Do you remember when taking a foreign language class in school was an elective? The word “elective” implies that students have a choice to either learn a foreign language or not. In today’s society, we are expanding our need to communicate with other countries and cultures. This expansion may lead to a requirement for foreign [...]

Developing vocabulary is essential in helping people better understand their language. Idioms and slang are such a big part of American culture that it’s essential that Americans as well as people of all ages learning English as a Second Language (ESL) should study idiomatic expressions and slang. These expressions can be understood easily on a [...]

One of the most fun parts of teaching English to students is by letting them discover figurative language.  Figurative language is any speech that is not meant to be taken literally.  Students in traditional classrooms and ESL classrooms will enjoy learning about three of the most interesting types of figurative language in English: idioms, oxymorons, [...]

I have been blessed to know some amazing ESL teachers over the last several years.  Thanks to our ever-shrinking world, teaching English as a Second Language is crucial for the millions of students in American schools who need to operate bilingually every day.  The English language is the second most widely used language in the [...]

One of the favorite vocabulary games of the youngest visitors to Vocabulary.co.il is Match Game.  Match Game is a simple flashcard-style game that can be played in learning mode or game mode.  When you first click on the Match Game icon, it will take you to the mode choice screen: If you choose “LEARN” mode, [...]

I have this weird thing with song lyrics.  I can hear music I haven’t heard in 20 years or more, and suddenly I will realize that I STILL remember the words!!  It’s kind of freaky, actually.  It’s like there is this little “compartment” up in my brain that stores song lyrics without my knowledge! But [...]

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am incredibly thankful for all the creative ways there are to build English language skills online.  Maybe I’m not able to run in a field and shout them across the hills like Maria in the Sound of Music, but I still have some “favorite things” that I know are [...]

Here is a little quiz for you:  which word could be described by the following two meanings?? 1. A piece of open land used for recreational purposes 2. To maneuver a vehicle into a particular space If you guessed “PARK”, you would be correct! A word with two or more meanings is called a homograph.  [...]

Americans love their slang. It is unusual to get through even one normal conversation without at least one idiom or slang phrase coming up.  Idioms, or slang expressions, are words or phrases that you cannot figure out from the actual word choice. They often mean something completely different from the normal use of the words, [...]

It’s October, and that means lots of changes.  The leaves are turning, the weather is getting cooler, and summer wardrobes are giving way to the neutral colors and extra layers of fall. We’re not sure if you’ve noticed, but we’ve made some changes around Vocabulary.co.il as well.  We’ve given our home page a bit of [...]