If you have been following our Lessons since the start of November, you will have noticed that we are taking a look at some common mistakes made by students from different language backgrounds. I always mention that these Lessons are not a criticism of your mistakes! I hope instead to offer some helpful points on […]
Lesson #272: Common Issues for Hebrew Speakers studying English (Part 1) Read More »
📙 ‘All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity, that the dry, shriveled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut.’ ― Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey (1847) One of the books I turn to whenever I want a short, light, and
Whenever you learn a new language, there are always words that you find challenging in themselves but also difficult to translate into your own language (or vice versa). I searched recently for some such words in English, and then realised that one of the very first works of English literature that I ever read as
Lesson #266: Some English Words That Are Difficult To Translate In Other Languages Read More »
It has been a while since we turned to Charles Dickens for educational inspiration! On the other hand, I have just finished reading the last chapters of my favourite Dickens’ book, Little Dorrit (1857), and am paying tribute to it (acknowledging it respectfully) in today’s Lesson on homophones. You might be asking: what are homophones?
Lesson #265: ‘from Eton pears to Parliamentary pairs’: 10 English Homophones Read More »
In this second part of our Lesson on vocabulary relating to textiles, we will continue with four more words that specifically describe richer types of material. They are not the kind of fabric that you would wear every day, but there is a chance that at some point in your life you will wear a
This wonderful novel by Elizabeth Gaskell is set in mid-19th century (c. 1850s) England, where the main character, a strong-minded girl called Margaret Hale, is forced together with her family to leave their lovely home in the sunny south of England and move to a smoky, industrial town further north (‘Milton’ – a fictional name
This Lesson’s feature image: George Herbert at Bemerton, Salisbury (1860), by painter William Dyce (1806-1864). Photo Credit: City of London Corporation (ArtUK.org) 📆 It is one year to the day – October 1st 2020 – since I started posting short Lessons on how to ‘learn English through literature’! A lot has changed since then, with
📜 ‘Home-Thoughts, From the Sea’ (1845) Nobly, nobly Cape Saint Vincent to the North-West died away;Sunset ran, one glorious blood-red, reeking into Cadiz Bay;Bluish ‘mid the burning water, full in face Trafalgar lay;In the dimmest North-East distance, dawned Gibraltar grand and gray;“Here and here did England help me: how can I help England?”—say,Whoso turns as
📜’How to write a Letter’ Maria intended a letter to write,But could not begin (as she thought) to indite;So went to her mother with pencil and slate,Containing ‘Dear Sister’, and also a date. ‘With nothing to say, my dear girl, do not thinkOf wasting your time over paper and ink;But certainly this is an excellent
Lesson #260: Effective advice on ‘How to Write a Letter’, by Elizabeth Turner Read More »
📜 ‘Consolation’ ALL are not taken; there are left behind Living Beloveds, tender looks to bring And make the daylight still a happy thing,And tender voices, to make soft the wind:But if it were not so—if I could find No love in all this world for comforting, Nor any path but hollowly did ringWhere ‘dust to dust’ the love
Lesson #259: ‘All are not taken’: Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem ‘Consolation’ Read More »
As we draw close to the first anniversary of these regular Learn English through Literature Lessons, I thought it would be a nice celebration to read and reflect on inspiring English language poetry this week. 📚 As you will see, some of the poets we are considering are less well-known, so all the more reason
📗 “… The right time is any time that one is still so lucky as to have. You’ve plenty; that’s the great thing; you’re, as I say, damn you, so happily and hatefully young. Don’t at any rate miss things out of stupidity. Of course I don’t take you for a fool, or I shouldn’t