Cambridge online dictionary

There are many online English dictionaries available but my personal favourite is the Cambridge Advanced Learners dictionary, at http://dictionary.cambridge.org , which is the one we did the vocabulary exercise with the other day. It is usually up to date and the entries are clear and concise. Keep it open on your computer when you're reading the next story in the book!

Flo Joe

Just to remind you of the website we looked at in class the other day: http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/cae/students/index.htm, which currently offers free access to 3 past papers from the CAE exam. Obviously very useful to see what you're up against, particularly for paper 3 (English in Use)! (Access through Practice Tests in the left-hand column).

BBC Learning English website

Here’s a great site for practising your English, if you don’t know it already:

Click here to get to the BBC World Service Learning English website, which has an abundance of useful material and links.


Of particular interest are:

News English – vocabulary in the news explained (look at Words in the news)

Business English

Grammar & vocabulary – look at the Ask about English section

And, under Communication, the Email discussion group.

Topics can range from Atheism, Corruption and Human Rights to Success, English Language, Divorce and Euthanasia.

Joining is simple: just follow the instructions on how to subscribe. You will get a message in your inbox asking you to confirm that you want to join; when you have confirmed this, you will soon start receiving digests of the discussions 3 times a week in your e-mail in-box.

N.B. if you are under 18 please get your parent or guardian's permission before subscribing.

It is very easy to unsubscribe at any time if you don't want to receive any more e-mails.

If you want to post a message, please read the House Rules at the bottom of the page before doing so.

N.B. In case you’re worried about making mistakes or ‘not knowing enough to join in properly’, here’s a quote from the Discussion Group page:

“You do not have to be very good at English to enjoy the discussions. The BBC English Discussion Group is for people to practise their communication and writing skills.”

Good luck! If you do join the group, why not post a message on this Blog telling everyone how it’s going?