Author Archive
Testimonial from student Igor Guida
by Webstrator on Feb.20, 2012, under Testimonials
“My experience of lessons with Susan when I was in London was very positive. I still have lessons with her from my home in Italy using Skype and it’s very good. She prepares my lessons with extreme professionalism – and they are always very interesting. This is because she chooses subjects I am interested in.” – Igor Guida (Italian)
Getting it right. Perfecting your CV & covering letter
by Webstrator on Aug.06, 2011, under Discussion
In a saturated job market, where there are hundreds (if not thousands) of people applying for one job, what gets you noticed? Is it the pink paper you print your CV on? Hopefully not… It is the large font you use to draw attention to your CV? Hopefully not….It’s how well you write your CV and how well you put yourself across in writing. After all, you can’t rely on your good looks and charm to get the job as your CV has to jump the first hurdle successfully! That’s why it’s so important to get it right. Particularly if English is not your mother tongue.
You might feel that your level of English is good and that you communicate easily face to face with people you meet. However the nuances of the written language run deeper than that and if your CV is what makes the first impression when going for a job, surely it’s worth investing in perfecting it.
Learn English London can help. We specialise in proofreading all kinds of documents, including CVs and covering letters, to ensure that you give yourself the best possible chance when applying for that all important job. To find out more, email info@lelondon.co.uk
Testimonial from former student Lana Ivanov
by Webstrator on Aug.06, 2011, under Testimonials
“I enjoyed very much lessons with Learn English London. They were good and relaxed. I have a confidence in this language now“- Lana Ivanov (Russian)
Testimonial from student Bertilla Colombo
by Webstrator on Sep.04, 2010, under Testimonials
“When I started lessons I spoke no English. But now it is possible for me to communicate. Susan’s way of teaching is very easy to understands and she speaks Italian – she explains difficult grammar. It helps me. Her office is calm – I relax easily. My experience here is very good. Susan is very passionate about teaching“ - Bertilla Colombo (Italian)
Testimonial from former student Romina Khan
by Webstrator on Nov.09, 2009, under Testimonials
“The good thing about the lessons was Susan cautiously constructs the lesson according to my need. Over all it was a very good experience. I thoroughly enjoyed her company especially the way of teaching which is very friendly and fabulous“ - Romina Khan (Pakistani)
Testimonial from former student Nathalie Janin
by Webstrator on May.23, 2009, under Testimonials
“I was really happy to work with you as you’re really passionate about your job, very dynamic & go to the point (assess quickly the weak points to focus on during the lessons). All lessons are done in a very friendly environment. Many thanks to have motivated me & given more confidence in myself” - Nathalie Janin (French)
Keeping up with changes in the English language
by Webstrator on May.09, 2009, under News
Colloquialisms. Some are just slang words and whilst it’s good to understand their meaning, it’s not necessarily good to put them into practice! A good example of this is the word ‘Buff’. For example, one could say “That new guy in our class is well buff’. This is an adjective which, in youth slang, means attractive or well-toned. Somebody who is buff has an attractive body, they look ‘fit’.
I guess one of the difficult things for anyone trying to learn English, and trying to keep up with the latest vocabulary, is the fact that some words seem to have so many different, and totally unrelated meanings. How on earth are they supposed to know which is the correct meaning?
Well, of course, context is important. By looking at the context in which you see or hear the word, you should be able to work out which meaning is most likely when you look it up. ‘Buff’ is one of those words which has several meanings and whose latest meaning may not be in your dictionary at all.
As a noun it is often used to describe a person who is really into a particular hobby or pastime. It’s usually combined with the word describing the hobby, so a film buff is someone who really loves film and probably knows quite a lot about it. The word buff here implies an enthusiastic or almost obsessional interest in something.
As a verb ‘to buff’ means to polish or shine something with a cloth, to give something a shiny finish. This meaning is said to come from the word buffalo, an animal whose skin was used for leather and this leather was in turn often used to polish metal objects. From there came the adjective ‘buff’ meaning a dull yellow colour, the colour of the buffalo leather.
And more recently, as an adjective it has come to mean ‘attractive’ or ‘fit’. It’s not exactly clear why. Perhaps because a well-toned, tanned, fit person may look buff, like they’ve just been ‘buffed’, so they have a kind of ‘polished’ look.
There is one last expression with ‘buff’ which you should probably know, and that is ‘in the buff’ – it means naked, with no clothes on. This might be because the original meaning of buff referred to leather or skin so ‘in the buff’ means just in our skin.
Testimonial from former student Simone Scodeller
by Webstrator on Apr.19, 2009, under Testimonials
“I attended only 5 lessons but they were very useful because Susan annotated everytime my grammar mistakes and she prepared exercised for me to correct them. I think the method to teach is effective and not boring. My sister, who lives in London, said that my english language is much improved after the lessons“ - Simone Scodeller (Italian)
Testimonial from former student Raffaella Patoner
by Webstrator on Apr.12, 2009, under Testimonials
“During my staying in London I met a very good English teacher Susan, who I am still in contact with. She helped me to improve not only my business English but also the daily English, teaching me some important phrases useful in many different contexts. I really appreciate her teaching, so clear, professional but also funny… you can understand she spent lots of time in Italy and she loves so much my country; for this reason everything is easier” - Raffaella Patoner (Italian)
A generation of children unable to speak English properly
by Webstrator on Apr.12, 2009, under News
The drive to improve literacy in schools has killed the subject of English and left a generation of children unable to speak properly, a teachers’ leader warned today.
According to Mary Bousted, the General Secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, pupils no longer read whole books or write in class for pleasure, but instead analyse “extracts” for tests. She said ”My subject, English, is no more. It has been replaced by a newcomer – literacy – which as a subject is based on the naming of parts. Children rarely read whole books. They read parts of books – extracts.”
Dr Bousted complained that children had lost the chance to learn how to talk and listen to others under the Government’s literacy strategy. There is wider growing concern among authors over the erosion of literature studies and employers have complained about school-leavers’ weak communication skills. For example, pupils are no longer required to study whole Shakespeare plays in detail, but can rely on revising sections from extracted scenes.
Inspectors have warned that poetry is a dying subject in too many schools, while Michael Rosen, the Children’s Laureate, has criticised the Government for failing to promote reading for fun.
