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Learning how to agree or disagree in English is essential for language learners. It requires confidence, clarity, politeness, and courtesy in expressing opinions verbally or in writing. This article explores how to express opinions and offers helpful phrases for formal and informal settings.
Are you looking for an official English qualification? The Cambridge Certificate in English might be the ideal certification for your needs since they offer a variety of exams that cover different needs and levels. The Cambridge Certificate is an English language certificate issued by Cambridge University in England for non-native speakers. Every year, over three million people from 130 countries take the exams. The certificate confirms qualified English skills and is recognised internationally by various schools, universities and companies. The exams are set by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and are offered in the following categories: General English, Vocational English (e.g. Business English), Academic English, English for Children and Teaching Qualifications. The certificate has no validity date, it is valid for life.
An overview of the different English levels and examination grades:
The Key English Test (abbreviated KET) is the easiest test offered by Cambridge University. It corresponds to level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
The Preliminary English Test (PET) is a test that requires an intermediate level of English. It tests the four skills of writing, reading, listening and speaking, using examples from everyday life.
The First Certificate in English (FCE), sometimes just called First, is the first ESOL exam. The abbreviation ESOL stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages; since 2013 this exam has borne the new name Cambridge English Language Assessment. The First Certificate in English is an internationally recognised certificate and corresponds roughly to the TOEFL test in terms of requirements and level. It is also valid for life.
The Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) is the second-highest ESOL certificate. It enables its holders to study at British universities.
The Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) is the most sought-after certificate. The CPE is aimed at non-native speakers who have reached a very high level of English and can speak confidently and without error in a variety of situations. The certificate is required at many universities for English-language degree programmes, but often the less complex CAE or FCE certificates are also sufficient. As the highest ESOL certificate, the CPE is also one level above the internationally recognised Business English Certificate of the highest level (BEC Higher). With this certificate, it is possible to apply to any English-speaking university in the world.
You can find further information about all the Cambridge certificate exams on their official website.
The Business English Certificates (BEC) are examinations for business English that are based on real situations from everyday business life. They are offered for levels B1, B2 and C1 and can also be taken on the computer. THE BEC is available in three different levels:
The International Legal English Certificate (ILEC) is primarily aimed at lawyers and law students.
The International Certificate in Financial English (ICFE) was designed for the financial sector and is also aimed at students from this sector.
The Business Language Testing Service (BULATS) is an English test that companies and other institutions take to assess the English level of their employees. It primarily tests language skills related to the job in question. The test can be taken on the computer or under strict regulations in the company – both online and in paper form.
The cost of Cambridge exams depends on the level and type of test. However, candidates should expect to pay between 150 and 200 euros. You can only take the test at certified test centres. There are now test centres in over 135 countries around the world, mostly in universities, adult education centres or language schools. Here in Malta, too, there are various institutions where Cambridge exams are taken. BELS not only supports you in your exam preparation but also helps you with your exam registration.
Get personal consultation and a study-plan based on your needs by writing to us at [email protected].
We’re all used to reading summaries, yet we’re not always taught how to write a summary in English. Summaries can be found everywhere, from book covers to product descriptions to online review sites. However, no matter how many summaries you’ve read, writing your own when you need to can be challenging. Follow our guide to get it right.
A summary is a shorter description of a longer text that summarises all the important points. It provides an overview so that you don’t have to read the whole text to get an idea of the content. Summaries exist for books, films and many other media. And yet, even if you have already read some summaries, it can still be difficult to write your own. Today we want to help you write your own summary.
Summary writing is about presenting the highlights of a text and leaving out anything unimportant. A summary of Hamlet would include only the most important points about the action, Polonius’ murder for example – leaving out things that are not relevant, such as his soliloquy to thine own self be true.
You can follow 4 steps to write a good summary:
The first step is obvious: Read or look carefully at what you want to write your summary about.
