Ana Bueno's English Corner

Health and illness - Wheeldecide

2019-11-18T20:40:00.000+01:00

The power of adjectives in descriptions: cities

2015-10-14T08:00:00.000+02:00

Hi there!

These days we've been talking about cities and we've learnt some very useful vocabulary to describe them. Below I include some of these words (remember to check their pronunciation!). Can you add any other?

Now, today I didn't want to focus solely on these adjectives, but rather highlight the effect and crucial importance that adjectives have in our writing and speech: being able to be specific and choose the right word adds value to our language, and colour to our descriptions.

Have a look at the following text about Mexico:

Mexico City is Mexico's capital city and one of the most important political, cultural, educational and financial centres in North America. With a GDP of $411 billion US dollars in 2012, it is ranked as the eighth richest city in the world. Settling on an altitude of more than 2,000 metres, tourists are instantly enamoured by the city's glamour, cultural heritage and contemporary development. Every corner of the city is sprinkled with stories to tell of famous personalities and ancient tribes. While the Aztecs discovered and gave the city its culture and heritage, the Spanish revamped and added their touch. Today, the cultural amalgamation is mirrored in every landmark of Mexico City, be it the Templo Mayor, El Zócalo square, Catedral Metropolitana or Frida Kahlo museum.

What feeling do you have when you finish reading?

Now compare it with the text below, about the English city of Middlesbrough:

What kind of adjectives are used the most: positive, negative or neutral?

How does this affect the impact of the article?

(Note: No offence intended to the people in Middlesbrough. It is deliberately wildly exaggerated to show the power of negative adjectives in an English text.)

The text is evidently extremely negative, something which is mainly achieved via the adjectives used. Now, do the following:

Highlight all the negative adjectives/expressions.

Replace them with some more positive ones.

When you have finished, check the impact the text has on the reader now. Has it changed?

This exercise would be a very good opportunity to start using an antonyms dictionary. Check the entry "Back with dictionaries again! Enrich your vocabulary fast and easy" to learn how to do it!

Natural disasters: Chile's earthquake

2015-10-07T08:00:00.000+02:00

Hi!

Today I post a quick listening activity with a video from Reuters News Agency. It covers the earthquake and later tsunami that affected Chile last September 2015. As you know, the topics of "cities", "natural disasters" and "the environment" are included in our curriculum, and therefore in the contents of the different levels.

I ask you to find some time to do this listening activity, and write down some interesting words you could learn. Remember:

Watch once for general understanding (forget about the activity at the beginning)
Do the activity in the second listening
Finally, check your answers in the last listening

As usual, remember that the answer key is at the end of the document :)

Thanks for watching!

Quake Triggers Tsunami Warnings in Chile by AnaBueno_LearnEnglish

After watching this video and doing the activity, you might want to visit: "School reopens after Oklahoma tornado".

Back with dictionaries again! Enrich your vocabulary fast and easy

2015-10-02T12:35:00.000+02:00

Several posts have already been published in this blog about dictionaries ("There is life outside word reference!"; "Using monolingual and collocations dictionaries"). Today we're going to focus on yet a different type of dictionaries: dictionaries of synonyms and antonyms. Have you ever used them??

To start with, a synonym is a word that has a similar or the same meaning as another one in the language, whereas an antonym is a word that has an opposite meaning. I include some examples below:

Examples of synonyms:

Some more advanced examples include:

Beautiful: Attractive, Pretty, Lovely, Stunning
Fair: Just, Objective, Impartial, Unbiased
Funny: Humorous, Comical, Hilarious, Hysterical
Happy: Content, Joyful, Mirthful, Upbeat
Hardworking: Diligent, Determined, Industrious, Enterprising
Honest: Honorable, Fair, Sincere, Trustworthy
Intelligent: Smart, Bright, Brilliant, Sharp
Introverted: Shy, Bashful, Quiet, Withdrawn
Kind:Thoughtful, Considerate, Amiable, Gracious
Outgoing: Friendly, Sociable, Warm, Extroverted

Examples of antonyms

Examples of antonyms

Working on our synonyms and antonyms will incredibly help us to enrich our vocabulary. (I also talked about this in an earlier post: "learn how to be more descriptive!"). But how can you do that? Well, there are many ways, from writing lists in your notebook, to designing flashcards or categorizing your vocabulary. But today we're only going to focus on one: dictionaries of synonyms and antonyms.

