chill english

Do I like to chill? Yes. Do I think sometimes you have to stretch yourself to get out of a language plateau? YES. Hear me out, chat… Ngl, IELTS is as commercial as it gets. And if you’re eyeing a programme abroad, many universities will ask for something around 6.5 or 7.0 overall (sometimes with a minimum score for Writing). Which is an achievable bar! For work, the certificate itself often isn’t the point, but the skills IELTS Academic makes you develop definitely are 👀 BUT here’s my case for IELTS Academic prep as a great way to push your English further even if you don’t need a 7.5 or a certificate at all: 🤎you learn to read difficult texts and separate the main argument from supporting detail 🤎you learn to build an actual clear & convincing argument instead of vaguely circling the same idea for 250 words 🤎you develop a psychic power of analysing data and deciding what actually matters (think: bar charts at work but also immediately understanding dem charts in The Economist) 🤎you practise discussing abstract topics in a clear, structured way 🤎you get better at communicating complex ideas clearly and professionally (a competitive edge for international work environments!) 🤎and if you’re a fellow English teacher, IELTS prep can broaden your own professional toolkit: academic reading & writing, argumentation and advanced speaking skills 🐱 To sum up, you’re forced to become a better reader, writer and thinker in English as well as a much more confident and articulate speaker 💅 And I’m not speaking theoretically here: one of my February IELTS students joined simply to challenge herself and push her English further (legend???) 🌿❤🌿 So if you’re around B2+/low C1 and feel like your English has plateaued, IELTS Academic might be a surprisingly good way to stretch yourself intellectually and finally leave the restaurant 🌟 I’ve stated my case. Thank you for your attention 🤓 #chillielts

THIS IS MY BABY AND I AM SO SO PROUD 💗💗💗 🎉🎉🎉🤩 6 months of IELTS Academic prep, as well as sheer grit and determination!! I’m especially impressed by my student’s writing, from band 4 to a solid band 7 🥹 the ICON, the LEGEND, HER DON’T MIND ME I’LL BE POPPING CHAMPAGNE 🍾 #chillielts

Will they, won't they — and are they gonna uncover the dark dealings of a cult!? I'm talking about the 7th book in Strike series, The Running Grave! When I tell you this book STRESSED ME OUT... It's around 1000 pages total, and Robin spends about half undercover in a religious cult. Every minute I was not reading TRG, I was worried sick either about Robin's cover being blown or her being casually tortured as a means of indoctrination. Tension just builds and builds and builds... Which makes the pay off at the end of the book SO sweet! The psychology and inner workings of cults are explored in depth. Very disturbing, dark, yet so compelling! A common point of contention, tho, is that it's the 7th book in the series and Strike and Robin are still pining for each other in silence. Personally, I don't mind it at all. I'm here for murder first and some sexy pining second... #chillread

Spending time online so you don’t have to 🐱 Five cool expressions fresh out of tiktok comment section: 🎃play chess, not checkers to think strategically and several moves ahead, rather than act in an obvious or simplistic way Taylor Swift changing tiktok music policy once again shows: she plays chess, not checkers 💅 🌰take sb to the cleaners to defeat, exploit, or take a lot of money from someone Every time I see someone suing a big corporation I sincerely hope they take it to the cleaners 🙏 🌼put the fear of god into sb to frighten someone very badly, often so they change their behaviour Sometimes you just have to put the fear of god into people for them to start taking care of themselves 🍂mop the floor with sb to defeat someone completely and easily Idk for me “My ego small but I’m still Grande” mopped the floor with critics 🤎a day late and a dollar short too late and/or not enough to be useful; an effort that falls short “I love you I’m sorry” and it’s a day late and a dollar short #chillvocab

it’s herbs for me. completely mystified by the American version of its pronunciation… are you team 🇬🇧 or 🇺🇸? #chilltok

a really interesting conversation with the author of the article I shared before! so sad the video came out AFTER we discussed at Chill Hour whether pop culture and people in general are getting dumber... but alas! two things that really stuck with me: 1⃣ the politicians elected reflect a post-literate society (oh hi Donald!) 2⃣ the idea that we might be transitioning back towards an oral tradition but I'll leave you with this: the best advice for a long and peaceful reading session is to leave your phone in another room. thank me later! #chillwatch

It’s that time of year!!! Cling to summer all you want, but I am already arming myself with new notebooks and fountain pens, suddenly inspired to read, write and learn!!🥰 Come join us on our chill academic adventures this September 🤓

Guess what!? I’ve enjoyed The Odyssey immensely! The enchantment of the world where gods and monsters (and miracles!) are as real as you and me… and more than that, I loved how the film is Nolan’s commentary on our age as well. Wow!

