Cafetalk Tutor's Column

Summer has arrived

Photo: Summer vacation with my family - barbeque and beer by the pool!It’s getting harder to tell w...

My Bucket List

Photo by Heather McKean on Unsplash   My bucket list is a fairly short and affordable one! Short-t...

Making wishes in English

This week’s column topic is If you could magically make just one wish come true, what would it be?,...

Just one wish

I have plenty of silly little wishes. I wish I wasn’t allergic to watermelon; it looks so good! I w...

The McLaughlins

The McLaughlin side of my family originally came to Canada from Ireland, and in the early 1900s the...

Talking about rain in English

In my last column, Rainy days, I mentioned that it has been raining a lot in Toronto lately. I know...

Rainy days

Photo by Hannah Domsic on Unsplash It’s another rainy day in Toronto and the temperature has fallen...

Talking about legends in English

In one of my recent columns, Myths and monsters, I introduced the North American legend of the Wend...

Myths and monsters

Image: Baku and Makura-Gaeshi by Japanese artist Shinonome Kijin (in The Book of Yōkai) I recently ...

Making recommendations in English

This week’s column topic is 3 Best Places to Visit in Your Country/Town, so for anyone studying Eng...

Urban green space in Toronto

Photo: Allan Gardens main greenhouseVisitors to Toronto will find plenty of sightseeing attractions...

An unexpected journey

Photo: Friday graduation ceremony at my old schoolBeing a teacher has been a rather unforgettable j...

Prefixes and suffixes in English

This week’s column topic is My unforgettable journey, and the word “unforgettable” has both a prefi...

What’s new in Canada?

The Covid-19 situation has been steadily improving in Canada, and the third wave seems to be coming...

Cheers!

Without a doubt, beer is my favourite alcoholic beverage! It wasn’t always that way, though… My mo...

Expressing surprise in English

This week’s column topic is What surprised you recently?, so for anyone studying English, here are ...

Surprise!

Photo: DH News TorontoOne of the most surprising things in Canada is the spring weather! Having liv...

Expressing your beliefs in English

This past week’s column topic was My personal motto, so for anyone studying English, here are some ...

Every day is a new day

Photo: Out enjoying a new day with my friend and former coworker Robert.My personal motto is “every...

See you soon vs. See you later

Today I want to talk about two common expressions that can be used before or after meeting someone....

My unique travel items

There are three unique things that I bring with me when I travel and they’re all related to memory....

Using adverbs of comment in English

In one of my recent columns, Spring has arrived in Toronto, I used some adverbs of comment, such as...

Green thumbs

When someone is good at growing and taking care of plants, we say that they have a ‘green thumb’. A...

Spring has arrived in Toronto

It finally feels like spring in Toronto. The temperature is around 12°C today and the city is getti...

Talking about difficulties in English

This week’s column topic is Struggles you experienced while living abroad, so for anyone studying E...

Living out of my comfort zone

I’ve lived most of my life in Ontario, Canada, but there certainly have been some adventures outsid...

Using preposition combinations in English

In this week’s column topic, My country/town is actually famous for..., I used the preposition comb...

Ottawa vs. Toronto

Photo: Algonquin CollegeCanada is a huge country, and if you’d like to know all about it, please co...

Seasonal foods

Canada is a relatively young country. We have many influences from many different cultures, but Can...

Getting more out of your language lessons

1. Before the lesson Feel free to send a message to your tutor even before booking a lesson if you...