Let’s step back in history a moment. In 1066 the Normans invaded England and brought their French language with them. Since French is a Romance language descended from Latin, this gave Latin an indirect influence on the English language
We are all very modest when it comes to describing ourselves. We naturally like to deflect attention away from ourselves and focus on others. When describing other people, the words just fall off our tongue so easily. We think of a family member and immediately conjure up an image of their personality
Are you the tourist who normally goes on holiday for a short period of time to relax in holiday resorts with full board or half board included?
Or are you the traveller who goes for the experience and a longer stay avoiding tourist traps to discover new horizons?
Neither is used to show agreement with negative statements. It is similar to using either at the end of a sentence, although Neither is more commonly used, especially in spoken English.
We find at Carole Brown Idiomas that It is often difficult for our learners of English to know when to use ‘rather’, ‘rather than’ or ‘would rather’. To help clarify, we have broken it down into three sections exemplifying its use in each.
Using idioms can help you sound more fluent in English. As these fixed expressions are not literal, they can be quite difficult to understand. For example, it’s raining cats and dogs does not mean that dogs and cats are falling out of the sky but rather it is raining very heavily!
Most people would agree that a strong Spanish accent is usually easier to understand than a similarly strong French or Portuguese one. However, the pronunciation can cause considerable strain for the listener and seem somewhat harsh and flat. To get a clearer understanding of why Spanish speakers erroneously pronounce English, it is important to look at where these errors stem from.
According to Wikipedia a stative verb is one that describes a state of being, in contrast to a dynamic verb, which describes an action i.e. play, cook, run, etc. The difference can be categorized by saying that stative verbs describe situations that are static or unchanging throughout their entire duration, whereas dynamic verbs describe processes that entail change over time
Learning English can be very difficult and frustrating at times but using technology can make life a lot easier and take the pain and strain out of learning. Here are a few tried and tested methods that we at Carole Brown Idiomas find helpful:
Speaking recently with our students at Carole Brown Idiomas, we have been asked how to advance learning outside the classroom.
There is no doubt that there are many language tools available but we have chosen three in particular to share with you.
1) Podcasts
2) Series
3) Graded Readers
American English began to deviate from British English as soon as the United States won its independence from Great Britain in 1776.
There is no doubt at all that the power of the social media is taking away the art of conversation. We find it easier and quicker to send a Whatsapp or SMS to confirm a meeting or relay a piece of news.
This is a question our students ask us a lot in Carole Brown Idiomas and we feel that it is a valuable topic to blog about. For those working in companies and studying Business English, we recommend the Cambridge BEC (Business English Certificate) Vantage exam
Going to an interview is one of the most nerve wracking moments we have to face in life. None of us likes being grilled about our skills and work experience. We feel vulnerable and on show and beads of perspiration can break out on our foreheads making us feel uncomfortable. How can we calm our nerves and feel more relaxed? These tried and tested tips can help
We all know how difficult it is to start a conversation with someone we don’t know but it is even more challenging in another language! At the best of times, we can be slightly nervous, but when we let those nerves take over, our brain shuts down and we cannot think of a word to say to the person sitting or standing next to us!
TV Series are a popular way to broaden vocabulary and advance in Listening skills. What better way to learn a language than watching your favourite TV series!
When you are busy in the office and you have to send a number of urgent emails and don’t have time to use Google Translate, here is a useful template that should help you. These are general guidelines and can be adapted to any context.
Linkers and Connectors are the glue that holds our sentences together. Some examples are: consequently, as a result, although, in spite of, furthermore, moreover, as well as etc.
Learning how to speak in the future can be tricky and confusing at times for English language learners.. Our teachers at Carole Brown Idiomas have been trying to simplify this to make it more accessible.. We have found that giving examples in context can help our learners understand its different uses better.
Reported Speech is also known as Indirect Speech. It basically means that you report on what another person has said. Changing Direct Speech to Reported Speech can be complicated at times as verb tenses and subject pronouns have to be changed.