The Yorkshire Historical Dictionary has recently been published online by the University of York. The dictionary collects together more than 4,000 Yorkshire terms and is the life-long work of historian Dr George Redmonds, who died aged 82 in August 2018. The Yorkshire dialect dictionary is a fascinating insight into not only the changing vocabulary but also the culture, history and people of the region. Continue reading
Vocabulary is the most important aspect of language when starting out on your learning journey. Having sufficient vocabulary helps you communicate your meaning, even if your grammar skills are lacking or entirely absent. But how much vocabulary is enough when learning a foreign language?
The answer depends on your current language ability level and your proficiency goals. The vocabulary required for shopping and day to day life is a lot less than would be required for discussing serious issues and more intellectually demanding subjects.
The ability to communicate on a basic level is the first aim in any language learner’s journey. So how much vocabulary is necessary when learning a new language, when do you have ‘enough’ vocabulary and when should you start to focus on depth of vocabulary, grammar and other areas? Continue reading
The Duchess of Sussex has given birth to a baby girl! Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born on Friday 4th June in Santa Barbara, California. Lili is little sister to Archie. The Duke and Duchess named their newborn after the Royal Family’s nickname for the Queen, Lili’s great-grandmother. Her middle name is in honour of Diana Princess of Wales, her late grandmother.
Pregnancy and baby vocabulary is always useful to learn for dealing with situations related to families, doctors and women’s health. Join us to explore vocabulary and phrases related to pregnancy and babies as we welcome the new addition to the Duke and Duchess’s family. Continue reading
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. Continue reading
Easter is a special time across the world where people commemorate the crucifixion and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. This spring time festival has many traditions associated with it in the UK, from the sharing of chocolate Easter Eggs to attending church services, taking part in street parades and eating hot cross buns. Find out more about the Easter holiday and explore some of our Easter vocabulary with a gap fill in our Easter EFL lesson idea for beginners. Continue reading
The FA Cup Final will see Manchester City play Watford on Saturday! Who do you think will lift the coveted trophy? With all the excitement over the big match, this week is a great time to teach football vocabulary and use the theme of football to practice the English language.
There are so many football phrases that students can learn to help them enjoy watching the game on English TV. Teachers can use the matches to create fun FA Cup EFL lesson plans for speaking, listening, reading and writing exercises.
There are many collocations distinct to football, so the FA Cup Final is a great opportunity to get students enjoying an exciting footy-themed EFL lesson. Continue reading