Showing posts with label living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label living. Show all posts

Saturday, 20 December 2014

English Christmas Food - B2+

Christmas day is just around the corner... 

If you would like to prepare an English dish for this special occasion, look no further!

Here are some of my favourite Christmas recipes;


Jamie Oliver is my favourite chef, I love this man! He has single handily changed British cooking, not just in your own kitchen but also our school food has been revamped as a result, swapping unhealthy cheap food, for good wholesome food at a low cost.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/turkey-recipes/the-best-turkey-in-the-world/

Gordon Ramsey, he's a dude... a little hot tempered, but he's a cool guy and surprisingly short too!
I saw him once, walking down the street in Brighton.
Feast your eyes on his cooking tips for Christmas day... The Pumpkin Soup looks scrumptious!

http://brandonmotzlm.hubpages.com/hub/gordon-ramsay-ultimate-christmas-recipes

Desserts;

Mince pies... 'Sorry? Did you say mince? But isn't that meat from a cow?' Nope, mince pies are sweet and delicious!  I hope I will be able to find them in New Zealand, cause there aren't any in this town!

Take a look at this video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDA60XAW7yo

Coming up next... Christmas Vocabulary!


Sunday, 9 November 2014

Idioms which express love... B2+ (upper-intermediate)

Love idioms...  

When talking about love, we like to express our feelings... Love idioms can help us to express ourselves more!  Here are three very common love idioms...


Absence makes the heart grow fonder...


Have you ever been in a long distance relationship? Do you pine after that person whenever they are not around? It's natural to miss the person we love if they are with us, but absence for a large amount of time makes you think about them more, thus making your heart grow fonder.

Example;

Jane: "I haven't seen Alex for two months! I can't bare it any longer, I have to see him now!"

Mary: "awww...that's because, absence makes the heart grow fonder."

Lovey dovey

*Some sources state that this is an idiom, but it could also be defined as slang.

This idiom is used for couples who show everyone how much they are in love, usually by public displays of attention, kissing in public, etc.


Micheal: "Shaun and Irene are so lovey dovey all the time, I can't even talk to Shaun about football any more!"

Love is blind


This is a very common expression, we all can't help falling in love/ lust. But when the feeling disappears abruptly we all blame it on the fact that we were blinded by love!

Monica: "I can't believe I fell for that guy!  He's such an idiot!"

Paula: "What can I tell you... Love is blind!"

Vocabulary:

pine after; phrasal verb meaning to long for a person or to grieve for someone or something.

thus; (adverb), as a result or consequence of this.

What do these idioms mean in your language?

Please share your favourite love idioms...

Would you like to improve your listening and speaking skills in English? If so, I am offering online classes... Why don't you try a class? The first one is free! Please contact Lisa lis.j.grant@gmail.com.



Monday, 22 September 2014

How much money is swallowed up by our homes? (Upper-intermediate)

How much of your hard earned cash goes towards your home?

 For Skype English classes Contact Lisa by email lis.j.grant@gmail.com or Whatsapp 0034
645424237. Skype friendlyteacher14.
Speaking as a person who has never lived in one house for more than 5 years as a child and as an adult even less (about 2 years).  I have thrown away or given away tonnes and tonnes of stuff! By stuff I'm referring to furniture, books, bits and bobs,  etc.  This is why I don't tend to spend a lot on these items, a comfortable pad is all that I require. I simply can't understand it when someone tells me that they can't afford to travel or even go out for a drink because their accommodation swallows up most of their wages!! Or that they can't move into a room because their wardrobe won't fit, even though they get on with the other tenants like a house on fire, only to move into a bigger room but find that your housemates are loony and you are miserable! (true story).

I read this article in the Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/sep/20/sophie-heawood-housing-crisis-costs. An English man's home is his prison, stating that even though you are considered rich, you are stuck in an expensive city, having to trek across it everyday, finding that you spend your evenings and weekends at home recovering! I don't know about you, but that's no way to live!

Why don't we spend less on our houses? Make our home comfortable enough for us to sleep, eat and relax and then spend the rest of our income on living our lives! The most I've spent on a piece of furniture was a table for 70 euros, which stops me from writing my blogs from my sofa, thus saving my back from inevitable pain!

Let's cut back the money we spend on our homes and spend it on enjoying our lives. I do know what its like, I am often tempted by the lure of a plasma screen television, or the latest ipad, or a high tech blender for my kitchen, but these items don't really improve our lives, they just eat up all our cash, so that we end up stuck at home... This just makes me sad.

Vocabulary builder

bits and bobs - Things.
swallows up - Phrasal verb meaning to make something disappear.
cut back - Phrasal verb meaning to reduce expenditure.
thus - (adv) in this or that manner or way.
eat up - Phrasal verb meaning to consume.
end up - Phrasal verb meaning to finally be in a particular place or situation.

Tip for students:

When learning phrasal verbs, why not list the phrases under the preposition.  The preposition often describes which direction the verb is moving.  Phrasal verbs with the same preposition often have a similar meaning. Listing the phrases in this order makes them easier to understand and learn.

 For Skype English classes Contact Lisa by email lis.j.grant@gmail.com or Whatsapp 0034
645424237. Skype friendlyteacher14.

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