student blogs
weekly blogs for students
Going to live
in a new country
Making the decision to move to a new country to study and
live is a very big step to take. It takes a lot of planning and hard work to
make everything go smoothly. There are so many things that you have to plan and
find out before you go and lots of arrangements to make.
If you are moving to a new country to study, one of the
first things you will have to do is to make a decision about which city you
want to go to. This might depend on the university offering the course that you
are interested in. Another factor to take into account when choosing a city, is
to find out information about the cost of living there. Some cities are much
more expensive, in terms of accommodation and things like entertainment and restaurants.
You will also have to do some research about how easy or difficult it would be
to travel to visit other places. Is it a central place with good transport
links? You will also want to know if there are things of interest for you in
that place.
How can you find out all this information before you go?
It’s a good idea to read as much as you can about the new country and new city.
You can find out a lot of information by searching the Internet and by reading
about it. You can use tools such as Google Maps.
When you’re planning to go and live in a new country, it’s a
really good idea to find out a lot about the culture. It will probably be very
different from your country, and it will be less overwhelming if you are
prepared for some of the differences.
How can you do this? Well, one way that is very effective is
to follow social media that is connected to that country. You can follow groups
and people that you find interesting. I find that this is helpful for getting
used to the things that people are talking about in that country at the moment.
In addition to social media, it’s a good idea to watch TV and news from the
country. You can get a good idea of the
way people live and the kinds of things that they do. If you watch shows like
soap operas, you can get an accurate idea of family life and how people like to
spend their free time and what work is like. It’s really important to try and
understand the people when they are speaking, and watching TV will help to get
you used to listening to people speaking in conversation and in real
situations.
You may find that the accent of the people you meet in
everyday life is quite difficult to understand, when you arrive in a new city.
Have you ever experienced this? It can seem as if they are speaking very quickly
and that you can’t understand anything. This is quite common because every area
has its own accent, and it might not be the same as the accent you have been
accustomed to when you have been practicing. It does not take very long until
you start to get more familiar with it.
One of the best ways to feel at home in a new place is to
meet new people as quickly as possible. If you are studying at a language
school or a college or university, it will be quite easy to meet new people.
Try to take the opportunity to meet and speak to people from different
countries and not just your own country. This will give you an excellent chance
to practice and improve your English. It’s a great idea to meet local friends
too. They will be able to show you the best places to go and the most
interesting things to see. They will also be very useful if there is any aspect
of life that is confusing for you, and they will be very pleased to let you
know about all aspects of culture and traditions in the country.
It’s very important to try and fit into the new country and
to take advantage of all that it has to offer you. One of the main reasons for
making the decision to leave your country and to live or study somewhere new is
to experience a new way of life and meet new people to enrich yourself. If you
have a positive and open attitude toward a new country, you will be sure to
benefit from this amazing experience!
weekly blog:
Festivals and
celebrations
What are the most important cultural celebrations and
holidays in your country? How are they celebrated.
Here in the UK many people love celebrating because it is a
good opportunity to spend time with friends, family and neighbours and to have
some fun.
Throughout the year, many celebrations of all kinds take
place annually. Some of these celebrations are religious, but most of them are
not religious and are enjoyed and celebrated by everyone. What about in your
country? Are the festivals and holidays mainly secular or religious?
Our year starts on 1st January. The night before
New Year’s Day is called New Year’s Eve, or Hogmanay in Scotland. People gather
together to have parties and to watch the clock counting down to midnight. At
midnight we hear Big Ben ringing in the New Year, and then it is traditional to
sing Auld Lang Syne. At New Year, it is very popular to make New Year’s
resolutions. Do you ever do that?
In Scotland, we have a very important and fun night on 25th
January. It is Burns Night. This is a celebration in honour of the Scottish
poet, Robert Burns. It is traditional for people to attend Burns Suppers, where
they eat haggis and read some of Burns’ famous poems. have you every tried eating
haggis? It is one of the most famous Scottish dishes and also comes in a
vegetarian variety.
In the UK, as in many other countries around the world, we
celebrate Easter in March or April each year. This is a religious occasion,
which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many people go to church,
although nowadays this is not so common. Other traditions associated with
Easter are painting Easter eggs and having Easter egg hunts, where eggs are
hidden for children to find in a fun activity. People usually like to celebrate
the Easter weekend with their families. How is Easter celebrated in your
country? Is it a religious occasion, or is it more of a spring festival?
In the autumn, we celebrate Halloween on 31st
October. In the UK we celebrate in the same way as in the USA. People dress up
in costumes and go to parties. Children go trick or treating.
The week after Halloween, we have another big celebration.
Bonfire night is celebrated on 5th November. It commemorates an
event in 1605, when there was an attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in
London. People have bonfire parties and attend firework displays in the
evening. Have you ever seen these? It’s lovely to watch these displays from
your window, even if you don’t go outside.
The last big festival that we have in the year is Christmas.
This is on 25th December. In the UK, it is celebrated by giving
gifts and Christmas cards to all your family and friends. Many people have a
long holiday at this time of year. Many workplaces close for nearly two weeks,
and the children have a long break from school. On Christmas Day, it is
traditional for families to gather together and have a big feast. Some families
only see each other at Christmas if they live very far apart, so it is a very
special time. The traditional dish is turkey, and many people enjoy a rich
fruit dessert called Christmas pudding and eat a rich fruit Christmas cake.
The day after Christmas Day is called Boxing Day in the UK.
Recently, it has become very popular to go shopping at the Boxing Day sales.
Some shops even open up just after midnight or very early in the morning, and
it is always very crowded!
There are many other celebrations that take place throughout
the year too. People celebrate their birthday, Valentines Day and special days
for the Patron Saint of the country. In Scotland we celebrate St Andrew’s Day
on November 30th. St Andrew’s Day is the National Day of Scotland.
What about in your country? Do you have celebrations that
are similar to these, or are they very different?
weekly blog:
New Year’s
Resolutions 2022
In many cultures, it is traditional to make resolutions at
the beginning of a new year, in January. Many people believe that the custom of
making resolutions goes back for centuries and was started in Chinese
antiquity.
Some researchers believe that the reason we are more likely
to make resolutions at the beginning of a new year is that people tend to think
of their lives as a series of different chapters. The new year is the beginning
of one of these chapters, and it symbolizes a new start and a chance to begin
again.
Maybe you are sceptical and feel that it is not possible to
keep your new year’s resolutions. However, some research has suggested that 35%
of people succeeded in keeping all their resolutions and achieved all the goals
they had set for themselves and that a further 50% of people managed to achieve
some of the goals.
Do you ever make new year’s resolutions and find it
impossible to keep them? Many kinds of goals are avoidance goals. These are
goals of things that we wish to stop doing. For example, to stop eating junk
food, to reduce the amount of caffeine we consume, or to cut down on our use of
social media. Because these are negative goals, we are more likely to fail. The
other kind of goals are approach goals. These are positive changes that we wish
to make. If we want to stick to our goals, we should use approach goals, as
they are positive. For example, instead of saying that you want to avoid junk
food, you could say that you want to increase your intake of fresh fruit and
vegetables.
It seems to be all about having a positive attitude towards
change.
If you find that you have failed to keep your resolutions,
you can always start again at the beginning of a new month, as this is another
way of creating a fresh start for yourself. In this way, you can avoid failure.
If you are an English language learner, there are many great
resolutions that you can make at the beginning of a new year. It is the perfect
time for you to reassess your goals and assess how far you have reached in
accomplishing them. Maybe your language learning goals have changed over the
past year, or maybe you have achieved them and it is time to set some more.
If you are looking for some ideas to get you started, here
are some good resolutions that you could make.
Do something in English for ten minutes every day.
Reflect on your progress and write a learning journal.
Learn the phonemic script, so that you can easily check the
pronunciation of any new words in a dictionary.
Read extensively in English to increase your vocabulary,
grammar, and many other skills.
It is important to remember that it is ok to make only slow
progress. It takes a long time and a lot of effort to learn English. If you
find it hard to keep motivated, it is a good idea to find someone else who
wants the same goal and to motivate each other. Even just telling someone else
about your goal is very motivating, and you are more likely to keep going if
you know that they will be asking you about it!
Reading for
pleasure
Have you ever wondered what the best way to become a better reader
is? Well, the answer is, that you learn to read, and to improve your reading,
by doing more reading.
If you read in your native language, this is true, and, if you
read in English, this is also true. It is important to read a lot. Do you like to read in English? How much do
you read?
It is important to read as much as you can in English for a number
of reasons. It is definitely not enough to read during the time you might spend
having English lessons with a teacher in a class. If you become a better
reader, you will be able to improve many other skills at the same time, such as
vocabulary, spelling, writing, grammar, pronunciation, and many more.
Sometimes it can be difficult to read a lot. There can be a number
of reasons for this. For example, there are often distractions, when we try to
read. There can be distractions from technology, from other people, and from
other background noise as well. Sometimes we are not motivated to read, and we
feel it is hard to keep going. Sometimes we find the thing we are reading to be
boring, and we don’t want to continue.
If any of these problems sound familiar to you, then I have some
good ideas to help you become a better reader. These ideas all work well, as I
have used them in my book club.
