Today’s lesson is about vocabulary but it's also about life in Britain. I’m going to explain the difference between cities, towns and villages in the UK and what it’s like living in these places.
Do you think that people’s ideas about what’s polite and what’s not polite are the same all over the world or do you think that it depends which country you are in?
In today’s post, I’m going to tell you what I’ve discovered by working with international learners, living abroad and a bit of reading. I wouldn’t call myself an expert but I love learning from my students and followers! In the classroom and on social media, I’ve been called Katie, Teacher, Teacher Katie, Miss Katie, Mrs Katie, Miss, Mrs, Madam, Ma’am, Sir, Mam, Mom, Mommy, Sister, Aunty, dear, honey, darling and many more!
I’m happy for my students and followers to call me “Katie”. I also accept most other names because I understand that there are cultural differences and I know that people want to be respectful. Some of the names in the above list are better than others and a few are unacceptable in the UK. I wonder if you can guess which ones! Keep reading to find out! One of my favourite things about teaching English is the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and learn about different cultures. I’ve been teaching English for 23 years now and I wonder how many nationalities I’ve met! Over 50 face-to-face, I think, and maybe 100 if I include conversations on social media!
This year, Britain is celebrating the Queen’s platinum jubilee. She has been our queen for 70 years, which is longer than any other British monarch. A jubilee is a special kind of anniversary and platinum means 70 years. Keep reading to learn more about the Queen and the jubilee celebrations.
This weekend, people in many countries are celebrating Easter. If you would like to know what Easter is, when it is and what people do to celebrate in the UK, then this article is for you.
This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day in the UK, a day to celebrate our mothers. Keep reading to learn some fun facts about Mother’s Day!
Happy New Year, dear readers, and best wishes for 2022! Read on if you'd like to learn about how people celebrate the new year in the UK. Practise your reading skills at the same time.
Part of an English Christmas is going to the theatre to see a pantomime. Practise your reading and learn about this Christmas tradition.
Harvest Festival (or Harvest Thanksgiving) is a day when people celebrate and give thanks for the harvest. This is the time when farmers collect the crops from the fields. In churches, it is usually held on the Sunday nearest the harvest moon. A harvest moon is the full moon nearest to the autumn equinox. This year, the harvest moon is on the night of 24th-25th September and the harvest festival is on Sunday 23rd, but not everyone celebrates it on the same day.
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