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With the jubilee still fresh in people's minds, the royal family are a hot topic of conversation and there are plenty of idioms in the English language that highlight the monarchy's place within the U.K.. Let's take a look... Drama Queen 'She can be a real drama queen when she doesn't get her own way.' Calling someone a drama queen means that they are very over the top in their response to a situation and tend to overreact, often using dramatic tone of voice and exaggerated

The jubilee celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s 70th year as the monarch of the U.K.. A 70th anniversary is known as a platinum anniversary. Some people in the U.K. are massive fans of the royal family and take the celebrations very seriously. Even those who do not follow the royal family are using as a time to celebrate with friends and family, and extra bank holidays have been added to give most people extra time off of work. Many communities are having street parties, where ne

The Brit’s love to accompany summer activities with an alcoholic beverage, but what drinks are most popular? 1. Gin and tonic The G and T is an iconic British summertime drink. In recent years, this traditional drink has seen a revival due to an explosion of new varieties from violet through to orange. served with ice and a slice, there is nothing more refreshing! 2. Pimms Pimms is not a common drink in the U.K., apart from for the few weeks of summer. It is often associated

Festivals are one of the most popular summer activities in the U.K.. The majority are based around music, but there are also food, art, and spiritual festivals, plus many more. As well as the main acts, festivals are full of entertainment, stalls and food carts, offering unusual items that may not be available everyday. So, what are the top ten festivals in the U.K.? Glastonbury - This is probably the most well known festival and has some of the world's biggest music acts h

The summer and winter solstice occur when the earth reaches it's maximum tilt on it's axis, and create both the longest and shortest day of the year, in terms of sunlight. For the summer solstice, the U.K. experiences nearly 17 hours of daylight! Midsummer's Day and the Summer Solstice normally fall within a few days of each other in mid June. Midsummer's Day falls on the 21st June each year, whereas the solstice may vary slightly depending upon celestial framework, anywhere

Summer in the U.K. is a great time full of barbecues and festivals. This blog will take a look at what people in the U.K. do during summer.

Making people laugh is always a good way to break the ice and make friends, especially when you are travelling and maybe don't know anyone in the local area, but it can also lead to problems if jokes go wrong or people take offence. So what types of jokes are there? Sarcasm is saying something when you actually mean the exact opposite to make fun of someone. For example, if someone says something particularly stupid, someone may so 'Hey! We've got a genius here', but in fac

Alliteration is the repetition of a sound to make a piece of writing or a speech more catchy and memorable. To be more precise it is the first consonant sound of a word, not to be confused with assonance (the repetition of vowel sounds - 'look at the cookbook) or consonance (a repeated consonant sound within the word - 'all's well that ends well' It is often used in marketing and poetry, as well as in speeches. Let's take a look at some famous examples. One very common area

Similes are a tool used in the English language to emphasise or embellish a description. They normally contain the words 'like' or 'as a', for example, 'cool as a cucumber' meaning that someone is cool under pressure. They are often confused with metaphors, which apply a characteristic that would not normally belong to that that object or action, for example, 'I am an early bird', meaning, I get up early. Let's look at some common examples that you may hear in everyday spe

The U.K. has 8 standard bank holidays a year. This consists of New Year's Eve, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Whit Monday, Summer bank holiday, Boxing day and Christmas Day. The separate countries that make up the U.K. also have some additional bank holidays that are regionally specific, such as St. Andrew's Day in Scotland and St. Patrick's Day in Northern Ireland. Bank holidays are a time when banks and schools close, most workers get the day off and shops and publi

One of the hardest parts of understanding native English speakers is the variety of accents that you will hear, depending on the country and area that you visit. Pronunciation can vary greatly and some areas even have their own vocabulary for certain words. Here are a few of our favourite examples. The Scottish accent differs across Scotland, but all the variations are influenced by the Gaelic language, which used to be the native tongue. Common differences in language inclu

It is thought that the tradition of the Easter Egg began in Medieval Europe. It is possible that the first Easter eggs actually came from Paganism and not Christianity. Easter eggs are linked to the Christian custom of Lent, when people often fast or go without luxuries. Some also go without any dairy and meat and so eggs were often used up before the period of Lent, sometimes in pancakes . Eggs laid during this time were often surplus so they were hard-boiled to preserve th

People in the U.K. love animals, and most households have a pet, but which is the most popular? Here is our countdown to Britain's favourite animal! 10.Snakes - Snakes are interesting and unusual pets but they have very specific requirements around light and heat. Many people are scared of snakes or do not like the idea of feeding the whole prey, and so do not choose them as a pet. 9. Chickens Chickens have become more and more popular as pets as people love fresh, organic e

Comic Relief is a charity that raises money for projects in the U.K. and internationally. Every March, the charity holds a special day where people do funny things to make people laugh and raise money. The charity was started by comedy writer, Richard Curtis, ad comedian, Lenny Henry, in 1985. They initially wanted to raise money to support people in Ethiopia where there was a famine. Every year, Red Nose Day raises millions of pounds for good causes. Celebrities are often

When we are learning a language, we learn about nouns and adjectives before anything else. Usually, we learn to name and describe ourselves, our family and pets because we are very familiar with these things. In this blog, we are going to share some tips for using the right adjectives, so that you have more to say the next time you speak in English! Adjectives are great for giving extra information about people, animals and things! Let’s go. 1. Size and Colour Let’s describe

Easter is known as a Christian celebration, but actually, similar celebrations have been found in many old religions in the U.K., such as Paganism. The celebration focuses on fresh starts and new beginnings, which coincides with Spring; a time when nature restarts as the trees blossom and the baby animals are born. For this reason baby chick decorations are often used on cards etc., and chocolate eggs are given as gifts. Another food related to Easter is simnel cake; a fruit

Mother’s Day or Mothering Sunday is celebrated on the third Sunday of March in the U.K., which differs from other countries like America. Mother‘s Day is a celebration of the women in a family and giving thanks for all they do. Cards and gifts are given, and these are often handmade, especially by younger children. Another tradition is to give mums the day off from their normal responsibilities, with dads and children making mums breakfast in bed and doing other household tas

Chinese New Year is not a big celebration throughout the U.K., but it is growing in popularity and is popular in areas with a large Chinese community. Shops stock special Chinese meals, including fortune cookies. Popular Chinese food in the U.K. include sweet and sour chicken, beef in black bean sauce, egg fried rice, spring rolls, and of course, prawn crackers! Some people put up decorations such as paper lanterns and lucky cats. These are often in the traditional red and go

Spring in the U.K. officially starts on March 20th. It is the time of year where everything starts springing into life. The weather during spring can be unpredictable. There are often sunny days, but it is also famous for sudden and unexpected rain, known as ‘April showers‘. The clocks go forward by one hour on the last Sunday of March and the hours of daylight get longer. People start to partake in outdoor activities more and tend to their gardens. The celebrations of Mother

Have you ever wanted to know why there are courses that teach adults English for business purposes? Would you like to learn English for business but aren’t quite sure why you should or what the benefits are? We took some time to think of the best benefits to studying English for business and we are sure that, after reading this, you’d be convinced to start right away. So, without further ado, let’s dig into the best benefits of studying English for business. 1. English is an