Sep 15, 2018 Chunks, Phrase of the day Phrase of the day: not bat an eyelid One of the things that our students often comment on when they come to London is the fact that they often see things here that seem strange or that would cause upset or offence in their own country, but people here don’t seem bothered by at all – people don’t pay attention to them or […]
Sep 6, 2018 Chunks, Phrase of the day Phrase of the day: go with the flow My preferred way of getting around London is by bike. I usually cycle in and out of town, and on my way home, I often go past the offices of Age UK, which is a charity that campaigns for old people and provides services such as free advice on finance, fitness classes, and friendships to prevent loneliness. On […]
Aug 29, 2018 Chunks, Phrase of the day Phrase of the day: making a rod for your own back I had dinner round at a neighbour’s place the other week. Our kids go to the same school, which is how we know each other, and while we were eating and drinking wine, the kids played happily upstairs. Well, actually, it’s more accurate to say that they started off playing happily and then all hell […]
Jul 25, 2018 Chunks, Phrase of the day Phrase of the day: How long is a piece of string? As a coursebook writer, there’s one question about my work I dread more than all others. I’ll sometimes be at a conference, standing around on the publisher’s stand – the display space they have where they show all their books – when a teacher will come up, start flicking through one of my books and […]
Jun 22, 2018 Chunks, Phrase of the day Phrase of the day: a double-edged sword For many years, Hugh Grant was perhaps the most famous English actor there was. He rose to fame playing . . . well, himself, really. In films such as Notting Hill, Love Actually and Four Wedddings and a Funeral, he played the quintessential upper-class Englishman: shy, self-deprecating, slightly socially awkward, and desperate to maintain a stiff […]
