American English Pal

Council and counsel are homophones, which means that the share the same pronunciation but have different meanings and spellings. Council is a noun that means a group of people assembled to give advice. Counsel can be either a verb or a noun. It can mean advice or to give advice.

Decide the correct word to complete the sentences and write your answers in the comments!

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What does hit the sack mean? If you tell someone that you are ready to hit the sack, that means you are ready to go to bed (or to sleep). Don't hit the sack without creating your own sentence using this idiom below!

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Odd One Out! Which word means something different than the other two? Swipe for the answer. Create your own in the comments!

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Hardy or Hearty? These words sound similar but have different meanings. Both are adjectives! Hardy means daring, courageous, and capable of surviving difficult conditions. Hearty means showing warm and heartfelt affection or providing abundant nourishment.
Create your own sentence using one of these words and comment below!

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Words of inspiration. Unscramble the letters to complete the quote!

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No end in sight means there is no foreseeable end to something. You might feel like it's going to go on forever. Maybe your boss keeps givng you work and it seems like there is no end in sight. Have you ever been in a situation in which you thought there was no end in sight?

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Bringing you another mini lesson! What is the difference between take and bring? Check out this post and take the mini quiz at the end! How well did you do?

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Improve your grammar! A present participle is a word that (1) ends "-ing," (2) is formed from a verb, and (3) is used as an adjective or to form verb tense.

To form a present participle, add the ending "ing" to a verb.
play --> playing
run --> running

As an adjective: the verb "laugh" becomes "laughing". The laughing clown scared us all. (describes the clown)
As a verb: He was laughing loudly at the the comedian's jokes. (action)

It can be used when two actions are occuring at the same time and done by the same person. The present participle is used to describe one of them. For example, Arriving late to the meeting, he scrambled to get organized.
It also can describe the cause of an action. He scrambled to get organized because he was late to the meeting.

Now let's practice. Pick the correct answer and scroll to check your answer.

For more daily lessons:
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Have you heard the Bob Marley song "Don't Rock My Boat"? He says:
"Please don't you rock my boat...Cause I don't want my boat to be rockin' anyhow..."

What does it mean if someone says "Don't rock the boat"? Check out this mini lesson to learn what this English idiom means. Create your own sentence in the comments to make sure you understand this idiom!

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I will be live tomorrow with .xavier tomorrow at 1pm (ET) where we will be discussing even more common English idioms! This is your chance to practice English and have some fun! See you there!

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This word means to slow down or lose motivation. Sometimes when we are learning something new, like a language, we may feel that we are not making enough progress. We may lose ___________, but remember to never give up! Now, let's practice. Choose the correct spelling and comment below.

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Van Gogh chopped off his left ear one day when he got very angry! He made me think of a very common English Idiom: "Let's Play It By Ear", which means that you can decide what to do when you know what is happening, rather than planning in advance. In other words, you don't want to plan too far ahead, so you wait to see how the situation unfolds.

See examples below on how to use this idiom in a sentence:
I am not sure whether my plan will work or not, so let just play it by ear.
I don't know exactly what I'm going to do this weekend; I'm going to play it by ear.

Can you think of a sentence using "play it by ear"? Comment 👇| Like ❤️ | Follow 👊 | Tag a Friend 🔖

Songs are a great way to learn English, but you can't rely on them to learn correct grammar! 💃 Spot the grammatical errors in these most popular song lyrics! Do you know of any other songs with grammatical errors?
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On the brink of something means to be extremely close to a point where a new or different situation is about to begin. For example: After many months of the lockdown, many small businesses are on the brink of bankrupcy. This means they are very close to being bankrupt. How would you use "on the brink of"?
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Do you get confused when to use "any" versus "any of". No need to be confused any longer. Here is a mini lesson to clear things up! 😁 Take the quiz at the end and let me know how you did.
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Want to sound like a native speaker? Brush up on your Idioms! What does "When It Rains, It Pours" mean?
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Are you sure on how to use Assure, Ensure, and Insure? Check out this lesson and take the quiz. I assure you, it will be worth your time 😁 How did you do on the quiz? Comment below 👇| Like ❤️| Follow 👊| Tag a friend 🔖

Are you frugal or cheap? These two words do not mean the same thing. Check out this mini lesson to learn the difference.
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Do you know these 5 Money Idioms? 🤑
1. From Rags to Riches
2. At All Costs
3. Cold Hard Cash
4. Cost A Pretty Penny
5. Hush Money
Do you know other money idioms? Comment below 👇| Like ❤️| Follow 👊 | Tag a Friend 🔖

What is the difference between excited and exciting? I'm excited to share this mini lesson with you that explains how to use adjectives to describe feelings! How are you doing today?
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Sometimes when we say "no", it sounds harsh. The person making a request or offer may get offended. Here are 5 ways to say no politely! How would you turn me down politely if I asked you for a million dollars? Comment below 👇| Like ❤️ | Follow 👊 | Tag a Friend 🔖

What does "blessing in disguise" mean? How do you use "pitch in" in a sentence? To learn about common idioms used in everyday English, join Profe Xavier and I this Sunday for a live stream on Instagram! If you want to improve your English, you don't want to miss this!

This is a common mistake many speakers make. Learn how to correctly use "suggest". What do you suggest that I post next? Comment below 👇| Like ❤️| Follow 👊| Tag a Friend 🔖

Do you know the most common English phrases used by native speakers? This Sunday, August 9 at 3pm (EST), I will be going Live on Instagram with .xavier to discuss these everyday phrases to help you sound more fluent! See you on IG!

Let's proceed learning English! Both "proceed" and "precede" are verbs that have a similar pronunciation, but how are they used? Check out this mini lesson so you can use these words like a native 🇱🇷! Remember to take the quiz at the end and let me know how many you got right! Comment below 👇 | Like ❤️ | Follow 👊 | Tag a Friend 🔖

Speak like a native! What does "beat around the bush mean"? Comment below👇
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Finding learning English tough? Hang in there! (Don't give up!)Here is another mini lesson to help you improve your English.
Do you often confuse hung and hanged?
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Who's interested in improving their grammar? These two words are often confused. Check out this mini lesson!

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This word means wild, powerful and aggressive, but how do you spell it?🤔

You can also use this word to describe a person as being confident and brave. For example: Greta Thunberg, a young Swedish environmental activist, is fierce. (She stands up for what she believes and is making an impact in the world.) Who do you think is fierce? Comment below 👇

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