Are We Losing the Gradable Adverbs of British Understatement? Quite Possibly…

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… Continue reading

How to Choose the Best Model Essays?

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. Continue reading

What’s in a Hurricane Name? Ph and F Sounds in English

HurricaneHurricane 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. Continue reading

Learn Ancient and Rare Languages in New Online Courses

Native American in ink

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? Continue reading

Is Office Jargon Annoying? It’s a No Brainer!

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! Continue reading

UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 Kicks Off!

Women Euro 2017 - Denmark vs AustriaThe 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! Continue reading

Wimbledon EFL Lesson – Game, Set and Match!

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! Continue reading

Non-English Eurovision Songs: Portugal’s Hit is First Non-English Winner for a Decade

Salvador Sobral - Portugal Eurovision EFL Lesson

Salvador Sabral’s victory for Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest this year is the first time that a non-English Eurovision song has won the coveted crown since 2007. Salvador performed Amar Pelos Dois (Love For Both) at the Grand Final in Kiev to an enraptured crowd. One of the most interesting elements of the singer’s performance was that the bossa nova was entirely in Portuguese, written and composed by his sister. Continue reading

Can the Gamification of Language Learning Boost Student Motivation?

Gamification of language learning - board game piecesThe gamification of language learning is an important topic in the EFL teaching world. There is an increasing number of apps and learning technology that use games as a way of motivating and engaging with students.

Gamification of learning in general has brought education and games together to create a fun hybrid – but is this a successful strategy for long term educational development?

Read on to explore the concept of gamification in education, its potential benefits, the concerns of critics and how the gamification of language learning could help to boost student motivation and engagement. Continue reading

The New Beginner ESL App from GITCS

Beginner ESL App from GITCSAmerican software company GITCS has developed a brand new learning app focused on helping students of English as a second language. The Beginner ESL app provides engaging content using a range of innovative features to help students with their reading comprehension. With beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of ESL lessons, this app can be used by all students to improve their learning experience. Continue reading