10 strange things you might see on an American menu

Getting to grips with the culinary quirks of a country is part of the joy of living somewhere new. Disgust, delight, bafflement – the everyday foods of other cultures can invoke a wide range of responses in the diner. Food from the United States has been successfully exported th

Ten Non-Native English Speakers Who Made it Big in the US

Land of the free, home of the brave, America has always drawn hopeful dreamers to its shores, their hearts set on finding that illusive American Dream. While it may not come true for everyone, a lucky few have made it to the top, through sheer grit, determination, hard work – or

An Italian in London: things you need when you move to the UK

So you are all set, you have made up your mind and decided to move to the UK. When I first moved to this country I wasn’t really prepared to live life in a big city: bigger than every other city I had ever lived in. It took me a while to get used to my new way of living: staying

Meme, sinkhole and retired – recent English words in the news

It’s been a busy month in the news and here are some of the most interesting English words and phrases I’ve spotted. ‘Meme’ ­ You probably know a few examples of these even if you haven’t seen the word before. Have you seen a Harlem Shake video? If so, you’ve seen a ‘meme’. In t

An Italian in London: to complain or not complain

I work in a pub where the new year has seen a twenty pence cost increase for a pint. “£3.95? Yesterday it was £3.75” – that’s how most regulars reacted. It’s a complaint that is repeated throughout London after the January price hike, whether I’m eavesdropping at the train stati

Expat living: Katrin – from Germany to the USA

For many the main reason to learn English is their dream of moving to an English-speaking country. But what is it like to make the jump abroad? How hard is it really to suddenly speak English only every day? We’ve caught up with Katrin, who writes the blog Land Of Candy Canes. A

Life in London – three expat blogs worth reading

Many of our students embark on learning English [https://englishlive.ef.com/en/] because they want to move to and work in an English-speaking country. For those who make the jump abroad, it’s not just getting used to speaking English that can be tricky but also living in an unkn

Top 10 ways to say "thank you" in an English email

When we’re sending emails, it’s easy to be too direct. This can upset the reader or cause offense. Saying “thank you” is a great way to make your email more polite aand personal.

Describe your daily routine: Useful English phrases

There are some key phrases that are useful to learn in English [https://englishlive.ef.com/en-gb/resources/english-language-ebook/english-phrases/] in order to expla

Top five most cryptic English song lyrics

Singing along to your favourite English songs is a great way of practicing your pronunciation and learning new words. However, there are some songs lyrics that are so strange not even native English speakers can make sense of them. Here are the top five most cryptic English song