If you want to write a summary about a book, for example, there is always the temptation to work with other summaries from the internet. But especially as a beginner, you should avoid this, because it is difficult to assess which sources are really reliable. In addition, you can run the risk of plagiarism.
Next, start preparing and write down some key points about your text. Use your memory. What things did you remember when you read the text? This way, you can weed out unnecessary information. But also think about what is really important and less about what might only interest you. You may have to read the text several times to filter the information correctly. You might also divide the text into sections and think of a suitable heading for each section.
Now turn your bullet points into a text. Follow the order of events in the text or film.
It is important to use only your own words. Of course, you can use direct and indirect quotations and refer to passages in the text, but on the whole you should use your own language to make the summary unique. Also, remember to write the summary for someone who has no idea about the text – they should still know what the text is about at the end. Also pay attention to structuring transitions, don’t just line up sentence after sentence, use adverbs (however, as a result, meanwhile). Furthermore, you should avoid first-person constructions and your own opinion is inappropriate here. A summary is always written in the simple present tense.
The last step is to revise. Now you need to correct mistakes and remove inappropriate words. Also cut out unnecessary sentences, so you have more space to elaborate on the important information. It’s also a good idea to check the transitions.
Sometimes a lot of details are described in the source text but they are mostly unnecessary for your summary. Try to concentrate on the most important information. Also, do not add any new information to your summary, and avoid speaking in the first and second person- ‘I’, ‘you’ and ‘we’ constructions have no place in your text. Narrative elements such as ‘suddenly’ are inappropriate and literal speech is also not to be used in your summary.
Finally, we would like to give you a few helpful phrases that you can learn and use in your own summary. They will bring your text to a higher level, show the reader that you have dealt with the text type summary and give the result professionalism.
We can provide personalised lessons to help you overcome your challenges and teach you how to write a summary in English. Lessons will be based on your needs and adapted along the way. Individual lessons can be held online at one of our schools in Malta and Gozo.
Get in touch to discuss a personalised learning plan.
Here in Malta, the sun shines all year round, but in summer it gets especially hot. The days get longer, the drinks get cooler, and everything seems to get a bit more relaxed. And the best part is that summers in Malta are almost 4 months long. That means that you’ll have plenty of time to put your newly learned summer idioms to use.
Summertime means travel time. To travel on a shoestring means to travel very cheaply. Many young people want to travel cheaply, so they choose hostels rather than hotels. This way you can save money and see more of the world.
Example: We travelled on a shoestring while backpacking through Europe last summer.
To soak up some sun means to lie in the sun and enjoy the rays.
Example: I have been soaking up the sunshine here in Malta and I hope you’ve been watching it all on my Instagram!
Dog Days are the warmest days of summer. On days like these, the air is stuffy and every movement is an effort. Usually these days occur in July or August.
The expression has its origins in Greek mythology. In summer, you can watch Sirus, the dog star, during the nights. In late summer, he rises and sets in the northern hemisphere in line with the sun. The ancient Greeks believed that this combination of the sun and Sirus was responsible for the hot weather.
Example: Temperatures slowly climb up and we’re going into the dog days of summer.
Like a cat on a hot tin roof is a wonderful figurative expression. A tin roof which can quickly become very hot in the summer sun. So if you imagine a cat on such a roof, scurrying across it with its paws, you can imagine the meaning of this idiom. So this refers to a nervous and anxious person.
There is also an American film from 1958 called Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. It stars Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman.
Example: The actor was like a cat on a hot tin roof while he was waiting for his first performance to begin.
A summer fling is a short summer romance or relationship during the summer. This is a summer fling that is not meant to last forever. With the summer, the romance also ends.
Example: I can’t believe Tiffany is a teenager already! She had her first summer fling with a boy from summer camp but thankfully it wasn’t too serious. I’m not prepared for her growing up so fast!
