Learning articles is one of the main difficulties faced by those who are just beginning to learn English. The difficulty is that, for example, in Russian, the interlocutor can change the order of words to accentuate some phrase or a noun. In English, the order of words is fixed — for giving stress to words, English speakers use articles. In English, articles give the significance of certainty and indefiniteness to the noun. In this case, the interlocutor understands whether it is a question of a specific subject or in general. There is also a small difference between the use of articles in British English and American English. Types of articles in English There are definite and indefinite articles: the and a / an.…

County Cornwall is in the south-west of England; it is inhabited by about 500 thousand people. In the Middle Ages, this territory was called Western Wales. The Cornwall Peninsula is a place shrouded in myths and legends. According to legends, here, in the castle of Tintagel, King Arthur was born. Also, one of the county’s cities, St. Ives, is the center of art where the galleries and workshops of British artists are located. The village of Porthcurno in the south-west of England is known for its open theater — Minack Theater. Also, there is one of the best beaches in England, owned by the National Fund of the country. Saint Ives — The City of Artists The city of St.…

All English teachers use specific additional materials in order to systematize and organize the learning process. It can be methodical plans, specialized textbooks, electronic programs, video and audio materials, special comprehensive textbooks. At any rate, those who study the language on their own also have to use teaching materials, because it is necessary to master grammar and lexis simultaneously. Specialized textbooks are your first assistants in this process. Types of teaching materials for learning English There are several types of teaching materials — universal English textbooks, textbooks with dictionaries (for the vocabulary expansion), grammar textbooks, textbooks that help improve your pronunciation. In addition, you can…

The history of bank holidays in the UK Bank holidays are days that are officially non-working. Basically, they are Mondays, so the date is not fixed. In 1871, the government for the first time legalized the bank holidays with the legislative act of the Bank Holiday Act. Initially, Britain, Wales and Ireland received 4 days off, Scotland — 5. However, today Britain has 8 such officially non-working days, Scotland and Ireland — 10. In the 19th century, all banks and official institutions were closed on these days, so the activities of other enterprises were also suspended, since all their work was connected with…

If you are planning to learn English on your own, you should be patient and have willpower, because your only motivator, in this case, is your desire. Studying will not depend on other students, the schedule and the teacher, the weather, malaise and other reasons. Of course, this type of learning is not suitable for everyone — for those who begin to learn English «from scratch», individual lessons with the teacher are more suitable. And yet, if you decide to independently gain knowledge, then before starting to study, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with certain points. What you will need to learn the English language independently…

Great Britain is one of the most unusual countries with its own special traditions. We have prepared 25 facts about this country that will surprise you. 10 amusing facts about British history 1. In 18th-century Britain, men and women were forbidden to sunbathe on the same beach. 2. The city where the first fire department appeared was Edinburgh. 3. The first programmer in the world was an Englishwoman — Ada Lovelace. 4. The first subway appeared in London, Britain. 5. The Big Ben Tower got its name not because of the clock, but because of the bell that is located inside. 6. The…

The development of reading skills plays a big role in learning English. Tasks to check the formation of this skill are included in various exams developed to obtain the certificate of proficiency in English. Most often, the understanding of the main content of what is read, the extraction of the necessary information from the text and a complete understanding of what has been read are checked at such exams. Therefore, this article will be useful to those who learn and improve their English for their pleasure, and those who are preparing for the exams. Reading modes There are different reading modes and each of them has its own peculiarities.…

It is never too late to start learning a foreign language — that is to say, it knows no ages. Most psychologists agree with this statement. As one of the most widely spoken languages, English opens the perspectives of personal and career growth, contributes to the activation of brain activity. And if this is not enough for you, then there are 6 more reasons to start learning English right now. Reason № 1. Learning English improves your memory and develops thought processes Due to the formation of new and the development of existing neural connections, the effectiveness of white and gray matter grows. Therefore, people who study languages are less likely to lose…

Most people associate the weather in England with cloudy skies, rain and damp. And there is some truth in this — British weather is often unpredictable. But you will be surprised to find out that rainfalls in London are less than in other capitals of Europe, for example, in Rome. Temperatures in England Due to the temperate continental climate, winter in Britain passes without strong frosts, but the summer is not characterized by heat — the temperature raising to +30 degrees is considered the record. The highest temperature was recorded in Kent (2010) — 38.5 degrees Celsius. The lowest (-27.2 ° C) was recorded in Scotland in 1995. The weather in Scotland really does…

In English, there are two forms of voice — active and passive. In the active voice, the subject performs the action. In the passive voice, someone or something influences the subject in a certain way. Therefore, the passive voice implies that the subject does not perform any action, but experiences a certain action. Active voice: Michael repaired the car last Sunday. Passive voice: The car was repaired by Michael last Sunday. So, the car did not repair itself, but someone repaired it. In this case, Michael did it last Sunday. In the passive voice, the emphasis is on the result, not on the subject that performs…

Curling is a team sport where players take turns to launch granite projectiles (stones) towards «home» (a special target). The goal of the game is to launch as many stones as possible into the center of the «home» or push out the rivals' stones, depriving opponents of earned points. How curling emerged Curling or «roaring stones» comes from Scotland. It was there that the first time a heavy sports projectile was discovered. It was manufactured at the beginning of the 16th century. Also curling is mentioned in the medieval chronicles of 1541. After Scotland, curling began to become popular in the Netherlands, just like golf. The story goes that the «aisstock» game (Bavarian…

Each language is rich in phraseologisms that make speech interesting, rich and mysterious for foreigners. Each phraseologism has its own story. Most of them are unique. They seem ridiculous when translated literally. Some sound absolutely identical in all languages of the world and mean the same thing. Englishmen often use idioms — stable, inseparable phrases which have figurative meaning. It is useless to translate them word for word. So, you just need to learn them. In this article, we will introduce 25 bizarre English idioms to you. History of English idioms and rules for their use Most of English idioms are rooted in biblical history, myths…