How Eye Contact Works

Most of us know that use of eye contact can be important, and that the "rules" are different from culture to culture.

"Eye contact can signal love, hate, intelligence, creepiness, persuasion, sarcasm—and sometimes lies."

So, how does eye contact work?

Read more at: http://www.spring.org.uk/2013/07/how-eye-contact-works.php

Culture: How to Shake Hands Correctly in the American Business World

In many cultures, people shake hands when meeting and greeting. However, the way people shake hands varies enormously not only from one culture to another but also within cultures.

Here's an excellent article about how to shake hands in the business world in the USA:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/spycatcher/201307/the-art-handshaking?tr=HdrQuote

Do you shake hands in your culture? Is the way you shake hands different to the US business style?



With thanks to SalFalko (http://www.flickr.com/photos/safari_vacation/) for the image.

Awesomely Untranslatable Words From Around The World

It's interesting to consider the relationship between language and culture. This article lists twenty words for which there is no equivalent in English. Do you know of any untranslatable words or concepts in your first language?

20 awesomely untranslatable words from around the world (via Matador Network)

Photo: laogooli There are at least 250,000 words in the English language. However, to think that English – or any language – could hold enough expression to convey the entirety of the human experience is as arrogant of an assumption as it is naive…

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Seven Secrets of Success

:)

Learning a foreign language: five most common mistakes

Do you think that only highly intelligent and talented people can succeed in learning foreign languages? Wrong!

You simply need to know how to learn in the right way. Read this extremely helpful article to get yourself on the right track.

"Here are the five most common mistakes language learners make – and how to correct them..."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationadvice/9750895/Learning-a-foreign-language-five-most-common-mistakes.html

Are you making some of these mistakes?

Spend five to ten minutes writing about how you plan to change!

Which are the best online dictionaries for learners of English?

Here's a link to another blog which you may find helpful if you're not sure which online dictionaries to use:

http://shar.es/AHM3h

I would add that I like http://dictionary.reference.com/ because the definitions are clear and easy to understand, you can click to hear the pronunciation of the words and because examples of the usage of the words are given, including use in idioms.

As always, feel free to ask questions or add comments here!

Which topics do you think are most difficult to talk about?

Do you find it easy to talk about computers? How about clothes? Or pets?

Everyone has different interests so we may not find all topics equally easy to talk about. That's one reason why IELTS candidates need to expose themselves to a wide range of material by a variety of different people when reading and listening. A few times per week, when listening and reading in English, you should deliberately choose topics outside your usual range of interests and speakers/writers with whom you might not agree or even find appealing!

Then again, some topics - such as "love" - might be considered difficult by most people. Here are some interesting definitions of love to reflect on:

What Is Love? Famous Definitions from 200 Years of Literary History

by Maria Popova

“Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get — only with what you are expecting to give — which is everything.”

See more definitions here:

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/01/01/what-is-love/

Which definition do you like most?

What is your own definition of love?

Four Subtle Changes Occurring in English

Have you noticed these 4 subtle changes which are occurring in English?

http://shar.es/AaVdu

How can you best prepare for the IELTS test?

As most of you will know, there's a huge amount of misinformation about IELTS online.

Take care not to waste your time looking at silly "tips" on unreliable websites.

To prepare for the IELTS test you must:

1. Familiarise yourself with information about the test from the official sources:

http://www.ielts.org/

http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-qualifications/ielts/how-to-prepare/

Also:

http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/

http://www.ieltspractice.com/

http://www.idp.com/ielts.aspx

http://www.els.edu/en/DiscoverELS/IELTS

2. Continue to work on building your English language skills daily (reading, writing, listening and speaking)

3. Practise the test. Some feedback on your speaking and writing from an experienced IELTS teacher may be helpful but is not absolutely necessary.

4. Join an IELTS class locally or online if needed.

That's it!

If you have questions, feel free to ask :).

Speaking Topics: Travel

"Trip Advisor" is a popular travel review website. Today, their "Travelers' Choice 2013 Top 25 Landmarks - World" list was released.

Can you guess which world landmark was at the top of the list?

Check here http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Attractions-cLandmarks-g1-a_Mode.expanded to see if you were correct!

Have you visited any of these places?

Which five of these landmarks would you most like to visit? Why?

What can we learn from visiting other places and cultures?

Being Prepared for Discussion in Speaking and Writing: Another Great Resource (Time Magazine)

If you've been practising the speaking and writing sections of the IELTS test, you'll be well aware that you need to be able to discuss a range of topical issues. This requires both awareness and language.

Throughout this blog you'll find numerous recommendations for free online reading and listening resources to help develop both your awareness of such issues and the language needed to express your ideas in English.

Another such resource is Time Magazine. Their "most popular stories of the week" page is very useful:

http://www.time.com/time/most_popular

If you wish, you can choose to have the week's top ten stories sent to your email.

Enjoy learning about the world while you improve your English language skills!

English Language Learning Tips - Listening Test Skills

Here are some great tips for your listening test from Cambridge English Language Assessment:

http://www.youtube.com/user/cambridgeenglishtv?feature=watch

Which tip did you find most useful?

Cambridge English Examinations

The IELTS test is just one of the tests from Cambridge English Language Assessment (formerly known as University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations) in which you may be interested.

Cambridge English Language Assessment is a not-for-profit department of the University of Cambridge.

"Cambridge English Language Assessment offers the world’s most valuable range of qualifications for learners and teachers of English. Over 4 million people take our exams each year in more than 130 countries. Over 13,000 universities, employers, government ministries and other organisations around the world recognise Cambridge English qualifications as proof of English language ability."

Their website is http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/ .


You can follow Cambridge English Language Assessment here:

https://www.facebook.com/CambridgeEnglish?

twitter.com/CambridgeEng

youtube.com/CambridgeEnglishTV

More information about Cambridge English Exams and Qualifications can be found at http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-qualifications/