In today's newsletter there is a short quiz on idioms and you can read about one of my favourite 'mistakes'. To be honest, it's not actually a mistake - it's a phrase that is grammatically correct and easy to understand and yet not quite 'right'. Intrigued? You'll have to read further.

Before doing that, I'd like to ask for some feedback on this newsletter. What do you like about the newsletter? What could I improve? Which topics would you like me to include in future issues? I've created a very simple feedback form with these three questions - and it's completely fine if you only answer one of the questions. I'm grateful to receive any feedback.

You'll find the link to the survey at the end of this newsletter. Read the full newsletter first to practice your English then spend two minutes helping me out by sharing your thoughts on the newsletter.

Thanks and have a great weekend!

Adi

Half a year or six months?

Which do you prefer? Think first, then read further.

People learning a language are strongly influenced by their first language.

‘Ein halbes Jahr’ is often used in German so that phrase gets translated directly into English by many of the students I teach here in Switzerland.

I explain that ‘half a year’ is correct but it isn’t usual. Most people in England would probably say ‘six months’ to talk about that period of time.

My students enjoy learning about this. They don’t feel worried about having made a mistake (they haven’t) but do feel intrigued about the ways that different languages conceptualise the same thing in different ways. Germans like fractions, English speakers less so!

If you want to know where to check out how language is really used in real life, you can do some research online. I often use Skell in class and Google Ngrams is also good for comparing short expressions.

Click on the link below to see the Ngram results for 'half a year' and 'six months'.

I've finished my course!

I'm delighted to say that I've finished the teaching course I was doing. The in-person and online sessions have come to an end and I've submitted my portfolio. Now I just need to wait for the results.

The course was for teachers working at a Berufschule or Höheren Fachschule (HF) and was all in German! This proved to be quite a challenge but luckily I had great teachers and classmates who helped me out.

Doing continuing professional education (Weiterbildung) is so useful. Even though I've been teaching for ten years, I still learned such a lot in the course.

I'm looking forward to trying out a few new techniques in my classes, here at Kreis 6 English, and at the other schools where I teach.

Recent blog posts

Idiom quiz

I'm a big fan of quizzes and I know that many of my students love learning English idioms. Here is a quick quiz where you can test your knowledge of idioms.

Read both options and choose the best one.

1A. Stick to your gun

1B. Stick to your guns

2A. It's out of the question

2B. It's out of question

3A. If you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours

3B. If you scrub my back, I'll scrub yours

4A. She is quick on the uptake

4B. She is quick on the mark

5A. She rubs me up the right way

5B. She rubs me up the wrong way

Want to know the answers? Click on the link below or follow me on Instagram.

Can you help me?

This newsletter is for anyone interested in the English language. If you've enjoyed reading this issue, please share it with your friends and colleagues.

Finally, a small favour to help me improve the newsletter. Tell me what topics you are interested in by doing the quick survey.

Thank you!

About me

My name is Adrienne Hughes but most people call me Adi. I’m the founder of Kreis 6 English, a language school for motivated students.

I was born in England but moved to Switzerland in 2003 and have taught in several language schools in Zurich. I use my experience as a teacher and my master’s degree in Applied Linguistics to help students become more confident language users.

Want to know more about me and the way I teach? Check out the website or follow me on Instagram or LinkedIn. Want to find out about the group courses at Kreis 6 English? Click on the link below.