Dispose Of or Dispose?

Meaning of dispose:

1. getting rid of something by throwing it away.

2. inclining someone towards something (an activity or mood).

Example of the 2nd meaning is,

Many people will take drugs to dispose them towards sleep.

While the above example of dispose is rarely used, many people actually are confused whether to use 'dispose of' or just the word 'dispose' when the 1st meaning of dispose is used. The difference is simple. Dispose should always be accompanied by the preposition 'of'. Dispose of is similar to getting rid of something. Hence, it should always be used as 'dispose of'.

Use of 'dispose of' in sentences:

1. Children have to be educated to dispose of the wastes only in a trash can.

2. The court was shocked after hearing the accused say that he murdered the victim and disposed of the body in a cardboard box.

3. One of the ways of living happily is to dispose of the anger from our thoughts.

4. Disposing of the bad habits like smoking, drinking, etc. is a must before one starts the new year.

5. James disposed of all his expectations on Jessica when she suddenly told him that she did not want to marry him.

6. It is time for people to dispose of their new year resolutions for the last year and come up with fresh resolutions for the forthcoming year.

7. The moment when John disposed of his fear of failure, failure started fearing him and he started piling up many successes. His rivals find him fearsome nowadays.

Propose or Propose To - Their difference & use of 'propose' in sentences

'Propose or propose to' is one topic that many people get confused about. Many people know that propose is a verb and it means the following.

1. Coming up with a new plan or suggestion for approval or consideration.
2. Letting a male or female know one's willingness to marry that person.

While many know the above two meanings of the verb 'propose', very few actually are able to make a proposal correctly to their loved ones (I meant just in terms of grammar). I won't blame Shakespeare or anyone else who invented English in this case. While English is confusing, the undeniable fact is, love is more confusing that anything that is confusing. And, when love is expressed with words in English, it is natural for mistakes to happen with non-native speakers of English, especially Indians. While I am no genius to help you with love, I definitely am genius enough to help you with the difference between propose or propose to.

Propose or propose to - know the exact difference:

The difference is very simple. Just forget about all the love or marriage proposals that you are about to make in your future for a great future. Just understand that 'propose' means, you have come up with an idea for something to happen. With this understanding alone, read the following two sentences.

1. James proposed a brilliant plan to my superior for the rapid growth of the company.

2. James proposed Janani.

Example 1 means that, James has come up with an idea that will help the company grow rapidly. Example 2 is utterly wrong because it means that James has actually come up with an idea or plan named Janani, which I am sure James did not mean. He actually means that he has come up with an idea to express his love for Janani. The correct sentence is,

3. James proposed to Janani

To make you understand this better, example 3 can be also said as,

4. James proposed his love to Janani.

Use of propose in example sentences:

1. The plan that Williams proposed to the company was rejected, much to his utter disappointment and disbelief.

2. Sarah slapped Ash when he suddenly tried kissing her while proposing to her. Too bad that Ash did not realize that he could have kissed her all day after the proposal was made.

3. While many youngsters proposed to Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma, it has to be fate that made a 'c' for cricketer join hands with a 'c' for celebrity forever. How many of you know that they were suffering from a break up once, soon after their journey of love initially started?

4. While many boys say that proposing to a girl is not a crime, I wish those boys understood that rejecting a proposal is also not a crime.

5. When the boss of my company rejected the idea that I proposed to him for the improvement of work-life balance, I imagined a picture of me working in a new company next to my boss's graveyard.

6. In a world where guys propose to girls holding a diamond ring in their hands, James was an exception as he proposed to Jessica holding a knife in one hand and a Gustav Gun in the other hand. Jessica happily accepted his proposal. Does anyone want to join hands with me in wishing James and Jessica 'a happy married life'?

7. History tells us that Shah Jahan proposed to Mumtaz Mahal and the Taj Mahal is the tomb of his beautiful wife. Do you know that Ustad Ahmad Lahouri and Ustad Isa are believed to be the chief architects of the Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of our world?

8. It was too late when Max proposed to Mini as she was already married and was the mother of 7 children. Coincidentally, Max was in love with Mini for 7 long years.

9. James was so afraid of proposing to Jessica that he swallowed a diamond ring and went to Jessica's hospital to undergo an abdominal surgery. Much to his shock, the operation was a failure as the swallowed diamond ring has gone missing.

10. The company was in tremendous jubilation as the quotation that John proposed to the government was accepted. The C.E.O. of the company instantly promoted John to the post of General Manager after hearing this news.

Oversee vs Overlook

While both the words oversee and overlook seem to have similar meanings, their real meanings are entirely different. Oversee (verb) means supervising and is often a word used professionally. Overlook means failing to notice something that is important (overlook also means having a look at something from above, this meaning is hardly in existence). The following examples will give you crystal-clear clarity on the difference between oversee and overlook.

Use of 'overlook' in example sentences:

1. It was shocking to see the boss of my company dismissing one of our colleagues as he overlooked a customer who came there for assistance.

2. Most of the IT companies will always overlook the problems faced by their employees when they are forced work in rotational shifts.

3. India's most and ever loved legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar was blessed to have a coach like Ramakant Achrekar who never overlooked a single error that the little master made during his training sessions. This is evident from Tendulkar's remarkable batting technique.

4. Many people overlook the joy and excitement that one could only get while reading books.

5. The jury have expressed their dissatisfaction with the police as they have overlooked a hint in the murder case, which later proved to be decisive.

6. Jessica divorced James as he deliberately overlooked his wife's longing for a diamond ring that was just worth 10 million dollars.

7. The company where I work suffered a loss of 10 crore rupees. Had they not overlooked the technical problem that I already informed them, this huge loss would have been avoided.

