Dubis Int'l English Insights

🌟Sail through — Not Scale through 🌟

Many people say “I scaled through my exams,” but that’s not the correct expression.

The right phrase is “sail through.”
✅ To sail through means to succeed easily or pass something without difficulty.
Examples:
I sailed through my interview.
She sailed through her exams with confidence.

Think of it like a boat sailing smoothly over calm water — that’s where the expression comes from!

So next time, remember:
Don’t scale through challenges — sail through them! 💪

Can you make a sentence with “sail through”? Drop it in the comments!

ANGRY WITH vs ANGRY AT 😡

Many people use angry with and angry at without knowing the small difference.

"Angry with" is used when you’re upset with a person.
Examples: I’m angry with my friend for lying to me.
She’s angry with her brother for breaking her phone.

"Angry at" is used when you’re upset about a situation or thing.
Examples: He’s angry at the delay.
I’m angry at the weather today.

Tip:
Think of “with” for people, and “at” for things or situations.

Your turn!
Can you make a sentence with angry with or angry at? Drop it in the comments 👇

The Article “A” in English Language

The article “a” is called an indefinite article. It is used before singular countable nouns—that is, nouns that can be counted one by one and have a plural form.

We use “a” when we are talking about one thing in general, not a specific one.
✅ Examples:
I bought a book.
She is eating a mango.
He saw a bird in the garden.
You can see that book, mango, and bird are countable — you can say one book, two books, etc.

🚫 When Not to Use “A”
We do not use “a” with uncountable nouns — nouns that cannot be counted because they are seen as a mass, a substance, or an idea.
Examples of uncountable nouns are: water, rice, sugar, milk, information, advice, furniture, money, air.
🚫 Wrong:
I need a water.
She gave me a (an)advice.
✅ Correct:
I need some water.
She gave me some advice.

How Uncountable Nouns Are Used Instead
Since uncountable nouns don’t take “a”, we use quantity expressions or measure words to make them countable.
✅ Examples:
a bottle of water
a cup of tea
a piece of advice
a bag of rice
a slice of bread
Here, the noun after “a” becomes countable because we are counting the unit or container, not the substance itself.

Teacher Adaobi

✂️ WHY WE SAY “THESE SCISSORS ARE” AND NOT “THIS SCISSORS IS”

English can be funny sometimes
You see, some words always end in “-s” but still take plural verbs — even when you’re talking about just one!

Let’s take scissors for example
❌ This scissors is beautiful.
✅ These scissors are beautiful.
Why?
Because scissors is a plural-only noun — it refers to something made of two parts (the two blades).
So, it always acts like a plural word.

If you want to talk about just one, you can say:
✅ A pair of scissors is beautiful.
(Here, pair is the subject — that’s why we use “is.”)
The same rule applies to other words like:
✳ trousers
✳ glasses
✳ binoculars
✳ surroundings
✳ belongings

👉 My surroundings are tidy. (Not surroundings is)

English may be tricky, but you’re getting smarter with every lesson!

Teacher Adaobi

M-W Word of the Day

Quick Quiz
My father will return home in _______time.
a. two weeks
b. two week
c. two week's
d. two weeks'

It’s a brand new week—another chance to grow, to try again, and to shine brighter than before.
Don’t drag the weight of last week into this one. Step in with fresh energy and a positive mindset.
You’ve got what it takes to make this week remarkable.

I was reading a text and came across the word “gourd.” I paused for a moment trying to pronounce it correctly. I applied all my phonics knowledge, yet I still had to check the dictionary for the right pronunciation. 😅

Then it hit me. This is exactly what many children face when learning how to read! That moment of hesitation, the guesswork, the confusion, it’s real.

That’s why introducing letter sounds early is so important. It’s the foundation of strong reading skills.
Children need to:
🔹 Recognize the sounds each letter make
🔹 Learn proper letter formation
🔹 Blend sounds to read words
🔹 Identify sounds in words to write correctly
When these skills are built early, reading becomes fun, natural, and confidence-boosting for them.
Let’s keep nurturing great readers, one sound at a time.

I am Teacher Adaobi,
Dubis International
I teach kids, young learners, and exam prep students.

Why not give yourself a chance today to learn from a seasoned coach?
📩 Send your wards to us and let’s build confident readers together!

Your point is valid 💯

Dear students,
Your academic success is directly proportional to how often you study.

Believe me, academic success is not accidental. It's deliberate!

Success does not response to wishers but workers.

If you are not willing to work, nothing will work for you.

Stop wishing and start working.

I hope my point make sense to someone.

I am your girl Heritage Ben

You know when we say “He dashed me something”? 😄

It sounds perfectly fine here in Nigeria — but in standard English, that’s not correct!

In proper English, you should say:
✅ He gave me something.
✅ or He gifted me something. (if it was a present )

Now here’s the funny part — the word dash actually exists in English,
but it means to run quickly or to throw something suddenly!
So if you say “He dashed me money,”
someone abroad might think he ran into you with money! 😂

Next time, say it the right way:
👉 He gave me something.
👉 He gifted me something.
Let's keep learning and keep improving.

What has someone "dashed" you before? 😂😂