Blog Archives

Writing A Good Email In English: Our Advice

Posted on December 6, 2021

Effective email writing is more important than ever these days. So how can we write a good email?

Is Email Even The Best Way?

First things first. When you write a good email, your recipient knows exactly what you want. Aim to email with one request or about one topic.

Is it really complicated, though?

Then consider phoning instead of emailing. Likewise if it’s urgent.

Write A Good Email Subject Line

OK so we’re writing an email.

When you write a good email subject line, you have a much better chance of a positive response. Say you’re writing to a manager who gets a lot of emails. An email subject line like “Question”, “Catch up”, or “Bits and bobs” won’t help them manage their inbox.

Are you starting a new topic of conversation? So start a new email thread. Otherwise it will make your conversation hard to search through in the future.

Use An Appropriate Form Of Address

Contrary to popular belief, British people are not super super formal. So normally we start emails to colleagues and clients with “Hi” and their first name like this:

Hi Kelly,

But what if it’s someone you’ve never met, like someone you’re interviewing?

Dear Kelly,

You can also switch it up with “Hello” which is somewhere in the middle in terms of formality.

Add A Social Pleasantry

“I hope you’ve been well since we last spoke.”

“Great to hear you’ve opened another branch in West London.”

And so on.

Make Your Request Easy For Your Recipient

You probably have contacts who are busy and won’t always reply. So make it easy for them.

Suppose you want to change the supplier for office equipment. If you write “Can we start using a new supplier?” and you don’t get a reply, you’re stuck.

But consider this. If you write “I’d like to change the supplier for office equipment. I found another company with a wider range of things we need. Unless you tell me otherwise, I’ll do this on Monday”.

This way, the person you’re writing to doesn’t even need to reply.

Use Nice Short Sentences

This is one of the things we see a lot in our English language classes in London. And that’s people writing sentences which are too long. English speakers have a general preference for short, concise sentences.

Proofread Before Sending

You probably run a spellcheck anyway. But we’re talking about that pesky autocorrect function.

Sometimes autocorrect is a friend.

But sometimes it’s a fiend.

So just make sure “Best regards” doesn’t turn into “Beat regards”.

Do You Want To Improve Your English Writing Skills?

You’re in the right place. Online or face to face classes at Orchid English focus on the skills you want to improve.

Learn how to write a good email whether it’s to a client, a colleague or a friend.

Contact us on 020 8150 7239 or write to us here.

What’s The Best Online English Test?

Posted on November 22, 2021

Looking for a quick and effective online English test? Orchid English run English classes in London companies and online. So first we need to sort the students into the appropriate groups for their level.

That way we can run a beginners group, an intermediates group and so on.

HR and L&D managers often ask us how to test the English level of the staff before the course. So we spent a long time trying out various English level tests. What we wanted was a quick and effective online English test without registration.

How To Choose An Online Level Test

First things first. If you want a quick online English level test you’d better know more or less the level you’re testing.

There’s no point testing beginners on the finer points of third conditional grammar. It would just demoralise them, and all the beginners would get a similar result anyway.

What Are The Different Levels In English?

Below is the common European framework for languages (CEFR) which is a scale from levels A1 – C2. Here’s what it means:

A1 total beginner 
A2 pre-intermediate (someone who can hold a very simple conversation)
B1 intermediate 
B2 upper intermediate
C1 advanced
C2 very advanced

Which English Test Should I Do?

That depends. Approximately what English level are your employees? Or what English level are you, if you want to test yourself? We use two online English tests that we really like.

On both tests, you can get your answers immediately. And there’s no messing around signing up to anything. What’s more, you can check your results and go back over any wrong answers.

#1 Online English Test For Total Beginners To Intermediates

The Using English test here covers basic vocabulary and grammar. It’s just one page of 50 short questions.

#2 Online English Test For Intermediate To Advanced Levels

The British Council test here has 25 harder questions on vocabulary and grammar, and takes about 10 minutes.

We liked the British Council test for natural English because it includes some “collocations”. These are words commonly used together, which makes English sound more natural.

OK Let’s Get Started

You need to do the test without looking at a dictionary or Googling. The tests aren’t timed so there’s no stress. And they’re convenient because you don’t have to log in or submit an email address.

You get your results as soon as you finish.

How To Test English Proficiency More Accurately

It’s important to remember that these online English tests are just a guide. The real proof of your English ability is how you speak and understand others, and how you write.

