Why English Is Hard To Learn?

We'll begin with box; the plural is boxes,

But the plural of ox is oxen, not oxes.

One fowl is a goose, and two are called geese,

Yet the plural of moose is never called meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a house full of mice;

But the plural of house is houses, not hice.

The plural of man is always men,

But the plural of pan is never pen.

If I speak of a foot, and you show me two feet,

And I give you a book, would a pair be a beek?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,

Why shouldn't two booths be called beeth?

We speak of a brother and also of brethren,

But though we say mother, we never say methren.

Then the masculine pronouns are he, his, and him;

But imagine the feminine... she, shis, and shim!

Speaking Strategies for English Learners

Many English students complain that they understand English, but don't feel confident enough to join a conversation. There are a number of reasons for this including:
Students are trying to translate from their native language into English.
Production "blocking" is occurring due to nervousness, lack of confidence, etc.
The speaker is looking for a specific word, rather than using simple language to describe what is meant.
There aren't enough conversation opportunities in or outside of class.
Students aren't able to speak to peers (for example: mixed classes of adults and teenagers).
Exam preparation focuses on grammar, vocabulary, etc. and leaves little time for active use.
Here are a number of resources, lesson plans, suggestion pages and more which will help you and your students improve English speaking skills in and outside of class.
Speaking Strategies
The first rule of improving speaking skills is to speak, converse, talk, gab, etc. as much as you can! However, these strategies can help you - or your students - make the most out of your efforts.
American English Usage Tips - Understanding how Americans use English and what they expect to hear can help improve conversations between native and non-native speakers.
These next two features help you understand how words stress plays a role in both understanding and being understood:
Intonation and Stress: Key to Understanding
Word Stress - Changes in Meaning
Register use refers to the "tone" of voice and words that you choose when speaking to others. Appropriate register use can help you develop a good rapport with other speakers.
Register Usage
Register Use in English
Teaching Conversational Skills will help teachers understand specific challenges involved when teaching speaking skills in class.
Social English Examples
Making sure that your conversation starts well often depends on using social English (standard phrases). These social English examples provide short dialogues and key phases necessary.
Introductions
Greetings
Special Days
Speaking to Strangers
Traveling phrases
Dialogues
Dialogues are useful in learning standard phrases and vocabulary used in common situations. These situations are some of the most common you'll find when practicing your English.
A Busy Day
A Great Workout
Weekend Sports
Here are a number of dialogues based on level:
Beginner's Dialogues
Intermediate Dialogues
Conversation Lesson Plans
Here are a number of lesson plans which have proven quite popular in ESL / EFL classrooms around the world.
We'll start with debates. Debates can be used in class to help motivate students and use phrases and vocabulary that they may not use on an everyday basis. Here are a few to start off with:
Men and Women - Equal at Last?
Multinationals - Help or Hindrance?
Games are also quite popular in class, and games which encourage to express their point of view are some of the best:
Creating a New Society
Guilty!
Lego Blocks
This page will lead you to all the conversation plans located on this site:
Conversation Lesson Plan Resource
Places to Practice Your English Online
Finally, you'll need to find as many English speaking opportunities as you can. Here are a few sites that will help you make English speaking friends over the Internet.

http://esl.about.com/od/speakingenglish/a/speaking_hub.htm

50 Basic English Questions

Ask and Answer Questions - 50 Basic English Questions

Here are 50 basic English questions with responses. These basic questions are among the most important in English. They provide a base of questions to ask and answer for any conversation. These 50 questions are ideal for beginning English classes and learners. Each question has an appropriate answer or response. They are divided into related categories. Once you understand these questions try the 50 basic English questions quiz.
Personal Information
What's your name?Peter.

