Hey there! This is TOP episode 311. 3 English Words Everyone Gets Wrong: News, Information, Advice
You read English. You understand English. You’ve been learning for years, but when it’s time to speak your mind just freezes, and the words don’t come out. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. My name’s Ola, and this is Teacher Ola Podcast. I’m here to help you finally speak out loud. This isn’t about perfect grammar or fancy vocabulary. This is about your voice. Your words. Your real English.
Hi there! Thank you for deciding to join me today! Listen, Voice Loop has been on for some time, but two new groups opened last week, so now we have started the second week. And I have to tell you, this is intense! I send a video to the WhatsApp group, group members watch it and answer my questions and do the tasks I ask them to do. They record their voice messages every day because of a few reasons. One. They need to expose themselves! You need it too! If you want to speak English with ease and flow and joy you need one very important thing. CONFIDENCE. Confidence comes from action. From taking action. From speaking. So every member of the group knows others listen to them, I listen to them AND I share my feedback. That helps you grow every day. We also meet once a week for a 60 min conversion session. But the key to success lies in consistent, daily practice! And do you know what Patrycja says? Hi there Patrycja! So she told me, and let me quote: “But the cherry on top are the homework assignments — the way I feel speaking English after just one week is out of this world. I never even dreamed it could be like this. The vocabulary is quite difficult, which makes it super challenging — and that’s exactly what I love. This course feels truly tailor-made for me.”. And also she wrote this, listen: “After two years of individual lessons — an hour and a half each, with homework and Quizlet — I still didn’t feel like I could speak in front of strangers. And today I’m already looking for flights for November so I can finally use it “. Whoa!!!! Well done Patrycja!! Congrats!!! It’s actually amazing how much is possible in a freaking week! 7 days guys!!
If you want to break the chain of constant learning, listening, not seeing any progress, feeling like you’re going in circles with this language, come and join us! Apply at teacherola.com/grupy.
Alright, let’s talk about three words that confuse even quite advanced learners: news, information, and advice.
They’re what we call uncountable common nouns , which means we don’t use them in plural form, and we don’t use a or an with them. But each of these words has a few special things going on, so let’s unpack them one by one.
NEWS
Let’s start with news.
It looks plural — it ends with -s — but it’s actually singular. I know, it’s weird. English is full of those little traps.
So you say:
This news is shocking!
not These news are shocking.
This news is shocking!
The word news comes from “new things,” but in modern English it became an uncountable, singular noun meaning “information about recent events.”
We use it like this:
- I’ve got some good news!
- The news was on TV last night.
- That’s great news!
If you want to talk about one “item” of news — something specific — you can make it countable using a piece of news or an item of news.
For example:
- She gave me a piece of good news this morning.
- There’s one important item of news I want to share with you.
So remember:
news is singular, but uncountable.
We use some news for general talk and a piece of news when we want to count.
Listen to these proverbs:
Two pieces of news.
Three pieces of news.
Bad news travels fast.
No news is good news.
Good news never made a good newspaper.
The news is only as good as its source.
INFORMATION
Now, information is another one people constantly want to pluralize — but please don’t. There’s no such thing as informations in standard English.
It’s always uncountable.
So we say:
- I need some information about your course.
not: I need an information.
I need some information about your course.
You can’t use ‘a’ with information. If you want to count, you need a structure like a piece of information or some information.
Examples:
- She gave me a useful piece of information.
- Can you give me some information about your services?
- All the information is available online.
It’s singular grammatically (is, not are):
- This information is confidential.
So, same logic as news: uncountable, singular form, use some for general talk, or a piece of information when you want to count something specific.
More sentences:
Information is power.
Misinformation is worse than no information.
ADVICE
And then we have advice.
Same story: uncountable, no plural advices in English.
You don’t say: He gave me an advice.
You say: He gave me some advice.
Or if you want to count, use a piece of advice.
- Let me give you a piece of advice: don’t check your phone before bed.
- She gave me two pieces of advice — both excellent.
Grammatically, advice takes a singular verb:
- This advice is really helpful.
And if you want to sound natural, don’t overuse a piece of advice. In everyday conversation, just say some advice:
- Can I give you some advice?
- I need some advice about my job.
Some more examples:
It’s easier to give advice than to take it.
Advice is cheap.
Take my advice — I don’t use it anyway.
Let’s put it into practice with 10 real-life examples — things you might actually say or hear. Listen and repeat:
I’ve got some bad news, the concert was cancelled.
That’s wonderful news!
Did you hear the latest news?
Can you send me some information about the new course?
All the information you need is on the website.
I need some advice.
Can I give you a piece of advice?
This advice is really helpful.
I don’t have much information yet, but I’ll check.
It’s easier to give advice than to take it.
And that’s it for today’s episode!
Now you know how to use news, information, and advice like a native speaker — but let’s be honest, knowing is only half the story. The real change happens when you start speaking.
If you’ve been learning English for years, listening, reading, watching, but still freeze when it’s your turn to talk, then maybe it’s time to flip the script.
That’s exactly what we do in Voice Loop. It’s daily speaking practice in a small, supportive group. You record your voice, get my feedback, and hear yourself improving every single day. Confidence grows fast when you stop hiding behind silence.
And the best part? You can still join us! Go to teacherola.com/grupy, pick your group, and start speaking for real.
Come and see what it feels like to use your English, not just study it.I’d love to hear your voice inside the group.
Remember: you already can speak English, you just need to start.
I’m your teacher, Teacher Ola, and this was the Teacher Ola Podcast.
Bye for now, and see you in Voice Loop.