English can be a tricky language, especially when certain words look similar, sound alike, or seem interchangeable but actually have distinct meanings. These confusing words often trip up even the most proficient speakers. To help you navigate this linguistic minefield, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 confusing words in English—and how to use them correctly.
1. Affect vs. Effect
Affect (verb): To influence something.
Example: The weather can affect your mood.
Effect (noun): The result or consequence of an action.
Example: The new policy had a positive effect on employee productivity.
Tip: If you’re talking about an action, use “affect.” If you’re talking about a result, use “effect.”
2. Compliment vs. Complement
Compliment (noun/verb): A polite expression of praise or admiration.
Example: She gave me a nice compliment about my dress.
Complement (noun/verb): Something that completes or enhances something else.
Example: The wine complements the meal perfectly.
Tip: Remember, “I” in “compliment” stands for admiration, while “E” in “complement” stands for enhancement.
3. Further vs. Farther
Further (adjective/adverb): Refers to metaphorical or abstract distance.
Example: Let’s discuss this further.
Farther (adjective/adverb): Refers to physical distance.
Example: The store is farther down the street.
Tip: Use “farther” for measurable distances and “further” for abstract concepts like time or conversation.
4. Lie vs. Lay
Lie (verb): To recline or rest on a surface.
Example: I need to lie down after a long day.
Lay (verb): To place something down.
Example: Lay the book on the table.
Tip: People lie down, but you lay things down.
5. Imply vs. Infer
Imply (verb): To suggest something without saying it directly.
Example: He implied that he wasn’t happy with the decision.
Infer (verb): To deduce or conclude something from evidence.
Example: From her tone, I could infer that she was upset.
Tip: The speaker implies, while the listener infers.
6. Principle vs. Principal
Principle (noun): A fundamental truth or law.
Example: Honesty is a key principle in life.
Principal (noun/adjective): The head of a school or organization; or the most important thing.
Example: The principal of the school gave a speech.
Tip: Remember that your principal is your “pal,” while principle refers to a rule or standard.
7. Lose vs. Loose
Lose (verb): To fail to keep, win, or maintain something.
Example: I don’t want to lose my keys.
Loose (adjective): Not tight or free.
Example: The shirt is too loose on me.
Tip: Double the “O” when something is not tight, but just one “O” when you misplace something.
8. Stationary vs. Stationery
Stationary (adjective): Not moving, remaining in one place.
Example: The car remained stationary at the red light.
Stationery (noun): Writing materials like paper and envelopes.
Example: She bought new stationery for her office.
Tip: “E” in stationery is for “envelope,” while “A” in stationary is for “at rest.”
9. Than vs. Then
Than (conjunction): Used for comparisons.
Example: She is taller than her brother.
Then (adverb): Refers to time or what comes next.
Example: First, we’ll have dinner, then we’ll watch a movie.
Tip: Use “than” for comparisons and “then” for time sequences.
10. Desert vs. Dessert
Desert (noun): A dry, sandy area with little to no vegetation.
Example: The Sahara is the largest desert in the world.
Dessert (noun): The sweet course at the end of a meal.
Example: I’ll have chocolate cake for dessert.
Tip: To remember “dessert” has two “s,” think of wanting seconds of something sweet!
Conclusion
Mastering these confusing words is key to becoming more confident in your English writing and speaking. Although some words may seem tricky at first, understanding the context in which they are used can help you avoid mistakes. The more you practice, the more naturally these distinctions will come.
If you’re looking to improve your spoken English and clarify any lingering doubts about word usage, apps like EngVarta (download now https://engv.in) offer one-on-one conversation practice with experts, helping you gain fluency and precision in English. Happy learning!
Learning English is one of the best ways to improve your job prospects and access new opportunities, but with so much choice out there how do you know which language course will be right for you?
In this blog, you will come across the Top 10 English-speaking courses of 2022.
English conversation by udemy is one of the top English-speaking courses of 2022.
English conversation course designed to help you improve your English, specifically speaking.
This course is designed for beginners and intermediate students who want to improve their speaking skills. It will also be useful for advanced learners who want a refresher on the most common words and phrases they use in everyday life.
This course features:
Over 1 hour of high-quality video lectures
Easy to follow, practical lessons that anyone can apply immediately
Real-life examples of how these phrases are used in everyday conversations
This online course is designed for people who want to improve their English conversation skills, grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. It’s also a great resource for students who are preparing for an exam like IELTS.
The course will take you from beginner level to intermediate level. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to understand native speakers better and speak more clearly yourself.
You’ll learn the most important aspects of spoken English with fun and engaging videos, audio recordings, and interactive exercises. The lessons are easy to follow so you can start speaking immediately!
Here, you can practice English conversation practice with English Experts at your selected time.
