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Tips, insights, and updates about English learning
Using Dictation to Practice Common Words: You Don't Truly "Know" Them Until You Reach 80% Accuracy
You understand common words at a glance, but when it comes to writing them down, you often miss letters or misspell them—listening comprehension and spelling are two different things. This article teaches you how to use dictation to practice them separately, and introduces a scientific standard to determine if you've actually mastered them: an 80% accuracy rate, practiced at least 3 times, is what counts as true mastery.
accommodation: How Many C's and M's? Group and Memorize the Double-Consonant Words That Trip You Up the Most
Does accommodation actually have two c's, two m's, or just one of each? Almost all of the most commonly misspelled words in English trip people up on "double consonants." This article strings them together into five groups—cc, mm, ss, rr, and ll. Combined with identification tips and right-versus-wrong examples, you will master notoriously difficult words like accommodation, recommend, and necessary once and for all, and never hesitate when writing again.
Always Writing b and d Backwards? Memorize Mirror Letters Once and for All with 'Fists' and 'a Bed'
b, d, p, and q look like mirror images, so it's no wonder that even adult beginners often write them backwards. This article shares three handy tips—fist gestures, the word shape of bed looking like a real bed, and the rule that 'q is almost always followed by u'—paired with easy-to-remember words like big/dig and queen/quiet, so you'll never get stuck writing these letters again.