Hi there,

5-Bullet English is your weekly dose of practical, real-world English learning tips.

Every week, I'll be sharing with you five short, powerful insights - from real student breakthroughs, new learning tools, and must-know language strategies - to help you speak, understand, and use English more confidently in your daily and professional life.

No fluff. Just clear, useful tips that move you forward.

🔥Now you can listen to this Newsletter in the 5-Bullet English Podcast.

1) GRAMMAR: Unconfusing ED and ING Adjectives!

This week, my student Arsentii brought up a question that I know many of you have thought about: "When do I use an '-ed' adjective, and when do I use an '-ing' adjective?" It's a classic English grammar puzzle, but once you get it, it clicks! So, here's the quick and easy way to remember:

-ED adjectives describe how people feel. Think about words like confused, interested, or excited. It's all about the emotion inside!

-ING adjectives describe the quality of a person or thing that creates those feelings. These are words like interesting, exciting, or confusing. They describe what causes the emotion.

Let's look at some examples:

"The book is interesting, and the kids are interested to read it." (The book creates interest, the kids feel it!)
"I am excited about the upcoming trip because the trip promises to be exciting." (I feel excitement, the trip is exciting!)
"My students feel confused about this topic because English grammar is confusing." (Students feel confused, grammar is confusing!)

And for a super simple life hack: If you can point your finger at yourself or someone else and say, "This person feels this way," use -ED. But if you're pointing at someone or something and describing a quality it possesses, use -ING.

2) VOCABULARY: Ivan's Epic Reading Victory!

This week, I couldn't be prouder of Ivan! He had some truly fantastic news to share. After countless individual lessons, and after working relentlessly on his pronunciation, fluency, and reading skills, he finally did it! He picked up an English book that he couldn't even start at the beginning of our journey, and now? He was able to read and understand almost everything!

His vocabulary level has truly skyrocketed. I still remember our very first lesson where he would struggle to find the right words to express his thoughts. This is a brilliant reminder, everyone: your hard work will ALWAYS pay off!

It also highlights how important it is to set clear goals and, when you achieve them, to give yourself a massive pat on the back! Well done, Ivan!

Book your individual lesson HERE. First class is FREE!

3) PRONUNCIATION: "App" vs. "Up" - Let's Clear It Up!

Here's a common one that trips up many of my students: the pronunciation of "app" and "up." They sound so similar, but getting them right makes a big difference!

"App" (as in, "application") is that short form for desktop or mobile software. Think of the "a" sound in "cat" or "apple." So, it's pronounced like /æp/.

"Up" is an adverb meaning "towards a higher position." Think "go up" or "look up." The "u" here is a short "uh" sound, like in "butter." So, it's pronounced /ʌp/.

Seriously, don't mix these two up! Imagine telling your friend you "liked some up" when you meant a cool new app. They might get a little confused (it's their feeling, wink 😉)!

4) THOUGHT: AI - Our Powerful Assistant, Not Our Ghostwriter!

In a recent group lesson with Andriana and Ivan, we had a fascinating chat about how AI is literally changing the world and how we can use it to achieve more. Andriana wisely pointed out that AI isn't here to replace professionals, but to embrace them. We totally agreed: we, as professionals and learners, need to embrace AI in our work too - by continuing to learn, experiment, and implement AI models to boost our performance.

However, there was also a really interesting and important piece of information that came up about using AI, particularly ChatGPT, for writing essays and other content. Recent research suggests that relying on AI tools like ChatGPT for writing might actually weaken your brain and impair your memory!

Here's the surprising finding: Scientists conducted a study where participants wrote essays using different methods: some only their brains, some with a search engine, and others with a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT. Guess what? Those who used only their brains showed the strongest brain activity and best memory retention. The ChatGPT users showed the weakest cognitive activity. Even more, when former ChatGPT users were forced to write without AI, they performed worse than before and worse than those who never used AI! A shocking 83% of them couldn't even accurately quote from their own essays just minutes after writing them!

Now, this doesn't mean we're against AI! It's an incredible tool. But, as the research shows, dependency comes with a cost. If you're using AI, think of it as a guide, a powerful assistant to help you brainstorm or refine ideas, not a ghostwriter to do all the thinking for you. The time you save today by over-relying on AI might come at the cost of your own clarity and efficiency tomorrow.

5) TOOL: Finding Your Perfect Language Exchange Partner!

This week, my student Ira asked for a fantastic recommendation: apps or websites where she could find a language exchange partner. Her ideal partner would be someone who knows English but wants to learn Ukrainian, so they could teach each other!

Honestly, this is a brilliant idea! Language exchange is an incredibly positive way to practice. It seriously boosts your motivation and gives you that much-needed extra speaking time in English.

However, there can be a small downside. Without a structured approach, these conversations can sometimes lack a clear method or learning goal. Partners might struggle to explain complex grammar points or organize the conversation in a way that truly benefits both.

But if you're keen to find a conversation partner, here are some popular applications where you can connect with people:

HelloTalk
Tandem
Speaky
Omegle

Give them a try, and happy speaking!

Thanks for being here - really. If something in this message helped you, made you think, or gave you a boost, hit reply and let me know. I read every message. Feel free to share this with a friend who's learning English too, and if you're not subscribed yet, now's the perfect time to join us. See you in the next episode!

Cheers,

Vlad

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