Another Monday, another mini-lesson (in 2 posts; this is part 1): My inspiration today comes from Charles Dickens, one of the most popular authors in the English language. Bleak House (1853) is a favourite of mine, a long, two-volume novel that interweaves two narrative voices in an intriguing story. I will quote from its opening pages: […]
This morning, we picked some flowers from our garden to brighten the kitchen. I think one of them is a carnation, the other a dianthus, but I am open to correction! It brought to mind a passage in one of my favourite books, Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South (1854): ‘… the sun-flower, shining fair, Ray
Lesson #113: Searching for the Best Words to Describe the Small Things in Life Read More »
Recently, I listened to a thought-provoking podcast featuring Italian educator Lucrezia Oddone, where she discussed the importance of HANDWRITING texts that you would like to memorise. She says that when you write a text by hand, you are fully present and paying attention to every word you write. Compared to typing alone, handwriting is a
Lesson #112: Can Handwriting Actually Help You with Your English? Read More »
Have you ever heard the advice: ‘You should READ MORE to improve your English’? When I try to get better at something, like French, I always hear the same thing. Additionally, I agree with the advice that reading increases your vocabulary and helps you become aware of the language’s natural turn of phrase. I’ll be
Lesson #111: Finding a Reading Partner (or Buddy) can Improve Your English Read More »
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL Before the global pandemic, I had very different plans for Autumn 2020. As a matter of fact, this evening, I had planned to meet my fellow students and had had a special dinner that celebrated the beginning of a new academic year. (Have you noticed the past perfect tense in those sentences?) Being
Lesson #110: Being Focused and Intentional about Reading to Improve Ourselves Read More »
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL Seeing this rose in my garden reminds me of the process of learning and improving our competence in any language. We learn one language word by word, step by step, layer by layer, just like these rose petals overlay each other. Another point of similarity: as these petals are relatively small, the slow
Lesson #109: Steps for Enriching Your Writing with the Right Vocabulary Read More »
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL Sharing a short poem that I memorised in my childhood: O Rose thou art sick. The invisible worm, That flies in the night In the howling storm: Has found out thy bed Of crimson joy: And his dark secret love Does thy life destroy. – William Blake, ‘The Sick Rose’ (1794) Have you
Lesson #108: Why Reading Classic Poetry is Important: Blake’s ‘The Sick Rose’ Read More »
ADVANCED LEVEL For this post, I will focus on the second half of the long sentence found in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, Chapter 9: 📘 ‘…and towards one of these hills did Marianne and Margaret one memorable morning direct their steps, attracted by the partial sunshine of a showery sky, and unable longer to
ADVANCED LEVEL When you live in the countryside, you have a tendency to pay attention to the weather. Your mood and plans for the day can be affected by it. Today, my morning walk was put on hold (suspended) because of the sporadic (sudden, unpredictable) showers. A passage in Jane Austen’s first published novel, Sense
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL Mini-lesson Monday continued (part 2): This is a demonstration of how I approached the opening line of Edna St Vincent Millay’s ‘The Fawn’ in one of my English language lessons. I took a few simple steps to help with text comprehension, and it only took a few minutes. I’m going to tell you
Lesson #106: Mini-lesson Monday (Part 2): Comprehending ‘The Fawn’ Read More »
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL Mini-lesson Monday! (part 1) I would like to share with you the opening lines of one of my favourite poems: ‘The Fawn’ by American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950). ‘There it was I saw what I shall never forgetAnd never retrieve.Monstrous and beautiful to human eyes, hard tobelieve,He lay, yet there he
Lesson #106: Mini-lesson Monday (Part 1): Reading ‘The Fawn’ Read More »
ADVANCED LEVEL While walking in our garden this morning, these russet leaves reminded me of another Jane Austen classic, Persuasion (1818). Have you read it or seen a movie version of it? Anne Elliot, the main character, is both attentive to others and sensitive to the beauty of nature. In this symbolic passage, she walks
Lesson #105: Reflections on nature (and literature) in Jane Austen’s ‘Persuasion’ Read More »