Learning English on Instagram
Learning English online isn't easy, and your best options are generally actual online classes with real teachers, but Instagram does have some great ESL sites to help you improve your English! Here's a list of our favorite accounts.
The internet is giving us all kinds of fun new ways to learn English from home. Instagram is one platform with a ton of free resources for studying. There are teachers sharing pronunciation videos, grammar charts, new vocabulary words each day.
Below we have assembled a list of the best ones you will find. We looked at accounts that are creating their own content and sharing it regularly. Some of these accounts are in English only, and some others are bilingual, but every account on the list shares content that should be useful, regardless of your first language.
Please share and let us know in the comments if there are other accounts we should add! We will update this list periodically.
Powerful English 🇧🇷
Professor Alves of Powerful English posts a strong mix of explainer videos (in Portuguese), blackboard captures of lexical chunks and illustrations, nicely designed idiom cards, and of course the occasional promotional post. It’s a relatively new account, but quality content from the very start!
English Today 🇮🇩
English Today Bandung posts a variety of content, from general study tips, to illustrated idioms and sayings, to synonyms for developing a more advanced vocabulary. And if you speak Indonesian, check out the videos from Mr. D!
Jessica Sunny side
Jessica Sunny Side intermixes photos from her daily life in Vietnam with English content shared on theme-based days, including Homophonic Monday, Idiomatic Tuesday, Phonetic Wednesday, Phrasal Friday, and Conversational Saturday.
Pronunciation with Emma
Emma is a teacher from England. Each video is very short and focused on a particular challenging word in English. She pronounces the word, shares a specific tip related to its sound, pronounces it once more, and that’s it! A bite-sized way to improve your pronunciation!
English with Benjamin
Benjamin is an English teacher with a great sense of humor and some hilarious facial expressions. He shares a lot of colloquial British phrases and idioms to help you sound like a native speaker. Benjamin clearly enjoys what he’s doing and his positive energy is contagious!
Ginseng English
We had to include our own account! We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t think we could produce some of the best content out there. We focus on a variety of bright, eye-catching visuals that teach and engage at the same time.
Tolya English
This is an awesome account. Tolya edits together clips from some of your favorite TV shows—Family Guy, Brooklyn 99, Friends—with his own explanation of practical English phrases that you can use in your daily life.
my little english page
Marine of My Little English Page is a teacher living in Seville, Spain. What sets her account apart is that she focuses a great deal on scheduled live broadcasts that you can tune in for! She also shares a whole lot of quizzes and conversation questions!
Andreina Baroni
Andreina Baroni shares lots of nicely designed graphics that you ought to be saving for reference! Easily confused words (like quiet, quite, quit), historical quotations, and useful phrases for particular situations!
EnglishDom 🇷🇺
Englishdom posts a bit in Russian, but there’s plenty of stuff on their for learners from any country. Their weekly word searches are a really fun way to kill some time and their series of “Other Ways to Say” will keep you from sounding like a broken record!
Easy Peasy English 🇷🇺
This one is good for Russian speakers. Easy Peasy English has a simple formula for their posts, but they do it well. Each post is a vivid photo or still from a familiar movie. Beneath that, they print the translation and phonetic pronunciation of the word.
English Words & Daily Videos 🇯🇵
Doston's well-produced videos are bilingual in English and Japanese. He has a great format. He’ll introduce a phrase and its translation, then explain it for a moment, and then give you some real-world examples, often from familiar movies.
Cambridge University Press Spain 🇪🇸
Cambridge University Press is one of the biggest names in English teaching, but their Spanish language account produces some of their best content. Clear, well-designed graphics and bilingual explanations. Don’t miss this one!
Open English 🇪🇸
Another great bilingual Spanish/English account, Open English posts tons of brightly colored, clear posts featuring high quality photography and clear explanations. One thing that makes them stand out is their emphasis on pronunciation!
Fun & Functional English
This account has a nice consistent visual theme: everything is “written” on a chalkboard, often with fun expressions from your teacher, Nataly, in the corner. Idioms, quotes, activities, and lots of writing tips!
English Worm 🇮🇷
This is a bilingual Persian/English account. Simple posts, alternating pink and blue, with English phrases, sentences, and inspirational quotations. Check them out!
safir language academy mazand 🇸🇦
Safir Language Academy’s Manzadaran branch posts some great bilingual Persian/English content! The strongest thing about this account is variety. You get book recommendations, idioms, practical phrases, inspirational quotes, all in the same place!
Engoo online English 🇨🇳
Engoo’s Taiwanese account is a great Chinese/English bilingual account to follow. Lots of clean, nicely branded content, each with a cartoon illustration and a word or phrase or quiz. A newer account, but they’re starting strong!
Oxford Reading tree korea 🇰🇷
This account has one particular type of post that they share, but it’s a good one. Their posts contain two to three sentences in English with words missing. At the bottom are words you can choose to complete the sentences. These exercises, called cloze exercises are a great way to practice your grammar!
englishism
Englishism shares a diverse selection of quotes (think everyone from Eminem to Dickens), lots of casual British English and slang, and plenty of jokes to keep you laughing while you learn!
Inglês Nativo
This is a simple, consistent account. Phrases in English translated into Portuguese, with the occasional inspirational quote thrown in to keep you motivated. All on bright gradients with nice design.
Save Me Teacher 🇧🇷
Teacher Carla with the ever-changing hair color shares all kinds of practical, funny English tips and phrases. There is a lot of focus on practical, everyday English, rather than idioms and sayings. Also check out her schedule of live classes!
Biga Amerikan Kültür 🇹🇷
The best thing about this account is their nicely designed, informative series of phrasal verbs, each translated into Turkish and accompanied by an example of the word in use. They also share photos of their students in action, a great personal touch!
Avcılar ingiliz Kültür 🇹🇷
This great account out of Turkey shares some inspirational quotes in English, plenty of phrasal verbs translated into English, and lots of fun graphics. They don’t have many followers yet, so let’s change that!
Good vibes english 🇵🇱
This bilingual Polish/English site has the usual English phrases and pronunciation tips, but they also share occasional riddles to get you thinking. Oh, and the best thing about this account? Plenty of food vocabulary!
Studying with Ginseng is easy! Click the FREE DEMO CLASS button to request your demo. Then you will get an email from one of our staff to schedule your class. Then just log in and meet your teacher! | ||
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Contractions in English
One challenging aspect of learning English is that there are different registers: we have spoken English and written English, formal English and informal English. Some words are okay in every register, but others are only okay in speech. Some only sound right in writing.
