Espresso English Podcast

Adjectives are words that describe the qualities of something. Some adjectives in English are gradable - that means you can have different degrees or levels of that quality. For example, the weather can be a little cold, rather cold, very cold, or extremely cold. Extreme adjectives or non-gradable adjectives are words that mean “extremely + adjective” – for example, “freezing” means “extremely cold.” The weather can’t be “a little bit freezing” or “very freezing” – because the word “freezing” itself automatically means “extremely cold.” Click here for the lesson text - http://www.espressoenglish.net/extreme-adjectives-in-english/

Do you have difficulty speaking English? Sometimes the hardest part is simply starting a conversation. Learn these expressions for starting a conversation in English in any situation – formal or informal, at work, school, or other contexts! Click here for the episode text - http://www.espressoenglish.net/how-to-start-a-conversation-in-english/

In this lesson you’re going to expand your vocabulary with 37 words to describe a person’s appearance. Let’s begin with the word beautiful – in English, this word is mostly used for women. We use the word handsome for men. To describe beautiful women, we also have the words pretty, lovely, gorgeous, and stunning – “stunning” means extremely beautiful, like a woman who is so beautiful that she attracts a lot of attention. Listen to the lesson for the rest of the vocabulary words! Click here for the episode text - http://www.espressoenglish.net/37-english-words-for-describing-a-persons-appearance/

These two words can be confusing, but I’ll teach you the difference – and teach you 60 common collocations with example sentences to help you! Use DO for actions, obligations, and repetitive tasks. Use MAKE for creating or producing something, and for actions you choose to do. DO generally refers to the action itself, and MAKE usually implies that there is a result/product. For example, if you “make breakfast,” the result is an omelet! If you “make a suggestion,” you have created a recommendation. Click here for the episode text - http://www.espressoenglish.net/difference-between-do-and-make-60-collocations/

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence DOES the action: Jake wrote a letter.subject / verb / object In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is acted upon: A letter was written (by Jake).subject / verb Notice that the object of the active sentence (letter) became the subject of the passive sentence. If we want, we can include “by Jake” to say who did the action. Today's lesson is the complete guide to the passive voice in English. You'll learn when to use the passive voice, how to form the passive voice in all English verb tenses, and more. This is a free sample lesson from the Advanced English Grammar Course. Click here for the episode text - http://www.espressoenglish.net/passive-voice-in-english/

Don’t say: “I’m studying every day for improve my English.” Say: “I’m studying every day to improve my English.” The prepositions to and for are very easy to confuse! In today's lesson, I'll explain 6 situations in which we use the word TO, and 7 cases in which we use the word FOR. Click here for the lesson text - http://www.espressoenglish.net/difference-between-to-and-for/

A lot of English as a Second Language learners confuse the words TRAVEL, TRIP, and JOURNEY. In today's lesson, you'll learn how to use each word and avoid common mistakes. Click here for the episode text - http://www.espressoenglish.net/difference-between-travel-trip-and-journey/

Forming questions in English can be confusing. Don’t worry – I’m going to teach you a simple formula that works for asking questions in almost ALL the verb tenses! This formula is called QUASM: QU estion wordA uxiliary verbS ubjectM ain verb In today's lesson, you'll see how QUASM works for forming questions in various verb tenses. Click here for the lesson text - http://www.espressoenglish.net/an-easy-way-to-form-almost-any-question-in-english/

Both present perfect and past perfect talk about something that happened before a point in time (reference point).   In the present perfect, our reference point is the present. In the past perfect, our reference point is in the past. Click here for the episode text - http://www.espressoenglish.net/difference-between-present-perfect-and-past-perfect-in-english/

Speaking English is difficult for many learners. In this article, I’ll give you 10 ways to speak English better: 5 ways to improve your spoken English at home, and 5 ways to improve your spoken English while in a conversation. Click here for the lesson text - http://www.espressoenglish.net/speaking-english-10-ways-to-improve/

Should have, could have, and would have are sometimes called “modals of lost opportunity” because they describe situations when we are imagining that the past was different. Click here for the lesson text - http://www.espressoenglish.net/past-modals-should-have-could-have-would-have/

The difference between should, could, and would is difficult for many English learners – this lesson will help you understand when to use each one! Use should/shouldn't for advice Use could/couldn't for ability in the past Use could for future possibilites and polite requests Use would for unreal/unlikely situations Use would you like for polite offers Listen to the episode for more details, example sentences, and common errors to avoid. Click here for the episode text - http://www.espressoenglish.net/difference-between-should-could-and-would/

Direct questions are the “normal” questions that we can ask to friends, family members, and people who we know well.  Example of a direct question:“Where’s the bathroom?” Indirect questions are a little more formal and polite. We use them when talking to a person we don’t know very well, or in professional situations, and their form is a little different. Example of an indirect question:“Could you tell me where the bathroom is?” In today's lesson, you'll learn how to form indirect questions in English - phrases to use, and the changes in sentence structure that make them different from direct questions. Click here for the episode text - http://www.espressoenglish.net/direct-and-indirect-questions-in-english/