There are two main dictionaries of this sort online:

Your Dictionary

Thesaurus

I personally prefer the second one, and here I'm going to show you an example of how it works. Extremely useful, and dead easy, you'll see!!

The homepage looks like this: (make sure it says "synonyms" on the left)

As an example I have introduced the word "sad". To start with, something very useful is that the words are coloured according to their relevance/frequency, as you can see below:

More than that, you can also activate the options "common" or "informal" on the right, so that the corresponding words are highlighted. This is extremely important, since when you learn a new word, you should also know if you should use it in formal or informal contexts. These differences of register are essential for advanced students.

If you scroll down a bit more, we find the antonyms. Again, they're highlighted according to their relevance and you can activate the options "common" and "informal".

Awesome, huh? :)

Well, now you just have to start using it!

Exam practice - Official Language School in Vigo

2015-05-21T10:00:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone!

Here I leave you with a link to the Official Language School in Vigo. There you can download the exams corresponding to levels Basic (A2), Intermediate (B1) and Advanced (B2).

Certification exams EOI Vigo

Exam Practice - Official Language School in Murcia

2015-03-26T10:00:00.000+01:00

Hi there!

Today I post a link to the Official Language School in Murcia. There you can download the exams corresponding to levels Basic (A2), Intermediate (B1) and Advanced Level 2 (B2).

Way to go!! :)

Certification exams EOI Murcia

Exam Practice - Official Language Schools in Aragón

2015-03-09T10:00:00.000+01:00

Hi again!

Today I post a link to the Official Language Schools in Aragón. There you can download the exams corresponding to levels Basic (A2) and Intermediate (B1).

I hope you do well!

Certification exams EOI Aragón

Exam Practice - Official Language Schools in the Basque Country

2015-02-19T10:00:00.000+01:00

Hello again!!

Here I leave you with the link to the Official Language Schools in the Basque Country. There you can download the exams corresponding to levels Basic (A2), Intermediate (B1) and Advanced Level 2 (B2).

Good luck!

Certification exams EOI Basque Country

Exam practice - Official Language Schools in Madrid

2015-02-02T10:00:00.000+01:00

Hi again!

Today I post a link to the Official Language Schools in Madrid. There you can download the exams corresponding to levels Basic (A2), Intermediate (B1) and Advanced Level 2 (B2).

I wish you the best of luck!

Certification exams EOI Madrid

Videos with useful phrases according to your level!

2015-01-23T07:00:00.000+01:00

Hi there!

Today I wanted to share with you a very useful section within the Inside Out website. It contains videos with useful phrases categorised into different levels: pre-intermediate, intermediate and upper-intermediate.

Here you have the first video of the series. Scroll down and continue watching more videos which correspond to your level. I'm sure you can all understand a lot!

I also take advantage of this entry to recommend you another incredibly useful website to do listening at home (audio this time, not video, I'm afraid). It is listed in the resources I recommend for listening (make sure you check that section! --> resources online > skills > listening).

The website is www.esl-lab.com, and all the listenings are divided into different levels. You can choose the type of activity you want (open questions; multiple-choice questions or filling the gaps), and you have the transcription as well. Very useful!! :)

I hope you start using these websites!

The present perfect and typically related words (ever, never; for, since; just, yet, already)

2015-01-20T07:00:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone!

Today we're going to focus on the present perfect tense and, more specifically, several words that are typically associated with it -although in future years you will see that they can be used in other tenses as well!

