workshops – amalfabian

Students frequently ask me which website they can visit to learn English.

Of course, there are so many out there. In my experience as a trainer, the best one is BBC Learning English. Their material is relevant and engaging.

This is a disclaimer: BBC is not paying me. I’m writing this post so that you could get the most out of the website.

Wait!

Before you google BBC Learning English, let me give you an overview.

The website has a lot to offer. Let’s start:

Vocabulary

The more words you know, the more precisely you can express yourself. When a person has a limited vocabulary, he tends to repeat words and phrases.

Whatever our English levels may be, we all need to expand our range of vocabulary.

It takes time to learn new words. My suggestion to you is this: go slow. Don’t just learn the meaning of words. Practice using them. Become familiar with them. Use them correctly.

I’ve noticed that students at times struggle with phrasal verbs. Do you freak out when you hear the phrase phrasal verbs? Help is at hand. Here’s the definition. If you are working, then you need phrasal verbs, for well, for work. And we all need phrasal verbs for technology.

Vocabulary is not limited to learning phrasal verbs. You also need to learn more words and phrases.

Visit this page to learn words from the news. I liked this episode on fake news.

If you have six minutes to spare, go to 6 minute English. I’ve just listened to the episode Call centres: Are you talking to AI?

English in a minute is a great way to improve your vocabulary. You can hit the nail on the head by learning new phrases within sixty seconds.

Remember, it’s not just about learning new phrases. It’s about using new phrases appropriately. I suggest you select phrases you like and try to use them during the week. Over time, you will be on fire!

Grammar

Are you comfortable with all the tenses that are there? You can confide in me. Be honest.

Tenses with Georgie is a good, fun way to revise tenses.

Prepositions can be confusing. Are you in a train or on a train? Mmm…. Not sure? Check out Prepositions with Georgie and find out.

If you like the idea of learning grammar by watching The Grammar Gameshow , go for it.

There is so much more when it comes to grammar. I know, it seems endless. Visit the main grammar page to find out more.

Pronunciation

Whatever your accent may be, that’s okay. What’s important is that you speak clearly and fluently.

The sounds of English are the building blocks of words. Are you keen to learn these sounds? Do you want to know the difference between voiced and voiceless consonants? You are at the right place.

Check out The Sounds of English on the pronunciation main page. I watched those short videos years ago, and I found them helpful. I hope you do too.

Tim’s Pronunciation Workshop is an effective way to learn about different aspects of pronunciation, such as elision and assimilation. Not familiar with those last two words? No worries. You’re probably doing some it already, in a natural way.

It’s more fun learning pronunciation than it is learning grammar. Do you agree?

Is there anything ‘more’ to do on the website?

On the right hand side of the menu bar, there is an option: More. Click on it with confidence. Don’t hesitate.

I have noticed that students often do not know their level. Do you know yours? Are you at the intermediate level? Upper-intermediate? Advanced?

Here’s the thing. Many students are generous when it comes to deciding which level they are at.

I’ve seen this happen lots of times: a person who is at the intermediate level believes that he is an upper-intermediate student! And the same goes for other levels as well. Many students are bumping themselves up a level.

I’m not a 100% convinced when it comes to online level tests. Having said that, try the level test at BBC learning English. See what you get.

If you enjoy listening to podcasts, try this out. You can listen while travelling.

Do you enjoy drama? I’ve just started listening to The Importance of Being Earnest.

There are many things to do in the ‘more’ section. Find out what works for you.

Before you go…

As you can tell, I’m pretty impressed with this website. It has a depth and breath that I’ve not seen anywhere else.

What do you do now? It’s up to you. If you want to improve your vocabulary, then click on the related links. The same goes for the other topics.

When learning English, be consistent. Consistency is the magic sauce that will help you improve your English.

Apart from BBC Learning English, here are two other websites I recommend.

Happy learning!

Hello! My next Grammar workshop is online. It is happening this December.

Please note: There are no seats available for the 13 Oct or 14 Oct workshops.

Why have a workshop on grammar?

Do you want to write emails that are easily understood? Do you want to write reports that are grammatically error-free? And do you want to make more effective presentations at work?

If you answer yes to these questions, then improving your grammar would be the right place to start. A strong foundation in grammar will allow you to express yourself more precisely, concisely, and effectively. It’s as simple as that!

Who is the trainer?

As a corporate trainer in Delhi NCR for six years, I have conducted business grammar, email writing, and presentation skills courses and workshops at institutions, MNCs, and Indian companies.

I’m interested in creative writing and have written a book Q and the Magic of Grammar. And the next book is Common Indian Errors in Business English. It should be out in a few months.

Who is this for?

This training is for people who are reasonably fluent at English, but who are making errors in grammar. It is for people who would like to improve their communication skills.

Here’s a short test. If you can correctly answer these three questions correctly, then you are at the right level for this training programme.

Fill in the blanks with the correct tense of the verb in brackets.

Yesterday, I _________ my clients. (to meet)
Nowadays, she ____________ the marketing team in Noida. (to manage)
When we visited Mumbai, we didn’t ________ to the showroom. (to go)

Scroll all the way down for the answers.

If you have any questions about the level of this course, email me at: amalfabian@yahoo.com.

What grammar points will be covered?

I intend to review the common grammatical errors of Indian speakers. So, I urge you to mentally prepare yourself; we’re going to cover a lot of territory.

We’ll look at: errors in the use of tense, the use of the article (a, an, the, zero article), use of prepositions, and uncountable nouns (is it etiquette or etiquettes?) .

Of course, we’ll have some time where you can ask my anything about grammar and language learning in general.

Where?

The venue is the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Here is the exact venue:

“Willow Hall”

Habitat World, at India Habitat Centre,

Lodhi Road

New Delhi-110003

(Entry from gate number 3 on Vardhman Marg)

When?

It is on the 13th of October. That’s a Saturday. The day’s training session will be for six hours. (Don’t worry, there will be breaks!) The timings are: 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. Please be on time.

(Please note. There is a workshop on the 14th of October as well, but there are no seats available.)

How many participants?

There are limited seats. There will be a maximum of 20 participants.

How much?

It is for free. There are no charges. Lunch and coffee/tea are complimentary.

Will there be future workshops on writing and speaking?

This is the first in a series of workshops. Apart from grammar, I intend to conduct workshops on email writing and presentation skills.

What is the next step?

If you are interested, please email to: amalfabian@yahoo.com confirming your participation.

As there are limited seats, please wait for a confirmation.

Answers: