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There are many expressions commonly used in English to express similarity. 

There is no magic rule to help you remember them.  You just have to learn them.  Sorry!

Take a look at the examples below.

To have eyes like a hawk.

If someone has eyes like a hawk, they are very observant and don’t miss things going on around them.

E.g.  Don’t remove anything from her office without asking first.  She has eyes like a hawk and will notice straight away if you do.

To be packed in like sardines.

This is used to describe a situation where it is very overcrowded or full.

E.g. I don’t like travelling on the tram at peak times.  It’s always so overcrowded and the people are packed in like sardines.  Sometimes you can hardly breathe!

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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Stay motivated and keep learning (3)

Sometimes, for lots of reasons, it can be difficult to stay motivated when learning a language. 

Have you ever planned to learn some vocabulary or revise some irregular verbs but then just didn’t feel like it? Perhaps you found something more interesting to do.

Don’t be frustrated if this happens – it’s normal!

If you made a New Year’s resolution to improve your English, how are things going?

If the answer to that question is “not very well”, it’s not really surprising.

As we come towards the end of January stuck in another lockdown trying to manage work, childcare, homeschooling and other commitments it’s not surprising that our New Year’s resolutions may have taken a backseat.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.  Even a small amount of progress in these circumstances is something to be proud of.

A little progress is better than no progress at all 🙂

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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Merry Christmas

Thanks for taking the time to read my posts this year.

I think we can all agree it’s been a rather strange year due to the pandemic and resulting lockdowns.

Let’s hope we can get back to normal at some point next year.

I’ll be back in January with more tips to help you speak better English.

Louise

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Any Denglish in your English? (12)

I’ve mentioned before that many German speakers know that Handy does not mean mobile phone in English but are there any other Denglish words and phrases that you are using by mistake? 

Here is an example I have heard a lot in 2020 since the start of the pandemic and lockdown:

I’m doing Home Office.  This is perhaps understandable to speakers of English but it is not what native speakers would say.

(In British English the Home Office is a ministerial department responsible for immigration, security, and law and order.)

If you want to say you are not working in the office just say I’m working from home.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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Like … (15)

There are many expressions commonly used in English to express similarity. 

There is no magic rule to help you remember them.  You just have to learn them.  Sorry!

Take a look at the examples below.

To be like a breath of fresh air.

This phrase is used to describe someone or something that is new, refreshing and pleasantly different.

E.g.  The new boss is like a breath of fresh air.  He is full of good ideas and has a fresh approach to solving the problems within the department.

Like a bull in a china shop.

This is used to describe a person who behaves clumsily, aggressively or without tact in a situation that requires a more delicate or considered approach.

E.g.  You can’t attack this problem like a bull in a china shop.  It’s very complicated and we need to take our time to work out the best solution.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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Stay motivated and keep learning (2)

Sometimes, for lots of reasons, it can be difficult to stay motivated when learning a language. 

Have you ever planned to learn some vocabulary or revise some irregular verbs but then just didn’t feel like it? Perhaps you found something more interesting to do.

Don’t be frustrated if this happens – it’s normal!

Try to stay motivated by setting challenging but realistic goals.

Daily, weekly or monthly goals that are achievable, yet still challenging will help you to stay focused on what you are learning.

Every time you reach a specific goal you will see real progress which will motivate you to keep on learning. 

Keep the goals realistic.  Don’t try to do too much at once.  Many people find learning in bite-sized chunks really helpful.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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Like … (14)

There are many expressions commonly used in English to express similarity. 

There is no magic rule to help you remember them.  You just have to learn them.  Sorry!

Take a look at the examples below.

To eat like a horse.

If someone eats like a horse, they consume a large amount of food on a regular basis.

E.g.  You’ll have to make some more.  That won’t be enough for him.  He eats like a horse.

To fight like a lion.

If someone fights like a lion, they defend their position fiercely with great passion, intensity and bravery.

E.g.  They fought like lions until the end.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

Posted on

Stay motivated and keep learning (1)

Sometimes, for lots of reasons, it can be difficult to stay motivated when learning a language. 

Have you ever planned to learn some vocabulary or revise some irregular verbs but then just didn’t feel like it? Perhaps you found something more interesting to do.

Don’t be frustrated if this happens – it’s normal!

Try to stay motivated by being flexible but disciplined.

Plan which elements of English you want to focus on each day (or week). 

When you learn is up to you.  Some people are more productive in the mornings, other people prefer to learn in the evenings. 

If you start learning at your planned time but find yourself not concentrating very well, it’s probably a good idea to stop and try again at a later time or on a different day. 

Check back at the end of the day (or week) to see where you have made progress.  If there are areas of language you still need to work on, move them to the next day (or the next week depending on your schedule).

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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Learning while in lockdown (7)

The coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdown means we are living through some very strange times.  Many of us have much more free time available during the day due to reduced working hours or simply by having to spend more time at home. 

Have you been able to use some of that time to improve your English?  As we are now in the summer holiday season it’s a good time to reflect on what you have achieved over the last few months.

Hopefully you were able to try out some of my suggestions to keep learning while in lockdown.

Take some time now to see what progress you have made and try to identify where you still need to improve.

Don’t worry if you weren’t able to spend as much time learning English as you had hoped – life happens!  If you were too busy, make a plan for the future and try again.

Stay motivated and keep learning.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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Learning while in lockdown (6)

The coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdown means we are living through some very strange times.  Many of us have much more free time available during the day due to reduced working hours or simply by having to spend more time at home. 

Why not use some of this extra free time to improve your English?  Take a look at some suggestions below.

1)  Listen to the radio.

Radio is a great way to practise listening skills.  The genre you need is “talk radio”.

Search for programmes on topics you find interesting.  Listen for 15 or 20 minutes a day (longer if you have time!) and note down any new words or phrases.

2)  Watch soap operas on television.

Television gives you a great opportunity to hear modern English and a range of accents.  Watching soap operas can be a good way of learning how native speakers really communicate with each other.  Listen out for different accents and for slang words and phrases.

3)  Watch video clips on YouTube.

Short video clips are easier to watch than full-length television shows so YouTube can be a good way to learn English if you are a beginner or if you don’t have a lot of time.

There are lots of different channels to choose from.  A good place to start is the BBC Learning English site: 

https://www.youtube.com/user/bbclearningenglish/playlists

Have fun learning English!

Louise