Where are you from? / Where do you come from?I'm from ... I come from ...
What's your surname / family name?Smith.
What's your first name?Tom.
What's your address?7865 NW Sweet Street
Where do you live?I live in San Diego.
What's your (tele)phone number?209-786-9845
How old are you?Twenty-five. I'm twenty-five years old.
When / Where were you born?I was born in 1961 / Seattle.
Are you married? / What's your marital status?I'm single.
What do you do? / What's your job?I'm a librarian.
Where did you go?I went to a friend's house.
What did you do?We played video games.
Where were you?I was in New York for the weekend.
Have you got a car / job / house / etc.?Yes, I've got a good job.
Have you got any children / friends / books / etc.?Yes, I've got three children - two boys and a daughter.
Can you play tennis / golf / football / etc.?Yes, I can play golf.
Can you speak English / French / Japanese / etc.?No, I can't speak Japanese.
Could you speak English / French / Japanese / etc.?when you were five / two / fifteen / etc. years old?Yes, I could speak English when I was five years old.
Introducing Yourself / Saying Hello
How do you do?How do you do. Pleased to meet you.
How are you?Fine, thanks. And you?
Shopping
How can I help you? / May I help you?Yes. I'm looking for a sweater.
Can I try it on?Sure, the changing rooms are over there.
How much does it cost? / How much is it?It's $45.
How would you like to pay?By credit card.
Can I pay by credit card / check / debit card?Certainly. We accept all major cards.
Have you got something bigger / smaller / lighter / etc.?Certainly, we've got a smaller sizes as well.
Asking Something Specific
What's that?It's a cat!
What time is it?It's three o'clock.
Can / May I open the window?Certainly. It's hot in here!
Is there a bank / supermarket / pharmacy / etc. near here?Yes. There is a bank on the next corner next to the post office.
Where is the nearest bank / supermarket / pharmacy / etc.?The nearest pharmacy is on 15th street.
Who wrote / invented / painted / etc. the ...?Hemingway wrote "The Sun Also Rises".
Is there any water / sugar / rice / etc.?Yes, there's a lot of sugar left.
Are there any apples / sandwiches / books / etc.?No, there aren't any apples left.
Is this your / his / her / etc. book / ball / house / etc.?No, I think it's his ball.
Whose is this / that?It's Jack's.
Questions with 'Like'
What do you like?I like playing tennis, reading and listening to music.
What does he look like?He's tall and slim.
What would you like?I'd like a steak and chips.
What is it like?It's an interesting country.
What's the weather like?It's raining at the moment.
Would you like some coffee / tea / food?Yes, thank you. I'd like some coffee.
Would you like something to drink / eat?Thank you. Could I have a cup of tea?
Asking for an Opinion
What's it about?It's about a young boy who encounters adventures.
What do you think about your job / that book / Tim / etc.?I thought the book was very interesting.
How big / far / difficult / easy is it?The test was very difficult!
How big / far / difficult / easy are they?The questions were very easy.
How was it?It was very interesting.
What are you going to do tomorrow / this evening / next week / etc.?I'm going to visit some friends next weekend.
Suggestions What shall we do this evening?Let's go see a film.
Why don't we go out / play tennis / visit friends / etc. this evening?Yes, that sounds like a good idea.

http://esl.about.com/od/beginnerpronunciation/a/basicquestions.htm

Beginner Dialogues (2) - Telling the Time

Beginner Dialogues (2) - Telling the Time

What time is it? - I
Excuse me. Can you tell me the time, please?
Yes, of course. It's seven o'clock.
Thank you.
No problem.
What time is it? - II
What time is it?
It's half past three.
Thanks.
You're welcome. Key Vocabulary
Excuse me.Can you tell me the time, please?What time is it?It's half past...It's quarter past...It's ten to...It's quarter to...o'clock

How to Tell Time in English

I usually get up at a quarter past seven - that's seven fifteen in the morning. I have breakfast at eight o'clock and then take the bus to work at half past eight. I usually arrive at work at a quarter to nine. Sometimes, the bus is late and I arrive at about nine. My morning is usually pretty busy and I like taking a coffee break at twenty to eleven if possible. I then work to lunchtime at noon. In the afternoon, I usually have another break at three fifteen. I usually finish work at a quarter to five and arrive home around six in the evening. At night, I usually go to bed at eleven o'clock.

In English we use "past" to say times after the hour until half past, or 30 minutes past the hour.We use "to" to say times before the hour from 31 minutes until the full hour.In English we use o'clock only at the full hour. Example: It's eight o'clockWe can also just say the numbers in groups of two. Example: It's seven twenty-fiveWhen speaking about the different times of the day we often use: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the eveningBe careful! In English we use at night NOT in the night

Beginner Dialogues ( 1 ) - Introducing Yourself

Introductions

Hello. My name's Peter. What's your name?
Janet.
Where are you from Janet?
I'm from Seattle. Where are you from?
I'm from Madrid.
Are you American?
Yes, I am. Are you Spanish?
Yes I am.
Key Vocabulary
My name is...What's (is) your name ...Where are you from?I'm from... Are you (Spanish, American, German, etc.)
Hello and Goodbye - Three Short Conversations
Hello
Hello, Peter. How are you?
Fine, thanks. How are you?
I'm fine, thank you.
Goodbye
Goodbye, Janet. See you tomorrow!
Bye bye, Peter. Have a nice evening.
Thanks, you too!
Thanks. Key Vocabulary
Hello... How are you?I'm fine, - OK, - well, thank youGoodbye, - bye byeSee you tomorrowHave a nice evening, - day

Good English Learning Web sites

English Learner's Movie Guides

http://www.eslnotes.com/

ESL Cyber Learning Lab

http://www.esl-lab.com

GRAMMAR Sites1. Guide to grammar and writing - the best grammar web site!intermediate & advanced
http://ccc.commnet.edu/grammar
2. Grammar When You Need It - very helpful for beginners
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/7583/
3. The American Heritage - Book of English Usage
http://www.bartleby.com/64/
4. Peak English - required registration
has some free lessons.
http://www.peakenglish.com/index.jsp
6. Common Errors in English
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html#errors
===================================
WRITING Sites
1. Purdue's Writing Lab
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
==================================
DICTIONARY Sites
1. Answers.com - the best!
http://www.answers.com/
2. Encarta
http://encarta.msn.com/
3. merriam Webster
http://www.m-w.com
4. dictionary.com
http://www.dictionary.com/
5. The Free Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Dictionary.htm
----slang dictionary
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~wrader/slang/index.html
--dictionary software
http://www.betabbs.com/index.php?showtopic=33355&hl=wordweb
- word menu
http://www.betabbs.com/index.php?showtopic=65499

A site to download many english learning books

http://www.englishtips.org