At first glance, it seems that this phrase is positive, because fair weather means good weather, but appearances are deceiving. A fair-weathered friend is someone who is only friends with you when you are doing well. However, if you get into trouble or things go badly for you, this person will not stand by you.
Example: I thought he was a great friend but he’s really just a fair-weather friend.
This expression translates as “hotter than Dutch love. It is believed that this expression comes from Calvinism. It is said that the Dutch followers of Calvinism were very passionate with each other behind closed doors. So this expression means very hot days in summer, but it is also used to describe a hot partnership. You will hear it often in New York or Pennsylvania.
Example: How hot is it? Hotter than Dutch love.
Chasing rainbows literally means “chasing rainbows”, but probably the German term “nach den Sternen greifen” fits better at this point. Someone who “chases rainbows” is trying to achieve something seemingly impossible. This term is mostly used for naive people, but maybe sometimes we should all try a little bit more to chase the rainbows.
Example: I know you want to be famous, but I think you should stop chasing rainbows and get an office job.
A person is described as a social butterfly if he/she is very social and open. Social butterflies have no problem making friends in a new group and can adapt to different people – just like real butterflies. The downside, however, can be that these individuals have a hard time making deeper friendships because they care about multiple friendships at once.
Example: She’s a true social butterfly and loves parties and social events.
This expression is about swallows. It could be seen again and again that some swallows returned from their African winter quarters as early as March, and so it is said that one swallow does not yet mean that summer is here, if one wants to express that just because one good thing has happened, it does not necessarily mean that good thing will continue to happen.
Example: A lot of things went right for us this year, but one swallow does not make a summer.
Answer key:
Do you want to learn more seasonal idioms? Read about spring idioms, winter idioms, and autumn idioms.
Learning English as an adult is not as difficult as you may believe. Many studies have found that adults have some benefits when it comes to language learning. Their maturity and life experience provide adults with many crucial approaches and capabilities that children just do not have.
The first step is to know it’s possible. The sooner you realise that it’s an achievable task, the more progress you will make.
And secondly? Making learning fun and memorable, by introducing some pleasurable tension and light competition. The best way to achieve this is to try fun activities aimed at adults as part of your English learning.
For instance, if we talk about learning vocabulary – simply reading and copying vocabulary on the blackboard gets boring relatively quickly. To give you a little more variety not only in vocabulary learning but in English learning in general, it can be helpful to play some games. Games are not only fun to play – especially with good friends – but also help you to improve your English. Today we would like to introduce you to some fun activities in English that you can play with your buddies.
Werewolves and villagers live in a fictional village. The villagers are in the majority and are afraid of the werewolves that might come at night and kill them. The game is divided into two phases: During the night, all players sleep and close their eyes, the wolves wake up and choose a victim by pointing their fingers, who should be dead the next morning. There are a few villagers with special roles, a seer, for example, or a blinking girl, who also wake up in the night and can spy a little for the village. The second phase is the next morning, when all players can wake up and discuss who might be a werewolf. One person is chosen to leave the game. If at some point all werewolves are dead, the village wins. But if at some point no villagers are left alive, the werewolves win.
The discussion about the possible werewolves and an exciting story around the events make the game lively and perfect for adults to learn English.
You can play this game with as many people as you like. Take a piece of paper and a pen. Each person should write down three facts about themselves – two truths and a lie. Now you present your facts to the group and the group has to guess which fact is a lie. Extra questions may also be asked to see how well the person can lie. So be clever with your lie. The winner is the person who has sold the most lies to the group.
This game is a good way to practise question-answer dialogues and improve your vocabulary.
As a child, you often played Scattergories. And believe it or not: this game is even more fun in adulthood, because by now you have a much broader knowledge and can make the categories for this game exciting and complex. So take a pen and a piece of paper, create a table, fill it with categories and off you go. City, country, river, film, famous person or car brand – anything goes. Start with a letter and each person now looks for the matching terms for the individual categories. As soon as someone has finished, they call ‘Stop’ and 10 points are awarded for each correct answer. If the same answer appears more than once, only five points are awarded. The winner is the person with the most points at the end.