The best English level assessment is one done by a qualified English as a foreign language teacher. And these can be for groups as well as individuals. Your teacher can give you an in-depth report on your English language with observations made over several classes.

Get In Touch For English Classes For All Levels

Over the years, we’ve taught learners who don’t know any English words at all, right through to advanced speakers who want to polish their pronunciation and advanced vocabulary.

And we have years of experience testing English too. So if you’d like an English course with a level assessment and report at the end, just let us know.

Contact our friendly London team on 020 8150 7239 or write to us here.

How To Avoid Feeling SAD In Winter In London

Posted on November 17, 2021

New to London? We run English language courses for professionals from everywhere from Japan to the Mediterranean. And often our students just aren’t used to the short winter days in northern Europe.

In their company English language courses people often tell us they’re feeling down in winter. Also they’re sleeping a lot, and staying inside because it’s cold now.

So we quickly realised that not everyone knows the best way to deal with dark winters. Or mitigate Seasonal Affective Disorder in London.

What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

When you can see the winter night drawing in and it’s only 3:30, it can make you feel panicky or depressed.

Have you had this feeling? It’s very common. Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD can affect anyone, and it’s essential to know how to manage it. Here’s what you need to do.

Get Outside

The worst thing you can do when you see the seasons change is hibernate away inside for the winter. You might feel like it. But this will reduce your exposure to daylight even more.

It’s important to get outside and get moving. Even when the weather’s cloudy!

Play Sports Or Take Some Kind Of Exercise

It rarely snows in London so you can easily play sports all year round including throughout the winter.

If you work from home this is super easy because you can plan your outdoor exercise for if and when the sun’s out that day.

You don’t have to run a marathon, but if you can get outside for 30 minutes a day and do something to raise your heart rate, it’s perfect.

Organise Your Exposure To Daylight

It could be best to ditch the tube in winter and take the bus to work if it will mean you get to see the day for longer. Or can you walk to work?

Where do you sit at work? Near a window? Make sure you get outside during your lunch break.

And how about at home? Are you making the most of the natural daylight while you’re relaxing, or working from home?

Which brings us to…

Don’t Lie In Bed Too Long On Winter Weekends

Sorry.

Normally we love a lie in too. But it’s bad in the winter in London. If you lie in until midday for example, you will miss a lot of the daylight. Much better to get up at say, 9am or 10am.

Plan A Winter Break

Don’t keep all your holiday entitlement for the summer. A week spent away, ideally somewhere sunny and doing some exercise, can do wonders for your mental health.
Winter sports, anyone? 

Do Something Social

If you’re feeling down you might not feel like socialising. But getting to know new people, taking up or revisiting an old hobby can really help your mood.

In London, we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to social groups you can join.

Learn More About Feeling SAD In The Winter

You can find out more about Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD here.

If you’re struggling with your mental health this winter, you’re not alone. A great deal of people on our English language courses tell us they feel down around this time of year.

It’s been a tough few years and you deserve to be OK.

So please don’t hesitate to ask for professional help if you want it. The Samaritans offer a wonderful, free telephone service for people in need. Alternatively, you can speak to your GP.

When do we use “Work” or “Works” in English?

Posted on October 14, 2021

Let’s have a look at a common mistake: the difference between work and works in English. The good news is that it will be quite easy for you to fix. Read on!

Verbs

So firstly we can work as a verb. We work, she works. OK. The verb form is easy and regular. If you can read this blog post you know this already.

Nouns

The confusion for many of our students comes later, when we use nouns.  Is the noun “work” countable or uncountable? Well, it can be either countable or uncountable in different situations, and we hear this mistake regularly. Let’s look at when it’s “work” or “works” in English grammar.

Job: General business: Work as an uncountable noun

In an office, work is usually uncountable. We can have a lot of work or not much work. If you want to count one task, you could say “a piece of work”.

She finished all her work

There is so much work to do before the conference

What we can’t say in general business

You will see below why we can’t say in a general business sense:

She finished all the works

There are so many works to do before the conference

Job: Construction: Work or works as a noun

In construction, we can use the word “work” as a uncountable or a plural. Both of these sentences are fine:

We are carrying out some building works on the main road

We are carrying out some building work on the main road

Job: Art: Work or works as a noun

Similarly to construction, we can talk about art work or art works. You could say:

I really love the work of Picasso and

I really love the works of Picasso

These sentences are almost identical but work implies all of it, and works implies that you have some particular pieces in mind.

