Accent bias
Here is an interesting article on prejudice and accent when speaking English. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210528-the-pervasive-problem-of-linguistic-racism
Summer 2021 (July)
Conversation classes: maximum 3 participants, 45 minute duration, once a week. Intensive courses: maximum 6 participants, 2 hour duration, twice a week.
phrasal verbs: try out & try on
try out = (1) test to see how useful or effective something is e.g. He tried out his new bicycle as soon as it arrived. try out = (2) compete for a position in a team or a part in a play e.g. She tried out for the school netball team. try on = to […]
Verb & adverb suffixes
Verb suffixes: -en: widen, strengthen, lengthen -ate: communicate, irritate, complicate -ify: intensify, magnify, beautify -is(z)e: realise, economise, recognise Adverb suffixes: -ly: easily, slowly, quickly -ward(s): downwards, forwards, afterwards -wise: clockwise, anti-clockwise
Easter 2021
Amidst the darkness of the pandemic and the looming destruction of climate change, there is still hope. These are the words of the English poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins: And for all this, nature is never spent; There lives the dearest freshness deep down things; Follow this link for a special Easter reading of the poem […]
Adjective suffixes
-ish: Spanish, childish, foolish -ous: spontaneous, curious, envious -al: regional, universal, ancestral -ful: wonderful, helpful, useful -ic: scientific, terrific, athletic -(a, i)ble: impossible, comfortable, flexible -en: wooden, golden, broken -ive: active, passive, productive -(a,e)nt: significant, dependent -less: useless, helpless, hopeless -ly: monthly, friendly, lovely -y: windy, sunny, cloudy
Noun suffixes
I am starting a new series on suffixes. Here are some common suffixes for nouns: -ness: kindness, selfishness, fitness -ee: employee, trainee, payee -hood: neighbourhood, childhood, motherhood -(s ,t, x)ion: expression, information, complexion -ship: friendship, relationship, workmanship -ry: nursery, entry, ministry -al: arrival, burial, survival -(i)ty: ability, popularity, property -or: survivor, professor, conductor -(a, […]
History of English
Here is a brief animated history of English:
Pronunciation tutorials
Follow this link for pronunciation tutorials: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/pronunciation
A shared sense of reality
Follow this link for a podcast interview with Yuval Noah Harari (author of Sapiens) on our shared sense of reality, especially in terms of fake news. You can also download the transcript. https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/28-two-million-years-in-two-hours-a-conversation-with-yuval-noah-harari Source: Centre for Humane Technology
