PatrickPatrick

What’s it like studying at university?

So I thought, why not throw another youtube video in? Actually, this one’s really interesting because the students are talking about lectures and seminars and what they are like. It’s from the University of Birmingham. Quiz question: which speaker has the strong Birmingham accent?! (If you can’t see youtube videos try here and you’ll find … Read more

I can’t understand the British students….

I have lost count of the times that international students have told me that they can’t understand what the British students are saying! They speak too quickly and they just can’t follow them. Here’s a bit of listening practice with a student talking about volunteering at the University of Plymouth. Volunteering is a great way … Read more

Common Errors in English Usage

I saw a sign in a shop the other day over the pens and paper saying STATIONARY. I am guessing that the person who had put it there was thinking of STATIONERY, and didn’t actually want to tell me that the pens and paper couldn’t move! But it happens to all of us sometimes – … Read more

Can I use ‘I’ in my essays?

I have been meeting new international students at university all week – how exciting to see you all! I was advertising our English Language Centre at a session for new students and I met a new American student who said that she couldn’t understand anything on the street in Plymouth! She said that when the … Read more