This game improves your vocabulary in different areas of daily life and is a lot of fun.
Maybe you already know this game and play it with words from your language in between. Now you can try it with English words. For the game you need the ready-made Scrabble pack or just lots of tiles with letters. One person starts and places a word with the tiles. The other players now have to create a word with their letters, i.e. the first letter of the word must be one of the letters of the first word. You can create words horizontally or vertically, or extend existing words, e.g. make a “baker” out of a “bake”. The person who is the first to run out of stones wins.
This game forces you to think about new words. If another person creates a new word, you might even get to know words that were previously unknown to you. And by the way, you also train your pronunciation.
The game Taboo is probably known all over the world. You can buy a ready-made Taboo game, but you can also create the cards yourself. Basically, it’s about explaining a word to your team without using the words that go with it. The team that guesses the most words at the end is the winner. Here you will quickly learn how to paraphrase English words. This will be especially useful in future conversations.
Learning English at our schools is different from anything you’ve ever experienced. Classes are communicative, and interactive and stimulate a real-world environment. You’ll learn practical language through activities, teamwork, and projects. At the same time, you’ll do so in an international community. The classroom really does come alive. And you’ll learn useful techniques to study on your own. With BELS, the whole world becomes your classroom.
Welcome to Oz – that’s what Australians affectionately call their country. But that’s just one of the many cute Australian words in English. Take a look at our article and dream away with us to faraway Australia.
Australian English is more than just an accent and the ‘Aussie’ vocabulary amazes many British people. Australian English is similar to British English but differs from American English in many ways – and so there are many Australian expressions and phrases, a few of which we’d like to introduce you to today.
The origins of Australian English date back to the late 18th century when Australia was still a kind of penal colony for British prisoners and outcasts. It is likely that various dialects had already developed in England and at sea but the first settlers were a milestone in the language of Australia. Although the people in the European settlements of Australia did not actually think of changing the English language, it simply could not be avoided. When the British arrived in Australia, they mostly lived close together in the big cities and were more or less left to their fate. They came from various parts of Britain and their dialects essentially shaped Australian English. Later, Irish and Scottish farmers and stockbreeders came in and brought not only their customs but also their language with them. Australian English can therefore be described as a mix of Irish, Scottish and English influences. But traces of the indigenous Aboriginal languages can often be detected as well.
Australian English is still characterised by many abbreviations and hearty nicknames. It symbolises Australian values and the Australian national feeling: friendship, friendliness, informality and solidarity with other Australians. The following are clear examples of words that are unique to Australian English.
If you are equipped with these Australian English words, expressions and phrases, you will soon be able to speak like a real Australian and feel at home in Australia. Plus, it’s a lot of fun to speak English with slang like this.
Would you like to learn more about the English language variations? Read this article about the differences between British and American English.
While it is always recommended to start learning English as a child, it is by no means impossible to start learning English as an adult.
Of course, it has been proven time and again that children are more receptive to new languages and language stimuli, but that shouldn’t stop you from starting to learn a new language at a later stage in life.
Yet, it’s not as hard as you think to learn English as an adult. There are many studies that show that adults also have some advantages when learning languages. Their life experience and maturity equip them with many important techniques and skills that children simply don’t have. So quickly dispel the myth that adults can’t learn English.
There can be many reasons why adults decide to learn a new language at an advanced age. However, the lack of free time, a job, or even the family sometimes make this decision difficult. In the end, it is above all a question of motivation and one’s own interest which influences whether one manages to learn a foreign language. Nowadays, however, it is more important than ever to master English, because English opens the door to the world for you. It is used in all countries of the world and is required in many areas of life. Therefore, now is exactly the right time to learn English in adulthood.
