FREE English Lessons

Today’s lesson is (in some ways) easier to remember than all the other English lessons we’ve done so far, because when trying to tell the difference between spelling “separate” vs. …

As an English teacher for the past 18 years, I’m often coaching students to infer hidden meanings from texts we read. In discussions, however, kids will frequently mix up the …

What makes a person sound smart? Though there are many different definitions of what “smart” even means, the reality remains that certain vocabulary words make people’s eyes light up with …

Flashy Homophones… In addition to people writing in to request illustrations of English language lessons, I often get new ideas for articles by noticing the same mistake pop up over …

Having just toured the largest cave in Pennsylvania, I’ve got cave vocabulary on my mind… and no cavern words are more famously confusing than remembering the difference between stalactites vs. …

Few things make a person sound as fancy as using the terms “former” and “latter,” but what do these words mean? Let’s dive into the definitions and correct usage of …

Understanding how “topic” and “theme” are different causes many English students to yelp in frustration. Mixing up these commonly confused words causes lowered test and essay grades, and more importantly, …

How can two words be so common, yet so often mixed up? Let’s explore the confusing homophones, “roll” vs. “role,” including which should be used in phrases with “call,” “play,” …

Let’s continue our homophones party with a lesson requested by a sweet elementary school class in New York City: “Pair vs. Pear and Pare!” These three words have the exact …

One of the Hardest Spelling Challenges… Sometimes there is a word so juicy and useful, you want to use it all the time in your writing — the only problem …