They say that nobody’s perfect and that is true, especially when it comes to using English (even English teachers make mistakes!). However, there is an aspect of English grammar that is perfect, the Perfect Aspect. Though it may be perfect, it most definitely is not easy to understand.
You can improve the quality of your English by making use of certain phrases and words. Here is a list of words and phrases that we think will help you in everyday English – and which can be very helpful if you have to write an academic piece of English. This list is also a valuable tool if you are preparing for an English exam like IELTS for example. Read more
Choosing where to study English is a complicated decision to make. You may be filled with many doubts, like what is the country and culture like? Is the city friendly? How much does it cost to live there? What will your experience be like? What can you do? These are just some of the questions you may be asking yourself when trying to decide where to go.
We were lucky enough to have a very special student spend a few months with us earlier this year. Vanessa is a Brazilian journalist who decided to study English in Cape Town, and she made a video talking about her experiences while living in Cape Town.
Here we would like to share what she had to say with you. Read more
The Guinness Book of World Records has superlatives at its heart. It’s all about people who have competed globally to achieve the highest or lowest degree of a specific talent or skill. Superlatives are necessary to accurately describe the weird, wonderful and amazing skills that Guinness World Record holders have demonstrated. Read more
Many people think that learning English will be as easy as it was in their school days. They’ll quickly pick up the new words and reach a decent level of fluency in a month or two. Unfortunately, this is seldom the case!
Learning a new language as an adult is rather challenging. Learning grammar is tough, and remembering the correct pronunciation is even worse!
Here are some of the tips and hacks that we like to share with our students. I hope that they will help you as well!
The Correspondence TEFL Course is designed to give aspiring English teachers the possibility of getting a solid teaching qualification and to gain marketability when searching for work, especially abroad, but are not able to attend full time courses. Read more
For those of you preparing for the IELTS test – you no longer need to worry about the Listening section! We are happy to share our professional tips and advice to help you get the best possible result from the Listening section of the test. Read more
So you want to improve your English vocabulary. Where do you even begin? A quick look around the internet will find you the usual ideas like: read, keep a dictionary, make lists etc. And these are good ideas, but is it enough? First we’ll review the common ideas and then we’ll take a look at some of the excellent advice from our teachers to see if they have any new ideas. Read more
English One showcases one of its popular Professional English Courses: Business English. Learn more about this course and how it can help you in your career as a business professional.
The Business English course focuses on the communicative skills needed in the workplace as well as the language and skills required to be successful in meetings, giving presentations, conducting negotiations and networking. Your confidence and vocabulary will be developed through our interactive classes with intelligent insights and positive feedback. Read more
People ask us all the time, “how long does it take to learn English?” And there is no simple answer – there are certain factors that can speed up or slow down how quickly English sticks in your brain!
We’re going to take a look at which factors affect how long it takes to learn English, including: the moments when language learning can either be gained or lost, whether or not English takes longer to learn than other languages, and the questions to ask yourself to help define what “language learned” means to you!
Whether you’re asking so you can figure out how long to study English, or just out of sheer curiosity, let’s take a look at some of these factors to help you understand just how long it will take you to learn the English language. Read more
Want to learn English? Congratulations! Committing to learning English is a big step to make, since most people remain comfortable with the language they grew up speaking. Now that you’re ready to take the next step – actually learning the language – you’re probably wondering, what’s the best way to learn English?
Well, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll share with you the 3 of the best ways to learn English (or any language for that matter), where you can go to start learning, and the pros and cons for each option. Before we dig in, let’s first understand how we learn, and not just languages. Read more
English One showcases one of its popular Professional English Courses: Medical English. Learn more about this course and how it can help you in your career as a medical professional.
The Medical English course has been designed to assist you in various areas of the medical profession. There is a strong focus on developing your ability to communicate with patients, medical colleagues and paramedical staff. This course will improve your fluency in reading medical journals and textbooks and help you prepare to study or work in an English speaking country. If you are a medical student in the clinical phase of your studies this course will be of great benefit to you. Read more
Learning a new language like English is a big deal.
You’re learning a completely new form of communication, and it enables you to communicate with people you never could have before.
