Tongue twisters  are words, phrases, or sentences which are difficult to articulate because of a succession of similar consonantal sounds.

These sentences are strongly recommended to those who have problem with their pronunciation.

Try to read sentences bellow loudly and as fast as possible. It seems to be rather funny but after a while you’ll see how your pronunciation and your speaking has improved.

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Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

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Betty Botter had some butter,

“But,” she said, “this butter’s bitter.
If I bake this bitter butter,
it would make my batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter–
that would make my batter better.”

——

So she bought a bit of butter,

better than her bitter butter,
and she baked it in her batter,
and the batter was not bitter.
So ’twas better Betty Botter
bought a bit of better butter.

—–

She sells sea shells by the sea shore.

The shells she sells are surely seashells.
So if she sells shells on the seashore,
I’m sure she sells seashore shells.

————

• “Surely Sylvia swims!” shrieked Sammy, surprised.

———-

• “Someone should show Sylvia some strokes so she shall not sink.”

———-

A flea and a fly flew up in a flue.

Said the flea, “Let us fly!”
Said the fly, “Let us flee!”
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

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A bitter biting bittern

Bit a better brother bittern,
And the bitter better bittern
Bit the bitter biter back.
And the bitter bittern, bitten,
By the better bitten bittern,
Said: “I’m a bitter biter bit, alack!”

———-

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck

if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
He would chuck, he would, as much as he could,
and chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would
if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

———

You’ve no need to light a night-light

On a light night like tonight,
For a night-light’s light’s a slight light,
And tonight’s a night that’s light.
When a night’s light, like tonight’s light,
It is really not quite right
To light night-lights with their slight lights
On a light night like tonight.
———–____________________________________________________________

• Red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry.

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• The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.

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• Shy Shelly says she shall sew sheets.

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• Which witch wished which wicked wish?

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• Chop shops stock chops.

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• Freshly fried fresh flesh.

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• A bloke’s back bike brake block broke.

____________________________________________________________

• The soldiers shouldered shooters on their shoulders.

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• Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.

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• They both, though, have thirty-three thick thimbles to thaw.

____________________________________________________________

• Are our oars oak?

____________________________________________________________

• Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?

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I think your mind is completely confused now!

English-Learners.com offers 14 PREFIX puzzles with the grade level of each word marked to the right of the word beginning with a prefix. Use eight grade level words for each prefix, a total of 112 words.
These prefix activities include: ab -ad – be – com – de – dis – en – ex – in – pre – pro – re – sub – un

(See the examples at the end of the post)

WordBank: The 14 Prefixes and their means are:

1. AB-ABS means “away, from, separation”
2. AD means “to, towards, near.
3. BE means ” on all sides; overly; with a quality”
4. COM means ” with, together”
5. DE means ” away, off, reversal, undoing, downward completely”
6. DIS means “not, apart”
7. EN means “in, into, to cover or contain”
8. EX means “out, out of, former, outside”
9. IN-IM means “not”
10. PRE means “before, in advance”
11. PRO means “in front of, before, forward, in favor of.
12. RE means “again, back”
13. SUB means “under, below”
14. UN means “not, against, opposite”

Alphabetical listing of 112 words in our 14 separate puzzles:

AB: abbreviation, abdicate, abolitionist, absence, absolute, abstinence, abstract -, abundance, AD: adequate, adhere, adjourned, admission, admonish, adventurous, adversity, advocate,

BE: bedraggled, behavior, belittle, beloved, beseech, bestow, betray, bewildering,

COM: coherence, committee, communication, comparative, compassion, compensation, complication, compulsion,

AD: dedication, deficiency, delegation, deliberate, delusion, desolate, destination, destructive, DIS :discreet, disgrace, dismal, disposable, disrupt, dispel, dissolve, distortion,

EN: enchantment, enclosure, endure, energetic, engrave, enthusiastic, environmental, envision, EX: excel, exception, excursion, exclamation, exclusive, exotic, expectation, extensive,

IN: indefinite, injustice, immortality, impatience, impractical, improbable, invalid, insatiable, PRE: precaution, predict, predominant, prejudice, premature, preoccupation, presume, prevail, PRO: proclaim, prognosticate, progressive, projection, promotion, proposal, prospect, provoke, RE: rebellious, recognition, reflect, rehabilitation, reliable, respiration, reunion, revive,

SUB: subdue, subconscious, substance, submarine, submission, subscribe, subterranean, suppress,

UN: unanimous, unattractive, unconscious, unfinished, unnecessary, unpredictable, unravel, unworthy

The art of conversation takes practice, and is not as hard as you might think. It will take some knowledge, practice, and patience, and you can learn to relax and enjoy a great conversation.

