Resources: Notes on Life and Language in the United States

Business English Communication | Email Writing in English

Posted by Lindsay McMahon on Tue, Nov 15, 2011 @ 09:22 AM

Do you ever wonder how to write a business email in English correctly, using the right professional tone?

Read More

Topics: English Lessons, Business English Vocabulary

Everyday English | 6 Ways to Order a Coffee

Posted by Lindsay McMahon on Mon, Nov 07, 2011 @ 10:42 AM

Read More

Topics: English Lessons, Vocabulary Workshop

Interviewing in English | Vocabulary Words You Should Know

Posted by Lindsay McMahon on Fri, Nov 04, 2011 @ 07:59 AM

Would you like to know more about interviewing in English? Are you preparing for a job or internship interview in the United States? In previous articles, we have talked about how culture affects your interviewing style and why it is important to ask questions in an interview in the US. We have also talked about the four common questions that you should expect to get when you are being interviewed in the US. So if you have read our previous articles, you know a few things about what to expect in an interview. But do you have the vocabulary words that you will need to effectively communicate your skills and experience? In today's lesson, we will look at some essential vocabulary words for an interview.

Read More

Topics: English Lessons, Business English Vocabulary

A New Way to Practice your English | The Phrasal Verb Quiz Book

Posted by Lindsay McMahon on Wed, Nov 02, 2011 @ 08:46 AM

When you practice your English, phrasal verbs are one of the most important things to learn if you want to be able to communicate with local people.  Why? Because we use them all the time in daily conversations! What is the difference between hang in, hang out and hang up? Do you know how to use put in, put out and put off? Have you struggled with phrasal verbs in the past? If so, we have created a quiz book for you with 3 of our best phrasal verb quizzes. This is an opportunity for you to practice some vocabulary words at home and learn how to use them when you speak with local people. Remember, your first step is to learn them and your second step is to go out and practice them with native speakers! So get started!

Read More

Topics: Phrasal Verbs, English Lessons

English Lesson | Quiz! Choose the Correct Word

Posted by Lindsay McMahon on Mon, Oct 31, 2011 @ 09:49 AM

Welcome to today's English lesson! Today we have a video quiz on phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs are one of the biggest challenges for our students in New York and Boston. The best way to learn how to use phrasal verbs is to memorize them and then get out and practice them with native speakers! In this video, you will learn 5 new phrasal verbs in about two minutes. Are you ready to get started?

Read More

Topics: Phrasal Verbs, English Lessons

English by Email | Celebrating 100 Members of our Community

Posted by Lindsay McMahon on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 @ 08:32 AM

Today we are celebrating an important milestone at English and Culture! We have added our 100th member to our community of English by Email monthly newsletter subscribers! Our community is a worldwide group of English learners including former and current students in Boston and New York as well as international professionals and international students from Asia, Europe and Latin America. Our readers are a mix of all different ages, English levels and goals. But they do have one thing  in common. They understand that both English skills and cultural competence are crucial for success in the United States and in the international business world.

Read More

Topics: English Lessons, How to Learn English

American Business English | Telephone Vocabulary

Posted by Lindsay McMahon on Tue, Sep 06, 2011 @ 04:23 PM

How do you feel when you have to speak English on the telephone at work?

Are you afraid that you won't understand everything that the other person says?

Do you ever panic and feel scared that you will lose the person's respect?

If you work in an office in New York or Boston and you are not completely confident about your English at work yet, speaking on the telephone is probably one of your most challenging daily tasks.

In today's American business English lesson, we will learn a few of the phrases and vocabulary words that you can use during a professional phone conversation at work.

Remember, the best way to improve your telephone English skills for business is to practice, so ask your tutor to help you practice these phrases plus many others in a role play during your next English lesson.

 

Read More

Topics: English Lessons, Business English Vocabulary

English Vocabulary Words for a Hurricane | To Weather the Storm

Posted by Lindsay McMahon on Sun, Aug 28, 2011 @ 10:05 AM

This has been a summer of crazy weather! In July, we had a heat wave and just last week we felt an earthquake! Today, as hurricane season gets started, we are dealing with Hurricane Irene, a rare storm which is passing up the east coast and hitting New York City as well as Boston. As you know, Americans love to talk about the weather. We have many English idioms that are related to weather and it is a common small talk subject. So, today I would like to give you some English vocabulary words that you can use to talk about this hurricane.

Read More

Topics: English Lessons, Vocabulary Workshop

English Video: Choosing the Right Word at the Right Time

Posted by Lindsay McMahon on Fri, Jul 29, 2011 @ 06:39 AM

Welcome to today's English video lesson. Do you ever get confused about which vocabulary word to choose when you are speaking English? When you study English from a book, the words don't seem difficult, but sometimes it is easy to get confused during a conversation when you feel nervous or anxious about making a mistake. The best way to sharpen your vocabulary is to work with an English tutor every week and practice the words in real conversations. You can start by checking out today's English video on three sets of  confusing words.

Read More

Topics: English Lessons, Video Lessons

English Expressions: Try Your Hand at These 8 Questions

Posted by Lindsay McMahon on Mon, Jul 25, 2011 @ 09:40 AM

Welcome and thank you for visiting the English and Culture blog!

Read More

Topics: English Lessons, English Idioms

Speak with Confidence

practice English now with native English speakers

Monthly Newsletter

get-free-english-lessons-by-email

English Podcast

 

American English conversation listening podcast

Nominated Top 100

Top 100 Language Lovers 2012

1. Top Language Lovers   Top 100 Final

Business English

free-guidehow-to-give-a-presentation

Subscribe to this Blog

Free Trial Lesson

schedule-your-free-trial-lesson

Testimonial

"Every day I read the English and Culture blog and I love it."

-Student of English and Culture

Connect with Us

Free Practice Guide

phrasal-verb-quiz-book

Latest Posts

Resources for You

12-resourcesfor-your-success-in

Student Testimonial

business English student Boston

"My classes with English and Culture have been awesome. I have been taking the classes for almost two months, twice a week and I am really happy about my improvement. Now I feel more comfortable and secure when speaking English and more fluent, too."

-Elkin, Colombia