Phrases in English! List of thousands of common phrases in English by different topics. Learn these English phrases to increase your vocabulary and improve your speaking skill.

What are common phrases for speaking English?

There are many phrases that are used in the English language over and over again. As someone who is learning the language, you should take some time to learn some of these phrases so that you can be a more accomplished English speaker. In fact, as you learn the language, hearing these phrases is inevitable as you will hear several times in normal conversations.

Examples of formal and informal English phrases.

Examples of polite and impolite English phrases. 

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by Kenneth Beare 

Learning a new language like English can be a challenge, but with regular study it can be done. Classes are important, but so is disciplined practice. It can even be fun. Here are some guidelines to help you improve your reading and comprehension skills and become a better English student.  

Study Every Day

Learning any new language is a time-consuming process, more than 300 hours by some estimates. Rather than try and cram a few hours of review in once or twice a week, most experts say short, regular study sessions are more effective. As little as 30 minutes a day can help you improve your English skills over time.

Keep Things Fresh

Instead of focusing on one single task for the entire study session, try mixing things up. Study a little grammar, then do a short listening exercise, then perhaps read an article on the same topic. Don’t do too much, 20 minutes on three different exercises is plenty. The variety will keep you engaged and make studying more fun.

Read, Watch, and Listen. A lot.

Reading English-language newspapers and books, listening to music, or watching TV can also help you improve your written and verbal comprehension skills. By doing so repeatedly, you’ll begin to unconsciously absorb things like pronunciation, speech patterns, accents, and grammar. (Scientists call this phenomenon “indirect” learning). Keep pen and paper handy and write down words you read or hear that are unfamiliar. Then, do some research to learn what those new words mean. Use them the next time you are role-playing dialogue in class.

Learn the Sounds Separately

Non-native English speakers sometimes struggle with certain word pronunciations because they do not have similar sounds in their native tongue. Likewise, two words may be spelled very similarly, yet be pronounced quite different (for instance, “tough” and “though”). Or you may encounter combinations of letters where one of them is silent (for example, the K in “knife”). You can find plenty of English pronunciation videos on YouTube, such as this one on using words that begin with L and R.

Watch Out for Homophones

Homophones are words that are pronounced the same way, but are spelled differently and/or have different meanings. There are a number of homophones in the English language, which is one of the reasons why it can so challenging to learn. Consider this sentence: “Pack your clothes, then close the suitcase.” Both “clothes” and “close” sound the same, but they are spelled differently and have different meanings.

Practice Your Prepositions

Even advanced students of English can struggle to learn prepositions, which are used to describe duration, position, direction, and relationships between objects. There are literally dozens of prepositions in the English language (some of the most common include “of,” “on,” and “for”) and few hard rules for when to use them. Instead, experts say, the best way to learn prepositions to memorize them and practice using them in sentences. Study lists such as this one are a good place to begin. 

Play Vocabulary and Grammar Games

You can also improve your English skills by playing vocabulary games that are related to what you’re studying in class. For example, if you are going to study English on topics that focus on vacations, take a moment to think about your last trip and what you did. Make a list of all the words you might use to describe your activities.

You can play a similar game with grammar reviews. For example, if you are going to study conjugating verbs in the past tense, stop to think about what you did last weekend. Make a list of the verbs you use and review the various tenses. Don’t be afraid to consult reference materials if you get stuck. These two exercises will help you prepare for class by making you think critically about vocabulary and usage.

Write It Down

Repetition is key as you’re learning English, and writing exercises are a great way to practice. Take 30 minutes at the end of class or study to write down what happened during your day. It doesn’t matter whether you use a computer or pen and paper. By making a habit of writing, you’ll find your reading and comprehension skills improve over time.

Once you’re comfortable writing about your day, challenge yourself and have some fun with creative writing exercises. Choose a photo from a book or magazine and describe it in a short paragraph, or write a short story or poem about someone you know well. You can also practice your letter-writing skills. You’ll have fun and become a better English student. You may even discover you’ve got a talent for writing.