First of all, let us very quickly revise when we use the present perfect, especially in contrast with the past simple:

To cut a long story short (en resumidas cuentas), use the present perfect:

For life experiences (they are finished, they happened in the past, but I don't know when)

It is in this context that we typically use ever and never:

Have you ever swum with dolphins?; Have you ever tried bungee-jumping?

I've never eaten Viatnamese food.

If you want to practise a little bit, complete this information about Loch Ness.

For actions that started in the past and still continue now.

It is in this context that we typically use the words for and since.

If you would like to have more information about for and since, click for a detailed explanation with plenty of examples that you can also listen to. If what you need is practice, click below:

Finally, there are three other words that are normally used in the present perfect: just, already and yet. Read the information below to understand their meaning and their position in the sentence.

We use just for something that has very recently happened (acabar de). We place it in the middle of the sentence, between have and the participle:

I've just learnt how to use for and since.

I've just been to the supermarket.

We use already in affirmative sentences to mean 'sooner than expected'. We generally place it between have and the participle, but it can also appear at the end of the sentence:

I've already finished reading Dracula / I've finished reading Dracula already.

I've already been to London three times / I've been to London three times already.

We use yet in negative and interrogative sentences. We place it at the end of the sentence:

I haven't started Sherlock Holmes yet.

Have you been to England yet?

BUT remember: we can also use already in questions when we expect a positive answer

Have you already started revising for the exam?

And now comes the practice!

To finish today's entry, here you have two websites to practise some of the grammar we have seen already :)

Remember that revising is even more important than studying something for the first time! :)

New Year Resolutions for your English learning - some ideas!

2015-01-07T07:00:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone! And Happy New Year!

We're back after the Christmas break with renewed energy from these cosy and warm days with the family. I hope you come back as energetic and lively! :)

The first days of the New Year are always full of optimism, ambitions, new projects, resolutions, etc. Along with that philosophy, I wanted to post something uplifting and that gives you ideas to orientate your English studying in 2015.

Funny enough, I've just bumped into a very interesting blog post that I share with you below. It is written by an English student who passed the Advanced level without attending lessons. It is a clear example of perseverance, willingness to learn and organizational skills.

She also gives plenty of ideas, resources and tips to study autonomously at home. And, last but not least, I'm sure you'll feel identified with her because of the language she uses and also because she encountered the same obstacles and problems as many of you do.

Enjoy!

Cómo aprobé el nivel avanzado de la EOI

A useful tip to convert between miles and kilometres!

2014-12-18T18:00:00.000+01:00

Hi there!

Today I'm going to give you a very useful tip to convert between kilometres and miles! It is specially useful for those who like languages but also have a certain mind for Maths! But even if you don't like Maths, read through the end and see how easy it is!

Have you ever heard of the Fibonacci Sequence? I'm sure you have! For those who don't know, the sequence is as follows:

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144...

How does it work? Well, each number results from adding up the two neighbouring numbers:

Now, one interesting aspect of these numbers is that their ratios (divisiones) all approach being what is called the golden ratio: 1,618. So, for example,

3 divided by 2 is 1,5;

5 divided by 3 is 1,666;

8 divided by 5 is 1,6;

13 divided by 8 is 1,625;

21 divided by 13 is 1,615, etc.

And... what does this have to do with kilometres and miles? Well, curiously enough, the ratio of km to miles is 1,609 to 1. Since 1,609 is so close to the golden ratio, you can use the Fibonacci numbers to convert between kilometres and miles!!

5 km is quite close to 3 miles

8 km is almost exactly 5 miles

13 km is 8 miles

21 km is 13 miles, etc.!

Now you won't have any problem with distances when you travel to the United Kingdom! :)

Learn the rules for silent letters!

2014-12-15T07:00:00.000+01:00

Good morning everyone!

Last week I published an entry introducing silent letters. Remember that they are letters that are written, but not pronounced. Today, and as promised, I post a few rules that will help you spot them!

At the end of the entry you can find some practice to see how much you can remember!