#chillmeme

Ever noticed how sometimes words in a song don’t actually rhyme yet sound really good together? That’s called assonance! Some great examples would be… 🍒 Lana Del Rey in “Venice Bitch”: Fear fun, fear love, fresh out of fucks forever “fun / love / fucks” all built around /ʌ/. 🩵 In “Chemtrails Over the Country Club”: I'm on the run with you, my sweet love There's nothing wrong contemplating God Under the chemtrails over the country club “run / love / country / club” repeated /ʌ/. ❤️ Olivia Rodrigo in “stupid song”: New York City's never looked so blue My friends are smoking blunts in the bathroom They say that honest love is a cage That makes you feel free And all the girls at this party are so cool That's never been a thing that I could do blue / bathroom / cool / do => /uː/ Pop girlies know their shit! #chillvocab

DEHUMANIZING DEFINITE ARTICLE 😭 #chilltok

Grab a Bible AND a map, bestie, we’re going east of Eden 🤩 If you’re just like me (and half of tiktok), you’ve picked up East of Eden to read ahead of the new Netflix and wondered — what is east of Eden? 🥀 a biblical allusion: In Genesis, after Cain kills his brother Abel, he leaves the presence of God and settles in the land of Nod, east of Eden. So it’s a land of exile. There’s another metaphorical layer to it tho. Earlier in Genesis, after Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden, its entrance is guarded on the eastern side. Cain then travels even farther east. This can be read as a gradual movement away from paradise, innocence and divine presence. Summarizing, it’s giving innocence lost, exile, the imperfect human world post the Fall! 🥀 I’m not that far in yet, but the novel follows two intertwined families, the Hamiltons and the Trasks. The Trasks’ story echoes the biblical rivalry between Cain and Abel. Now, pop-culture! The book definitely left its mark: ✴️1955 screen adaptation with our god and savior, James Dean! An instant American classic! ✴️music: East of Eden by Zella Day (which I heard live at her concert!!), and another one of the same name by Dead Can Dance And hear this: in modern English the land of Nod can mean sleep (as a pun on to nod off, tho originally coming from the bible) btw, the language of the book is really accessible. I’d definitely recommend adding it to your reading list! #chillread #chilletymology

chill english pinned a photo

BACK TO SCHOOL! chill school 😏 открываю осенний набор! 💎 Chill Hour — the legend, the icon Две группы, старт занятий 8 и 9 сентября: 🍁 вторник, 20:30–22:00 мск 🍁 среда, 19:00–20:30 мск Что такое Chill Hour: (поп)культура, книги, кино It's my baby and I am so proud 🥹 Курс для людей, которые хотят не просто учить английский, а жить в нём 🐸 Это не обычный speaking club: мы обсуждаем англоязычную повестку, (поп)культуру, книги, фильмы и феномены интернет-культуры — и параллельно учимся: ❤звучать естественно ❤уверенно участвовать в беседах на сложные темы ❤точнее формулировать мысли ❤понимать живой аутентичный английский За один цикл из четырёх занятий мы: ❤ обсуждаем две актуальные темы из англоязычных медиа 📚 читаем и обсуждаем non-fiction book summary 🌟 смотрим фильм и обсуждаем его 6600 ₽ / 4 встречи Курс продлится 16 недель. Уровень: C1–C2 До 6 человек в группе 💋 📚 IELTS Academic 6.5–7.5 Годовой курс подготовки к IELTS Academic в мини-группе из 4 человек 🤓 Две группы, старт занятий 7 и 8 сентября: 🍂 понедельник, 20:00–22:15 мск 🍂 вторник, 18:00–20:15 мск О курсе 🎃 Цель — overall band 6.5, 7.0 или 7.5. Это не марафон! Мы одновременно развиваем общий английский, подробно разбираем формат и критерии IELTS и работаем над индивидуальными слабыми зонами каждого студента. Главные приоритеты курса — Writing и Speaking: регулярные письменные работы, аудиоответы, подробный индивидуальный фидбек. Reading и Listening тоже входят в программу, особенно на первых этапах подготовки! Курс подходит студентам с уровнем B2+ при большой готовности работать или C1. Стоимость — 13 400 ₽ за 4 недели. Подробные описания курсов здесь или в вк. Записаться или задать вопросы можно напрямую у меня: @wowvelta 🥐 Перед записью мы проведем небольшое интервью, чтобы познакомиться и понять, подходит ли вам формат курса. Но обещаю, я не кусаюсь :) See you in September, chillers!

a universal reading experience 😭 #chillmeme

I say SALT AIR, you say…??? Happy August Day to all who celebrate!! Enjoy some sweet, sweet folklore vocabulary 🥰

Does Gracie Abrams have a death wish? Yes. Finally released on the Daughter from hell album 🥹 First of all: what. an. album! I'd describe myself as a casual Gracie Abrams listener but this album is zero skips for me. Such vivid imagery, not unlike poetry 🌺 Feels like her pen is getting sharper and sharper!r Or is that an axe? 👀 And not only is Death Wish an absolute bop, it's also a gold mine of interesting expressions 🤤 Let's take a look: A breath of your air is a death wish 🤎to have a death wish — to behave in an extremely reckless or dangerous way Your power trips and diamond rings 🤎a power trip — a situation in which someone enjoys controlling or dominating other people Your words to kill are evergreen (btw this reminds me of Taylor Swift's use of this word in champagne problems — How evergreen, our group of friends) 🤎evergreen — timeless, enduring, or continuing to feel relevant over time 'Til you twist the knife with a smile while you kill me? 🤎to twist the knife — to make someone’s pain or distress even worse Your eggshell floor is splintering now 🤎a reference to to walk on eggshells — to be extremely careful around someone because they may react badly And it freaks me out I'm old enough To know you as a gateway drug 🤎a gateway drug — something that leads to more dangerous or harmful experiences; often used metaphorically And you're forcing my hand, but I'm a drop in your ocean 🤎to force one’s hand — to make someone act before they are ready or willing Gracie Abrams, you are my dream girl! #chillvocab