How do you use apostrophes? While a common form of punctuation, apostrophes have multiple uses, which makes them hard for even native English speakers to always use correctly. Learn to identify these errors, and make an effort to avoid making them in your own speech and writing. Using Apostrophes to Form Contractions and Show Possession…

Modern American English has few official rules for how politely you should address a given individual in a given situation. In French, Portuguese, and Spanish, for example, a second person singular pronoun takes different forms depending on who you are addressing. This formal/informal pronoun distinction is entirely absent in English, though there are some basic…

Test your knowledge of some of the tricky pairs and groups of words that are common in the English language. For each sentence, choose the correct word or words from those in brackets. Answers and explanations can be found at the end of the quiz. If you have trouble with any of these words, feel…

November is an important time of the year for American holidays. If you need more help with holiday vocabulary or any other aspect of the English language, contact the English Island in Atlanta. Our caring, passionate ESL teachers can create a lesson plan that is tailored to your individual needs. Holiday A holiday is a…

A negative question is worded in a way that requires a “no” response for an affirmative answer whereas a “yes” response would give a negative answer. In short, negative questions switch the “yes/no” response order of regular, or positive, questions. Here is an example of a negative question: Would you mind driving me to my…

With the holiday season once again upon us, we’re going to revisit the meanings of some important end-of-year cultural and religious holidays observed in the United States. If you need more help with vocabulary or any other aspect of the English language, contact the English Island in Atlanta. Our passionate ESL teachers offer a variety…

Autumn (or fall) is the season after summer but before winter during which temperatures begin to drop and some leaves begin to change from green in color to red, orange, and yellow colors. Other plants may begin to die out. In the northern hemisphere, where the English Island is located, autumn officially runs from late…