LETTER <B>

B is not pronounced after <m> at the end of a word: lamb, climb, plumber, thumb, tomb, limb, dumb, bomb.

B is not pronounced before <t>, usually at the end of the word: debt, doubt, subtle, doubtful.

LETTER <C>

C is not pronounced in some cases where it is combined with <s> and <sc>: scene, scissors, scent, science, scenery, sci-fi, scepter, muscle.

But be careful because normally this combination is pronounced <sk>, as in scorpion, scar, scope.

LETTER <D>

D is not pronounced in the following common words: handkerchief, Wednesday, handsome.

D is not pronounced in the combination <dg>: pledge, grudge, hedge, dodge.

LETTER <E>

E is not pronounced at the end of words, and usually elongates / lengthens the sound of the vowel (check the entry on the magic E)!: hope, drive, gave, write, site, grave, bite, hide.

Check the magic E song!

E can be silent in the middle of words: baseball, somewhere, someone, somebody, somehow, grateful, graceful, useful, useless.

LETTER <G>

G is often not pronounced when it comes before <n>: foreign, sign, feign, design, align.

Exceptions: magnet, cognitive.

LETTERS <GH>

GH is not pronounced when it comes after a vowel: thought, drought, through, thorough, borough, daughter, light, might, sigh, right, fight, weigh, weight

Exceptions: GH is sometimes pronounced /f/: rough, tough, laugh, enough, cough, clough, draught.

LETTER <H>

H is not pronounced at the beginning of 4 words of French origin: hour, honest, honor, heir, and words deriving from them: hourly, honorable.

H is sometimes not pronounced in the combination <ch>. In the majority of cases, this combination has the sound in chocolate, but in some cases the <h> is silent and it is pronounced /k/: school, character, chaos, orchestra, choir, ache, stomach, anchor,, mechanic, architect, chemist's, monarchy, melancholy.

LETTER <K>

K is not pronounced when it comes before <n> at the beginning of a word: knife, knee, know, knock, knowledge, knead.

LETTER <L>

L is not pronounced in some very important words after the vowels <a>, <o>, <u>: calm, half, talk, walk, would, should, could, calf, salmon, yolk, chalk.

Exceptions: halo, bulk, sulk, hold, sold

LETTER <N>

N is not pronounced when it comes after <m> at the end of a word: autumn, hun, column.

LETTER <P>

P is not pronounced at the beginning of many words using the prefixes psych- and pneu-: psychiatrist, pneumonia, pneumatic, psychotherapy, psychotic, psychologist.

P is also silent in receipt.

LETTER <S>

S is not pronounced before <l> in the following words: island, isle, aisle, précis, depris.

LETTER <T>

T is not pronounced in these everyday words: castle, Christmas, fasten, listen, often, whistle, thistle, bustle, hasten, soften.

LETTER <U>

U is not pronounced when it comes between a <g> and a vowel: guess, guidance, guitar, guest, guild, guard.

LETTER <W>

W is not pronounced at the beginning of a word when it is before the letter <r>: wrap, write, wrong, wring, wreck, wrestle, wrap, wrist.

W is not pronounced in the following words: who, whose, whom, whole, whoever.

Now that you know all these rules, why don't you try and read these short fragments?? Underline the silent letters and then try to write your own paragraph!

Texts taken from bbc.co.uk

Stop phubbing! But... what is that??

2014-12-12T07:00:00.000+01:00

Has it ever happened to you that you're with somebody who just can't stop looking at his/her mobile?? How annoying can that be? Well, apparently you're not the only one who gets annoyed!!

In English a new word has even been invented to describe this phenomenon, and it's "PHUBBING":

This kind of situations has become "trending topic" in the last years, and it's just that people don't seem capable of disconnecting from the virtual world!! An entire website (extremely funny, by the way!!) has opened: www.stopphubbing.com. They include data, figures, interesting facts and even a letter you can send to your friends to make them stop phubbing!!

Some of the facts they publish are certainly thought-provoking... See for yourself!

