Diana Frank - English Conversation Tutor

A photo of me in a park In my lessons, the topic of ‘nature’ vocabulary comes up all the time. Even for those who live in cities, understanding how to talk about nearby green spaces is a valuable skill. On that note, we’ll start off with park , which is a wide area of land, usually with grass and trees, where people and families can sit, relax, or take a walk. Parks are primarily for recreation and leisure. Think of a park as a place to have a picnic, or simply stretch your legs. a park (image for illustrative purposes only) Copyright: Petra Nesti from Pexels In addition, you might hear the term public garden (also known as a botanical garden). Public gardens are often more focused on showcasing specific types of plants, flowers, and trees to be both educational and visually appealing. They're beautiful, maintained spaces that are open to everyone and are perfect for quiet walks and appreciating different species of plants. Occasionally, they serve as a venue for special community...

image: © SHVETS production from Pexels If you're a German speaker, you'll likely recognise the following words because they have similar spellings and the same meaning in both German and English. However, the English pronunciation can be quite different from what you'd expect, so it's a good idea to pay close attention when saying them out loud. Let’s take a look at a few of them. The first word is the German spontan , which corresponds to spontaneous in English. While the meaning is similar, the pronunciation in English is quite different: Spontaneous is pronounced [SPON - TAY - NEE - UHS]. The second word on my list is Typ , which means type in English. While the meaning is the same, the pronunciation is different. The English word type is pronounced [TAIP]. Next on my list is the German word Pilot . Although it's spelt exactly the same in English, the pronunciation is different.  In English, it's pronounced [PAI - LEHT]. Then there's the German word, ...

  image: © Enma Rahmani from corelens Have you ever noticed how polite native English speakers tend to be? Before making a request, we often soften our words with phrases such as “Sorry.…” or “Would you mind.…?” If you’d like to sound more polite and natural when asking for something in English, I hope the tips below will be helpful. “I was wondering if/whether you could….” This is one of my favourite ways to make a polite request. It’s respectful and widely used by native speakers. Example 1 : I was wondering if you could send me the updated schedule before Friday. Example 2 : I was wondering whether you could tell me how to get to the shopping mall.   “Would you mind….?” Here’s another polite and considerate way to make a request. Example : Would you mind passing me that book? You wouldn’t mind…, would you?” This phrase might sound a little over the top to some, but it’s one I personally enjoy using. It adds a friendly, slightly playful tone to a request.  Example: Yo...