2019-02-02 The Rules of Word Stress, Part 1
In English, syllable stress is hugely important for communication. The word “stress” here means saying part of a word louder and holding the sound a little longer than other parts.…
2019-01-26 House or Home – Which Is It?
A house or a home? That is the question. How do we know when to use one or the other? In today’s Ask a Teacher, we answer this question from…
2019-01-19 How to Use the Word ‘Ever’
Have you ever noticed the number of times that a native English speaker uses the word “ever”? Ever is an adverb that we Americans say a lot. Here’s today’s question,…
2019-01-12 How to Count Syllables
In the English language, spelling and pronunciation have a funny relationship. How we write a word and how we say it often do not agree. There always seem to be…
2019-01-05 Can and Be Able To
Modal verbs are helping verbs. We use them with main verbs to help us express ability, possibility, necessity and permission. Today’s question is about a modal that is commonly confused…
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…