Valentine’s Day – We all love a bit of Romance. Here’s a question for all you English Language Learners. Which of the following words would you not associate with this romantic occasion? Roses, Candles, Haggis, Chocolates, Champagne Valentine’s Day – Learn about these old traditions. We all love a bit of romance and the 14th February has got to […] Continue Reading
Scottish people all over the globe will be celebrating today. Why? It’s the day when, 259 years ago, on 25 January, Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet was born. Whether you live in Edinburgh, New York or Canada, if you have Scottish blood in your veins, you’ll be donning your kilt and cooking up a haggis. 1 Who was Robert Burns? […] Continue Reading
Happy New Year and time for………..Modal Verbs!! “Oh no. Not modal verbs” I hear you say. Well, actually, January is the perfect time for practising our old friends. “Why?” you may ask. Well. The way you feel as the New Year begins, the targets you set yourself, the resolutions you make and fully intend to keep are all opportunities […] Continue Reading
One of the many wonderful things about Homestay Learning is that not only the Students learn but the Teacher and the family also benefit enormously. This was certainly the case this year when we were lucky enough to host Students from different European countries who came with a range of skills, interests and experiences which inspired us to find out […] Continue Reading
The days are getting shorter, the leaves are beginning to change colour and the swifts and swallows have long ago returned to Africa. We have said goodbye to our summer English Language Students, who have gone back to work or study, and now that autumn has arrived and winter is round the corner, there has never been a better […] Continue Reading
Last Saturday Tom, our daughter Molly and I were three of the lucky 50,000 people who won tickets to walk across this beautiful new bridge linking Fife to Edinburgh. A was a once in a life time opportunity, before this elegant structure opens to road traffic only tomorrow morning, carrying hundreds of thousands of commuters, tourists and travellers of all […] Continue Reading
The wonderful thing about staying with a family to learn English is that you will certainly find out about all the local events. One such event is the “Taste Angus Food Festival” taking place just ten minutes’ drive from Active English Homestay Learning, on 19 – 20 August 2017. These festivals are a great way to discover local food dishes, […] Continue Reading
It’s that time of year when raspberries and strawberries and now cherries are everywhere to be seen; growing on the bushes, fattening up under plastic tunnels, being sold at the side of the road or getting loaded onto lorries en route to supermarkets all over the UK. Here in East Scotland the smell of fruit is everywhere. The ripening of […] Continue Reading
The typical way to learn transactional language like shopping and asking for directions in a town or finding out where to buy items is by firstly, learning the necessary vocabulary, then the functional language and finally putting it all together by devising a scenario. And all this in a classroom. But a better, more authentic and much more fun way […] Continue Reading
At Active English we know that all sorts of people want to learn English with native speakers in a friendly home. It’s not just adults who want to improve their English with Homestay Learning and not everyone wants to take classes. So last week a family of two grandparents and three of their grandchildren came to stay with Lucy and […] Continue Reading