Use of 'oversee' in example sentences:

8. Williams was so excited as he was given the authority to oversee all the employees in the company during the absence of his superior, John.

9. Since the tragic demise of the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, late Dr. J. Jayalalitha, there seems to be absolutely no clarity on who actually has been overseeing the A.I.A.D.M.K. party and its troops.

10. The intelligence activities of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are always overseen by the Director of National Intelligence, Daniel Coats.

Difference Between Abroad And Foreign

Either you are going to a foreign country or you are coming back home from abroad, the first and foremost thing that you should be knowing is how to frame a sentence properly with the words 'abroad' and 'foreign'. The difference between abroad and foreign is one thing that you should never overlook. After all, no one likes to start or end their journey to a foreign place with a grammatical mistake and end-up with people correcting their mistakes in English instead of bidding them good luck or an adieu. If you strongly believe in this, then you have landed at the right place that will give you the clarity on how to use the words, abroad and foreign in sentences correctly.

The meanings and the different forms of the words abroad and foreign are all you need to know to understand their difference. While many people know the meanings of abroad and foreign, only very few people actually know the different forms of these words. The following explanation will help you with the meanings, different forms and the usage of the words 'abroad' and 'foreign' with example sentences.

1) Abroad:

Meaning: 

Abroad is a foreign country or a collection of foreign countries.

Different forms:

The word abroad can only be used as an adverb and a noun. Remember that abroad can never be used as an adjective.

Use of 'abroad' in example sentences:

1. Jessica will be going abroad tomorrow and will not be home for the next 5 years.

2. Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma finally got married on December 11, 2017 in Italy. They are expected to soon go abroad after India's tour of South Africa and see different countries on their honeymoon.

3. The boss of my company came from abroad last week after a period of 20 years. I actually thought he was dead.

4. Do you not wonder why many people say that they are going abroad instead of actually telling the name of the country where they are going?

5. While many Indians wrongly perceive that they only need to go abroad for quality education, our beloved and former President of India, Late Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam made full use of all the facilities in India and showed the world the true value of our education system and the faculty.

6. Studying abroad will not only help you with more job opportunities worldwide, but will also expose you to the different lifestyles of foreigners.

7. Why do our friends and relatives who come from abroad mostly give us nothing but a pack full of chocolates?

8. According to the latest survey by United Nations, India has the largest population of people who go abroad either for studying or to make a living. Currently, there are more than 1.6 crore (16 million) Indians who are living abroad.

9. After a long period of 25 years, James' parents have finally decided to come back home from abroad and make the necessary arrangements for their son's wedding ceremony. James has been smart enough to just wait for the marriage and not for the forthcoming events post his wedding.

10. While many companies give their employees an opportunity to go abroad and work, the only person in my company, who seems to be benefiting from this trend is the boss himself. I think he must be a part-time pilot.

2) Foreign:

Meaning: 

A different country other than one's own country or native place. Foreign also means a different characteristic from the normal one.

Different forms:

The word foreign can only be used as an adjective. Remember that the word foreign can never be used as a noun.

Use of 'foreign' in example sentences:

11. During the time of demonetization in India last November, I did not suffer at all as I had more foreign currencies than the Indian currencies.

12. India has been providing quality education in the recent times and this has motivated more people from foreign countries to come here for studying.

13. Though India is yet to achieve its status as a developed nation, it feels heartwarming to see more foreign countries investing in India. This will definitely raise the standard of living in India to a great level.

14. India's no.1 position in test cricket rankings will be facing many challenges only when they tour foreign countries and India's tour of SA, 2017-18 will be nothing short of a stern test.

15. India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has been visiting many foreign countries to make sure that India maintains a strong and friendly relationship with every country. His foreign visits also concentrate on many other agendas for the development of India.

Call It A Day - meaning, origin and use of 'call it a day' in sentences

What does 'call it a day' mean?

'Call it a day' is an expression that means that something is about to be stopped. It is a decision that someone would take to discontinue their work or other activities that are currently in existence. 

Origin of 'call it a day':

'Call it a day' is a phrase that originated from the phrase 'call it half a day'. In the year 1838, this phrase was recorded for the very 1st time to refer an employee who left for home without the workday was over. That is when the attendance records had his workdays mentioned as half a days. Since then, whenever the employees are found not working in the office for the entire workday, their superiors would call it 'half a day' to make sure that their salaries will have deductions according to the no. of half-a-days. Later, this phrase was transformed into 'call it a day' which means that work on that particular day is completely over. In the year 1919, the very first use of 'Call it a day' was recorded and since then, has been used by many people and companies worldwide.

Use of 'call it a day' in example sentences:

1. I am so tired of working today. I wish the company called it a day.

2. I felt so frustrated when by boss told me to work for one more hour after I already called it a day.

3. The crowd was furious when the umpires called it a day on the last day of the 1st test match between India and Sri Lanka at Kolkata. The match ended in a draw after India was in a winning position.

4. One should never call it a day before getting the job done.

5. Never call it a day before achieving your dreams.

6. When you feel like you have done enough hard work on a day, just call it a day and do the rest tomorrow.

7. Are you always the first person to call it a day at your office daily and run home in a jiff?

8. I and my friends were partying happily for almost 4 hours before we called it a day.

9. If I were the boss of the company where I work, I would always call it a day exactly 15 minutes after I reached the office. Do I sound greedy?

10. It's so tough to continue working at the office after everyone had already called it a day. It makes me feel like I am a security guard at an ATM center.

11. I am feeling sleepy all of a sudden. Let me have a cup of coffee and call it a day.

12. Honeymoon is the only time when no one likes to call it a day.

13. I don't bother you calling it a day. But, make sure that you finish this activity tomorrow without procrastinating it much further.

