Compelling Conversations logo
Sophisticated English for Global Souls
1-855-375-2665 - U.S./Canada
1-310-390-0131 - Outside U.S.
12
FEB
2016
Two young people with candied haw.

“Good Enough”: English as a lingua franca & a uniting force

“I’m a great believer that any tool that enhances communication has profound effects in terms of how people can learn from each other, and how they can achieve the kind of freedoms that they’re interested in.” ~Bill Gates (1955- ) American business...
06
NOV
2015
Firefighters with water hose

Changing Work Titles & Greater Equality

“Habits change into character.” ~Ovid (43 BCE-17 CE), Ancient Roman poet Which is correct: fireman or firefighter? The answer is both! But one has been gaining traction lately, along with many other gender-neutral terms for occupational titles. Here’s why: Many...
04
NOV
2015
Asian girl with tea

Home vs. House: What does this mean?

  “No matter under what circumstances you leave it, home does not cease to be home. No matter how you lived there – well or poorly.” ~Joseph Brodsky (1940-1996), Russian-American poet & Nobel Prize winner   What’s the difference between a house and...
13
SEP
2014

EF reports decline of French EPI

Declining EPI attributable to lack of exposure “French students report lower levels of exposure to English in everyday life than any other Europeans polled. Exposure to a foreign language has been found repeatedly to be one of the strongest contributors to increased fluency.” -EF...
13
JUL
2014

English as a lingua franca unifies people

Emergence of ELF unites people, brings praise, and generates discussion on English student needs “I’m a great believer that any tool that enhances communication has profound effects in terms of how people can learn from each other, and how they can achieve the kind of...
26
JUN
2014

Proceed with Caution: Gender-Neutral and Plural Pronouns

How to approach pronouns in English class “The world is still a weird place, despite my efforts to make clear and perfect sense of it.” ―Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005) American journalist How unfortunate it is that English has no gender-neutral pronoun, one to use when saying “he...
20
JUN
2014

Homophones Can Confuse: A Minor Mistake in Miner Valley

Why it is so important for English learners to tackle homophones in the classroom “For me the greatest beauty always lies in the greatest clarity.” ―Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781), German writer English remains an often confusing and difficult language to learn (and teach!)...
16
JUN
2014

Skype Makes Tutoring English with Clients Across the Globe Easy and Comfortable

Explore the benefits of using Skype to tutor English learners around the world. “A conversation can be made easy. Just ask a question and then listen.” ―Robert Bly (1926- ), American poet and author As millions of English-learners across the globe take advantage of new...
15
AUG
2013

What Three Tips Would You Share with Novice ESL / EFL Teachers?

What three tips would offer new a ESL/EFL teacher? Hall Houston, author of Provoking Thought: Memory and Thought in ELT, posed this question to several prominent English language trainers and teachers last year. Sean Banville, Russell Stannard, Chia Suan Chong, Nik Peachey, Scott...
15
JUN
2008

Dreams and business plans unfold in English

English emerges as a lingua franca “[English] is the powerful language of resistance—it is the dialect of common sense.” -Walt Whitman (1819-1892) American poet English has rapidly become the international language for business, as a lingua franca. “That is to say, it...