“Teacher, if contractions are so common in English, why do people sometimes not use them?” One of my adult students asked. “How do I decide between ‘It’s not my plan’ or ‘It is not my plan’.” I gave her the standard answer: “Contractions are generally avoided in formal English.” It was, of course, incomplete. “My…

When students ask me how they can speak better I generally tell them to check whether they remember basic rules. It’s an effective way to improve their English with little effort. Learn how to read numbers—some can be tricky. Check whether you remember the pronunciation of regular verbs in past (-ed). What’s the difference between…

Sometimes we want to describe possibilities that are not one hundred per cent sure but still high. We can use “should” for that (as in “it should rain”). But what if we prefer another option? “Likely” and “probable”, as well as “expected”, are good alternatives. See these examples: You can apply these three adjectives when…

If you have problems to understand native speakers, there are solutions. Please read this dialogue to see what a teacher suggests. Before the meeting: get used to the sounds, research the vocabulary, choose quiet venues, and role play the situation. “The other night I had dinner with an Australian customer. She sat across me at…

Speaking slowly will help listeners understand you better when you are not using your native language. How to know whether you’re speaking too quickly? Record and listen to yourself. Anything above 150 words per minute would definitely be too fast! Read Andrew’s books on how to improve your business English here: www.andymiles.com

“Should” is one of the most common ways to recommend something.  It’s strong but so frequent that listeners will not feel offended if you use it. “You should eat healthier food.” “You should leave home earlier to avoid the traffic.” “You should change jobs. The environment at your office is toxic.” Could you apply it…

Fundae is a Spanish entity that refunds money to companies who run training programs. There are several conditions but teachers should be aware of these: No moved or cancelled lessons Fundae allows no cancellation so lessons can never be missed. Participants who are ill or away on business count as absent. Exam Students must be…

Today I’m sharing a short version of “Speak & Write Better Business English”. It’s aimed at students who wish to improve their English. This preview has four chapters and lists several tips to help with your English: when to use question tags, techniques to improve your listening, how to simplify your conditional sentences, advice on…

Professional email communication is fundamental in business. Please consider the following guidelines: 1. Copy others Copy the tone of the people you are corresponding with.  For instance, if they use emojis, you can also do that. If you are in doubt, however, it’s always best to be formal rather than casual. 2. Make your point—and…

Record yourself reading your notes, going over main points or just repeating what you find hard to remember. Recording and listening to yourself helps you learn in two ways. Firstly, it makes you think about the pronunciation of a word or phrase before you say it; secondly, when you repeat something, it strengthens your memory. Recording…