Grammar Mondays: adjectives 4

I often hear my students make the following mistake: “I am very interesting in this subject.” Or, they might say, “I am boring,” when they mean: “I am bored.”

These are very common mistakes. So how can we remedy them?

Try to pick up an example that you feel comfortable with, like: I am bored. = I feel bored. When you are unsure which form of the adjective to use, think back to your tested and tried example. Do you feel interested? If yes, then you should say: I am interested.

Let’s have another one. The Ring is frightening. I am frightened. = The Ring is a frightening film, therefore I feel frightened. If you say: I am frightening, that means you think people are afraid of you!

Okay, now you try it. Make three sentences with the following adjectives: tempted/tempting; excited/exciting; embarrassed/embarrassing.

Friday Idiom: break a leg

Learn an English idiom every Friday with Groupetude!

This idiom is used in theatres; before an actor goes on stage, rather than saying “good luck”, which incidentally is supposed to bring bad luck, you say, “break a leg!”

I have always wondered why we say break a leg… it is a bit strange after all. Its origins, however, are uncertain, so we’ll just have to remember not to say “good luck” to anyone about to perform!

Word of the Day: preposterous

Have you read The Book with No Pictures? It’s a children’s book by B.J. Novak and it’s brilliant. It really has no pictures and is quite hilarious. My son just loves it and rolls around on the floor in stitches (laughing very hard)! Well, the word preposterous is in it, so I thought I’d make it today’s word, because I like the sound of it!


What a preposterous thing to say!

It is absolutely preposterous to think that I would do the dishes for you.

What a preposterous idea, I would never sky-dive in a bikini!

Grammar Mondays: adjectives 2

Did you notice, also, how the nationality always comes right before the noun? So, the order here would be: adjective, color adjective, nationality, noun.

Example: The old blue book. Or, a black French bulldog.

Of course, don’t worry if you mix some of these up, people will still undersand you, and the point is to be understood. The main thing to remember, really, is to keep nationalities right next to the noun. Example: a tall Polish man.

Now it’s your turn to try. Look around you and write a paragraph describing what you see. That could mean: describing the room you are in, the view from your window, or the person sitting next to you at the office. The best way to improve is to practice a specific skill until you get it right. So if that skill is descriptive writing, then you must describe things as well as you can, then go back and edit. Ask someone who has already mastered the skill to give you feedback, then edit again, etc.

Good luck. If you have any questions, let me know, I’m here to help!


Nous avons tendance à penser que dès qu’il s’agit de quelque chose qui nous demande de l’effort, on est forcément ‘nul’, or, quasiment tout demande de l’effort d’une manière ou d’une autre.

Quand les gens découvrent que je suis trilingue, et que je leur parle de l’apprentissage d’une autre langue, ils me disent : ouais mais c’est facile pour vous car vous êtes douée. Vraiment ?! Non, pas de tout, je ne suis pas douée. Le polonais, j’ai appris car c’était la langue que parlait ma famille. Bon, là-dessus, pas trop de choix, surtout quand on est bébé. L’anglais, j’ai appris car, encore une fois, pas de choix; mes parents ont décidé quand j’étais très très jeune, de déménager au Canada. Jusqu’ici, on est d’accord, qu’il n y a rien de ‘talentueux’ dans mon parcours. Maintenant pour le français.

scenic view of city
Photo by James Wheeler on

J’apprend le français depuis l’âge de 6 ans. Au Canada, un pays bilingue, on y est obligé. Par contre, entre 6 et 22 ans, où j’ai passé 15 ans à essayer d’apprendre cette langue, j’arrivais à peine à m’en sortir quand je voulais commander un café dans un restaurant. Voilà, on peut dire que je ne suis vraiment pas douée, si j’ai passé 15 ans à apprendre une langue sans résultats.

