Introduction What is an extreme sport? Are there any extreme sports in your country? What do people think of them? Do you think extreme sports should be banned? Why/why not? Extreme Sports? Extreme Insanity! There was a time when extreme sports meant skiing or surfing. Maybe mountain climbing or white-water rafting. But by today’s standards, […]
Describing a person in English is a common task to talk about. In the IELTS test, the examiner might ask you to describe a family member or a friend. You might have to describe a colleague or a neighbour. ESL students seem to get stuck at this fairly simple thing to talk about. So I
How to Describe Someone’s Physical Appearance in English Read More »
Students fall into two distinct categories when it comes to reading in English. They either love it or they hate it. I had students who always had their head in a book. Students that carried around great tomes of novels, history, law, economics and anything else that got their interest. I also had students that
Tom is checking the accounts in his toy shop. He thought things would be better by now, but sales are not so great. Then a man walks in, all dressed in black, with a strong accent. He wants to do a card trick. But what kind of trick does he really pull on Tom? Check
The Trick – a short story for English reading comprehension Read More »
Are You Shy? This is a fun quiz to try with your English students. You can download the full lesson plan below! Introduction Are you a shy person? Why/why not? In your country are the people naturally shy? Or not? Why is this so? Are You Shy? Take the test! 1. The teacher asks a
Shyness Is Nice — a Talking Points lesson for English reading and speaking Read More »
Gold is a captivating short story that delves into the gripping journey of a man who thinks he has found a big piece of gold in his back garden. He makes quick plans on how to spend the money from the sale of this gold. But his dreams are quickly shattered… This short story comes
Gold – a Short Story for English Reading Comprehension Read More »
You might have to describe a room in English. The most likely situation for doing this would be in the speaking part of the IELTS test. But it could also be in any other speaking or writing test too. But it is also just a great exercise for you to improve your general English. Being
I have met many students afraid to speak English out loud. These same students can understand pretty much anything a native English speaker says to them in English and can read well too. But when speaking or writing they shrivel up. It is perfectly natural to feel a certain amount of nervousness or anxiety when
Introduction Are there many fast-food outlets in your town or city? What do people think of them? Is there a limit on how many fast-food outlets are allowed? Why/why not? What Has Happened To Our Town? A disgruntled man describes his town: It’s got to the point where I just don’t recognise the place anymore.
Cultural Pollution — a Talking Points lesson for English reading and speaking Read More »
We avoid risks. We avoid risks because we want to avoid failure. So we do nothing. And so we avoid the risk in order to avoid the failure that we are afraid of and then we are permanently floating around in the world of never knowing what could have been or what we could have
Don’t Let Fear Stop You Teaching English Abroad Read More »