Compliment vs Complement “Wow, you ran a great meeting today!” Was that a Compliment or a Complement? (It was a compliment.) Spoken, both words sound the same: “KAHM-pluh-munt” In writing, however, “compliment” has an “i” in the middle, and complement has an “e.”...
Are vs Our Have you ever wondered why native English speakers say the word “our” as if it were “are”? Many non-native English speakers are taught to pronounce the word OUR as a 2-syllable word, pronounced like “OW-er” (or “hour”). Native speakers know that saying...
It’s a new year and time to review the four everyday English words that are most often mispronounced. In 15 years of teaching, no matter where a student is from or what level they are, these words are always the ones most mispronounced. ASKED The past tense of “ask”...
English is filled with words that are pronounced differently from how they’re spelled – and today’s spotlight is on the plural form, “women.” “Women” rhymes with “swimmin’,” the informal way to say “swimming,” and seemingly the only word that rhymes with “women.” (If...
Why do the sounds in these words cause so much confusion – and embarrassment?! The difference between Live vs Leave is usually clear. Live = inhabit. Leave = depart. The hard part is in pronouncing these words correctly: Leave = leev Live = lihv or l’v Most...
As a foreign speaker of English, do you say, “I sink” instead of “I think?” This consonantal switch is common among non-native English speakers. Many English learners know that “I sink” literally means, “I am going under water”(like the...
