‘The Way through the Woods’ by Rudyard Kipling

Not long ago, on one of my nature walks I visited a small lake near the town of Barajevo, Serbia. Once I got back home, I searched my library for a poem that would go well with my mental images of the place. And here it is - the subject of this blog post - Rudyard Kiplingโ€™s โ€˜The Way through the Woodsโ€™.ย 

Learning English through opera: Purcell’s ‘Dido and Aeneas’

Over the years Iโ€™ve given my students different pieces of advice on how they can improve their vocabulary and listening skills. Some of the more conventional ones Iโ€™ve already posted here on the blog, but in this post Iโ€™ll share another - somewhat unusual - idea on that subject: listen to opera! Before you roll your …

English words of the year 2023

If you recall, some of the words of the year 2022, chosen by the leading English languageย lexicographers, were โ€˜womanโ€™, โ€˜permacrisisโ€™, and โ€˜gaslightingโ€™. (And if you donโ€™t recall, you can refresh your memory).ย  Letโ€™s now do a quick roundup of the words of the year 2023! The Collins word of the previous year is โ€˜AIโ€™, defined …