Writing a Christmas card in English is one of the top December activities for EFL learners. At this time of year, many people are thinking of writing to loved ones and friends to wish them a merry Christmas or a happy holiday season. But what should you write in the card?
Read on for a discussion of traditional Christmas messages and images, along with advice on how to write a Christmas card in English using appropriate greetings, messages and closing words. (more…)
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place on Saturday 19th May at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The fifth in line to the British throne became engaged to the American former actress in November last year and the union of Harry and Meghan has brought Britain and America together – although they remain two nations divided by a common language! Join us for an exploration of wedding vocabulary and words related to engagements as we await the royal wedding. (more…)
Thanksgiving is a public holiday celebrated on the last Thursday of November in the United States of America. This special day originated as a harvest festival to celebrate the crops produced in the Pilgrims’ first harvest. Throughout the USA, people normally attend parades and sporting events and enjoying a special meal with friends and family. Although Thanksgiving is not a holiday in the UK, many people still celebrate the harvest festival at this time of year. Join us to explore Thanksgiving and learn more about its cultural significance and related vocabulary. (more…)
An English academic has claimed that many English adverbs are falling out of common usage. The classic understatement of English speakers means our language has always been peppered with phrases such as ‘rather difficult’, ‘quite likely’, ‘awfully expensive’ and ‘terribly sad’.
These trademark English expressions are under threat as we are doing away with gradable adverbs. Not only this, many traditional English words are being eroded by an influx of Americanisms. So does this mean the end for gradable adverbs and classic British understatement? Quite possibly… (more…)
Many people might question why anyone would ever approach online custom writing company for help. But there are many reasons, including English language challenges and confusion over academic requirements. Universities can also have formatting and stylistic demands that many international students are not familiar with, which is why students might consider searching for model essays to give them guidance. (more…)
Hurricane Ophelia arrived in the British Isles on October 16th, leaving many homes in Ireland and Wales without power and schools temporarily closed. There were violently strong winds across parts of Scotland, Wales and England as the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia hit British shores from the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean.
With so much discussion in the news about the hurricane, English language learners might have been intrigued or confused about the ‘ph’ pronunciation in the word Ophelia. Read on to find out the correct pronunciation of Hurricane Ophelia, how storms and hurricanes get their names and how the ‘ph’ sound and letter combination works in English. (more…)
Have you ever wanted to talk to locals in the ancient language of Gangte? Now you can! Tribalingual is running a series of online language courses for students wishing to learn rare languages and help preserve ancient cultures. The last native speakers of a number of ancient and rare languages have been recruited to help deliver content for the courses, which will be taught via video link. Languages available to study include Ainu, a Japanese dialect, Greko, a ancient form of Greek, and Buryat, a Mongolian dialect. Would you like to study one of the world’s rarest languages? (more…)
If you’ve been working from home more often after Covid, you might have missed some aspects of office life (or maybe not). One element that most people won’t have missed is the office jargon of business meetings. In fact, a new study has revealed that office jargon is one of the most hated aspects of going to work!
Business talk or office jargon includes those irritating phrases that regularly crop up at work. Many people secretly dislike corporate jargon but it continues to be used in many offices. From ‘thinking outside the box’ to ‘touching base’ and ‘leveraging synergies’ – it’s hard to avoid in most offices. So let’s employ some blue-sky thinking going forward, as we unpack the most common office jargon! (more…)
The UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 is currently playing in the Netherlands, giving us the perfect excuse to move on from tennis after the excitement of Wimbledon and into some fresh football vocabulary! The Euros group stage began on 16th July and the final will take place on 16th August. Join us for a soccer-themed language and culture lesson as we dive into the latest footy action with the Women’s Euros 2017! (more…)
Wimbledon is one of the world’s biggest tennis tournaments and the most prestigious of the Majors. These few weeks of Grand Slam tennis offer a great chance to prepare a sporty EFL lesson with a traditional British flavour. Grab your racket and let’s explore the traditions of Wimbledon and learn some useful tennis vocabulary! (more…)