The English teachers voice

What are Phrasal Verbs? Someone once told me that phrasal verbs, as with idioms, was God's way of playing a practical joke on mankind. As a native speaker, well, I don`t even think about them, they just slide naturally, and comfortably into my everyday use of English. But on the other hand, as a teacher of Advanced English, ESP and International Exams, well, I have witnessed literally thousands of students struggle with phrasal verbs as they try to navigate their way through the obstacle course that is `English Proficiency`. So, in simple terms, what is a phrasal verb?  A phrasal verb is a multi-word verb made up of a main verb and at least one  preposition  or a particle that changes the meaning of the verb from the original verb.  Now, that explanation wasn't too complicated, was it? So now, sit back, put on your seat belt and continue reading as we navigate through the world of Advanced English as we explain, and try to understand the different v...

Everybody hates grammer, it is complicated and difficult for most students to learn correctly. In many ways, it is like mathematics with words rather than numbers. (      ) + (       ) + (       ) = (        )  Grammar, when understood and used correctly is the one element that will help you to improve your performance in all four parts of the TOEFL exam. Even though the TOEFL exam doesn’t actually include grammar questions, all the four parts of the test (speaking, writing, reading and listening) indirectly evaluate your knowledge of grammar. In speaking and writing, you have to be able to produce language that is correct grammatically. Grammatical correctness is a criterion that raters use when scoring your speaking and writing. Grammatical correctness refers to using a wide range of grammar structures and using them accurately. In reading and listening, you...