According to this, what will communication be like in a few years? Are you scared of what can happen?

Many people prefer to take it humorously and denounce the situation making videos as funny as this one, by "The Britishes"!:

Funny, huh? :P

Now, if you want to take it a bit more seriously, below I include probably the most watched YouTube video on this topic. It's very straightforward, but composed beautifully in the form of a poem. Its rhythm, careful choice of words and the story behind certainly manages to touch the viewer.

"Look Up", by Gary Turk (click for full text):

Well, after all this I do hope we manage to change our attitude towards smartphones and learn how to enjoy life minute by minute! :)

"If" or "whether": what's the difference?

2014-12-10T07:00:00.000+01:00

Hi there!

Today I post a grammar lesson on the difference between if and whether. These two words normally pose problems for English students, since the translation into Spanish is the same in both cases (si). Here I'll post an explanation on when to use each. Hope it helps!

In very general terms, we use if in conditional sentences and whether to show that two alternatives are possible. In the cases where both are possible, whether is understood as more formal.

That said, let us look at both conjunctions in some deeper detail:

**If and whether are interchangeable in the following contexts:**

IN REPORTED OR INDIRECT YES/NO QUESTIONS:

She asked if / whether I'd be attending the party.

Do you know if / whether dinner will be ready soon?

I don't know if / whether she's coming or not.

"WHETHER / IF ... OR ... " CONSTRUCTIONS

I'd really like to know whether / if he's lying or telling the truth.

Use ONLY whether in the following contexts:

TO PRESENT TWO ALTERNATIVES:

Let the principal know whether you'll attend the meeting

(there are two alternatives: you'll attend the meeting or you won't. You have to inform the principal in either case).

Let the principal know if you'll attend the meeting

(this sentence is grammatically correct, but the meaning is different. In this example, the principal is only be told if you'll attend the meeting. Therefore, if you'll attend the meeting is a condition, it doesn't present two alternatives).

AFTER PREPOSITIONS:

My final decision depends on whether you agree ~~(on if)~~

I would like to talk to you about whether you'll continue working here ~~(about if)~~

BEFORE INFINITIVES:

I've been thinking whether to quit my job ~~(if to quit)~~.

She can't make up her mind whether to marry him ~~(if to marry him).~~

DIRECTLY BEFORE OR NOT:

Please, tell me whether or not you agree (~~if or not~~)

(Note that or not can be placed at the end of the sentence. In that case, if is possible: Please, tell me if you agree or not).

WHEN WHETHER STARTS A CLAUSE:

Whether she liked the present, I don't know.

Whether he comes or not is nor my concern.

I don't care whether you study or waste your time.

(If we use if in these contexts it would be understood as a condition)

WHEN WHETHER EXPLAINS SOMETHING THAT COMES BEFORE:

You have to answer my question, whether I can count on you (that is my question).

Use ONLY if in the following contexts:

TO INTRODUCE A CONDITION:

If I had the chance I would travel all around the world.

If it hadn't been for my family, I wouldn't have got so far.

YOUR TURN! :)

Now check how much you can remember with the following exercises!

If or whether: grammar exercise

If, whether or whether or not

If, whether or both (multiple choice)

Silent letters: why do they exist and where can I find them?

2014-12-08T07:00:00.000+01:00

Hi!

Today we are going to focus on silent letters, those so common letters that are written but not pronounced, as in the <t> in castle, or the <l> in walk.

You may think they are not all that important if they're not pronounced, but actually they make a huge difference to the meaning of words and can even change their pronunciation (sit vs. site)!

But why do silent letters exist??

Well, you'd be surprised to know that English used to be 100% phonemic, that is, a few centuries ago words sounded exactly as they were written, as in Spanish! However, this began to change around the 15th century because of the influence of Latin and French.

Pronunciation started to evolve and continued doing so for centuries, but the old spelling was preserved by the printing press. Some authors defended that spelling should represent the sound of words, but the writers that came afterwards saw the futility of making spelling phonetic, since they realized that the pronunciation of words constantly evolved. Therefore, the basis for spelling was not pronunciation, but rather custom of usage.

