Academic Writing Skills: Reporting Verbs

Suitable for upper-intermediate CEFR B2+

#EAP #AcademicEnglish #AcademicWriting #IELTSwriting

We use reporting verbs to write about what someone else has already said or discovered. In this post I will introduce some of the most common reporting verbs used in academic writing. Although they are all reporting verbs, some of the words have slightly different meanings and they have been grouped in the table below according to their function. 

Present beliefs or concepts		Neutral/ summarising	Present findings	Critique
hypothesises	maintains	describes	concludes	questions
proposes	declares	observes	pinpoints	contends
suggests	implies	summarises	demonstrates	rejects
claims	stresses	explains	illustrates	casts doubt on
argues	states	notes	highlights	reveals
assumes	mentions	explores	shows	alleges
asserts	emphasises	provides evidence	points out	exaggerates

Remember that the verb ending will change according to the grammar of the sentence. The verbs here are listed in present simple but you may wish to choose another appropriate tense in your writing.

Activity 1

Match the reporting verb with the correct meaning.

1. Explains                    a. indicates the source (writer or researcher) disagrees with something. 

2. Notes                         b. indicates that the source has presented something as a fact. 

3. Suggests                    c. indicates that the source gives details about how or why something happens.

4. Claims                       d. indicates the source talks about something briefly.

5. Rejects                      e. indicates the presence of an opposing view.

6. Argues                       f. indicates the source has presented something as a fact that might not be a fact.

7. Emphasises               g. indicates that the source's most important point or idea. 

8. Assumes                    h. indicates that the source says something indirectly.

9. States                        I. indicates that the source has an idea they strongly believe to be true. 

10. Implies                    j. indicates that the source has an idea they think might possibly be true.

Activity 2

Complete the sentences with an appropriate reporting verb from the table above.

1. Smith (2010) ___________ previous research in the field.

2. Adamson (2003) ___________ that all teachers are influenced by their students.

3. Tomlins (2017) ____________ how differences in methodology can influence research findings.

4. Crouch et al. (2014) ____________ an association between genes and heart disease.

5. Edwards (2018) ____________ the importance of taking a pragmatic approach.

Post your answers in the comments. Don't forget to subscribe for more FREE English content.

First Conditional

Suitable for intermediate CEFR B1+

#EnglishGrammar #FirstConditional #If

The first conditional is used to talk about real possibilities or things that are likely to happen in the future if a condition is met.

Make sentences in the first conditional by using an if clause with present simple and future simple. For example

If	present simple	,	future simple
If	we forget our homework it rains I go to London	,	our teacher will be angry. we will get wet. I will visit Big Ben

Now let's try using first conditional with some negatives

If	present simple	,	future simple
If	I don't finish the exam he can't afford a holiday She doesn't study	,	I will get a low score. he will stay at home for the summer. she won't pass the test.

In the last example, you can use the negative won't or you could choose to use the positive with the verb fail. So your sentence would be If she doesn't study, she will fail the test. These are two different ways of saying the same thing. This choice gives you freedom of expression and makes English a very interesting language to learn.

Now let's try some question forms

If	present simple	,	future simple
If	it rains he can't afford a holiday you go to London she doesn't study	,	will you still go to the park? will he stay at home for the summer? will you visit Big Ben? will she fail the exam?

To make a question the pronoun changes places with will in the future simple clause and a question mark is added.

Inversion

Finally, sentences in first conditional can be inverted, so we can change the order of the clauses. For example

If it rains, we will get wet can change to we will get wet if it rains and if it rains, will you still go to the park? can change to will you still go to the park if it rains?

Activity

Can you invert all the other sentences from the tables? Write your answers in the comments!

How to Use Blogs to Learn English

Suitable for intermediate CEFR B1+

#LearnEnglishBlog #EnglishwithCara #LanguageLearning #LanguageLearningTips

The internet is an incredibly powerful tool for language learning. There are many fantastic blogs out there that you can read for free to improve your language skills, but this blog has been specially designed to make it easy for you to learn English while you read. Here you will find a range of topics to choose from. There are posts about IELTS, British culture, grammar, vocabulary and current affairs. All posts are labelled with an appropriate CEFR level, from A1 beginner to C2 proficiency, so you can easily search for suitable texts. All posts have a question for you to answer in the comments so that you can practise your writing and most posts include learning activities to guide you in the right direction.

