Alex, Author at Study with Alex

Refugee vs fugitive: what is the difference

October 19, 2021English

These days, you might see the words refugee and asylum seeker. You might also see some news stories with the word fugitive. They all have the similar roots. Refugee or fugitive both have the root for "flee" or "escape" in…

Melt vs thaw: what is the difference?

October 12, 2021English

These two words are very close and might be easily confused. They are both are increasing temperatures. We use ice in our drinks, or we remove food from the freezer to eat. In both cases, you will melt or thaw…

How to return to a language after a hiatus

October 7, 2021Polyglot Secrets

We are all humans. It is not natural to expect we follow our plans perfectly when we study a language. Life happens, and sometimes languages that we love fall to the wayside. Sometimes people take breaks intentionally because school or…

5 P’s of spreading ideas: propaganda words in English

October 5, 2021English

It is important to talk about how we change people's minds and how ideas are spread in English, that is, propaganda words in English. This is a common topic for natives, and learners of English should know why natives chose…

When you need to change the French past participle

September 28, 2021French

A friend of mine just recently asked me this question about the French past participle. Fortunately, I am the authority on this issue according to that person. The question was: when do you need to change the French past participle?…

Where should a Korean learner begin studying?

September 23, 2021Polyglot Secrets

Starting a language can seem overwhelming, but if we take the process step by step, we can overcome this scary moment. I've written about why you should learn an East Asian language before. Also, if you need some tips on…

Choose vs select vs pick vs opt: what is the difference?

September 21, 2021English

This group of words can be very confusing for learners because they are so close but so far. If you use them in the wrong context, it will immediately sound off for a native speaker. Of course, many other groups…

Nose words – smell, stench, stink, odor, aroma, scent, reek: what is the difference?

September 14, 2021English

English has a lot of "smell words" related to what we sense with our noses. They each have a distinct meaning that I will explain in this post. smell is a neutral word about something you sense with your nose…

Please don’t ask me “how many languages do you speak”

September 9, 2021Polyglot Secrets

Language learning is my hobby. I get a lot of personal satisfaction and excitement from self-studying a language. With that enthusiasm, you would think that I enjoy talking about languages to others. It is one particular question, however, that makes…

Exceed or surpass: what is the difference?

September 7, 2021English

In the current world of statistics and trends, we are always seeing how the current statistics compare to previous statistics. Because of this, English learners will notice we use the words exceed or surpass often. They are used in similar…