Firstly, adults have a more developed cognitive system that makes it easier for them to learn new content. They also have a greater learning experience. They usually already know themselves and their own learning strategies very well and know how they can best absorb content. Language learning is therefore more efficient.
Secondly, because they have so much life experience, adults are also at an advantage, particularly when learning vocabulary. They can make more associations with the terms than children and create clever learning bridges in their heads. Thirdly, adults also bring a much broader vocabulary to learning and usually have greater expertise. So they can comprehend things more easily and understand grammatical structures better.
Ultimately, there are many more learning opportunities when learning in adulthood. Adults usually bring a higher level of motivation and so often find more exciting ways to achieve their goal – learning English. They attend our language courses, often going on an exciting language trip abroad, reading English books or even watching films and series in the original English version.
Language learning thus becomes not only a hobby but also brings other benefits.
Language learning always involves learning new sounds, words and grammar forms. As a result, you will quickly notice how your performance and receptiveness always improve. You will soon be ready to handle different situations in different languages.
Neurologists have also found that there is no better way to keep the brain on its toes than learning languages. So when you start learning English, you are exercising your memory and as you move from one language to another, new connections are being made in your brain.
While your brain is busy processing all the new English sounds, vocabulary and grammatical phenomena, your memory improves automatically. This improves your mental performance and reduces the risk of cognitive impairment later in life.
You automatically become more mentally flexible when you learn a new language. Why? During the process of language learning, all areas of your brain are activated. So all the functions of the brain have to work and make an effort, and that’s how new connections are made, so your brain gains. In addition, a study by University College London found that our brains can work faster when we learn new languages.
A significant benefit of learning English as an adult (and probably as a child or teenager) is making new friends. You will meet people who are in exactly the same position as you and who are also learning English. With your new friends, you may even share the same interests or stumble across the same difficulties during your learning. Together you can motivate yourselves and practise English. There really is nothing better than learning English together with new friends.
So, are you thinking of learning English? Here are what a few of our former adult students had to say about their experience with BELS.
For many non-native speakers, English seems to be a universal language that is spoken in the same way everywhere. But this is not quite true. In particular, the English spoken in America and the English spoken in Britain are very different. So what are the differences between British and American English?
The biggest linguistic difference is probably in the vocabulary. Hundreds of everyday words are different. For example, British people call the front of a car a ‘bonnet’, while Americans refer to it as the ‘ hood’. People in New York live in apartments, while people in London live in a flat. Americans go on ‘vacation’, British people go on ‘holidays’ or just ‘hols’.
Above all, these two forms of English also bring differences in the grammatical area. For example, if you look at nouns that refer to a group of people, you will notice differences.
For example,
Above all, these two forms of English also bring differences in the grammatical area. For example, if you look at nouns that refer to a group of people, you will notice differences.
In American English, group nouns are in the singular. Staff refers to a group of employees, band refers to a group of musicians and team refers to a group of athletes.
In contrast, in British English, these nouns are used in both the singular and the plural. That is why you will hear both The team are playing tonight and The team is playing tonight.
Another phenomenon that makes some differences are the auxiliary verbs. They help to form a grammatical function.
For example, if you take a closer look at the auxiliary verb shall, you will see that shall is used to express the future. For example: When British people announce I shall go home now, Americans know what is meant by shall, but they would not express it that way. Shall is very formal in America, so Americans would probably say I will go home now.
When Americans want to say that something is not obligatory, they use the auxiliary verb do in conjunction with not followed by need: You don’t need to come to work today. British people, on the other hand, simply omit the auxiliary verb and the not and prefer: You needn’t come to work today.
There are also some differences in the past tenses between American and British English. The American past tense of learn is learned – the British, on the other hand, use not only learned but also learnt. The same applies to dreamed and dreamt, burned and burnt or leaned and learnt.
A confirmation question turns a statement into a question. For example,
The whole situation is unfortunate, isn’t it? or You don’t like her, do you?
