weekly posts on literature, languages, and learning
Od samog početka rada u nastavi stranih jezika, prilagođena lektira mi je jedno od omiljenih nastavnih sredstava. To je verovatno zato što je i meni samom ova vrsta literature mnogo pomogla da brže i lakše savladam jezike koje sam učio u osnovnoj školi i gimnaziji. U ovom članku ću vas upoznati sa konceptom prilagođene lektire, …
Continue reading "Upotreba prilagođene lektire u učenju i nastavi engleskog"
In an earlier post, I’ve given a few tips on how you can use podcasts to improve your English listening skills (you can read it here; also available in Serbian here). This article is for those who have neither the time nor the patience to listen to hour-long programmes, but would like quick and more …
Continue reading "Listening tips: five-minute practice using news podcasts"
Beginning of a new year is the perfect time to reassess one’s priorities and set personal goals for the coming twelve months. I’ve been doing my New Year’s resolutions for many years, always writing them down on the first page of my annual planner. Looking back, most of my past resolutions were quite unrealistic (lose …
Continue reading "New Year’s resolutions for language learners"
Each year, lexicographers1 working for prominent publishing companies announce a word that, in their judgment, marked the previous year. Their choice usually tells us something about the state of affairs2 in the world we live in and the way language reflects it. In this post, we’ll look at the English words of the year 2021. …
[Please scroll down to the bottom of the page for vocabulary notes and comments designed for ESL / EFL learners.] The shortest day and the longest night of the year... The Winter Solstice is here! Far more than just an annual astronomical occurrence, the Winter Solstice has inspired countless seasonal customs, traditions and festivals in …
[This post has been written primarily with English language learners in mind, levels B2 and above. You’ll find comments on the highlighted words at the bottom of the page.] Are there any films that you watch every single year, as if by habit? Films that have become your personal cult classics and that you traditionally …
It's been claimed that the Inuit languages of North America have over 50 different words for snow. You may be surprised to learn that English comes pretty close: if we include all the regional variants and dialects, the list gets pretty long! But don't worry, in this post we'll only look at the most common …
Stara je lingvistička dosetka kako u dijalektima severnoameričkih Eskima postoji preko pedest različitih reči za sneg. Sve i da je tačna, zapravo i ne bi bila tako neobična - ukoliko uključimo sve regionalne govore i dijalekte, po ukupnom broju termina ni engleski ne zaostaje. Bez panike od mnoštva novih i nepoznatih reči: ovde ćemo se …
Continue reading "Engleski vokabular za opisivanje snežnog vremena"
There are many words in English that we can use to say that something looks attractive: from 'pretty' and 'beautiful' to strong adjectives such as 'stunning', 'fascinating' or 'captivating'. In this post we'll look at the interesting background of another one of those, namely 'mesmerizing'. Firstly, what exactly does this adjective mean? The Cambridge Dictionary …
Postoji mnogo reči kojima na engleskom može da se izrazi da nešto izgleda lepo i privlačno: od jednostavnih prideva kao što su ‘pretty’ i ‘beautiful’ do onih sa znatno intenzivnijim značenjem poput ‘stunning’, ‘fascinating’ ili ‘captivating’. Svi imaju interesantnu etimologiju, ali u ovom tekstu osvrnućemo se na jedan drugi primer sa sličnim značenjem: ‘mesmerizing’. Najpre, …
Continue reading "Opčinjavajuća istorija prideva ‘mesmerizing’"
grammaticus 