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Level B2 and above

(COVID nightmare. A true story. Level B2- C2)

The worst night of his holiday in Africa, Roberto recalls, was the night the doctor came to his bungalow.

Level B1 and above

It pays to reflect on one’s sins (péchés) every now and then. Are you envious? If so, you are a sinner and you are suffering from one of the seven capital sins, according to Christian theology.

Christian theology has dictated the lives of millions of people for centuries, and it does not allow for grey areas; you are either a sinner or you are not. Since none of us is perfect, we are all sinners.

Level C1 and above 

I have an odd relationship with the French public radio station France Culture. I am a little obsessed, not by their sage voices, but by their jingles, those short fragments of music that introduce different programmes.

Level B1 and above - Phrasal verbs and expressions with ‘make’. 

Bernie Madoff, the Manhattan Ponzi czar, died this week. Question: How could you invest your millions in a man called Madoff?

Sometimes a name can tell you a lot about a person.

Level B1 and above 

Have you ever been to a dinner party where someone mentions the Euro Millions? I bet you a lottery ticket that you have.

- First and second conditionals in English, with exercises

Level C1 and above

England’s national flower is the red Tudor rose. But the prickly truth is that the English owe much of their wealth to another flower; the poppy.

The British empire was bankrolled by the highly addictive drug opium, the milky fluid of the flower of the breadseed poppy (papaver somniferum).

Level C1 and above 

Australia is grappling with a run of misogyny and violence against women which has shocked the nation and will cause irreparable damage to the country’s reputation.

Level B2 and above

Food. Glorious food. It’s one of our great pleasures and an eternal subject of conversation. Many English words that concern cooking and eating come from the kitchens of France. Terms such as cuisine, omelette, entrée, sauté, au gratin, cordon bleu, toast, vinaigrette, paté… have slipped seamlessly into English like an oyster down a diner’s throat. I could go on, but I may start dribbling on my keyboard.

Level C1 and above

It was a film you either loved or hated.

Holy Motors (2012), from French director Leos Carax divided the critics. But almost all were in awe of the performance of French actor Denis Lavant as the chameleonic Mr Oscar. This month, the esteemed film critic of The New Yorker Richard Brody, published an article titled the Best Movies Performances Of The Century So Far. Brody ranked Lavant’s Mr Oscar as the fourth greatest performance of the century so far.

Level B1 and above

In the wake of St. Valentine’s Day, I feel like talking about love.

Do you remember the last time you fell in love?

Did you fancy him from the first moment? Were you infatuated with her? Was it love at first sight on both sides? Or was it unrequited?

Level C1 and above

When photographer Letizia Battaglia first began taking pictures of the carnage of the mafia in Palermo in southern Italy in the 80s, she would often arrive on a murder scene at the same time as an elderly photographer in suit and tie.

This gentleman travelled with a prickly pear cactus (cactus de figue de barbarie) in a pot in his car. After inspecting the murder scene, he would return to his car, retrieve the cactus, and place it near the body. And then take his photograph.

Level A2 and above 

To and for are two innocent-looking words, but for French speakers, they are not so simple. They can be quite confusing. When do you use to and when do you use for in a sentence?

Level C1 and above 

Roger Federer might be thankful for his slower than expected comeback after two surgeries on his right knee last year.

Level B2 and above

Sometimes in life, if you are lucky, a door opens and instinctively you know this is the way. Call it what you like, an epiphany or a calling. The big question is, are you going to follow this path? Are you a believer?

Nicolas (Nico) Meury’s calling was loud and clear, and it had an island beat. He was just 11 years old, a Swiss schoolboy living in Commugny.

Level B1 and above 

The World Happiness Report is a survey of the state of global happiness that ranks 156 countries by how happy their citizens think they are.

- With vocabulary and expressions related to happiness, and exercise.

Level B1 and above 

Change is good, change is hard, change is progress. Change is life. Changes demands letting go of the old, stepping outside one’s comfort zone, sacrificing safety, and facing an uncertain future. Even if we want to resist it, change is inevitable.

Level C1 and above

It isn’t easy changing the way we speak. We may learn a second language, but we acquire our mother-tongue or first language intuitively by imitating our parents, carers and later our peers. Changing ingrained and unconscious habits such as sexist or man-centred or racist language needs discipline and awareness.

Level B2 and above

What is a narcissist?

Thanks to the stable genius Donald Trump we now have a pretty good idea. We have all been able to view narcissism in action on a daily basis.

Level B2 and above 

Switzerland has a terrible legacy. It is where witch hunts began and where the last woman was beheaded for sorcery in Europe.

Level B1 and above

Small talk, also known as light conversation or social English, is the ground on which great relationships are built.

Small talk might seem trivial or banal, yet it plays a vital role in social and professional interactions. It often revolves around the weather, sport, the weekend, the news, family and friends, past and future social or corporate events.

Level B2 and above 

Long live the graffitist/provocateur/collective known as Banksy. Here are 10 of his famous works with music and video.

Level C1 and above 

European Union citizens living in or visiting New York will be airlifted out of the city, starting from midnight tonight.

Level B2 and above  - Social English in the time of the pandemic

Social English or small talk is the stuff that glues us together as humans, whether we are friends, colleagues or even strangers.

