British Humour and Alcohol Vocab. (please watch video below)
Fairly merry = slightly drunk
Inebriated = drunk
Absolutely plastered = very drunk
Completely newscasted = very, very, very drunk!
Also ‘footless’ = very drunk (NEW June 2017)
Aug 11
British Humour and Drinking Alcohol Vocabulary
Aug 10
Learn British English Free (video): favourite idioms by Studio Cambridge
Favourite idioms by Studio Cambridge. Video produced by Mark Godunov.
Studio Cambridge website.
Understanding English Idioms
By Studio Cambridge on 19th July 2017
Idioms, we English speakers love them! They have the ability to perfectly sum up our thoughts or feelings on any giving topic. They can be described as a group of words which have a meaning which isn’t obvious from looking at the individual words. They also often rely on analogies and metaphors which may not be obvious if English is not your first language. So we thought we would highlight a few as you may encounter a few when you hit English speaking soil.
Sit tight – stay where you are and wait until you something happens.
Example: The receptionist asked Laila to sit tight and wait for her manager as she was talking to someone.
Costs an arm and a leg – If it costs an arm and a leg, it’s very expensive. Like, really expensive.
Example: Jim loves that house but it would cost him an arm and a leg to buy.
Face the music- It simply means to “face reality” or to deal with a real situation.
Example: Jamie will have to face the music for skipping class. (He will be punished.)
Break a leg – Break a leg actually means good luck! So next time you hear your teacher say ‘break a leg on the exam’ they don’t actually want you to get hurt. On the contrary, they want you to do well!
Example: My dad told me to break a leg at my football match.
Hit the books –Hit the books means to study.
Example: The teacher told us to hit the books as the final is going to be a hard one.
When pigs fly – No, we don’t think that pigs can actually fly. This idiom refers to an event or action that will never happen!
Example: You’ll pass an exam without studying when pigs fly.
Sit on the fence – When you cannot or don’t want to make a decision.
Example: We’re not sure why he is sitting on the fence on this issue; it’s frustrating for everyone involved.
Aug 06
Learn British English Free: more place names (new video lesson)
Chris presents a new FREE pronunciation lesson to help you say the names of British places correctly.
Video produced by Mark Godunov:
Aberystwyth, Bicester, Cirencester, Derby, Durham, Dumfries, Ely, Frome, Gloucester, Hartlepool, Llanelli, Leicester, Leominster, Loughborough, Marlborough, Marylebone, Pontypridd, Reading, Slough, Tottenham, Woking, Worcester.
Jul 30
Learn British English on Kahoot! (new quizzes)
I’ve recently made two British English quizzes on Kahoot which can be used with students in the classroom.
The first one is a class quiz based on a number of random subjects to do with vocabulary, grammar and British culture. Please click here.
The second one is a specially designed quiz to test students’ knowledge of British English. There are 13 questions where they must choose the correct British term of an item in a picture for a number of options including American terms. Please click here.
Jul 23
English Grammar (visual lesson): ‘Teach’ or ‘Learn’?
A teacher teaches students.
A student learns from their teacher.
INCORRECT: the teacher learns the student.
Jul 16
Learn British English Free (video lesson): more useful objects at home
Chris presents another free lesson about vocabulary for useful objects at home:
Coat hanger
Clothes peg or peg
Toilet roll and toilet paper
Ruler
Calculator
Highlighter pen
Stationery
Kettle
Alarm clock
(Computer) mouse
Mobile (phone) [British English; not cell phone]
Smart phone
Jul 02
Learn British English Free (video lesson): stand up / sit down
Learn British English Free: stand up; sit down
Stand / stand up
I stand up.
I am standing (up).
She stands up.
They all stood up when the judge entered the room.
Sit / sit down
I sit down on my chair to work.
I am sitting down.
*Stands up* I was sitting down.
Can I sit down? I’ve been standing up for ages.
I sat down to wait for the doctor.
Common mistakes:
INCORRECT: I am sat down. CORRECT: I am sitting down.
INCORRECT: we were stood quietly. CORRECT: we were standing quietly.
Jun 25
Eid Mubarak 2017 / Learn British English on Instagram
Happy Eid Mubarak!
Eid is the celebration at the end of the month of Ramadan.
Please follow Learn British English on Instagram.
Jun 18
English Homophones Part 4 (free video lesson)
Via the BBC (click).
Please watch the video below with captions and read the text below it.
Affect / effect
The verb ‘to affect’ means ‘to have an influence on’; ‘to effect’ means ‘to cause, accomplish’.
In most cases affect will be the verb, effect the noun.
Bail / bale
Use bail for the temporary release of someone awaiting trial.
To bail out is to help a company or person with financial problems (noun: bailout).
Use bale out for removing water from a boat, or jumping out of a plane.
Complement / compliment
To complement means to make complete or supply what is lacking.
Whether as a noun or verb, compliment means (to) praise.
Defuse / diffuse
defuse is to make safe an explosive;
diffuse is something that’s widespread.
Discreet / discrete
discreet means ‘careful’ or ‘tactful’;
discrete means ‘distinct and separate’.
Fazed / phased
someone who is disorientated or disconcerted can be described as fazed,
whereas phased means ‘introduced in stages’.
Formerly / formally
formerly means previously;
formally according to convention.
Gate / gait
gate is an entry; gait is a manner of walking.
Hangar / hanger
a hangar is where aircraft are kept.
A hanger is for putting clothes on.
Hyperthermia / Hypothermia
Hyperthermia is where the body temperature is greatly above normal.
Hypothermia is where the body temperature is markedly below normal.
Illicit / elicit
illicit means illegal;
elicit is to extract something, usually information.
Licence / license
The noun is licence with a ‘c’ (eg: driving licence);
the verb has an ‘s’ (eg: licensed to kill).
Practice / practise
the noun has a ‘c’; the verb has an ‘s’.
He’s a practising lawyer running his own practice.
Principal / principle
principal means ‘first in order of importance’ or a school head;
principle means ‘a rule or belief governing one’s personal behaviour’.
Rein / reign
reins are used on horses; reign is what monarchs do.
So you would rein in spending or take over the reins.
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