Wicked

The adjective "wicked" stands out among other options:

- gloomy;
- depressed;
- miserable;
- forlorn.

First of all, it is not a synonym for the word "sad".
Second, it is a tricky adjective since in American and British English it has got different meanings. 
This is what you will learn from my favourite dictionary:

1 behaving in a way that is morally wrong [= evil]:

- the wicked stepmother in 'Hansel and Gretel'

2 informal behaving badly in a way that is amusing:

- Carl had a wicked grin on his face as he crept up behind Ellen.

- Tara hasn't lost her wicked sense of humour.

3 spoken informal very good:

- That's a wicked bike!

 

Wicked word, is it not?

And the Right Answer Is...

Sophisticated.
Following the results of the most recent poll, I assure you that "Sophisticated" is NOT a synonym for the word "Nice".
Check it out here: Longman dictionary online

I’ve Been Studying English Too Long…

as well as 66% or respondents who have participated in the most recent poll

Studying a language is an ever-lasting process. Even when you believe you know it really well, you come across a lot of new words, expressions that appear to be hard to figure out. You are sure that a particular word is never used in some context, however, the very next episode of some series you watch disproves that. You are certain that this verb is state and is not allowed with the “ing” ending but…

Well, that truly is annoying. On the other hand, this is what learning languages is all about. This process never ends. That’s why when somebody says they know English perfectly; I assume they are liars or geniuses. IMHO even native speakers are unlikely to be perfect at their own language :)

Russian Beats Them All. Again :)

The goal of the latest poll was to find out if one language is enough or a person should know at least two foreign languages. 

Apparently most of respondents (27%) believe that they need to brush up their Russian after their English is good enough to communicate freely. I will also add 22% on top, since those ones believe that English is enough for their purposes.

The Winner Takes It All

The majority of respondents (59%) chose Movie Club as the most preferable out-of class activity. Perhaps, they will be happy to know that namely this project will soon be implemented 

Going for the Jugular

Pronunciation and Communication Skills are two most vulnerable spots indicated by students

About Games, Movies and Grammar Exercises

Finally my struggle with the poll functional is over and the poll is back on again. As far as I remember I owe you at least two reports.

If you still remember that once you answered the question about your favourite activities at English classes, then you probably also remember that the possible answers were: grammar exercises, vocabulary games, boardgames, watching movies, listening tasks, making dialogues and just talking.

English is Worthwhile

Now it’s official: studying English is worthwhile, challenging, fun and demanding. These are the results of the most recent poll: 28%, 21%, 17%, 14% respectively.

The respondents were asked to express their opinions regarding the process studying foreign languages. Apparently nobody finds it dull, boring, stressful, or a waste of time. For 3% of poll voters believe that learning a new language is nothing but routine. 7% of blog readers are fascinated by English and the same number of students feel rewarded. Being rewarded is a great feeling. Actually any reward is great motivation. So, those 7% are lucky ones!

Homework is Evil

That is my favourite incorrect answer ever! 18% of respondents agree with me upon it 

Practice makes perfect. And what can help remember all those weird grammar forms if not drilling as such.
Can you imagine a class consisting of endless grammar exercises? I can! And I can even tell you what the purpose of such classes is. Imagine you have been studying present simple for a while. It’s time you moved on to learning the continuous forms. However, you still make one and the same mistake: “he go”. According to the programme of your course, you are already finishing with the continuous, but in fact you come to every class and do one and the same thing. You continually repeat “he goes” in different tasks.
Surely, such a class is far from ideal. On the other hand, the question is what is better – to forget about this first-person-singular thing and move on to Present Continuous, or to stick to Simple until it is “automated” in your mind.

Russian Proved Important…

…for special cases only

 More than half of poll voters (51%) have chosen this answer to express their attitude to using the native language during English classes. Generally speaking, students are happy with make-believe English-speaking world for an hour and a half and occasional returns to reality don’t seem to spoil the atmosphere. However, 29% of those who cast their votes believe that English is the only language that can be used in classes. Strict guys! And I do see their point. Having studied in London for more than a year, I have never had an opportunity to hear my (or anybody else’s) native language since our teacher did not speak any languages but English. The classes were amazing, even though every now and again there appeared clumsy linguistic situations when one of us could get the meaning of the word wrong, or misunderstood a situation. That’s why I understand those who assume that grammar has to be explained in the native language (7%) and those who believe words have to be translated into the native language (3%). However, what I do not understand is the desire to speak Russian whenever we want (7%). We speak it all the time except 80 minutes twice a week. So, what’s the point?.. Actually, I could arrange private Russian-speaking classes for a fair price! :)

Listening vs. Reading

The new poll is on, which means it’s time we analyzed the results of the most recent one. Actually, they came as a surprise. I don’t mean the fact that listening beat them all astonished me. No, I kind of agree with those 48% of participants who believe it to be the most difficult skill to master. And I do not imply that speaking shouldn’t be on the second line of the chart as 40% of respondents insist. Writing came third with 12% in its favour, which is again not that astonishing. What got me stunned was the fact that nobody voted for reading.

In my humble opinion reading is definitely underestimated. It is a fantastic source of vocabulary and grammar. Unlike listening, reading appeals to understanding based on our knowledge of vocab items and structures in which they are used. And if we fail, the tasks become a guessing game. However, success in Reading fully depends on us and our knowledge.

Coursebooks. Let Them Be

The week of a traditional poll has passed and the results appeared to be quite predictable to me. Most of my readers believe that an ideal class is the one based on the topic from a coursebook and supported by additional materials, like communicative games, authentic videos or recordings. 57% are voting for this approach.