Happiness begins with…
The Jonas Brothers are back with their first new album in nearly ten years, out this week! Why not take a look at what they’re singing about? Level: medium • Category: listening; reading; pronunciation • • • • • • • • • • • • The Jonas Brothers have spent weeks at the top […]
Is your speaker spying on you?
BBC 6-minute English investigates smart speakers. They listen and respond to our every command but do they know too much about us? Level: medium • Category: listening; vocabulary • • • • • • • • • • • • In just six minutes, you can pick up some really useful vocabulary and get used […]
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 […]
Hey Joe!
Who’s the greatest guitarist of all time? It’s Jimi Hendrix, isn’t it? Listen to his music, follow the lyrics and learn about the man. Level: medium • Category: listening; reading; pronunciation • • • • • • • • • • • • If English isn’t your first language, you probably know lots of music […]
What’s it worth?
I bought a poster for $10 but the original painting is worth $25 million! We use the word «worth» to measure the value of something. Level: basic • Category: vocabulary; listening; grammar • • • • • • • • • • • • Vicki Hollett has a series of videos which help to explain […]
Seeing double!
Does English really have two ways of saying everything? In short, yes. But don’t blame us, blame the French! Level: higher • Category: vocabulary; listening • • • • • • • • • • • • Picking up new words and idioms isn’t always straightforward. I’m not sure I follow you! Acquiring new vocabulary […]
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Before Harry Potter and the big-screen adaptations of Lord of The Rings, there was another fantasy world, a world in a wardrobe. Level: medium • Category: reading; listening; vocabulary • • • • • • • • • • • • If you have children who are also learning English, why not read a book […]
A night at the ballet
Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker has become part of US tradition and is the introduction to the world of ballet for many Americans. Level: medium • Category: reading • • • • • • • • • • • • The Nutcracker is perhaps best known for the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, which you can […]
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 […]
IELTS course with free crocodiles
What’s the difference between the pronouns, «which», «that» and «who», and what do they have to do with crocodiles? Level: higher • Category: exams, listening, grammar • • • • • • • • • • • • IELTS is a great choice for an exam that prepares you for life at a university in […]