There are some types of food that we traditionally eat at Christmas in the UK. For example, roast turkey, chestnut stuffing, Christmas pudding, and so on. We also have a tradition of pulling a “cracker” after the meal (a paper tube that two people pull, so that one end breaks) to find a small present… Read More
When you’re learning a new language, you will make mistakes. Obviously, you make a lot of mistakes when you first start learning, but even advanced learners still make mistakes. But not all mistakes are important. In fact, some mistakes are helpful. Read on to find out which mistakes you should be concerned about, and which… Read More
English articles can be really difficult in English. Even if your first language has articles, the rules for English are often different. How do you choose when to use a/an, the, or zero (no) article? In the video training below, I share some simple rules for choosing articles, so that you can feel more confident… Read More
How do you know if a verb is followed by the infinitive or by the gerund? For example is it “He admitted to make the mistake” or “He admitted making the mistake”? Do you have to remember each verb separately, or is there an easier way? In this new video, I share a way to… Read More
When you first started learning English, could you predict what would be difficult for you? Did you think it would be tenses, or articles, or even pronunciation? This lesson is inspired by the experiences of an English speaker learning French, who found some areas were unexpectedly difficult. Some of these are also true for learning… Read More
If you work in English, manage teams in English, or do deals, meetings and presentations in English, then you’ll know that your level of English will influence your career. It isn’t just that a good level of English helps you write emails or read industry publications. Great English helps you in other, invisible ways. Here… Read More
We use reflexive pronouns (myself / yourself / himself / herself / itself / ourselves / yourselves / themselves) when the subject and the object of a verb are the same. For example, “She taught herself a few words of French”, or “Do yourself a favour and apply for the job early”. Read on to… Read More
How do you prefer to learn English? Do you like learning from a textbook, or do you prefer to read / listen to native English speakers and then copy them? Some sources of English are very helpful (for example, the BBC or English-learning websites), but it isn’t always the best idea to copy everything that… Read More
The ‘problem’ with English grammar isn’t that it’s very complex or difficult – at least, compared to some other languages. The problem is that there are always lots of little rules – and many, many exceptions. So how do you deal with this problem? You have two choices:– study a grammar textbook, memorise the rules,… Read More
There are lots of ways to talk about the future in English, so which one do you choose? Many times you can use more than one way – and you’ll still be grammatically correct. But there are some changes in meaning and focus. Read on to get a clever hack to know when to use… Read More
