Tolkien’s English

The man behind The Lord of the Rings was a lord of invention. So where did he get his inspiration? With the release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in 2013, the English writer behind Bilbo Baggins is once again in the limelight. Indeed, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, or J R

Ten words from the world of James Bond and their meaning

In October 2012, with the release of James Bond’s 23rd on-screen adventure, Skyfall, the much loved British secret agent celebrated his 50th anniversary on the big screen. The film franchise is one of the most enduring in cinematic history, and has been successfully exported to

Has social media changed the way we speak and write English?

There’s no denying that social media has transformed the way we interact with each other. From sharing our thoughts and photos to planning a night out, most people tend to organise their social lives, or at least have it significantly influence them, through some form of technolo

Five celebrities who are totally bilingual

The world of Hollywood may be dominated by the English language, but just like the US itself, its population boasts a huge number of people who are fluent in more than one tongue. From popular Hispanic stars who have made the crossover, like Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, to U

The ultimate guide to Cockney Rhyming Slang

Ever fallen down the apples and pears? How about given your trouble and strife a call on the dog and bone? Has all this got you scratching your loaf? It will if you’re not familiar with Cockney rhyming slang – London’s secret language. How it works Rhyming slang works by taking

15 famous unfinished projects – don’t let English be one of them!

A New Year brings with it a new set of resolutions. If you’ve made learning English one of yours then don’t give up on it! As motivation, EF English Live have compiled a list of the top 15 unfinished projects from across the world throughout history that would have been all the m

British words Americans find utterly confusing

Whilst the UK and the US may share English as an official native language, there are some words which just don’t make the journey across the Atlantic. If you are learning English, you’ll no doubt also want to get to know some of the regional variations and peculiarities of this g

Word of the moment: New Year

People around the world celebrate the New Year, no matter who or where they are. In most western countries, it is celebrated on the last day of December. However, the Chinese New Year falls in the end of January, and the Islamic New Year is celebrated in November. No matter when

Christmas traditions in Scotland

Everybody knows the Scots love a party, especially when there’s a glass or two of whisky involved, so it might come as something of a surprise to find that one of the biggest celebrations of the year was actually missing from the Scottish party calendar – for almost four centurie

Five writers who changed the English language forever

Literary giants who shape the way we think, write and live today Shakespeare’s dead. Long live literature! Here is something that might come as a shock: Shakespeare is not the most influential writer in the English language. Arguably, he is not even the best. And for this reaso