Category Archives: Upper Intermediate (Level 5)

English Inversion #2: Question Tags

Posted on January 26, 2019 by

How do you say something or make a statement in your language? What is the word order: which word do you say first, second, third, etc? Here are two examples of common English word order:   ♦Melania Trump was born in … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Cambridge, Grammar, Intermediate (Level 4), Upper Intermediate (Level 5) | Leave a comment

The life and soul of the party (How we behave at social events)

Posted on January 17, 2019 by

Originally posted on About Words – Cambridge Dictionaries Online blog:
Tara Moore/DigitalVision/GettyImages by Kate Woodford How do your friends behave at social events? Is one of them the life and soul of the party, chatting, laughing and dancing with everyone? Or…

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Intermediate (Level 4), Reading, Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Vocabulary | Tagged , | Leave a comment

English Idioms in Pictures #8

Posted on January 13, 2019 by

Click on the picture below to find out the meaning of the idiom HAVING A WHALE OF A TIME. Once on the site, you can click on Follow at the bottom of the page to receive more pictures and explanations … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Intermediate (Level 4), Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Vocabulary | Tagged , | 1 Comment

147 Words to Use instead of “Very”

Posted on November 24, 2018 by

How often do you use the word “Very” to add emphasis to an ordinary word? How about trying out some dynamic new words? (Don’t you think that “dynamic” is preferable to “better”?) Once again, GrammarCheck.net  have created an easy-to-use, helpful Infographic … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Cambridge, IELTS, Intermediate (Level 4), Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Vocabulary, Writing | Tagged | 2 Comments

Reflexive Pronouns ∼ Easier than You Think!

Posted on November 10, 2018 by

Do you think that Reflexive Pronouns are confusing? If so, read on. The good news is that they are limited in number and limited in use. We only use Reflexive Pronouns to reflect back on someone or something, just like a … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Grammar, Intermediate (Level 4), Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Upper Intermediate (Level 5) | Tagged , | 1 Comment

English Pronunciation: 20 VOWEL-SOUNDS IN 20 Minutes

Posted on October 28, 2018 by

Back by popular demand is a lesson I did four years ago. Follow my instructions, practise regularly, and your pronunciation will improve. The practice is necessary as you are training your mouth to make new, different movements. It is physical practice … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Beginner (Level 1), Elementary (Level 2), Intermediate (Level 4), Listening, Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Pronunciation Videos, Speaking & Pronunciation, Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Videos | Tagged | Leave a comment

Descriptive Language & Persuasive devices – Advanced & Proficiency Level Students

Posted on October 14, 2018 by

In a post published April 26, 2015, I recommended A guide to understanding persuasive language, provided by the University of New South Wales, Australia. This guide provided excellent advice on developing writing and speaking skills. Unfortunately, this link is no longer available, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Cambridge, IELTS, Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

A song with Collocations and Idioms

Posted on September 29, 2018 by

The English language is full of collocations and idioms. By collocations, I mean words that naturally go together like ‘high hopes‘, ‘heavy rain‘, and ‘make friends‘. We don’t say ‘tall hopes’, ‘huge rain‘ or ‘produce friends‘.  Idioms are expressions whose … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Intermediate (Level 4), Listening, Songs, Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Vocabulary, Writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Look up an English word; learn it forever.

Posted on August 19, 2018 by

I have found a wonderful website that will help you remember vocabulary!  (I wish there were similar websites in French and Italian for me. Alas!)  I could write a lot of detail here but it would be quicker for you … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Cambridge, IELTS, Intermediate (Level 4), Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Vocabulary, Writing | Tagged | 1 Comment

How to speak so that people want to listen

Posted on August 9, 2018 by

Would you like to be able to speak so that people want to listen to what you have to say? Would you like to feel more confident when you have something important to say? If you have a spare ten … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Speaking & Pronunciation, Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Videos | Tagged , | 1 Comment