Comparing “work” and “works” for types of job

To return to our previous example sentences in the general business section:

“She finished all the works” is OK only if she is a construction worker or artist

Likewise,

“There are so many works to do before the conference” is OK only if there are so many works of art to do, or so many construction works to complete before the conference.

Conclusion

Now we know when it’s “work” or “works” in English grammar, so you can get back to work! Review countable and uncountable nouns with a great quiz here.

Further reading

Are you interested in learning English to work in a restaurant? Take a look at our blog post on English phrases for restaurant staff in London.

Get in touch for English classes!

Would you like excellent, reasonably priced English classes? Get English courses at your company in London or online. Simply get in touch, and we’ll set up a free trial class for you or your colleagues.

How many hours does it take to learn English?

Posted on September 29, 2021

When we start something we want to get an idea of how long it will take. So how many hours does it take to learn English? This is really a million dollar question, so let’s have a look at it in more depth.

English language learning depends on a multitude of different things.

Internal Factors

• Is English similar to your first language?
• How much experience do you have learning foreign languages?
• How much effort will you put into studying?

External Factors

• Are you taking good quality English classes?
• Do you and your teacher focus on your goals when learning English?
• Are you immersed in an English speaking environment?

In the media: How many hours does it take to learn English?

The BBC set out to tackle the question: “How many hours does it take to learn English?” With this in mind they interviewed a language consultant who gave a guideline of 1765 hours to be able to do a clerical job such as being a secretary. In the same article, English UK, a national association for teaching English, estimates that students need approximately 360 hours of study to be able to have a confident conversation.

Do I really need English classes? Can’t I just spend those hours speaking English?

Taking classes is important. I used to go for winter sports with someone who didn’t want to have skiing classes. She’d had a couple of classes when she first started skiing and could do a snowplough. This is the first way you learn to go down the mountain as a beginner.

As a result, after many years of skiing she didn’t get much better and still made the same mistakes. Additionally, without correction she didn’t know what she was doing wrong.

One day someone in our group exclaimed, “Wow that guy’s really good!” They were talking about a man who had skiied for a fraction of the hours that the woman had.

He had good skiing lessons which focused on correcting his mistakes, and therefore reached a high level much more quickly.

There isn’t a particular point at which you can speak English

Remember learning to drive? It was a process of improving through controlled practice and correction. There was probably no point at which you thought “I can drive perfectly now.”

Consider that even when you first passed your test you probably weren’t as good as you are after some years of practice.

It’s the same with learning English, there is no fixed point at which you can say “I speak English”.  For this reason you should take the number of hours to learn English as a rough guide.

How people slow down the time it takes to learn English

• Ineffective methods like listen and repeat
• Trying to learn set phrases rather than creating your own sentences
• Reading and writing without speaking

How you can speed up the time it takes to learn English

• Take classes with a teacher who speaks English natively
• Get corrected by the teacher, and make a note of corrections
• Immerse yourself in English language culture

For more ideas, have a look at our article, How can I learn English fast?

Conclusion: How many hours does it take to learn English?

Studies indicate you need about 360 hours of study to have a conversation confidently, and continue to 1765 hours in order to do a clerical job. However you must take this as a very rough guide, and try to optimise your learning as best you can.

It would be unethical for any training provider to promise a certain level of English after a particular number of hours. This is because language learning depends on so many factors. Be suspicious of any course that promises to get you fluent in a short space of time!

We provide great quality English classes at your company in London and online through video classes. Get in touch today to set up your free demo class.

Don’t fall for these top 11 traps when choosing English courses in London!

Posted on September 24, 2021

Are you choosing English courses in London for your employees or for yourself? If so, there are some common traps you need to avoid falling into. Some of these traps won’t be apparent until the actual class, so you should choose an English course with a free trial as standard.

Read on, so that you won’t fall prey to situations that an excellent English teacher would have seen coming. 

#1 Qualifications to teach English courses

It’s not enough for an English as a foreign language teacher to have a degree in English. Why? Because knowing literature or how to write well bears little resemblance to knowing the structure of English.

And writing or literature it totally different to techniques for teaching.

Does your teacher hold a relevant and accredited qualification to teach English to adults? The only qualifications you should accept in the UK are Cambridge CELTA, or CertTESOL by Trinity College London.

Both of these qualifications take a month, they’re rigorous and include plenty of practice teaching groups of adults. Importantly, it’s also quite possible to fail the CELTA or CertTESOL, and many would-be teachers do! 

