English text written in a notebook, with a word crossed out and corrections by teacher underneath

Why is English SO difficult??

As a learner of the English language, how many times have you heard your teachers say, ‘it’s just not what we say in English’ or ‘that doesn’t sound very natural’? Or maybe you have thought to yourself, ‘this doesn’t sound right’ but you don’t know why? There is a good… Read More

Grammar or vocabulary? A blurry line

This article has been written by Julie Moore, who is an ELT materials developer and lexicographer, and originally appeared on our ELT Blog. Most language learning coursebooks include grammar activities and vocabulary activities. As teachers, we talk about ‘teaching grammar’ and ‘teaching vocabulary’. Grammar and vocabulary are… Read More
profile of a man with open mouth, and a stream of letters coming out

4 tips when starting to soften your English Accent

Our colleagues over on the Collins ELT blog have written an informative article on where to start when softening your English accent. So what does softening your accent mean? Even if you have spoken English for a number of years you may still… Read More

Collins 2018 Word of the Year Shortlist

Single-use has been announced as the Collins Word of the Year 2018. Discover the rest of the words in this year’s shortlist. Single-use Adjective: made to be used once only Backstop Noun: a system that will come into effect if no… Read More

‘Floss’, ‘VAR’ & ‘Vegan’ – #CollinsWOTY 2018 is here!

Some people get hyped for Halloween, others are crackers for Christmas. Here at Collins Dictionaries, Word Of The Year is like all the major annual holidays rolled into one. We arrive at work on the glorious day, dressed as giant dictionaries, clutching our reusable coffee cups in honour of single-use…… Read More

Etymology Corner – Collins Word of the Year 2018

It’s the most wonderful time of the year once again, Collins Dictionary have announced the 2018 Word of the Year shortlist. Our lexicographers monitor the 4.5 billion-word Collins Corpus and create the annual list of new and notable words that reflect an ever-evolving culture and the preoccupations of those who… Read More
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