This way, nowadays English is only 40% phonemic, and around 60% of words contain silent letters! See how important they are!

Where can I find them?

It would be impossible to list all the words that contain silent letters, but below I post a picture of the most common ones. You can also check the rules for silent letters to know how to spot them:

If you want to go a bit further, go to Silent Letter Words for another complete list of silent letters. You can listen to the words by clicking on them!

Speechyard.com: learn English from film extracts

2014-12-05T07:00:00.000+01:00

Hi again!

Today I'm going to show you a fantastic website to learn English with film extracts: www.speechyard.com. It is brand new and it has tremendous functionalities! Without a doubt, one of the best websites for English learning I've seen in a long time!

You can select extracts from different films, and check the new vocabulary instantly from the subtitles. You can also add the new words to your own library / glossary!

Let me show you better!

1. Enter the website

2. Choose a video from the "Content" page:

2. Click on a word or a group of words to translate it/them:

3. Click on "+" to add a word to your library (= glossary):

4. Learn new words and expression on the "Learning" page:

5. You can practise with other users at the "Community" page:

Check all this on this video tutorial:

I'm sure you'll love it!!

There is no failure, only feedback!

2014-12-03T07:00:00.000+01:00

In all types of learning, and language learning is no difference, our attitude towards mistakes is crucial. There are people for whom a mistake is a push forward (un empujón hacia delante), but for others their whole world seem to crumble (venirse abajo)...!

Truth is that mistakes simply show that we are learning, that we are advancing, that we are in the middle of a process that will eventually lead to our mastery of the language. This is the attitude that we must have, and perceive mistakes as a step further in our learning, and one that will give us the push to keep going.

There is a story about Thomas Edison that goes something like this: When someone commented to Edison that he had failed 1,999 times before he eventually managed to invent the light bulb, he replied: 'Nonsense, it was a 2,000 step process!'

If you look around, you'll see hundreds of examples of people who failed before achieving their goal. That failure was simply part of their learning, and the one that made them strong enough to keep going.

Below you have a few examples of such failures:

So... what is your attitude going to be the next time you make a mistake?? :))

When do I use capital letters?

2014-12-01T07:00:00.000+01:00

The rules for using capital letters are different between languages, so here you have the rules for English!

Would you like to practise a little bit? Try this exercise on capital letters. If you want something a bit more difficult, try this exercise to revise the rules for capitalization!

Exam Practice A2 level (I)

2014-11-28T07:00:00.003+01:00

Hi!

The exams are coming closer and I wanted to give you some exam practice to get ready!

These exams are all taken from the Key English Test from Cambridge, which roughly corresponds to a level A2:

READING

Reading Part 1: signs and short texts
Reading Part 2: gapped sentences
Reading Part 3:multiple choice questions
Reading Part 4: long text with multiple choice questions
Reading Part 5: text with multiple choice gaps

LISTENING

Listening Part 1: pictures with multiple choice questions
Listening Part 2: longer recording and matching
Listening Part 3: multiple choice
Listening Part 4: fill in a form
Listening Part 5: fill in a form

Good luck! :)

Exam Practice B1 level (I)

2014-11-28T07:00:00.002+01:00

Hi!

The exams are coming closer and I wanted to give you some exam practice to get ready!

These exams are all taken from the Preliminary English Test from Cambridge, which roughly corresponds to a level B1:

READING

Reading Part 1: signs and short texts
Reading Part 2: match 5 people to 8 texts
Reading Part 3: text with True/False questions
Reading Part 4: long text with multiple choice questions
Reading Part 5: text with multiple choice gaps

LISTENING

Listening Part 1: pictures with multiple choice questions
Listening Part 2: longer recording and multiple choice questions
Listening Part 3: complete notes
Listening Part 4: true/false

Good luck! :)

Exam practice C1 level (I)

2014-11-28T07:00:00.001+01:00

Hi!

