B2 English

Lesson #123: Discovering a Writing Style or Voice That Reflects Personality (Part 2)

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In the previous post, we began looking at a passage by Jane Austen (continued below) to consider how she created distinctive voices for different characters: 📙 ‘Marianne was astonished to find how much the imagination of her mother and herself had outstripped the truth. “And you really are not engaged to him!” said she. “Yet […]

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Lesson #123: Discovering a Writing Style or Voice That Reflects Personality (Part 1)

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One of the most rewarding stages in language learning is when you begin to have your own STYLE or VOICE in the language you have been studying.  As a proofreader of various texts, I must exercise caution when correcting a text so that I do not end up changing the writer’s style, but rather know

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Lesson #122: Different Usages of the Subjunctive in George Eliot’s ‘Middlemarch’

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Perhaps the English grammar tense that learners (and even native speakers) struggle most with is the SUBJUNCTIVE. ✍ It has various forms that can be used in different situations, as long as those expressions refer to either a demand, a wish, a suggestion or a hypothetical situation (a situation that could happen but hasn’t yet happened). ✍

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Lesson #119: Teatime Literary Reflections (and the Power of Good Storytelling) (Part 2)

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As promised, here are some observations on the passage from Elizabeth Gaskell’s Cranford, as referenced in the previous post: đŸ–‹ïž Gaskell’s approach here is more conversational than the style of other classic novels. This is because the story is told by one of the characters in the book.  đŸ–‹ïž Gaskell uses the word ‘very’ several times

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Lesson #119: Teatime Literary Reflections (and the Power of Good Storytelling) (Part 1)

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Teatime! A light dinner eaten in the late afternoon or evening that is still popular in Britain and Ireland.  I’m at home alone this evening, so I decided to serve my tea and scone on my Grandmother’s china, an heirloom passed down through the years. However, teatime is traditionally a time for the family (and

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Lesson #117: More Vocabulary to Help with Reading Hardy’s ‘Under the Greenwood Tree’ (and Other Books!) (Part 2)

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As mentioned in the previous post, where I quoted from Thomas Hardy’s Under the Greenwood Tree (1872), here is a short list of vocabulary to help with understanding the same passage. 🍃A quick question: how did you find the text? Was it challenging in terms of vocabulary? Did you understand most of it? ✹Did you enjoy his

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Lesson #117: Starting to Read English Classics? (Part 1)

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In my previous post, I offered a few pointers to help English students get started with classic literature. Can I recommend some good classics to start with? Of course! When I conducted a bookshelf search, I immediately came across Under the Greenwood Tree (1872), one of Thomas Hardy’s early works and a good choice for most

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Lesson #116: ‘Passion for Dead Leaves’: Tips on How to Read (and Enjoy) Old Classics as an English Language Student

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After admiring these acer tree leaves today, I was reminded of a memorable conversation among the Dashwood sisters in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (1811): “Dear, dear Norland,” said Elinor, “probably looks much as it always does at this time of the year. The woods and walks [are] thickly covered with dead leaves.” “Oh,” cried Marianne, “with

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Lesson #115: Some Tips for Memorising Even More Vocabulary

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When we are learning a language, we often memorise new vocabulary by using flashcards or repeatedly writing out lists of words. These methods can be helpful, but not everyone remembers what they have so diligently studied afterwards! đŸ€” A French teacher once shared a very helpful tip with me, and I want to share it

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Lesson #111: Finding a Reading Partner (or Buddy) can Improve Your English

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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

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Lesson #109: Steps for Enriching Your Writing with the Right Vocabulary

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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

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