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These days, I see too many English language students wanting to sound like a native English speaker. They feel they need to speak with a specific native English accent while using many idiomatic expressions. This is a hugely ambitious goal for someone who was not exposed to the English language before they were two or three years old. In my own case, I started learning English at the age of six, and although I’ve been speaking and teaching English every day for the past 37 years, I still don’t sound like a native English speaker. So, if you know someone who has achieved this goal as an adult learner, then they’re a genius! For most of us, however, this is a rather pointless and disempowering goal. Why is this a pointless goal? I can think of four reasons: a) When it comes to communicating with others, accent is irrelevant. Whether we sound British, American, Italian, or Chinese, what really matters is how easily others understand us. b) Good speakers and writers avoid using too many idiomatic expressions and complex structures. They keep their language short and simple. c) English grammar is even difficult for natives to master. As a proofreader, I regularly correct and improve native speakers’ poorly written English. d) Out of the 1.5 billion English speakers worldwide, only 25% are native. If, for the sake of facilitating communication, one group had to change the way they spoke, it would logically be the natives. Why is no-one asking them to lose their regional accents and limit their vocabulary to the 5000 words that are sufficient to communicate in most situations? Why is it a disempowering goal? Our voice and the way we speak is a fundamental part of our personal and cultural identity. If we feel that we must change this important aspect of our identity in order to succeed in life, we’re really telling ourselves: ‘I’m not good enough! I must become someone else, or pretend that I am someone else.’ This negative self-image can generate feelings of lack, inferiority, and envy that disempower us. Even if we work with the most brilliant voice coach to change our accent and memorise the whole of the English idioms dictionary, this ‘I’m not good enough’ belief will result in failure. Loss of self-belief and self-confidence is a huge price to pay for a goal that, as I argued above, is totally pointless. What’s a better goal? Instead of wanting to sound like someone else when we speak English, let’s focus our efforts on sounding like our unique self who speaks with a clear pronunciation and uses simple and correct language. Just imagine for a moment how much less stressful and more motivating this goal can be! Also, put yourself in the shoes of the people you interact with in English, both native and non-native. Don’t you think they love the fact that they can understand you easily and interact with you comfortably? Or, do you imagine that they think less of you because you don’t speak like someone from Melbourne, Dublin, or Texas? I’d love to read your thoughts and stories in the comments section.

"I am finished" and "I have finished" have similar meanings, but they are not exactly the same. "I am finished" describes a current state or condition and It emphasizes the result or outcome of the action rather than the action itself. whereas "I have finished" describes a completed action in the past, It emphasizes the action that was completed rather than the result or outcome.

Dear all, This is to let you know that the tutorial has just been released on my YT channel. It will soon be published in the 'tutorial' section of the 'video lessons' on the platform. If you would like to watch it straight away, go to this link: https://youtu.be/mXrqCJ2hvI0 I hope you enjoy it.

Hello Head Tutor, Minoo. I totally agree with you.The main thing is that people understand us, and we understand them. Keep it simple! Regards, Omar

Hello, Thank you for the tips I will try to do that. Eddy

Hello Jesus, All three adjectives can be used, but I would use 'angry' because it's the strongest and matches the word 'demand' better. The other two are weaker: annoyed = slightly angry upset = unhappy, disappointed

Hello Jesus, Thank you for your question, which we covered in yesterday's LIVE Q&A session. To recap: When 'people' is the plural of 'person', you must use a plural verb: These people are .... When 'people' is a synonym for 'ethnic group', then it is a countable noun, and you can say 'a people' (+ singular verb) and 'peoples' (+ plural verb). This second meaning is not commonly used. So, consider 'people' to be plural 99% of the time.

The ‘WHAT’ part includes verb + direct object + indirect object, and we must keep these three elements together. In this case, the direct object is the question and the indirect object is for you. That’s why ‘again’ (an adverb) has come after ‘for you’. Here’s another example from Collins Dictionary: I started to feel good about myself again. You may come across examples where the indirect object has been separated from the verb, but make sure you never separate the direct object from the verb.

