A few days ago, we published a post about a free introductory session where students get to know each other and receive their first homework assignment.
Today we are thrilled to announce that we are launching our three-month external course — Breaking Bounds.
Breaking Bounds is an intensive programme for learners who want to move beyond C1. Take a peek at the slides to find out more about the course.
Admission campaign is in full swing — enroll today!
Today we are thrilled to announce that we are launching our three-month external course — Breaking Bounds.
Breaking Bounds is an intensive programme for learners who want to move beyond C1. Take a peek at the slides to find out more about the course.
Admission campaign is in full swing — enroll today!
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I’m not a tomboy, but I don’t exactly exude femininity.
I never wear makeup or get my nails done. I’d rather live on takeouts or order in than cook. I hate shopping, and the last time I tried to wear high-heeled shoes I came dangerously close to breaking both my legs. Am I ‘not like other girls’?
According to most guys I date, I am different because I’m not into ‘silly girly things’. And while that may be to a certain extent true, what baffles me is that men normally use this tired line as their ultimate praise. I think it’s time they stopped.
The other day I went on a date and once again became the recipient of this very dubious compliment. For some unknown reason, my date mistook my mild irritation for confusion and went on to explain how troublesome all the girly drama is, how he hates artificial nails and tattooed eyebrows, and how refreshing it is meet someone like me, who is — and I quote — capable of maintaining an interesting conversation, unlike other gals. At this point I couldn’t roll my eyes any louder so I used a chain of profanity to express what I thought of his ‘compliment’ and left him gaping at me in disbelief. This was certainly not very girly of me — so I guess he enjoyed every minute.
Since when did ‘girly’ become a derogatory term? Why do some men believe that the best way to compliment a woman is to insult her entire sex? And, most importantly, why do some of us actually find it flattering?
The answer is simple: they want to be picked. At least that is how the article I found on Psychology Today explains this phenomenon. So-called pick-me girls, the author explains, are drenched in internalised misogyny, that is why separating themselves from ‘all these other women’ feels right and safe. Now, however, pick-mes are harshly criticised for seeking male validation. It seems a girl just can’t win these days.
The piece I want to share with you today raises this very question — how can we criticise such behaviour without putting yet another woman down?
Read on and find out. Then go have another round of your favourite video game or get a manicure — there is nothing wrong with either option as long as you enjoy yourself.
Quizlet👩🏫
I never wear makeup or get my nails done. I’d rather live on takeouts or order in than cook. I hate shopping, and the last time I tried to wear high-heeled shoes I came dangerously close to breaking both my legs. Am I ‘not like other girls’?
According to most guys I date, I am different because I’m not into ‘silly girly things’. And while that may be to a certain extent true, what baffles me is that men normally use this tired line as their ultimate praise. I think it’s time they stopped.
The other day I went on a date and once again became the recipient of this very dubious compliment. For some unknown reason, my date mistook my mild irritation for confusion and went on to explain how troublesome all the girly drama is, how he hates artificial nails and tattooed eyebrows, and how refreshing it is meet someone like me, who is — and I quote — capable of maintaining an interesting conversation, unlike other gals. At this point I couldn’t roll my eyes any louder so I used a chain of profanity to express what I thought of his ‘compliment’ and left him gaping at me in disbelief. This was certainly not very girly of me — so I guess he enjoyed every minute.
Since when did ‘girly’ become a derogatory term? Why do some men believe that the best way to compliment a woman is to insult her entire sex? And, most importantly, why do some of us actually find it flattering?
The answer is simple: they want to be picked. At least that is how the article I found on Psychology Today explains this phenomenon. So-called pick-me girls, the author explains, are drenched in internalised misogyny, that is why separating themselves from ‘all these other women’ feels right and safe. Now, however, pick-mes are harshly criticised for seeking male validation. It seems a girl just can’t win these days.
The piece I want to share with you today raises this very question — how can we criticise such behaviour without putting yet another woman down?
Read on and find out. Then go have another round of your favourite video game or get a manicure — there is nothing wrong with either option as long as you enjoy yourself.
Quizlet
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In fiction, female characters are often described simply as “strong.” But strength alone doesn’t tell us much. Is she emotionally restrained? Morally rigid? Quietly resilient? Cruel? Deeply human?
Let’s explore some advanced adjectives that help us describe female characters with more precision and nuance.
Talking about strength and rigidity
🪼 Uncompromising: refusing to lower standards or change beliefs, even under pressure
She is an uncompromising editor who refuses to publish anything that doesn’t meet her exacting standards.
🪼 Stoic: enduring pain or hardship without showing emotion
Even after the public criticism, she remained stoic, revealing nothing about how deeply the comments had hurt her.
🪼 Resilient: able to recover quickly from difficulties
Despite repeated setbacks in her career, she proved remarkably resilient and rebuilt her reputation from scratch.
Talking about power
🪼 Vicious: deliberately cruel or malicious
Her competitors underestimated her until they saw how vicious she could be in the courtroom.
🪼 Patronizing: treating others as less intelligent or less capable
She had a patronizing habit of praising junior colleagues as if they were children rather than professionals.
