Monday, April 28, 2014

Apps that can help you learn English



When learning English you need all the help you can get. Playing around with apps on your phone can make a real difference in helping to keep your English skills in top condition. Read about which apps could benefit you the most and get ready to download some awesome learning tools from the app store.
 
The first app to get you started is ‘Learn English Grammar’. This app will help you revise all different kinds of grammar used in the English language, and will help you speak English fluently without making mistakes with tenses. We understand that grammar can be the annoying and tedious part of learning English, but ‘Learn English Grammar’ makes it as fun as possible! Multiple choice questions and sentence ordering practice tasks are available, offering an amazing way of picking up the language quickly while having fun at the same time. It’s free to download, but after a few taster lessons you will need to pay to continue using it.



Next up is ‘WordPower Learn American English Vocabulary’. This app is for those of you who have mastered the language and think it’s now time to perfect your vocabulary. It provides examples of word order and how to use vocabulary in a variety of sentences. This app only offers vocabulary practice so if your grammar isn’t the best, maybe download the app in the previous paragraph before moving on. Also, it’s free with no further payments!

This next app is our personal favourite; it’s called ‘Learning English Through Stories’. At Twin we believe that reading regularly is truly one of the best ways of learning English and so we strongly recommend it. Don’t be put off by the fact that a section of the app is titled ‘Children’s Stories’; the stories can be enjoyed by all ages. It is proven that you learn more when you’re having fun and ‘Learning English Through Stories’ does just that. You have the option of listening to stories or reading them, both great ways of learning vocabulary. It’s unique as you are able to hear how the words are pronounced and this gives new learners a huge advantage in understanding pronunciation. This app is free too! 


The last app we will be sharing with you is ‘Learn English’. Despite the simple name, this app has a lot of uses when it comes to learning English. It offers a unique multi-language interface allowing you to translate the app into several languages to help you understand the questions and scenarios. ‘Learn English’ mainly consists of videos giving lessons on grammar and expressions. The reviews of the videos are very good, so it seems this app will provide you with a different and fun way of learning English.  

There you have it; the best apps for learning English on your phone or tablet. We hope you learn from these apps, and make sure you get back to us and give us your opinion on them. Good luck and happy learning everyone!


Tuesday, April 01, 2014

Things to do in London this April



Spring has finally sprung and London has plenty of great events on offer this April to help shake off any stubborn winter blues. If you’re trying to decide when the best time is to come and study with Twin in the capital, this vibrant city always has something exciting to offer for sure, but April is looking particularly interesting…

This year, London will be hosting its annual Oxford v Cambridge Goat Race on 6th April. Surprisingly, that isn’t a typo; taking place shortly before the more famous Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race, the Goat Race is sure to provide an unforgettably silly day to any visitors. Around Spitalfields City Farm where the race is taking place, there’ll be plenty of other entertainment on offer too, from bands to stalls selling food, drinks and crafts. The goats set off at about 4pm, so make sure you get to the official bookie before then before cheering on the goat you’ve bet on…


For those looking to enjoy a more serious, goat-free sporting event, kicking off at 6pm on 6th April is the main Oxford v Cambridge race of the day, the annual Boat Race. The rivalry of this event stretches back as far as 1829, and today more than 250,000 people attend each year. If you fancy something a bit different beforehand, earlier in the day the Royal National Lifeboat Institution are offering an Alternative Boat Race, where a collection of mini lifeboats will take to the river on a 1000m course.


Moving away from the theme of racing tension, this April marks Shakespeare’s 450th birthday, and there are plenty of events happening in the capital to celebrate this occasion. From 1st April until September, the Victoria & Albert Museum is hosting an exhibition exploring the way the famous plays have been performed and adapted over time. The collection’s main item is the First Folio of Shakespeare, containing first known versions of works such as “Macbeth” and “Twelfth Night”, as well as props and costumes used in performances, including boots worn in an 1877 production of “Richard III”, which have one heel higher than the other to help the actor feign the character’s limp.


Between 11th and 13th April, London’s Business Design Centre is the place to be for any chocolate fans. The Chocolate Festival in London promises chocolate lovers a luxury experience of the delicious treat in a variety of forms, from enjoying chocolate-related pampering at the Cocoa Spa to trying your hand at truffle making. At the festival you’ll also be able to learn about the health benefits of chocolate, and of course sample amazing chocolate created by some of the UK’s top chocolatiers.


On 21st April, the Queen’s actual birthday is celebrated, (her official birthday is celebrated in June), which is marked by gun salutes in Windsor Great Park, Hyde Park and at the Tower of London. Hyde Park is probably the best place to witness the spectacular show; the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery gallop through the park with the cannons, (this is the only time, legally, that horses can gallop through the park), which are fired at noon.

So this April in London basically has everything. If you’re looking to have a great time in the UK and take in everything the capital has to offer, this is a great time to come and experience some quintessentially English things; goats at a farm, tense competition between two top universities, and the birthdays of two world famous figures!

Things to do in Eastbourne this April


Eastbourne’s year is looking more and more exciting, with April jam-packed with even more fun things to do than there were in the first few months of the year, so Twin’s School in Eastbourne really is the place to be if you’re planning to study English in the coming months.


The Redoubt Fortress & Military Museum will be hosting spooky events on 9th and 26th April, as visitors are invited to hunt for ghosts. These nights will be focussed on scientific paranormal investigation rather than unreliable occult items like Ouija boards, so you’ll be able to explore the possibility of the paranormal like a professional, using gadgets like EMF metres, night vision equipment, IR thermometers and Spirit Boxes. These ghost hunts promise to be great fun, provided you’re brave enough… 


As well as the Ghosts Walks, on 12th and 13th April 2014 the Redoubt Fortress & Military Museum will be holding a First World War event – ‘Your Country Needs You’. On these two days, actors will be representing figures from World War I, telling moving stories of life in the trenches, offering visitors the chance to handle weapons, and helping them make dog tags, periscopes and rubber band tanks.


The world famous stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle will be brought to life on 16th April at the Devonshire Park Theatre. Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson will be putting on a brilliantly witty show suitable for audience members of any age, as they try and unravel some of their most mysterious cases, accompanied by live music and involving plenty of audience interaction.


Vanishing Point is opening on 18th April at the Towner museum, an exciting new work by United Visual Artists. The exhibition is focussed on various lines of light being sent into space before reaching a vanishing point, which creates a fascinating environment and unusual perspective in which visitors can explore works inspired by sketches by Leonardo DaVinci and other famous artists.



Once you have done everything there is to do in Eastbourne, half an hour along England’s coast lies Brighton, also with an entertaining variety of activities on offer. On 5th April the American Community Express Stadium in Brighton will be hosting the Women’s 2015 World Cup Qualifier between England and Montenegro. This international women’s tournament promises to be a spectacular sporting event and a great way to spend some time. Between 11th and 14th April, Circus Zyair will be visiting Brighton Racecourse, offering fantastically entertaining displays by acrobats, clowns and jugglers, amongst others. A couple of weeks later on 26th and 27th, Brighton Racecourse is set to host the Jukebox & Retro Fair, where visitors will be able to pick up everything from vintage clothes and accessories to jukeboxes and music memorabilia; great for anyone interested in retro trends.

From football to ghosts and World War I to art, Eastbourne and its surrounding area have a huge variety of fun things to do in April, so whoever you are and whatever your interests, you won’t get bored.