During your live practice session, the experts will be correcting your
✔ pronunciation mistakes, ✔ Grammar errors and will help to ✔ frame better sentences to improve your overall English communication. All the sessions are recorded here for revision & you will also receive assignments after every session.
You can download the English learning app from iOS or android and start with a trial session.
The main purpose of the EngVarta app is to provide an environment so that you can listen and speak in English on daily basis. You can practice English for your job interviews, IELTS, or to master communication skills.
After every session, you get a recording of your previous conversation, so that you can listen to the feedback again and identify the corrections that you need to make. On completing 10 hours of practice, students are awarded a certificate of completion.
It is undoubtedly the best English app for anyone who wants to practice speaking English on a daily basis with Experts.
Youtube – Learn English with Let’s Talk
Let’s Talk offers many lessons, all organized into different playlists, that may as well be an English course. Moreover, it is among the top 10 English-speaking courses of 2022. They provide video lessons that can help a beginner to understand and start using the English language for daily conversation.
Their lessons are worth binge-watching. From pronunciation to English grammar rules to advanced English phrases for different real-life situations.
Let’s Talk is a great resource for beginner English learners, but its entertaining lessons are helpful for native speakers to brush up on their language skills.
In this 5 week’s course offered by the Georgia Institute of Technology, you will learn :
how to introduce yourself and others, how to agree or disagree,
how to clarify, restate, and summarize.
ou will revise and rehearse how to give information and respond to requests on the phone. You will review and practice effective interviewing techniques.
In Addition, you’ll also understand how to give a sales “pitch” introducing a product or service.
Throughout the course, you will adjust your English speaking skills and become more fluent and accurate when speaking it. You will demonstrate culturally appropriate body language and tone. As you work through the course, you’ll complete yourself and peer evaluations.
Through a combination of lectures, comprehension quizzes, practice assignments, and performance tasks, you’ll gain the skills and confidence to communicate well in English anywhere in the world!
This course is ideal if you want to learn how to talk about human relationships, whether they’re with friends, family or partners. You’ll learn commonly used idioms, phrasal verbs and collocations related to relationships, as well as how to use narrative tenses to discuss past habits. This grammar course will help you gain confidence in English.
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the IELTS Academic test, covering all four areas of language proficiency: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. You’ll develop your skills in each of these areas through interactive lessons, practice activities, and mock tests. You’ll also receive feedback on your performance with detailed reports at the end of each module.
This course is designed for students at a pre-intermediate to intermediate level of English (A2-B1). You will improve your English Speaking, English Listening, English Vocabulary, English Grammar, and English Pronunciation skills by completing the course activities.
Inside this course, you will learn :
How to have real-life conversations
Hundreds of vocabulary and phrases for having English conversations.
Participating in various online activities and creating your own booklet of vocabulary.
This course is designed for non-native English speakers who want to advance their careers. You will learn about the application process, as well as job search and interview skills while comparing and contrasting the same process in your home country. You will also learn about the various ways in which English language networking can help you land your dream job!
This course will help you to communicate with native speakers from real-life conversations. It will cover basic conversation topics such as ordering at a restaurant, asking for information, or responding to common expressions.
Conclusion
I hope this has given you some insights about the Top 10 English speaking course of 2022.
Besides using a course, it is important to dedicate some time for your English practice at home.
Check out this blog on how you can practice English at home. Click here
If you’d like to take your English skills to the next level and try speaking English like a native, then you need to know where to start.
There are a lot of resources out there for learning English and a lot of mainstream English speaking courses that offer the best materials for helping you speak like a native!
Check out our blog on Resources to start learning English for English language learners
In this article, I’m going to share with you 10 of the best English-speaking courses available online to learn and improve your English.
Coursera
Coursera is one of the websites with the best English speaking courses. It offers far-flung English courses that you can use anytime and anywhere. These English speaking courses will help you to improve your English speaking skills if you are in a professional environment or if you are learning for career purposes.
Using these English speaking courses on Coursera, you can improve your grammar, vocabulary, and also communication skills for career growth.
English for Career Development is an English speaking course designed to help students acquire the skills needed for professional life. It is aimed at learners who are studying or working in English-speaking environments, or who are preparing themselves for further study or work in English-speaking environments. The course aims to help students develop their language skills through the examination of various aspects of career development, such as resumes and cover letters; job interviews and feedback; job search strategies; and dealing with work colleagues, supervisors, and clients.
Speak English Professionally: In-Person, Online & On the Phone is an English speaking course designed to help you improve your English speaking skills. This English speaking course will teach you how to communicate effectively in real-life situations and how to build confidence while speaking. You will learn how to communicate with people over the phone, in person, and online. You will also be able to practice these skills through interactive activities.
Essential English for Business Professionals Specialization is a series of English speaking courses designed to help you develop the language skills that are essential for success in business.
