Learn Vocabulary · · 8 min read
Phrasal Verbs with Take: Meanings Beyond the Literal
Take on, take after, take up, take over, take off and take back explained with meanings, examples, grammar notes on separability and a practice set.
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Short, practical guides on how vocabulary learning actually works, and how we've built Wordabulary around it.
Learn Vocabulary · · 9 min read
Phrasal Verbs with Get: The Ones You Will Hear at Work
Get by, get through, get around to, get along, get over and get across explained with meanings, workplace examples, grammar notes and a practice set.
Learn Vocabulary · · 7 min read
-ful vs. -less: Opposite Suffixes, One Root
How -ful and -less work as opposite suffixes, which pairs are true opposites and which only look it, spelling rules, related endings and a practice set.
Learn Vocabulary · · 8 min read
Ten Greek and Latin Roots That Unlock English Words
Ten Greek and Latin roots, bio, graph, log, chron, geo, phon, tele, spect, dict and port, with word families, how to decode new words and a practice set.
Learn Vocabulary · · 7 min read
What Is the Academic Word List?
What the Academic Word List is, how it was built, what it covers and leaves out, and how to use it alongside reading and writing instead of memorizing it.
Learn Vocabulary · · 7 min read
-able and -ible: Two Spellings for One Sound
What -able and -ible mean, a rule of thumb for choosing between them, spelling changes such as dropping e, common exceptions and a practice set with answers.
Learn Vocabulary · · 7 min read
Re- and Pre-: Prefixes About Time and Direction
What the prefixes re- and pre- really mean, from again and back to before and in advance, with examples, false friends and a practice set with answers.
Learn Vocabulary · · 7 min read
The -tion and -sion Endings: Turning Verbs into Nouns
When does a verb take -tion and when -sion? Learn the spelling patterns (-ate to -ation, -ide to -ision), the exceptions, pronunciation and a practice set.
Learn Vocabulary · · 7 min read
Un-, Dis- and In-: Three Prefixes That Mean Not
Why unhappy works but dishappy does not. Learn when to use un-, dis- or in- (im-, il-, ir-), the patterns, the exceptions and a practice set with answers.
Learn Vocabulary · · 7 min read
Five Ways to Say Important, and When to Use Each
Essential, key, vital, significant and crucial each give a different reason something matters. Learn when to use each, and how to be more specific.
Learn Vocabulary · · 7 min read
Complement vs. Compliment, Principal vs. Principle
Meaning, memory aids and quick tests for complement and compliment and for principal and principle, with examples, proofreading tips and a practice set.
Learn Vocabulary · · 7 min read
Hard, Complex or Arduous? Words for Difficult
Looking for another word for difficult? See how hard, tough, complex, demanding and arduous differ, with examples, register notes and a short practice set.