WHAT DO THEY REALLY MEAN?

From Friday: The Experiment, BBC Learning English - [Images: GETTY IMAGES]

'What They Really Mean' shows how misunderstandings can be caused when people say things indirectly.

Each of these 5 episodes shows you how to avoid these misunderstandings.

🎬 EPISODE 1 ⇒ QUESTIONS AS WARNINGS 
Mark can't understand why Chloe is asking about his hat. She's trying to warn him about something - but he just doesn't understand. Watch the video and learn how to tell when someone's questions are trying to warn you.

(For a full transcript, a quiz and much more, CLICK HERE)

🎬 EPISODE 2 ⇒ SUGGESTIONS AS INSTRUCTIONS

Mark can't understand why Chloe is annoyed. She had been giving him instructions - but he just didn't realise. Watch the video and learn how to tell when someone's suggestions are really instructions.

(For a full transcript, a quiz and much more, CLICK HERE)

🎬 EPISODE 3 ⇒ EUPHEMISTIC FEEDBACK

Emily didn't like Mark's ideas. She tried to tell him, but he didn't realise. Watch the video to find out why. It shows you how to identify euphemistic feedback. This is where people try to say to something negative without causing offence.

(For a full transcript, a quiz and much more, CLICK HERE)

🎬 EPISODE 4 ⇒ SARCASM

The British summer's fantastic, isn't it? Mark thinks Chloe is trying to trick him. Watch the video to find out why he got it wrong. It shows you how to identify sarcasm. This is where people say the opposite to what they mean.

(For a full transcript, a quiz and much more, CLICK HERE)

🎬EPISODE 5 ⇒ DISGUISED REQUESTS

Olivia's had a house party. It's late at night and now she just wants everyone to leave so she can go to bed. She uses disguised requests to let Mark know she wants him to leave. But he doesn't realise.

Disguised requests are questions people ask to gently suggest that another person should do something. Olivia says "Is it 10 o'clock?" but what she means is, "go home." Watch the video to find out how to identify disguised requests.

(For a full transcript, a quiz and much more, CLICK HERE)

WEEKLY PICKS - 5

This post offers you a selection of recommended free online exercises, games, videos and resources so that you can improve your English language skills while having fun! ENJOY!

📜READING PICKS – Articles, blog posts, quizzes and more:

Article from Mind Tools: Beating Self-Sabotage: Recognizing and Overcoming It
"You can't do that!" "That's way too difficult!" "If you try, you'll probably just fail anyway." These statements sound as if they're coming from a tyrannical and cruel person with a mission to destroy self-confidence. Unfortunately, all too often, we can be the tyrant and our target can be ourselves. (Continue reading)

Article from BBC TRAVEL: The end to a French cheese tradition?

After years of lobbying, industrial producers are now allowed to make camembert with pasteurised milk. As a result, one of France’s beloved cheeses may be disappearing for good. (Continue reading)

Article from BBC CAPITAL: Why suppressing anger at work is bad

How faking your feelings at work can be damaging – We all put on a front a work, but researchers have found that burnout can relate closely to how employees manage their emotions during emotional or stressful interactions. (Continue reading)

🎬 VIDEO PICKS – Short and fun videos:

LESS-THAN-5-MINUTE VIDEOS

• Why English is so hard to learn: words ending '-ough' (1:15 minutes)
• Solstice superlatives! (0:53 minutes)
• Learn some luck-related expressions (0:48 minutes)
• Keywords and phrases: critically endangered, wiped out, rearing in captivity, sanctuary (4:03 minutes)
• What Would Happen If America's Internet Went Down (3:02 minutes)
• Immigration Airport (2:35 minutes)
• What Happens In One Minute? (1:00 minute)
• What Does Your Accent Say About You? (3:25 minutes)

5-TO-10-MINUTE VIDEOS:

• Talk about gaming in 6 minutes! (6:12 minutes)
• How do your hormones work? - Emma Bryce (5:03 minutes)
• BBC News Review: US child-separation policy debate (8:20 minutes)
• The science of hearing - Douglas L. Oliver (5:16 minutes)
• What is sustainability? with Hank Green (7:59 minutes)
• Learn to talk about microadventures in 6 minutes! (6:24 minutes)
• How to… say goodbye (6:15 minutes)
• 10 Essential Phrasal Verbs | Fashion and Clothing (7:44 minutes)
• What Do You Call People From...? | English Vocabulary (6:03 minutes)

A LITTLE LONGER BUT WORTH IT!

