Vocabulary
Mouse + Rat Idioms: 9 Great Idioms with Meanings and Examples
Help! Rodents are swarming Next Step English! 🐁😱🐁 (We may need Pincy Cat to return to ward them off, and soon! As we say in English, when the cat's away, the mice will play.) But since they're already here eating my cheese and nibbling at my power cords, I thought I'd...
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5 Fun Phrasal Verbs with ‘Jump’ + Infographic and Practice Quiz!
It's time for more phrasal verbs practice, my friend! Phrasal verbs are your favorite thing ever, right? 😘 I know they can be frustrating, especially because there are so many of them! But don't let yourself get overwhelmed. Learn a few at a time, let them sink in,...
read moreTips & Tricks
Getting in Shape and Staying that Way (+ Bonus Audio! 🎧💙)
Guest post by Alberto Alonso UPDATE! Alberto really cares about helping people learn English, so he's gone the extra mile for you guys. For the first time ever on this blog, you can listen to the post in addition to reading it! If this helps you,...
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Bird Writing Prompts 🐥: 10 Creative Writing Ideas for English Learners
The imagination is one of the most underused tools in language learning, but it can help you progress in your English journey by leaps and bounds. Creative writing is one of the best ways to activate your imagination in a way that helps you expand your English. But...
read moreHistory & Culture
Fun with Loanwords: 8 Fabulous French Words Used in English
It's no secret that French is responsible for a huge number of words in English. Roughly one-third of all English words can trace their origins back to French as a result of the Norman Conquest in 1066. But while some of these word origins aren't apparent to your...
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PIG LATIN 101: What is Pig Latin? + How to Speak Pig Latin
Many of you have told me that you're learning English with your children. What a great experience! Some of you have also told me that you teach English to kids in your communities. In today's culture post, I'm going to teach you something you can use with the young...
read moreGrammar & Spelling
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Guest post by Rob of Ginseng English What are transitive and intransitive verbs? When you are learning a new verb, one of the most important things to learn about that verb is whether it is transitive or intransitive. Transitive verbs have direct objects....
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Funny Spelling Mistakes! Test Your English with These 13 Hilarious Spelling Errors
Any student of the English language can tell you that English spelling is, well, awful. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. Comb rhymes with home but not bomb, and lost rhymes with tossed but not host! Simply put, WTF? Well, guess what? Spelling is hard for...
read morePronunciation & Listening
English Numbers Listening Quiz, Part 2
Are you ready for more practice listening to numbers in English? Yesterday was Part 1 of the English Numbers Listening Quiz, and if you're ready for Part 2, let's just jump in! 🔢🤠👍 English Numbers Listening Quiz, Part 2 👈😀🔢 11. My husband has...
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Listening Tips for Numbers + English Numbers Listening Quiz, Part 1
You're enjoying a conversation in English—heck, you're even proud of how good your listening comprehension is!—and then someone mentions a number. It might be a price, or a statistic, or the number of calories in their burrito. As the conversation moves forward,...
read morePersonal & Miscellaneous
Here We Go! More Stepper Questions Answered 🤗 (+ 45 Bonus Vocab Words!)
I love getting to know you guys, and I love letting you get to know me, too! A few of you asked me some personal questions recently on Twitter, so we're back for another round of Stepper Questions Answered! But, you guessed it, there's more to this post than...
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Advanced English Vocabulary at the Blessing of the Animals
When people think of Washington, they often think of politics and imposing marble monuments, a place of history and intrigue. However, on the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, forget all of this and prepare yourself for a surfeit of fluffiness! Francis of Assisi...
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