Blog
Tips, insights, and updates about English learning
"borrow / lend" and "hope / wish": Two Pairs of Words English Learners Often Confuse
In Chinese, there is only one word each for "borrow/lend" and "hope/wish," but English separates them into two distinct words. The difference between borrow and lend lies in the direction of the arrow, while hope and wish depend on whether something is achievable. Use two simple tricks to master these common confusions once and for all.
Never Get Lost Abroad This Summer! 8 Essential English Patterns for Asking Directions and Transportation to Rescue Your Travel Chaos!
The scariest part of traveling abroad on your own during summer vacation is getting lost at a station or boarding the wrong train! Loopy has compiled 8 super practical English sentence patterns for asking directions and navigating transportation. From get lost to confirming departure times, you'll learn to ask for help using the most polite and authentic English, ensuring a smooth arrival at your destination!
Clear Customs Effortlessly! 10 Super Practical Airport English Phrases for Entry, Layovers, and Declarations
Getting nervous and sweaty palms every time you go through airport customs? Don't worry! Loopy has compiled the most practical dialogues for airport clearance, baggage declaration, and layovers. Master these authentic expressions to speak with ease and confidence, and kick off a wonderful trip smoothly!
How to Use Sentences Starting with 'if'? Master Zero and First Conditionals Once and for All
Do you actually use 'will' in an 'if' conditional clause? This article will help you distinguish between the zero conditional (talking about facts) and the first conditional (talking about a real future). Learn a simple trick to determine which clause should use the present tense, and write every 'if' sentence correctly from now on.
cats, dogs, buses: The Three Pronunciations of -s (Master Plurals and Third-Person All at Once)
Despite all adding -s, cats is pronounced /s/, dogs is pronounced /z/, and buses gets an extra syllable /ɪz/. The logic behind it is the exact same as with -ed; mastering it will help you handle plurals, third-person singular, and possessives all at once, so you'll never have to hesitate over every word again.
Present Simple vs. Present Continuous: Ask This One Question First to Never Use Them Wrong
"I study every day" and "I am studying right now" look very similar in English, but they are two completely different things. This article uses a simple question to teach you how to distinguish between the Present Simple and Present Continuous. Complete with signal words, stative verb exceptions, and common mistakes, you'll be able to tell them apart intuitively after reading.
Present Perfect Tense have + past participle: Which Time Frame Does It Actually Refer To? Tell Them Apart in One Sentence
The present perfect tense is the most headache-inducing tense for Chinese speakers because there is no direct equivalent in Chinese. This article uses the simple question, 'Is there a specific point of time in the past in the sentence?', to help you distinguish between the present perfect tense and the simple past tense. We've also compiled signal words like for/since and already/yet so that after reading, you'll easily grasp exactly which time frame is being referred to.
Prepositions in / on / at: How to Choose for Time and Place, Mastered with One Simple Rule
in, on, and at are the three most common and easily confused prepositions in English. This article uses a 'smallest to largest' memory rule, paired with A1–A2 example sentences, to clearly explain their usage for time and place once and for all, while helping you fix the most common mistakes.
will, be going to, and the Present Continuous: Three Ways to Talk About the Future, and How to Choose Correctly Every Time
While Chinese uses just one word, '會', to express the future, English has three different ways of saying it. This article shares a simple trick to help you clearly distinguish among will, be going to, and the Present Continuous: use be going to for things already planned or with visible signs, will for spontaneous decisions or pure predictions, and V-ing for confirmed plans and appointments. Includes correct vs. incorrect examples and a handy takeaway decision guide.