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Who said learning English was just for the young? You're never too old to learn something new. There are plenty of benefits of learning new skills, especially languages, in our senior years. And with increasing research showing the advantages to our brain... Read More
So, you’re preparing to take the . You’ve been studying for each of the four sections; reading, writing, speaking and listening. They all have their challenges - but listening is tricky. You never know what people are going to say - and you’re a lit... Read More
Are you looking for ways to learn English during the summer holidays? We’ve got you covered – Instagram Reels is a new and exciting way to practise English! Read on to find out how it can help you learn English and the top six accounts you can fol... Read More
Well done you! You’ve made it to Part 6 of the Reading and Use of English exam. Not long to go now – just three more reading sections. And it will all be worth it in the end, we promise. Part 6 of the exam is quite tricky and requires some patience ... Read More
Learning a new language is hard, but fun. If you are learning English but need some help, our monthly course is what you need. It is for people who are learning English for the first time. You will learn all the basic skills including reading, writi... Read More
Everyone likes listening to inspiring speeches. Gifted speakers have a way of making people want to listen and take action to change their lives. But speeches aren’t just interesting because of their content. They are also great tools to help you im... Read More
Dear reader… We sincerely hope you enjoyed our previous blog posts about the Writing section of the B2 First. As promised, here’s the latest instalment in the series. That’s right, today we’ll be teaching you how to write a formal letter or email ... Read More
Conditionals? Is that something you use after shampooing your hair? Not quite. You may have heard your English teacher talk about conditionals. Who knows, you may have even learnt a couple: [list type="" icon="icon-ok"] [list_item]If it rains, y... Read More
After racing through the first four parts of the Cambridge English Reading and Use of English paper, you’ve managed to save yourself some extra time. But you’re going to need it when it comes to those arduous readings in the second half of the exam. ... Read More
There are roughly 170,000 words in use in the English language. Thankfully, most native English speakers only have a vocabulary of . Still, that’s a lot of language for you to study! The good news is, with the right app in your pocket, it has never bee... Read More
You're probably very familiar with sending emails (and sometimes letters) in your first language. But how about in English? Writing in another language is not always so simple. If you want to pass your B2 First Certificate exam (FCE), this is an essential... Read More
Keep kids’ minds sharp over the Easter holidays with some entertaining, educational activities in English. There are lots of things you can do - from cooking, to dancing, to painting. All of these activities in this blog post will keep your kids healthy... Read More
Roxana Milanes is twenty five and from Cuba. She began English classes back in May 2019 at Oxford House, and since then has become part of the family. Even though she was a complete beginner, she wasn’t without ambition. On her first day of her course ... Read More
“Your future is whatever you make it, so make it a good one.” - Doc Brown, Back to the future. Just like the and tenses, there is more than one future tense in English. These change depending on the function and what we want to say. Today we... Read More
Business idioms are used throughout the workplace. In meetings, conversations and even whilst making at the coffee machine - you’ll be sure to hear them wherever you go. Knowing business will help you understand native speakers better. You’ll b... Read More
We spend hours consuming the news. With one click of a button we have access to thousands of news stories all on our phones. And with so much happening in the world right now, it can be difficult to avoid those breaking news updates. So why not use th... Read More
Imagine the scene. It’s exam day. You’re nearly at the end of your . You’ve just finished writing Part 1 - , and now it’s time to start Part 2. So you turn over the page to find three options: - A you know - An you’ve seen before - But ... Read More
Back in December 2019, we sat down and attempted to make a list of . No one could have predicted the year that was about to unfold. Nor, could we imagine the vortex of new words needed to make sense of the pandemic. For the , it was a year for unpreced... Read More
Christmas movies are one of the best things about the holiday season. They’re fun, they get you in the mood for the holidays, and they’re a great excuse to practise your English! Netflix has a wide selection of Christmas movies to choose from. Resist... Read More
Oxford House are extremely proud to announce our partnership with MigraCode - a Barcelona-based charity which trains refugees and migrants in coding and computer skills. We are offering a group of MigraCode students free English classes to help build thei... Read More
The age of telecommunication is well and truly here. Most of our business meetings now take place via video conferencing. Whether you’re using Zoom, Teams or Google Meet, the idea of a conference call in your second and sometimes third language can be ... Read More
One of the biggest challenges for Spanish speakers when learning English is pronunciation. Often it’s a struggle to produce certain vowel sounds. Sometimes it’s a case of dropping consonants at the end of words. And for some people it’s mispronuncia... Read More
“Alexa, what exactly are you?” Alexa is a virtual AI assistant owned by Amazon. She is voice-activated - like Siri for Apple devices, and can be used in conjunction with a number of third-party apps known as Alexa Skills. One of the challenges ... Read More
Okay, take a deep breath. We’re about to enter the danger zone of the Cambridge exam - Reading and Use of English Part 4. That’s right, this is the most feared part of the written test. Students groan when they hear it mentioned. And they’ll often ... Read More
Welcome to the new school year! It’s great to have you back. We’d like to remind you that , and classes are all starting this week - 5th of October. , and are starting from next week (13th October). Remember, it’s not too late to sign up. Pop in... Read More
The 26th of September is . It’s a day to celebrate Europe’s rich linguistic diversity and show the importance of language learning. European languages are all special in their own way but did you know they often borrow words from each other? Perhap... Read More
It’s the start of a new academic term and new courses are about to begin. This is the perfect opportunity to set your goals, focus, and learn a new language. But it may have been a long time since you were last in the classroom. Or you might be apprehe... Read More
If there’s one good thing to come out of this year, it’s that learning a language has never been so easy or accessible. That’s right, not even a pandemic could stop us from attending our English and Spanish classes. In 2020, language schools were fo... Read More
Are you bored of Facebook? Tired of Instagram? Don’t feel part of the Twitter generation? Perhaps what you’re looking for is TikTok. Currently one of the fastest growing apps with , TikTok is quickly becoming a platform for learning - and that include... Read More
It’s a fact! The UK is obsessed with the way people talk. And with , it’s no surprise why. That’s right, accents and dialects* vary greatly across Great Britain, and there is no such thing as a single ‘British accent’. Instead it’s an amalgama... Read More