Here are some ideas for how you can use this blog to learn English most effectively

Follow or Subscribe

Once you have found a great blog from which to learn, you'll want to make sure you see new posts to keep up to date with your learning. The easiest way is to click follow or subscribe so that you can be sent notifications when new blog entries are posted. You could also use an RSS reader, which is an app that can give you updates from multiple blogs all in one place. Simply download an RSS reader, like Feedspot or The Old Reader, and copy and paste the blog's URL to start receiving regular updates.

Choose posts suitable for your level

This blog is designed with English learners in mind. All posts are graded to an appropriate CEFR level. You can find the CEFR level at the top of each post and use the tags to find other posts at your current level. 

Make predictions

Making predictions, or guessing what a text will be about by reading the title and looking at pictures, is an important reading skill to develop in your language learning. Before you read a text try looking at the title and pictures (if there are any) and writing down some sentences or vocabulary that comes to mind. When you've finished reading, check to see if your predictions were correct!

Find important words to get the main idea

As you are reading try marking or highlighting the most important words in a paragraph. It's important to avoid highlighting everything. The most important words in a paragraph are usually nouns. Once you have identified the most important words you can summarise the main idea of each paragraph and focus on any new vocabulary. 

As you become more confident in your reading you can highlight different grammatical structures that you are focusing on. Try reading through a scientific article and highlighting noun phrases or the passive form, for example. This exercise can help you to notice patterns in the language and improve your own writing skills. 

Complete activities

English learning activities are included in many posts in this blog. This is a unique feature of this blog because it has been specially designed for people learning English. There are many other great blogs for learning English that don't have activities, but there are usually questions embedded within a text that you can either answer in the comments or use to focus your writing practise with pen and paper. 

Read aloud

Reading texts aloud is a great but often underrated technique to improve your confidence and pronunciation in speaking, even when you don't have a teacher or a friend to listen. In fact, reading aloud is so important that it is a skill every child must practise at school to learn their native language! You could even use a recording devices on your mobile or computer to record yourself reading, which will help you to notice errors and mistakes so that you may correct them more efficiently. 

Comment

Language is communication so the best way to learn any language is to interact with people! Every blog has a comments section for you to write how you feel about the topic of the blog post, to answer any questions the blogger introduced or to interact with the blog writer and other readers. I recommend using this facility as much as you can to get free feedback on your writing! Who knows, you might even make some new friends along the way. 

Keep a reading journal

Keeping a reading journal can help you record new vocabulary in a meaningful way and encourage you to write regularly. It can also be highly motivational to look back and notice how many new words you've learnt and how far you've come. Reading for just 15 minutes every day can really accelerate your English learning. 

You can turn any notebook into a reading journal by creating a table with columns for date, title, new vocabulary and summary notes. If you prefer technology, why not create a spreadsheet in MS Excel?

Write a summary

Blogs sometimes contain facts and usually present an opinion. After reading a blog post, try recording your own thoughts and opinions by writing a brief summary of the topic. This activity not only develops your writing skills, but can help prepare you to speak about complex topics in conversation. A summary should be short and concise. Try writing down your views in only 5 - 10 sentences or setting a 5 minute timer to complete your writing.

Do you have any top tips for using blogs to learn languages? Share your ideas in the comments!

10 Traditional British Foods You've Probably Never heard Of

Suitable for pre-intermediate CEFR B1+

#BritishCuisine #BritishFood #UKFood #BritishCulture #LifeintheUK #LIUK


Activity 1
Look up the meaning of new vocabulary before reading.


It's probably fair to say that British food does not have the best reputation. At least, in all the years I've greeted international students at summer schools in the UK I've never heard anyone mention that they wanted to come to the UK to sample the Great British cuisine! British food is often described as plain, tasteless and bland, but I happen to think this is mostly down to bad cooking and not the cuisine itself.

Fish and chips and Cornish cream teas are undoubtedly the most famous British traditions, but there are many more scrumptious regional dishes packed into the British Isles, so here are my top 10 traditional British foods you probably haven't heard of before.

10. Bubble and Squeak

These classic British breakfast patties are made from mashed potatoes and cabbage or other vegetables left over from a Sunday roast dinner. They are usually pan-fried and served with eggs.

