2018-12-29 Sorry and Excuse Me
Imagine that you are in a crowded place in an English-speaking country. You want to politely ask someone to move but are not sure how. Here is today’s question from…
2018-12-22 How to Say the Letter ‘I’
In some languages, you can look at a written word and know almost immediately how to say it. You can also hear a word and know exactly how to write…
2018-12-15 How to Learn More Words
In English, we have a saying that goes, “Use it or lose it.” It means that if you do not continue to use a skill, you might lose the ability…
2018-12-08 Must and Have To
Today we will answer a question about two misunderstood modal verbs. Modal verbs are helping verbs. They help us express things like necessity, permission, ability and possibility. For example, “I…
2018-12-01 The Preposition ‘By’
If you can write or speak even just a little English, you have surely used prepositions — words like “to,” “in,” “on,” “at” and “by.” A preposition is a word…
2018-11-24 Well or Good
Here at VOA, I am a teacher. But outside of work, I am a language learner, too. Having studied three languages, I know that sometimes the simplest words can be…
2018-11-17 Between and Among
Prepositions can be tricky in any language, including English. And English has a lot of them. But, do not worry! Ask a Teacher is here to make things easier. Today’s…
2018-11-10 Sentence or Statement?
Many VOA Learning English stories and programs use the words “sentence” and “statement.” But what exactly does each word mean? Are there differences between the two? This week, our question…
2018-11-03 Like or Alike?
Have you ever wanted to talk about similarities between people or things but were unsure what words to use? Today’s question comes from Nagim of Israel. Question: Hello from Israel.…
2018-10-27 Foot or Feet?
The English word “foot” has more than one meaning. In the United States, one meaning is a unit of measurement equal to 12 inches, or .3 meters. We use feet…
2018-10-20 Study or Learn?
English language learners use the verbs “study” and “learn” all the time. Yet, they often are unsure which to choose in a situation. Our subject today comes from Salah of…
2018-10-13 Dead as a Doornail
Believe it or not, the English language has about 25,000 idiomatic expressions. And some of the oldest ones have very interesting histories. Today our question involves an expression from early…
2018-10-06 Asking Someone About Their Job
Have you ever wanted to ask someone in English about the kind of work they do but were unsure how? Many cultures have ways of doing this. Today on Ask…
2018-09-29 By the Way vs. Mind You
English phrases can be difficult to remember since the meaning of each individual word may not give any clue as to a phrase’s meaning. In today’s Ask a Teacher, Inna…
2018-09-22 Raise or Rise
Have you ever been confused by the verbs “raise” and “rise”? Both words mean “to move upward.” They also sound similar. But we don’t use them in the same way.…