In 2018, a 15-year-old girl became the leader of a global movement for climate change. She’s Swedish, but she did a very French thing: she went on strike! She stood outside the Swedish Parliament for days holding up a sign that read “School strike for the climate.”

You may spend New Year's Eve in an English-speaking country, and want to greet someone for the new year. Here are some phrases to help you.

There are many studies that have demonstrated that chicken soup helps people who have a cold. No one can say exactly why this is true, but there are many ideas. Here's the recipe!

In winter, people stay indoors. This means that germs are passed around. These germs can cause illnesses as mild as a cold or as severe as the flu. How can we avoid getting sick?

When you think of Christmas in the UK, you probably think of mince pies, plum pudding, Christmas crackers with corny jokes and Christmas Carol singalongs. One Christmas tradition that is oh-so-British is the Christmas pantomime – a genre of theatre different from any other!

Guess what? There is a general election scheduled for December 12th. As of now, the Tory Party is ahead in the polls, but the Labour Party has been slowly catching up.

Now that Thanksgiving is past, everyone decorates for Christmas – if they haven’t already done so. Americans love to decorate the exteriors of their homes. In many small towns, the streets and public parks are transformed into fairy-like light displays.

This week, across the United States, families are traveling or preparing for the most American holiday of the year: Thanksgiving, which falls on the 4th Thursday of November each year. Many people are looking for their family’s favorite recipes, buying ingredients and beginning to cook the meal that represents the ideal Thanksgiving.

The new streaming service Disney+ has officially launched in the US. Will it be a real threat to the oldest streaming service, Netflix? A subscription to Disney+ includes access to 100s of videos on-demand (VOD) including Disney TV shows and films, National Geographic productions, Pixar and Marvel films as well what is being considered its biggest ‘star’ — the entire Star Wars franchise. 

In 1605, Guy Fawkes and his friends wanted to blow up important buildings in London where the king and the leaders were meeting so that someone else would rule England. This was called the Gunpowder Plot.

The governor declared a statewide emergency as tens of thousands of acres burned and more than 180,000 people in Northern California were evacuated with many more evacuations and destruction of property expected

In case you thought we had heard the last of Brexit, I’m sorry to bring bad news. The original deadline, 31 October (which was already an extension requested by Theresa May to the March deadline), appears to be headed for another extension.

There is nothing more British than a cup of tea (or a ‘cuppa’, as it is sometimes called). Many Brits take their tea with milk. The milk helps balance the tannins in the tea and makes it more mellow. I’ve always had one question: does one put the milk in the teacup before or after the tea?

President of the United States (POTUS) Donald Trump is the subject of an impeachment inquiry. Many people think that the word ‘impeach’ means ‘to remove from office’, as you can see in the photos of protesters with signs. This is not correct. It can lead to removal from office, but the impeachment in itself is not the reason.

As I said in the last post, we never visited Joe’s Ice Cream. But what we did eat was something we had never heard of – Welsh cakes. Imagine a scone, but it’s not dry and crumbly, it’s soft and moist with raisins dotted through. It was delightful.

Last fall, while on a trip to a conference in Bristol, England, my husband and I decided to take a trip to Swansea, Wales. It is easily accessible by train and almost everything is within walking distance of the train station.

When the weather starts to cool off and mornings become a bit cold, you can feel that autumn is just around the corner. That’s when Americans say, “This is good chili weather!” There are many things that can accompany chili, but in the South, cornbread is king.

In previous blog entries, we’ve talked about the general reaction of the public when they released trailers for the live-action film ALADDIN and musical film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS. In general, people watched both trailers and found them both to be a little…creepy. This phenomenon has a name: the Uncanny Valley.

There are many major political parties in the UK. The words ‘Left’ and ‘Right’ correspond with the French political system. Here are the seven largest parties and the ‘Brexit Party’ which is not officially recognised, as it was formed solely in reaction to Brexit.

Jim Henson (September 24, 1936-May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer and creator of the Muppets. Originally from Mississippi, he created his first Muppet in 1955. It turned out to be the prototype for his most famous Muppet: Kermit the Frog.