What to look out for

Be suspicious of any English teacher who says “I’ve got a TEFL”. Why? What this literally means is “I’ve got a teaching English as a foreign language”. It means they don’t have a CELTA or CertTESOL.

Unfortunately, there are a ton of quick TEFL courses available which are much cheaper. And everyone gets a certificate at the end saying they did the course. Some of these random TEFL courses don’t even have a practical teaching component, only theory. 

#2 Teaching philosophy: the communicative approach 

Lots of people think they can teach English, and have their own method. Such teachers like spending a long time going through word lists, doing listen and repeat, and talking a lot in the students’ first language.

This is awful.

You should find an English teacher whose philosophy is the communicative approach.

The communicative approach is the only method that works best as commonly agreed by modern language learning experts. So of course, this is the method that we learn in our accredited teacher training. No learning word lists, nor flashy apps in sight.

If you hear a teacher say they have their own unique method of teaching English, run for the hills.

#3 Skills: use of resources in English courses in London

Your teacher should have lots of ideas about materials for English courses in London. There is an absolute wealth of good material on the internet for this. Alternatively, there are great books such as the Market Leader and New English File series.

Check that the resources the teacher uses look interesting and are relevant to your goals. If the teacher insists on using the same old-fashioned looking book for everyone, this is not a good sign. 

#4 Skills: Explaining clearly

Any complicated feature of language should be broken down and explained clearly, with encouragement. 

At your free trial class, check that the teacher can explain complicated things in a clear way. Don’t accept any language teacher who likes to lecture in a self-satisfied manner about how difficult their language is to learn (these teachers do exist).

#5 Skills: Frequent, gentle correction 

If, in your free trial class, your teacher doesn’t correct your English, it’s not because you’re not making any mistakes. It’s probably because they want to boost your confidence.

However, your English will go nowhere if you’re not corrected.

As British people in general are notoriously reluctant to correct the English of non-native speakers, it’s really important that your teacher corrects mistakes. 

#6 Skills: No “teacher talking”

In proper, accredited, English teacher training, we get told off for “teacher talking”. What’s a teacher talker? In old fashioned English, “a bore”. Someone who talks and talks and no-one else gets a word in. Someone who’s so interesting they don’t have to listen to anyone else.

If, when you meet your teacher, he or she just talks and talks, you should take this as a huge red flag.

Consider the fact that you can just watch TV in English for free. So a high proportion of listening is of little use to you. An excellent English teacher facilitates the students speaking as much as possible. 

#7 Experience: teaching adults 

Has your teacher taught English to adults and not just kids? If you’re researching English courses in London for adults, this is the only experience that you should be interested in.

Teaching English to children is a completely different skill. And this means any experience in this field can be completely disregarded.

As an adult you won’t be singing songs, dancing or designing wall charts in your English courses. So you need a teacher who knows lots of activities to engage adults. 

#8 Personal attributes: A native English speaker?

In London it’s obviously straightforward to find a teacher who is a native speaker of English. Not being born in an English speaking country isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as some non-native teachers achieve native English level and can fool native speakers.

If you’re researching English courses in London for your employees it’s probably enough to meet a non-native teacher and check they sound like a native speaker. 

If you want English classes for yourself and you’re considering a non-native English speaking teacher, ask for proof of English ability. Insist that you see a certificate from an accredited examination board like Cambridge showing that the teacher has achieved a C2 level or equivalent.

C2 level means native-like proficiency. Don’t be too polite to do this, because some non-native English teachers teach their students their own mistakes.

#9 Personal attributes: Punctuality and reliability 

Not the sexiest item on this list.

But if the teacher cancels and rearranges the free trial twice before turning up to the wrong location late, there’s a fair chance that the whole course will proceed in much the same way.

If you’re arranging English courses in London for your employees, be aware that cancelling classes leads to learner drop outs. 

#10 Solvency of the provider for English courses in London

Something few people consider, but is the English course provider on its last legs? Many central London English providers with expensive rents have gone bankrupt in the pandemic. 

In Japan, the story of Nova is infamous. Nova was the largest private English school in the country, and it went bust in 2007. As a result, learners who had paid their course fees in advance lost their money. 

At Orchid English we don’t teach from our own premises and we pass the savings on to you. This has enabled us to weather both the last recession and the current COVID-19 crisis.

