PhraseMix Articles

How do you use "suggest" correctly?

OK, I have to admit that no PhraseMix readers have directly asked me about this. But it's a common problem that I've noticed in a lot of emails and conversations with English learners: a lot of people use the word "suggest" incorrectly. So here's how you should use it.

The thing to remember is...

All the best English blogs

Do you read any blogs in English?

Blogs are great because they're written in more "normal" language than newspapers or magazine articles, plus you can find one that's on a specific topic that you're interested in.

Here are a few interesting blogs on different topics. Some I've read, and some I...

Where to find English audio with transcripts

As you probably know, listening to English while reading along is a super-powerful way to improve your listening skill as well as your vocabulary. Finding audio or video with matching transcripts or subtitles can be hard. But this post should make it a little easier!

The list below contains links...

What's the difference between 'clean away', 'clean up', 'clean out', etc.?

Before I explain the differences between "clean up", "clean out", etc. here's a warning: if you don't already know these phrases, it's a bad idea to learn them all at the same time. Read this blog post to find out why.

If you already know these expressions and you'd like to figure out exactly how...

Don't just learn. Overlearn.

If you're just reading each PhraseMix lesson, you're doing it wrong.

A story

I used to teach at an English conversation school in Japan. The students were mostly Japanese housewives and businessmen who came in two or three times a week.

There was one student who had been coming to the school...

Phrases for starting a meeting in English

When people get together for meetings, it's rare that they actually get straight to the point of the meeting. Usually there's a bit of introduction at the beginning of a meeting. This article is about some of the expressions that people use at the beginning of a meeting.

A very formal meeting:

...

How to get your questions answered

Do you have a question? Here are a few suggestions for how to get an answer quickly:

If you have a technical question or a suggestion for some way to improve PhraseMix, you can send it to me from the Contact page.

If you have a question or comment about a specific lesson, post it on...

How do I write a cover letter?

A "cover letter" is a short letter that you write to go along with your resume or CV when you're applying for a job. 

The purpose of a cover letter is to add some kind of "personality" to your application. Your resume already contains your work history and skills, so you don't need to...

What's the difference between "in time" and "on time"?

The phrases "in time" and "on time" are very similar in meaning, but English speakers use them in slightly different situations.

On time

Doing something "on time" means meeting an appointment, or meeting a time that has been set by someone. For example:

I...

Ungradable adjective

Adjectives are words like "small", "green", "old", "nice", "healthy", etc. which describe the characteristics of things.

Most adjectives can be intensified with "very":

• very small
• very old

But there are certain adjectives that don't fit well with intensifiers like "very"....