 Steps

1. Listen. This is the most important part of any conversation. Pay attention to what is being said. A conversation will not go anywhere if you are too busy thinking of anything else, including what you plan to say next. If you listen well, the other person’s statements will suggest questions for you to ask. Allow the other person to do most of the talking. They will often not realize that it was they who did most of the talking, and you get the credit for being a good conversationalist – which of course, you are.
2. Find out what the other person is interested in. You can even do some research in advance when you know you will have an opportunity to talk with a specific person. Complimenting them is a great place to start. Everyone likes sincere compliments, and that can be a great ice-breaker.
3. Ask questions. What do they like to do? What sort of things have they done in their lives? What is happening to them now? What did they do today or last weekend? Identify things about them that you might be interested in hearing about, and politely ask questions. Remember, there was a reason that you wanted to talk to them, so obviously there was something about them that you found interesting. However, try to space out your questions or they’ll feel like you’re interrogating them which is very bad and closes off friendships.
4. Forget yourself. Dale Carnegie once said, “It’s much easier to become interested in others than it is to convince them to be interested in you.” If you are too busy thinking about yourself, what you look like, or what the other person might be thinking, you will never be able to relax. Introduce yourself, shake hands, then forget yourself and focus on them instead.
5. Practice active listening skills. Part of listening is letting the other person know that you are listening. Make eye contact. Nod. Say “Yes,” “I see,” “That’s interesting,” or something similar to give them clues that you are paying attention and not thinking about something else – such as what you are going to say next.
6. Ask clarifying questions. If the topic seems to be one they are interested in, ask them to clarify what they think or feel about it. If they are talking about an occupation or activity you do not understand, take the opportunity to learn from them. Everyone loves having a chance to teach another willing and interested person about their hobby or subject of expertise.
7. Paraphrase back what you have heard, using your own words. This seems like an easy skill to learn, but takes some practice to master. Conversation happens in turns, each person taking a turn to listen and a turn to speak or to respond. It shows respect for the other person when you use your “speaking turn” to show you have been listening and not just to say something new. They then have a chance to correct your understanding, affirm it, or embellish on it.
8. Consider your response before disagreeing. If the point was not important, ignore it rather than risk appearing argumentative. If you consider it important then politely point out your difference of opinion. Do not disagree merely to set yourself apart, but remember these points:
   - It is the differences in people–and their conversation–that make them interesting.

    

   - Agreeing with everything can kill a conversation just as easily as disagreeing with everything.

   - A person is interesting when they are different from you; a person is obnoxious when they can not agree with anything you say, or if they use the point to make themselves appear superior.

   - Try to omit the word “but” from your conversation when disagreeing as this word often puts people on the defensive. Instead, try substituting the word “and”, it has less of an antagonistic effect.

9. Consider playing devil’s advocate – which requires care. If your conversation partner makes a point, you can keep the conversation going by bringing up the opposite point of view (introduce it with something like “I agree, and…”). If you overuse this technique, however, you could end up appearing disagreeable or even hostile.
10. Do not panic over lulls. This is a point where you could easily inject your thoughts into the discussion. If the topic seems to have run out, use the pause to think for a moment and identify another conversation topic or question to ask them. Did something they said remind you of something else you have heard, something that happened to you, or bring up a question or topic in your mind? Mention it and you’ll transition smoothly into further conversation!
11. Know when the conversation is over. Even the best conversations will eventually run out of steam or be ended by an interruption. Shake hands with the other person and be sure to tell them you enjoyed talking with them. Ending on a positive note will leave a good impression and likely bring them back later for more!
12. Make a good first impression. Smile, ask questions that require more than a yes/no answer, and really listen. Maintain eye contact and keep as friendly and polite as possible.

