Cafetalk Tutor's Column

[ Living in Japan but barely speaking Japanese? ] Let’s change that in 15 minutes!

Hi everyone! I’m so excited to connect with you all in my lessons.   Are you living in Japan for w...

Should Some Football Pundits Be Shown the Red Card?

There's a common misconception in language-learning circles that most native speakers speak their l...

How Bad Habits Creep In (And How to Spot Them)

Although I take my job seriously, I would never class myself as being in the grammar police or even...

Halloween Traditions Around the World

Have you ever wondered how people celebrate Halloween in different parts of the world? Although Hal...

Halloween Traditions and 5 Useful Russian Phrases

Halloween Traditions and 5 Useful Russian Phrases Halloween is celebrated in many countries on Octo...

Halloween Horror Movie - Addendum - Horror Subgenres

Not everyone likes horror films, and that’s fair enough: being scared isn’t everybody’s cup of tea....

VERBS IN EVERYDAY ENGLISH

  Cafetalk Lesson: Verbs in Everyday English 1. Warm-up: What is a verb? A verb is an action word....

Grammar Mistake or Right as Rain? Decoding Casual English

In my last blog, we looked at how bad habits creep into everyday speech and how even native speaker...

Avoiding Cultural Gaffes: British vs American English

If you've mastered textbook English, congratulations—you've climbed a major mountain. But the momen...

Halloween Traditions Around the World

When I was a kid I loved going Trick-or-Treating. I can still remember the smell of the Halloween c...

You’ve Studied Japanese… But Can You Actually Speak It?

Learning Japanese Is More Than Just Studying a Textbook! こんにちは！I'm Shima, a licensed Japanese teac...

Casa Loma: Legends of Horror

Photo: Casa Loma lit up for the Legends of Horror eventCasa Loma, constructed between 1911 and 1914...

Search and Find

Hoping never to be seen in shades of brown against the green and yellow leaves mixed in with brown ...

Make English Fun! Happy English Quiz for Kids

Does your child love games, colours, numbers and fun activities? Let's make learning English an exc...

The Unlocked Door: How a Weekly Delivery Sparked a Lifelong Love of Reading

      The Unlocked Door: How a Weekly Delivery Sparked a Lifelong Love of Reading A True Story by ...

【English Tip】Stop saying "I'm fine, thank you!" ?? Try these natural phrases instead!

Hello everyone! This is Tutor Peace smiles When someone asks you, "How are you?", what is the first...

Halloween Around the World: How Do You Celebrate? ??

Did you know that Halloween can look completely different depending on where you live?   For some p...

A Book Character I’ll Never Forget

Hello everyone!   This past weekend, my sons and I carved a pumpkin into a Jack-o'-lantern for Hall...

A Book Character I’ll Never Forget: Uhtred of Bebbanburg

Well, this is a tough one. There are so many! Talk about an embarrassment of riches! Today, though,...

The Danger of Making Assumptions

How often do we mistake an assumption for a fact? We see something, hear something or meet someone,...