But there are benefits to learning a language that you might not have expected when you started the journey. not just learning how to speak English but surprising benefits like increased confidence, being more outgoing, and increased mental clarity.
In this article, we’ll share the 11 surprising benefits you’ll experience when you learn a language like English. Read more
We’re so excited to share with you our newly improved online English lesson option for those of you who are not able to come to our school.
Get the most out of your lessons with our individualised approach to teaching. All of your lessons are tailored to your unique needs and objectives. Your teacher will go at the best pace for you and will only move on to new areas when you are ready. Read more
Teaching English is not as easy as it sounds. You are very often teaching people who don’t understand you and vice versa. That said, it is a richly rewarding profession. You ultimately play a role in your student’s future. So, it is your responsibility to invest in a course that offers you high quality instruction, helps you assess your teaching qualities, enriches your skills and helps you gain experience.
Here are the 3 most important things to consider when looking for a TEFL course: Read more
English can be a daunting language to learn. It’s full of contradictions and odd rules and pronunciations, its idiosyncrasies are what makes it interesting, but it can be a challenge if you’re new to it – and even if you’re not! This is why we want to offer you some useful tips on how to speed up the process of learning this complex language, so that you’ll be fluent before you know it. Read more
Getting English pronunciation right is always a challenge for people learning the language. We have seen how certain first languages can influence a student’s attempts at improving their pronunciation. If you speak Arabic you are going to find certain sounds in English difficult to reproduce. But with some guidance and a bit of practice you will soon start sounding much better! Read more
For some people, learning English is easy. They pick up the language quickly and with ease while others struggle along. You may be tempted to think that certain people have a specific language gene or a secret skill that helps them to learn English so easily. But is this true? How much of learning English is based on talent and how much is really about motivation? Read on to find out. Read more
Learning English is like anything else in life that you want to achieve – it’s a long and often difficult journey. It’s been found that most people struggle to reach fluency not because of their age, their ability or how much money they have. But it’s because they give up too soon.
If you are learning English you will encounter certain inevitable obstacles during your journey to fluency. We believe that the best way to deal with these challenges is to be prepared for them and face them with the best strategies to overcome them.
So, here are 6 major obstacles you will face and how to overcome them. Read more
I have been helping students learn English for many years, and I have come across the same problems again and again. Here are some comments I took note of during the tutorials I recently did with some of my students. Read them and see if you can relate:
“I don’t read in English because I don’t have enough vocabulary.”
“I don’t watch English films because I don’t understand.”
“I don’t write because I don’t need to write in English.” Read more
Learning English in the Maritime industry is not simply a skill that is sought after; or applauded, but is indispensable for a functioning global enterprise with multilingual crews requiring cross-cultural communications in order to carry out successful and safe operations. “Improved language skills enhance communication and leadership skills and also promote the understanding of multicultural variations amongst seafarers; all of which are imperative when at sea.” Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden) Read more
Quite often the first question I am asked is: “Where can I teach and earn a decent salary without a degree?” It is a very difficult question to answer because, what exactly is a decent salary? It varies from person to person. That said, if you want to earn mega bucks you need to teach in the Middle East and for that you do need a degree.
But if you currently don’t hold a university degree, what are your options? Let’s take a look at some ideas of what you can do with a good quality TEFL Certificate and no degree: Read more
If you’re learning to speak English then you’re getting ready to speak the language of approximately 400 million people. And if you speak Spanish, for example, then you can add another 500 million to that. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to speak to 12.5% of the global population? Read more
If you struggle with your English pronunciation don’t worry! There are times when pronunciation can be a problem for native speakers too! Just watch Justin Trudeau mispronounce “heir” while being sworn in as the Prime Minister of Canada. Yes, the Prime Minister of Canada making a mistake with English pronunciation!
When we are born we rely on our mothers for survival right? And when we start to learn English the verb “be” is super important. That’s why I like to call it the mother verb, because without it we can’t learn English.
It is very important that you understand the verb “be” and its functions, and that you are able to use it across all skills with accuracy and fluency. This is because the verb “be” is the foundation of English, and as we know, a house built on sand will eventually collapse because it needs a strong foundation in order for it to survive. Read more