Learn native English online - learn English grammar rules
Learn native English online - English idioms and expressions with picture examples and meaning
Learn native English online - English phrasal verbs list with examples and meaning
British English pronunciation practice
English proverbs list with meaning and examples
useful information to help you learn English
English practice - tests, exercises and quizzes

LEARN NATIVE ENGLISH ONLINE
with Mingle-ish

Roll up roll up! Who fancies learning some native English online? This site is fantastic for English language learners who like me learn best through pictures and those who want to speak English like a native. Do you know what the best part about it is? It’s 100% free. It will only cost you a bit of brain power and some time. The more time and effort you put in, the more you’ll get out of this site.

So, here you’ll find lots of fun and interesting material to help you learn and perfect your English. You can brush up on your English grammar or get back to basics. Learn some secret pronunciation tricks such as the glottal stop. Finally get your head around those pesky phrasal verbs or impress your friends with some idioms and phrases.

 

Click on the links below and start learning English today with real life examples shown through pictures.

English Grammar

The definition of grammar is basically the structure of the words in a sentence and how they change to alter the meaning of sentences. It sounds easy, right? However, in reality, grammar goes a lot deeper than that!

What are you waiting for, dive in and brush up on your grammar skills today.

P.S. Did I mention this site is all about real life English with real examples (not the stuff they teach you in textbooks).

idioms and expressions

Idiomatic expressions are one of the topics my students love learning the most. Simply put… an idiom is a group of words that when joined together make a well-known phrase. The meaning can’t usually be interpreted by the words as they don’t make sense individually. They do however make perfect sense to a native speaker.

Here’s the fun part for all my English language learner friends out there: trying to understand these idioms and to use them when speaking.

That doesn’t sound too difficult, does it? Oh wait… I forgot to mention there are thousands of them!! Luckily for you I have chosen the most common ones and drawn some scenarios to help you understand the meaning. There are even groups of idioms such as animals, business, family, nature, and weather if you prefer a particular topic.

 

Over to you, get clicking and get learning!

phrasal verbs (verb + preposition)

The dreaded phrasal verbs have reared their ugly head! If you’ve tried to bury your head in the sand and avoid these, now is the time to learn.

If you don’t know what a phrasal verb is, I suggest you find out, pronto. They are a huge part of the English language and are used frequently amongst native English speakers. The annoying part about phrasal verbs (for English learners) is that they don’t make sense.

We take a verb and add a preposition (or two) to the end of it. This makes a well-known phrase that only native speakers understand. Like a secret code. The verb and preposition can mean totally different things but when joined mean something.

No one wants to be left out of the secret, do they? Come closer and take a look and I’ll let you in on the secret. Click below to see hundreds on the most commonly used phrasal verbs with real life examples. Guess what? they all have pictures to help you understand.

pronunciation

So, you’ve learnt grammar, you’re getting good at communicating in English, what’s the next logical step? To become a pro of course! How do you become a pro? By nailing pronunciation of course.

Before we begin, I’m going to give you a few BIG tips about English pronunciation:

Words are not necessarily pronounced how they look.

Different letters have multiple sounds.

Some letters are silent.

We have a lot of French influence.

There can be slight differences in vowel sounds which can cause confusion. (homonyms, homographs, homophones)

Some sounds can be totally different from your native language (so you’ll need to change the way you move your mouth and tongue).

And that is just the tip of the iceberg boys and girls. But luckily for you, you’ve found this page, so make sure you save it to your favourites.

 

I’ve pulled together the most common pronunciation problems my students face to help you in your English language learning journey. This section includes tips to help you sound like a native. Before we begin say – ‘The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain’. It’s a quote from My Fair Lady (a good film to watch).

proverbs list

A proverb is a short, well-known sentence that gives advice. There is usually a lot of truth in these sayings.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I actually use a proverb as the basis of this site – ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’ (which is true). Would you prefer to read a black and white textbook about English grammar? Or would you prefer to see real life English, in colour, in context, with real scenarios everyone faces on a daily basis?

I’m guessing you prefer the latter as that’s how you found me. Ok, let’s dive in, click the links below to see an alphabetical list of common proverbs with, you’ve guessed it, PICTURES!

useful tips & information

If you’ve reached this section, you must really want to become an English Jedi. Now we are getting town to the nitty gritty. Think of it like tuning a guitar, we are going to fine-tune your English to perfection, so no-one knows it’s your second language.

I think this section speaks for itself, there are lots of hints, tips, practice, and information. But the best part is the fun stuff! Let’s face it, learning can be fun, and it doesn’t have to be boring, head in a book studying all the time.

So, just work your way through the links below at your leisure and enjoy yourselves.

test yourself

It’s quiz time! Let’s put your knowledge to the test with these fun exercises. This section is a work in progress, so make sure you keep coming back to see if anything else has been added.

I’m a one-woman band with a mountain of work to do to keep this website top-notch so bear with me. But I think there is enough to keep you going for now.