Hello Mathias, An excellent question! Here's a description of each type of workshop: Sunday workshops: They involve listening to and speaking with your peers, and typing sentences in the chat box in reply to my questions. One week: Grammar Review & Practice I'm attaching the worksheet from our last session on 15th January. You receive this before the session + the link to the online lesson that we will be revising. You can revise that lesson and do the exercises before the session, or you can come unprepared to test yourself and revise the lesson after the session. In the first part of the session, you partner up with one of your peers in a breakout room, and you do the exercises together. So, in this part you're revising a topic while discussing it with another student. In the second part of the session, I take the whole group through the exercises one by one. Here, you will be listening mainly to me, and occasionally answering a question from me in the chat box. The following week: Conversation Practice (occasionally changed to pronunciation practice) I'm attaching the worksheet from our last session on 22nd January. You can prepare your questions and/or your answers before the session, or you can come unprepared if you want to speak spontaneously. In the first part of the session, you partner up with one of your peers in a breakout room. You ask each other the questions and make a note of each other's answers. In the second part of the session, you share the information you've gathered from your partner with the whole group, speaking for 1-2 minutes. Your partner shares the information he/she has gathered from you with the whole group. NEW Saturday Q&A sessions starting 18th March 2023: hey involve mainly listening to me answering questions posted in the Forum, but you can ask questions live as well. You can post any questions you have in the Q&A Forum in four categories: Grammar, Pronunciation, Vocabulary, and General. You can answer your peers' questions in the Forum (the best way to reinforce your own learning). I choose the best questions from different categories every week and answer them in detail in our Saturday Q&A session. We end each session with a quiz to see how well you remember the different points covered. Don't hesitate to continue this thread if you have any follow-up questions on what I've explained above. 47 Conversation Cars - 22 January 23.pdf 46 Negative words -15 January 23.pdf

Thank you very much for your positive feedback. We're delighted that you like the site, and hope you will enjoy using it.

Hello Jesus, Thank you for this question. 'neither' has different functions. In your first example, it's a determiner. In your second example, it has combined with 'nor' to create a conjunction. You can find further explanation and examples in the Cambridge Dictionary, which is the reference book I usually use: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/neither Enjoy the rest of the week, and see you in our next LIVE session on Saturday. Minoo

Hello Minioo, thank you so much for your very detailed information to my questions. It helpt me quiet a bit to clear things up for me. I will watch the two lessons you recommended to this topic as well and if I still have questions after that, I will ask you in comming up Video lessons. Thanks again and have a good rest of the week. With best regards Nana

Hello Nana, Sorry for the late reply. I was away for a few days. Both sentences are correct, and there's no difference in meaning. The person may go and but one or several pairs of new shoes.

Hello Dani, Thank you for your question. It's very common for native speakers to connect the sounds /t/ & /d/ to /u:/. The speaker is saying: wha /tu:/, which is very similar to wha /du:/. That's why you think he/she is saying 'what do you'.

Hello everyone I'm Luis from Peru (-5 hours from London time), Engineer, my English level is intermediate. I'm looking for a conversation partner to practise speaking English with, both about general and business topics. For the reply please use Anglo-link e-mail to LuisMendoza. Thanks

Hello Jesus, Thank you for your question. No, there isn't one single word that can replace 'two too'. But, because they're both pronounced in exactly the same way, and it's phonetically awkward to say 'two too', it's best to use a synonym of 'too' instead: I'd also like two. I'd like two as well.

I am still a little bit confused obout ther usage.

An excellent topic, Elke! I'll put a lesson together on this topic for one of our next Live Q&A sessions.

Hello Minoo, Please explain to us when to use 'of ' vs 'off'. Thank you!

I need to start from scratch, needn't I?

Hello, I have a question about the online meeting with you, how does it work, how should I imagine it, I have never done anything like this before and I just feel insecure. Is it just listening or also actively talking? I would be grateful for a bit of information. Kind regards

b) I need to start from scratch, needn't I ? for the use the same expression in negative form.