What kind of things do you like to read? There are many different
genres to choose from, so there is something to interest everyone. Here are some genres:
·
Science fiction Mystery
·
Horror Romance
·
Adventure Thriller
·
History Family
saga
·
Crime Cookery
·
(auto)biography Love
Story
·
Novel Short
story
·
Travel Drama
The next thing is to realise that the
level of the book you choose must not be too difficult. It is a common mistake
to think that you will improve quickly if there are many unknown words. In
fact, this will slow you down. Books that are too difficult are frustrating and
make you give up. Here is a rule to help you choose the correct level of book.
Use the five finger rule: For every
word you don’t know, hold up a finger
- Zero
or one finger = it is too easy
- Two
fingers= a good choice that is a challenge and you can learn some new vocabulary.
- Three
fingers = also a good choice
- Four
fingers= good if you like a challenge but might be difficult.
- Five
fingers= a bit too advanced, so try an easier one first.
It is also important that you read a
wide variety of material in addition to books. Magazines and newspapers are a
good choice. Remember though, that you need to enjoy what you are reading. It
is ok to stop if you feel that the topic is boring. You are reading for
enjoyment, so you must be interested in it or you will not make much progress.
To get the most benefit from extensive
reading, you should aim to read as much as you can and as quickly as you can.
You should be reading at least one whole book every week, and more than that if
you are at a higher level.
Why don’t you try finding a suitable
book at the correct level for you and a quiet place where you will not be
distracted. If you are wondering where you will be able to find a selection of
books to choose from, you can look at this website. This is the one that I use
with my book club. There are books at different levels, and there is a wide
choice of genres to choose. All the books are free to read, and you will find
many famous authors and well-known books included. English e-Reader (english-e-reader.net)
The Live
Language online book club
Do you like reading for pleasure, either in your language or
in English? What kind of books do you like to read?
If you like reading, did you know that this is one of the
very best things you can do to improve your overall level of English? Reading
for pleasure (extensive reading) has many benefits for you when you are
learning a language. In addition to increasing your reading speed and skills,
did you know that reading helps you to increase your vocabulary, develop better
writing skills, and to increase your grammatical accuracy? It’s also really
good for increasing your general knowledge!
Reading can be done anywhere and at any time. You may prefer
hard copy ‘real’ books, or maybe you like e-books and the convenience of
reading online. You can do it when you’re travelling to school or work or when
you’re at home. I find that once you start reading, it’s difficult to stop! Do
you feel like that too?
We usually think of reading as something that you do on your
own, but did you know that it can be very motivating and a lot of fun to join
with other people and to share what you are reading with them?
Some students find that they are easily distracted, by
things like social media, or other people, when they are reading. Other people
find that it is very difficult to select a book that is suitable for their
level of English and their interests. Some students don’t know where to look
for a good book, and others lose motivation very quickly and become bored.
If these problems sound familiar to you, you should try
coming along to the Live Language online book club. The book club meets every
Thursday for one hour, and we read and share our ideas about what we are
reading. It’s really motivating and a lot of fun because we choose a book that
we would all like to read and then read one chapter every week. There are also
lots of useful tasks that we complete at home every week. At the meetings, we
share what we have read and do interactive activities, such as mind maps, online
games and book reviews.
We use a really good e-reader website, and this has books at
all levels for us to choose. There is also a choice of genres. This is a really
great way to build up your knowledge of literature in English and to learn
about the most famous authors. We have discussed genres such as: biography and
autobiography, science fiction, detective stories, historical fiction, romance
and horror. We have just finished reading a detective novel by Agatha Christie.
As well as being great for developing your reading skills,
the book club is a lively social event. Our members come from all over the
world, and there are lots of opportunities for everyone to get to know each
other and to interact in a relaxed atmosphere that is very different from a
traditional class.
If you think that the online book club is something that
might interest you, why don’t you try it out? You can find out more information
here English
Courses and Clubs
Good luck with reading in English. Remember to read a little
every day!
Some tips for learning English easily today!
It’s sometimes hard to keep motivated to study, isn’t it? When
we’re learning a new language – or learning anything at all – it’s common to
have times when we feel that we are not making any progress.
Have you ever experienced this when you’ve been learning
English? When I’ve been learning new languages, it has happened to me, and it’s
very frustrating!
At times like these, it’s a good idea to try a new approach
and look for interesting new ways to learn. I have some new ideas for you that
you might like to try this week.
A really easy way to increase your level of English is to
think of some things that you love doing. Can you think of anything? Apart from
studying and learning languages, I really like dancing and using social media.
What about you? Then you should try to do these activities and hobbies in
English. For example, if you like social media and video games, why don’t you change
your settings to English and join English-speaking groups?
If you like things like art or music or yoga, why don’t you
join an English-speaking group and interact with other group members at the
same time as developing your interest? Even if you’re not in an
English-speaking country right now, you can search for international groups to
join.