• VLOG| Canberra Renting Nightmare! | House & Renting Vocabulary | Everyday Australian English (15:49 minutes)

💬 VOCABULARY PICKS:

• Adverb Adjective Collocation Games set 1 ⇒ Which adverb best goes with which verb? (When you finish, click on “Next Game” and get a full new set of pairs! There are 10 games.)
• Adverb Adjective Collocation Games set 2 ⇒ Which adverb best goes with which verb? (When you finish, click on “Next Game” and get a full new set of pairs! There are 10 games.)
• Adjectives
• Plurals (1)
• Plurals (2)

💡 GRAMMAR PICKS – Assorted exercises and games:

• Dependent prepositions
• Phrasal Verbs: Over
• Definite Article or Zero Article?
• Zero article or The?
• Zero or Definite Article
• All & Every
• Past simple and present perfect
• Active or Passive Quiz
• Tag Questions Quiz
• Infinitive/-ing Quiz
• Conjunctions

❓ QUIZ ⇒ Random Phrasal Verb Quiz (Test your understanding of phrasal verbs with these random phrasal verb quizzes. Each time you 'start again', it will show you a new quiz generated from a phrasal verbs database.)

MORE PICKS NEXT WEEK!

LEARN ENGLISH THROUGH SONGS AND MUSIC

Do you like music? Would you like to practise your English skills using songs?

🎼 THIS is a great tool to learn English and other languages through music and the lyrics of your favourite songs.

🎼 You can practise your listening skills and enjoy listening to your favourite music videos at the same time. (Of course, it's free, and you don't need to sign up (if you don't want to) to be able to play! ⇒ Lyrics Training)

🎼 JUST FOLLOW THESE 3 EASY STEPS: 

• Step 1 ⇒ Choose a language and a video. Then, click on “Play now” (you can browse for songs/singers you like as well) 
• Step 2 ⇒ Choose you level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced or Expert 
• Step 3 ⇒ Decide whether you want to “click on” or “type in” the missing words, and PLAY!

🎼 Keep in mind that the language used in songs is informal, and HAVE FUN!

WEEKLY PICKS - 4

This post offers you a selection of recommended free online exercises, games, videos and resources so that you can improve your English language skills while having fun! ENJOY!

📜 READING PICKS – Articles, blog posts, quizzes and more:

Article from Mind Tools: 10 Common Time Management Mistakes
Avoiding Common Pitfalls - How well do you manage your time? If you're like many people, your answer may not be completely positive! Perhaps you feel overloaded, and you often have to work late to hit your deadlines. Or maybe your days seem to go from one crisis to another, and this is stressful and demoralizing. (Continue reading)

❓ QUIZ from Mind Tools ⇒ How Good Is Your Time Management?
Discover Time Management Tools That can Help you Excel

Article from BBC CULTURE: The writers who defied Soviet censors 

Underground publishers in the USSR broke rules in ingenious ways – such as hiding books in fake binding and making records on X-ray film, writes Benjamin Ramm.