14. My friend would never call it a day at work until the time reached 6 o' clock in the evening.

15. I wish our history teacher would call it a day before someone faints. We have been tremendously suffering from her lecture for the past 4 hours.

Difference Between Alternate And Alternative With Example Sentences

The difference between alternate and alternative is very important as these are two words that we use every now and then. In fact, the words alternate and alternative get interchanged a lot because of one simple reason. In American English, there is no difference between 'alternate' and 'alternative'. Both the words, alternate and alternative mean the same in North America (it means available as a choice). Because of this, many people in India and other countries apart from America have started interchanging these words. Though, the required meaning gets understood by the listener, the right word is very rarely used. If you are someone who is fond of British English, the following explanation will give you crystal-clear clarity on the difference between alternate and alternative.

Difference between alternate and alternative:

1) Alternate:

verb

something that occurs in turn repeatedly.

Examples:

1. Joe's thoughts will always alternate between good and bad.

2. A clock's pendulum always alternates between one extreme and the other extreme.

3. Rotation of our planet Earth results in the alternation of day and night.

4. Why does happiness get alternated with sadness in my life?

5. Jessica was suddenly crying and smiling in alternation.

6. In my fitness program yesterday, 10-minute jumping alternated with a 1-minute break.

7. The alternation of success and failure is the theme of a movie called 'Life'. 

adjective

every other, every second, every minute, etc.

Examples:

8. I wish I could go to the office on alternate days.
9. Jessica and Joe meet each other only on alternate Sundays.
10. There was a time when the great Sachin Tendulkar was a part of the playing 11 only for alternate matches.
11. When you see a scoreboard in cricket, that says 4 6 4 6 4 6, it is clear that the batsman hits fours and sixers on alternate deliveries.
12. My family always goes on a vacation to a foreign country in alternate years.

2) Alternative:

adjective

something that is available as a possible choice, something that is different from the traditional or normal lifestyle.

Examples:

13. I wish God showed me alternative paths to travel in my life.

14. Virender Sehwag's unique approach to batting in test cricket resulted in many alternative ways of winning a match for India.

15. The passengers of the electric train did not suffer from the power cut because they boarded an alternative train that runs by steam.

16. Jessica though of coming by car, but she came by foot alternatively.

17. Nowadays, many people wish to live in an alternative world that would be free from noise and air pollution.

18. Scientists believe that Mars seems to be an alternative planet where living-beings could excel.

noun

available choices for something.

Examples:

19. Virat Kohli has been slowly recognized as an alternative to Sachin Tendulkar.

20. No matter how many sequels come, Spider-Man 1 will never have an alternative.

21. Nothing could be an alternative to finding happiness from looking at children.

22. John had no other alternatives to reaching the city apart from going around the mountains. 

23. Sehwag could have easily reached his very first 300 in tests with a single, but he hit a six alternatively, much to the making of history.

Apply For or Apply To / Subscribe For or Subscribe To - Know The Correct Preposition

'Apply for' or 'apply to' is one confusion where most people remain stranded, especially at a time when you are planning to join a company and in the application letter you are not sure whether you need to write 'apply for' or 'apply to' this job and you don't want to get rejected for a grammatical error. The below examples will give you the much-needed clarity on this confusion.

Examples:

1. I am applying to this company for the post of an English teacher.

2. I am applying for the post of an English teacher.

From the example 1, it is clear that you should only use 'apply to' when you are talking about an organization, company or a governing body. In example 2, 'applying for' is used as you are not talking about the company, but you are giving the reason for your application. When you give the reason for applying, for applying becomes 'applying for'. Isn't that amazing! If you notice example 1, the preposition 'for' is also used there as you are trying to let others know that you are applying to become a teacher. English teacher is the reason in both the examples. Hence the preposition 'for' is used in both the examples before the phrase, the post of an English teacher.

Having understood whether apply for or apply to is correct, it would be very easy to understand if 'subscribe for' or 'subscribe to' is correct.

Subscribe For or Subscribe To:

This is exactly similar to 'apply for' or 'apply to' in terms of the usage of prepositions, for and to. Either 'subscribe for' or 'subscribe to' can be used, but if you are talking about a magazine, channel, etc., 'subscribe to' has to be used and if you are giving the reason for your subscription, 'subscribe for' has to be used.

Examples:

3. I have subscribed to this channel to watch my favorite show, Pokemon.

4. I have subscribed for watching my favorite show, Pokemon.

5. I have subscribed to Tata Sky sports pack on my television. 

Similar examples for the use of apply / subscribe in sentences:

6. These stringent rules are applicable to everybody in our country.

7. Being quiet is one rule that never applies to children. They think so!

8. I wish I had subscribed to Airtel Digital TV. Tata Sky does not give value for my money.

9. I need to renew my subscription to the daily newspaper tomorrow.

10. I am planning to apply to Google for the post of C.E.O.

11. My application for the post of a postman has been rejected.

12. Oxford university has approved my application for a U.G. course there. Jeez, I am delighted!

13. I hope more people would subscribe to my blog posts.

14. The R.T.O. inspector denied my application for a driving license as I fell down from my bike during the test.

15. Have you subscribed to any weekly magazines recently?

16. Am I the only one who has subscribed to reader's digest?

Pipe Down - meaning, origin and use of 'pipe down' in sentences

Meaning of pipe down:

'Pipe Down' is an informal expression and a term that originated from America which means reduce or lower the volume, make less noise, etc.

