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Destination English: Posted on 01 January 2013 15:55
 Happy New year! All the best for 2013.
I will be arranging some interesting workshops in Barcelona in 2013. We will try to record as much of it as possible and post something entertaining and educational. Please share this on Facebook & with your friends and family who are learning English.
Your course has finished but learning English hasn’t! Here are some suggestions for maintaining and improving your English.READING
- buy some books to take home with you - you can get graded readers from bookshops or at our online store
- newspapers like the Guardian and the Independent have international editions, often available on the day of publication
- subscribe to a weekly/monthly magazine or newspaper e.g. Time, Newsweek, the Guardian Weekly, etc
- use the internet – you can read the news and get lots of other information
- join a library, borrow books in English - contact the nearest British Council/ Centre office
LISTENING- buy some DVDs to take back with you - remember to check the compatibility of DVD players in your country
- buy some stories/novels on CD – most bookshops have a good selection (buy the book too!)
- you can often find English films on DVD with subtitles in English (e.g. Speak Up series)
- watch TV – if you have cable or satellite TV, you can usually watch many channels in English
- listen to the radio – why not try the BBC World Service? (you can also get many radio stations via the internet e.g. www.bbc.co.uk/radio)
- listen to songs - look on the internet for lyrics
WRITING- keep in touch with your ex-classmates or host families
- use the internet; e-mail and facebook, of course, but there are many sites for learning English with special chat rooms and forums to write in to (e.g. BBC, British Council, see below)
SPEAKING- try attending conversation classes one or two evenings a week
- check the noticeboards at the British Council or your local university for English speakers looking for an exchange - you usually meet once or twice a week and speak half the time in English and half in your language
- if your friends or colleagues at work are also interested in maintaining their English, why not get together once a month or so, and speak English together - e.g. all read the same story or newspaper article then discuss it together
INTERNETThe internet is an amazing resource for English. You can practise all of the skills above, and learn grammar and vocabulary. Some interesting sites include:Info courtesy of ELC Brighton.
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Destination English: Posted on 28 November 2012 13:09
Hi English learners!
This is my first official Blog for English. My mission is to help you to speak English. But first things first. You need to listen, read and understand BEFORE you can speak.
There is no shame in educating oneself, we were all learner drivers at the beginning.
I'm going to start by helping my friends who have very basic English. By offering you a guide to getting a good foundation upon which you can build.
PRESNT SIMPLE: This is the first tense we need to learn.
i) We use this tense for routines and habits. To talk about what we do on a typical day.
ii) For things that are usually true e.g.'It rains a lot in the UK' or 'birds fly south in the winter'.
To talk about our routine, we will also need the following:
CONNECTING WORDS - Use then, later, next, after that, finally. This will keep your listeners awake and add some variety.
ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY
Always - 100% I always wake up at 7.
Usually - 80% + I usually wake up at 7.
Often - 60% + I often wake up at 7.
Sometimes - 50% I sometimes wake up at 7.
Hardly ever/seldom 5% I hardly ever wake up at 7.
Never - 0% I never wake up at 7!
DIGITAL TIME
You can't go wrong with digital time 6.54 am (say: six, fifty-four ay em.)or 6.54 pm.
7.05pm (spoken: Seven O (like the letter) five pee em.)
USEFUL VOCABULARY
routine /ruːˈtiːn/ ▶noun
[COUNTABLE/UNCOUNTABLE] your usual way of doing things,especially when you do
them in a fixed order at the same time:
Young children tend to welcome some form of routine.
It shouldn't take too long to get back to our old routine.
Staying at your desk until 7.30 pm has become routine.
habit /ˈhabɪt/ ▶noun
[COUNTABLE/UNCOUNTABLE] something that you do often or regularly,
often without
thinking about it
a good/bad habit:
He had acquired some rather bad habits at college.
be in the habit of doing something:
They were in the habit of going for long walks.
get in/into the habit of doing something:
George has got into the habit of going to bed late.
out of habit/from force of habit (=because it is what you usually do):
Whenever I walk by her building I look up at her window from sheer force of habit.
typical /ˈtɪpɪkl/ ▶adjective
like most people or things of the same type It's a typical working-class community.
a typical reaction/response/comment
fairly typical:
He's followed a fairly typical career in teaching.
typical of:
The view is fairly typical of people of his generation.
a.used about people or things that are exactly like what most people imagine they
are like
He was the typical angry customer.
