Numbers and Time: Tell the Time in English
Asking and telling the time is one of the most useful things in English. In Sydney, I had to be on time for every shift — and I had to understand when customers asked me…
Tag: Vocabulary
Colours in English: More Than Just Red and Blue
Colours are some of the first words we learn — and some of the most useful. But English has lots more than just 'red' and 'blue'. Let's explore!
Describing Places: The Language of Home and Belonging
I have called four places home: Chittagong, Sydney, Plessis-Trévise near Paris, and Réunion. Each one needed its own vocabulary. Réunion is not just 'nice' — it is lush, volcanic, remote, tropical, and for me, something…
False Friends Between English and French
When I was reaching French C1 level, English kept ambushing me. I told my neighbour I was embarrassed — and used the French word I thought matched. In French, embarrassé can mean 'bothered' or 'cluttered'.…
Work and Career Vocabulary: The Words You Need in an Interview
I have had job interviews on three continents — in English, in French, once in broken Creole in Réunion. The one thing that helped everywhere was knowing the right vocabulary: not just the buzzwords, but…
Words for Feelings: Beyond Happy and Sad
When I arrived in Sydney in 2005, I could say I was 'happy' or 'sad'. That was it. But feelings in English are precise — there is a difference between homesick and lonely, between overwhelmed…
Wine and Drinks Vocabulary: From Bitters to Barolo
I trained as a sommelier at Uccello and Establishment — two of Merivale's restaurants in Sydney CBD. The vocabulary was its own language. Guests would ask for 'something dry, not too oaky' and I had…
Phrasal Verbs at Work: Put Off, Take On, Hand In
When I managed a team of fifteen at the Ivy, I learned more phrasal verbs in two months than in two years of study. "Hand in the stock report." "Don't put off the complaint." "We're…
Body Parts in English — Head, Shoulders, Knees (A1)
🎙 From the classroom: Young learners learn body parts fastest when they move. Touch your head. Touch your shoulders. The old song works because kinesthetic memory is one of the strongest kinds of memory —…
Animals in English — A Safari Around La Réunion (A1)
🎙 From the classroom: Réunion Island has remarkable animals: giant petrel birds, green sea turtles, chameleons in the garden, sharks in the lagoon. My daughter learned 'turtle' before 'table'. Children learn the words that mean…