Vocabulary: Eight verbs from today’s politics

Vocabulary: eight verbs from today’s politics
Intermediate to Advanced (B2 – C2)

Here are some verbs used by politicians, journalists and commentators after another day trying to reach agreement on Brexit.

boast To talk about something (often oneself) with a great deal of or too much pride. Usually negative in meaning, especially when speaking about oneself.
E.g. ‘He’s always boasting about his children’s achievements.’

map out Mapping out something means showing how to move forward.
E.g. ‘We need to map out much more cleartly what might happen.’

flourish If a person, a business or a country flourishes, it means they are being successful and are going through a very good period.
E.g. ‘It is easier for businesses to flourish when there is stability.’

takes two to tango This means the success or progress of something requires both sides to work together.
E.g. ‘Don’t blame me. It takes two to tango.’

make a dog’s breakfast of something When a dog eats, it can be quite messy and if someone makes a dog’s breakfast of something it means it hasn’t been done well and certainly less well than intended or hope for.
E.g. ‘He made a right dog’s breakfast of that news conference.’

reach a stalemate If a stalemate is reached in negotiations, neither side can find a way to progress.
E.g. ‘After many hours of effort, both sides had to accept they had reached stalemate.’

spoil If something is spoiled/spoilt, it makes things much less good than they were before, usually so much so that the result is quite negative. You can spoil a surprise, your appetite, the countryside.
E.g. ‘He didn’t want to let the rain spoil his holiday.’
‘The new factory has spoiled the local countryside.’

ease You can ease pain, a situation, tensions etc. Easing makes things less difficult of problematic.
E.g. ‘An aspirin should ease the pain.’

Vocabulary: Adding ‘wise’ to form adverbs

Vocabulary: Adding ‘wise’ to make adverbs from nouns
Intermediate to advanced level (B2-A2)

It is useful to have a rather informal way to express ‘concerning’ or ‘relating to’ which we can use in speech and writing. You take a noun and add ‘wise’, often with a ‘-‘. Some are more common than others. Let’s look at a few:
Continue reading

Listen to the origin of English (and many other languages)

Listening: the origin of English (PIE)
Lower intermediate to advanced level (B1-C1) 

Studies suggest that the origin or roots of English, German, Spanish, Hindi, Russian and about 400 other languages come from what is called ‘Proto-Indo-European’ or ‘PIE’. Listen to what it might have sounded like here:

Continue reading

Don’t let grammar be a big problem

Grammar: don’t let it be a big problem
Lower intermediate to advanced level (B1-C1) 

Learning English outside the UK, the US, Australia etc can often be about learning ‘grammar’. This makes people think you need to know ‘rules’ before you can speak or write. However, in my experience, a heavy focus on a grammar problem can stop people learning and communicating. Continue reading

Reading: Who goes to Oxford University?

Reading: Who goes to Oxford University?
Intermediate to advanced level (B1-C2)

This year just over 40% of undergraduate places at Oxford University went to UK students who attended independent schools. In 2005, the figure was 48% and in 1995 it was almost 52%, and if you go back to 1961, it was a little over 65%. Continue reading

Grammar: The subjunctive

Grammar: the subjunctive. Where and what is it?
Intermediate to advanced level (B1-C2)

Every language has developed over time. Modern English is simpler than older versions but contains some features from the past. With ‘he’, ‘she’ and ‘it’, the verb form might occasionally surprise you. Continue reading

Reading: Getting close to the EU referendum

Reading: the EU referendum
Intermediate to lower advanced level (B1-C1)

On 23 June this year, a referendum will take place in the UK. The question to be voted on is: “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?” Continue reading

Advanced vocabulary: 23 words and phrases

Advanced vocabulary: higher-level words and phrases 
Intermediate to advanced level (B2-C2)

Here are 23 advanced words and expressions that have come up in my higher-level 1-1 and Skype lessons over the last couple of months. Do you know them? Continue reading

Listening: A wide range of science podcasts

Listening: a wide range of science podcasts
Lower intermediate to advanced level (B1/C2)

If you are interested in science, technology or medicine, you can stream or download a very large number of podcasts from the Naked Scientists, a team of scientists, doctors and communicators based at Cambridge University’s Institute of Continuing Education (ICE). Science podcasts

Continue reading

Vocabulary: ‘Among’ or ‘between’

Vocabulary: ‘among’ or ‘between’
Intermediate to advanced level (B1-A2)

