Famous quotes

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail".

– Ralph Waldo Emerson 

New in the library: February 2013

I have a new DVD available in the library: Best Exotic Marigold Hotel  Let me know if you´re interested in borrowing it. English subtitles are available on the DVD - so you could watch it in English with the subtitles, if necessary.

2012 / 2013 course

Hi students!  The year is flying by and we only have 12 - 14 weeks of classes left until the end of the 2012/ 2013 course.  Please make a note of the following days, when there will be no classes, due to various festivities:

Tuesday; 26th March
Wednesday; 27th March and 1st May
Thursday; 28th March
Friday; 29th March
Saturday; 23rd March, 30th March and 6th April

Thesaurus app

An incredibly useful tool for English learners is a thesaurus.  Click here for the app.

Free dictionary app

A great dictionary app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.merriamwebster

Word of the day: reprove

Reprove (verb)

• to scold or correct usually gently or with kindly intent 
• to express disapproval of : censure 
• to express rebuke or reproof

Examples

"Remember to say 'thank you,'" the mother gently reproved her toddler.

"He reproved me, good-naturedly: 'Well, I don't think it's very nice to make fun of my accent!' Chastened, I assured him it was involuntary and that it was a form of homage, not disrespect." — From an article by John Weeks in Contra Costa Times, January 8, 2013

Read more at http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/#k9gIFozKEMA0DQPZ.99

Fantastic pronunciation app

This is a great app if you want to work on your pronunciation: http://www.macmillaneducationapps.com/soundspron  
The app is not free- but is on sale for 1,99GBP until the 2nd February.

Practise, practise, practise!

In the App you’ll find three different practice modes – listening, writing and reading. You can either work using a random selection of words from the Wordlist, or select a particular sound (or combination of sounds) that you’d like to focus on and practise just those.

Interactive phonemic chart

The chart shows all the sounds of English, divided into three sections: vowels, dipthongs (double vowels) and consonants. You can tap on a symbol to hear the sound, or tap and hold to hear the sound plus an example word. Listen to either British or American English.  You can view the chart in either portrait or landscape mode, just by rotating your device.

How do you say...

We’ve carefully selected over 650 words for the included Wordlist. These are also used in the Practice and Quiz sections. Every word in the Wordlist has an audio recording that goes with it.  You have the option of selecting either British or American English for use in the App.

The selected vocabulary shows how sounds are used at the beginning, middle and end of words and are all high frequency words (red Words in the Macmillan English Dictionary).

You also have the ability in the App to record your own pronunciation of a word and play it back, then compare it with the model we provide. You can do this as many times as you like, until your pronunciation is perfect!