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Understand and learn to speak about COVID-19 in English. You’ll learn: nouns such as symptoms, outbreak, pandemic, transmission, and social distancing; verbs and expressions such as to ban gatherings, to protect the vulnerable, to restrict travel, and to flatten the curve; adjectives such as contagious, symptomatic, mandatory, and unprecedented. This lesson is for anyone who wants to follow the news and discuss this important topic more confidently in English. Test your understanding by taking THIS QUIZ

   

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NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES    NEWSPAPERS (Vocabulary and exercises)    TV

EXERCISE 1 EXERCISE 2

  Click here to download the audio mp3 The English word “mind” refers to the center of your thoughts, memory, and imagination. In this lesson, you’ll learn 20 common English phrases using the word “mind.” To talk about making a decision, you can use the phrase “make up my mind” – for example, “I can’t make up my mind about which movie to see tonight.” A variation on this phrase is “my mind is made up” – this means you have already made your choice and implies that you are not open to changing your decision. If you do change a decision that you made previously, use the phrase “change my mind.” For example, “I’d been planning to travel this weekend, but I changed my mind because it’s been a really stressful week – so I’m going to stay home and relax.” READ MORE...

TO GET  can be used in a number of patterns and has a number of meanings. TO GET + DIRECT OBJECT = TO OBTAIN, TO RECEIVE, TO BUY I  got my passport  last week. (to obtain) She  got her driving license  last week. (to obtain) They  got permission  to live in Switzerland. (to obtain) I  got a letter  from my friend in Nigeria. (to receive) He  gets $1,000  a year from his father. (to receive) She  got a new coat  from Zappaloni in Rome. (to buy) We  got a new television  for the sitting room. (to buy) TO GET + PLACE EXPRESSION = REACH, ARRIVE AT A PLACE How are you  getting home  tonight? We  got to London  around 6 p.m. What time will we  get there ? When did you  get back  from New York? TO GET + ADJECTIVE = BECOME, SHOW A CHANGE OF STATE I am  getting old . It's  getting hotter . By the time they reached the house they were  getting...

FAMILY VOCABULARY AND QUIZ. CLICK HERE MORE ABOUT FAMILIES...

The traditional distinction between the verbs  enquire  and  inquire  is that  enquire  is to be used for general senses of ‘ask’, while  inquire  is reserved for uses meaning ‘make a formal investigation’. In practice, however,  enquire , and the associated noun  enquiry ,   are more common in British English while  inquire  (and the noun  inquiry ) are more common in American English, but otherwise there is little discernible distinction in the way the words are used. Some style guides require that only  inquire  or only  enquire  be used. Could I  enquire  about your mother's health? She  inquired  about the library's rare books collection. Every  enquiry  is very welcome. Adam helped the police with their  inquiries . Both words derive from the Old French  enquerre , fro...

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Do you know the meaning of these idioms? Try to guess what they mean and watch the video to check if you were right. -Not my cup of tea -A piece of cake -Go pear-shaped -For/In donkey's years -Across the pond/Down under -Cheap as chips -Pardon my French -Do a runner -Itchy feet -Can't do something to save your life

Every morning, Sam is so  enthusiastic  to begin his day that he jumps out of bed and begins to sing. His mother became  worried  when she didn't hear from him for two days. David is quite  shy  so he doesn't like talking to people he doesn't know. A year after being fired from his job, Alan is still very  bitter . He has a lot of resentment towards his former boss. Even though I am accustomed to traveling for business, I still get  homesick  if I am away from my home for more than a week. Katie feels  threatened  every time her boyfriend talks to another girl. She thinks that every girl wants to steal him. In the U.S., Thanksgiving is a holiday in which people give thanks for the blessings they have. Before the Thanksgiving meal, family members will say what they are  thankful  for. I am absolutely  furious !! I cannot believe that my dog chewed my favorite shoes. Now they're ruined! READ MORE...

It is certainly the case that in usage these two adverbs are often confused and can sometimes be used with the same meaning. specially - for a particular purpose However, when  specially  is used to mean for a particular purpose, this form of the adverb is the norm: This shower gel is  specially  designed for people with sensitive skins. This computer programme is  specially  for children with learning difficulties. My father made this model aeroplane  specially  for me. especially - particularly / above all We tend to use  especially  for emphasis, meaning  particularly or  above all : These butterflies are particularly noticeable in April and May,  especially  in these meadows. You'll enjoy playing tennis at our local club,  especially  on weekdays when it's not so busy. Before adjectives,  especially ,  meaning  particularly,   is more usual: The road between Cair...

I was reading The Guardian and this headline struck me as odd: Queen's birthday honours: Angelina Jolie made dame in thousand-strong list US actor receives honorary title for anti-rape campaign as gender-balanced awards span 19- to 99-year-olds   READ MORE... I didn't know that actor can be used to refer to a woman. In this podcast from the BBC, you'll learn about the history of these terms and why actor is preferred over actress. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN.    You can also read the SCRIPT

Why do we have a lesson on a writer who died hundreds of years ago? Don't worry. There's method to my madness! The poet and playwright William Shakespeare has had a big influence on the English language. Many of he words and expressions that he invented are still in use today, and we often don't realize it. In this lesson, you will learn about some of the most common expressions which first appeared in print hundreds of years ago and are still used today. So come on. Break the ice, and watch the lesson!