Contractions are a big part of distinguishing between these different forms of English. If you ever go to an English-speaking university, you'll find that you can't use can't or don't or isn't in your academic writing. Let's take a look at what contractions are and how they can make your English more or less formal.
What are Contractions?
Contractions are words that combine two or more other words together into a new shortened version, usually using an apostrophe ('). Contractions are very common in spoken English. You have probably heard some of these common contractions: I'm, can't, aren't, don't, didn't.
The apostrophe is small, but important. In writing you must use the apostrophe. You do not pronounce it, but it is important in writing. Notice that the apostrophe represents some letters that are missing from the longer form of the word. For instance, the apostrophe in didn't is in place of the O in did not and the apostrophe in I'm is in the place of the A in I am.
Be careful, because not every word with an apostrophe is a contraction. Possessive nouns in English end with apostrophe -s, (Bob's house, Carla's mom) but these are not contractions.
Why Do We Have Contractions?
Contractions originate in speech. We are lazy when we speak English! When we are speaking quickly, we reduce certain sounds (make them shorter and quieter), and over time we elide them completely (we don't pronounce them at all). So over time, she will becomes she'll, I have becomes I've, going to becomes gonna.
When do we use contractions?
This question has a slightly complicated answer.
We frequently use contractions in spoken English, and you should try to use common contractions in your speech to make your English more fluent. We generally do not use any contractions in formal writing (academic papers, for examples).
In between casual speech and formal written English, there is a gray area: we have more formal spoken English, like presentations and business meetings. We have less formal writing, like emails and letters. In this case, you have more of a choice. Some people use contractions and some do not. In this gray area, we should also talk about different types of contractions!
Standard Contractions
Not all contractions are the same. Some are more standard and acceptable than others. Standard contractions include the following:
Great poem by Shel Silverstein about informal contractions
- there's
- wasn't
- we'd
- we'll
- we're
- we've
- weren't
- won't
- wouldn't
- you'd
- you'll
- you're
- he's
- how'd
- how's
- I'd
- I'm
- I've
- isn't
- let's
- she'd
- she'll
- she's
- shouldn't
- aren't
- can't
- couldn't
- didn't
- doesn't
- don't
- hadn't
- hasn't
- haven't
- he'd
- he'll
- he's
Some Standard English Contractions
You can use these in anything but formal writing. This means they are common in speech, creative writing, emails, text messages, notes, and letters. Try to pay attention when you are reading online. Are there contractions in what you are reading? If there are no contractions, you are probably reading a more formal style of writing.
Nonstandard Contractions
But there are other contractions that are nonstandard. These contractions have evolved more recently and haven't become as acceptable in written English yet. Nonstandard contractions should only be used in very informal situations (text messages with friends, for instance) or to be funny. Here are some examples:
gimme
gonna
gotta
hafta
I'd've
I'm'a
must've
there're
there've
those're
wanna
we'd've
what're
who'd've
why'd
This is not a complete list. People can often get creative and make their own contractions like these, so watch and see if you can identify new contractions!
What is a Free Demo Class, Anyway?
Free Demo Class
You may have seen this button on the Ginseng homepage and wondered, what is a "free demo"? What happens if I click this button!? Is it really FREE? Are there any strings attached? What happens next? Well, let me see if I can help to answer your questions!
We think our classes are pretty great, but you can't know that this is true unless you try one out, right?! That is where a free demo class comes in.
Demo is short for demonstration, which means we are showing you something. You might go for a demo, or a test drive, at a car dealership if you're thinking about buying a car, or you could get a free demo of a new computer software that your company is considering buying.
A "demo class" at Ginseng is a short, 30 minute sample of an online class class. You get to meet one of our teachers, see some of our fancy materials, and check out the follow-up emails we'll send you.
So, what happens when I actually click that button?
When you click on this button, you will need to fill out a short form and then I will get an alert from you. But wait, who am I?! Great question.
My name is Sarah, and I work for Ginseng. It is my job to help you with pretty much anything that you need from our online English school! You can ask me anything you want about our school, and I will do my best to help you out!
When I receive your free demo request, I will e-mail you to set up a time to video chat 📹 to learn more about what you are looking for. We can talk on Skype, Google Hangouts, WeChat, WhatsApp, Facetime—you name it!
I'll ask you questions about yourself, like:
- Where are you from?
- How long you've been studying English?
- Why is learning English important to you?
- What part of English do you want to study the most?
- What time is good for you to have classes?
(It's ok if you don't know, or even if you just want to study EVERYTHING!)
It is up to you to choose what you want your free class to be about. It can be focused on just about anything English, such as pronunciation, grammar, writing and conversation! We will also talk about what times are good for your free class.
After we speak, I will talk to our team here at Ginseng and find you the best online English teacher for your educational goals, and your availability.
But wait, is it really free?
Yes! Your 30 minute demo class is completely free. If you like what you see, we would love for you to share Ginseng English with your friends, and maybe even sign up for a class or two!
Ok, Now you've got me curious...
Great! So, take a moment to click the "request demo" button and fill out the form. Soon, you'll be hearing from me! Who knows, we might even become friends!
👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽
Studying with Ginseng is easy! Click the FREE DEMO CLASS button to request your demo. Then you will get an email from one of our staff to schedule your class. Then just log in and meet your teacher! | ||
| Request Demo Class | Meet Ginseng Teacher | Schedule First Class! |
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
If have any questions about Ginseng, e-mail me at sarah@ginse.ng
My name is Sarah and I have 8 years of experience working with international students studying in the United States, most recently at Berklee College of Music in Boston. I share your passion for adventure, and am currently traveling through Asia as part of the Ginseng English Anywhere tour!
Simple Past Tense
The simple past is a very common English verb tense used to talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past. Read about the rules for using it, how we form it, and tons of example sentences!
The simple past (sometimes called the second verb form) is a very common verb form in English. Almost 20% of verbs in English are in this form. It is the second most common verb form, after the simple present.
Using the Simple Past
The simple past is used for actions that happened at a particular time in the past. They started and finished in the past. When you are telling a story about something that happened in the past, most main verbs will be in the simple past.
Chart for Simple Past Tense in English
The examples below illustrate the rules we generally follow when using this verb form
Examples
Here are some examples of regular verbs in the simple past:
Magellan landed in the Philippines in 1521.
Susan cooked us an amazing dinner last night!
I wanted a puppy when I was a child.