Hello and welcome to the course everyone! It's a pleasure to have you onboard! Here are some recommendations on how to make the most of your studies. 1. Where to start Whatever your level is, it would be a good idea to revise all the basics and close any gaps. So start at the first level: Lower Elementary (A2). Use the ‘test’ section of each lesson to check if you have any gaps, and review the recommended sections. When the tests start to get difficult, then study each lesson in detail (Study & Exercise) before taking the test. 2. How long to study each day Try to study 30-60 minutes every day. On the days you have less time, revise a lesson you’ve already done, or just listen to some audio files you’ve downloaded. Revision is really important! If a lesson is challenging you, don't keep repeating it on the same day. Move on and return to it after a few days. 3. How to watch the video lessons Take notes while you watch video lessons or read written explanations. This is really helpful in assimilating the material. For example, you can note down the new words with their English definitions (the less translation, the better) and two example sentences for each structure, one from the lesson and one of your own. 4. How to work on your speaking skills After typing your answer to a written exercise, repeat the recording of the correct answer out loud (not just in your head) several times until you can repeat it easily and without reading it on your screen. The real test of assimilation is when you can repeat it at the same time as the model (shadowing). Also, download the audio files of the online exercises and save them to your mobile device. You can then use these to improve your listening and speaking skills anywhere anytime. 5. Where to find more listening and speaking exercises There are additional listening and speaking exercises in the Daily Challenge section. Some other great things you can do in addition to your online studies: 1. Relaxed listening Every day, watch/listen to something in English for 20-30 minutes. Choose YouTube clips, TED talks, podcasts, or TV series that you like and understand easily, for example a TV series that you’ve already watched in your own language. Just relax and listen; don’t try hard to understand everything. If you don't have time, pair this relaxed listening with another activity, e.g. driving or cooking. Then, once or twice a week, choose something that you love and watch it several times. You can watch it once or twice with English subtitles, and once or twice without subtitles. This will allow you to remember and use new vocabulary and expressions that you hear and read in those clips, talks, or series. If you watch something new every time, only your passive knowledge of vocabulary will increase, but not your active usage. 2. Focused listening & writing Take dictations occasionally. From time to time, use what you have watched or listened to for dictation exercises. You can also use audio books if you have the printed version of the book. Listen and write down a small section (1 or 2 minutes), then check what you’ve written against the subtitles or the page in the book. This is a great exercise to improve many things at the same time: listening, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. 3. Free writing Keep a diary in English. Once a week, write a few sentences about your week in your diary. You will find that you can gradually write more and better as you progress through your online course. Applying the things you're learning in your own writing will help you to integrate them into your speaking more quickly. If you have access to someone who can give you feedback, ask them to check your writing. Happy studies!

The expressions "be used to" and "get used to" require a noun. Therefore, if you want to use a verb after it, you must use the gerund. Gerunds act like nouns.

Hello Acnana, 'd is the contraction of both 'would' and 'had': I would do (infinitive) ... = I'd do ... I had done (past participle) ... = I'd done ... It'd happened ... = It had happened ..., hadn't it? I hope this is clear for you now. Happy continuation! Minoo

Hi,minoo miss i would like to share one thing about this class.That,i like you order of class about English I learned more English in this classes. .

Hi friends! This is my Video Dictionary – The Farm Part2. I’ll try to publish one vídeo every week. I hope that you appreciate! Thank you! ? THE_FARM2_v2.mp4

Hello Nawal, Simply go to your study plan at https://app.anglo-link.com/ and start with lesson 1 in week 1. The lessons in the Elementary level are easy, but they are very important to review. Also, make sure you read the 'Welcome & Tips' email I have sent you to know how to study effectively. Happy studies!

Hi teacher how I can work with your class?

Hello Ismail, Here is the section of the Study Guide that explains how to study the grammar lessons to be able to remember and use the rules: In grammar lessons, you learn all the important grammatical structures in English. The example sentences and exercises for different grammatical structures contain common vocabulary and expressions appropriate to the level you are studying. This allows you to learn or review essential vocabulary at the same time. These modules help you to improve all your skills: reading, listening, writing, and speaking. This is how you should work through grammar lesson Start with 'Study': Read the explanations and examples, and take notes. Watch the video lesson to hear the explanations again with new examples, and take more notes. Go to 'Exercise': Choose (multiple choice) or type your answer. If you make mistakes as you type, our software warns you and helps you to get it right until you get a . Press the 'play' button that appears after the to hear the teacher's recording of the correct answer. Repeat the correct answer out loud before going on to the next exercise. When you have finished all the written exercises successfully, listen to and repeat all the correct answers out loud one more time. Finish with the 'Test' to check your assimilation of the grammatical structure.