You will learn how to communicate more effectively in English, whether at work or on an international trip. This specialization requires prior knowledge of business English and English grammar.
There are 3 English speaking courses included in this specialization :
BBC 6 Minutes English is a free language learning podcast with bite-sized lessons that you can listen to on the go. It’s suitable for everyone who wants to improve their English, from complete beginners to advanced learners and teachers.
Each week they publish a new episode with a fun theme. They cover topics such as food, holidays and festivals, travel, family life, music, and entertainment. You’ll also get tips on how to improve your pronunciation and grammar.
ESL POD is an online audio English learning program. It has a simple and intuitive interface, with a clear explanation of each exercise and its purpose. One of the main features of ESL POD is that it allows you to record your voice and compare it with the native speakers’ voices. It’s a great way to improve your pronunciation as well as your fluency in English.
Another great feature is that you can listen to the different exercises without having to record them first or without having to wait for someone else to record them first. This means that you can focus on listening and understanding instead of worrying about how long it will take for someone else to make their recording or how long it will take for them to upload it so that you can listen to it!
ESL POD also has an integrated dictionary which allows users to quickly look up any word they want in English without having to go through several steps or even install another app just for this purpose.
Alison’s English speaking course is a great way to learn English. It’s interesting, easy-to-use and fun. With Alison you will learn English in just 20 minutes a day. It is based on the principles of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and includes video lessons, audio exercises and interactive exercises to help you practice what you have learned.
Alison is available as a free trial with a 7-day free trial or as a paid subscription.
Udemy is a great choice if you want to learn English on your own, but it’s even better if you’re looking to brush up on your language skills with an actual teacher. That way, you can ask for clarification and make sure that you understand what the instructor is saying, especially if the class size is small.
Plus, the fact that there are 2,600+ courses available means that no matter how advanced or basic you are in terms of your skill level, there will be a course available to fit your needs.
The best part is that many programs are also designed for those who want to achieve conversational fluency quickly; as a self-taught student, you might find yourself behind within a few weeks. If this happens to you, feel free to reach out to any of the thousands of active members who participate in discussions each day. By participating in these conversations , you can practice and hopefully keep up with other students’ spoken English abilities.
In this Future Learn speaking course, you will learn how to communicate effectively with others in everyday situations and make yourself understood in a variety of situations. You will also learn how to express yourself clearly and listen attentively when someone else is talking.
The course is designed to help you improve your communication skills in English by practicing speaking, listening and writing in different contexts such as work meetings, social occasions or everyday conversations. You will be able to practice using these skills in real-life situations by completing activities such as role plays and discussions.
This Future Learn course is suitable for beginners who want to improve their English language skills through listening, speaking and reading activities.
Perfectly Spoken offers part of its package for free. Each level contains 60 classes and each program is taught by different teachers. It’s a good way to see if this is the right program for you.
In this English speaking course, The first level contains 30 classes, so it’s a great way to get started with your learning. After you finish a level, you can choose to continue with the next one or not.
Perfectly Spoken teaches pronunciation in a very effective way by using visual cues (videos) and audio cues (audio recordings). It also has an interactive section where students can practice what they learned in class by answering questions related to grammar or vocabulary.
The Perfectly Spoken method is based on five principles: correct pronunciation; correct stress; correct rhythm; correct intonation; proper timing.
Engvarta is an English-speaking practice platform. It is the best English speaking course for those who want to focus only on speaking skills and practice spoken English on their daily basis.
You can take a trial session to understand how the session works and then go for the subscription for regular practice.
You can practice any time of the day for 30 minutes to 60 minutes according to your own schedule.
Conclusion
So, those were our top picks for the best courses for learning English as a second language. We definitely had to leave some out of this list, so if you think we missed something let us know in the comments below! Also let us know what your experiences have been with these or any other programs.
Top 10 English Speaking Courses to improve English
Whether your motivation for learning English is to travel, improve your job prospects, or simply connect with international friends, it is important that you choose the best way to learn English.
Something that is important to learning English is persistence practice. And the resources that you choose do not bore you, but keep your spirits high.
This post will give you detailed information about what are some of the best English-speaking courses in India to improve your English.
10 online resources that can help you improve your English
Technology and the way we consume information is rapidly changing. This means that there are a lot of different online resources that can help you, whether it’s for pronunciation, listening to podcasts, or improving your grammar skills. Here are the top 10 online courses that can help you improve your English
Here, you can practice English conversation practice with English Experts at your selected time.
During your live practice session, the experts will be correcting your
✔ pronunciation mistakes, ✔ Grammar errors and will help to ✔ frame better sentences to improve your overall English communication. All the sessions are recorded here for revision & you will also receive assignments after every session.
You can download the app from ios or android store and start with a trial session.
