Weekly Roundup #5

Is it Friday already? Wow… that week passed so quickly! It always happens when you feel busy, and this week I have been extremely busy. In fact, last night I published this video to YouTube:

It is a very different style to my usual videos, so please let me know whether or not you like it. If it is popular, I will keep making this sort of video.

Useful English & IELTS Activities

If you want to practice your English in a timely way, then check out the BBC’s new language lesson about the current COVID-19 situation. It will test your listening skills and you can also learn some vocabulary.

I am constantly trying to explain to my students how to use articles in English and honestly it is a massive headache. Most English speakers just know how to use them, so it is not easy to explain it or learn it. One useful resource that I came upon this week was a guide to not using articles, which you can find here. This is helpful because teaching people when to say “a” and “the” is only effective when you also know when to use neither of them!

Most of you know that TED-IELTS is on Facebook and a few other social media platforms. (Check the list at the top of the page.) I recently signed up for Twitter and have been following a few other English teachers there. There are many cool resources that pop up for language learners, like this guide to synonyms for delicious:

Another interesting person to follow is @Sams_English, who recently tweeted a few things about phrasal verbs:

Over on Instagram, I have been following @ShawEnglishOnline, who posts daily vocabulary and grammar lessons, like this:

Don’t forget to take a look at the guide I wrote on Monday about writing letters of complaint for IELTS general writing. I also made a listening lesson based upon a TED talk on indoor gardening. Finally, I wrote a sample band 9 answer on the topic of sports facilities.

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.