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by Kenneth Beare

Learning any language takes practice – lots of practice! Often, it’s difficult to know what you should practice. Should you watch a video? Perhaps, it would be a good idea to do a few quizzes. Of course, you should try to speak English with your friends. All of these are great ideas, but it’s also important to build a routine. A routine will help you make studying English a habit. That’s the best way to improve your English
Make Learning a Habit

It’s important to be exposed to many different areas every day. However, you shouldn’t try to study too many different subjects. These suggestions take a short listening and reading as the basis for daily practice. You are trying to learn many new things, so don’t try to learn too much in any one area too quickly!

Practice Routine

• Listen – 15 minutes: You can enhance your listening skills through specific strategies.
• Read – 15 minutes: Choose a subject you like to read about and read for fun.
• Improve your vocabulary – 10 minutes: Take five minutes to write down all the new words you find in your listening and reading exercises. Keep a notebook, and write in the translation in your native language.
• Grammar – 10 minutes: Think about what you are studying in English class (if you are taking it). Or, if you are studying by yourself, take out your grammar book and find one grammar point to review. Take a quick look at the grammar and then think about the listening and your reading. Did you hear or read these forms? How were they used?
• Speaking – 5 minutes: It is very important to move your mouth and speak! Even if you only speak to yourself. Take five minutes and speak out loud (not silently). Try to quickly summarize what you listened to and what you read. Can you do it? Of course, it’s better if you can do this with a friend. Find a friend and study together a few times a week. You can practice together.

That’s it! Approximately 45 minutes a day, every day – or at least four times a week! If you continue to do this, you will be surprised at how quickly your English improves!

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Here is a list of eight most common IELTS pitfalls that cost test takers precious points.

1. More is less. A very common mistake is to answer in more words than instructed. If the task says “Not more than 3 words”, answering in 4 or more words will definitely cost marks.
2. Less is less. The length of a written task is crucial. When instructions mention a minimal number of words (250 for an essay, 150 for report or letter), it means that any work shorter than required will be penalized.
3. A longer essay doesn’t mean a better mark. Another common misconception is that longer essays score better in IELTS. Not only is this a myth, but also a dangerous one. Writing a long essay can indirectly cost marks because the chances of making mistakes increase with the number of words and sentences.
4. Changing the subject is unacceptable. Every so often a student is asked to write on a topic, that he doesn’t understand. To avoid the disaster of missing a whole task they decide to write on a slightly – or entirely – different topic. The sad fact is that no matter how beautiful the submitted work is, the wrong topic means a zero score. Another similar pitfall is to omit parts of the given topic or ignore the guidelines in your work. Every point the topic refers to needs to be covered because the examiners will be actually counting them.
5. A good memory can get you in trouble. Having seen that the topics sometimes repeat, “smart” students with good memory decide to memorize essays. This is a terrible mistake to make because the examiners are trained to look for memorized essays and have firm instructions to disqualify such works on the spot.
6. An accent is not important. Pronunciation is. IELTS, being a test for non-native English speakers can’t penalize people for having an accent. The problem here is that not everyone knows the difference between speaking with an accent and mispronouncing the words. No matter how strong an accent a person has, the words are to be pronounced correctly or it will cost marks.
7. It is not the ideas that are important, but the way they are described in. Many students think that expressing the wrong ideas (whether it is an essay, letter or discussion) can harm their score. The truth is that no idea can be wrong and the ideas are not important on their own, it is the way they are expressed in that important.
8. Connective words: the more is not always the better. Smart students know that one of the essays marking criteria is coherence and cohesion, and what better way is there to demonstrate cohesion than to use lots of connective words, right? Wrong. Overuse of connective words is a known problem, which is easily recognized and penalized by the examiners.

A word of advice: to stay out of trouble, it is equally important to be aware of the pitfalls and to practice enough before the exam. Being familiar with the structure and the procedure of the test will build up confidence and that will reflect in your score.

This article was kindly provided by Simone Braverman who runs an excellent IELTS blog full of useful information and tips on taking the IELTS exam.www.thoughtco.com