🪼 Dismissive: showing that something is unworthy of consideration
Whenever her ideas were challenged, she became dismissive and waved away objections without consideration.
Talking about the depth of a character
🪼 Complex: having multiple layers, contradictions, or psychological depth
The novel portrays her as a complex woman whose ambition is constantly at war with her loyalty to her family.
🪼 Vulnerable: open to emotional hurt or deeply affected by experiences
In private moments, she allowed herself to be vulnerable and admit that leadership often felt lonely.
🪼 One-dimensional – lacking depth; defined by only one trait
At first, the heroine seems one-dimensional, but as the story unfolds, her hidden fears and contradictions emerge.
Talking about the social perspective on what women do
🪼 Frivolous: not serious or lacking importance
Her passion for fashion was often labeled frivolous, even though it was central to her creative identity.
🪼 Inferior: lower in quality or status
She refused to accept the outdated belief that women were intellectually inferior to their male counterparts.
🪼 Workaholic: someone who works excessively and compulsively
As a self-confessed workaholic, she routinely sacrificed sleep and social life to meet impossible deadlines.
Let’s explore some advanced adjectives that help us describe female characters with more precision and nuance.
Talking about strength and rigidity
She is an uncompromising editor who refuses to publish anything that doesn’t meet her exacting standards.
Even after the public criticism, she remained stoic, revealing nothing about how deeply the comments had hurt her.
Despite repeated setbacks in her career, she proved remarkably resilient and rebuilt her reputation from scratch.
Is an uncompromising character admirable — or exhausting?
How is resilience different from stoicism?
Talking about power
Her competitors underestimated her until they saw how vicious she could be in the courtroom.
She had a patronizing habit of praising junior colleagues as if they were children rather than professionals.
Whenever her ideas were challenged, she became dismissive and waved away objections without consideration.
At what point does authority turn into cruelty?
Can a powerful character avoid being dismissive?
Talking about the depth of a character
The novel portrays her as a complex woman whose ambition is constantly at war with her loyalty to her family.
In private moments, she allowed herself to be vulnerable and admit that leadership often felt lonely.
At first, the heroine seems one-dimensional, but as the story unfolds, her hidden fears and contradictions emerge.
Can a character be both vicious and vulnerable?
What makes a female character truly complex?
Talking about the social perspective on what women do
Her passion for fashion was often labeled frivolous, even though it was central to her creative identity.
She refused to accept the outdated belief that women were intellectually inferior to their male counterparts.
As a self-confessed workaholic, she routinely sacrificed sleep and social life to meet impossible deadlines.
Have you noticed any more juicy vocabulary in the forum answers?
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Language is constantly changing and growing. Once you have got the hang of state verbs, they change their meanings; the moment you allow yourself to think you are good at topical vocabulary, a hundred new terms are coined. At our school, we never stop learning and teaching modern language shifts: our goal is to show the relevance of grammar in everyday communication.
Today, we are excited to share one of the changing trends in English grammar – the usage of get-passives, to be precise. You may have already noticed that get-passives appear more often in everyday language, especially in personal narratives, interviews, and social media.
Both get-passives and causative forms are included in the curriculum of our upcoming three-month course: Breaking Bounds, where we examine them more thoroughly and dig deeper in the subtleties of their use.
Take a look at how get-passives are used in different contexts and complete the Key Word Transformation exercise with these structures.
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and six words, including the word given.
Answer key:1 got fired after the audit 2 got themselves involved 3 will get the negotiations wrapped up
Today, we are excited to share one of the changing trends in English grammar – the usage of get-passives, to be precise. You may have already noticed that get-passives appear more often in everyday language, especially in personal narratives, interviews, and social media.
Both get-passives and causative forms are included in the curriculum of our upcoming three-month course: Breaking Bounds, where we examine them more thoroughly and dig deeper in the subtleties of their use.
Take a look at how get-passives are used in different contexts and complete the Key Word Transformation exercise with these structures.
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and six words, including the word given.
Answer key:
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It’s been a while since I last shared any materials on exam preparation here. Recently, our team has mostly focused on advanced language development, and if you scroll through the feed, you’ll see it’s largely articles, vocabulary highlights, and the occasional glimpse into school life.
But exams are at the heart of AEE.
And today, as I was lazily browsing through an archive of old PDFs (with very little enthusiasm, I must admit) I opened a former CPE Use of English booklet. To say that I was suddenly full of beans within seconds would be an understatement — I had stumbled upon a task I hadn’t seen in years.
In 2013, Cambridge decided to abolish the Trios, the famous gapped sentences task. It used to test lexical depth, grammatical flexibility, and collocational awareness. In my not-so-humble opinion, that wasn’t a particularly wise decision. Some claimed the task was too difficult, but it was never about obscure or highfalutin vocabulary. It was about range and flexibility — qualities that are non-negotiable at C2.
So, without wasting a moment, I decided to create a few tasks for you, based on the vocabulary from the article we read together last week.
I hope you enjoy them. Share your answers in the comments, and let me know whether this old-but-gold format still has its charm.