I am very happy that this was an opportunity for you to learn something after all you have taught me.

Hello Luca, The correct answers are: If she didn't have ... When 'have' is the main verb, use an auxiliary with it. ......, he would have taken .... The structure is correct, but it is not negative.

Okay, as it is stated in the course. In 2015, we decided to go global, and have now set up subsidiaries in various parts of the world, with Asia Pacific being the most recent addition. Thanks a lot.

Hello Luca, 1. Your answer is also correct, but, if you check the instruction in the test again, it says: If there are two objects, use the person(s) in object position. This is because I want you to practise putting the person in object position, which is common in English. 2. Yes, the mistake is in the participle: wake - woke - woken.

1. 'long' can refer to length or time: How long is the stick? 50 centimetres. How long is the movie: 2 hours. Therefore, in the context, you don't need to mention the word 'time'. 2. With the verb 'believe' you cannot drop 'to be'. If the verb were 'considered', you could: They're considered (to be) weak ...

Hello Butterfly55, Your formulation is correct. The problem is your word order: Robert used to be called Bobby.

1. seem to do / be / have something used to make what you say about your thoughts, feelings or actions less strong I seem to have left my book at home. I canʼt seem to (= Iʼve tried, but I canʼt) get started today. 2.ˈtake to somebody/ something [no passive] to start liking somebody/ something I took to my new boss immediately. He hasnʼt taken to his new school.

Thanks a lot. I’ve studied those structures for a few days, it should come with ease. Kind regards

Hello Butterfly, 1. The second conditional is about zero and low probability Present & Future situations. That's why it's perfectly o.k. to use it with words like 'now' and 'tomorrow': If we left the house now (improbable because you are not ready ready), we WOULD get there by noon. 2. Yes, that sentence is correct too. There are many possibilities: will / would / could you ask him ..... & also the imperative: ask him ... 3. That's the idea!

Hello, I think there is an error in the Intermediate Daily Challenge. Every time I read out loud the sentence "We charge a three percent commission", it says: Not quite. Mistake: We charge a 3% commission. Correction: We charge a three percent commission. I'm sure it is a very smart device, I do mean it, but how could it know that I speak in digital characters? ?

Hi friends! This is my Video Dictionary – The Farm Part1. I’ll try to publish one vídeo every week. I hope that you appreciate! Thank you! ? THE_FARM.mp4

Hi Folks A new exclusive video is available. Check it out now: When can we use ‘being’. Although 'be' is a state verb and can never take a Continuous tense, we often see and hear the word 'being'. In this lesson, we're going to look at the uses of 'being': When 'be' means 'behave' In Passive Structures As a Gerund

Hello Rasha, Thank you very much for your support. I'm glad you like my website. You raise a very interesting point, and you're right that occasionally we may see 'will' in the 'if' clause. That's usually when we're using 'will' to show someone's willingness to do / not to something: A: I will not speak to him. B: O.k. If you won't (are not willing to) speak to him, I will do it. In your sentence, too, you can replace 'won't by 'be willing to': If you are not willing to have something done on time, be clear about it.

Hello Bernard and Hari, You're both right. When 'everybody' is the subject of a sentence, it definitely takes a singular verb: Everybody smiles when they pose for a photo. (Hari, please note that the 'singular' verb form is with 's': smiles). However, in Bernard's sentence, 'smile' is in the imperative form, which is the same as the base verb. Someone is asking everybody to smile for the photo: Everybody, SMILE (for the photo), please!

Thank you very much for yours enormous efforts. We all are waiting patiently and ecstatically to watch these lessons and we hope the tutorials will find a way soon.

..I've always thought that written English was only formal.. isn't it bad to write as we speak? Does it depend on the subject? I'm taking my first written text next week: I'll just try to write clearly then, not to formally, using proper grammar, spellig, punctuation and forgetting about those complex grammatical structures or sentence patterns I've never fully comprehended. Thanks for your immediate reply!

Thank you very much for your very positive feedback, Ivan. It's great to know that we have provided you with a self-study platform that you could not find anywhere else. It really motivates us to continue developing it.