What you need to know
Lower level (A1-A2)
Teachers, coursebooks and language schools more or less agree about what a student needs to learn at elementary level (A1) Continue reading
Author Archives: Ynk17ppr
Grammar: If
Grammar: conditionals
Intermediate to advanced level (B1-C1)
In English there are many kinds of conditional combinations. All the sentences below are grammatically correct. Continue reading
Speaking: Congratulating a business colleague
Speaking: Business dialogue
Intermediate to advanced (B2-C2)
Imagine you have just come out of a business meeting where a close colleague (Harry) was very impressive. You decide to tell him what you think. Here is a possible English dialogue: Continue reading
Reading: England football managers
Intermediate to higher level (B1-C1)
There has been an interesting range of England managers over the years. Now, during the Euros we have Roy Hodgson. He wasn’t everyone’s first choice and he certainly doesn’t have the media-friendly personality of say a Mourinho but he is regarded as reliable, genuine and all-round nice bloke. We shall see in the coming days if his qualities are enough to get the England team through to the final stages of the competition. Continue reading
Speaking: Short responses
Speaking: Dialogue
Intermediate level (B1-B2)
Sometimes we feel we have to say something even if we are not really very interested. Using short responses is one way of doing this. The responses below are not very enthusiastic because person B doesn’t like tennis! Continue reading
Grammar: Talking about the present
Grammar: The present
Intermediate (B1-B2)
Read the conversation between friends Jane and Sam. Think about the verb forms used and what they mean. Continue reading
Reading: 10 miles south of Oxford
It takes about 20 minutes to drive from Oxford to a village called Little Wittenham. It’s a popular place for walking because you get great views from the top of the nearby hills (Round Hill and Castle Hill). The hills, which are usually known as the Clumps, have wild flowers on their slopes and beech trees at their tops. You can see birds such as skylarks, buzzards and red kites.
From the top of Round Hill you can see the river Thames as it meanders by the pretty village of Dorchester (you can see Dorchester Abbey in the photo). If you have time, it’s a good place to have a picnic before walking down the hills and exploring the woods below.
In Little Wittenham there is an organisation called Earth Trust which seeks to encourage sustainable living. At the moment Earth Trust has 1,200 acres of woodland, research plantation, meadow, wetland and farmland.
Reading: Queen Elizabeth – who and what is she?
Reading: Politics
Upper intermediate to advanced (B2-C2)
She is certainly well-known, or at least her image is. Her face is on stamps and the UK currency but most of the time she is only seen at royal visits or ceremonies. At the opening of Parliament the Queen reads a speech but this is written by the government. At Christmas she reads a message to the country but this is very formal and usually just a summary of some of the things that have happened in the year. Continue reading
Vocabulary and speaking: It’s hot but how hot?
Vocabulary and speaking
Pre-intermediate to upper intermediate level (A2-B2)
This week summer arrived. Now the temperature around Oxford is about 28 C. Of course you might not think that this is very hot but for most people here it’s hot enough. The maximum ever temperature in Oxford was 35 C. Continue reading
Cycling in Oxford
There are lots of cyclists in Oxford and usually they have to battle with the buses and cars that also use the streets. However today some of the country’s top cyclists came to Oxford to race.
St Giles in the city centre was closed to normal traffic and converted into a race track as you can see in the photograph.
Pronunciation: Syllable stress practice
Pronunciation: syllable stress
Pre-intermediate to advanced level (A2-C2)
The highest mountain in Britain is Ben Nevis in Scotland. However I think the real mountains are in the language! Some students speak English with a flat accent but this makes their pronunciation very difficult to understand. Continue reading
Pronunciation: Linking English words – a Mini story
Pronunciation and listening: Word linking
Intermediate and higher level (B1-C2)
In normal conversation it is common for many words to be linked together. This can make listening to English a little difficult at the beginning. You can learn how to link words together. Practising linking English words will improve your listening and speaking. Continue reading
Writing: IELTS tips
IELTS: Writing
Yesterday I was grading some IELTS writing (academic module second task, 250 words). Here are some tips to help you with this question in the exam. Continue reading
Reading: Art exhibitions
In May each year there are about 500 exhibitions of artists’ work in Oxfordshire. Most of the exhibitions are in the artists’ homes or studios. The kind of artwork ranges from painting and ceramics to furniture and jewellery. Continue reading
Reading: Air show
Yesterday I went to an air show near the town of Abingdon (8 miles south of Oxford). It’s a fun thing to do in the summer months.
