Purpose Using videos in language learning has been investigated in the literature to enhance second language learning. The previous studies have explored the effect of videos on learning a foreign language, especially vocabulary learning. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of videos on learning present progressive tense in the perspective of semiotics. Design/methodology/approach A total of 30 Arab English foreign language (EFL) learners participated in the study and were assigned into two groups. The first group was taught present progressive tense with the help of videos (the semiotics group). The second group was taught the same content using a traditional way, i.e. without videos. Findings Results of the post-test indicated that participants in the semiotics group outscored the participants who did not learn through videos to learn present progressive tense. The study concluded that using videos is a useful tool to enhance learning present progressive tense. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, no study has been conducted to examine the effect of semiotics on learning L2 grammar, especially the present progressive tense. Therefore, this study explores the impact of using videos, as a form of semiotics, to help EFL learners learn present progressive tense.

Students’ reading speed in the English Department at a Saudi University is low, which, in turn, slows down their general proficiency in English. This research aims to show how and to what degree using a reading speed increasing software (the ‘7 Speed Reading’ program) could be a decisive factor in upgrading the reading speed of EFL-major students of KKU while maintaining their former level of comprehension. This study uses a pre-test, post-test quasi-experimental design. The study sample comprised two groups (a control group and a test group), each consisting of 30 students from the third year of the EFL undergraduate program. The methodology incorporates comprehension tests to analyse the sample for reading speed and comprehension toward the study’s start. Training in increasing reading speed was extended to the test group students using the ‘7 Speed Reading’ software. Towards the end of the training, both the groups were tested again for reading speed and comprehension. The study illustrated essential outcomes in the form of increased reading speed and better comprehension.