Cafetalk Tutor's Column

Quick tips: rent vs. hire

“Rent” and “hire” are similar verbs that both involve the exchange of money for the temporary use o...

The start of spring…

is still a long way off in Canada, but here’s how we’ll know when it arrives: The sun returns! Wint...

Thundersnow

A huge blizzard is hitting Toronto tonight and we’re expecting up to 25 cm of snow. This is normal ...

Talking about allergies in English

As spring approaches in some parts of the world (not Canada!), I've noticed more and more people su...

15-minute cities

Photo by Zach Vessels on Unsplash   I came across an interesting CNN article this morning about how...

Quick tips: if worst comes to worst vs. if worse comes to worst

“If worst comes to worst” means “if the worst possibility occurs” or “if the situationdevelops in t...

When will spring arrive?

Toronto has had a rather mild winter this year, but temperatures have been up and down. It could be...

Quick tips: should have vs. should of

While browsing comments and posts online, it’s common to come across a sentence like “I should of b...

Talking about death in English

Death is, of course, a very sensitive topic, and if it makes you uncomfortable, feel free to skip t...

Segodon

When it comes to historical figures that I admire, one of the first names that comes to mind is Abr...

Quick tips: there is vs. there are

Most people learn about the “be” verb and how to use “there is” and “there are” from the very begin...

ChatGPT: The hot topic in AI these days

Since the beginning of 2023, one app has been taking over headlines and generating lots of buzz - C...

What movie or book influenced you the most in your life?

For most of my life, I only picked up fiction books to read for enjoyment, but through friends, fam...

Quick tips: less vs. fewer

Quick tips: less vs. fewer If you have studied English grammar, you probably know that the word “f...

What makes people happy?

Photo byMadison Oren onUnsplash I recently read an interesting article on CNBC about why Finland i...

Living in Toronto, Canada

I live in Toronto, Canada, which is the capital city of the province of Ontario (but not the capita...

What is a hobby?

Photo byvadim kaipov onUnsplash The word “hobby” is very common and it seems to represent a very s...

Quick tips: had better

In the past, I have posted long “Talking about… in English” columns, but this year I would also lik...

Talking about looking back/ahead in English

With the start of the new year, you may be looking back on 2022 as well as looking ahead to 2023, s...

My 2022 in the rearview mirror

My biggest achievement of 2022 was earning my master’s degree in applied linguistics. For a long ti...

Christmas with the cats

Yesterday I hopped on the VIA train and traveled out to a little town in the countryside called Nor...

Talking about Christmas decorations in English

Christmas is less than two weeks away, so today I’d like to introduce some vocabulary for talking a...

Busy days

I’ve had several jobs in my life. I’ve been a tractor driver, an archaeologist, an illustrator, and...

Hello winter!

It seems like winter has arrived in Toronto! It snowed all day yesterday and all night, and this wa...

Changing seasons

Image: Wellesley Park, TorontoThis week’s column should be about three good aspects of your favouri...

Scary experiences

Photo byArtiom Vallat onUnsplash Different things have scared me at different times throughout my ...

5 English idioms related to bones

Continuing from my 5 English idioms related to blood column post, we’ll look at some idioms related...

5 English idioms related to blood

Continuing from my 5 English idioms related to fear column post, we’ll look at some idioms related ...

Zacula

Photo: Halloween party - Me as a vampire with one of my students as a Jedi from Star Wars My very f...

5 English idioms related to fear

Continuing from my 5 English idioms related to graves column post, we’ll look at some idioms relate...