Because to me, it felt like meeting a dear friend again.
But exams are at the heart of AEE.
And today, as I was lazily browsing through an archive of old PDFs (with very little enthusiasm, I must admit) I opened a former CPE Use of English booklet. To say that I was suddenly full of beans within seconds would be an understatement — I had stumbled upon a task I hadn’t seen in years.
In 2013, Cambridge decided to abolish the Trios, the famous gapped sentences task. It used to test lexical depth, grammatical flexibility, and collocational awareness. In my not-so-humble opinion, that wasn’t a particularly wise decision. Some claimed the task was too difficult, but it was never about obscure or highfalutin vocabulary. It was about range and flexibility — qualities that are non-negotiable at C2.
So, without wasting a moment, I decided to create a few tasks for you, based on the vocabulary from the article we read together last week.
I hope you enjoy them. Share your answers in the comments, and let me know whether this old-but-gold format still has its charm.
Because to me, it felt like meeting a dear friend again.
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Urgent! I’ve noticed that Cambridge is lagging. Is it just me, or are you experiencing the same issue? Or has destiny finally spoken and it’s time for us to turn to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary instead?
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Dear language enthusiasts,
If you are still contemplating joining one of our courses, you are in for a treat: there are still spots available in two groups of our upcoming Breaking Bounds course.
Enrol today!
If you are still contemplating joining one of our courses, you are in for a treat: there are still spots available in two groups of our upcoming Breaking Bounds course.
Enrol today!
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I have always loved Maslenitsa.
Mainly because blini – I refuse to call them crepes – have occupied a special place in my heart (and stomach) for as long as I can remember. Though now I have to defrost them instead of eating them freshly baked, I still immensely enjoy the holiday.
That being said, the vast amount of carbs is not the only reason for my loving this week.
Pagan traditions, which are at the root of this very holiday, are forever fascinating to me, if a bit… shall I say unusual? Eerie? Perhaps creepy? Whether you are amazed or irked by, say, the burning of an effigy, we cannot deny how memorable such an occasion is. That is why today I’m thrilled to share an article dedicated to several holidays that are no less interesting and no less creepy.
Every culture welcomes spring in its own unique way – give the piece a read and enjoy fun facts about these festivities, as well as superb vocabulary and the author’s razor-sharp wit.
Quizlet
Mainly because blini – I refuse to call them crepes – have occupied a special place in my heart (and stomach) for as long as I can remember. Though now I have to defrost them instead of eating them freshly baked, I still immensely enjoy the holiday.
That being said, the vast amount of carbs is not the only reason for my loving this week.
Pagan traditions, which are at the root of this very holiday, are forever fascinating to me, if a bit… shall I say unusual? Eerie? Perhaps creepy? Whether you are amazed or irked by, say, the burning of an effigy, we cannot deny how memorable such an occasion is. That is why today I’m thrilled to share an article dedicated to several holidays that are no less interesting and no less creepy.
Every culture welcomes spring in its own unique way – give the piece a read and enjoy fun facts about these festivities, as well as superb vocabulary and the author’s razor-sharp wit.
Quizlet
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A few days ago, we shared an 📄 article about Maslenitsa, packed with carefully selected vocabulary. We extracted the most vivid and useful expressions and compiled them into a Quizlet set for you.
Today, it’s time to test how well you’ve absorbed them.
Shortly, we’ll publish a poll in the feed where you’ll need to choose the best definition for each word.
To take the practice further, write your own sentences using the target vocabulary in the comments. And don’t forget to keep track of your score - shout out if you get 8 out of 8.
Today, it’s time to test how well you’ve absorbed them.
Shortly, we’ll publish a poll in the feed where you’ll need to choose the best definition for each word.
To take the practice further, write your own sentences using the target vocabulary in the comments. And don’t forget to keep track of your score - shout out if you get 8 out of 8.
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Advanced English and Exams (B2, C1, C2)
I have always loved Maslenitsa.
Mainly because blini – I refuse to call them crepes – have occupied a special place in my heart (and stomach) for as long as I can remember. Though now I have to defrost them instead of eating them freshly baked, I still…
Mainly because blini – I refuse to call them crepes – have occupied a special place in my heart (and stomach) for as long as I can remember. Though now I have to defrost them instead of eating them freshly baked, I still…
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As winter shadows recede, villages revive long-dormant rituals and rivalries.
In this sentence, the word recede means:
In this sentence, the word recede means:
Anonymous Quiz
84%
disappear gradually
8%
return violently
4%
freeze permanently
5%
spread unpredictably
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The festival retains its distinctly pagan undertones despite modern sponsorship.
In this sentence, the word pagan means:
In this sentence, the word pagan means:
Anonymous Quiz
3%
commercialised
89%
non-Christian or pre-Christian
3%
officially sanctioned
5%
politically radical
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The parade exploded in a profusion of masks, lanterns and improvised satire.
In this sentence, the word profusion means:
In this sentence, the word profusion means:
Anonymous Quiz
16%
rehearsed performance
4%
carefully measured display
4%
shortage
75%
abundant quantity
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