Do you want to improve your English in 2018? Well choose one of these resolutions:

1. Learn a new word every day. Choose a word, stick it somewhere you can see it (your computer screen or on the coffee machine, for example) and every time you look at it, try to make a sentence with it. When you've got it, change the word for a different one. (For more on learning vocabulary, see here.) 
2. Find a language exchange partner. Try the conversation exchange website and you can find people all over the world speaking all different languages who want to talk with you, either face-to-face or through a chat software. 
3. If you need English for your job, ask your company for English language training. Having face-to-face lessons with a good teacher is the best way to learn. 
4. Listen to the radio in English or listen to songs in English and practise with the lyrics. Karaoke is a great way to learn English and you can find a lot of songs with the karaoke lyrics on youtube. (Try this Backstreet Boys song for a blast from the past.)  
5. Read aloud. A great way to practise your pronunciation is to read aloud. Even if no one's listening, it will help you concentrate on how you're saying the words. Make sure you understand what you're reading first. 
6. Read something interesting. Don't feel you have to read a difficult novel to improve your English - you're not at school anymore. Whatever you're interested in , you can find articles and information about it in English.
7. Watch movies and series in English. Put the subtitles on - either in English or in your own language.

I promise you, if you choose even only one of these resolutions, your English will be so much better at the end of 2018.

a blast from the past - something very nostalgic

A very Happy New Year to all my students and blog readers! I wish you lots of health and happiness for 2018!

Every year in Britain, all the big retailers release a schmaltzy Christmas advert, designed to make you laugh or cry. Here are two of this year's offerings, both from big department stores:

retailers - companies that sell directly to consumers (shops)
schmaltzy - very sentimental

If you’re applying for a job in English, you need to make sure your cover letter is great. But writing well in English is very different from writing in French. Read my LinkedIn article for lots of tips to help you: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/french-speakers-7-tips-effective-cover-letter-english-catherine-aygen

Do you have a good work-life balance? Here's a very interesting talk from an excellent speaker (who is also the author of "Fat, Forty and Fired", which sounds quite interesting. You can read more about him here.)

To get the most out of this talk, I recommend downloading the worksheet here and checking some difficult vocabulary before you start. 

I have such a problem in French with masculine and feminine nouns. I never know if something is le or la so I just choose one (50% chance of getting it correct, right?) Now my children are older, they always correct me when I get it wrong, usually while I'm trying to talk to someone in my best French. 

Do you always know how to respond in English? Even if you have been learning English for a while, you may not know useful phrases for every situation. Here are 24 phrases you need to know if you want to speak natural English. ​

I was totally amazed by this talk. As Terry Moore says, you think when you get to this age, one life skill you've nailed is tying your shoelaces.

Well, watch this and you might change your mind...

(I've added the English subtitles on here to help you.)

When you've nailed something, it means you can do it perfectly or successfully.