Reading to improve English

Lesson #229: Reading for Appreciation: ‘A Psalm of Life’ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

As you may remember, every second Saturday we take the time to look at a poem from English or American literature. This week I am sharing with you a poem by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (whose poem, ‘Paul Revere’s Ride’, we looked at in Lesson #187). 🖋️ As I thought about this poem […]

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Mini-Lesson Monday, Lesson #202 (Part 2): The Differences Between ‘If’ and ‘When’, through Sewell’s ‘Black Beauty’

We are outlining the usages and differences between the conjunctions ‘if’ and ‘when’ in today’s Lesson, with the help of Anna Sewell’s influential Black Beauty. Not only did Sewell espouse (promoted) animal welfare through it, but the public’s response to it helped to introduce new anti-cruelty legislation in Britain and the U.S.A. – as such,

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Mini-Lesson Monday, Lesson #202 (Part 1): The Differences Between ‘If’ and ‘When’, through Sewell’s ‘Black Beauty’

📗 ‘When it was hot we used to stand by the pond in the shade of the trees, and when it was cold we had a nice warm shed near the grove.’ – Anna Sewell, Black Beauty (1877) … ‘If’ and ‘when’ are two small conjunctions describing time that are often confusing for English language

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Lesson #201: Reading to Improve English Language Skills? 3 Recommended Children’s Classics

📚 One question I am often asked is: ‘which classics are good for English language learners?’ It is one of my favourite questions because it allows me to recommend great books that can be useful and enjoyable for you. 😊 As you can tell from this Lesson’s title, I recommend getting started on children’s classics

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Lesson #197: Alice’s Adventures With Homographs and Homophones (Words That Are Spelled Or Sound The Same)

📗 “Take care of the sense, and the sounds will take care of themselves.” – Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) One of the most famous children’s books in the word is certainly Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), which has been translated into at least 174 since it was first published over

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