We needed lots of money to buy the new car.
England defeated Spain in the match last night.
Here are some examples of irregular verbs in the simple past:
Last night I saw a movie.
Back in June, I went to Paris.
I had a party last weekend. All my friends came.
We lost the match by three points.
I found my t-shirt under the bed.
Forming the Simple past Tense
Formula
Regular verbs take -ed to form the simple past tense.
subject + VERBed
In some cases, this requires doubling the last consonant in the word. Irregular verbs do not follow this pattern.
When you use this verb form, you almost always need to identify a specific time in the past when the action happened. Sometimes this tense is referred to as the second verb form.
Conjugation
The table below shows the complete conjugation of the verb work in the simple past:
| Singular | Plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | I | worked. | we | worked. |
| 2nd person | you | worked. | you | worked. |
| 3rd person | he | worked. | they | worked. |
| she | worked. | |||
| it | works. | |||
Notes
Generally, when we use the past tense, it is important that the speaker and listener know the specific time. For example, just saying I went to the movies is unusual.
Other Forms
Negative Sentences
If the verb is a form of be, make a negative sentences in the simple past, by putting not after the verb.
That was not Rebecca.
She wasn’t at school on Tuesday.
We were not excited.
If the verb is not a form of be, put did not before the main verb to make a negative.
We did not feel hungry at dinnertime.
I didn’t go to school yesterday.
They did not want to come.
Questions
Exactly like the questions in the simple present, if the simple past verb is a form of be, move the verb to before the subject to form a question.
Was that girl Rebecca?
Was that pork?
Were they angry?
Where were you?
How was the pizza?
For other verbs, add did before the subject.
Did you like the movie?
Did Claire go home?
Where did you go?
What did you make for lunch?
Passive Voice
To form the passive voice in the simple past, use the verb be in the simple past (was or were) and then the perfect form of the main verb:
The factory was built in 1909.
A new island was discovered.
See our complete guide to the passive voice in English for more details and examples.
More free english resources
Describing People in English
This article introduces basic vocabulary for describing people in the English language, including adjectives, words for features, and words for clothing items.. This article is appropriate for beginner and low-intermediate ESL students.
If you are studying English online by yourself, a good place to start is by learning how to describe the people around you, your friends, your family, and yourself!
In this post we introduce over 40 vocabulary words for describing people in English, along with 6 sentence frames to use them in. The first three sentence frames are basic (level A1). The other three are a little more advanced (level A2-B1). All of the vocabulary is basic (levels A1 to A2). (If you don't know what A1 and A2 and B1 and B2 mean, learn about the CEFR!)
Note: Reading this article in English will be difficult for A1 and A2 students. We will soon translate this article into many different languages!
What is a Sentence Frame?
Sentence frames are a really useful way to learn how we speak English. A sentence frame is a sentence with an empty slot that many different words can go in for many different situations. For example, if you learn the sentence frame I feel [ADJECTIVE], you can make hundreds of different sentences. All you need to do is learn a new adjective that fits in that slot: I feel hungry. I feel tired. I feel angry. I feel sick. At a basic level, sentence frames are a great way to learn English!
Frame #1 - Basic Sentences for Describing People
The first three sentence frames we will look at are simple sentences. One of the most common ways to describe people is with adjectives: tall, short, fat, skinny, pretty, handsome, ugly. To use these common adjectives in a sentence, try this frame:
The man is [ADJECTIVE].
The man is tall. The man is fat. The man is ugly. The man is in shape. These are all good sentences in English.
It is important to know that The man is another slot that you can change. The woman is tall. My friend is tall. My dad is tall. Jane is tall. She is tall. You can put any person in that slot.
Now let’s take a look at some adjectives describing people that can fit into this slot:
| Word | Pronunciation | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| tall | /tɔl/ | greater in height than the average person; not short |
| short | /ʃɔrt/ | lesser in height than the average person; not tall |
| thin | /θɪn/ | not having lots of extra flesh; not fat |
| fat | /fæt/ | having lots of extra flesh; not thin |
| old | /oʊld/ | having lived many years; not young |
| young | /jʌŋ/ | not having lived many years; not old |
| in shape | /ɪn ʃeɪp/ | healthy and physically strong |
| out of shape | /aʊt ʌv ʃeɪp/ | not healthy or physically strong |
| beautiful | /ˈbjutəfəl/ | attractive; good looking (mainly for females) |
| ugly | /ˈʌgli/ | not attractive; not good looking |
| handsome | /ˈhænsəm/ | attractive; good-looking (usually for males) |
| bald | /bɔld/ | not having hair on the top of the head |
Frame #2 - Basic Sentences Describing Features
The next basic sentence frame for describing people in English focuses on a specific feature: glasses, curly hair, black hair, blue eyes, a mustache, a ponytail. To talk about a person’s features, use this sentence:
The woman has [FEATURE].
With this sentence frame, you can make lots of different sentences:The woman has curly hair. The woman has glasses. The woman has long hair. The woman has a ponytail.
Again, you can change the person slot as well: The man has long hair. My friend has long hair. My sister has long hair. Clara has long hair.
Here are some features (nouns or nouns with adjectives) that can fit into this sentence frame:
Frame #3 - Basic Sentences Describing Clothes
The last sentence we will talk about for describing people focuses on clothes. Who doesn’t love clothes!? Black shoes! Gray pants! Blue ties! Green skirts! But let’s make complete sentences with them. Here is the sentence frame:
The woman is wearing [CLOTHES].
And here is a list of clothes that can go into this sentence:
All of these clothing items can be used with color words to be even more descriptive. The woman is wearing black shoes. The man is wearing a yellow tie.
So, those three sentence frames, combined with this vocabulary, allow you to make hundreds of different sentences to describe people. If you are a beginner, and this is mostly new information for you, you can stop here.
But, if you know most of this stuff, and you want to learn some more advanced English sentences, read on!
Complex Sentence Frames Describing People
The first three frames talked about nouns, features, and clothes, in that order, right? The next three frames will be used to talk about the same three things, but in a more complex way. All of the same vocabulary from the sections above can be used with the next three frames, in the same order.
In the first three sentence frames, the main idea of each sentence was describing people. The sentences were about describing people. The thing that I want to tell you about the man is that he is tall. But sometimes we want to describe people in a sentence about something else, and the description is not the most important idea in the sentence. For example, maybe I want to tell you that the man is my neighbor, but I also want to mention that he is tall. These next sentence frames will help in situations like that.
