Structuring an essay
Writing a good essay or report is not difficult if you structure it properly. But it’s surprising how many people don’t follow these simple steps.
Inkblots on the mind
Do the Rorschach inkblots reveal anything about our minds or is it just a load of mumbo jumbo? Level: higher • Category: listening, reading, writing, discussion • • • • • • • • • • • • «The experiment is very simple, so simple that at first it provokes interest and head-shaking everywhere.» Hermann […]
Spell-check it!
Do you want to write more professionally? Are you making the kind of mistakes that you could easily correct yourself? Level: medium • Category: writing; grammar • • • • • • • • • • • • When I’m marking a student’s writing task or checking a friend’s important email, I’m often surprised that […]
The Art of Spelling
The sound of English words does not correspond directly with how we write them but you can learn to see the patterns. Level: medium • Category: writing; vocabulary • • • • • • • • • • • • When you’re learning English, the difference between what we say and what we write can […]
Real Business Emails
Emailing in a second language can be demanding: how you approach your contacts can have a huge effect on how they feel about receiving your email and how they respond. Level: higher • Category: writing; vocabulary; reading • • • • • • • • • • • • The vast majority of business correspondence […]
Hear your own words!
Get help with your pronunciation from native speakers! And help them with theirs. Level: basic • Category: pronunciation; writing; listening • • • • • • • • • • • • The idea behind RhinoSpike is very clever. Write a word list, sentence or paragraph in English which you would like to hear pronounced […]
Before Banksy there was…
Dive into the world of Jean-Michel Basquiat through this TED Ed introduction to his life and art. Level: higher • Category: listening, reading, writing, discussion • • • • • • • • • • • • «I like kids’ work more than work by real artists any day.» Jean-Michel Basquiat was the first street […]
70 sentences for Academic Writing
Academic writing relies on a lot of set phrases but if you use the same ones again and again, your writing will sound repetitive. Wouldn’t it be useful to have a bank of phrases that you can rely on? Level: higher • Category: writing, vocabulary • • • • • • • • • • […]
Where are the Neanderthals?
Neanderthals had bigger brains than us! So what happened? Level: higher • Category: listening, reading, writing, discussion • • • • • • • • • • • • Have you ever wondered what happened to other kinds of humans? Yes, we’re just homo sapiens. But what about our good friends, homo neanderthalensis? It’s Okay […]
TED Ed – Can Animals Be Deceptive?
Fireflies, geckos, snakes… animals are liars! Level: basic • medium • higher • Category: listening, reading, writing, discussion • • • • • • • • • all levels • • • • • • • • • Find out about the mysteries of the animal kingdom in this video about how animals have evolved deceptive traits and behaviours. TED Ed […]