Source: wikihow.com

What is a riddle?

A riddle is generally a question devised so as to require clever or unexpected thinking for its answer. Riddles may be considered a form of brain teaser. In general conversation, a riddle is usually presented to someone who knows that a riddle is being asked and accepts the challenge of guessing the correct response. The guesser may get one or multiple guesses. Sometimes the asker gives clues, but sometimes the guesser just does the best she or he can. There is usually one correct answer to a riddle, and it is common for the correct answer to be given, even if the guesser doesn’t think of it.

Riddles typically use one of several techniques to create the twist that makes them difficult to guess. One common technique is double meanings. If the double meaning is in the words of the riddle, then a kind of equivocation is going on: the asker intends one meaning and hopes that the guesser will understand a different meaning.

Types of riddles

Riddles are of two types: enigmas, which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that require ingenuity and careful thinking for their solution, and conundrums, which are questions relying for their effects on punning in either the question or the answer.

Here are some common interesting riddles. So cool…!

1. Why was Karl Marx buried at High gate Cemetery in London?

- Because he was dead!

2. What odd number becomes even when beheaded?

- Seven (Seven – E = even)

3. Why is the letter E like London?

- It is the capital in England.

4. What has four wheels and flies?

- A garbage truck.

5. What kind of running means walking?

- Running out of gas!

6. What stays hot even if you put it in a refrigerator?

- Pepper

7. What can’t be used unless broken?

- Eggs!

8. What two words contain thousands of letters?

- Post office.

9. What has nothing but a head and a tail?

- A coin.

10. What did the big chimney say to the little chimney while working?

- You are too young to smoke!

Here are more interesting English riddles about different situations.

Learn more about riddles: (Click here)

Q: What has two heads, four eyes, six legs and a tail? 
A: A horse and its rider.

Q: What is as big as a horse but doesn’t weigh anything? 
A: The horse’s shadow.

Q. Why was the hearse horse hoarse? 
A. Because of the coffin

Q: Why are man with pierced ears better suited for marriage? 
A: Because they have suffered and bought jewelry.

Q: What begins with T, ends with T and has T in it? 
A: A teapot.

Q: Do you know why birds fly to south in the winter? 
A: Because it’s too far to walk there.

Q: Which letters do Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday have in common? 
A: None! None of them have “c”, “o”,”m” or “n” in them.

Q: What are the 3 important rings in life? 
A: Engagement ring, Wedding ring, and suffering.

Q: Which room has no doors, no windows. 
A: A mushroom.

Q: What gets wetter as it dries? 
A: A towel

Q: Why didn’t the skeleton go to the dance? 
A: He didn’t have anybody to take. (any BODY)

Q: A father and his son were in a car accident. The father died. The son was taken to the hospital. The doctor came in and said: I can’t do surgery on him, because he’s my son. Who was the doctor?

A: The doctor was his mother.

(It’s an old riddle that is more difficult in some countries than in others. )

Q: Why did the student take a ladder to school? 
A: Because he/she was going to high school!

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Q: Why did the tomato blush? 
A: Beacuse it saw the salad dressing!

Q: What are the two strongest days of the week? 
A: They are Saturday and Sunday. All the others are weak (week) days.

Q: How far can a dog run into the forest? 
A: Halfway, after that he is running out of the forest.

Q: Which is faster, heat or cold? 
A: Heat, because you can catch a cold.

A: How many apples can you eat if your stomach is empty? 
B: 4 or 5
A: No, that’s wrong, because after eating one apple your stomach isn’t empty.

If you are doing a discussion about space, then students will like this one.
Q: Why did Mickey Mouse go to outer space? 
A: To find Pluto.

As all of us know a person who knows English has 4 skills all together: Writing, reading, listening and speaking. There are lots of English learners who can’t speak efficiently! Actually they didn’t improve this skill.  Here are some tips that can help anyone wanting improve his speaking.