Many learners wonder how to use these words correctly. Some people give the simple rule that you should use ‘between’ with two things/people and ‘among’ when you have more than two. However, in practice, it is a little different. Continue reading

Listening: Good website for podcasts

Listening: Good website for English podcasts
All levels

 

Here is a link to nearly 300 English podcasts from a teacher called Luke: 
These ones have full transcripts:  http://teacherluke.co.uk/episodes-with-transcripts/

Continue reading

FCE writing tips

Cambridge First (FCE) writing tips
Upper intermediate level (B2)

Many people will be taking the Cambridge First exam this summer. To get ready you will probably need to write a lot of essays. An important tip is to keep a list of your most common FCE writing mistakes and check this list before you write. Continue reading

Reading: The General Election

Reading: the General Election
Intermediate Level (B1/B2)

On Thursday May 7th there will be a General (national) Election in the UK. Nowadays this takes place every five years. The electorate can vote for one candidate in their constituency (local parliamentary area). The winner in each constituency will become the local MP (Member of Parliament). Continue reading

Vocabulary: Mention – a great verb to know

Vocabulary: Mention – a great verb to know
Intermediate to advanced level (B1-C1)

The verb ‘mention’ is one of the verbs we can use to talk about what someone has said or is going to say. It’s really useful because using ‘tell’ or ‘say’ is not always appropriate. Let’s look at some examples: Continue reading

Grammar: Using the past perfect

Grammar: using the past perfect – some examples of when you should
Lower intermediate to advanced level (B1-C1)

Many learners are a little confused about when they should use the past perfect in English (had taken, had told, had imagined etc). There are several reasons for this. Continue reading

Speaking: Checking you have understood correctly

Speaking: Expressions to check you have understood something correctly
Lower intermediate to advanced level (B1-C1)

Even native speakers need to check that they have understood what they heard or read. To do this, you can use a range of expressions. Continue reading

Updated Cambridge English First and Advanced exams

Updated FCE and CAE for 2015
Intermediate to advanced level (B1-C1)

Cambridge English have made some changes to their First and Advanced exams. The biggest change is that now there will only be 4 papers instead of 5 because the Reading and Use of English are being put together in the same paper. Continue reading

Vocabulary: Approximate numbers

Vocabulary: approximate numbers
Intermediate to advanced level (B1-C1)

When we communicate, we often want to use words or expressions that are approximate. This is common when we have to talk about numbers. This might be because we don’t know the exact numbers or amounts or because we don’t want to give them. Here are some of these words and expressions: Continue reading

Pronunciation: The ə sound in British English

Pronunciation: the ə sound
Elementary to advanced level (A2-C1)

The ə sound is everywhere in English. It’s almost impossible to speak British English for more than a few seconds and not use ə! It is not a letter but many vowels can be pronounced /ə/. Continue reading

Writing: Keeping essays simple and clear

Writing: keeping it simple and clear
Intermediate to advanced level (B1-C2)

Have you ever read a piece of writing and then asked yourself ‘What did that mean?’? I certainly have. I’m not talking about short emails from friends but rather longer, more complicated essays or reports. Continue reading

Vocabulary: Adjective, verb and noun combinations

Vocabulary: adjective, verb and noun collocations and website
Intermediate to advanced level (B1-C2)

Many English words are commonly used with certain other words and these become like mini-expressions. For example, if someone has a serious problem or is in serious difficulty, you can say ‘He is in deep trouble‘. However you can’t say ‘he is in heavy trouble‘. Only some combinations are used. Your language probably has similar combinations or collocations. Continue reading

Vocabulary: Word families (FCE/CAE/CPE tips)

Building your vocabulary (FCE/CAE/CPE): Word families
Intermediate to advanced (B1-C2)

Why learn one word when you can learn more? Building your vocabulary is essential for many English exams e.g. Cambridge First, Advanced and Proficiency and helps you make more sense of English. Continue reading

Grammar: List of irregular verbs

Grammar: a list of irregular verbs in groups
All levels

Most irregular verbs are used a lot in English so they are important verbs to learn. In this list they are grouped, for example, by spelling or pronunciation. This should make them easier to remember. Continue reading

Pronunciation: English sounds

Pronunciation: English sounds
All levels

If you want to hear the individual sounds of English, you can use Adrian Underhill’s interactive phonemic chart. Just click on the symbol to hear the sound and an example word.  http://www.macmillanenglish.com/phonemic-chart/. There is also a great free app http://www.soundspronapp.com/  Continue reading