Origin of pipe down:

A boatswain's pipe or whistle

Pipe down is a sound signal that comes from a boatswain's pipe (a whistle in the form of a pipe). A boatswain (pronounced as bo-sen) is an officer who is in charge of the entire ship, crew and equipment. He blows this whistle with different sound modulations to signal the crew on the ship for various commands. 'Piping down the hammocks' is one of the signals, that the boatswain uses to let the sailors know that it's time for them to stop working and go to bed. Upon hearing this signal, the sailors will immediately start lowering their hammocks (a bed made of canvas or rope mesh, that hangs in the air with supports at both ends) from the pipes and prepare for sleep resulting in complete silence on the ship.

A sailor is sleeping on a hammock

Use of 'pipe down' in example sentences:

1. My friend asked me to pipe down when I was shouting like a stupid for no reason.

2. Will you please pipe down, my ears are bleeding!

3. I wish the library displayed a banner that says Pipe Down, I can't read a book at peace.

4. The audience was in no mood to pipe down seeing Roger Federer lifting his Wimbledon trophy for an unprecedented 8th time.

5. Dude, pipe down! I am not deaf.

Leaving For or Leaving To

You would have heard your friends or colleagues at the end of a day saying, I am leaving to my house, I am leaving to Bengaluru tomorrow, etc. While you do end up understanding that your friend is going to his house or Bengaluru, you don't realize that 'to' is a preposition that should never be used with the word 'leaving'. If 'leaving for' or 'leaving to' are two phrases that you interchange a lot, remember that leaving to is a blunder. The simple explanation that you find below will let you know whether leaving for or leaving to has to be used hereafter.

Leaving for or leaving to:

What does leaving mean?

1. going away from a place.

2. making things remain as they are, things are left without any changes, etc.

Here, we are going to discuss just the first meaning of leaving. When you say, 'leaving to', it is almost like 'going to' where you use the preposition 'to' to indicate where your destination is. On the other hand, leaving doesn't indicate that you are travelling, it just means that you are leaving a place. You can only give a reason for leaving a particular place. Hence, for is used. The following examples will make you understand better why only 'leaving for' is used.

Examples:

3. I am leaving for America tomorrow.

4. The train will be leaving for Chennai soon.

5. I am leaving for my office.

Examples 3, 4 and 5 are classic and commonly-used ones to let you get a crystal-clear understanding of whether 'leaving for' or 'leaving to' is correct.

By example 3, a person actually means that he/she is leaving a particular place (let this place be India) to reach America. Hence, America is the reason why the person is leaving India. Example 3 can also be said like, I am leaving India to reach America tomorrow. But, everyone knows that the person is currently in India. Hence, India may not be included in the sentence. That is why, the reason alone is mentioned here. I am leaving India because I need to reach America tomorrow. Hence, America is the reason for leaving India. To highlight the reason and to come up with a simple sentence for this big explanation, example 3 is followed. I am leaving for America tomorrow. 

Similarly, examples 4 and 5 also have the preposition 'for' which indicates the reasons Chennai and office. That is, the train is leaving to reach Chennai. A person is leaving to reach his/her office.

I hope you now understand why only 'leaving for' has to be used. So, hereafter when someone asks you whether 'leaving for' or 'leaving to' is correct, let them know the correct phrase with an explanation that would make them never forget why.

Post your comments for further clarification, if required.

Lose vs Loose - Difference And Their Usages

The difference between lose and loose is known by many people, but few people unfortunately don't use the word 'lose' at all while typing. The main reason has to be with their pronunciations. Both the words lose and loose have the same pronunciation and because of this, the word 'lose' is often typed as 'loose', especially by many Indians who don't have English as their native language. Let us see the meanings of lose and loose to make sure that you follow the right spellings hereafter.

Lose:

Pronunciation: looz

Meaning: failing to do something, missing an opportunity, etc.

Lose is a verb. 

Let's put lose in example sentences.

1. I will not lose this opportunity to learn English.

2. Rafael Nadal will never lose to any player on a clay court.

3. One should not lose to their fear of failure before making an attempt.

Loose:

Pronunciation: loos

Meaning: something that is not firmly fixed, easily detachable, not tight, etc.

Loose is mostly used as an adjective. 

Let's put loose in example sentences.

1. This shirt is so loose on me.

2. Liquid is made of water molecules that are loosely packed.

3. Her loose hair looked absolutely gorgeous.

Post your questions here if you require further clarifications on the difference between lose and loose.

Difference Between BE and AE

The difference between British English (BE) and American English (AE) exists not just with the spellings, but also with the usage of words and phrases. Many people who don't have adequate knowledge of English believe that the difference between BE and AE is just with spellings. This is true only during schooldays when all you would be taught are the differences between the spellings of some words in BE & AE and to some extent, the words that completely change their forms. Below are some of the examples that you all know just to refresh your memory about BE and AE (main explanation about the difference between BE and AE will follow these examples).

British English    American English

colour                                 color

biscuit                                 cookie

petrol                                  gasoline or gas

flat                                      apartment

taxi                                     cab

wallet                                 billfold

zebra crossing                 crosswalk

lift                                       elevator

rubber                                eraser

tap                                     faucet

ground floor                     first floor  

postman                            mailman 

mum                                  mom

railway                               railroad

toilet                                  restroom

pavement                          sidewalk

post code                          zip code

While the above spellings and words in BE and AE will help you score good marks in your English subject, the main differences between BE and AE are as follows.

Main Differences between BE and AE:

1. Phrases

2. Past participle forms

3. Spellings

4. Euphemism

1. Phrases:

While many people have fun playing with the spellings of BE and AE, not many realize that much more fun is possible using the phrases that people use in American English. Pipe down, sun down, throw up, hangout, chill out, etc. are some of the phrases that people use in AE. If you just follow BE, I am confident that you are going to get the meanings of these phrases completely wrong. Now, let's see the real meanings of these phrases that are frequently used in American English.