9. Ulster Fry

You're probably familiar with a full English breakfast. The Ulster fry is a variation of this from Northern Ireland that is traditionally served with black pudding, white pudding and soda bread. Black pudding is a rich sausage made with beef suet or pork fat and pork blood, and white pudding is a similar sausage made without the blood.

8. Cornish Pasty

The humble Cornish pasty is a popular lunchtime dish that can be traced back to the tin mining industry in Cornwall in the 1200s. In those days the miners' wives would pack minced meat and vegetables inside a thick shortcrust pastry sealed with a crimped or twisted edge. Modern pasties are available in many different flavours, including cheese and onion and chicken tikka masala (another British favourite adopted from India in the 1900s).

7. Welsh Rarebit

This is a bit like fancy cheese on toast. It's made by making a thick cheese sauce with English Cheddar and a strong ale or stout beer. These ingredients are usually combined with melted butter, flour, English mustard and Worcestershire sauce and grilled on thick-cut toasted granary bread.

Historically, cheese was a popular and much cheaper source of protein during the 18th Century when meat was considered a luxury. It was often served as a main meal with leek and potato soup. Nowadays it is also served as a trendy appetizer on its own or with an egg on top (known as a buck rabbit) or alongside tomato soup (known as a blushing bunny).

6. Scotch Egg

Originating from Yorkshire in the 1900s, the scotch egg consisted of a hard boiled egg that was coated in creamy fish paste and rolled in breadcrumbs. Modern scotched eggs are wrapped in a layer of roughly minced sausage meat rather than fish paste and either baked or deep-fried. Scotched eggs are often included in a traditional 'ploughman's lunch' of cold meats, bread, English cheddar cheese and pickle.

5. Haggis

Haggis is a traditional Scottish savoury pudding made with sheep's heart, liver and lungs mixed with suet, oatmeal, minced onion and spices. The mixture is traditionally cooked inside the sheep's stomach, though it is also sometimes now made with artifical casing. Haggis, neaps and tatties  (haggis, turnips and potatoes) is widely considered the national dish of Scotland.

4. Toad in the Hole

This English batter pudding made with sausages dates back as early as 1762, when it was described as having a rather vulgar name. It was developed as a filling family recipe for poorer households that would make the best of a small amount of meat. It is still widely served across the UK today, typically with mashed potatoes, onion gravy and seasonal vegetables.

3. Crumpets

Crumpets were first made by the Anglo-Saxons in England, Wales and Ireland in the 1600s. They are a thick type of pancake made with an unsweetened batter of water, milk, flour and yeast that is poured into a crumpet ring and cooked on one side, which gives them a distinctive spongy texture. Crumpets are a common breakfast food across the UK today, but they are also eaten for brunch or in the afternoon as a snack. They are usually served with butter and a cup of English breakfast tea.

2. Steak and Kidney Pie

This delicious recipe first appeared in 1861 and is thought to have originally come from Sussex in England. Beef steak and kidney meat is roughly chopped, mixed with gravy stock and sealed within a casing of suet pastry. The kidney gives the tender meat a distinctive flavour that is best served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Modern versions are also commonly served with chips (thick-cut potato fries). 

1. Yorkshire Pudding

Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding is an iconic British dish, but Yorkshire puddings are a versatile and popular English side dish that can be served many different ways. Made with a batter of flour, eggs, milk, water and salt, the perfect Yorkshire is puffed with air and crisp on top, with a deliciously soft and squidgy bottom. You may have noticed that the ingredients for Yorkshire pudding are very similar to those of pancakes, but the unusual texture of the Yorkshire pudding can only be achieved by adding the batter to very hot oil.

Originally invented as a cheap and economical stomach-filler for working class families, the distinctive shape makes them perfect to fill with gravy and stuffing or sausages, as with Toad in the Hole. Leftover Yorkshire puddings are also sometimes filled with jam or served alongside an English breakfast with beans or tomatoes. Yorkshire pudding wraps with a choice of sweet and savoury fillings have also emerged in recent years as a contemporary street food trend at festivals and markets.


Activity 2
Make your own sentences to describe your favourite cuisine or cuisine from your country. 

Activity 3
What do you think about British cuisine? Have you heard about the dishes in this article? Which ones would you like to try?