The Media is all around us every day, so why not take this
opportunity to improve your English at the same time? Online magazines and
newspapers are often available in a choice of languages. Do you enjoy listening
to podcasts? I do! I think this is one of the very best and most enjoyable ways
to learn new information, and I listen to them all the time. There are podcasts
available on every topic you can imagine, so why not find one on a topic you
enjoy and listen to it in English?
Remember to study English every day. It is far better to
study for a short time regularly than to study for hours every day. Schedule a
time in your day and really focus on English for that time every day. Remember
to have fun and find ways of studying English that you enjoy. If you’re having
fun, you will be more motivated and much more successful!
Pancake Day
Do you like pancakes? They're delicious, aren't they?
Did you know that there’s a celebration held in the UK
every year called Pancake Day? It’s another name for Shrove Tuesday, which
takes place forty days before Easter. In some other countries, this day is
called Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. It was traditionally the day when everyone
had to eat up all the good things before beginning a period of fasting before
Easter. This year it’s 1st March.
In some towns in the UK, there are fun events on Pancake
Day, such as pancake races. This is when people run with a frying pan in their
hands. They toss a pancake up into the air and try and flip it over and catch
it in the frying pan without dropping it onto the ground.
Pancake Day is very popular in the UK. Maybe you have seen
adverts and displays in the supermarkets, where they sell all the ingredients
that you need to make them at home. It is estimated that over 117 million
pancakes are eaten on Pancake Day! People put all kinds of toppings on their
pancakes. The most common one is quite plain though. It is lemon juice and
sugar.
Do you ever make pancakes? Why don’t you have a look at
this easy recipe and try it out? Do you have a similar recipe in your country?
Ingredients:
(makes about 12 pancakes)
100g plain flour
2 eggs
300ml milk
15ml oil
method: Mix the flour, milk,
and oil in a bowl.
Add the eggs and mix until the mixture is smooth.
Heat some oil in a frying pan.
Pour a large spoonful of the mixture into the pan, and move
the pan around so that the mixture covers the bottom of it.
Cook the pancake for one minute, and then turn it over and
cook for another minute.
Now, what do you think about these ideas? Good luck making the pancakes!
Have a great weekend!
Friendly
newsletter: preparing for exams 24/03/22
Hi!
How have you been learning English this week?
Are you studying for an exam right now? Some of my students are going to sit the OET
and IELTS exams soon and they have been working very hard. Are you thinking of
trying any English language exams soon? Do you have any good tips to share
about how to study for an exam?
One piece of advice that I often give my students is to
search online for English language websites. Do you have any favourite websites
that you go to? One of the best websites is Learn English Online | British
Council It gives you lots of practice for vocabulary, grammar, and all four
skills. If you want to practice IELTS, they also have many resources for that
too! There are numerous special IELTS websites too, that you can find by
searching the Internet. If you are a healthcare professional, you can find lots
of practical information and practice materials at the official OET website OET - English language test for
healthcare professionals (occupationalenglishtest.org)
If you are getting ready for an exam, you will have to
increase your range of topic-specific vocabulary. One of the best ways to do
this is by watching, reading, and listening to the news. This will not only
increase your range of vocabulary but will also enable you to increase your
reading speed, listening skills, and awareness of spelling and grammatical
structures. You can also look online for blogs and articles about topics that
are relevant for the exam you are going to sit. Breaking News English Lessons and Voice of America are two
fantastic websites that you should check out for news-related activities.
Now, what do you think about these ideas? Good luck if you are
studying for an exam!
Have a great weekend!
Morag
English Teacher
Hi!
How have you been learning English this week?
Have you been reading any good books in English recently? It’s really
the very best way to increase your vocabulary, and it helps with your reading
speed, grammar, and writing skills too! That is not just my own personal
opinion. There is a lot of research that agrees that extensive reading is the
best way to increase your general language level.
What kind of books do you like to read? What is your favourite
genre? Did you know that there are around fifty different genres? Mystery,
thriller, horror, science fiction, fantasy, biography, historical fiction,
romance, short stories, and graphic novels are amongst the most popular.
If you have a favourite genre in your language, why don’t you try
reading some books in that genre in English? It is very motivating if you are
interested in the subject and you already have some background knowledge to
help. Many students enjoy reading one of their favourite books in the English
version. If you know the story, it helps you to read more quickly and
understand more!
If you think that some books that are intended for native speakers
are too difficult, why don’t you start by reading some graded readers? These
are books that have been simplified for language learners, and you can find one
at your own level of English.
In my online book club, we
read graded readers from English
e-Reader (english-e-reader.net) If
you get the chance to join a book club, it is a fantastic way of reading and
discussing books with other students. You can practice your reading and also
improve your skills of discussion and critical thinking too! On that website,
you can select a book for your level of English and read the book online. It
includes many famous books that have been simplified especially for English
language learners at different levels from Elementary to Advanced.
Now, what do you think about these ideas?
Have a great weekend!
Morag
Comments
Post a Comment