Frame #4 - Adjectives Before Nouns
Let’s use that example. The I want to tell you that the man is my neighbor, and I also want to describe him as tall. I can put the adjective before the noun: The tall man is my neighbor. You can also put any of the other adjectives from above into that slot.
The [ADJECTIVE] man is my neighbor.
The handsome man is my neighbor. The old man is my neighbor. The fat man is my neighbor. And again, the end of the sentence (which we call the predicate) is a slot, too, and you can put different verbs in there: The tall man likes football. The tall man is eating. The tall man has a car.
Frame #5 - Features and With
If you want to talk about someone’s features in that same sentence, we need to use the preposition with. We could say The man with glasses is my neighbor. Any of the other features can go into that same slot:
The man with [FEATURE] is my neighbor.
The man with red hair is my neighbor. The man with a mustache is my neighbor.
Frame #6 - Clothing and in
When we want to talk about clothes, we need another preposition. Instead of with, we use in. The man in the blue shirt is my neighbor. Any of the clothing vocabulary above can go into that same slot:
The man in [CLOTHES] is my neighbor.
The man in the tie is my neighbor. The man in the grey pants is my neighbor. The woman in the red hat is my neighbor.
Wrap-Up
That's it! Study these six sentence frames and the vocabulary, and you can now make hundreds of new sentences to describe people! Check back soon and we'll have a quiz to check what you have learned!
Rob Sheppard is the founder and Chief Executive Teacher at Ginseng. Over the past ten years, he has taught English in Taiwan, South Korea, and his hometown of Boston. Now he teaches online at Ginseng while traveling the world.
You can email Rob at rob@ginse.ng.
More free English Vocabulary Resources
Simple Present Tense
The simple present is the most common and useful verb tense in English. It is used to talk about repeated actions and to describe people or states of being. Read about the rules for using the simple present tense, how we form it, and tons of example sentences!
One of the most important parts of English grammar is verb tenses, and the simple present tense (also known as present simple or present indefinite) is the most common verb tense in English. Over 50% of verbs in English are in this tense, so it's a really important tense to learn. It is used for several different situations.
Using the Simple Present Tense
The simple present can describe actions that happen regularly. This means things we do again and again, things we do every day, every week, every month. This can be routines and habits, and also things that are currently, always, or generally true.
Simple Present Verb Chart
This form is also used to describe feelings, emotions, and our senses. We can also use it for describing people and things in English.
It is important to note that we do not generally use this tense for actions that are happening right now. For this situation we use the present continuous tense. See this article about the difference between simple present and present continuous/progressive.
The examples below illustrate the rules for how we generally use the simple present.
Examples
Here are twelve example sentences showing different ways that we can use the simple present tense:
To state facts:
The earth moves around the sun.
Birds have wings.
Your mother's mother is your grandmother.
To describe habits and routines:
I wake up at 7:00.
I brush my teeth every day.
I take my vacation every August.
To describe people and things:
She has brown hair.
That car is red.
Sally is tall
To describe feelings and opinions:
She is angry.
We are cold.
I smell cookies.
Sarah loves movies.
Forming The Simple Present Tense
Formula
Regular verbs in English take the base form of the verb (the infinitive without to, sometimes called first verb form).
subject + VERB
The exception is the third person singular (he, she, and it), which add an -s.
subject + VERBs
If the word ends in -ch, -sh, -th, -ss, -o, or -z, you usually have to add -es.
Conjugation
The table below shows the verb to work conjugated in the simple present tense.
| Singular | Plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | I | work. | we | work. |
| 2nd person | you | work. | you | work. |
| 3rd person | he | works. | they | work. |
| she | works. | |||
| it | works. | |||
If you don’t know the words I, he, she, it, we, you, and they, you can read more about pronouns.
Other Forms
Negative Sentences
If the main verb is a form of be, simply put not after the verb to make a negative sentence.
That is not pork.
I’m not Rebecca.
If the main verb is not a form of be, use the helping verb, do (or does), then not, then the base form of the verb.
He does not like cheese.
I do not have a lighter.
She doesn’t live near here.
Questions
Many simple present questions use the verb be. If the verb is a form of be, move the verb to before the subject to form a question:
Are you Rebecca?
Is this pork?
Where are you?
What is that?
If the main verb is not be, we need to use a helping verb to make questions. In the simple present, the helping verb is do (or does with he, she, or it).
Does he like cheese?
Do you have a lighter?
What do you think?
Where does she live?
Passive Voice
To make a passive sentence, use be in the simple present (is/are), and then the perfect form of the main verb.
Pineapples are grown in Hawaii.
Ice cream is made with milk.
The New York Times is read around the country.
Notes
Adverbs of frequency are often used with the simple present tense
check out these other free grammar resources:
Silent G Words
If you’re looking for explanations and examples of words with silent G, you’ve come to the right place. Charts, definitions, word lists, and the history of how silent G became silent.
Everyone seems to love to learn about words with silent letters, so here's another! G is often silent as well. Notice the pattern here: it almost always comes before an N. Just ignore the G and pronounce the N sound. Notice that the G does not really affect the vowel sound if it comes after a vowel.
| Word | IPA | PoS | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| gnat | /næt/ | n. | a very small flying insect |
| gnome | /noʊm/ | n. | a fictional being like a dwarf |
| gnash | /næʃ/ | v. | to grind the teeth togther |
| sign | /saɪn/ | n. | a symbol |
| foreign | /ˈfɑrən/ | adj. | from a different place |
| campaign | /kæmˈpeɪn/ | n. | a series of actions for one goal |
| align | /əˈlaɪn / | v. | to put in a line |
If you like this, check out these free resources on silent letters:
You might also find our other blogs about English pronunciation such as Silent K, Silent B, Silent N and Silent L, and Deleted Syllables to be helpful too!
Silent G Words in English. Feel free to share the graphic and link back to Ginseng!
The Most Common English Adjectives
If you want to quickly expand your English vocabulary, adjectives are a great place to start! Adjectives are a really important part of speech. An adjective is a word used to describe a noun.