In anticipation of the poet’s arrest, his creations were concealed by inventive means – sewn into the insides of cushions and shoes, or hidden in mattresses and saucepans. The police confiscated most of his papers, but others were smuggled out, or hidden surreptitiously in obscure locations. The most important poems were inscribed where even the wiliest investigator could not find them – in the memory of a devoted reader, who would pass them on.  (Continue reading)

🎬 VIDEO PICKS – Short and fun videos:

LESS-THAN-5-MINUTE VIDEOS

• Why Do We Blush? (1:46 minutes)
• Why Do We Get Nervous? (2:28 minutes)
• How Much Sleep Do You Actually Need? (3:23 minutes)
• The Science of Heartbreak (2:48 minutes)
• Introverts vs. Extroverts (4:17 minutes)
• Amazing Facts to Blow Your Mind Pt. 1 (2:08 minutes)

5-TO-10-MINUTE VIDEOS:

• Vocabulary - LIVE, LIFE, ALIVE, LIVING (7:53 minutes)
• Learn Vocabulary - look, look like, look alike, look as if... (6:43 minutes)
• English Grammar - comparing with LIKE & AS (9 minutes)
• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery ► Animated Book Summary (5:35 minutes)
• ALL or WHOLE? (9:23 minutes.)

A LITTLE LONGER BUT WORTH IT!

• How to increase your vocabulary (It only takes 13:29 minutes!)

💬 VOCABULARY PICKS:

• Verb + Adverb Games (1) ⇒ Which adverb best goes with which verb? (When you finish, click on “Next Game” and get a full new set of pairs! There are 10 games.)
• Verb + Adverb Games (2) ⇒ Which adverb best goes with which verb? (When you finish, click on “Next Game” and get a full new set of pairs! There are 10 games.)
• Sustainable development 
• Bed / Home / Work / Town Exercise 1
• Feelings and Emotions

💡 GRAMMAR PICKS – Assorted exercises and games:

• Comparative and Superlative Quiz with Adverbs
• Question tags – Exercise 3
• Questions in Passive – Word order – Click Exercise 1 – MIX
• Questions in Passive – Word order – Click Exercise 2 – MIX
• Prepositions Exercise 7
• Prepositions Exercise 8
• If or Unless
• Conditional sentences type 2 exercise
• Conditional sentences type 3 exercise
• A Little / A Few Exercise 1
• Because or because of
• Although, even though, in spite of...
• Mixed Past Tenses Games 1-10 – Practise talking about time with past tense forms. These games practise 4 past tense forms from Past Simple to Past Perfect Continuous.

MORE PICKS NEXT WEEK!

WTF is slow fashion? by Hilary Milnes + 2 VIDEOS

The problems raised by fast fashion go deep.

The industry — embodied by giant retailers like H&M, Forever 21, Zara and Uniqlo that crank out cheap, disposable garments — is beset with problems stemming from pollution to waste to unsafe working conditions. Fashion Revolution Day, happening this Friday, April 24, is an annual day of awareness to memorialize the 2013 collapse of a clothing factory in Bangladesh that killed over 1,100 workers and injured 2,400 more. Sixty-five countries will participate, asking consumers to tag the brands they wear and ask #WhoMadeMyClothes on social media.

Fashion Revolution Day will hype “slow fashion” as the antidote to the ethical and environmental havoc wreaked by the fast-fashion industry. The slow fashion movement has been taking shape since designer Kate Fletcher coined the term in 2008, but it’s still not at the front of many consumers’ minds.

HERE's what slow fashion is and why it’s on the rise with conscious shoppers.

WEEKLY PICKS - 3

This post offers you a selection of recommended free online exercises, games, videos and resources so that you can improve your English language skills while having fun! ENJOY!

📜 READING PICKS – Articles, blog posts, quizzes and more:

Article from BBC CAPITAL: The science of being charming, by Tiffanie Wen
From the first moment you walk into a room people are making judgements about how much they like you. Fortunately, there are ways to improve your chances.
Charmers. What makes these lucky individuals so effortlessly likeable when many of us have to work so hard at it? While many would have you believe social grace or winning people over is something of an artform, there is a surprising amount of science behind it, too. (Continue reading)

Article from BBC TRAVEL: We may have cracked the mystery of Stonehenge, by Vivien Cumming

The more archaeologists study Stonehenge, the more mysteries unfold. But a coherent story is beginning to emerge. (Continue reading)

