Resources: Notes on Life and Language in the United States

One of the most important tasks where you will need your English in New York is finding an apartment. In the last New York English lesson you learned which neighborhoods are up-and-coming. Now that you have some neighborhoods in mind that you want to check out, you will learn some vocabulary words and expressions that you can use to communicate with the landlord, the broker or your potential roommates. Try the quiz below to test your vocabulary for apartment hunting. Choose the correct words to fill in the blanks in this typical telephone conversation between a landlord and an apartment hunter.

Today we have a New York English lesson. In this lesson, you can practice your listening and learn how to find an apartment in New York.  Finding an apartment in New York can be daunting! There are many things to think about! Which neighborhood is right for you? What kind of apartment do you want? And most importantly, what is your budget? I remember apartment hunting during the summer of 2006. After viewing twelve different apartments, I finally found the perfect place and I had an hour to get to the broker's office to sign the lease before someone else took the apartment. Apartment hunting is done a little bit differently in New York than in other cities. There is a lot of competition and prices are high so if you are learning English, you need to be prepared and know the correct phrases and vocabulary words to use when you start your search. In this New York English lesson series, we will give you some ideas about great neighborhoods to check out and the vocabulary words and phrases that you need to get the apartment you want.

If you are a busy professional and you can't spend hours in a classroom improving your English, I have good news for you. You don't have to spend hours in an English class. If you are living in the United States, you can practice English anywhere and at anytime.  In an earlier post, I talked about how to improve your English by taking risks. But today I will talk about another strategy that a lot of students and English tutors don't consider. Engaging in English conversation is important but sometimes it's just not possible. In that case, you can improve your English just by listening! Through listening, you can practice English on your way to work, during your lunch break or even while waiting at the hair salon. Your life is busy but you can still improve your English every day!  Keep reading to learn more.

How do you find the right English tutor in Boston? Boston is a wonderful place to learn English. It is a city of universities, students, new and innovative ideas and it has a vibrant atmosphere. It is an American city with a slightly European feeling. If you have chosen to study English in Boston, you have made an excellent decision. However, there are many options for learning English in Boston and it is important to know how to make the right choice based on your needs. Although you will have more opportunities to speak English with American people in Boston than you would have in New York, you still need to make an effort to get out into the city and practice your English with native speakers. If you have a limited amount of time to learn English or if you need to improve your English for your career, you might want to consider working with an English tutor in Boston. In this article, I will give you some tips for choosing the right tutor.

Today I will offer a unique piece of advice on how to improve your English. Many private English tutors will tell you that it is important to practice speaking as much as possible and that means taking risks.  How comfortable are you in new or different situations? To be a language learner, you must be a risk taker. Risk taking is a great way to gradually build confidence in your English skills. Keep reading for more ideas about how to take risks while learning English and some risks that you might consider taking this year.

Your American English tutoring classes are a good opportunity to learn more than just English speaking skills. You can also learn about daily life in the United States with your native English speaking tutor. One of the questions that a lot of my students have asked during our English tutoring sessions is about tipping in the United States. When and where should you leave a tip? How much money should you leave? If you are an international professional working in the United States for a few years or if you are a short term traveler visiting New York or Boston for a few days, this listening activity will tell you what you need to know about tipping.

If you would like to improve your business English skills then you are in the right place!

Are you wondering how to open a business meeting in English?

Maybe you have a meeting coming up this week?

Today in our English for business lesson, we will talk about how to open a business meeting in English.

 If English is not your native language, it could be a challenge to lead a meeting in English, but with a little practice, you will be ready to lead a meeting in English the next time your boss asks you to do it.

This week, we have a series of articles to give you English for business phrases that you can use in your next meeting.