#11 Location of English courses in London

Hand on heart, is the location really convenient, or will it mean an extra journey? Might a far-off English school be a tempting excuse to skip a couple of classes?

Like choosing a gym and sticking to it, English courses in London need to be able to fit in with our lifestyles. 

Now you know the top 11 fatal traps, you’re in a great position to choose the best English courses in London.

For a free trial English class with a top 2% English teacher at your company or online, send us a one-line email today.

Should you take English classes to get rid of your accent?

Posted on April 20, 2021

Why taking English classes to get rid of your accent is important

Slow down your speech

Sign up for English classes to get rid of your accent

Top 15 Spanish Mistakes in English

Posted on September 19, 2020

Spanish speakers have a huge advantage when learning English because our languages are relatively similar compared to other languages, and Spanish has the “th” sound like English. However, on the road to greatness we do encounter some obstacles! Spanish mistakes in English can range from unnatural phrasing to sentences that are incomprehensible to non-Spanish speakers. All of the following mistakes in English by Spanish speakers are quite easy to correct. 

So here are the following top 15, in no particular order…

Typical Spanish mistakes in English 

1. Jam

The Spanish love to tell foreigners about their jam. They are very proud of its quality and will ask you whether you’ve tried Spanish jam. The first time someone asked me this I honestly couldn’t remember if I had, jam is universal, isn’t it? “No!” replied the Spaniard proudly, “We have a long tradition of jam. Spanish pigs are fed on a special diet and…” Hold on. Jam is not made from pigs. Jam is made from fruit and sugar and you can spread  it on toast. Ham is cold meat from pigs.

2. To marry with someone

Normally in English you just marry someone directly with no preposition, like William married Kate. Alternatively, you can use get married with the preposition to, as in I can’t believe Adam got married to that awful woman! 

3. I was at university during five years

We use during to refer to a named period such as Christmas, the summer, or quarantine. If it’s an unnamed period of time we say “for five years”.

4. People is nice here

Unlike Spanish, in English the word “people” is plural which means we conjugate “people” like “they”. This means the sentence should be “people are nice here“.

5. Focus in 

It’s useful when learning prepositions to think of a strong visual image which supports the logic of the preposition. When you focus on an object, can you see inside, or can you just see the outside? Unless it’s transparent, we can only see the outside! Therefore we focus on something not in.

All English teachers have their own, but focus in is our choice for top of the Spanish mistakes in English!

6. I’m boring

You should definitely say this if you have a boring personality and you dislike anything that’s interesting. If not, remember that +ing adjectives are for characteristics, and +ed adjectives are about your feelings. So “this film is boring” but “I’m bored“.

7. Well and good

Basically, “good” is an adjective and “well” is an adverb. Yes, normally adverbs have +ly at the end like “happily” but “well” is an exception. So we say “I think my presentation went well” not “I think my presentation went good“.

8. I really want to speak well English

“Well” is an adverb that should go after the object in the sentence. If “English” is the object that means the sentence should be “I really want to speak English well”. Likewise, Sam sings his national anthem beautifully or Alex teaches his students patiently.

9. I don’t know nothing

In the logic of the English language, if you don’t know nothing it means you know something. This should be “I don’t know anything”.

See our post on double negatives to learn more.

10. My daughter has sixteen years

Attention French speakers too! This is not just a top Spanish mistake in English but very common among speakers of other Latin languages. Ages in English take the verb “to be” not “to have”.  So “She is sixteen” or “She is sixteen years old” You should note that we never say “she is sixteen years”.

11. Always I make a draft first

In English you can always use common one-word adverbs of frequency after the subject and before the verb:

Inés often designs cool stickers

Anne always goes to the beach when she can

12. I have a funny history to tell you

Beware, we have false friend here! Do you have an interesting story to tell us? History is anything that happened in the past. Accordingly we can tell a story about it, or tell a story about any period in time.

13. Commit a mistake or commit an error

What have you commited? A crime? We don’t “commit” mistakes in English, we make mistakes. “Error” is more commonly used in computer English and we also use “make” with “errors”.

14. All people

This should be “everyone” or “everybody“. Native speakers don’t say “all people”

15. WHAT?

Finally, something that native English speakers do sometimes but you must be careful of. When you don’t hear something, or don’t understand something, it’s best to say “pardon?” “What?” can sound aggressive unless you say it in a very gentle voice. Likewise, “please repeat” is unnatural in real English so you should avoid it.