In the Southern US, tomatoes are a summer staple. At the end of summer, there are still a lot of them in our gardens! We also use the green tomatoes – pickled green tomatoes are excellent. Here’s one other dish from the Southern US that uses green tomatoes.

Boris Johnson spent his first 24 hours as the new British Tory* Prime Minister trying to convince Parliament and the European Union (EU) to renegotiate the Brexit deal. The EU has repeatedly refused. Now, the October 31 deadline is less than 100 days away and Johnson’s vow to leave seems to be on a three-part collision course between his ideas, the bloc* and Parliament.

In the UK, there is a saying about Marmite – either you love it, or you hate it. One can say the same about the musical Cats. People often have strong opinions about the show. The trailer for the film adaptation came out last week, and, like Will Smith’s Genie in Aladdin, people seemed horrified at the use of CGI.

In the early 1950s, a Canadian housewife named Mabel Jenkins submitted a recipe for a cookie bar to a local cookbook She called it the ‘Nanaimo Bar’ for the town where she lived. The cookie bar recipe became very popular

There is a very popular activity for Americans who go to the beach and it’s not collecting seashells! It’s collecting sea glass. Almost every coastline in the world has beaches with sea glass, making the hobby very easy and cheap – you only need a bag and time (and sunscreen!).

UK festival season starts in June. Approximately 4 million Brits will pack up a tent and attend a festival somewhere in the UK, but don’t worry, the season still has many festivals on option, some starting this weekend!

It’s the first heat wave of the summer. Remember to drink a lot of liquid. Here are two cocktails with no alcohol that taste great and will keep you hydrated!

Queen Elizabeth II celebrates two birthdays. One is in April (the 21st), on her actual birthday; the other is in June at Trooping the Colour parade (also called The Queen’s Birthday Parade). Why does she have two birthday celebrations?

In the latest Brexit news, Prime Minister Theresa May (a conservative who wanted Britain to remain in the EU) announced on May 24 that she would be resigning, effective June 7th. She will remain as a lame duck until a replacement PM can be found, hopefully by the end of July.

On May 13th, Doris Day, an American actress, singer and animal activist died at the age of 97. She started as a big-band singer but is known more for her film career. She was included in the list of the 25 most popular stars in the US from 1950-1968, and in the top five of that list for four years.

Here is a simple recipe for an apple cake. Try it with ice cream! Note that in English, ‘Tablespoon’ always has a capital T and ‘teaspoon’ has a small t. This is because sometimes we don’t write the entire word – we may simply put ‘T’ or ‘t’.

Cet article détaille les recommandations du CNESCO pour améliorer le niveau en langue des français et... la gamme Go English répond parfaitement à ces recommandations depuis plus de 10 ans !

Legendary rock band the Rolling Stones (formed in 1962!) have postponed their US tour. The ‘No Filter’ tour was to begin in Miami on April 20th and end in New York City on June 17th. The 17 concerts now need to be rebooked. Why all the fuss? The 75-year-old lead singer of the group, Mick Jagger, needed heart surgery.

On June 24th, 2016, the results of a UK referendum were announced. By a very small margin, people voted in favour of leaving the EU. No one ever expected that almost three years later, they would be still trying to negotiate a deal.

The trifle is a British dessert made from custard, fruit, sponge cake, jam and whipped cream. The ingredients are arranged in layers and served in glass bowls.This famous dessert evolved into the delicious layered dessert we know today.

Americans love superheroes. They love movies about them, TV shows about them, comic books about them, etc. There were nine films about superheroes in 2018 alone! From 2019-2022, there are over 40 superhero films scheduled. Why?

Michael Jackson was an indisputable musical genius and artist who led a troubled life. He traveled with his family while they were on tour and was put on stage to lead The Jackson Five when he was just five years old. For a moment, can you put yourself in his 5-year-old-child shoes and imagine the things he saw and heard?

Sunday night was the 91st Academy Awards. Did you follow along with the list from this blog three weeks ago? There were a few surprises. This was the first Academy Awards ceremony that did not have a host!

