Word of the Week: to make a long story short

Definition: telling something briefly, coming to the main point

Synonyms: to shorten, abbreviate, summarise

Examples: To cut a long story short, I got the job.

Leave out the details, make this long story short.

Links:

http://www.spindelvisions.com/shop/img/cms/css1535/page_title_blog.png
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/long-story-short

Top 5 Free Apps for Learning English

Do you want to progress in the language of Shakespeare or simply refresh your memory on some English?
Here is a list of the best applications, a good way to improve your English ANYTIME, ANYWHERE and for FREE!

1 - Duolingo

This application is having great success by using the language of computers to teach you English. Thousands of teachers are even using it to enhance their lessons. Accumulate points with your correct answers, practice your mode against the clock and reach the next level. According to Duolingo's founder Von Ahn, getting to the end of the app corresponds roughly to level B2 ("Advanced User") in the European Framework of Reference for Languages. Funny and addictive!
https://en.duolingo.com/

2 - Memrise

Memrise allows you to learn languages and vocab with more 300,000 courses and over 200 languages available. Each course is presented in three stages: discovery of the subject, memory and revisions. Memorisation is performed also through "mems" - mnemonics offered by the Internet. The review phase is based on the skills acquired by the user or not: you review only uncompleted points. You can also customise your own courses with many multimedia flashcards and adapt the app to your personal learning style. In addition to being a complete solution, this application is really fun.
https://www.memrise.com/

3 - Learn to speak English

The official free TalkEnglish.com  app, “Learn to speak English” is a serious too for learning to speak English especially, with 8,000 audio files. This app will help you achieve your goal with many features and functionalities such as click, listen and repeat, or a record and play back tool. Different English categories are available: the basics, business, grammar, pronunciation, etc.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/learn-to-speak-english/id955106394?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=talkenglish.com.standard&hl=en

4 - LearnEnglish Podcasts

Learning by listening is what this app offers. With 40 episodes and over 20 hours of free listening about a large choice of themes, LearnEnglish Podcats offers an original way to learn everyday. Note that on the website, in addition to Podcasts, you will find some others topics including Listening, Learning tools, Games or a section for Kids.  A complete reference offer!
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/apps

5 - FluentU

FluentU is an innovative app offering online immersion using real-world video content that's entertaining and current. All captions are are subtitled and translated.  Handy: to learn an in-context definition along with example sentences, just click on the word! And as the icing on the cake, every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they're learning with the same video. On the program for you are music videos, commercials and TV Shows.
http://www.fluentu.com

Source
http://www.fluentu.com/english/blog/best-apps-learning-english-esl-students
http://busyteacher.org/12155-9-best-mobile-apps-for-esl-students.html
http://appadvice.com/appguides

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?