a dictionary right at your fingertips at all times.



Add Google Dictionary to Google Chrome


Learn English Assistant

This Chrome extension is an extremely useful resource for learning English at home. The Learn English Assistant extension collects various resources that are available online, so that you have all of your English language resources in one easy to access location. While this tool does not offer you any specific language guidance, it does make finding useful resources much simpler. The resources that this extension collects are geared towards both ways to learn spoken English as well as ways to write English correctly.



Add Learn English Assistant to Google Chrome

This is a guest post by Nadia Jones who blogs at accredited online colleges about education, college, student, teacher, money saving, movie related topics. You can reach her at nadia.jones5 @ gmail.com.

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Dyslexia and IELTS

If you have been certified as dyslexic you may include this information on the IELTS application form.

Q.22 Do you have any special requirements due to ill health/medical condition?
You will be required to attach supporting medical evidence.

Although the speaking and listening section will be the same as other candidates, you may ask the test centre to provide you with extra time on the reading and writing section as dyslexics tend to read and write at a slower pace.

The exam paper will be marked the same as everyone else, so care should be taken with spelling.

In the listening section, errors mean that you lose marks, so you will need to work on the alphabet, numbers and spelling in general.

In the writing sections, use words that you find easier to spell e.g. instead of “decrease” use “fall”.

Reading is a matter of transferring words found in the passage so ensure that they are spelt the same. Reading speed can be somewhat increased by learning 220 Dolch Sight Words (provided here). These help with fluency.

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VocaTube - the Olympic Games in English

With the London Olympic Games just around the corner, it’s time for us to join the Olympic spirit. For this, we have compiled a series of videos from YouTube with which you’ll be able to learn all the English vocabulary about the Olympic sports.

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.

Good video with English Sports Vocabulary – elementary English



Link to the video on YouTube

Video with general vocabulary for Sports in English – elementary English



Link to the video on YouTube

Vocabulary with Winter Olympic Sports – elementary English



Link to the video on YouTube

Subtitled video with sports in Britain – intermediate English



Link to the video on YouTube

Introduction to London Summer Olympics 2012 – advanced English



Link to the video on YouTube

English vocabulary about the Olympic Games (part 1) – advanced English



Link to the video on YouTube

English vocabulary about the Olympic Games (part 2) – advanced English



Link to the video on YouTube

English vocabulary about the Olympic Games (part 3) – advanced English



Link to the video on YouTube

Visit the official website for the London 2012 Olympic Games

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Expository Writing Tips

Expository writing is writing that explains a concept or idea. You will most often use this writing style when you are writing research papers, process essays, definition essays, and technical instruction manuals. An expository essay might explain the steps that are needed in order to achieve a particular goal, such as applying for a job, or it might teach a skill, such as how to perform an Internet search for health information. 

Every Essay has three major steps, Introduction, Body and finally conclution. Some writers will include chronologically numbered steps containing specific details and explanations, while others accompany their explanations with photographs or illustrations of each specific step. Here I am going to give you some guideline for Expository Writing. You need to follow these guidelines to get perfection in Expository writing.

Guidelines for Expository Writing

• Before committing one word to paper, decide on your audience and purpose: Who will be reading your paper? What are you trying to accomplish?

• Do not expand here using examples, facts, or statistics. You may briefly state your main points.

• Present your ideas and explanations or directions in an organized, clear, and precise manner.

• Add specific details and several topic-relevant examples to help the reader better understand the general topic. 

• Remember to smooth the transition from your general statement to your specific example by using transitional phrases such as “to illustrate” or “an example of,” but try not to cram too many of these phrases into your paragraphs.

• Choose your examples carefully. Providing one or two excellent examples is better than cramming your paragraph with three or four weak examples.

• Focus on explaining one specific step or concept at a time.

• Explain and define as necessary and provide facts, examples, quotations, etc for support.

• Proofread for errors in grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure.

• Proofread to be certain that necessary information or steps have not been omitted.

• Vary the type of support and how to present it. Use creative, interesting, clear, specific support.

• Read your essay aloud to be certain that the language sounds natural and not forced or stilted.

I hope above mentioned guidelines helps you in expository writing. Good Luck!

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Nobuna - improve your level of English through listening games

There is no doubt that in order to get a good level of English, you need to be patient and repeat things a lot. The first time you watch a video or listen to something you probably don’t understand a great deal, but with second and successive hearings as your ear gets used to English the sounds will become more familiar.

This is the idea behind Nobuna, a great website that allows you to improve your level of English by watching videos and completing listening games.

The way it works is very simple; as you go through the exercises, you’ll be absorbing a lot of information by listening to and analyzing the texts. You’ll also be learning and using new words as you fill in the blanks.

The recommended system at Nobuna to learn English is to watch and listen to the entire video without interruption and try to understand the dialogue. Then you watch and listen to the video a second time and try to fill in the blanks. When you’re done with the exercise (it doesn’t matter if you haven’t filled in all the gaps), click on “Finish” to view your results and check them against the video to identify your mistakes and look up words you didn’t understand in the dictionary.

You can see more information about Nobuna on the following video



Link to the video on YouTube

Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed. Visit Nobuna now!

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Applying for postgraduate studies in England

When applying for a Master’s degree in England you do not have to go through UCAS like undergraduates do. You apply directly to the universities of your choice. Most of them do not have a processing fee so you can apply to multiple universities.

Application forms: You may complete an online application form or download the form and send it by post. Each application form varies depending on the university but the information requested is similar (e.g. personal details, educational background, work experience, learning difficulties etc.). The entry requirements vary as well. Generally speaking you will need a degree from a recognised university with a 2:1 (send an email to the university asking what grade this corresponds to in your country).

Transcript and degree: Your transcript and degree should be translated and certified in English. This might be pending when you apply so you may give an indication of what you expect to receive as a final grade based on the transcripts of previous semesters.

English language qualification: If your English language qualification is IELTS you need to check if the university requires a minimum band in each section (e.g. minimum 6 in Writing). You may apply for a position at a university before receiving your IELTS results. You will receive a conditional offer and you will be told what grade you require for acceptance. Some universities offer pre-sessional language courses if you are not able to get the band that they require.

References: You are asked to provide references from 2 professors that have taught you. These may be obtained in several ways depending on the university e.g. by supplying contact details of the professors, may be sent by the professor via post directly to a university of your choice or given to the student who scans and uploads them on their on-line application form.

Personal statement: Some universities have word limits for these and include them as part of the application form. Alternatively you may be asked to provide a personal statement separately. This should be one page if possible. You should say something about your current studies, work experience, skills, awards, future plans, why you believe the university is suitable for you academically etc. You do not need to begin with information from your high school as you have moved beyond that.

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GrammaTube - learn about the uses of “get” in English

Do you know the meaning of expressions such as “get a life” or “get into something”? If you are not sure you might keep reading, in this new post of the GrammaTube series, we introduce several videos chosen from YouTube that will allow you to understand these sentences and many other uses of the English word “get”.

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.

English grammar lesson/presentation with the word “get”



Link to the video on YouTube

English idioms with “get”



Link to the video on YouTube

The many uses of the verb “to get”



Link to the video on YouTube

Good video with many situations where you can use “get”



Link to the video on YouTube

Phrasal verbs with “get”



Link to the video on YouTube

An explanation of the phrasal verb “to get something off”



Link to the video on YouTube

Learn everything about the grammatical structure “get + adjective”



Link to the video on YouTube

Learnamericanenglish explains the structure “get + adjective / past participle”



Link to the video on YouTube

Common collocations with the word “get”



Link to the video on YouTube

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