The Great Pandemic has changed our lives and with that, the coded meaning of small talk.

Level B1 and above

Chances are, one of you is going to Mars.

Several public space agencies – NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, ISRO and the CNSA – and private organisations – SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing – are researching the Mars mission project. The consensus is that we will be able to colonise Mars in the 2030s or 2040s.

Level B2 and above

Gossip is informal conversation about other people’s private affairs. It’s like the news, but on a micro-level; news about your friends, your friends’ friends, your family, celebrities, your colleagues and bosses. Unfortunately, it can also be unkind and not true. Gossiping and lying can often go hand in hand.

Level B2 and above 

Every day, we unknowingly organise our lives around a handful of ancient gods of war, thunder, wisdom, motherhood and various celestial bodies. Origins of the days of the weeks.

Level B2 and above - (reading and vocabulary related to Machiavelli and politics)

Is it better for a ruler, or a president, or a prince, to be feared or to be loved?

According to Machiavelli, it is better to be feared than loved; a ruler must not only care about reputation, but also must be willing to act unscrupulously at the right times. A loved ruler maintains authority by obligation while a feared leader rules by fear of punishment.

Level C1 and above 

Think of Roger and you might think of tennis shots that defy geometry and a Swiss role model admired worldwide. That’s if you live in Switzerland.- With videos.

Level C1 and above 

Meet Parler. It’s a new social network in the USA that wants you to speak freely. Channel your inner racist and your best hate speech.

Level A2 and above 

The verbs say and tell are very similar, but say is more about expressing something, and tell is more about informing or instructing someone.

Make sure you understand the difference.

Level B1 and above 

Telephone conversations can be challenging, or even terrifying, if English is not your first or second language.

Level B2 and above 

Love it or hate it, football, especially English football, is often the stuff of fairy tales. Take Liverpool for example.

- With videos.

Level B1 and above 

There are a few expressions to liberate the Italian in you and make your English more visual, theatrical and powerful. 

- With vocabulary and expressions.

Level C1 and above 

The song, We’ll Meet Again, sung by Vera Lynn, became an anthem of hope and resilience during the Second World War.

Level B2 and above 

Zombies are not your friends. They are the awakened dead who have an enormous appetite for human flesh – or human brains, depending on the story. They don’t look good either: they have rotting flesh, missing limbs, and really dirty underwear. They don’t speak, they grunt.

Level C1 and above.

I’ve got a song stuck in my head. It pings around my neurons and exits in whistle, song and hum from dusk to dawn. On repeat play.

You probably know the song, if you like your dogs with diamonds, know an astronaut called Major Tom, or like a little stardust…

Level B1 and above 

When we give our opinion, we must be careful that we do not sound too cold and insensitive. And we often also need to give more subtle and nuanced replies.

Level B1 and above - Making predictions in English

“You will meet a tall, dark, handsome stranger,” a fortune teller told me four months ago. This was a prediction – it was not an intention, a plan, a pre-arranged event, or a decision. A guide to making predictions in English.

Level A2 and above 

Fun and funny have different meanings. Like alligators and crocodiles, they look alike and they can be easily confused. Read on and have fun!

- with videos, expressions, songs and exercises.

Level B1 and above 

How well do you know your English prepositions? Here’s a little game for you. 

- With expressions and exercises.

Level B2 and above 

We live in challenging times. It is important, as the British say, that we Keep Calm and Carry On.

Level C1 and above 

Do you remember sport? It used to quite a big deal back in the pre-pandemic days, if I remember well.

Level B2 and above 

Watching The Matrix trilogy is always a pleasure. It’s the ultimate mind-stretching (or mind-expanding) work of science fiction. 

- With vocabulary, videos, and exercises.

Level C1 and above with vocabulary

The mother of all pandemics, the Black Death, or simply, the plague, killed an estimated 50 million people between the 14th and 17th century.

It was caused by a bacterium later identified and named Yersinia pestis, after a Swiss man born in canton Vaud; a brilliant, obsessive and eccentric bacteriologist.

His name was Alexandre Emile Jean Yersin.

Welcome to English in the Pandemic 10. 

Level B2 and above 

“Both optimists and pessimists contribute to society,” wrote George Bernard Shaw. “The optimist invents the aeroplane, the pessimist the parachute.” 

- With vocabulary, quotes, and exercises. 

Level C1 and above 

I am not quite as thick-skinned as the American president. So, it was relatively easy to puncture my upper arm with the syringe needle. Injecting disinfectant, he said, will do the trick.

Level B1 and above 

The corona virus has closed down almost all musical performances. Well, most human concerts…

- With videos.

Level B2 and above 

Idioms are fun, but dangerous for speakers of English as a foreign language.

- With exercises and videos

Level B2 and above 

There is nothing like a little murder and crime to take you mind off a pandemic. 

- With videos and vocabulary exercise. 

Level B2 and above 

We asked four people to write about their very different experiences in the pandemic.

Level B2 and above 

Stoics prized rational thinking, acting on good information and contemplating a situation fully rather than reacting in panic and anxiety. 

- With videos, vocabulary, quotes and exercises. 

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All our blogs are written by our trainers.
Director and senior trainer Garry Littman 
Trainer, Benedicte Gravrand
Academic Director and senior trainer David Creber