resources for learning and teaching English
English Level: B1 (Intermediate) / B2 (upper-intermediate)
Telling simple jokes in English is a fun and surprisingly effective way to improve your English speaking skills.
If you really want to take your English to another level, choose two of your favourites, memorise them and tell them to anyone who will listen 😉
Here are 5 simple jokes to get you started. Just one thing, it might be a good idea to only tell the last one to your friends and when nobody is eating, LOL!
(Photo by Toa Heftiba, Unsplash)
It can really help your pronunciation if you know the phonetic symbols and the sounds they represent. You don’t need to worry about learning to write them just to recognise them. Do some of my Quick Pronunciation Exercises and you’ll pick them up in no time, plus you’ll improve your pronunciation and your listening skills too.
Can you decipher these 12 Halloween-related words?
Answers 👻
1. vampire
2. mummy
3. witch
4. skeleton
5. disguise
6. fangs
7. cauldron
8. haunted
9. spooky
10. creepy
11. blood-curdling
12. spine-tingling
Main Quick Pronunciation Exercises page with the full list of exercises and links to useful pronunciation pages.
I put together these conversation questions for both English teachers and students. They can be used in class, or with a study buddy, or with somebody you do a language exchange with.
TIPS for Learners
🔹 In those in-between times when you can’t find somebody to practise with I recommending trying to write down your answers, or even talking out loud to yourself!
🔹 Ensure you make notes of useful words and phrases that you either couldn’t remember or didn’t know when you were trying to explain something. This will really help you to move forward with your English.
🔹 I also highly recommend going through the questions a second or third time at a later date with somebody else, as a way of revision, and you are sure to notice that you are able to explain things faster and more effectively.
🔹 Where possible, expand on your answers, give more details. If you don’t know the vocabulary you need, look it up!
🔹 If you’re asking the questions, remember to use follow-up questions too. If the conversation goes off on a tangent that’s totally fine – as long as you’re practising, you’re learning!
Let’s Talk about TRAVEL AND HOLIDAYS
1. Why do people travel?
2. Which countries have you been to?
3. Which is the most interesting city you have ever been to?
4. What’s the best holiday you’ve ever had (home or abroad)?
5. Which places in your country would you recommend people visit and why?
6. Do you like to just relax on holiday or do you prefer to be quite active?
7. Do you buy postcards or souvenirs when you are on holiday?
8. Do you always try the local cuisine when you travel?
9. Which countries’ cultures do you find the most appealing and why?
10. Do you think it is important to learn some of the local language before you go?
11. What different kinds of holidays are there?
12. Should people spend more time visiting their own countries?
13. What are the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by plane?
14. When it is hot would you rather spend time by the sea or up in the mountains?
15. What’s the most interesting museum or art gallery that you’ve visited?
16. What’s the strangest museum you’ve ever visited?
17. What’s your favourite memory from a trip or holiday?
18. Where did you see the best scenery?
19. Where were people the most welcoming?
20. What’s the funniest thing that has happened to you while travelling?
21. What positive things does travel bring people?
22. How can we more mindful about the environment when we travel?
23. What advantages and disadvantages does tourism bring?
24. What’s the best book about travel that you have read?
25. If money were no object, where would you like to live for month?
26. Which country or city would you recommend to someone who loves
….architecture
….animals and nature
….dance
….the mountains
….sport and being outdoors
… art
….food
….culture in general
(Photo: Ultrash Ricco, Unsplash)