Cat's classroom

Of course pronunciation is important, but is it that important? In a study, it was found that learners with good pronunciation who make grammatical mistakes are much more likely to be understood than people who have perfect grammar but bad pronunciation. And of course, if you are doing an exam, some of your marks will be given for your pronunciation. But do you have to speak like a native speaker?  The short answer is no. However, you should be able to make the sounds, people should be able to understand you and as you get a higher level, you should be able to speak more fluently (not hesitating so much) by doing things like connecting your words (connected speech). Thankfully, there are some great websites that can help you. For basic sounds practice, this BBC website has explanations and quizzes (Good when you are starting or have particular problem areas).  Remember, just listening and repeating is great practice. Also by the BBC, Tim's Pronunciation Worksh...

Join Therese on the Brunel Centre Youtube channel. To kick off*, she is talking about idioms that we can use to talk about our experiences in quarantine. Check it out! To kick off = to start   (the same as in football!)

Have you got a spare 5 -10 minutes?  Why don't you do a quick quiz. You could test your knowledge of adjectives , verbs , nouns or adverbs . If you want more options, there's a whole page of grammar  quizzes. It's amazing what you can do in 10 minutes!

Bored of Netflix?  Maybe you already know this website but I came across it* today. On this website Sila explains lots of English grammar, pronunciation, expressions and idioms in SPANISH! There are articles and videos to help improve your English so why not have a look? *to come across something = to discover something by chance

It's Easter! In the UK, people enjoy cooking special foods for Easter including hot cross buns, chocolate eggs and Easter biscuits. The BBC Food website has lots of sweet and savory recipes to try for Easter including easier recipes for kids .  I have a sweet tooth* so love biscuits like these Lemon butter biscuits  by well known British chef Mary Berry. Happy cooking! and Happy Easter! * 'To have a sweet tooth' means that a person likes sweet things E.g. She has a sweet tooth. =  She likes sweet food.

Are you interested in space, science or engineering? NASA has a great website for people with all ages.  It has loads of activities, videos and games for practicing your English. There is NASA Kids Club and it has recently launched* (Ha ha!) NASA at Home with things to do while you are stuck at home. * to launch has various meanings: to send a spacecraft, bomb or rocket in to the sky or a boat into water and If a company or organization launches a product or service, it makes it available for the first time

Do you want to watch more news in English but you find it boring and maybe difficult?   Did you know that there is a news programme in the UK aimed at young people?   Newsround has shorter articles, less complicated language and is more fun than the normal news. It is a great way to learn new vocabulary about what is happening in the world.  Why not give it a try and learn something new today? * up to date =  modern , and using the most  recent   technology  or  knowledge ** to be in the know =  to have  knowledge  about something that not everyone knows