There were aircraft on the ground and flying displays in the air. As well as the planes there were vintage cars, crafts and dancing. Near the end of the show we saw the Breitling Wingwalkers. Two biplanes gave us a 15-minute show with a woman doing acrobatics on the wings of each 
plane. Very impressive! You can see them in the first photograph.
Each year the Abingdon Air and Country Show raises money for charity. This year they are raising money for the local air ambulance (a helicopter).
Listen Air show
Vocabulary: A sporting week full of adverbs
Lower level (A1/A2)
You use the words in bold to talk about how often you do something:
Every Sunday morning I play golf with my friends. After the 18th hole we always have a large lunch and then go home. On Mondays I often play tennis with my cousin Susan at her sports club. If I don’t play tennis I watch horse racing on TV. Continue reading
Vocabulary: Words that go together
Vocabulary
Upper intermediate to advanced level (B2/C1/C2)
In English many words have a special relationship with other words. For example verbs and nouns:
suggest an alternative
realise an ambition
make a change
pay one’s way
resolve a situation
live one’s dream Continue reading
Speaking: Making yourself clear
Advanced level (C1/C2)
If someone has misunderstood you, you can give them more information to make clear who you are talking about: Continue reading
Vocabulary: ‘Must not’ and ‘don’t have to’
Vocabulary: verbs ‘must’ and ‘have to’
Pre-intermediate level (A2/B1)
Here are some of the rules for the staff at 2 companies using ‘must not’ and ‘don’t have to’: Continue reading
Vocabulary: Informal phrases for a terrible start to the day
Advanced level (C1/C2)
Useful informal phrases are in bold. I hope your morning was better than this one: Continue reading
Reading: Why Roger Federer speaks good English
To be honest I can’t be sure because I’ve never met him but I have an idea why. Old English was a Germanic language that was influenced by the Old Norse language of the Vikings and then by the Norman French that came with William the Conqueror’s invasion of 1066. Continue reading
Live with your homestay teacher
Homestay with English lessons can be a good solution if you are very busy and have little time to visit Britain. Often you have the choice of 15, 20 or 25 hours of lessons per week with excursions or activities in the local area. Continue reading
Grammar: In the kitchen – uncountable nouns
Grammar: uncountable nouns
Lower level English (A1-B1)
Oh no there’s nothing in the kitchen and I’m very hungry. Continue reading
Grammar: ‘Will’ and the future
Grammar: the future
Intermediate level (B1/B2)
Many English language learners think ‘will’ is the future tense and every time you talk about the future you need to use ‘will’. This seems to be taught in a lot of foreign schools. Continue reading
, ; : . ” ? Punctuation: who needs it?
Grammar: punctuation
Intermediate level (B2)
Commas, colons, full stops … It’s probably true to say that less punctuation is used today than in the past but this doesn’t mean punctuation isn’t needed. Punctuation is really important when it can change the meaning of a sentence. I found this example in Wikipedia: Continue reading
Vocabulary and listening: Relationships
Relationships vocabulary
Intermediate level English (B1)
Tom grew up in Brighton, not far from the sea. His parents met in March 1990 and after a short engagement they got married in July that year. Continue reading
Vocabulary: Adverbs in a police story
Vocabulary: adverbs in a police story
Advanced level (C1)
Read the story and try to guess the meaning of the adverbs (in bold). Check with a dictionary to see if you are right. Continue reading
Who is more English, Shakespeare or St George?
