Today I thought I would introduce one of my favourite ways to learn English. As you know, in CUBE we believe that using a language in creative ways is a wonderful thing. So I am going to talk a bit about the BBc website at?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

This is the BBC Learning English page, and it is free to use and enjoy. What kinds of things does it feature? Well, if you look down the left side you will see sections for general and Business English, Grammar Vocabulary and Pronunciation, Quizzes, the Flatmates, Community, Specials and Downloads.

Let’s look at some of these sections in more detail. General and Business English has some pretty interesting content, like?Welcome to London, which is described as an intermediate English language course allowing users to practise their reading, listening and pronunciation skills.?Wow! So you learn all about London, including getting around on public transport, finding a hotel, going to the cinema, shopping, working, and eating out, while improving your skills.

The Grammar section is great for working on specific areas of language. So you can learn vocabulary by looking at Words in the News; or learn idioms from the Teacher; or new expressions from Keep your English up to date; or phrasal verbs in Face up to Phrasals; and there are free videos in Pronunciation Tips too.

Another really good page is Exam Skills in the Specials section. It teaches you how to prepare for all kinds of listening, speaking, reading and writing tests. If you click on the useful links, it will show you where to go to become a good writer. (Check out?How To Start Writing at ??http://www.ioe.ac.uk/caplits/writingcentre). Recently some students have asked me how to prepare for TOEFL and TOEIC. Of course you can buy books with CDs, but there is already lots of excellent material freely available on the Internet.

Anyway, if you have any questions about the BBC site or interesting ways to practise English on the Internet, ask anytime. There is so much good stuff out there.

That’s all for today!