The exams are coming closer and I wanted to give you some exam practice to get ready!

These exams are all taken from the Cambridge Advanced Certificate in English, which roughly corresponds to a level C1:

READING

Reading Part 1: three themed texts with multiple-choice questions
Reading Part 2: text with 6 paragraphs missing
Reading Part 3: long text with multiple-choice questions
Reading Part 4: Multiple matching

USE OF ENGLISH

Use of English Part 1: multiple-choice cloze
Use of English Part 2: open cloze
Use of English Part 3: word formation
Use of English Part 4: Gapped sentences
Use of English Part 5: Key word transformations

LISTENING

Listening Part 1: three short extracts from conversations with multiple-choice questions
Listening Part 2: sentence completion
Listening Part 3: conversation with multiple-choice questions
Listening Part 4: multiple matching

Good luck! :)

Exam practice B2 level (I)

2014-11-28T07:00:00.000+01:00

Hi!

The exams are coming closer and I wanted to give you some exam practice to get ready!

These exams are all taken from the First Certificate in English Exam from Cambridge, which roughly corresponds to a level B2:

READING

Reading Part 1: text with 8 multiple choice questions
Reading Part 2: text with 7 sentences missing
Reading Part 3: multiple matching

USE OF ENGLISH

Use of English Part 1: multiple choice cloze
Use of English Part 2: open close, text with gaps
Use of English Part 3: word formation
Use of English Part 4: key word transformations

LISTENING

Listening Part 1: multiple choice (8 conversations)
Listening Part 2: open answers
Listening Part 3: choose the speaker
Listening Part 4: multiple choice (1 conversation)

Good luck! :)

I want a non-native teacher! (or a qualified native one!)

2014-11-26T07:00:00.001+01:00

A few days ago I came across a newspaper article defending why a Spanish can be a better English teacher than a 'native'. This can be a highly controversial topic, but it's one that badly needs clarification, and, in my opinion, an urgent re-evaluation of 'non-native' teachers.

There has always been the idea that ‘native speakers’ of English are the best teachers of English. Indeed, in hiring practices ‘native speakers’ are very often given preference, and some language schools even take the liberty to charge more if their teachers are ‘native’.

This disadvantage in the job market, besides the social pressure of having to imitate a ‘native’ model, has had a truly harmful effect on ‘non-native’ language teachers, many of whom have lost confidence in their lessons, especially as regards the teaching of pronunciation. As Canagarajah puts it, "their predominant concern is in effect “How can I lose my accent?” rather than “How can I be a successful teacher?” (1999: 84-85).

The reality today is that 80% of teachers of English in the world are not native. Be that as it may, the difference should not really reside in the dichotomy ‘native’/‘non-native’, but rather in the opposition ‘qualified’/’non-qualified’. In other words, qualified teachers, be they ‘native’ or ‘non-native’, are superior to ‘native speakers’ who have not undergone training (Pavón Vázquez, 2010).

By all mens, 'native' teachers have the advantage of having a flawless command of the language. Still, there is now growing agreement that ‘non-native’ teachers have a number of advantages worth mentioning:

Only ‘non-native’ teachers can serve as imitable models of the successful learner of English.

Their previous status of learners of the language allows them to provide students with more information about the English language.

They are endowed with the priviledge of bilingualism, which allows them to have a better understanding of the learning situation.

They can teach learning strategies more effectively.

They can anticipate areas of potential problems.

They can benefit from sharing the students’ mother-tongue and culture.

They are trained in methodological issues.

Paradoxically, all these advantages stem from the fact that they have undergone a process of learning that ‘native speakers’ have not. These advantages, combined with the fact that the vast majority of them present an adequate level of language competence to perform their task, can certainly place ‘non-native’ teachers in a superior position over ‘native speakers'.

So the next time an academy sells their lessons saying that their teachers are native, ask if they are qualified, since that is what really matters.