Donc, comment se fait-il qu’aujourd’hui j’arrive même à écrire des articles entiers en français ? Eh ben, quand je suis arrivée en France en 2008, à 22 ans, j’ai travaillé très très dur; j’ai passé des mois à fréquenter des personnes et aller en soirée où je ne comprenais et ne disais RIEN, or, j’adore parler. Je me suis mise à la lecture en français, avec un petit dictionnaire électronique posé sur mon livre (c’était encore les jours avant la démocratisation des smartphones et des liseuses électroniques); je me suis forcée à parler uniquement en français même avec des personnes qui parlaient parfaitement l’anglais, car je savais qu’il fallait que je pratique; j’allais aussi à l’école pour apprendre, le CUEFA à Avignon, et je faisais des exercices, j’écrivais, je passais des tests… Bref, j’ai bossé, je me suis concentrée comme jamais, et je continue d’apprendre.

Donc, voyez-vous, il n y a rien de naturel dans l’apprentissage d’une langue. Il y a, parfois, des facilités de prononciation. J’admets que même si j’ai un accent quand je m’exprime en français, après beaucoup de pratique et peut-être un peu grâce à mes deux autres langues, je n’ai pas énormément de difficultés à prononcer les mots en français. Cependant, ces facilités là pourront uniquement vous donner un coup de pouce dans l’apprentissage, elle n’apprendront pas pour vous.

Ma conclusion est donc celle-ci : les français ne sont pas plus nuls que les autres en langues étrangères, mais avec une attitude aussi défaitiste et sans être exposés aux autres langues, tel que l’anglais, par exemple, comment voulez-vous apprendre ?

wood man people desk
Photo by Thirdman on

Ce n’est pas que les scandinaves, les allemands, les polonais ou les tchèques sont plus doués que les français, c’est que dans ces pays, l’anglais existe plus naturellement. Les enfants regardent leurs séries américaines en anglais, les adultes aussi; puis avec la pop culture, la musique, la communication, etc., tout devient plus simple.

Si vous avez vraiment envie d’apprendre une langue étrangère, la première chose à faire c’est de vous enlever de la tête que vous n’êtes pas doué. Ensuite il faut s’exposer à la langue, puis il faut travailler, pratiquer et s’acharner pour le faire. Trouvez des activités que vous appréciez, à faire dans votre langue cible, et faites les. Il n y a pas de raccourcis, il faut s y mettre.

*Si vous avez besoin de conseils ou les cours que propose mon école vous intéressent, n’hésitez pas à me contacter!

Friday Idiom: spill the beans

So how about a few examples?






Word the Day: thorough

A quick note on pronunciation: /ˈθɜːrəʊ/ go to the link below to hear the word

Do you need some more examples? Here they are:

  • The supervisor made a very thorough evaluation of her staff.
  • The police carried out a thorough investigation into the Deewitter case.
  • André is very thorough when he cleans his teeth; he never has cavities.

Thorough is an adjective, but you can also turn it into an adverb: thoroughly. Here are some examples:

  • Please check the premises thoroughly.
  • He went through each drawer quite thoroughly.
  • It was a thoroughly tiering affair.


When you can’t get yourself to a foreign country to really learn a language, watching TV is the next best thing. So, based on that statement, what fallows are 3 of my recommendations for the best series to watch in English.

There are several criteria that I used when selecting, and they are:

  • Brevity. Hour long episodes are great, but when you have to concentrate all your attention to understand what’s going on, fatigue can set it. So if you’re looking for something to watch, favour shorter shows.
  • Fun. They really should be very entertaining and especially, they should include humour that can be widely understood across cultures. Added slapstick is also a great advantage because, well, everyone gets it.
  • A mix of accents. Everyone knows that English comes in a variety of accents, it’s important to keep that in mind when choosing something to watch. Now, I wouldn’t say that it’s THE criterion to trump all others, but it helps to understand a wider array of speakers.
  • Simplicity. Don’t go for series where there is a lot of complicated language and specific slang. If you like House, that’s great, but remember, the show uses a lot of very specific medical vocabulary to seem authentic; most people struggle with this in their own languages, now imagine how it would be in a foreign language!

So here we go, my list!

Brooklyn 99

This show is just funny. Very very funny. The actors were born of Saturday Night Live and so you also get that sense of improvisation that you don’t always feel from a regular sitcom.

Why do I recommend this one? Even though the language isn’t necessarily super easy, the accents are relatively neutral and the storylines easy to follow. The humour is very much cross-cultural, so most people will get a laugh out of it even if they don’t understand everything 100%.

