English language learners are often confused by the many different uses of modal verbs. Each modal verb can be used for several different reasons, and sometimes we can use more than one modal verb for the same reason. One important rule to remember about modal verbs in the present is that they are always followed …
The other day someone asked me how many English expressions and idioms we had featured on the World of Words since it started. With several hundred articles each featuring at least five new English expressions or idioms, there must be well over a thousand English words, expressions and idioms explained on this site. Here’s a …
Growing up in London has made me realise that the correct English language is a bit of a myth. The only person I remember ever speaking the correct English language in my entire life was my Secondary School Head Teacher. To be fair she was about 70 something year old, it would have been very …
Urban Dictionary: The English Words of Young People Read More »
What is Cockney rhyming slang? If you’ve ever been to London and witnessed people speaking a strange kind of English that you didn’t understand, you were probably hearing Cockney rhyming slang. CRS replaces one word with a pair of words that rhyme with it. For example, ‘trouble and strife’ means ‘wife’ in Cockney rhyming slang, …
Will English soon die out as the most dominant language on the Internet and be replaced by Chinese language? According to data gathered by Today translations English still retains the number one spot among Internet users. However, China has the highest population of any single country in the world and Internet usage has seen a …
Today’s article is a guest post by Ivana. A proverb is a simple saying popularly known and repeated throughout time, which conveys a truth, a thought or a reflection, often metaphorically, based on the practical experience of humanity. A proverb describing a basic rule of behavior is known as a maxim. Proverbs are mainly used …
For those of you who are new to the World of Words and missed out on the advanced vocabulary quizzes I posted a couple of years, here is a list of them in order. Taking the quizzes is simple, click the answer you think is right then click ‘next’. When you get to the end …
39 advanced English vocabulary quizzes to test yourself with Read More »
I was discussing getting around London with some of my students last week and they all said they found it a little difficult when they first came here. To help them, I put together a little lesson on how to use the London Underground and I decided to share it. If you are planning on …