A Taste of Home

When you're away from home, food can be one of the biggest things you miss.  Eating unfamiliar food is an adventure for a while, but sometimes you just want a taste of home.  There's a good reason we talk about comfort food.

In a British city it's usually possible to find international supermarkets, while some countries like Italy and India are well represented in mainstream supermarkets as well, and many local high streets now have Eastern European shops.  In more rural areas though, international food can be harder to find.

But if you can find the right ingredients (and have access to a kitchen), preparing your own food and cooking for others can make you feel more at home, and help you share your culture.  Why not have an international dinner party with some other students?

Learning vocabulary about food can be surprising - you may find that some foods from your country are called the same thing in English, or that there is no English word for them at all.  Pizza is international!  So are sushi, samosas, moussaka, tagine and tapas.

For cooking in English, as well as finding your ingredients, you need to know what to do with them.  So here is a handy set of kitchen verbs to help you.

So, what foods from home do you miss most when you're away?  Can you get food from your country in the UK?  Do you ever cook for your friends?  Please leave a comment below - I'd love to hear from you!



Photos taken from http://flickr.com/eltpics by @thornburyscott, @grahamstanley, Christina Martidou and @sandymillin, used under a CC Attribution Non-Commercial license, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0

Why record yourself speaking?

You want to get better at speaking English, but how?

Well, you do have a powerful communications device in your pocket.

Oh yes, that device.

You know that recording yourself speaking is a great way to judge where you're currently at with speaking, and measure your progress. So why aren't you doing it already?

Here are the most common reasons why, and some tips to help you start.

All work and no play... Experiencing British culture during your study visit.

So you're in the UK, studying hard for your language exam.  You're constantly thinking about vocabulary, grammar tips and listening practice, and free time is a distant memory.

Students hard at work

Then one day your teacher asks you a practice speaking question:

"Can you tell me about an arts performance that you attended?"

And.... your mind goes blank.  Performing arts?  When was the last time?  Back in school?  Before that?  Never?

So what do you do?

Pronunciation problems? Try these apps!

Do you want to improve your English pronunciation? And you need help? Mobile phone apps for improving English pronunciation are an easier way to do it!

-     Hello, Can you help me?
-     Hello, Yes, of course.

-     I am looking for a buffet /ˈbʌfɪt/.

-     What? Buffet /ˈbʌfɪt/? You want to fight? Or you are looking for a buffet /ˈbʊfeɪ/?

-     I am looking for a place where I can eat.
-     Yes, you are looking for a buffet /ˈbʊfeɪ/ or not for buffet /ˈbʌfɪt/.

Has a similar misunderstanding happened to you? If so, you probably need to practise your English pronunciation some more!

We are going to review some mobile phone apps which could help you to improve your English pronunciation. 

Confused by -ing and -ed adjectives? You won't be.

Two students are sitting in a lesson, trying hard to stay awake.  Student A turns to Student B and whispers "I'm boring."  Student B replies "I'm bored too."

Which one of them is right?  Do you get confused with -ing and -ed adjectives too?

Signs of Spring (a cheerful post for people who are sick of winter)

Several students have asked me recently when spring will arrive.  The official first day of spring this year is the 20th of March, but there are plenty of other ways to measure it: the flowers you see in parks and gardens are just one of them.  Often they can be the first signs of spring to emerge.

The first flowers to appear are the small and delicate snowdrops - and sometimes they really do grow up through the snow.  These usually appear in January or February.

Because it's Valentine's Day...

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you.

Versions of this rhyme are absolutely everywhere today - so have a look at these examples and practise your rhythm and pronunciation!  Typically, every line of the poem has two 'beats' (stressed syllables), while the number of unstressed syllables between will vary.  The second line usually rhymes with the fourth, and there may be additional rhymes, but it's far from compulsory.

Roses are red violents are blue I don't have a valentine how about you? 🌲👀🌲
— D_No_Rose ✅✅♐ (@Kensington_Tae) February 14, 2013

Roses are redViolets are blueDepending on acidityLitmus is too
— sarahbarker (@thebarkstar) February 14, 2013

Roses are red. Violets are blue. Arsenal 5 Tottenham 2.
— Ben Church (@benchurch23) February 14, 2013

#UnRomanticRhymes Violets are blue, and roses smell nicely,I'd take you out, but dinner is pricey.
— Christian Buhler (@buhlerbomb) February 14, 2013

Roses are red / The sun is a star / "Your" is possessive / "You're" means "you are" #UnromanticRhymes
— Katie Hamill (@HaitiCamel) February 14, 2013

Roses are red/violets are blue/you're not ideal/but I guess you'll do #UnRomanticRhymes
— Siobhan Redmond (@siobhanredmond) February 14, 2013

Roses are red,/Carnations are pink,/And last night's dishes/Are still in the sink. #UnRomanticRhymes
— Chris Upton (@Turkeyplucker) February 14, 2013

Roses are red.Violets are blue.English is hard.Poems are too.
— OUP ELT Global (@OUPELTGlobal) February 14, 2013