My English Language

Rota Me In for a Lesson in Past Participles

Past participles in the English language are normally simple enough for native speakers, but what about those awkward words? As eagle-eyed readers might already have guessed from the title of this blog post, I am thinking particularly of the word ‘rota’ here.

This word cropped up in the office recently as I was writing an e-mail and I suddenly discovered – I am not sure how to write this as a past participle. What is the past participle of rota? Should it be rota’d, rota’ed, rotad or something else? (more…)

Does Being Bilingual Make You More Intelligent?

There are many advantages to being bilingual. The ability to speak two languages makes travel easier and can open the bilingual person up to a whole new world of news, entertainment, social and cultural references that would be closed off to a monolingual person.

Studies have shown that bilingual children can learn more quickly in other areas and have better concentration spans. And there are even health benefits. But can being bilingual actually make you more intelligent? (more…)

Teach EFL Using Nursery Rhymes

Nursery rhymes are ideal tools for the English language classroom. Teaching English as a foreign language to young children calls for a different approach. Regular textbooks might not cut it when it comes to stimulating little minds. EFL teachers need to use short, lively, fun exercises to make the words memorable and grammar points particularly easy to grasp.

Young children always respond well to music and song so what better learning method than to incorporate catchy rhymes and songs into an EFL lesson? Nursery rhymes can often be learned with accompanying actions to make them even enjoyable for children to sing along to – which will of course help to make them memorable!

Old King Cole and his fiddlers three might be just what your EFL class needs! (more…)

EFL Students to Face New Tests at Immigration

EFL students will face new tests when they try to enter the UK to study – but these tests won’t be set by universities or educational bodies. Immigration officers at the UK border will be given the right to admit or refuse entry to foreign students trying to enter the UK to study.

This new measure has been taken as an attempt to curb the number of bogus applicants entering the country. Our concern is that many legitimate students could be prevented from entering the UK to study on the decisions of immigration staff.

Will all immigration staff have sufficient knowledge of the English language in en EFL context to be able to properly judge the language capabilities of a foreign student? (more…)

Is it Time to Take the Plunge? Teaching English Abroad

Teaching English abroad could be one of the most exciting things you ever do. Imagine every day being different, full of challenges and new experiences, helping children or adults to speak English and improve their fluency.

You can explore a new country, its traditions, its history, its food and music, visit interesting places and fully immerse yourself in a new culture. Read on to explore why teaching English abroad could be your chance to live the dream as well as take a step towards an exciting new career. (more…)

Should only the Target Language be used in EFL Lessons?

One of the more heavily debated issues in TEFL is whether it can ever be a good idea to use the students’ mother tongue to help explain finer points in EFL lessons. There is no doubt it can be helpful for elucidating a subtle point, but some EFL teachers think that only the target language should ever be used in the classroom. Does using the mother tongue stop us from ever developing fluency in the target language?
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Confusing English Words for EFL Students

We’re going to advise you with some good advice!

Learning a language brings EFL students into contact with lots of interesting and confusing word combinations. Many confusing English words look similar but have totally different meanings and sometimes even opposite meanings. Even English people sometimes have trouble using the right word.

This all causes great potential for a language nightmare – but don’t worry!

In the instance of confusing words, the more you use English, the easier it will become to select the right word for the right occasion. So to spur you on, we’ve put together a short guide to help EFL learners out with some of these tricky words. (more…)

EFL Students Ready to Rock! Use Music to Boost Listening Skills

Learning English as a foreign language is often about completing grammar exercises, learning vocabulary, writing letters, answering comprehension questions and other such ‘serious’ tasks. But what about the fun stuff? There are so many ways to incorporate English learning into your daily life without even opening a textbook and using music for EFL listening practice is one of them.

Lyrics in songs can helps you learn new words and expressions, while the melody can help those words stick in your memory. We have a few suggestions for musical EFL lessons and we’ve even found you an original new songwriting talent! So keep your ears open and read on… (more…)

How to Keep Motivated When Studying English

How to keep motivated when studying English is one of the most important questions faced by all EFL students. Without motivation it is almost impossible to work towards any goal. There is nothing more frustrating than realising a month from now that you still haven’t made any progress! Imagine being in a shop and trying to communicate with the cashier, or needing to understand an official letter – and you still can’t. It’s making me angry just thinking about it. It’s time for action! (more…)

Top Ten Reasons to Become an EFL Teacher – Part 2

With so many reasons why being an EFL teacher is one of the best jobs in the world, we were concerned that after reading our last blog update hundreds of people would quit their jobs in order to start a TEFL course immediately! Well, we just wanted to to reassure you that lots of courses can be done at weekends and even online!

Even so, that will not stop many language lovers wanting to run off straight away into the glorious world of EFL teaching. We thought we’d add a few more sticks to the fire by continuing with our top 10 reasons to become an EFL teacher. So here are 5 more tasty reasons to embark on a TEFL adventure: (more…)