Pipe down  - to be quiet or less noisy. (Click here to know more on the history of 'pipe down')

Sun down   - the time when the sun sets (sunset).

Throw up   - about to vomit.

Hangout     - spending time with friends at a particular time or place.

Chill out     - feel relaxed.

having a blast/ball - having a great time.

2. Past participle forms:

'Got' is the past participle of get in BE and 'gotten' is its past participle in AE. While Americans say 'gonna', Brits say 'going to'.

3. Spellings:

Spellings are the basic difference between BE and AE. Some common words like colour, centre and litre in BE have the spellings color, center and liter respectively in AE. Remember that, spellings are of less importance as nowadays, many word documents follow the spellings of AE. For an example, if you type the word 'colour' in a word document, it will be highlighted as an error, whereas the spelling 'color' will not be considered as a spelling mistake in most word documents.

4. Euphemism:

Euphemism is art of being professional with your choice of words. AE has a lot of phrases that will help you follow euphemism. For an example, the word, toilet in BE is restroom in AE. 'Would you like to go to the restroom?' sounds better than 'Would you like to go to the toilet?' 

'Pipe down' is also another example of this.

Click here for some common phrases in AE that will help you understand better the difference between BE and AE.

Top 5 Websites To Learn English

English is a universal language that makes it invaluable as a medium of communication. If you are someone who is not a native English speaker, it definitely is tough to converse in English, especially when you don't know the basics of English. Many people struggle to bridge the gap between speaking in English and speaking in English fluently just because they don't find the exact platforms that enhance their English skills. While internet keeps on getting bigger and deeper with a lot of websites that could help you learn English effectively, not every website helps you in learning English to suit your specific needs.

Some websites might even end up being a pain in your back and you would end up going back to the staring point on your journey to learn English. I haven't mentioned the priceless time that you would have unintentionally wasted in the process of finding the top websites to learn English. To help you a little in improving your English, I have done my research to find the top 5 websites that will help you in learning English effectively and efficiently. These 5 websites are not just great websites, but are also fun websites that will make sure that you enjoy while learning English. In other words, these websites are full of edutainment materials in the form of videos, quizzes, etc., you are sure to enjoy even if you don't get educated. Listed below are the top 5 fun websites to learn English.

#5. BitGab

Learning English is fun. If someone tells you that you need to be a bookworm and go through all the English books in the library or in the internet, you would probably never learn English in your lifetime. After all, many people would prefer to learn English in the process of doing something fun, entertaining, etc. BitGab is a website that is tailor-made for people who think like this. On this website, you could watch movies, listen to songs, get yourself updated on what's happening in our world and a lot more. This website makes you enjoy doing all these with just one condition. English would be the theme of everything that you find on this website. There is more! Chat with students and teachers from across the globe. Make friends and have video & audio conversations with them. This is almost like a social network where you can learn English at will. Remember that you can join this website for FREE!

#4. FluentU

This website's name says it. The sole aim of this website is to make sure that you are fluent at speaking in English. The unique feature of this website is, it gives entertainment on a new level. You will find real time videos that are similar to your everyday activities. While watching the videos, you can hover over any particular word and the video pauses instantly to give you details of that word in the form of its meaning and usage. There is a lot more. You can play quizzes based on the videos you watch. This website is so unique that it will understand your browsing history to make sure that the website becomes tailor-made for you over time. FluentU also has different levels from beginner to advanced to make sure that you will never get lost anywhere on this website. One disappointing thing though is, you can just try this website for free as you are required to spend some money (affordable and worth every penny of yours) to continue with its services. After all, good things do come with a cost.

#3. EnglishCentral

This is a great platform that has been creating much hype among people (over 2 million users) from various countries. A great thing about this website is, Google recommends it, thus making this a English learning platform of extreme quality. This is similar to FluentU when it comes to real time videos with many wonderful exceptions. The videos are of the highest quality and apart from finding the meanings and usages of the words with just a click while watching the video, you can even converse with a private tutor through a 1-on-1 session. It also has an assessment tool called 'intellicoach' that can give you feedback on your pronunciations. Many English trainers and followers of English have found EnglishCentral a great learning-partner to develop their English skills.

#2. Quora

Let me give you a heads-up on this website. Quora is not a place just to learn English; it is a knowledge-sharing platform where you can ask your questions and soon you will get answers from  various users of Quora, who are mostly experts of the topic of your question. You can follow a person, get followed by others, post your questions on English or anything and even answer questions of others. This is a great website that you can use to make sure you don't have any questions unanswered. If you are wondering what's the fun part of this website, just become a user here and you'll know the fun involved.

#1. Duolingo 

This website is one of the top websites to learn English not just because it is fun, but because this is a seriously addictive website for learning English. You will end up spending a lot of time on this website because of its innovative ways of learning English (you could also learn many other languages). You can play a lot of games on English, where you can score points for correct answers, lose hearts for wrong answers, race against time and much more. Duolingo does not charge you at all. You can learn a language for free forever (the homepage of this website proudly says this). This is one of the features that make this no.1 in my list of top websites to learn English while also having fun.

Click here for some of my own tips that will aid you in speaking in English easily and confidently.

It 'is raining' or 'has been' raining - is vs has been

It is raining and it has been raining are two sentences that we hear frequently at a time when rain is around. When many people find both the sentences easily understandable, there is a big difference that lies between the phrases 'is raining' and 'has been raining'. Remember that both these phrases are to be used only when the incident (rain in this case) is currently happening.

