It's May 21 - World Tea Day! 🍵 Visit the Grammaticus website today and have a look at some of the resources on the subject of #tea and #TeaCulture:

English vocabulary lesson: Tea https://grammaticus.blog/2023/05/22/tea/

"On Tea", a poem by Edmund Waller (which includes a vocabulary exercise) https://grammaticus.blog/2023/05/17/on-tea-by-edmund-waller/

Listening tips: Tea culture https://grammaticus.blog/2024/05/03/listening-tips-tea-culture/

#learningenglish #englishvocabulary #englishteacher #poem #poetry #podcast

Happy World Bee Day! 🐝

In my latest blog post you can read Isaac Watts' delightful 18th century poem "How Doth the Little Busy Bee," but also find out a little something about Anton Janša, Slovenian apiarist whose work laid the foundation of modern beekeeping.

https://grammaticus.blog/2025/05/20/how-doth-the-little-busy-bee/

#poem #poetry #worldbeeday #bees #antonjanša #apiculture #nature #englishliterature #learningenglish

Image credit: Dustin Humes via Unsplash.

Japanese restaurant chain installs tip boxes in response to foreign tourists leaving tips; sparks debate - Japan Today

https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/japanese-restaurant-chain-installs-tip-boxes-in-response-to-foreign-tourists-leaving-tips-sparks-debate

> Tipping isn’t a thing at Japanese restaurants. While some foreign-language cultural guidebooks frame the situation as tipping being rude or offensive to the sensibilities of Japanese restauranteurs

#Japanese #English #日本語 #英語 #LearningEnglish
#LearningJapanese #日本語の勉強 #英語の勉強 #Japan #JapaneseCulture

Krispy Kreme Japan has Pac-Man donuts to celebrate video game star’s 45th birthday - Japan Today

https://japantoday.com/category/features/food/krispy-kreme-japan-has-pac-man-donuts-to-celebrate-video-game-star%E2%80%99s-45th-birthday

#Japanese #English #日本語 #英語 #LearningEnglish
#LearningJapanese #日本語の勉強 #英語の勉強 #Japan #JapaneseCulture

In my latest blog post you can read a bit about Arum maculatum, a beautiful but highly toxic plant that has had many uses throughout history.

If you want to learn some of the English names for it, visit https://grammaticus.blog/2025/05/07/arum-maculatum/

#nature #learningenglish #englishvocabulary #plants #botany #woodland #forest #spring

When you know that something bad is about to happen, you might say “I can see the writing on the wall.” It indicates that your statement is based on something more than just a feeling; it shows your awareness of a likely negative outcome.

Read the following post to learn more about this English expression and its fascinating cultural background.

https://grammaticus.blog/2025/04/09/the-writing-on-the-wall/

#learningenglish #englishteacher

The famous poet Robert Frost was born #OTD in 1874. Visit the Grammaticus website and check out the following posts dedicated to him and his writings:

"A Prayer in Spring": https://grammaticus.blog/2023/05/10/a-prayer-in-spring-by-robert-frost/

Listening tips: The life and works of Robert Frost: https://grammaticus.blog/2024/03/06/listening-tips-robert-frost/

Book review: "Selected Poems of Robert Frost - Illustrated Edition:" https://grammaticus.blog/2024/03/27/selected-poems-of-robert-frost/

"October:" https://grammaticus.blog/2022/10/05/robert-frost-october/

#literature #poetry #robertfrost #americanliterature #learningenglish #englishteacher

I love the English language 😇

By Linguist Gone Foreign
#LearningEnglish

With the arrival of #spring, it’s time for another quarterly #ebook from the Grammaticus Free Library series: “Four Stories for Spring” by Ellen Robena Field.

It contains four short stories, with the accompanying vocabulary notes and illustrations designed primarily for English language learners (levels B1 and above).

https://grammaticus.blog/2025/03/19/free-ebook-four-stories-for-spring/

#learningenglish #childrensbooks #shortstories #reading #readingcomprehension #americanliterature

Free ebook: “Four Stories for Spring” by Ellen Robena Field

Dear friends and followers of the Grammaticus blog,

With the arrival of spring, it’s time for another quarterly ebook from the Grammaticus Free Library series: “Four Stories for Spring.” 

The author of these stories is Ellen Robena Field (1869–1957), a children’s writer and educator from Bangor, Maine. Nowadays sadly overlooked, she is best known for her collection of short stories “Buttercup Gold and Other Stories”, originally published by the Bangor Kindergarten Association in 1894.

The ebook here available contains four spring-themed stories from that collection, with the accompanying vocabulary notes and illustrations designed primarily for English language learners (levels B1 and above).

To download your PDF copy, click on the link below. To browse all the previous Grammaticus Free Library titles, visit the Library section of this website.

CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

NOTE

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COVER IMAGE CREDIT

Photo by Kiwihug via Unsplash

#AmericanLiterature #childrenSLiterature #ebook #EllenRobenaField #EnglishLiterature #EnglishVocabulary #freeDownload #freebie #learningEnglish #literature #readingComprehension #readingSkills #shortStories

#comedy #comedyvideo #learningenglish #englishtips

This week's featured poem on the Grammaticus blog is "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth - a wonderful ode to #daffodils

This poem speaks to me on a deeply intimate level. When I was a boy, a person very dear to me – my great-grandmother – passed away one springtime. Devastated by the sense of loss, I remember spending a lot of time in our backyard garden and sitting among the daffodils, telling them about my sadness. They were very good listeners!

Maybe I was just a weird kid, or maybe I saw in those golden flowers something that Wordsworth also recognized: their power to transform grief into joy.

https://grammaticus.blog/2025/03/05/i-wandered-lonely-wordsworth/

Image credit: Andréas BRUN via Unsplash.

#poem #poetry #spring #williamwordsworth #englishliterature #learningenglish #englishteacher

William Carlos Williams, died #OTD in 1963.

Visit the Grammaticus website and search for resources dedicated to this amazing poet, such as the blog post "Spring Storm." It includes a brief introduction to his writings, as well as a simple vocabulary exercise for English language learners.

https://grammaticus.blog/2023/04/19/spring-storm-williams/

#poetry #literature #americanliterature #williamcarloswilliams #englishteacher #learningenglish

Are You SICK of Saying VERY All the Time?

#english #englishcourse #englishesl #englishvocabulary #learningenglish #vocabulary #esl

It's still #LGBTQPlusHistoryMonth, and I thought I'd share a little carousel about the work I've been doing over the last couple of years.

#LGBTQIA #ELT #ESOL #TEFL #Education #LearningEnglish

🏔️ Word Spotlight: Surmount

Meaning: To overcome or rise above (a difficulty)
"She surmounted all obstacles to achieve her goal"

Often used with:
• Challenges
• Difficulties
• Problems
• Barriers

A word for when obstacles meet their match!
#LearningEnglish

Kate Chopin - born #OTD in 1850 - was one of the most important 19th century American women writers. Of Louisiana Creole background, she was an author ahead of her time, often writing on difficult and controversial topics in a unique narrative style.

On the Grammaticus website, you can download your free PDF copy of her short story A Morning Walk, which includes vocabulary notes for English language learners.

To access this and other available ebooks, visit https://grammaticus.blog/library/.

#KateChopin #literature #AmericanLiterature #EnglishTeacher #learningenglish

✨ Word Spotlight: Poised

Meaning:
1. Composed and confident
"She remained poised under pressure"

2. Ready or prepared
"The team is poised for victory"

Think:
• Graceful
• Balanced
• Ready

A word for grace under pressure!
#LearningEnglish

No, you're not a bad PERSON for having been rude to a disabled person or people before.
But the BEHAVIOURS can be bad.

Yes, the assumption of "knowing" someone else's intent (often negative, from experience) hurts people.

Disabled people get that a lot. Ask me how I know. Yes, disabled people do it to each other too. Almost like we're also human individuals or something. 🙀

(d/Deaf people, I'm not trying to overreach here, sorry. I'm more responding to things other hearing people have said to me when I mention how gd useful and interesting BSL is.)

https://www.teachmesign.co.uk/bsl-courses-online/

#active #ActiveListening #Communication #Comms #info #Information #Idea #Ideas #learn #learning #learningEnglish #LearningEveryday #ed #edu #EduTooter #education #EducationForAll #lang #LangDev #lang_en #language #linguist #linguistics #collocation #corpus #attention #PayAttention #focus #AmbientFocus #intent #meditation #mediation #arbitration #conflict #ConflictResolution #VeRantDa #VeRamble

No, not everyone else wants to "just learn English".

Should they have to anyway, just because it'd be easier for *you*?

Would you like to learn Portuguese, Swahili, or Hindi? Many people speak those languages too.

Except try learning when you can't hear other speakers very well, and it's tonal, and people assume you're being rude EVERY single time you make an honest mistake.

(d/Deaf people, I'm not trying to overreach here, sorry. I'm more responding to things other hearing people have said to me when I mention how gd useful and interesting BSL is.)

https://www.british-sign.co.uk/

#active #ActiveListening #Communication #Comms #info #Information #Idea #Ideas #learn #learning #learningEnglish #LearningEveryday #ed #edu #EduTooter #education #EducationForAll #lang #LangDev #lang_en #language #linguist #linguistics #collocation #corpus #attention #PayAttention #focus #AmbientFocus #intent #meditation #mediation #arbitration #conflict #ConflictResolution #VeRantDa #VeRamble