UK Student News and Events

English is one of the most difficult languages to learn from scratch.
It has no gender, no formal or informal tense, and has many exceptions
to the rules. Here are 5 proven ways to improve your English skills in
no time.

1. Don’t be embarrassed: The key to learning any language is to
interact with native speakers. So not matter how bad you think your
English skills are, you need to get out there and use the language. If
you feel shy, find a friend or roommate who will be your point man -
they will initiate the conversation and drag you into it.

2. Pubs are every language learners friend: Alcohol is the great
social lubricant, and it also relaxes our sense of embarrassment.
Being a drunk is not the order of the day, but a pint or two will make
it much easier for you to start conversations and speak in English,
even if it’s not as fluent as you would like.

3. Watch TV: The television is a great tool for listening
comprehension. The setting of the program makes it easy to understand
the situation, and you can find programs for any level of English. If
you’re having trouble understanding fast dialog, you can watch a show
for children (they’re often better anyway) or pop in a video and
rewind to areas where you had trouble understanding.

4.

If you love your comics then you’ll love the following events held at Orbital Comics. You can find lots of neat stuff at their shops. The comic shop is full of a range of mostly American comics from the 1940’s onwards. It specialises in back issues but has all the recent comics, graphic novels and related merchandise as well. They even have tons of independently published comics!

Orbital Comics also have a manga shop which has the most comprehensive selection of manga in London and also stocks exclusive toys from Japan! They also have a designer toy shop that has lots of great vinyl designer toys in all shapes sizes and colours! Squat Magazine reviews Orbital Manga’s top 5 toys in every issue.

Details of three comic signing events follow - get there and grab yourself a piece of history.

1) Lost Girls Signing
Date: 13th September 2008
Time: 2pm - 4pm
Location: Orbital Comics, 148 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0LB
Tel: 0207 2407672
Website: www.orbitalcomics.com

Orbital Comics in London are hosting a rare signing with Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie for Lost Girls.

The signing will take place in-store at Orbital Comics, 148 Charing Cross Road, Central London (Nearest Tube, Tottenham Court Road, Exit 4) on 13th September 2008, from 2:00 to 4:00 in pm.

Agreed, it’s a language that’s more confusing than most, simply because some aspects seem to follow no standard rules at all, like the singular and plural of nouns. Native speakers and academics of English have all at one time or the other been bombarded with questions that leave them stumped – for example, “If the plural of mouse is mice, why is the plural of house not hice?”

But learning English, especially the spoken version, is an easier task than learning any other language, mainly because it is one language that’s spoken in almost all parts of the world. You have access to a plethora of options, and if you’re in a country where English is the predominant tongue, you’re in luck cause you’re bound to pick up the language in record time and impress your friends back home when you go to visit. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as we all know, so if you’re interested in trying your hand (or shall we say tongue) at this versatile and ever-growing language, here are a few tips that will help you along the way:

• Pronunciation is the key when you’re learning to speak in English, so gain access to podcasts that are available online and play them over and over again until you get the right diction.

Liverpool
University of Liverpool
Next Test Date: 13-Sep-2008

Aberdeen
Basil Paterson College (Aberdeen)
Next Test Date: 25-Oct-2008

Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth University
Next Test Date: 18-Sep-2008

Bath
University of Bath
Next Test Date: 25-Oct-2008

Belfast
Queen’s University Belfast
Next Test Date: 18-Sep-2008

Birmingham
Aston University
Next Test Date: 04-Oct-2008

Bournemouth
Richard Language College (Bournemouth)
Next Test Date: 11-Oct-2008

Brighton
Sussex Downs College (with test venue in Brighton)
Next Test Date: 11-Oct-2008

Bristol
University of Bristol
Next Test Date: 04-Oct-2008

Cambridge
Anglia Ruskin University
Next Test Date: 27-Sep-2008

Canterbury
Chaucer College Canterbury
Next Test Date: 04-Oct-2008

Cardiff
Cardiff University
Next Test Date: 25-Oct-2008

Colchester
Colchester English Study Centre
Next Test Date: 13-Sep-2008

Coventry
City College Coventry
Next Test Date: 18-Sep-2008

Eastbourne
Sussex Downs College (Eastbourne)
Next Test Date: 13-Sep-2008

Edinburgh
Basil Paterson College
Next Test Date: 27-Sep-2008

Exeter
Exeter College ( Sub Centre of Mayflower College)
Next Test Date: 27-Sep-2008

Glasgow
University of Glasgow
Next Test Date: 11-Oct-2008

Guildford, Surrey
University of Surrey
Next Test Date: 11-Oct-2008

Harrogate
Harrogate Language Academy
Next Test Date: 27-Sep-2008

Leeds
Harrogate Language Academy (Leeds)
Next Test Date: 04-Oct-2008

London
International House London
Next Test Date: 04-Oct-2008

London
Eurocentres
Next Test Date: 27-Sep-2008

London
Southwark College - London
Next Test Date: 27-Sep-2008

London
University of Westminster
Next Test Date: 27-Sep-2008

London
Middlesex University
Next Test Date: 27-Sep-2008

Manchester
University of Manchester - Language Centre
Next Test Date: 25-Oct-2008

Norwich
Anglia Ruskin University (Norwich)
Next Test Date: 27-Sep-2008

Nottingham
University of Nottingham
Next Test Date: 25-Oct-2008

Oxford
King’s School Oxford
Next Test Date: 27-Sep-2008

Plymouth
Mayflower College of English (Plymouth)
Next Test Date: 11-Oct-2008

Portsmouth
Language Specialists International (Portsmouth)
Next Test Date: 27-Sep-2008

Rugby
Warwickshire College
Next Test Date: 13-Sep-2008

Sheffield
Sheffield Hallam University
Next Test Date: 11-Oct-2008

Southampton
University of Southampton
Next Test Date: 04-Oct-2008

Sunderland
City of Sunderland College
Next Test Date: 13-Sep-2008

York
Melton College York
Next Test Date: 13-Sep-2008

English is a truly global language crossing many international boundaries. In fact, the English language is so popular; it is spoken in more than a hundred countries and has more than a million words. English has an inherent simplicity and flexibility allowing it to be learnt quickly, cementing English as a global language. As a great example, take the case of Indai. Hindi is the most widely spoken language, yet most people correspond in English. India plays host to many English speaking contact centres and 53% of Nigerians also speak English. English, as a global language, is very popular indeed, but why?

English began its development in Great Britain and was spread across the globe through the Commonwealth nations. It became so influential across the Commonwealth that countries adopted English above and beyond their own languages. Back to the case of India; with more than 22,000 languages and dialects it is perhaps clear why English became so popular and unifying. However, Hindi, being the most widely spoken language in India, never became the national language. Linguistic experts point out that the speed and depth with which the English language became so popular globally is unbelievable.

The major reason as to why the English language is so popular is down to its simplicity and flexibility.