🎬 VIDEO PICKS – Short and fun videos:

LESS-THAN-5-MINUTE VIDEOS

• Born to Learn (4:55 minutes)
• Why Do We Cry? (2:29 minutes)
• Should You Trust Your Gut Instinct? (4:25 minutes)
• Susan Cain on Introversion (2:48 minutes)
• Where Do Your Texts Go? (3:43 minutes)
• Early Birds vs Night Owls (3:08 minutes)
• Can Money Buy Happiness? (2:49 minutes)
• An untranslatable word (2:03 minutes)

5-TO-10-MINUTE VIDEOS:

• EITHER, NEITHER, SO, TOO - How to agree and disagree in English (7:39 minutes)
• Do you dare to dream? (7:34 minutes)
• Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman ► Animated Book Summary (7:28 minutes)

A LITTLE LONGER BUT WORTH IT!

• The Passive: When, why, and how to use it (It only takes 11:37 minutes!)

💬 VOCABULARY PICKS:

• Synonym Adverbs Games ⇒ Can you find the adverbs that mean the same? (When you finish, click on “Next Game” and get a full new set of pairs! There are 10 games.)
• Opposite Adverbs Games ⇒ Pair up the adverbs with opposite meanings. (When you finish, click on “Next Game” and get a full new set of pairs! There are 10 games.)
• Science and technology
• Feelings /emotions
• 'Say' and 'Tell'
• Make or Do Exercise 4
• Make or Do Exercise 3
• Make or Do Exercise 2
• Make or Do Exercise 1

💡 GRAMMAR PICKS – Assorted exercises and games:

• Embedded Questions in Statements
• Adjective or Adverb
• Adjective or Adverb-2
• Superlatives with The and No ArticleExercise 1
• Prepositions Exercise 1 
• Prepositions Exercise 2 
• Prepositions Exercise 3 
• USED TO: Affirmative-Interrogative-Negative
• USED TO or WOULD
• BE USED TO
• Word order in English sentences – Mixed Exercise
• Phrasal Verbs in English – Fill-in Exercise
• Gerund and Infinitive – Exercise 1
• Gerund and Infinitive – Exercise 2

MORE PICKS NEXT WEEK!

WEEKLY PICKS - 2

This post offers you a selection of recommended free online exercises, games, videos and resources so that you can improve your English language skills while having fun! ENJOY!

📜READING PICKS – Articles, blog posts, quizzes and more:

Article from BBC news: How it feels to have many personalities
Severe trauma can cause a unique kind of mental breakdown - dissociative identity disorder (DID), which creates multiple personalities. What is it like trying to live with this condition? (Continue reading)

Article from Mind Tools: Active Listening: Hear What People are Really Saying
Listening is one of the most important skills you can have. How well you listen has a major impact on the quality of your relationships with others.

🎬 VIDEO PICKS – Short and fun videos:

LESS-THAN-5-MINUTE VIDEOS

• Active Listening (1:46 minutes)
• Improve Your Listening Skills with Active Listening (2:39 minutes)
• 6 Tips for Active Listening #LittleThings (2:13 minutes)
• Learn English Grammar: EACH OTHER & ONE ANOTHER (4:59 minutes) ⇒ Then, you can take a free quiz HERE
• WHERE GOOD IDEAS COME FROM by Steven Johnson (4:06 minutes)
• Brené Brown on Empathy (2:53 minutes)
• Brené Brown on Blame (3:25 minutes)
• The Reframing Matrix: Put Your Problem Into Perspective (2:41 minutes. This may be applied not only to professional but also to personal problems. Link to the article)
• Matthew Taylor on The Power to Create (4:15 minutes)

5-TO-10-MINUTE VIDEOS:

• The Future of Learning (7:49 minutes)
• RSA ANIMATE: Re-Imagining Work (9:05 minutes)
• Grammar: How to use IF & WHETHER properly (6:57 minutes) ⇒ Then, take a free quiz HERE
• Learn 6 Body Idioms in English: get cold feet, play by ear... (6:26 minutes) ⇒ Then, take a free quiz HERE

A LITTLE LONGER BUT WORTH IT!

