I always recommend my students to write an English diary. The reason is simple: you should write every day because you need to practise as often as you can. It doesn’t need to be long; a few sentences is fine. It’s an easy way to write about things you have learned. It is also a … [Read more…]
One of the most pleasurable ways to develop your vocabulary is to read poetry. A short poem can give you something interesting to think about and you can see different ways to describe things, people and feelings than you might have thought. A poem can be read on a short commute, in line at the … [Read more…]
When you are speaking English, it can be quite difficult to keep your speech flowing when you need to think about what to say. In this week’s podcast, I’ll show you how to pause like a native to sound more fluent and more confident. Podcast Link: 5th Feb 2014 Remember, if you like the podcast, … [Read more…]
The word very is overused, as I mentioned previously. There are so many other intensifiers (adverbs to make adjectives and verbs stronger) and mitigators (adverbs to make adjectives and verbs weaker) that can make your English sound far more interesting. You are not a boring person in your native language, so don’t sound boring in … [Read more…]
Buying train tickets seems difficult but can be very easy. Sometimes using ticket machines is very easy but sometimes you need to speak to railway staff. Here are some easy words and phrases to help you buy train tickets. Some useful vocabulary to know: ‘single’ (British) or ‘one-way’ (American): travel from your start point to … [Read more…]