On May 22, Disney will release the live-action version of Aladdin. Last week, the first trailer was released, and Twitter went crazy – but not in a good way. Will Smith (Men in Black, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) is playing the Genie, a role created by the late Robin Williams in the 1992 animated version.

This week marks the celebration of love, Valentine’s Day. Americans and Brits go all out to show their love. They give flowers, balloons – and sometimes jewellery. We also give valentines – cards with a message of love. In primary schools, most classes give a valentine to every person in the class.

‘Wassail’ is a hot, spiced punch. It is traditionally served at Christmas, but you can drink it all winter. There are many recipes and variations. Generally, it is a mixture of fruit juices and spices, such as cinnamon. The mixture is heated and served warm.

The beginning of February is also the end of the American awards season. The season starts in November with the People’s Choice Awards and ends with the most prestigious awards ceremony– The Academy Awards – also called ‘The Oscars’.

Everyone in America and the UK likes to think about doing home improvement jobs themselves. Why not? You can save money and take pride in knowing that you performed a task that many people could (or would) not!

In the US, we say ‘Happy New Year!’ on New Year’s Eve and on New Year’s Day. After that, you may (or may not) say it to other people you see, but there is no fixed rule that you must say it to everyone you see for the first time before the end of January.

On November 12, Stan Lee, the creator of the Marvel Universe, died at the age of 95. No one could have predicted that another prolific animator, 57-year-old Stephen Hillenburg, would also pass away just two weeks later. Who was he?

There is almost nothing better than a mug of hot apple cider when it’s cold outside. This recipe will warm you from the inside. An extra bonus: your house will smell wonderful!

The earliest use of ‘Black Friday’ to mean the shopping on the day after Thanksgiving was in 1975 in the New York Times. It was used as a negative term to describe the heavy traffic and shopping crowds on the day after Thanksgiving.

Beloved comic book creator Stan Lee has died. He was 95. He saw his creations become a giant influence in the movie business. He started as an office assistant at Timely Comics in 1939.

The mid-term election is held at the halfway mark of a president’s ter. Both the Democrats (the more liberal, left-wing side) and Republicans (the more conservative, right-wing side) had hopes and expectations for the results of the November 6th mid-term election.

Chowder is a thick soup whose name originated from the French word 'chaudière'. There are many different types of chowders, such as corn, potato or fish, but the best-known variety is made with clams. Here's the recipe!

Halloween is traditional time to eat candy – lots of candy! I don’t know if the ‘Candy Crush’ game developer King decided to launch their newest game ‘Candy Crush Friends Saga’ the week preceding Halloween, but kudos if they did!

Fast forward to the late 1990s, when Starbucks introduced a new seasonal coffee drink for autumn, the pumpkin spice latte. This was also an instant success! Here is a list of pumpkin spice products that are on or have been on the market.

Both countries are very cautious about guarding their rights from being taken by their respective governments.

There is a rumor that Paul McCartney was killed in a car crash in 1967 and replaced by a lookalike. Fans have listed over a hundred ‘clues’ over the years to support this idea. Here are some of the more interesting – and convincing – theories.

On September 6th, America lost an icon. You may know him from the 1997 film Boogie Nights. To Americans, especially in the South, Burt Reynolds was famous for much more.

The British cities of Oxford and Cambridge are famous for their universities, both rankingamong the best in the world. Students from all over the United Kingdom and all over the world dream to study there, or at least to visit these places some day.

Since 2009, Mandela Day is celebrated all around the world on July 18th, on the anniversary date of Nelson Mandela’s birth. The year 2018 marks the centenary of his birth, and celebrations will take place all year long, commemorating Madiba’s heritage.

The whole island of Ireland is a wonderful place to visit: you can discover beautiful towns and breath-taking landscapes all around the country. But it is also possible to learn about the rich history of both countries while travelling around Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Each year, hundreds of hiking fans and wilderness lovers embark on an incredible adventure: the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). This long-distance hike is located on the West American Coast and goes through three states: California, Oregon and Washington.

Do you know the Royal Ascot? The most important racing event of the year in the United Kingdom. Today, let’s find out about another major racing weekend: the Epsom Derby.

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