Firstly, for people who concentrate a lot on the tenses and their terminologies, 'is raining' denotes present continuous tense and 'has been raining' denotes present perfect continuous tense. Because my blog concentrates on just spoken English, you will not find explanations for these tenses on this blog. However, you will be able to understand the exact difference between 'is raining' and 'has been raining' with the following examples.

Examples of 'is' vs 'has been':

1. It is raining heavily.
2. It has been raining heavily for the past 3 days.

From example 1, it can be seen that you are making someone know that currently, it is raining in your locality. That is why the phrase, 'is raining' has been used in that sentence. When you are mentioning about rain happening for a period of time, the phrase 'has been raining' has to be used like you see in example 2.

The important thing is, both the examples have to be used only when it is currently raining.

To make sure you won't forget the correct usage of the phrases 'is raining' and 'has been raining', remember the following.

• When rain is your visitor, use the phrase 'is raining'.
• When the visitor becomes a guest and stays around in your locality, use the phrase 'has been raining'.

Note: From examples 1 and 2, it is clear that 'has been' is used only for an incident that is currently happening and if the incident is mentioned in terms of time. Click here for similar examples using the phrase has/have been in terms of time.

Research On or Research In - Usage of noun form of research

If you are someone who does a lot of research in English to make sure that you frame sentences grammatically correct, your research might have already landed at the word 'research' and some of you might feel stranded about whether to use 'research on' or 'research in' in your sentences. The clarification for this is simple. Firstly, remember that both the phrases 'research on' and 'research in' are correct. It's about the usage of these phrases. Take a look at the following examples.

1. I am doing my research in English.
2. I am doing my research on grammar.


Researches can be done on anything. But, if the field in which you do the research is a big one, the preposition 'in' has to be used. Everywhere else, the preposition 'on' is used. The following examples will give you better clarity on the difference between 'research on' and 'research in'.

3. I am doing my research on cardiology.
4. I am doing my research in Science.
5. Andy is doing his research on psychology.
6. Federer's research on single-handed backhand is finally a success.

Feel free to post your queries.

Home vs House difference and example sentences

Many of you would have juggled the words 'home' and 'house' whenever you use those in sentences. You might have become good as a juggler, but people would never appreciate your English skills, especially people who know the difference between 'home' and 'house'. If you had ever heard somebody telling that 'home' is your own place and 'house' is a rented place, forget about it. That has to be the most insane explanation one could give for home vs house. The following are the meanings of home and house.

Home:
A place where you will find happiness, affection and satisfaction. It is a building that is made of bricks, where the bricks are joined together by a bond called 'love'.

House:
A place where you just live to survive. It is a building that is made of bricks, where the bricks are joined together by a bond called cement.

The following images will give you better clarity on the difference between home and house.

Why is the knowledge of home vs house important?

I am confident that, now you would know the difference between 'home' and 'house' and their exact meanings. If you still don't have a clue why one should be very particular about using 'home' and 'house', just imagine this. You are in love with a girl named Jessica. What would you say to propose to her? Would you say, I love you, Jessica or I like you, Jessica? When you want love to be expressed, express it with the right word.

If you want people to know that you are happy being in your house, call it 'home' and people will realize it on their own. The beauty of love is, it is most beautiful only when expressed.

Click here to know the usage of 'home' and 'house' in sentences & explanation of 'am home' or 'am in my house' phrases.

Your feedback or queries are welcome!

Am Home or Am In My House - know the difference

Use of home and house in sentences:

Having known the difference between home and house, many of you might have trouble in knowing how to use these words in sentences, especially while using the word 'home'. If you are confused about the difference between I am home and I am in my house, don't worry! This post will let you know that understanding the phrases 'am home' or 'am in my house' is a cakewalk. Take a look at the following sentences and then, see the explanation that follows.

Examples:

1. I will be there tomorrow.

2. I will be in that place tomorrow.

From the above examples, remember that when you mention 'place', you use the preposition 'in' (example 2). On the other hand, example 1 doesn't have a preposition as you have mentioned the place using the word 'there'. This same principle is applied while using the words 'home' and 'house'. Some of the examples are given below.

3. I will be home tomorrow.

4. I will be in my house tomorrow.

5. I will go home at 5 p.m.

6. I will go to my house at 5 p.m.

The above four examples clearly let you know that when you use home, preposition is avoided and when you replace 'home' with 'my house', preposition is compulsory.

Based on the above explanation, now let's see the difference between 'am home' and 'am in my house'.

7. I am home.

8. I am in my house.

Examples 7 and 8 are both grammatically correct as we have avoided any preposition for 'home' and the preposition 'in' is included for 'my house'.

Note: Always use home or my house. Never use my home as home itself indicates that the place is your house.

Your feedback or queries are welcome!

Sitting On a chair or In a chair

If you are someone who has been facing a lot of confusions over the past few days just because you are not sure whether you could say that a person is sitting on a chair or in a chair, believe me.. this is a sign of you getting better at your English. Before, I could tell you the difference between on a chair and in a chair, take a peek at the following images.

Example 1

Example 2

The above two images are classic and clear examples to let one know the difference between 'on the chair' and 'in the chair'.

Difference between sitting on the chair and sitting in the chair:

'On the chair' is similar to 'on the couch'. When we use a chair or a couch just to sit and kill sometime or do work, we say 'on the chair'. The tricky part is.. where to use 'in the chair'.

From example 2, it can be clearly seen that the old man is reading a newspaper sitting in an armchair. An armchair is one type of chair that apart from letting you sit, will also help you feel relaxed by getting some rest. You would almost feel like you would be surrounded by the chair because it's huge. Hence, here we use 'in the chair'. From the image, it is understood that the old man is so comfortable, he almost is relaxing in the chair like it's a bed. That is why, 'in the chair' is used for example 2.

