proficiency
What is it, un-, in-, dis- or im- for abashed? Eeeeks! There are some rules for word formation concerning adjectives such as ir- if the word begins with r like in responsible = irresponsible and im- for words that begin with a p or b like possible=impossible, or prudent=imprudent, but this sometimes needs some practice…… Continue reading Negative prefixes for adjectives
Hi there! I’m back with some innovations. This is the first one I’m going to try out, that is, creating a quiz with the plugin Quiz Cat. Some of you will somehow be a bit surprised that I should place the category of these two words under B2 and C2, when it’s almost obvious that…… Continue reading Confusing words: rob and steal
Some years ago I devoted part of the blog to this area of language learning, but now that the plug-in is no longer available, I needed to refocus on a new tool. So why not Youtube? I’m going to gradually upgrade all the stuff I wrote on phonetics and here is the very first video.…… Continue reading What is phonetics and why should we learn it?
Mmmmm only five days to Christmas Day and we’ll be eating up some Christmas pudding! I know, all my Spanish friends think it’s absolutely revolting (they don’t say so, but I can read it on their faces :-). Oooops! That would be a translation from Spanish. In English it’s more common to say ‘They’ve got…… Continue reading English idiom The Proof is in the Pudding
Here’s yet another Christmasy idiom for Advanced and Proficient levels. https://youtu.be/F1HJCRz17Mo Serena’s blog Here’s yet another Christmasy idiom for Advanced and Proficient levels.Tweet
Ooooh! All this cold rainy weather has brought this idiom to mind. This video will explain what the idiom means along with two examples of use. I really hope you like the video because I’m thrilled with my animations. I suppose I could almost say ‘No tengo abuela’ Ha, ha, ha!!! https://youtu.be/OdPkRynwOS8 Here’s a super…… Continue reading English Idioms: Left Out in the Cold
Hi! I’m back with another fun video (well, it’s meant to be fun anyway ). This one’s for the idiom A Skeleton in the cupboard/closet. This idiom actually has an almost humorous use, but I couldn’t find the right type of music, so I hope it doesn’t make you jump out of your skin. (that’s…… Continue reading English Idioms A Skeleton in the Cupboard
This idiom is also used in Spanish, but I thought it would be interesting to see how this expression came to be used in the non-literal sense it has today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoYEu3A0c7Q&t=94s
Good morning! Here’s a video with an idiom that I think could be perfect for Halloween. What’s the meaning of modern meaning for witch’s brew? This phrase has changed from refering to a concoction straight from a witch’s cauldron to a different meaning. If you want to know what the modern day meaning is and…… Continue reading English Idioms: A Witch’s Brew
Hi there! I’ve just finished a video that includes quite a few idioms and expressions that have blue in them. I’m gradually getting better at animating and putting all the bits together, but still need to do some work on editing audio files (sorry about this, but I know that I’ll finally get it right…… Continue reading Idioms English Idioms and Expressions that Include Blue
