Cafe

Why is J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy so compelling? How about The Matrix or Harry Potter? What makes these disparate worlds come alive are clear, consistent rules for how people, societies -- and even the laws of physics -- function in these fictional universes. Author Kate Messner offers a few tricks for you, too, to create a world worth exploring in your own words.

The of and to. A in is I. That it, for you, was with on. As have ... but be they.

Say the word "doubt" aloud. What is that "b" doing there? Does it have any purpose? Gina Cooke explains the long and winding history of "doubt" and why the spelling, though it seems random, is a wink to its storied past.

It isn't easy holding complex sentences together (just ask a conjunction or a subordinate), but the clever little comma can help lighten the load. But how to tell when help is really needed? Terisa Folaron offers some tricks of the comma trade.

What do Game of Thrones' Dothraki, Avatar's Na'vi, Star Trek's Klingon and LOTR's Elvish have in common? They are all fantasy constructed languages, or conlangs. Conlangs have all the delicious complexities of real languages: a high volume of words, grammar rules, and room for messiness and evolution. John McWhorter explains why these invented languages captivate fans long past the rolling credits.

Mark explains the basic rules for making questions. This video is for students at a pre-intermediate level.

Mark explains what makes a good concluding sentence for a paragraph. This lesson is for students at an intermediate level.

Mark describes what makes a good supporting sentence as part of the series on paragraph structure. This lesson is for students at an intermediate level.

Mark explains the basic rules for structuring paragraphs. This lesson is for students at an intermediate level.

This video is on how to write a successful persuasive, opinion-based academic essay in English. Students will learn how to structure and organize an opinion essay and will be given tips to make their essays successful.