It is a good idea to focus on the most common ones in the language. Below are lists of the 50 most common words in both American and British English.
| No. | Adjective |
|---|---|
| 1 | OTHER |
| 2 | NEW |
| 3 | GOOD |
| 4 | AMERICAN |
| 5 | GREAT |
| 6 | BIG |
| 7 | HIGH |
| 8 | OLD |
| 9 | DIFFERENT |
| 10 | NATIONAL |
| 11 | SMALL |
| 12 | LITTLE |
| 13 | BLACK |
| 14 | IMPORTANT |
| 15 | POLITICAL |
| 16 | SOCIAL |
| 17 | LONG |
| 18 | YOUNG |
| 19 | RIGHT |
| 20 | BEST |
| 21 | REAL |
| 22 | WHITE |
| 23 | PUBLIC |
| 24 | SURE |
| 25 | ONLY |
| 26 | LARGE |
| 27 | ABLE |
| 28 | HUMAN |
| 29 | LOCAL |
| 30 | EARLY |
| 31 | BAD |
| 32 | BETTER |
| 33 | ECONOMIC |
| 34 | FREE |
| 35 | POSSIBLE |
| 36 | WHOLE |
| 37 | MAJOR |
| 38 | MILITARY |
| 39 | FEDERAL |
| 40 | INTERNATIONAL |
| 41 | TRUE |
| 42 | FULL |
| 43 | HARD |
| 44 | SPECIAL |
| 45 | RECENT |
| 46 | RED |
| 47 | OPEN |
| 48 | PERSONAL |
| 49 | GENERAL |
| 50 | CLEAR |
| No. | Adjective |
|---|---|
| 1 | OTHER |
| 2 | NEW |
| 3 | GOOD |
| 4 | OLD |
| 5 | DIFFERENT |
| 6 | LOCAL |
| 7 | GREAT |
| 8 | SMALL |
| 9 | SOCIAL |
| 10 | IMPORTANT |
| 11 | NATIONAL |
| 12 | HIGH |
| 13 | BRITISH |
| 14 | POSSIBLE |
| 15 | LARGE |
| 16 | RIGHT |
| 17 | LONG |
| 18 | LITTLE |
| 19 | YOUNG |
| 20 | POLITICAL |
| 21 | ABLE |
| 22 | GENERAL |
| 23 | ONLY |
| 24 | PUBLIC |
| 25 | AVAILABLE |
| 26 | FULL |
| 27 | EARLY |
| 28 | BEST |
| 29 | BIG |
| 30 | MAIN |
| 31 | MAJOR |
| 32 | ECONOMIC |
| 33 | SURE |
| 34 | REAL |
| 35 | LIKELY |
| 36 | BLACK |
| 37 | PARTICULAR |
| 38 | INTERNATIONAL |
| 39 | SPECIAL |
| 40 | DIFFICULT |
| 41 | CERTAIN |
| 42 | CLEAR |
| 43 | WHOLE |
| 44 | FURTHER |
| 45 | WHITE |
| 46 | OPEN |
| 47 | EUROPEAN |
| 48 | FREE |
| 49 | CENTRAL |
| 50 | SIMILAR |
Most of the most common adjectives are the same in the US and the UK (78% of the top 50 and 92% of the top 25 words appear in both lists). Notice that American is the 4th most common adjective in American English and British is the 13th most common adjective in British English. We shouldn't read too much into these simple lists, but it is interesting to note that military, federal, and personal all appear in the American list. Do you notice any other patterns?
That's all for now! Start studying!
If you're looking for something similar, check out the most common verbs in English.
Sources: The primary sources for compiling this article were the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) and the British National Corpus.
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C-V-C Words
The C-V-C Pattern
One of the craziest things about learning English is the relationship between spelling and pronunciation. We don't even need to talk about ought, enough, through, etc, right?
But there are some patterns to learn that can make English a little less crazy. Today let's talk about one of the most important ones: C-V-C words.
But what does C-V-C mean???
I'll tell you. C-V-C means consonant-vowel-consonant. A C-V-C word is a three-letter word that follows the spelling pattern of a consonant, then a vowel, and then another consonant. Remember, vowels are the letters A, E, I, O, U (sometimes Y!), and consonants are all the other letters. For example, top. T is a consonant. O is a vowel. P is a consonant. C-V-C.
Here are some more examples of C-V-C words:
| c | a | t |
| c | v | c |
| r | e | d |
| c | v | c |
| b | i | g |
| c | v | c |
| h | o | p |
| c | v | c |
| b | u | n |
| c | v | c |
Can you see the pattern?
Now, why is this important? It is important because if you can recognize a C-V-C word, you can almost certainly pronounce it, even if it's a new word for you! That's because in C-V-C words, the vowel is almost always a "short" vowel.
Check out the list of the short vowel sounds with examples in the chart.
Double Consonants and C-V-C Words
There is another reason that consonant-vowel-consonant words are important. This one is a little more difficult.
Maybe you know that in English, we sometimes need to double a letter when we add a suffix like -er, -ed, -ing, and -est. This is important for comparative and superlative adjectives, the simple past tense, and the present progressive. For example mad becomes madder, nap becomes napped, win becomes winning, and big becomes biggest. For these words we have double consonants, but not always: nicer, hoped, mining, poorest. At first, this can be very confusing. When do we double the consonant!? How do we know!? C-V-C words!!! You generally need to double the last consonant when adding a suffix to a C-V-C word. There are some exceptions: generally we do not double the consonants W, X, or Y.
Longer C-V-C words
Above we defined C-V-C words as 3-letter words. That makes sense: C + V + C = 3 letters, right? But actually, there are more C-V-C words. It is really about the end of the words. Any one-syllable word that ends in C-V-C also follows the pattern above. Here are some other examples:
| s | t | r | a | p |
| c | v | c |
| s | h | r | e | d |
| c | v | c |
| c | l | i | p |
| c | v | c |
| d | r | o | p |
| c | v | c |
| s | m | u | g |
| c | v | c |
There is one other type of C-V-C word. All of the C-V-C words so far have been one syllable, and most C-V-C words are only one syllable. But some two-syllable words also follow this pattern. Two-syllable words ending in C-V-C, with the stress on the second syllable also follow the C-V-C pattern. The stress is very important here. There are not many words like this, and most are just a prefix added to a shorter word. Most two syllable words have stress on the first syllable. But when you do find a two-syllable word ending in C-V-C, with the stress on the second syllable, you know that you should double the consonant when adding -ed, -ing, -er, or -est.
| en | t | r | a | p |
| c | v | c |
| r | e | g | r | e | t |
| c | v | c |
| s | u | b | m | i | t |
| c | v | c |
| d | e | f | o | g | |
| c | v | c |
| d | e | b | u | g |
| c | v | c |
Complete list of C-V-C Words
Below is a complete list of words that follow the consonant-vowel-consonant pattern.
