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Other ways to say “I don’t know”

Other ways to say “I don’t know”

Using different ways to say “I don’t know” will make your conversation far more interesting and natural.But don’t overuse this phrase, try first to figure out or find out the answer to the question, rather than give up and shrug your shoulders:)   Formal ways : I’m sorry, I don’t know I’ll double check that and let you know I’ll find out and let you know I’m probably not the best person to ask for that information That’s a really good question. I’ll check Let me look that up for you That’s not my area of expertise. I’ll ask… Informal ways (when talking to friends, colleagues, people we know): I’m […]

London Slang You Need to Know

London Slang You Need to Know

Do you live in London, or have you ever been there? These 10 common expressions you need to know to understand born and bread Londoners. 1. ”The Full Monty” this expression means the Full English Breakfast (sausages, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, baked beans, potato cakes-hash browns,toasted bread and black pudding) 2. ‘”Mind the Gap” This famous expression is always used on trains and the London Underground (Tube). The “gap” refers to the space, between the trains and the platform.Make sure you take a big step when getting off the train or tube, otherwise you can really hurt yourself! 3. “Spend a penny” or “Loo” It means to go to the bathroom. […]

Silent letters in English

Silent letters in English

Silent letters are letters that you can’t hear when you say the word, but that are there when you write the word. Silent letters can distinguish between homophones, e.g. in/inn; be/bee; lent/leant. This is an aid to readers already familiar with both words. Silent letters may give an insight into the meaning or origin of a word, e.g. vineyard suggests vines more than the phonetic ‘vinyard’ would. Silent letters help to show long vowels e.g. rid/ride Silent letters help to show ‘hard’ consonants e.g. guest/gest They can help to connect different forms of the same word e.g. resign/resignation   Silent B Silent C Silent D Silent G Silent H aplomb […]

Conditionals through songs

Conditionals through songs

GRAMMAR DOES NOT HAVE TO BE BORING! Have you ever wondered how it would be if you were born a boy or a girl? This is a great song to practise especially conditionals, but not only. You can also learn a few useful, interesting expressions and words while listening and later singing this song. Today we focus on grammar, so tell me… Which conditional? The title ‘If I were a boy‘ refers to: a(n)realunrealsituation inpastpresentfuturetime and so is the first part of afirstsecondthirdconditional. which is constructed with: ‘if‘ +present simplepast simplepast perfect in the ‘if’ clause , andwill + 1st formwould + 1st formwould have + 3rd form in the […]

Using Songs in Class

Using Songs in Class

Whether teaching English to children or adults, using songs in the English language classroom enriches our English lessons,making English learning a natural as well as an enjoyable and valuable experience for our students. What makes music such a great teaching tool? It is known to have broad psychological benefits and it relaxes students. It connects all cultures and languages. This makes it one of the best and most motivating resources in the classroom, regardless of the age or background of the learner. Planning for the use of songs in class The process of selecting a song is one of the most difficult aspects of using music in a lesson. Here […]

Hold Your Horses!

Hold Your Horses!

5 Most Common English Idioms and Their Meanings Explained in a Very Funny Way An idiom is a group of words in a fixed order that have a particular meaning that is different from the literal meaning of each word on its own. For example, an English speaker would understand the phrase “to rain cats and dogs” which means “to rain very heavily” and not about actually raining of cats and dogs. It is very difficult for a non-English speaker to understand the real meaning of these idioms if they did not already know them! Today, I want to present 5 of the most common idiomatic expressions on horses. In […]

It’s All in the Jeans

It’s All in the Jeans

Here ‘s an inspiring reading exercise for students at A2-B1 level. Rock bands wear them. Your parents and grandparents wear them. You wear them. Some of them are hard-wearing. They are the most popular item of clothing in the universe. Why? They’re comfortable, they’re stylish – they’re jeans. The story of jeans goes back to 1849, when the American Gold Rush started. Thousands of people went to California to try their luck at digging gold and making their fortune. Among them was a young man called Levi Strauss, who went to California from Germany at the age of 18. He made a lot of money, in spite of the fact […]