Eric “Halknlklklklkllkhgjthth”

Ramón: “Pardon?”

Eric: “Can I see your book please?”

Ramón: “Here you go!”

Spanish mistakes in English: a conclusion 

We hope you enjoyed reading these common mistakes in English by Spanish speakers and found them useful! Which ones didn’t you know? Now you know which common traps to avoid, you can speak English more naturally. 

Should I Learn British or American English?

Posted on August 5, 2019

Something that people often ask is “Should I learn British or American English?” The first thing to say is that the answer depends entirely on you! That said, let’s look at some points to think about when choosing to learn British English or American English.

Where do you live?

If you live in an English speaking country, it makes sense to learn the English that’s spoken in that country. Additionally, where do you want to go on holiday in the future?

Where are your clients from?

You may want to choose to learn the variety of English that your clients speak, whether they speak English natively or non-natively. Have a look at this interesting map, which shows where people learn British English and American English.

Do you prefer the sound of British or American English?

Do you love listening to the British accents on Game of Thrones, or the American accents on Big Little Lies? When you learn a language you will hear a lot of it!

Should I learn British or American English? Conclusion

Bear in mind that while there are several articles about the differences between British and American English, they are really very similar. Read a typical UK or US article and then consider the proportion of words that are identical. As you will see, it’s the vast majority. As a non-native speaker you are extremely unlikely to have problems due to speaking to someone who learned a different form of English to you.

In fact, some English students hold themselves back because they only want exposure to one type of English. It’s better to dive in and listen to lots of different varieties of English. If you only, for example, practise listening to standard American English, you will find it hard to understand other native and non-native accents of English.

Let’s return to your question, “Should I learn British or American English?” We recommend that you ask your English teacher for exposure to both British and American English through listening activities. As a result, you will be in the best position to understand and be understood by as many native and non-native speakers as possible.

To take your English to the next level, get in touch for great English classes at your company in London. You get a free demo class to try us out, and English classes are tailored to your needs.

How to Learn and Memorise English Grammar Rules

Posted on July 29, 2019

By Emily Stallard, owner of Orchid English

What’s the best way to learn grammar? Here are four steps on how to learn and memorise English grammar.

Step 1.

Tell your English teacher that learning grammar is one of your main objectives

If you’re taking classes with Orchid English, you’ll know that your English classes are tailored to your objectives. It doesn’t matter if your objectives change along the way, either. So the first step is to understand and learn the rule with your teacher. Remember it’s not a race, and your teacher will be patient with you!

Step 2.

Practise new grammatical structures in class and for homework.

The important thing about learning grammar is that you can’t just know the theory. It’s equally important to practise. Your English class is where you can practise in a controlled way, being corrected by your teacher, and you should also ask for homework.

If you’d like additional homework that you can mark yourself, have a look at English Club grammar quizzes. Alternatively, if you prefer to sit down with a book, you could invest in the classic English Grammar in Use by Murphy. It has a double page for each grammar point and you can mark it yourself. English teachers love this book because it’s clear and covers so much.

Step 3.

Practise new grammar in real life

Find excuses to use new grammatical structures in your conversations. Say you want to practise the past perfect. You know the theory from your English class but you have never used it spontaneously in real life. You will probably discuss your weekend with colleagues on Monday morning, right? Have a think about when you can use that grammar:

• Your colleague is in Brighton this weekend, so on Monday you can ask her: Had you been there before? 

• You started a great book: I’d never tried that author before. 

• You went to your local gastropub: It was new for me although my partner had been there before. 

If you can create situations where you practise that newly learned grammar, you will soon find yourself using it naturally in conversations.

Step 4.

Review in class and real life

The most important thing about how to learn and memorise English grammar is that you can’t just learn it once. Our brains learn and forget information more than we would hope! It’s totally normal for you to learn and then later forget a rule – your teacher will notice and review it in your English class. Be patient with yourself.

Have a look at your old grammar worksheets and notes regularly. Do you still remember the rules? If you don’t, it’s time to go back to step 2, followed by step 3.

Do you remember the rule but never use that grammar in real life? Then revisit step 3: make a real effort to use the structure in real life. Using the grammatical structure in real life is what will cement your English learning.

Those were our top tips on how to learn and memorise English grammar. Good luck with your English studies and let us know in the comments how you get on.

If you work in London and you really want to give your English a boost, why not get English classes at your company? Get in touch for excellent quality, reasonably priced English language classes.