What's The Difference? JUST vs ONLY

Welcome to another edition of What's The Difference? where we explain words that are often confused and misused.

What's The Difference? AFFECT vs EFFECT

Affect and Effect: two of the most commonly confused words in English. The intended effect of this post is to affect a positive change in your use of these two misunderstood words😆!

Review: Past Tenses

Back in February, we looked at different verb tenses. Today, we'll focus on past simple, past continuous, past perfect simple, and past perfect continuous.

Grammatical Correctness VS Conversational English

First, let's me just say: having good grammar is important, but, in the goal in learning and using any language is communication. So, today, we're going to look at examples of where conversational English isn't always grammatically correct but is still okay.

The Art of Conversation

For some, using a second language can be uncomfortable. Fear of making mistakes, and low confidence can make conversations with native speakers difficult, and tense.

First, RELAX.

People are usually okay with grammatical errors, and understand speaking a second language is not easy. 

Next. NO short replies or one-word answers.

A: Do you like baseball?

B: Yes, I do.

A: What's your favourite team?

B: The Toronto Blue Jays.

 Conversations don't need "right" answers. Add some extra information when you answer questions, and make sure to ask questions yourself.

A: Do you like baseball?

B: Yes, I do. I'm a Toronto Blue Jays fan. How about you? What teams do you like?

A: Oh, I like The Pirates, and The Yankees. 


It is difficult to stay on one topic for a long time, but, if you want to change it, try to do it naturally, using key words from the conversation.

A: Do you like baseball?

B: Yes, I do. I'm a Toronto Blue Jays fan. How about you? What teams do you like?

A: Oh, I like The New York Yankees. 

B: Ah, New York City. I would like to go there one day. Have you ever been there.


The most important thing to remember is, again, to relax, don't worry about minor grammar mistakes, have fun, and practice your English every chance you get.

For more on English conversation, watch Ronnie's lesson on Engvid.