• Learn English Grammar: How to use SO and SO THAT (11:50 minutes) ⇒ Then, take a free quiz HERE

💬 VOCABULARY PICKS – Confusing words:

• big, great, high, large or tall – Exercise
• Confusing Pairs of Words Exercise (You can play this game several times, and you’ll get different sentences)
• Compounds in English – Exercise
• card, map, menu or ticket – Exercise
• country or land – Exercise
• do, have, make or take – Exercise
• Make or do?
• Clothing Idioms Quiz

💡 GRAMMAR PICKS – Assorted exercises and games:

• Gerund after prepositions – Exercise 1
• Gerund after prepositions – Exercise 2
• Gerund after prepositions – Exercise 3
• Gerund after prepositions – Exercise 4
• Verbs + prepositions exercise 1
• Verbs + prepositions exercise 2
• Adjectives + prepositions exercise 1
• Mixed Conditionals
• Conditional sentences type (Mixed)

MORE PICKS NEXT WEEK!

WEEKLY PICKS - 1

This post offers you a selection of recommended free online exercises, games, videos and resources so that you can improve your English language skills while having fun! ENJOY!

📜 READING PICKS – Articles, blog posts, quizzes and more:

Article from MindTools: What’s Empathy Got to Do with It?, by Bruna Martinuzzi
Indeed, empathy is valued currency. It allows us to create bonds of trust, it gives us insights into what others may be feeling or thinking; it helps us understand how or why others are reacting to situations, it sharpens our "people acumen" and it informs our decisions. (Continue reading)

❓QUIZ: Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire (Richard M. Felder and Barbara A. Soloman) North Carolina State University

🎬 VIDEO PICKS – Short and fun videos:

LESS-THAN-5-MINUTE VIDEOS

• Daniel Goleman: What makes a leader? (3:45 minutes)
• Create Slides People Will Remember (2:34 minutes)
• Discover Different Styles of Learning (3:34 minutes)
• Body Language at Work and in Business: Tips for Better Communication (2:08 minutes)
• Born to Learn (4:55 minutes)

5-TO-10-MINUTE VIDEOS:

• Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl ► Animated Book Summary (8:11 minutes)
• EITHER, NEITHER, SO, TOO - How to agree and disagree in English (7:39 minutes)
• Vocabulary - Talking about MOVIES in English (10:06 minutes)
• Grammar: How to use IF & WHETHER properly (6:57 minutes)
• Everyday or every day? (5:18 minutes.)

A LITTLE LONGER BUT WORTH IT!

• 6 tips for dealing with speaking anxiety (14 minutes)
• Phrasal Verbs for TRAVEL:"drop off", "get in", "check out"... (11:49 minutes)
• Learn English - OTHER, ANOTHER, OTHERS, THE OTHER, OTHERWISE (13:28 minutes. Please, notice that when he says: “Others / The other(s) / Another” may be used as “nouns” he means “pronouns”, which actually replace nouns)
• Who Moved My Cheese [Original] - Spencer Johnson (12:53 minutes)

💬 VOCAB PICKS – Confusing words:

• borrow or lend – Exercise
• bring or take – Exercise
• do, go or play – Exercise
• life, live or lives – Exercise
• life, live, lives or lived – Exercise
• make or do – Exercise 1
• make or do – Exercise 2
• say or tell – Exercise

💡 GRAMMAR PICKS – Assorted exercises and games:

• what or which – Exercise
• while or during– Exercise
• Time prepositions exercise 1 
• Time prepositions exercise 2
• Place prepositions exercise 1
• Place prepositions exercise 2
• Exercise on Prepositions – Buses
• Compound adjectives (1)
• Compound adjectives (2)

MORE PICKS NEXT WEEK!