Only when the chair is big with armrests and soft cushion to help us relax, we say 'in the chair'. For everything else, we say 'on the chair'.

Note: In corporate offices, you might find big chairs with armrests and great cushions, but you should only say 'on the chair' to sound professional.   

Your feedback or comments are welcome!

Difference between Fun and Funny

I am pretty sure that most of you know what the words 'fun' and 'funny' mean. The important thing is, not many realize that the word 'fun' apart from being a noun is also an adjective. I have hardly seen people using fun as an adjective. Let us first see the meanings of the words fun and funny.

Fun (adjective)     - something that results in amusement, joy or entertainment.
Funny (adjective) - something that results in laughter, humour, etc.

The difference between fun and funny can be easily understood with the following examples.

1. Dexter is a funny guy. (Avoid saying this)
2. His speech was funny.
3. I had a fun time playing at the amusement park.
4. We had a fun experience on our last tour.

Both the adjectives, funny and fun mean amusement, joy, etc. But, 'funny' is mostly used to indicate laughter and humour.

Fun vs Funny:

Example 1 means that you say that Dexter is funny. Dexter might get offended because instead of being particular telling that Dexter's speech or acts were funny, you say that Dexter himself is funny, which is an informal way of speaking.

Be more specific and example 1 could be modified as follows.
5. Dexter's speech was funny.
6. American Pie is a funny movie.

If you still would like to follow the same pattern of example 1, say the following.
7. Dexter is a fun guy
              or
    Dexter is full of fun (fun is a noun here).

The above example lets us know how the adjective 'fun' would really be useful to speak formally. Because, not many realize that fun is also an adjective, we usually say that we had a great time, it was a great movie, we had a good talk, etc.

What do you mean by great? Are you trying to say that you spent some time doing something which was entertaining. Then don't use the word 'great'. Use a word that actually means entertainment. This is when the word 'fun' can be used.

When you use the adjective 'fun', the sentences may be as follows.
8. We had a fun time.
9. It was a fun movie.
10. We had a fun talk.


Feel free to post your comments or queries and expect replies right away.

6 Easy Tips To Speak In English Fluently

The 6 easy tips that you find below will be very helpful in letting you realize the difference between speaking in English and speaking in English properly. Many people say that English is a funny language. But, only people who have done their research in English or on a  particular topic in English will know that English is not a funny language, but a fun language after all.

If you are someone who is very keen on improving your English skills, you already would have started wondering about the difference between the adjectives funny and fun (Click here for fun vs funny) & the usage of 'in' and 'on' for the word research. (Click here for 'research on' vs 'research in')

Now, coming back to the 6 easy tips to speak in English fluently, the following are the tips that will let you tweak your English slightly to result in huge differences positively.

1. Don't ask questions in the form of answers.

2. Start using simple phrases.

3. Avoid one-word conversations.

4. Watch BBC News regularly.

5. Speak with kids in your neighbourhood.

6. Don't confuse English with your mother tongue.

1. Don't ask questions in the form of answers:

I do not know from which country you are reading this post. I belong to a beautiful country called India where I realize that many people ask questions that are answers actually. But, they speak it in such a way that the listener will understand that it is a question. The following are the wrong ways people ask questions.

Wrong examples:

1. You made the mistake no?

2. You made the mistake ah?

The above examples are an awful way of speaking in English, especially when people concentrate on your English. The correct or suitable ways of speaking the above sentences are mentioned below.

Correct examples:

A). You made the mistake, didn't you?

                       or

      You have made the mistake, haven't you?

                       or

      You made the mistake, right? (Using 'right' is not advisable, but may be followed)

B). Have you made the mistake? 

                       or

      Did you make the mistake?

When you already know the answer for your question, but still, you would like to get it confirmed, follow example(A). When you completely do not know the answer for your question, follow example(B) which is the normal way to ask a question. No matter whether you follow A or B, never follow the wrong examples that I have given for your reference.

2. Start using simple phrases:

This is one of the simple tips that will make you speak in English fluently in a significant manner. Phrases are two or more joined together that could be used regularly for different scenarios. Some of the commonly used phrases are

Would you like to ........?

Do you ....?

May I ....?

Examples:

Would you like to have a cup of tea?

Would you like to come with me for a movie tonight?

Do you need any help?

Do you know what time it is now?

May I come in?

May I go out?

May I help you?

When you start using phrases, you'll find English very easy because, most people speak in English without phrases. So, when you include phrases, you are almost perfect with your English.

3. Avoid one-word conversations:

Follow this tip and you'll realize that speaking in English is a cakewalk. I know that you are very convenient in giving 1-word answers like yes or no for most questions, but, believe me...you might save energy following this tactic, but your English will never improve at all.

Sample questions:

1. Do you know where Ramesh is?

2. Do you love Jessica?

3. Have you ever watched the movie, 'American Pie'?

Wrong answers:

1. No.

2. Yes.

3. Definitely.

Correct / Advisable answers:

1. No, I don't know where Ramesh is.

2. Yes, I do love Jessica.

3. Definitely! I have watched the movie 'American Pie'.

You might know what number comes after 100. That doesn't confirm that you know all the numbers till 101. This is similar to Roger Federer. He makes his own tennis schedules right now cause he is a complete tennis player. Similarly, first, learn the language and then play with the language as you wish.

4. Watch BBC News regularly:

I know it's a pain in the back to watch a channel, especially a news channel, just to learn a language. As the proverb goes, 'no pain...no gain'. BBC News is a great channel for people who follow British English. Become a follower of that channel and you will have both the knowledge of the world and English in your finger tips. Click here for the Learning English app from BBC, a fun and informative way to learn English.