1. Participate at panel discussions or in English class. Don’t be shy! Try to talk even if you think you may make mistake. Be brave at expressing your idea however, others laugh at you. And when others laugh at you because of your mistake don’t get annoyed or depressed. You should think in this way: “Even if I talk wrongly and slowly I have to talk because I paid money to talk. I am here to make mistake and if I don’t make mistake I won’t learn anything.”
2. If you are too shy and you are embarrassed of talking in public, talk when you are alone with yourself or a mirror. Little by little you’ll forget your embarrassment.
3. Now you can speak! You should be talkative. Tell whatever you want. If you don’t have anything to say, tell lies!
4. Talk English anywhere you can. For example on the way of home with your friend.
5. If you want to speak very well you should be a good listener. Watch English TV and radio. It can help you to understand what your mistakes are at speaking the language.
6. Find a native friend. You can find lots of native friends at chat rooms.
7. join some webs which you can speak English language freely like: www.sharetalk.com

People are different at learning new language. I hope these tips help at least 1 person who has problem with speaking.

The gerund and infinitives are used many different cases, such as subject, object, complement, sometimes after the prepositions like “to” and sometimes after certain verbs. Here we have provided you the most complete information on infinitives and gerunds , the usage of them and also some exceptions in using them.

A. The gerund is used in the following cases:

1. As the subject / object / complement of a clause or sentence.

Subject:

Example: Reading in a car makes me feel sick.

Object:

Example: I find shopping for clothes really boring.

Complement:

Example: My favourite sports is swimming.

2. after prepositions:

Example:  I’m not very good at making things.

NOTE: “To” is a preposition in following verbs:

Example 1: I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Example 2: I can’t get used to living without her.

3. after certain verbs:

Example: Peter suggested going for a picnic.

B.The infinitive with to is used: 

1. to express purpose:

Example: I’m learning English to help me get a better job.

2. after many adjectives such as:

• surprised, delighted, disappointed, easy, happy, important, lucky, necessary, normal, possible, surprised.

Example: I was surprised to hear she had failed the exam.

3. after certain verbs:

Example: He offered to give her a lift, but she decided to go by train instead.

C. Gerund and infinitives after verbs:

1. Verb + gerund

Example: Have you finished cleaning your room?

NOTE: The following verbs, like finish, are normally followed by the gerund:

A. Certain verbs expressing likes and dislikes:

• adore, detest, dislike, enjoy, don’t mind, can’t stand.

B. Other verbs:

• admit, avoid, can’t help, consider, delay, deny, feel like, forgive, give up, imagine, involve, keep, mind, miss, postpone, put off, practice, prevent, resist, risk, suggest

2. Verb + infinitive with to

Example:He promised not to tell anyone what she had said.

A: The following verbs,like promise,are normally followed by the infinitive with to:

• (can’t) afford, agree, appear, arrange, ask, attempt, choose, decide, deserve, expect, help, hesitate, hope, learn, manage, offer, prepare, pretend, refuse, seem.

B: The infinitive with to is also used after:

• would like, would love, would hate, would prefer.

3. verb + gerund or infinitive

A. like, love, hate and prefer are usually followed by the gerund. However, the infinitive is also possible with little, if any, difference in meaning:

Example: I love going / to go for long walks in the hills.

NOTE: The infinitive is common for specific situations:

Example: I hate to interrupt, but we really must be going.

B. Begin, start, continue and intend can be followed by the gerund or infinitive with no change in meaning.

Example: When I arrived it started to rain / raining.

C. forget, remember, go on, need, mean, regret, stop and try can be followed by the gerund or the infinitive, but with a change in meaning.

NONE: remember / forget + gerund = (not) to recall a previous action.

Example: I remember coming here when I was young.

Example: I’ll never forget seeing U2 in concert.

NOTE: remember / forget = infinitive (not) to remember what you have to do.

Example: We must remember to feed the cat before we go.

Example: Don’t forget to phone me if you need any help.

NOTE: go on + gerund = to continue with the same activity.

Example: Some footballers go on playing professionally until they are nearly 40.

NOTE: go on + infinitive = to change to a different activity.

Example: After a successful career as a football player, John Cruyff went on to become a respected career.

NOTE: mean + gerund = to involve

Example: Dieting usually means giving up things you enjoy.

NOTE: mean + infinitive = to intend

Example: I mean to phone the electrician but I forgot.