C-V-C Words with A
bad, bag, bam, ban, bat, cab, cad, cam, can, cap, cat, cav, dab, dad, dam, dap, fab, fad, fan, fat, fax, gab, gag, gal, gap, gas, gat, had, hag, ham, has, hat, jab, jam, lab, lad, lag, lap, mad, mag, man, mat, max, nab, nag, nap, pad, pal, pan, pat, rad, rag, ram, ran, rap, rat, sac, sad, sag, sap, sat, sax, tab, tad, tag, tan, tap, tar, tat, tax, vac, van, vat, wad, wag, wan, war, was, wax, yak, yam, yap, zag, zap
C-V-C Words with E
bed, beg, bet, cel, den, fed, fen, fez, gel, gem, get, hem, hen, hex, jet, keg, led, leg, let, med, men, met, net, peg, pen, pep, pet, red, rep, rex, set, sex, ten, veg, vet, vex, wed, wet, yen, yet, zed, zen
C-V-C Words with I
bib, bid, big, bin, bit, did, dig, dim, din, dip, fib, dig, fit, fix, gig, gin, hid, him, hip, his, hit, jig, kid, kin, kit, lid, lip, lit, mix, nib, nil, nip, nix, pig, pin, pit, rib, rid, rig, rim, rip, sib, sim, sin, sip, sis, sit, six, tin, tip, wig, win, wit, wiz, yip, zig, zip, zit
C-V-C Words with O
bob, bod, bog, bon, bot, box, cob, cod, cog, com, con, cop, cot, coz, dog, dom, don, dot, fob, fog, fox, god, got, hob, hog, hop, hot, job, jog, jot, lob, log, lop, lot, lox, mob, mod, mom, mop, nod, nog, nor, not, pod, pom, pop, pot, pox, rob, rod, rot, sob, sod, sog, son, sop, sot, tom, ton, top, tot, won
C-V-C Words with U
bud, bug, bun, bus, but, cub, cup, cut, dub, dud, dug, fun, gun, gut, hub, hug, hum, hun, hut, jug, jut, lug, mud, mug, mum, nub, nut, pub, pug, pun, pup, pus, put, rub, rug, rum, run, rut, sub, sud, sum, sun, sup, tub, tug, tut, tux, yum, yup
Exceptions
Some words look like C-V-C words, but aren't exactly. For example words that end in -AY and -AW are not really C-V-C words, because the -AY and -AW actually combine into a new vowel sound. The same is true for -OY words and -OW words.
Words ending in vowel-R often follow the spelling patterns of other C-V-C words, but R changes the pronunciation of the vowel before it, creating a sound that is not exactly a short vowel. We call these new vowel sounds R-colored vowels.
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Read Next
C-V-C -E Words
10 Trending Words That Aren’t in Your Dictionary
10 TRENDING WORDS THAT ARE NOT IN YOUR DICTIONARY
Welcome to the first post in English written by Yentelman, the blogger who's been helping Spanish students with their English (and even their Spanish!) for quite a few years now. I was asked by my friends here at Ginseng English to adapt a few of my posts to English and—this being something that had been in my mind for some time— what could I say but "of course!" So, here we are. And, what am I going to talk about? Well, there were plenty to choose from but, considering the time of the year we're in, why not have a look at the most surprising words trending from 2017? (Note: You can read the original article in Spanish here).
Dictionary.com analysed the top 10 trending words in 2017. But not just any trending word—only those that are not currently included in the dictionary. We'll explain here what those events or movements were that made these words "go viral." Let's see!
1. Antifa
OK, as some of you may know—or may have already noticed—I'm a Spaniard. And this term, antifa, is fairly well-known in my mother tongue, as it has the same meaning, and is quite trendy as well. The Antifa movement in the USA, though, is slightly different from the one in Spain. It is a conglomerate of several anti-fascist (hence anti-fa) groups, with no formal organization nor official leader. With the antifa movement being quite active and on the rise in my home country, we Spaniards tend to believe that Anglo-Saxon countries are not so keen on them. Quite the opposite, the antifa movement is quite active overseas, and is composed of people from different ideologies, mainly anarchists, socialists and communists, but there are also liberals and social-democrats among their ranks. An odd mixture, tbh.
The main reasons for this trending word in 2017 were the numerous violent protests and demonstrations carried out during the summer in cities such as Charlottesville, Phoenix and Berkeley. The first one was particularly infamous due to the brutal confrontations between Antifa and white supremacists. Donald Trump has also been known to talk a lot about Antifa. So, there's another good reason for this word to be trending in 2017, just like our next word...
2. Covfefe
Now, there's this term I absolutely love in the English language: brain fart. That is NOT our next trending word, but it does accurately describe this and other statements from the current U.S. president. Donald Trump's famous tweet was published on May 31, 2017, and it immediately became the trending word of the moment. Half of Twitter and journalists from all over the world couldn't make up their minds as to whether it was a joke or he had really meant to send some obscure message to the reptilian government in the shadows.
Even the famous Merriam Webster dictionary—frequent fact-checker and internet troll to The Donald—was left speechless for once (see Tweet to the right).
To this day, we still don't know what the heck Donald Trump meant to say with that word. The most likely explanation is that covfefe was a typo of coverage (negative press coverage is a common phrase), but instead of clarifying, the president’s press secretary cryptically said “a small group of people know exactly what he meant.” Anyway, it was worth it if only for the LOLs.
Wakes up.
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) May 31, 2017
Checks Twitter.
.
.
.
Uh...
.
.
.
📈 Lookups fo...
.
.
.
Regrets checking Twitter.
Goes back to bed.
3. Cuck
Short for cuckold, this term has clearly pejorative and negative connotations. A cuckold is a husband who has been cheated on. The word stems from a 13th century poem, and is derived from cuckoo, the well known bird you can find in the clock of the same name. It wasn't until 2014 that the shortened cuck started getting popular on the Internet, too as an insult aimed at a certain type of male.
Here I intended to include a pic for cuck, but it just so happens that cuck is also a porn subgenre, and my safesearch was not enabled...
According to Michael Adams, professor of linguistics at Indiana University, shortening the term so it rhymes with fuck makes it more visceral. According to Adams, the name makes reference to a man "who’s timid, deferential and lacking in toughness and conviction […] it says you’re an unnatural man, someone who can’t stand for himself […] He’s inadequate, unable to hold on to what’s his."
Donald Trump is again behind cuck becoming one of the top trending words in 2017. This is a word that you might want to avoid using. It has become the insult of choice for members of the so-called Alt-Right (another one of the most looked up words), a political group composed of racists and fascists.
