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Search results for "english" (116 posts)

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Silent Letters in English: The Complete Chart of Every Letter Group
Learning Tips

Silent Letters in English: The Complete Chart of Every Letter Group

The b in climb, the s in island, the gh in though. A complete table of every silent letter group with IPA and meaning, a brief history of why, and the part few people mention — how silent letters affect your listening.

The Wallaby17 min read
English Reflexes: Why You Understand Everything but Still Freeze Up
Learning Tips

English Reflexes: Why You Understand Everything but Still Freeze Up

Hear it once, you understand. Want to speak, it comes out. This piece dissects why memorizing grammar doesn't produce that, points out which half of you is weak, and gives four exercises plus a weekly schedule doable in fifteen minutes.

The Wallaby17 min read
English Birthday Wishes: Right Person, Right Channel, Right Tone
Learning Tips

English Birthday Wishes: Right Person, Right Channel, Right Tone

English birthday wishes written specifically for each person and each sending channel, with a tone note on every line, plus phrases that are easy to get wrong and wishes for other occasions.

The Wallaby15 min read
Daily English Listening: How to Build a Habit That Actually Sticks
Learning Tips

Daily English Listening: How to Build a Habit That Actually Sticks

A clearly structured fifteen-minute listening session holds up far better than a forty-minute session full of resolve that fizzles out halfway through. Here's how to build that session.

The Wallaby12 min read
Does Passive English Listening Actually Work? The Honest Answer
Learning Tips

Does Passive English Listening Actually Work? The Honest Answer

Passive listening has its place, but it's narrower than you think: getting used to the rhythm, keeping the habit going, reviewing lessons you've already transcribed. Listening while asleep leaves almost nothing behind for your learning.

The Wallaby13 min read
Learning English Through Songs: What Music Can and Can't Teach You
Learning Tips

Learning English Through Songs: What Music Can and Can't Teach You

Music anchors vocabulary very well and teaches listening comprehension very poorly. A table of fifteen songs ranked by how easy they are to listen to, the common contracted forms found in lyrics, and five steps for turning a song into a verifiable lesson.

The Wallaby15 min read
What Are Idioms? 25 Common English Idioms Sorted by Situation
Learning Tips

What Are Idioms? 25 Common English Idioms Sorted by Situation

An idiom is a phrase whose overall meaning strays from the meaning of its individual words. Here's how to tell idioms apart from proverbs and phrasal verbs, 25 idioms you'll run into often, and why they're so hard to catch by ear.

The Wallaby15 min read
How to Introduce Yourself in English: Templates for 5 Real-Life Situations
Learning Tips

How to Introduce Yourself in English: Templates for 5 Real-Life Situations

Five sample self-introductions for five real situations, with sentence-by-sentence breakdowns, common mistakes Vietnamese speakers make, job-title pronunciation, and the part almost no one practices: listening back to the other person's name.

The Wallaby18 min read
English Grammar: Memorized on Paper, Lost When Natives Speak
Learning Tips

English Grammar: Memorized on Paper, Lost When Natives Speak

The grammar you've memorized on paper usually disappears when you hear native speakers talking fast, because most of it lives in unstressed sounds.

The Wallaby17 min read
Seasons in English: Fall vs. Autumn and the Idioms That Come With Them
Learning Tips

Seasons in English: Fall vs. Autumn and the Idioms That Come With Them

The four words are easy to memorize, but what surrounds them is what you actually use every day: fall vs. autumn, capitalization rules, and season-based idioms.

The Wallaby16 min read
How Native Speakers Actually Tell Time in English
Learning Tips

How Native Speakers Actually Tell Time in English

Two ways to tell time in English, a full trip around the clock with past and to, how to use a.m. and p.m., time markers throughout the day, and how to tell fifteen apart from fifty when listening.

The Wallaby16 min read
English Numbers: The Complete Chart, How to Say Money and Zero
Learning Tips

English Numbers: The Complete Chart, How to Say Money and Zero

A number chart from 0 to the billions with phonetic transcriptions, how to read zero, decimals, money, and phone numbers, plus a listening drill to tell thirteen and thirty apart by dictation.

The Wallaby14 min read
How to Write Dates in English: British vs. American Style
Learning Tips

How to Write Dates in English: British vs. American Style

The two date orders used in British and American English, how to write dates in formal emails, the ordinal numbers that go with dates, how to say dates and years out loud, plus three spots Vietnamese ears tend to miss.

The Wallaby15 min read
Ordinal Numbers in English: The 1st to 100th Chart and Common Mistakes
Learning Tips

Ordinal Numbers in English: The 1st to 100th Chart and Common Mistakes

The full ordinal number chart from 1st to 31st plus the round-ten landmarks up to 100th, with pronunciation, six common spelling mistakes, how to use them in dates, building floors, and fractions, and how to train your ear to catch the -th ending.

The Wallaby14 min read
Days of the Week in English: The Full Table, Abbreviations, and How to Say Them Right
Learning Tips

Days of the Week in English: The Full Table, Abbreviations, and How to Say Them Right

The seven days of the week in English: a full table of IPA and abbreviations, four words people commonly mispronounce, the difference between on Monday and on Mondays, and how to train your ear to tell Tuesday and Thursday apart.

The Wallaby17 min read
Months in English: The 12-Month Table, Abbreviations, Pronunciation, and In vs On
Learning Tips

Months in English: The 12-Month Table, Abbreviations, Pronunciation, and In vs On

The 12-month table with abbreviations and pronunciation, where each name comes from, the rule for in vs on, and why November and December keep getting mixed up.

The Wallaby15 min read
Which English Learning Podcast Should You Listen To? 11 Picks by Level
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Which English Learning Podcast Should You Listen To? 11 Picks by Level

A list of English-learning podcasts sorted by level, with where to find transcripts, each show's real drawbacks, and how to listen to an episode so it actually works.

The Wallaby14 min read
13 English-Learning YouTube Channels That Still Post Regularly, Sorted by Goal
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13 English-Learning YouTube Channels That Still Post Regularly, Sorted by Goal

Thirteen active English-learning YouTube channels, grouped by purpose instead of ranked, with real strengths, real limitations, and how to watch them without wasting your time.

The Wallaby15 min read
Standard English Pronunciation: The IPA Chart and Sounds Vietnamese Speakers Get Wrong
Learning Tips

Standard English Pronunciation: The IPA Chart and Sounds Vietnamese Speakers Get Wrong

A compact IPA chart for quick reference, the sounds and stress patterns Vietnamese speakers commonly mispronounce, and why you have to hear the difference before you can say it right.

The Wallaby16 min read
English Grammar Apps: 10 Real Resources and How to Pick the Right One
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English Grammar Apps: 10 Real Resources and How to Pick the Right One

Ten grammar resources sorted into four uses, plus why doing a thousand multiple-choice questions still won't help you speak correctly.

The Wallaby14 min read