Express Publishing ELT

Organize your material in a way that helps readers to grasp the important information quickly and to navigate through the document easily. Your document will be an interruption to your reader’s busy day. They’ll read in haste, picking out the information relevant to themselves. They’ll be asking two questions with every sentence they read     read more >>

Match the halves and feel cultured (you can then attempt to slip them into casual conversations you have in English. Extra points if your interlocutor can name the play). Use these in advanced classes and ask them if they agree with the sentiments.     read more >>

Woman: “Does my bottom look big in this?”
Man: “Of course not, darling.”

We all tell little lies. Sometimes it just makes for an easier life. And we now know it’s good for you, thanks to a Canadian study. Toddlers who tell lies early on are more likely to do well later, the researchers claim and the complex brain processes involved in formulating a lie are an indicator of a child’s early intelligence.

The study of 1,200 children aged two to 17 suggests those who are able to lie have reached an important developmental stage. Only a fifth of two-year-olds tested in the study were able to lie. But at age four, 90% were capable of lying, the study found. The rate increases with age to a peak at age 12     read more >>

Imagine the following situations:

Over lunch, your friend tells you a story about a recent holiday, which was a disaster. You listen with interest and interject at appropriate moments, maybe to express surprise or sympathy.

That evening, another friend calls to invite you to a party at her house the following Saturday. As you’ve never been to her house before, she gives you directions. You listen carefully and make notes.

How do you listen in each case? Are there any differences?
With the holiday anecdote, your main concern was probably understanding the general idea and knowing when some response was expected. In contrast, when listening to the directions to a party, understanding the exact words is likely to be more important     read more >>