Level C1 and above 

There are too many words in the English language. Just get divorced or separated, get a new partner (that’s the easy part) and then find the right word to describe him or her… (that’s the hard part). 

- With vocabulary and songs.

Level C1 and above 

Switzerland engraved itself into the history of rock ‘n’ roll on December 4, 1971, in Montreux. Deep Purple in Switzerland.

- With songs.

Level C1 and above

Fans, those people that adore another human, have often troubled me. To be fanatical about someone or something seems to be that little bit excessive.

- With songs.

Level C1 and above

You’ve got to feel a little sorry for Her Majesty. Queen Elizabeth had been mostly enjoying, along with millions of others, a five star re-run of her reign in the series, The Crown on Netflix.

- With videos.

Level C1 and above

Australia is so lucky that according to the Australian Government, there’s no such thing as climate change, and certainly don’t ever mention a climate emergency. And they will tell you that.

- With videos.

In French

Au fur et à mesure que vous assimilez la mélodie, votre pratique de la langue anglaise devient plus robuste. Vous parvenez à communiquer de manière plus efficace.

- With video.

Level C1 and above 

The word of the day is wacko, kindly brought to you by the Mayor of Chamonix. He is urging President Emmanuel Macron to stop wackos, crackpots and oddballs from climbing the mountain, after a British tourist carried a rowing machine up the mountain to raise money for charity.

Level C1 and above

After his offer to buy the Arctic island of Greenland was rejected, the real estate mogul, golf player, connoisseur of fast food and US president says he’d now like to buy a little alpine territory.

Level C1 and above

The word bankrupt literally means broken table… Today in the USA corporate world, bankruptcy (better known as Chapter 11) is a well-used form of debt restructuring when business goes sour.

- With videos.

Level C1 and above

The Swiss export that has permeated every pore of this planet is something quite grotesque. Yes, grotesk! 

- With videos.

Level C1 and above

Next time you have an abscess removed or your haemorrhoids treated, please spare a thought for one Charles-Francois Felix. I am sure it will make you feel much better.

- With video.

Level C1 and above

Why Teddy Bear? Why not Agatha Bear or Bertrand Bear? Why a bear? Why not Teddy Tiger or Teddy Mouse? The story behind your Teddy Bear.

- With video.

Level C1 and above

You won’t find the world’s largest gherkin (cornichon) in a carnotzet in the Valais. It’s in London.

- With video.

Level B2 and above

Great creations take time. Some take six days (with divine assistance). The grandest of human handiwork can take a lifetime or two.

Level C1 and above

Confused, bored, infuriated or saddened by Brexit? Perhaps, all the above. Here is a simple Brexit guide in bite-size pieces. The hard work has been done for you.  We’ve sifted through 39.7 trillion words, (some witty, some wise and some woeful), which describe the Divorce of the Century: Brittania vs Europa.

- With videos.

Level C1 and above

What am I?

I have been around since the first modern human. I am a part of all you humans. Yes, I am a part of you too.

- With videos.

Level B1 and above

The mots méchants are: during, while, for and since. It is important to use them correctly and with confidence.

- With exercise.

Level B1 and above

It’s time to talk about money.

You can do a lot of things with money. You can spend, waste, invest, lose and lend money.

- With exercise.

Level B1 and above

The English are obsessed with the weather, probably more than most nations. It’s an odd obsession because the weather is often grey, gloomy, wet, drizzly, foggy, chilly or frosty.

- With vocabulary related to the weather, expressions, videos and songs. 

Level B1 and above

You can do your homework, do your exercises, do your best, and still make mistakes and make little progress.

- With videos, songs, and exercise.

Level B2 and above

Some words are identical or very similar in both French and English. But that doesn’t mean they have the same meaning. Some are related in meaning and some are what linguists call false friends or les faux amis.

- With vocabulary, expressions and songs.

Level C1 and above

Greek history tells us that when the Gods are forced into close contact, the heavens rain blood and the earth shakes.

Level C1 and above

PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has never been shy when it comes to viral marketing.

- With idioms with animals, videos.

Level B1 and above 

Here are some more tips for writing professional emails in English. But first, some email trivia.

- With expressions related to email writing. 

Level B1 and above

The email has the immediacy of a phone conversation, and a similar sense of informality. It is like a written conversation; neutral, polite and straight-to-the-point. That’s how we like to get things done, isn’t it?

- With expressions related to email writing. 

Level C1 and above

Life in plastic, it’s fantastic… in a Barbie world 

– Aqua, Barbie Girl 1997

- With videos.

Level C1 and above

In British history one person stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Level B1 and above

Ms, Mrs or Miss? The titles given to women can be quite confusing and challenging to non-native speakers and native speakers.

Level B2 and above

The words foreigner, stranger and alien can be very confusing for French native speakers. Depending on your world view, the words can also invoke different meanings and reactions.

- With vocabulary and songs.

Level C1 and above

Are you a culture vulture? A gender bender? A bit lardy-dardy? Do you like a bit of rumpy pumpy?

- With expressions.

Level C1 and above

A slash/horror film starring Heidi, as you have never seen her before. Death by fondu.

Warning: Only for the brave.

Level C1 and above

Before you start interviewing male and female schoolmates and acquaintances of Judge Kavanaugh, I suggest you go online and have a look at a dictionary called Urban Dictionary. This will help you to decode the slang used by Brett Kavanaugh, then aged 17, in his college yearbook entry.

Level B1 and above

Learning vocabulary is NOT about learning individual words. You must learn the words that are commonly used together. We call these collocations. For example, we say fast food, not quick food. 

Level A2 and above

If I ask a student: How are you? I know 90% will respond with this robotic reply: Fine and you? Robotic or automatic answers lack warmth and charm.

Level C1 and above

Cleaning your apartment is no LOL (Laugh Out Loud) activity. Kneeling in the bathtub, scrubbing pesky dirt rings is more of a FML (Fuck My Life) experience. No-one knows this better than the global giant of cleaning products, Procter & Gamble.

- With video.

I look forward to hearing from you. (Level B1+)