4. Despacito
Yep, kids. The title of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's song is the fourth word in this list. I guess it was because of the version with that tool Justin Bieber in it. Yeah, I know I should now include the song's video-clip and all that, but I can't be arsed. I'd rather you guys listened to a couple of my favourite versions of the song. Cue video!
You may not find the definition of despacito in an English dictionary, but it translates to slowly.
5. Fidget spinner
Can you believe these things existed as far back as 1993? You wouldn't guess, judging by how recently they have become the most sought-after toy in 2017. Who knows why. Truth is, fidget spinners have become so popular among kids (and adults!) that many education institutions have decided to ban their use in class. Fidgeting is moving around restlessly, like many kids do when they’re bored at school. These spinning objects were sold as toys that can help kids to focus by using up their nervous energy.
6. Hygge
Am I an influencer yet?
No, when we talk about hygge we are not talking about the latest IKEA chair or wardrobe. This one's a Danish word, used to describe a special feeling or moment as cozy, charming, or special. Look it up in Google Images and you'll likely start puking rainbows.
It seems there's no direct translation for this term in English (there isn't one in my mother tongue either). We'd be speaking about a feeling, a sentiment or emotion. It is this lack of an exact definition and the association of the word with nice thoughts and ideas which made this a top trending word in 2017. Why? Because some sly marketing experts realized they could capitalize on this word to sell Americans basically everything, from wine to self-help books, wool sweaters, age treatment oils, idyllic holidays and even dog leashes.
7. Smize
You NEED to be Tyra Banks, otherwise it's not the same.
This is a portmanteau word created by supermodel Tyra Banks and meaning "smile with one's eyes". There's even a Wikihow guide on how to do it.
The thing is, it was actually 2009 when Tyra coined the term. Why, then, has this become a trending word in 2017? Easy: by the end of July 2017, the model introduced her 18-month-old toddler into society. Up to that point, the kid had been left outside the spotlight. So Tyra came up and said that her baby already knew how to smize, and it promptly went viral. You can see for yourself in the video below.
Yeah, I know. The kid in the pic appears to be more stoic than Steven Seagal in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. But he is smizing! He's smiling with his eyes! For fuck's sake, can't you see?
Meh, who am I kidding. I wasn't able to look away from that dress either.
8. Turnt
An example of teenage slang that shows the influence of social networks and everything social-media related on youngsters today. This term is used to express great excitement, anticipation or enthusiasm for an upcoming event. It is, allegedly, a variant of turned. Even though it first became popular in the music world around 2013, it's been this year when teenagers have really adopted it as their own and made it a trending word.
9. Vax
Short for vaccination, this expression has been widely used in 2017, the year when the so-called anti-vaxxers have finally exhausted the patience of many governments in Europe and around the world, who have started fining those irresponsible parents who decide not to vaccinate their children.
Using unfounded and outlandish arguments such as the one in the gif above ("vaccines cause autism in children"), the anti-vax movement is behind the recent outbreak of diseases such as measles, mumps or polio in many countries who had successfully managed to eradicate them long ago. This link will take you to a detailed map of the evolution of these diseases, so you can see what I'm talking about.
Just so you know, I don't usually discuss my beliefs openly on such topics as religion, politics, sports or adding chorizo to paella. But I'll be crystal clear this time: If you are an anti-vaxxer and my comments offend you, I don't give a frag.
10. Welp
Let's get this over with already, shan't we? The last top trending word of 2017 is another teenage slang term you can frequently find in that new agora of culture and knowledge: Twitter (yes, I'm being sarcastic). It is said that welp is the oral way of expressing what is implied by a shrug. Actually, it is just an informal synonym for well when conveying surprise or shock at something, as well as an interjection to start a conversation or introduce a new sentence. For example:
"Welp, what have we here?" Star Wars reference nº 4,815,162,342
Its use is becoming more and more popular, to the point that Merriam Webster (yes, the guys who bust Trump's stones) is thinking about including the term among their pages. However, until that happens, it is still little more than internet slang, even if it's older than most people are aware of.
So that's it. I hope you liked the post and, just in case… is there a word you have been reading or listening to a lot this year which has not been included here? Any you've been using a lot lately while not being sure if you're pulling a Donald Trump? Don't be shy and let us know!
Silent Syllables
So, we all know by now that English is crazy, right? We have talked about silent N and silent K and silent L and silent B. But English is even crazier. It's not just letters that are silent. We have silent syllables in English, too!*
What is a Syllable?
A syllable is a part of a word with one vowel sound and the consonants around it. For example, the word working has two vowel sounds, so it has two syllables. We often show syllables like this: wor-king. Often one syllable is stronger than the others, and we can show this, too. In the word working, the first syllable is stronger. This is called the stressed syllable. We can show the stressed syllable in different ways:
wor-king, WOR-king, 'wor-king
Some words only have one syllable, like big, cat, and think. Some words have LOTS of syllables, like an-ti-dis-es-tab-lish-men-tar-i-an-ism.
Why are Some Syllables Silent?
Like we said, some syllables are strong. That means some other syllables are weak. When we are speaking quickly, over many many years, the pronunciation of the word changes, and some syllables eventually become so weak that they are completely silent.
How Do I Know If a Syllable is Silent?
You don't. Sorry! There are some patterns for where silent syllables happen (for instance, they are always in the middle of a word, they are often the syllable before an R sound, they are almost always the syllable after the stressed syllable), but it's really not a good idea to guess that a syllable will be silent. There are only a couple dozen words in English that have silent syllables, so your best strategy is to learn which words they are.
That's why we've assembled this list! Please comment below if you have any words for us to add to the list!
| Word | Syl | Pronunciation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| miserable | 3 | miz-rable | |
| vegetable | 3 | veg-ta-ble | |
| business | 2 | biz-ness | |
| comfortable | 3 | kumf-ter-ble | |
| chocolate | 2 | chok-let | |
| family | 2 | fam-ly | |
| aspirin | 2 | as-prin | |
| separate | 2 | sep-ret | |
| interesting | 3 | in-tre-sting | |
| laboratory | 4 | lab-ra-to-ry | |
| every | 2 | ev-ry | |
| several | 2 | sev-ral | |
| average | 2 | av-reg | |
| favorite | 2 | fav-rit | |
| conference | 2 | con-frence |
Are These Syllables Always Silent?