5. Speak with kids in your neighbourhood:

No language can be mastered without practicing to speak. English is no exception to this. But, if you are a grown-up, it might be tough for you speak in English when you are in the learning phase. You might make a lot of grammatical mistakes and the listeners might laugh at you and you might find it embarrassing, Still, speaking practice is required. The best way is...speak with kids in your locality. I am pretty sure you can speak better than them. You could also end-up training them on English. Wouldn't that be a great way to show off!

6. Don't confuse English with your mother tongue:

English, as much as is a universal language, it has some of its words imported from various other languages. Hence, English is one language that you should never try to learn comparing it with your mother tongue.

'For' vs 'Since' in terms of time

The words for and since have a lot of meanings. But, many people get confused about the usage of for and since when time is considered. To make things easy to understand, the following are the correct examples that let you know the differences between for and since in terms of time.

Examples of 'for' and 'since' in past continuous tense:
I have been waiting for the train for the past 30 minutes.
I have been waiting for the train since 30 minutes ago.

Imagine that today is Wednesday and read the following examples of for and since.
I have been working here since Monday.
I have been working here for the past 3 days.

From the above examples, it is clear than 'for' is used to mention the entire time or no. of days spent on a task and 'since' is used to indicate the exact time or day when the task started initially.

Practical example: To make you not forget the difference between since and for, remember this. 'For' is like the duration of a movie and 'since' is like the time when the movie started.

Note: I used past continuous tense for examples, because 'for' and 'since' are mostly used for past continuous tenses. The exception is past tense which just uses the word 'for'. Avoid using 'since' in past tense as it makes the sentences more complicated.

Examples of 'for' in past tense:
I waited for 3 hours in the queue to buy a movie ticket.
I waited for 30 minutes before the train arrived.

Feel free to post your comments or queries.

'next month' vs 'in the next month'

You might have found many websites that give you various explanations about the differences between next month and in the next month. I am pretty sure that you would be confused right now. I will make you understand the difference with the following two examples.

Examples:
1. I will see you next month.
2. I will see you one day in the next month.

From the above two examples, it can be clearly seen that, you just say 'next month' when you are not sure about the exact time or day. 'In the next month' is used in the 2nd example as you are mentioning a particular day in that month.

Note: Feel free to post your comments or queries and expect replies right away. 

Can or Can able? - Return or Return back? - Which one should you use?

Are you someone who often uses the phrase, 'can able' in your sentences? Eg: I can able to do this. I can able to speak in English fluently. I can able to understand this.
Or, are you someone who uses the phrase, 'return back'? Eg: I will return back to India tomorrow. I will return back your book later.

If you are someone who often uses 'can able' and 'return back' while talking, it is time for you to stop talking and start learning English. Why? Both the phrases, 'can able' and 'return back' are wrong as they give redundant meanings. The following explanation will make you better understand why these phrases should not be used.

Can or Can Able?

This is one of the common mistakes in English, that almost many people make. Both the words, can and able mean an ability to do something. Many people know that these two words mean the same to an extent. But, not many people realize that they are supposed to use just one of these words while talking or writing. Instead, they use both the words together which results in redundancy and grammatically incorrect sentences.

Wrong sentence: 

I can able to do this.

Correct sentences:  

I can do this. (or)

I am able to do this.

Return or Return Back?

This is also one of the common mistakes in English that people make when they speak. Most competitive English exams will have a question based on return and back. 'Return back' is also similar to 'can able', which is grammatically incorrect.

Wrong sentences:

I will return back your book on Monday.

I will return back to India next month.

Correct sentences:  

I will return your book on Monday. (or) I will give back your book on Monday.

I will return to India next month  (or) I will come back to India next month.

Note: While there are many other mistakes that people commonly make in English, 'can able' and 'return back' are mistakes that almost every learner of the English language makes in the beginning.
Feel free to post your comments about any queries that you might possess regarding English. I will be more than glad to write a post regarding that topic.

Difference between little, a little, few, a few

The difference between little, a little, few and a few is simple. The meaning of the base word will never change. The base words are Few and Little. Forget about the article 'a' that comes as the prefix for these base words. Generally, few is something that is very less in number and little is something that is very less in magnitude or amount.

The following are some of the examples that will give you better clarity on where to use little, a little, few and a few.

Example sentences using few / little:

1) I have made few mistakes in my life. (imagine you've made 1 or 2 mistakes)
2) I have little money in my wallet. (imagine you have 5 bucks)

3) I have few friends who help me with everything. (imagine you have 2 or 3 friends)

4) I have little water in my bottle. (imagine you've 10 ml of water)

Now when the article 'a' is used to the base words, Few and Little, the above 4 sentences would be modified as follows.

Example sentences using a few / a little:

5) I have made a few mistakes in my life.(imagine here that you've made 5 or 6 mistakes)

6) I have a little money in my wallet. (imagine that you've 20 or 30 bucks)

7) I have a few friends who help me with everything. (imagine you have 7 or 10 friends)

8) I have a little water in my bottle. (imagine you've 100 ml of water)

The last 4 example sentences using 'a few' or 'a little' have slightly bigger values than the first 4 examples using 'few' or 'little' in terms of quantity and number. Remember that all the examples are used to indicate that something you possess is less. But, because article 'a' is not used in examples 1, 2, 3 and 4, it means that the amount is the least. And, when article 'a' is used, like in examples 5, 6, 7 and 8, it means that the value is slightly bigger than the value mentioned in the first 4 sentences.

Note: The word 'few' is used for countable nouns and 'little' is used for uncountable nouns. That is why, the word 'little' is used for money and water. 'Few' is used for friends and mistakes.