«Transition/Linking Words and Phrases»


Stage 6 Stage 7 Stage 8 Transition (or linking) words and phrases are useful tools that allow us to better express ourselves in formal conversation, and especially in our writing. There are many examples of transition words and phrases, but here we’ll only be looking at a few of them. To get our brains working, …

«Sport and Games Idioms»


Stage 7 Stage 8 Stage 9 Football is full of idioms that have entered common usage. For example, if the first part of an activity has not been particularly successful, we can reassure ourselves that it’s ‘a game of two halves’ – in the same way that a football team losing heavily at half-time can …

«Food and Cooking Idioms»


Stage 7 Stage 8 Stage 9 If you want to say that you are finding your English studies difficult, you can say that learning English ‘drives you bananas’. To ‘go bananas’ means to go crazy; it’s similar to the expression ‘round the bend’, which some of our students will already have learned. Of course, learning …

«Direct and Indirect Speech»


Stage 6 Stage 7 The most important thing to know about direct and indirect speech is that we use them to report what somebody has said. You can report what you said or what another person said. We usually do this when we haven´t heard what a person has said. For example if somebody is …

«Time Expressions»


Stage 6 Stage 7 Stage 8 Punctuality – being ‘on time’ – is, of course, very important in all areas of life. We should be on time for work, appointments, meetings with friends, and so on. The expression ‘on time’ means to not be late: to reach a place (or do something) at the right …

«The Correct Usage Of Punctuation»


For example, let’s take these two sentences: Let’s eat, Grandma! And Let’s eat Grandma! A simple, little comma can change this sentence from telling your Grandma to put food on the table to becoming a cannibal. The first sentence (with the comma) is simply an imperative telling Grandma that it is time to eat. The …

«Uses of the definite article»


The definite article ‘the’ is the most frequently occuring word in English. For this reason, it’s important to know when we should be using it, and when we shouldn’t. There are many uses of the definite article ‘the’ – and I’m sure you’d get bored reading if we listed them all on the same page …

«Pronouns»


Stage 6 Stage 7 Stage 8 Pronouns are little words that serve a very important function. A pronoun is a word that can stand in place of a noun. For example, in the sentence, ‘When I met Jane, she was working at a café in Covent Garden’, the word ‘she’ stands for the proper noun …

«How To Do Compositions»


When you are doing a composition you should plan it beforehand and then take your time when writing it. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to rush through it and not pay enough attention to what you are writing. Remember that you are learning a new language and it is quite different …