How to Write a Clear Paragraph — The 3-Part Formula
💬 The essay mistake I made at 30: Writing four connected sentences is not a paragraph. A paragraph has a job. It makes one point, proves it, and tells you why it matters. This 3-part…
Category: English Teaching
How to Tell a Story in English — Keep People Listening
💬 True story: I once described arriving in Sydney — airport, 3 am, no money, no phone signal — to a group of A2 students. They listened for ten minutes straight. No grammar was corrected.…
Small Talk in English — What to Say When You Don’t Know What to Say
💬 My first week in France: I was waiting for a meeting to start. Eight French colleagues. Silence. In Australia, we'd have talked about sport, weather, weekend plans. I had none of those reference points.…
Giving Your Opinion in English — Phrases Beyond ‘I Think’
💬 Cambridge speaking exams test this: Simply saying "I think..." every time makes your language sound flat. Examiners — and real people — want variety. Here are the phrases that move you from B1 to…
How to Agree and Disagree Politely in English
💬 The politeness problem: In a staff meeting in Sydney, someone proposed an idea I thought was terrible. I said: "That's wrong." Silence. Frowns. I was right about the idea. I was wrong about how…
Phrasal Verbs with GET — 8 You’ll Use Every Day
💬 From real life: My first week in Australia, a colleague said: "Just get on with it, mate." I nodded. I had absolutely no idea what "get on with" meant. I spent the afternoon pretending…
Feelings & Emotions in English — How to Say What You Feel
💬 The word that changed everything: In a job interview in Sydney, I was asked "How are you feeling about the role?" I knew the grammar. I didn't know the vocabulary of feelings. I said…
Food & Drink in English — 20 Words Every Beginner Needs
🍽️ Welcome! Food words are the first vocabulary every English learner needs. Whether you are 6 or 60, you need to order lunch, read a menu, and tell someone what you love eating. Let's go!
Relative Clauses — Adding Information Without Starting a New Sentence
💬 Grammar that sounds smart: Instead of writing two short sentences — "This is the student. She won the prize." — you can say: "This is the student who won the prize." One sentence. More…
Articles in English: A, An, The — The 3 Little Words That Change Everything
💬 My first year in Sydney: I was not a native speaker. I read a lot. But articles — a, an, the — still tripped me up daily. A colleague once gently pointed out: "It's…