The English Farm's blog

Here are practical tips to avoid the three most common mistakes in the GCAS.

Try to spot what is unnatural about the following statement, “The number of people on my team is 5."

If you practice writing slowly, you will likely keep writing slowly. To speed up, try timed writing.

As your English improves, you are able to make longer and longer sentences. But, should you? 

Most people can say they like or don't like something. It can be delicious or disgusting, but that doesn't communicate the flavor. Let's work on describing flavors.

Communicating in English means you have to communicate not only in a new language, but also across a culture. That means more than just translating words and phrases. 

A question tag turns a simple word, phrase or sentence into a question. Simple, right? 

While some question tags are universal, other tags are specific to cultures around the world.

There is a good chance you've said or heard someone say, "Sorry to be late!" But that's a mistake. Using sorry to + verb is not for an apology. It's used to express sympathy for an action you will do or are doing. 

Head coach Firas Zahabi recently shared a fresh take on how to meet your goals. He talked about physical exercise—see the picture above, but his advice is useful to meet study goals as well.

When we have a tight deadline, most of us can finish a lot of work quickly. But if the deadline is far away, that same work takes much longer. Why is that?

Have you ever seen comedy from another culture and wondered, why is this considered funny? Believe it or not, this even happens to English speakers from different countries.

When you speak, how much does the audience remember, and which parts do they remember? The answer may help you re-think how to be an impressive communicator.

Repeating new information, also called "rehearsal", is commonly called one of the worst memorization techniques. Why? Let's get into it.

Should you use jargon with your colleagues? How about with your clients? How about in a speaking test? Here's a simple but powerful rule to guide you.

Ideas change, and what's radical to one generation may be normal to the next.

In English, the negative component can be put in a variety of places. But, as long as the meaning is the same, the negative element should go as close to the beginning as possible.

Stressing a word when speaking, by saying it longer, louder or with higher intonation, will show the listener which word is key. 

Many students who have studied vocabulary still don't score well in the G.B.C. test. We'll show you why.

We'll help you understand the Delivery section of your G.B.C score sheet. You'll also learn how to approach delivery to maximise your score.

Do you find your G.B.C. score sheet confusing? We'll help you understand the Communication of Information section. You'll also learn how to use the skills you have to score well.

Should you translate your traditional words into English?

If you have to give a presentation in English, you will likely spend a lot of time preparing your slides. However, there is a danger of relying too heavily on slides.

Linguists in America have voted the singular "they" as the word of the decade.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is an important figure who has a particular way of approaching some topics: he openly says, "I don't know." 

A portmanteau is the combination of two words to make a new word. Using portmanteaus is quick and convenient, and it makes you seem more natural. 

Mistakes are an accident. You know it's wrong, but the wrong word slips out. An error, on the other hand, is something you don't know. But what's the difference when you study?