This isn't your typical Chinese restaurant.
We apologise for the sound quality. We'll try to stay further from the road next time;)
All the best, have a great week!
Zack
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Destination English: Posted on 28 November 2012 12:36
Hi Guys! I'm back in Barcelona and teaching during the day. I have 15 years experience of teaching TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). Currently I have some private classes and teach classes in companies in Barcelona. I have a website called Destination English. It's been a passion for me and I love teaching. I've been going to some of the Intercambios of language going on through the various Meetup groups in Barcelona. Although they are great for people who want to socialize and meet new friends, I'd really like to see something that engages people more with English. It could be through drama and music. I'm exploring activities and places/community centers where I could try out my ideas. It's time for a revolution, to cut out the middle men (The schools) and bring English into the public arena.  This is Alex, we met at a Meetup. He's in Liverpool this weekend checking out the Beatles history. I hope to interview him about his experiences in my next Blog. What impressed me about Alex, was that his English was practically fluent. He didn't need traditional classes, I suggested it was better for him to mix with native speakers to improve his social English. I proposed that he could help me teach our beginners and help with translation. He's from the Dominican Republic but has been living here in Barcelona for 22 years. Anyone wishing to join me and collaborate in the organisation is welcome and guaranteed to improve their English. I have set up a facebook closed group for the moment. I think that after the New Year it will be possible to open a Meetup with lots of workshop activities for different levels. If you are interested to help or participate in workshops, then mail me at: zackqureshi@gmail.com |
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Destination English Reporter: Posted on 03 July 2012 14:57
Brighton North Laine shopping area, (situated along Gardiner street very near the Komedia) - a mix of kitsch and funky...
Shopping in North Laine Brighton is a real mix of the ethnic, exotic and funky. You'll find anything from 50's kitsch and muslin from Mesopotamia to furniture from Mexico and chic vintage fashion: There is a local playful ambience, colourful and diverse eating places and coffee houses run by locals. |
MapQuest Terms and Conditions
Maps/Directions are informational only. User assumes all risk of use. MapQuest, Vistaprint, and their suppliers make no representations or warranties about content, road conditions, route usability, or speed.
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Destination English Reporter: Posted on 03 July 2012 14:43
  It started as a sleepy fishing village to a cosmopolitan and famous seaside destination, the social history of Brighton is a classic coming-of-age tale.
Prince George and Brighton Regency History
A key turning point in Brighton's social history ocurred when Prince George - later to become Prince Regent and then George IV - decided to make his home in the city in 1783. As a result of the Royal presence, Brighton's popularity increased and Brighton started becoming a fashionable seaside destination. A pleasure palace called The Royal Pavillion is testament to this. |
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Z. Qureshi: Posted on 02 April 2011 23:26
I've been learning how to build a website. Now that I'm more comfortable with the technical side, I'd like to focus on the content.
So initially, as Destination English is based around learning English in Brighton. I would like to create some pages that have some good & great advice for students or visitors to Brighton.
What's the best piece of advice you can give to a foreign student living in Brighton?
Please send me your ideas and click the 'Add Comments' box below and I will make your advice available to everyone in this blog and put the best ones on the website.
There are some horror stories out there and students may be taking unnecessary risks.
Here's one example:
"Please warn your students about using Gumtree to get a room or flat. Many of the properties do not exist and are scams! One of our students paid a deposit on Gumtree of £500. She never saw a room and could not get her money back... "
Anonymous
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Zack Qureshi: Posted on 20 February 2011 01:02
One of the most frequent questions I get from students is... What's my level?
This
is not an easy question to answer. You may be studying Intermediate
level English in your course and understand most speech but make a very
elementary mistake like..." she like him a lot". In this case, the 3rd
person mistake is an elementary one, whatever your level.
This next test is a good indication of
your 'Real Level'. It has a text and characters which you really need
to understand in context. A combination of vocabulary, grammar structure
and comprehension is required. It's not easy. You can't get the correct
answers just by having a good memory. Yes,you've got to think. So my
suggestion is to have a go at a level lower than you think you are, and
see what you score.
Let me know how you get on.
Follow the instuctions and try this online interactive level test: Bookworm Level Test
The
official Oxford University Press ELT website provides information and
resources for ELT teachers, students, and professionals.
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