April 23rd is St George’s Day. It is thought to be Shakespeare’s birthday too, as well as the date of his death. St George is believed to have been born in what is now Turkey. Continue reading
Reading and listening: London marathon & F1
Reading and listening: London marathon and F1
Intermediate level (B1-B2)
Today it’s the London Marathon. Thousands of ordinary people will run past the famous sights of the capital such as the Cutty Sark, St Katharine Docks, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament. Many will be raising money for their chosen charity in a carnival atmosphere. Also today is the Bahrain Grand Prix: exclusive, expensive and controversial. Quite a contrast!
Listen Two races
Pronunciation: Which sound is different?
Pronunciation: vowel sounds
Elementary to intermediate level English (A2/B2)
English pronunciation is not very phonetic so it is useful to remember groups of words that have similar sounds. On each line 3 words have the same vowel sound but 1 is different. Which one is it? Continue reading
Writing: Organisation is key
Writing: organising
Intermediate to higher level (B1-C1)
What is most important when you write? Is it grammar or vocabulary? In my opinion it is the organisation of sentences and paragraphs. Without a logical organisation, a piece of writing is often very difficult to read and understand. Continue reading
Reading: Adjectives describing 2 sisters
Lower level (A1/A2)
There are 12 adjectives in the text. Do you know them? Continue reading
Sausage and mash cash
In east London 30 cash machines are giving customers the choice of having instructions in Cockney, a working class dialect of English. Continue reading
Listening and reading: Titanic and today
Listening and reading: passenger ships
Intermediate level (B1/B2)
It’s a 100 years since the Titanic disaster. At the time people said it couldn’t be sunk. In January this year 32 people died when the Costa Concordia hit rocks off the Italian coast. When I see the size of the latest cruise ships, I wonder if an even worse disaster is just around the corner.
Listen Titanic arrogance
About the Titanic:
- There were 2,224 passengers
- It was built in Northern Ireland
- The life boats were designed to ferry passengers to another ship (and go back again to pick up more people)
- 176 men had to fuel the steam engines with coal
- At the beginning of the voyage at Southampton, Titanic very nearly hit another ship. It missed by only about 1 metre!
- 97% of women travelling first class survived but 54% of women travelling third class died!
- If necessary Titanic could convert sea water into drinking water
- There was an on-board telephone system for the passengers
- It took 26 months to build
- Titanic was only about half full. Many people who planned to go on Titanic’s first (maiden) voyage decided to postpone their journey because there had been a coal strike and shipping schedules had been disrupted.
Here is a link to a website for all things Titanic
http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/
Vocabulary: You have to read this!
Pre-intermediate/Intermediate Level (A2/B1)
People can say ‘have to’ or ‘have got to’ but there are some differences in how we say them:
‘I have to’ but not ‘I’ve to’ BUT ‘I’ve got to’ is OK
In ‘I have to’, ‘have’ is pronounced ‘haf‘ Continue reading
Vocabulary: Do you ‘get’ it?
Intermediate level (B2)
‘Get’ is used all the time in everyday spoken English. You can get an email or get drunk or get married. Continue reading
Olympic test
I’m starting to hear more and more hype about the Olympics, most of it on TV and the radio. However when I read newspaper blogs most of the comments are negative, usually complaining about the cost. In July the Olympic torch will pass through Oxfordshire so I guess we’ll see how many people are really interested.
Listen Olympic test
Reading and listening: The boat race
Reading and listening
Intermediate level (B1-B2)
The annual Oxford and Cambridge boat race had to be stopped after an Australian protester swam in front of the boats. The race was restarted and Cambridge went on to win. What I don’t understand is why he needed to get so close to the boats and risk his life.
Listen Boat race
This famous university boat race started in 1829 after a challenge between 2 school friends. It takes place on the River Thames in West London every year. The course is 4.2 miles long – about 6.8 km. So far Cambridge have won 81 races and Oxford have only won 77. In 1877 it was a draw!
In its history there have been striking crew members and boats sinking so this years incident is just one of many.
IELTS scores
International English Language Testing System
IELTS scores range between 1 and 9 but most people get a score between 4.5 and 7.5. If you go to a typical language school you can expect to improve your IELTS score by 1 point approximately every 12 weeks. Continue reading
Spring is here
This time of year (early Spring in southern England) is one of my favourite times. All the plants are coming to life with colour breaking out everywhere you look!