Cafetalk Tutor's Column

Quick tips: British vs. American spelling

Some of the differences between British and American English spellings follow well-known patterns, ...

The Sourtoe Cocktail

Many Canadians will tell you that the history we learn in school is not particularly interesting, b...

Is it winter yet?

Photo by Morgane Le Breton on Unsplash It’s been a while since I posted anything and that’s becaus...

Happy Halloween!

The pumpkins are carved and the spider cookies have been made. The house has been decorated and the...

The world’s oldest dog

How long do you think a dog can live? The average lifespan of a dog is 10 to 13 years, but Bobi, th...

Halloween traditions - bobbing for apples

Halloween traditions have changed a great deal over the years, but one of the oldest Halloween trad...

Talking about ghosts in English

Different types of ghosts Halloween is fast approaching, so today I’d like to introduce some diffe...

Autumn home decor ideas

Photo byJenny Kalahar onUnsplash While I love autumn decor of all kinds, I make an effort to use n...

Working at a chocolate shop: Part 2

In Part 1, I introduced SOMA, a chocolatemaker in Toronto. But what is it actually like to work the...

Working at a chocolate shop: Part 1

As some of you may know, my wife is the manager of a chocolate shop in Toronto called SOMA, and I a...

Talking about fall in English

Autumn vs fall: Is there a difference? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “Both are used...

Planning a fall getaway - busy October

Photo - Leaves changing colour near my homeI feel like I missed fall last year because I had Covid ...

Quick tips: in the blink of an eye

There are plenty of ways to express the quick passage of time in English. The most well-known is pr...

Changing language trends at work

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash Business Insider published a new article recently detailing the ...

The kitchen faerie

Photo byTracey Hocking onUnsplash Earlier this year, I went into the kitchen after dinner and foun...

Talking about retirement in English

In a recent post, I talked about pensions and retirement, so today I’d like to share some vocabular...

Pensions and retirement

Photo byAaron Burden onUnsplash Many people are concerned about their retirement and pension these...

Quick tips: stressful vs. stressed (out)

When it comes to adjectives, one of the most common mistakes I hear is when people use the word “st...

Favourite summer activities (in Canada)

Photo byMichael Niessl onUnsplash I recently came across an article about 11 summer activities tha...

Talking about insects in English: Part 2

Things insects do While some insects fly or hop/jump, most insects crawl. Ex. Ack! A caterpillar ...

Talking about insects in English: Part 1

Summer is a busy time for insects. You can hear the cicadas calling and the bees buzzing throughout...

Summer vacation plans

Photo: My Dad, Mr. BBQAlthough I already took a few days off in June to visit Halifax, Nova Scotia,...

Talking about insults in English

Nobody likes to be insulted, and most people don’t want to insult others, but insults occur all the...

Quick tips: how to say it's hot

The summer heat has arrived, and everyone is talking about 30+ degree temperatures. So, how can you...

Beating the heat

Photo by Sebastian Coman Travel on Unsplash   Canadian summers have been getting warmer, and even i...

Summer is here

The dog days of summer (the hottest, most uncomfortable part of summer in the Northern Hemisphere) ...

Happy Canada Day!

Photo by Jason Hafso on Unsplash   July 1st is Canada Day. It is a federal statutory holiday that c...

A week in Nova Scotia: Part 2

In addition to Halifax, I also spent some time at a house in the countryside and visited several sm...

A week in Nova Scotia: Part 1

Photo: A beer flight with my ex-coworker at the Good Robot brewery in HalifaxI’ve just returned fro...

Quick tips: to be cool/down with something

I was listening to a song yesterday and heard a useful phrase that you’ll probably never find in a ...