The main purpose of the EngVarta app is to provide an environment so that you can listen and speak in English on daily basis. You can practice English for your job interviews, IELTS, or to master communication skills.
After every session, you get a recording of your previous conversation, so that you can listen to the feedback again and identify the corrections that you need to make. On completing 10 hours of practice, students are awarded a certificate of completion.
It is undoubtedly the best English app for anyone who wants to practice speaking English on a daily basis with Experts.
Coursera is an education platform offering free online courses in a wide variety of fields — specialties including business, computer science, data science, humanities, and language. The classes are known as MOOCs (massive online open courses), which means you can take them on your own schedule, at home, from anywhere in the world.
This Specialization can help you improve your professional English communication skills. Each course focuses on a particular area of communication: writing emails, speaking in meetings, doing interviews, giving presentations, and networking online. Whether you want to communicate with potential employers, employees, partners, or clients, better English communication can help you achieve your language and professional goals.
This course is best for anyone who is at a beginner level and wants to practice overall English communication skills.
Coursera – Learn English: Advanced Academic Speaking and Listening Specialization
The University of California, Irvine has partnered with Coursera to offer an online course focused on the English used in academic settings.
This specialization will prepare you to take academic courses in an English-speaking environment. You will develop the listening and speaking skills that you’ll need to be successful in these courses. As you work through the specialization, you will have opportunities to practice your listening comprehension skills, work on presentations, and conversations, and learn how to choose appropriate study strategies.
Fluentu is an online course that helps you learn English through video. But it’s not just any video. Fluentu video course uses fun, real-life English videos like movie trailers and music videos to help you learn English naturally.
Fluentu is customizable to your needs and interests. If you love movies, you’ll see more movie videos; if you love sports, you’ll get more sports videos. The videos are all in English, of course, but there are captions in many different languages so that you really understand what everyone is saying.
You’ll also be able to learn vocabulary through pictures and example sentences. You can even add new words to your own vocabulary list for later review!
Youtube – Learn English with Let’s Talk
Let’s Talk offers many lessons, all organized into different playlists, that may as well be an English course! They provide video lessons that can help a beginner to understand and start using the English language for daily conversation.
Their lessons are worth binge-watching. From pronunciation to English grammar rules to advanced English phrases for different real-life situations.
Let’s Talk is a great resource for beginner English learners, but its entertaining lessons are helpful for native speakers to brush up on their language skills!
If you’re having trouble mastering the English language, then this course is for you! This course offers many methods for training your speaking/listening/writing abilities so that you can improve your overall English skills.
In this course, your teacher is Kendra Lucas. The course contains :
The Writing & Grammar Lessons will teach you how to organize your thoughts clearly and precisely in your writing.
The speaking practicing speaking English with frequent repetition drills, voice recordings, and answering questions out loud when prompted.
Vocabulary-building lessons help you understand English words in a way that will make you sound more professional.
Test your vocabulary by answering questions about the texts you read.
For anyone who wants to practice English speaking or writing, Alison’s free English language course is a great place to start.
English is the language of business and travel, and knowing how to communicate effectively makes your life much easier. However, language learning can be hard work. Alison’s interactive training helps you to build your confidence as you learn.
This English language course has three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Each level includes lessons in speaking, writing, vocabulary and grammar. At the end of each lesson, you’ll find an online assessment so you can test your understanding.
Skillshare is a community marketplace for learning and teaching online where students learn real-world skills from incredible teachers.
It’s a place where anyone can teach what they know and love, and anyone can take the classes they want to get the skills they need.
If you’re aiming to become fluent in English, this course is for you. Luke has seen students master the skills they need to really use English at a high level after working with the lessons in this course over many years.
This course comprises:
Essential English grammar, including difficult tenses, quantifiers, and more
English for common social situations, like inviting, giving advice, talking about movies, etc.
English skills are necessary for descriptions, comparisons, explanations, etc.
Hundreds of native vocabulary and expressions are needed for fluent conversation
English knowledge for challenging things, like writing emails, giving presentations, and debating
EF English Live is the world’s leading online English school. Every day, the students have thousands of live conversations with qualified native-speaking teachers. The teachers are based in our 24/7 online classroom, so there’s a class available at any time of the day or night.
EF English Live is a social learning community where you can meet new friends and practice your speaking skills. You also get access to our discussion forum and a library of over 20,000 free e-books.
Oxford Online English is an online English school offering premium-quality online English lessons to suit your needs. They bring to you the best English teachers from around the world, so you can learn English online, whenever and wherever it suits you.
They have a wide range of courses on offer, from general conversation classes and business English to exam preparation and writing courses. You can also choose between one-to-one classes with personalized attention or group classes with other students.
Conclusion
We hope these resources can help you improve your English.
Besides all these resources, something that is most important is self-practice. Make sure you spend a good amount of time helping yourself with English concepts and lessons.
