English Language

Over the past eight years of our Vocabulary Video Contest, students have produced thousands of lively, original videos in which they define a Word of the Day in under 15 seconds.Sixty of the winning videos, organized into three compilations by part of speech, are rounded up in this post. We hope that this repository of…

After enjoying each word, students may take on another challenge: Choose one of them and try it out in a sentence, then post your sentence to our comments section. Better yet, try using it in your next conversation.WinnerRohana Khattak, Islamabad, Pakistanoblivionaire (noun)A billionaire who chooses to be blind to the disparity and inequality that his…

“My name is Michaella Kalyangu. I am an entrepreneur, motivational speaker and activist. I always dreamed of mastering the English language and becoming an English teacher. Alison has helped me to realize my goal. Thanks to Alison, I am now an English teacher.” How did you learn about Alison? I came across Alison on Google.…

“My name is Yohannes Mekuria. I am 23 years old, born and raised in Ethiopia. From the very beginning, I was a high achieving student. I received my first degree from Samara University in Public Health with a very great distinction in 2019.” How did you learn about Alison? One lucky day, I was hoping…

You have a decent understanding of the English language. You know the pronouns. You’ve managed to grasp basic grammar rules. You can greet people and have a simple conversation. This works until you find yourself in an environment that requires more than just the basics, and you struggle. This is because the basics are just…

In your comment, do your best to document your process of learning this word. This could include guessing the word’s definition incorrectly (or correctly!), making a personal connection to the word, or offering a compelling explanation for why the word intrigued you. The best submissions will capture memorable encounters between a student and a new…

English is the universal language spoken across many businesses and industries. Many international corporations or companies looking to break into overseas markets will be inclined to hire employees with English listed as a language skill on their resume. Below, we have mock conversations in different settings that you can use to practice for real-life situations…

“My name is Renata Nascimento. I was born in the city of Niteroi, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It’s a city of 600,000 people, located on Guanabara Bay. I grew up in a small family – my mother, my sister and me. How did you learn about Alison? I don’t remember exactly,…

In music, this type of “leaning” grace note clashes with the melody just enough to create dissonance, then sweet resolution. It is famous for its capacity to give you goosebumps: Imagine Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, or the opening of Adele’s “Someone Like You.” The word is derived from “appoggiare,” an Italian verb meaning “to lean,”…

“Of all the factors that transform how we communicate, none are so powerful as young people, who have always steered language,” writes book critic Parul Sehgal.Our February Vocabulary Challenge invites middle and high school students to suggest a new word of their own. In the comments, tell us what your word means and why you…