NOTE: need + gerund = (passive meaning)

Example: This house needs painting. (needs to be painted)

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NOTE: need + infinitive = (active meaning)

Example: I need to get some new shoes.

NOTE: regret + gerund = to be sorry for a previous action.

Example: I regret going to see that film: it was so boring.

NOTE: regret + infinitive = to be sorry for what you are going to say (formal use)

Example: we regret to inform you that we are unable to repair your washing machine.

NOTE: stop + gerund = to stop an activity you are doing.

Example: I’ve stopped smoking: it’s to expensive.

NOTE: stop + infinitive = to stop doing one thing in order to do another

Example: If you’re driving long distances, you should stop to have a rest every two hours.

NOTE: try + gerund = to experiment in order to see what will happen.

Example: Try resting for a while: you might feel better then.

NOTE: Try + infinitive = to make an effort; to attempt to do something.

Example: Alan tried to stop the thief as he ran away.

• A. The past simple is used for regular actions or habitual behavior in the past, often with a frequency adverb.

Example: I hardly ever went away on holiday when I was young.

• B. Used to + infinitive is used to refer to past habits and situations which no longer occur or exist now.

Example: We used to have a cat, but he died last year.

I always used to walk to work until I bought a car

• The negative and question forms:

Example: I didn’t used to like cheese.

Where did you use to live?

NOTE : Used to can not express present habitual behavior:

Example: I usually (not use to) play tennis twice a week.

• C. Would + infinitive is used to refer to past habits, but not past situations.

Habit:

Example: My dad would often read to me when I was a young boy.

Situations:

Example: I used to (not would) have a bicycle.

• Stative verbs such as:

have(possession), be, live, like, believe, think, (=have an opinion) ,understand & know are  not   used with wouldto refer to the past.

Be used to / Get used to + noun or gerund

Be used to + noun / gerund means “be accustomed to”.

Example: She’s a nurse so she’s used to seeing sick people.

Get used to + noun / gerund means “become accustomed to”.

Example: I want to live Athens; I can’t get used to the heat.

Habitual behavior in the present

• A. The present simple is used for habitual actions or permanent situations in the present.

Example: ” I go for a run twice a week.”

” She lives near the station.”

• B. Frequency adverbs are used to indicate how often an action occurs. They are usually placed:

1. Before the main verb:

Example: I always go to bed before midnight.

2. After the verb to be or an auxiliary verb:

Example: She is very often late for work.

They have rarely been seen together.

3. usually, normally, frequently, sometimes, (very/quite) often and occasionally can also be placed at the beginning of the sentence or clause:

Example: Occasionally we go out to the cinema, but usually we stay in and watch a video.

NOTE: always, rarely, seldom, hardly ever, and never can not be used in the same way.

 C Variations

1. The present continuous + always is used to talk about things which occur frequently and which the speaker finds annoying:

Example: He is always complaining about something!

2. Adjectives can be used as an alternative to rarely, normally and (not) usually.

Example:It is rare/normal/(un)usual for him to eat meat.

3. Tend to + infinitive is used to make general statements about the habitual actions and situations of groups of people or individuals.

Example: British people tend to drink tea rather than coffee.

I tend not to get up very early on Sundays.

4. Will + infinitive is used to talk about habitual behavior. Frequency adverbs can also be added.

Example:She will sometimes spend the whole day reading.

5. Keep (on) + general used to talk about repeated actions, often annoying ones.

Example: Peter keeps on hitting me.

Future Perfect Tense

Let’s study The Future Perfect Tense Now.

Here, in this post we have provide you a simple but complete and easy explanation about  Future Perfect Tense.

Tom will already have eaten when his friend arrives.

First Tom will finish eating. Later his friend will arrive. Tom’s eating will be completely finished before another time in the future.

The Future Perfect Tense:

The Form:

Subject + WILL / SHALL +HAVE + Past participle verb

The Use:

The future perfect tense expresses an activity that will be completed before another time or event in the future.

NOTE:

• By the time introduces a time clause; the simple present tense is used in a time clause.

Example:

• I will graduate in June. I will see you in July. By the time I see you, I will have graduated.

• I will have finished my home work by the time I go out on a date tonight.