Improve Your English to Reach Your Goals 

Have you been wondering how you can improve your English? Do you want to understand English better?  Do you need English for work or to reach a special goal? Then EnglishHints can help you reach your goals. 

If you already use English at work, but need to practice or refine some professional skills, check out the Advanced English Communication Skills page or contact me for personal help.

(There's more information in the sidebar, and a contact form at the bottom of this page.)

You can also use EnglishHints to increase & practice your English vocabulary. Increase your reading comprehension. (That will boost your vocabulary as well!)  Work on your grammar and writing skills. Get ready for English-language tests.

If you teach ESL, use the lesson plans and materials here to make your job easier and more rewarding.

You can learn & practice: 

4 young professionals at a restaurant discussing what's on a computer screen. Text at page bottom: English to get where you want to go.
  • academic vocabulary-- essential for professionals and for university study in English,

ESL teachers can find        

  • activities and fresh ideas for your class. (See also information on the English Detective newsletter below.)

Related Readings & Practice

The best way to learn vocabulary is to read and practice it over and over in context.

The easiest way to improve your reading skills is to read a lot on the same subject. Then you can recognize the ideas and vocabulary and can work them into your own thinking.

So EnglishHints tries to connect reading and vocabulary practice as much as possible. 

The English Detective newsletter is especially useful for making those connections. 

A detective like Sherlock Holmes using a magnifying glass to follow a trail of footprintsFollow the word clues

Each issue has a theme with a related reading or readings.

You can subscribe below, or see Building Vocabulary Month by Month for more information. 

English Hint #1?

A young man studying on a computer  text: Tip #1: To learn English, Think in English!

Listen, read, and practice English whenever you can! It's easy to improve your English!

   √ Even a few minutes a day will make a real difference. Play a game, learn an English idiom, or do an exercise from this site when you have a few minutes free.

   √ Make yourself think in English! Tape notes to the bathroom mirror. Sing a song in English while you clean or do chores. Listen to the radio or a podcast in English while you exercise.

   √ Read a lot! Study English language newspapers. Analyze journal articles in your field. Read stories to your children. Even read ads—-anything that makes you think in English!

Could The Practice Here Improve Your English?

Check out this short quiz to see if the lessons and exercises in EnglishHints.com could help you. 

(After answering each question, click the right-facing arrow to get the next one. There are explanations or links below the quiz. )

For questions 1-6, choose one or more:

 

If you want to know more about questions 1-2, see List of Suffixes. For question 3 see Negative Prefix List. For 4-6 see Common Idioms, which has the links to the alphabetical index pages. 

In question 7sentence C is the different one. Sentences A, B, D, and E all say that English is my native language. C is in the unreal conditional tense. (It says I have NOT always spoken English, but it considers how things might be if reality had been different.)

For a short explanation of the unreal conditional tense, see the Modal Verbs section on 'would.'

When I thought about how to explain the difference, I realized I would need to teach some grammar terms. 

Grammar explanations can help you understand the reasons behind confusing sentence structures.

To understand professional journals or textbooks, you need to recognize distinctions like the difference between 'although', 'even though', and 'even if.'

If you have doubts about these differences in meaning, see Complex Sentences. (You can also practice them with Adverb Clause and Complex Sentence Practice.)

In question 8, all of the sentences are similar in meaning. However, A, C, and D talk about considering only profitability (A), costs (C) or value (D).

The example sentence talks about “all the different ways it may  impact their business.” Sentence B is inclusive in the same way. It talks about its “various possible effects on their profits and other products”—not just its costs or profit.

For specific suggestions to improve your English level, or for specific purposes like preparation for a test or business English, see Study English Online

Lady studying & smiling, with an alarm clock in the foreground. text: Just minutes a day learning English will help you reach your goals!

Didn't find what you needed? Explain what you want in the search box below. (For example, cognates, past tense practice, or 'get along with.') Click to see the related pages on EnglishHints.

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