Now, some of you are probably thinking, "But I KNOW I've heard people say in-te-res-ting with 3 syllables!!!" You probably have! Every time we pronounce a word, it sounds a little bit different. Sometimes when we are speaking slowly or emphatically, we might pronounce the silent syllable in miserable or interesting. This sounds confusing, but don't worry! If you leave the syllable silent, it will never be wrong!
*Note: Deleting syllables is a common phenomenon in American English, but it may not happen in all varieties of English.
More Free English Resources
To read more about English pronunciation check out these blog posts on the Silent N, Silent L, Silent B, Silent G, and Silent K.
Parts of a Bike
English Vocabulary - Parts of a Bike
As you probably know, bike is a common short word for bicycle in English. Let's build our bicycle vocabulary by learning English names for parts of a bike!
The place where you sit is the seat, just like at the movies or in a car. You put your hands on the handlebars. Notice that this word is a combination of two other useful words: handle (something you hold in your hand) and bar (a long straight piece of metal). You put your feet on the two pedals.
The word bicycle actually means two (bi-) wheels (cycle). The rubber part of the wheel that touches the ground is called the tire. The thin metal pieces that connect to the middle of the wheel are called spokes.
The pedals connect to the rear wheel with a chain and many different circular gears. All of this is held together on a metal frame, the red part in this picture.
More free English vocabulary resources
Take a look at the different parts of a bike in English!
Parts of a Shoe
English Vocabulary - Parts of a Shoe
Next up in our Ginseng English series Parts of a... is shoes! Do you know the names for the parts of your shoes? Read on and you soon will!
Three parts of a shoe actually have the same names as parts of your body. The toe is the part of the shoe where your toes are. The heel is the part of the shoe where your heel (the back of your foot) goes. The third one is a little less expected. The part on top that comes from the inside is called the tongue! Your foot doesn't have a tongue of course, but this part of the shoe looks a little like a tongue! 👅
On top of the tongue, the strings that you tie together are called the laces. Finally, the part on the bottom that touches the ground is called the sole of the shoe.
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Top 3 family films to watch in English (Guest Post)
Top 3 Family Films to Watch in English
(That the Whole Family Will Love!)
Ginseng is happy to host this guest post by Katie from Break Into English!
You know the drill: you’ve spent all week working hard to then go and pick the kids up from school.
Luckily you don’t have to take them to that English academy across town since you’ve signed them up for online English classes for kids so you can go straight home instead of getting stuck in another unbearable traffic jam.
But you still have to cook them dinner. And get them to do their homework. And correct the homework. And bathe them. And put them to bed. All this five times a week. You can’t wait for the weekend! Then you think of all the time and energy you will need to keep them entertained when all you want to do is relax. You think about putting a movie on—but really you cannot deal with the idea of sitting through another mind-numbing kids’ movie, yet again.
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Here are our top 3 family movies that adults will love too. You can all curl up on the sofa—the kids with popcorn and parents with a glass of wine (or two!)—and the whole family can brush up on their English listening skills without even feeling like they’re studying! Read on to find out which kids’ movies are also entertaining for adults, and let us explain why they can be a great complement to the English classes they’re already taking! It can even help them to prepare for the listening section of exams such as the Cambridge Flyers.
- The Lego Movie
Lego is everywhere. A timeless toy that never goes out of fashion (or gets boring!). Whether you love building princess castles or Star Wars spaceships, everyone loves Lego. As an adult you might be a little doubtful about whether this movie might actually work: will you really be entertained for 1 hour and 41 minutes watching Lego? The answer is Yes!
The movie has a great storyline with lots of jokes (some of which only adults will get!). You’ll love seeing the relationships form between the characters and you definitely won’t be bored!
The theme song ‘Everything is Awesome’ is extremely catchy and, if you listen to the lyrics carefully, they’re very funny for adults. For example, one part of the songs states, ‘Lost my job, there’s a new opportunity, more free time for my awesome community’. After the movie, if you really want to study English for half an hour or so look up the song and study the vocabulary. You’ll learn some new words whilst having a laugh at the irony of the song!
2. The Addams Family
Well known around the world, The Addams Family is a great movie for both adults and kids (just make sure the kids aren’t too young; they might find it a little scary!). If you like scary movies, then you’ll love this slightly more tame family version. It’s a great movie for learning English. Even the theme song contains some really great advanced vocabulary:
“They’re creepy and they’re kooky,
mysterious and spooky,
They’re altogether ooky,
The Addams Family”
Creepy = scary
Kooky = strange
Spooky = scary (usually to do with ghosts!)
Ooky = unpleasant
Remember to note down any new vocabulary you come across!
3. Uncle Buck
This film really is great for all the family, as it is so relatable. When the parents of a family have to leave town, suddenly there is only one person available to look after their three children: the lazy, carefree Uncle Buck. The two younger children love their funny Uncle but the teenage girl of the family is a little harder to crack. You’ll love the characters and really enjoy watching them develop. And the kids will love all the mischief Uncle Buck gets up to!
Watching movies in English is a great way to practice your listening skills as well as pick up new vocabulary. Another engaging, interactive and practical way of learning English is via webcam.
This article was written by Katie Gyurkovits, a blogger and English Teacher at Break Into English.
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Silent L Words
If you’re looking for explanations and examples of words with silent L, you’ve come to the right place. Charts, definitions, word lists, and the history of how silent L became silent.
Silent L Words
A lot of the silent letter posts we've shared have followed simple, repeatable patterns; Silent K always comes before an N, for example. Silent L is a little harder. We find it in lots of different words, and they are generally very common words. Many students try to pronounce these Ls, but in all these words, the L is completely silent.
In walk, chalk, and talk, the L comes after an A, and the vowel is pronounced like a short O. Half and calf have an AL, too, but the vowel is pronounced like the short A in staff. In could, should, and would, the L comes after OU, and the sound is exactly like the OO in good.
| Word | IPA | PoS | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| walk | /wɔk/ | v. | to move with the legs |
| calm | /kɑm/ | adj. | not angry, upset, or excited |
| folks | /foʊks/ | n. | people in general |
| half | /hæf/ | n. | one of two equal parts |
| talk | /tɔk/ | v. | to express thoughts in words |
| chalk | /ʧɑk/ | n. | a soft rock used for writing |
| could | /kʊd/ | v. | the past tense of can |
More Free Online English Tips
Looking for more info about English pronunciation? Read our other posts about Silent N, Silent K, Silent B, Silent G and Deleted Syllables.
Silent L Words in English