Cafetalk Tutor's Column

My Top 5 English Corrections (From a Guy Who Once Complimented Someone’s “Fur”)

  Before we begin, I have a confession to make. A few years ago when one of my wife's friends visit...

When and why did I decide to become a teacher?

Initially, I started teaching English as a hobby. Gradually, it became my primary profession. Now I...

Why am I a Teacher?

I could say that my teachign story starts in university. I could say that my desire to teach began ...

How I Became a Teacher (Almost by Accident)

At junior high school in the UK, I studied one of the few computer courses available at the time. T...

Daily English Upgrade #004: Tone Control — “Send it today” → “Could you send it today?”

Same message — very different feeling. Direct (can sound too strong): Send it today. Neutral / pol...

Daily English Upgrade #003: JP Trap Fix — “I’m agree” → “I agree”

Quick fix that instantly makes you sound more natural: √ I agree. (Correct)X I’m agree. (Incorrect)...

When and Why I Decided to Become a Teacher

I decided to become a teacher when I realized how powerful communication is. I’ve always enjoyed he...

Daily English Upgrade #005: Better Questions — “What’s your take on…?”

  Want smoother conversations? Ask better questions. Instead of: “Do you like it?” Try: What’s your...

The Unexpected Moment That Made Me a Teacher

My official journey as a teacher began in 2021, but the spark was lit in a quiet corner of a primar...

Speak Better English: Embarrassing Stories #001

Speak Better English: Embarrassing Stories #001 Work / Communication / New beginnings “Please t...

Daily English Upgrade #006: Mini-Conversation — Small talk opener + 2 follow-ups

Small talk gets easier when you stop trying to be “perfect” and use a simple flow. Opener: How’s yo...

The Turkish tense that shows you how you know

Have you ever seen people online calling Turkish “-miş” the “gossip tense”? It went viral for a rea...

The dimension of my spot in the land of resurrection

The Crowd's Collective-yet-individual Consciousness in the Land of Resurrection How the collective...

A New Adventure in Teaching

Hello to all students (and fellow teachers)! I hope 2026 is treating everyone kindly. I’m still new...

The Art of the Brave Word: Finding Your Voice Across Worlds

Have you ever felt like Bilbo Baggins stepping out of the Shire for the first time? That tiny flutt...

Daily English Upgrade #007: Pronunciation — PREsent vs preSENT (stress changes meaning)

Quick pronunciation win: stress can change meaning. PREsent (noun) = a giftpreSENT (verb) = to show...

When and why did I decide to become a teacher?

I decided to become a teacher when I realized how much fulfillment I found in helping others learn ...

More winter weather words

Photo: Snow piled high on a car on my street Once again I’m sipping on tea and looking out my wind...

Daily English Upgrade #008: Say It Better — “Maybe” (natural softening phrases)

“Maybe” is fine — but these give you better control. Soft “maybe”: Maybe. It depends. More natural:...

THE SILENT SECRET: Winning "Best Thriller Screenplay" in Los Angeles!

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the cafe! I’m still pinching myself as I write this. As many of...

English Idioms Challenge - Week 2

Hey all! This is the second weekly English learning challenge: to try & use this idiom in your ...

What Teaching English Taught Me

 Why Did I Became a Teacher? Motivation / Career / Learning The simple answer is...   I became ...

Daily English Upgrade #009: Micro-Pattern — “What I mean is…”

Great when you want to clarify (and sound calm). Pattern: What I mean is + (clarification). Example...

SHOWREEL

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the cafe! I’m still pinching myself. As many of you know, I’ve...

When and why did you decide to become a teacher?

Rather than simply becoming an instructor, my wish to teach on CafeTalk stemmed from a desire to pr...

Daily English Upgrade #010: JP Trap Fix — “Discuss about” → “Discuss”

Quick fix: √ discuss + topicX discuss about + topic Correct examples: Let’s discuss the plan. We di...

French the language of love

  I've always loved languages, and French is a favorite. I decided to become a French tutor during ...

Short BBC documentary videos with subtitles - 短いBBCのドキュメンタリービデオ

https://www.bbc.com/reel/ BBC Reel is a collection of short documentary videos from the BBC about v...

10 Grammar Conflicts That Can Cause Confusion

Misunderstandings often happen as a result of a breakdown in communication: what the speaker said v...

☆ Grammar Challenge ☆ January Grammar Clinic Quiz ☆

It’s already February, which means the January Grammar clinic has closed.  I’d like to thank everyo...