It is important that you do all of these activities EVERY DAY. If you are not living in an English-speaking country where you can go to shops, recreation/sports centres, restaurants, etc., and practice English, you need to spend as much time as possible each day doing something in English for at least a couple of hours. This will help you to practice thinking in English, too.
TV and Radio to improve listening
CBC News Listening (CELPIP Listening All Parts)
CBC TV Listening (CELPIP Listening All Parts especially Parts 4 & 5)
Websites to improve fluency (listening and speaking)
Rachel’s English Ben Franklin Exercises Listen to each video several times and repeat what Rachel and her guests say. If you practice these often you will improve your listening and speaking skills in a few weeks, even if you are not in an English country!
Songs to improve fluency
Listen to these songs and try to learn them. If you do this it will definitely help your ability to hear and speak English more quickly! Do not focus on YOUR pronunciation of the words that you see, focus on LISTENING TO THE SINGERS PRONUNCIATION OF GROUPS OF WORDS and you should do the same.
Pharrell Williams Happy or for the Weird Al Version (funny)
Have you seen this meme on your Facebook or other social media?
Or this cartoon from Raeside?
http://raesidecartoon.com/vault/winter-driving/
Why do Victorians find them so funny?
(more…)What is Lunar New Year?
Lunar New Year is the new year of the Lunar Calendar. The lunar calendar follows the cycles of the moon and is commonly used in East, South, and Southeast Asia. Because the lunar calendar follows the moon, the new year will always fall on a different day every year. In the West, we usually use the Gregorian calendar where the new year always falls on January 1.
(more…)This past December I took a trip to Japan – again.
I’ve been to Japan three times. It’s a country where you can stay in the same place for weeks and still feel like you haven’t even begun to discover any of its secrets. There’s always something curious waiting to pique your imagination, and there’s always something for everyone. From little harbour towns to sprawling urban meccas, mountain hot springs to pristine beaches, and generations-old family businesses to over 200 Michelin-star restaurants, this island nation of 127 million people has it all.
During my latest trip, I went to Tokyo for the first time. People are used to tourists in Tokyo. English is everywhere – until it isn’t.
(more…)Do you enjoy the New Year? How do you celebrate it? Do you make special goals or plans? I know that New Year’s Eve is a special time for many people in different countries.
In Canada, many people stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve (December 31). They might have a private party with friends or family, or they might go to a pub or club. People love to dress up for New Year’s parties! Women often wear shiny or sparkly dresses. 10 seconds before midnight, they start to count: “Ten… nine… eight…” until, finally, “… one… HAPPY NEW YEAR!” They often cheer and hug (or kiss) the people around them. After that, some people sing a Scottish song called Auld Lang Syne. Most of us know the tune, but very few know all the words! So we usually just sing “la la la” and pretend that we know it!
Many people make a New Year’s resolution. This is a personal promise or goal that you make to improve your life. Common New Year’s resolutions are: to exercise more, lose weight, visit family and friends more often, save more money, or learn a new skill. Some people take these resolutions very seriously, and they succeed. However, many people abandon their goals quickly. In January, it is common to joke about how long you were able to keep your resolution!
What will you do this year? Will you stay up until midnight to welcome the New Year? Will you celebrate with family and friends? Or will you stay quietly at home and enjoy your rest? Will you make a New Year’s resolution, and will you keep it?
No matter what you do, REV wishes you a very happy New Year! May your 2019 be filled with joy and love!
Canada is a multicultural country. We celebrate so many different holidays, from Diwali to Lunar New Year to Eid. We also celebrate Christmas, the biggest holiday of the year. Some people and businesses start to prepare months in advance. Thinking about the perfect gift for a loved one can be a stressful experience and some people take months to decide. Sometimes you’ll even see Christmas decorations in July!
But what do Canadians do to celebrate Christmas? We all have ideas of Christmas. We think of snow, Santa Claus, Christmas trees, a hot fireplace, turkey and roast beef, and Christmas lights. However, not every Canadian family has the same Christmas traditions. Some families might not celebrate at all, while others go all out in their traditions.
Here are some Christmas traditions that are familiar to many families across Canada.