Happy New Year!

Happy happy new year everyone, wishing all your dreams come true in 2012 xxx

New page! Free self-study

Have a look at our NEW intermediate self-study page! 


We have collated a list of interesting free resources that we often give our students for 'homework'. Our students love these activities so much, we thought we'd share them with all of you. 

We have given each activity a title which tells you the main skill that you will practise. Then you can see the theme, for example Business English, and then a summary which includes some suggestions or instructions.  Click here to try it out. Have fun!

IDIOM: Can’t see the wood for the trees

If you can’t see the wood for the trees it means you can’t see the whole situation clearly because you are looking too closely at small details, or because you are too closely involved.

Examples of use:I’ve spent all morning looking for a birthday present for my dad! There is too much choice!!! I got so confused with it all, I can’t see the wood for the trees anymore.
 
In business:Mark is too concerned with the project details that he can’t see the wood for the trees when it comes to the overall long term goals of the company.

How to: use linking words in email

Although this post is geared towards linking words that you can use in email, these words can also be used in speech, presentations and in other writing forms such as reports.

Linking words are used to explain your argument clearly and carefully. See the list below:

• Adding another point (like saying 'and') > Furthermore / In addition
• Listing points > Firstly / Finally
• Making a contrast (like saying 'but') > However / Nevertheless
• Making a contrast (like saying 'although' > Even though / In spite of the fact that
• Giving the consequence (like saying 'so') > As a result / Therefore
• Giving the most important example > Above all / In particular
• Saying what the real situation is > In fact / In reality
• Introducing the final paragraph > Taking everything into consideration / In conclusion

How to: Negotiate a Project

Negotiating is a strong skill to have. What language do you need to do it in English? Below you can find some suggestions:

• Asking for information > What are your usual charges (fees/rates) for ....?
• Requests > Do you think you could ....?
• Emphasising a main point > My main concern at this point is ...
• Asking for input > How do you think we should deal with this?
• Making a suggestion > Why don't we...
• Negotiating: being firm > I understand what you are saying about ..., but ...
• Negotiating: being flexible > We would be prepared to ... (if...)
• Negotiating: agreeing > Okay. I am happy with that for now.
• Next steps > I'll be in touch soon with more details / Please get in touch soon with more details.

How to: Give advice

Giving advice: The following language is especially useful in email: 

Open the email: 

I was sorry to hear about the difficulties you are having.

or

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time at the moment.

Give advice:

I think it might be a good idea to ...

or

Have you thought of .....(+ ing)?

or

I think you should .....

or

What about ... (+ing)?

Explain why:

I think this would be the best option considering the circumstances.

or

I think it's better than .....

Close email:

I hope I've been of some help.

or

I hope I've helped a bit.

Beat it!

No, I'm not going to talk about the Michael Jackson song. Beat it in the sense of rhythm.... But what has this to do with learning English?

Did you know that English is a stress-timed language?

What this means is that the rhythm that we hear in English speech depends not on the number of words in a sentence, but the number of stressed syllables in those words.

Each word in English with more than one syllable has a stressed syllable. The stressed syllables are held longer and spoken slightly louder. 

We can show this by using the following simple system:

Ja-PAN     MAN-age-ment      SIM-ple        MU-sic      com-PU-ter     HO-li-day

Try it out.

How can this information help me?

Most students do not understand the concept of word stress until it is pointed out to them. In some languages, like French, words often have the same spelling, but the word stress in a different place but in English it is always in the same place. 

When you learn a new word, ALWAYS mark the stress. This means when you review the word, you will also remember how to pronounce it.

How to: Ask for advice

(The following language is especially useful in email)

Open the email: I'd like your advice about a problem I have. (Explain problem)

Ask for advice:
I was wondering if you had any ideas about ...?
or
What would you advise me to do?
or
Do you have any ideas about ....?
or
What do you think I should do?

Close email:
Please write back when you have the time and let me know what you think.
or
Please get back to me when you have the chance

Point out

IDIOM: Point something out

We use this expression when we want to show or talk about something so that others will notice it or become aware of it:

The teacher pointed out that I had made some spelling mistakes in my homework.
My friend pointed out that I am often late!

In business, we use this quite often in presentations:

'I'd like to point out that sales are improving considerably in Asia.'
'I'd like to point out that there are some problems in the report.'
'I hate to point out the obvious, but if we don't change something very soon, we will lose the client.'

Word of the week: Interested (or interesting)?

Do you sometimes confuse interestED with interestING? BorED with BorING? TirED with TirING?

Don't worry! A lot of people have difficulty with this this. First of all I should point out that these words are adjectives. The ED ending confuses some people because they think it is a past tense. And the ING ending looks like the continuous tense - no! Nothing to do with time. They are adjectives I promise.

Very simply:
ING adjectives are used to describe things:
The film was boring. 
The evening was really interesting.
I think the teacher is a bit annoying.

