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15 English Words and Phrases That Are a Bit Difficult Because of Their Surprisingly Opposite Meanings

Can you feel a color?

You actually can, but probably not in the way you’re thinking.

We’ll make it clear with an example:

In English, you can say something is the color “blue,” or you could use a more exact …

Why? Why? Why?

For many children, that is their favorite question: “Why?”

Why is the sky blue?

Why do I have to go to bed?

If you want to learn English, try to think like a child again and …

They say “the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.”

Have you heard this saying before in English?

It means that the easiest and fastest way to get from one place to another is to just go straight.…

“Wow, English has a lot of words!”

Have you ever thought that before?

It may be true, but did you know that many English words actually come from other languages?

That’s right?over time, English speakers have “stolen” words from …

“My cat had each of these four adorable kittens.”

If you removed all the adjectives from this sentence, what would you be left with?

“Cat had kittens.”

Crazy, isn’t it? We use adjectives all the time, sometimes without even …

The Internet has changed a lot over the years.

From MySpace to Facebook and from Ask Jeeves to Google, old sites fade (leave) and new sites appear.

But as apps, smartphones and social media have grown, there’s one thing …

Now you?ve done it.

You made an English mistake, and you’re feeling so embarrassed!

Your face feels hot and you’d like to disappear.

You?d like to catch the next airplane to your home country.

That’s okay. Embarrassment is universal, …

Have you seen “The Matrix”?

If so, you probably remember the scene where the main character, Neo, is going through his “training.”

Instead of showing a montage (collection of scenes) of him running on the beach and working out to …

“A comic says funny things; a comedian says things funny.” ? Ed Wynn

If this quote made you smile, you should be very proud.

Understanding words like “comic” and “comedian” isn’t enough to understand the true meaning of this sentence. …

Writing is a part of our lives.

Did you send any texts today?

Did you write an email?

Maybe you left a message on your friend’s Facebook wall, or maybe you wrote a note to a professor.

If you …

Do you need help with writing in English right now?

Are you having trouble starting an essay?

Or have you finished that essay, but are wondering if all your English writing is correct?

We’ve got all the help …

What’s the difference between the two quotes below?

1) “Hello, how are you today? I hope you’re doing well.”

2) “Hey man, what’s up? Everything good with you?”

The first quote is what you might learn in an English classroom…

English pronunciation can be pretty weird.

If you’ve been learning English for even a short amount of time, you’ve probably noticed that, right?

Maybe you were surprised to discover that the number “two” was pronounced the same as the …

Did you know that college freshmen write an average of 92 pages during their first year of school?

By the time they’re seniors, this number nearly doubles to 146 pages.

That’s a lot of writing!

The type of writing …

Are you dreaming of getting your master’s or doctorate degree?

If you?re a non-native English speaker who’s considering graduate school, you may already know about English proficiency exams you need to take for school, such as the TOEFL and the …

Children seem to have fun doing just about anything…

…even reading!

But they probably love books so much because children’s books are simply so entertaining (fun) to read.

Lucky for you, children’s books are also perfect for English learners!…

In the United States, there are over 14 million people working in the restaurant business.

But that doesn’t mean there are 14 million waiters/waitresses!

There are so many other jobs in the restaurant industry?from managing to cooking.

For any of …

There are over 14,000 McDonald’s restaurants in the United States.

Worldwide, there are over 35,000 restaurants!

But McDonald’s is just one of many fast food places around the world.

Fast food chains are groups of restaurants (which are also sometimes …

Just when you finally think you understand English grammar and all the different tenses, you discover irregular verbs.

Over 180 English verbs are called irregular verbs, and they break all the rules.

Most words in the English language …

You put on your headphones.

The music begins to play.

You feel like singing, dancing, laughing and moving around.

There is no greater feeling than listening to a fun song that you love!

So why not bring that …