Apart from that, it’s the type of show where you can turn on your TV and turn off your brain. It isn’t dumb in the same way a Ben Stiller movie will be, but it’s light and slapstick, so there’s something for everyone. Also, you can watch it with your kids; not the very little ones, mind, but from about age 9 I think they can probably handle it.

So what’s it about? A Brooklyn police precinct and the various silly things that seem to happen to and are orchestrated by, the staff.

The Good Place

Apart from being a comedy, this show is just plain nice. Its simple, unassuming plot can really be understood by everyone, and the short length of each episode means that it isn’t too taxing after a long day’s work.

What’s the premise? Three people die and wake up in Heaven. Two think they belong there, and one (the protagonist) thinks there must have been some mistake.

Again, this is one you can watch with the kids, though they will probably appreciate it much less than Brooklyn 99.

Modern Family

Why do I love this show? Because the characters are endearing, the plots always funny without being completely stupid, and the language relatively simple.

What’s it about? A family in LA: 3 generations across 3 homes. It’s a “modern” family in most senses of the word, since the grandad remarries a much younger Columbian woman (who already has a kid), the “typical” couple with three kids, a gay couple who adopted a little Indonesian girl, and from time to time guest star the ex-wife of the grandad as well as another older parent.

I even watch this with my 4 year old sometimes, who of course, doesn’t understand everything, but nonetheless manages to enjoy the slapstick humour.

So there you, go. Three easy-to-watch sitcoms for the whole family, in English. Remember, when you’re watching something in a foreign language, do these three things:

  1. Forget about understanding everything. Don’t sweat it, you need to learn to ‘let go’ and try to enjoy what you do understand. As time goes by, there’ll be more and more of that!
  2. Put on subtitles in English, this will help you follow along more easily and catch those things that the characters may or may not say a little too quickly. Plus, it’ll help you with your pronunciation, just wait for those “aha” moments.
  3. Enjoy yourself. This is not supposed to be a time for close study, you are meant to put your legs up and relax in your free time. So switch on the TV, and let the show carry you forward, whether or not you’re able to follow 100% of it.

Newsletter: Week 9

Weekly English Fix

This week: Brownie Bonanza

Photo by Klaudyna Piatek

By Klaudyna Piatek March 2, 2021

Welcome everyone to this, the week before we open officially! Our very first event: the Brownie Bonanza. Join our baking workshop and learn how to make brownies for free! You can easily sign up by clicking on the link: and filling in our sign-up form. 

This first week of March is proving to be a little unnerving due to Covid uncertainty. Nobody really knows what the government has planned, and this does nothing to help our collective anxiety. However, here is one way in which we can try to counter this. 

Hiking! My husband and I have discovered hiking with our 4 year old son. Of course, we don’t climb to the highest heights, but our kiddo has surprised us by being quite resilient and happy and even excited to go on our weekly hike. This way we not only enjoy the outdoors, but we’ve been able to see what our lovely region has to offer. Highly recommended to help with cabin fever. So, have a look around where you live, even a nice walk can do so much good! 


10 virtual tours of spectacular buildings around the world

Phoebe Taplin

If you have the travel bug without the possibility of travel, check out these virtual tours. The English level in this article is perhaps a bit difficult, but remember, the point is not to understand everything, the point is to practice and get used to the language. So don’t sweat it if you miss even 50% of the meaning, the point is to immerse yourself! 

Documenting emperor penguins in Antarctica

This is a beautiful story if you like nature. This photographer spent two winters alongside a colony of emperor penguins; the link will take you to the BBC article where some of his photos are documented. It’s worth checking out, if only for the pictures!


Long Term Improvement

Download an English news app on your phone and make a vow to read at least one article everyday. I promise, this will not only improve your reading, but also your vocabulary and your general ease in the language! 

Some examples: BBC, The Guardian, The Observer, The Times, The Huff Post


The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary has a Word of the Day; follow it! Make it your goal to use your new word at least once that day. If you don’t have anyone to speak to in English, then write a diary entry or join a Facebook English learner’s group and use it there! 

Grammar Spot

Did you know that adjectives in English are always invariable and always go in front of the noun? If you have trouble assimilating this, try to practice by looking around you and describing what you see. If you practice a little everyday, you’ll be a pro in no time! 

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