Americans also use confirmation questions, but much less often than British people.
The last part consists of a pronoun and an appropriate form of the verb to be, have or do. Confirmation questions encourage people to answer and agree with you.
The difference in spelling is probably one of the biggest differences between British and American English. Although it may not be noticeable when speaking or listening, there can be some confusion when writing.
Many words in British have the letter u after the o. For example, you might come across colour or honour. In America, the ‘u’ is dropped, and American English is usually simplified.
Another common difference is that Americans use the letter ‘z’, while British people use an ‘s’, for example in the verb organise. Words like theatre or metre are spelled theatre and meter in America.
Also, in the UK you will often find a double ‘l’, such as in ‘travelled’, which Americans find unnecessary, and write ‘travelled’ instead. There are also other small differences, such as ‘grey’ and ‘gray’ or ‘kerb’ and ‘curb’.
In the end, however, British and American English still have more in common than differences, it is simply often exaggerated. If you know one version, you will have no problems with the other. With the exception of a few regional dialects, most British and Americans have no problem communicating with each other. They watch each other’s TV series, listen to the same songs and read the same books.
On the other hand, there’s also Australian English with its own unique vocabulary. Discover the varieties of Australian English here.
Are you developing your vocabulary in English? Remember that not all words that look and sound familiar to your language have the same meaning. These are called false friends – so they look and sound the same, but the meaning is entirely different. So, watch out for these hilarious false friends in Spanish, French, German, and Italian.
In English, the word ‘embarrassing‘ is a synonym for humiliating. Spare yourself the humiliation with this one – in Spanish, the word ‘Embarazo‘ means pregnancy, while ‘Embarazada‘ means pregnant.
Even though the Spanish are quite open people, they don’t usually speak up about their bowels. In English, ‘to be constipated’ means to have blocked bowels, while a ‘constipado‘ is a common cold in Spanish.
In English, ‘getting emotional‘ means when you are moved to tears in a heartwarming or upsetting situation. ‘Emocionado‘ can mean both excited and moved in Spanish, which is tricky, as it doesn’t translate to ’emotional’ in all contexts. While you can get ‘emocionado‘ on a roller coaster, you wouldn’t get ’emotional’ on a roller coaster!
If you call someone a ‘douche‘ in English, you mean they’re obnoxious. In French, ‘douche‘ means shower.
In English ‘sales‘ refer to the seasonal discounts on products. If you see something that is ‘sale‘ in French, it doesn’t mean it’s sold at a discount, but that it’s dirty.
If you call someone ‘jolly‘ in English you’re complementing their happy and uplifting attitude. In French, ‘jolie‘ is still a compliment, but it means pretty.
In English, giving someone a ‘gift’ is when you give them a present, like on their birthday. ‘Das Gift’ in German means poison/toxic! Not the best present for someone’s birthday.
Everyone can ‘winken‘ but not everyone can wink. In English, a ‘wink‘ is a cheeky or flirty gesture that some people can do by closing one eye. In German, ‘winken‘ just means wave.
If you see ‘die art’ near a strange word, it’s not what you’re thinking. In German ‘die art’ means type/kind/sort and has nothing to do with art as a form of expression.
These two are quite the opposite! If somebody is ‘annoying‘ you, they are irritating you, like a mosquito buzzing around your head when you are trying to sleep. And if you use the word ‘annoiare‘ it means you’re bored.
A ‘bald‘ person is someone who lost all their hair. While calling someone ‘bald‘ in English can be offensive, in Italian ‘boldo‘ is courageous.
When you’re ‘cold‘ in English, you’re shivering and need to put on more clothes or switch on the heating. This is another case of direct opposites – in Italian, ‘caldo‘ actually means hot.
When learning English alone, it’s easy to make mistakes as the ones above, without noticing. That’s why having a teacher to support you is necessary to take your language to the next level. Contact us now to learn more about personalised individual lessons, at our schools or online.
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