ED adjectives are used to describe our feelings:
I was bored (because I found the film boring).
I am interested in music.
I was annoyed because the train was late.

TEST:
Are these right or wrong?
1. The film was so confused I didn't understand anything.
2. I am very worried about the exam tomorrow.
3. He was embarrassed by the embarrassing situation.

There, their or they're?!!

My students have asked me to add a new category: SPELLING!!! Why didn't I think of that myself?!

So today, we'll look at: there, their and they're. Most native English speakers pronounce these the same way, but each spelling means a very different thing.

THERE = refers to a place.
The girl is over there near the red car.
It must be difficult living there.

THERE = with the verb BE (is, am, are, was, were) to indicate the existence of something, or to mention something for the first time.
There is a lot of people in the bar.
I see there are some new restaurants in town.

THEIR = is a possessive adjective and indicates that a particular noun belongs to them.
My friends have lost their tickets.
Their clothes were all over the floor.

THEY'RE = is a contraction of They are
They're so lazy.
If they don't hurry up, they're going to be late.


TEST:
Are these right or wrong?
1. Their is no one here.
2. I can't believe they're leaving their dog there, alone!

Stand your ground

Stand your ground is an idiomatic phrase meaning:

• to stand up for (defend) your rights; 


• resist attack; 


• to refuse to back down (or move back during a fight)

e.g. If someone is rude to you, stand your ground, but be polite.

e.g. The lawyer tried to confuse me during the testimony, but I managed to stand my ground.


Check out: How to: Respond to a rude email

How to: Make small talk 2

These phrases help you make small talk in social and business situations:


Home town/ country

• Which part of ....(Spain) are you from?
• Where in ....(London) do you live?
• Which part of the city is that?
• Have you always lived in ...(Rome)?
• What's ....(Glasgow) like?

Work

• What do you do?
• Who do you work for?
• Where are you based?
• How long have you been with ...(company name)?

Interests

• What do you do in your spare time?
• How do you spend your weekends?
• Are you interested in ....?
• Do you often travel?
• Where do you go?
• Have you ever been to ....(Brazil)?
• Where did you spend your last holiday?

How to: make small talk

What is SMALL TALK?


These phrases can help you make small talk when welcoming visitors to your company.

The visitor's journey:

• Did you have a good flight / trip?
• How was your journey/trip?
• How long was the flight?
• Did you have any problems finding us?

Accommodation:

• Where are you staying?
• What's your hotel like?
• I hope everything is OK at the hotel?

Word of the week: SmallTalk

Smalltalk or small talk is an idiomatic expression. It is an informal discussion and serves two primary functions. 


The first is to fill in the gaps during awkward (uncomfortable) silences during conversations. 


The second function is to show and generate interest in having a conversation and start engaging the other person in order to start a deeper level of conversation.

How to: Respond to a rude email

It happens to us all - we receive a rude email and we get angry! Easy enough to deal with in your own language, but what about in English? When at work, it is important to keep things cool because you represent your company, and using the wrong words can hurt future business and also your reputation. So instead of responding to a rude email in anger, what can you do?


1.  Do Not Answer Immediately

Take time away from the message if there's not an urgent response deadline. Sleep on it and think about how to react in a way that will show that you are professional. If you need to write something right away, you could write: "Thanks for your message; I'll get back to you shortly" - that way you have acknowledged the email, but not said anything that you will regret later.

2. Start The Email Politely

Polite does not mean the same as friendly or happy!  A simple, "Thank you for your message" can set the right tone. Let the person know that you appreciate the feedback.

3. Offer a Solution

Say that you understand the issue, but then restate your objective. For example: 

"I'm sorry to hear that you don't agree with our new strategy, but our goal is to help the overall organization. I would be happy to discuss things further in order to resolve the problem" 

Again, you may be so angry that you want to shout at this person, but remember that you are at work and the best thing to do is to be professional. 

4. Stand Your Ground

If someone has been rude to you, you do not have to take it! You can be direct and set down boundaries in your message without sounding rude.  Saying something as simple as, "I appreciate your feedback, but think it may be more effective if presented in a more constructive manner," does the trick. It's important to let the person know that while you accept constructive feedback, you are on the job and things need to stay professional. There's nothing wrong with reminding him or her of that. Kindly, of course!

*This article has been re-written to target people who use English as a foreign language. For the original version see: How to Respond to Rude Email at Work | eHow.com 

Word of the week: Rude

adjective - rude 

The most common use of rude:

Meaning: Rude can be used to describe a person who is impolite, ill-mannered and discourteous, especially in an intentional way

Example: 

Sally didn't say hello to me this morning - she completely ignored me! How rude! 

The shop assistant ignored me when I walked into the shop and when I went to pay she carried on a conversation she was having with her colleague and barely acknowledged me. She was extremely rude.

Click for other meanings of rude:

or 

check out this clip: Mr Rude vs Mr Stubborn! 

(Don't be offended by the accents .... for some reason Mr Rude has a French accent!)

Such fun!

Check out this clip from the very funny Miranda! Miranda is trying very hard to think of an excuse to give her mother in order not to go to a Pride and Prejudice themed party! How much can you understand?

How to: talk about your job

Use these phrases to talk about your job:

My job involves + NOUN or GERUND
My involves (a lot of) travel.
My job involves talking to people from all over the world.

I'm involved IN + NOUN
I'm involved in different projects.

It consists of + NOUN
It consists of administration and office management.

I deal with + NOUN
I deal with people from all over Europe.
I deal with the admin work.

I'm responsible for + NOUN
I'm responsible for a team of 8 people.

Word of the week: MISS

Miss means

*to fail to see:

"Perhaps I'm missing the point"
*to fail to catch
"I missed the train so I had to get a later one".
*to fail to attend
"I missed the English lesson"
*to feel or suffer from the lack of something
"I miss my friends from home".

We often use it with transport, appointments and opportunities.

Be careful!
We don't say:

He misses concentration >>> we say: He lacks concentration 

I miss the skills needed for the job >>> we say: I lack the skills needed for the job

Lack is used to say that someone or something hasn't got something.

Be careful! 

We don't say:

He lost the train >>> we say: He missed the train

Lose means not to have any more and we use it with money or objects

I lost my wallet.

The company lost lots of money in the merger.

How to be friendly in an email

Here are some tricks you can use to sound informal and friendly in email:


Use a suitable greeting and sign-off

• Dear James
• Hello Sarah
• Hi there John
• All the best
• Many thanks
• Kind regards
• Best wishes

You can omit (leave out) I, I'm and It's

• Can't make the party next week (Instead of: I can't ...)
• Not sure if you got my last email.
• Will call you this afternoon.
• Great news about the new contract!
• Had a terrible day at work yesterday.

You can omit the verb clause and in most cases that:

• Great presentation!
• Update tomorrow.
• Just to let you know (...) I'm thinking about the offer.
• Sorry to hear (...) you can't make the dinner party.

English radio in Italy? (or Chile.. or Thailand ... or Russia!)

Following on from the LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN article, we'd like to suggest something specific you can listen to ... English radio! 


Whether you live in Italy, Russia or Argentina, and as long as you have fast internet access, you can listen to digital live radio - free of charge.


We personally love BBC radio 6 music - it's perfect if you like alternative,  iconic and groundbreaking music of the past 40 years and it is a great chance to listen to live interviews, the news and current music and book reviews. 


For the more serious among you, check out the BBC World Service for international news, analysis and information which also includes sport with audio, video and forums. 


Enjoy!

A or AN before H?!

Use an only if the h is silent: an hour, an heir, an honourable man, an honest woman; 

Use a when you pronounce the h: a hero, a hotel, a historian 

(Writing tip: don’t change a direct quote if the speaker says, for example, “an historic”)

Getting the best out of Email:

addressees 

• check you are only sending emails to those who need to know 
• think twice before using the ’Reply to All‘ option 
• use the ’To‘ field for people you want to act on your email 
• use the ’cc‘ field for those included for information only 

content 

• include the name of the recipient 
• explain the purpose in the first few lines and, if necessary, who you are 
• distinguish between fact and opinion 
• summarise/explain the contents of attachments 
• if replying, include the original email to provide context 
• use hyperlinks to intranet content – see Microsoft Outlook Help facility 

style 

• be aware of the tone of the message 
• use plain English 
• avoid unnecessary length 
• check spelling before sending 
• avoid unfamiliar abbreviations and emoticons 
• use a signature 
• explaining who you are and giving contact details – see Microsoft Office Outlook Help facility on how to create and insert these automatically into emails. 

Fall behind schedule

BEHIND SCHEDULE or FALL BEHIND SCHEDULE is a useful term when talking about delays or lateness, especially in a work context:


The project is behind schedule by three weeks.
Our supplier hasn't delivered the data on time and we are in danger of falling behind schedule.


Meaning: having failed to do something by the scheduled time. Happening or done later than the time that was planned.


The opposite is: ahead of schedule


We finished the project ahead of schedule (We finished earlier than we expected/planned).

Word of the week: LET

LET means allow or permit:

• Please let me in (Allow me to come in)
• They didn't let us board the plane because we were five minutes late. (They didn't permit us to get on the plane.)

LET is also used to make suggestions:

• Let's go! (Andiamo!)
• Let's begin the meeting.

LET is used in many expressions and also forms many phrasal verbs. Below are some common uses:

Let me know (Fammi sapere)
Don't let me down (don't disappoint me)
Don't let on that you know about the party - it's a surprise (rivelare)