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Today, 30th November, is St. Andrews’ Day in Scotland in the UK.

St. Andrews' Day is the official National Day in Scotland, and in 2006 was designated an official bank holiday by the Scottish Parliament.

St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, and also Greece, Russia and Romania. He was one of Jesus Christ’s Twelve Apostles, and is thought to have been a fisherman like his brother Simon Peter (Saint Peter).

St. Andrews’ Day is an opportunity for people around the world to celebrate Scotland’s culture and heritage. The 2009 celebrations are intended to be the biggest and best yet, with a spectacular programme of activity because this year St. Andrews Day is also a key part of the finale weekend of the Homecoming Scotland year.

2009 is Scotland’s first Homecoming Year, and the year has consisted of a calendar of events marking the 250^th anniversary of Scottish poet Robert Burns’ birth and celebrating all things Scottish.

Homecoming Scotland 2009 and the Scots Language

There is some disagreement over whether Scots is a language in its own right, rather than one of the ancient dialects of English. Some believe that it is the ‘English of Scotland’, a part of General English; others that it is a Germanic language as distinct from English as Swedish is distinct from Danish.

Its relationship with the English of England has been compared to Frisian in the Netherlands, which is dominated by Dutch, and Norwegian which was once dominated by Danish.

Scots vocabulary overlaps with English, but Scots has words that are absent from Standard English. Some words are shared with dialects of Northern England, others are unique to Scotland.

Distinctive Scots vocabulary comes from a variety of sources, including Old English, Old Norse, French, Dutch and Gaelic. * Here is some text written in Scots (from the Homecoming Scotland web site), with the partial English translation below it:

Scots

“Hamecomin Scotland 2009 is a year-lang leet o events tae celebrate aw that’s guid aboot Scotland. 2009 is the anniversary o the birth o Scotland’s maist kenspeckle makar, Robert Burns. Jine us tae merk Burns’ birthday, Scottish contributions tae gowf, whisky and Scotland’s muckle minds and innovations forby. Whither ye bide faur awa or doon the road, come hame tae oor ain unique cultur and heritage. In 2009, come hame tae Scotland.”

English

“Homecoming Scotland 2009 celebrates the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth. We’re also celebrating some of Scotland’s great contributions to the world: golf, whisky, great minds and innovations and Scotland’s rich ancestry and culture.” **

Try their Think You Know Scots? quiz with words like fankle, ramgunshoch and genty

Find out more about the Scots language from the Scots Language Centre or listen to Scots language on the Scots Language Centre’s channel on YouTube.

St. Andrews Day fans are invited to join the online World Wide Ceilidh, where you and a partner can upload your photos, put on a kilt and a sporran, and dance a Scottish reel! The kilt and sporran are part of Scottish national dress – see the photo above.

St. Andrews’ Day Traditions

Across Europe, in parts of Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Romania, there are superstitious beliefs that a woman’s future husband can be revealed on the night before St. Andrews’ Day.

From the Homecoming Scotland site: “In some parts of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, young women would write down the names of potential husbands on little pieces of paper, and stick these into little pieces of dough, called Halusky. When cooked, the first one to float to the surface of the water would reveal the name of their future husband.

In Poland, it is popular for women to put pieces of paper (on which they have written of potential husbands) under the pillow and first thing in the morning they take one out, which reveals the name of the future husband.” **

Do you have any St. Andrews' Day traditions in your country? I'd love to hear about them.

Photo of Scottish piper by SteveWagner / Hyun Hee Jeong

* Oxford Companion to the English Language

**© 2008 EventScotland

To be as bright as a button means to be intelligent and lively. This idiom is usually used in reference to children.

Example of use:
My niece is interested in everything and always asking questions; she’s as bright as a button.

In America people say as cute as a button.

Image by ahisgett

To be as cunning as a fox means to be very clever at getting what you want, especially by tricking someone.

Foxes have a reputation for being cunning.

To be foxed means to be deceived or tricked by superior cleverness.

Image of a fox by mikebaird

Are you thinking about taking a one-to-one English language course? Or wondering how to choose a suitable teacher for your one-to-one lessons?

One-to-one English language lessons and courses are a very popular way of learning for many students. Here are some tips for deciding if one-to-one is the best option for you, plus some useful advice on choosing a teacher.

Who are one-to-one English lessons and courses good for?

♦ For total beginners: for example when a student’s English is not yet good enough for them to join a class.

♦ For students needing intensive revision practice before exams.

♦ For students who want to learn English as quickly as possible. This might be for work, or as preparation for an application for a job, for application to a university; or simply because they want to learn quickly.

♦ For students whose personal preference is to learn one-to-one rather than as part of a class.

Where can I have one-to-one English language lessons?

♦ At a language school during normal working hours.

♦ At a language teacher’s home. Times will depend on individual teachers, but could include evenings and weekends.

♦ Homestay courses in a teacher’s home. These courses are usually for students who are in an English speaking country for a few weeks. The teacher might also arrange trips out and will most likely provide meals.

♦ In your own home. Your language teacher will charge extra for travelling expenses, and probably for the extra time taken to travel to your home.

♦ Online – at work or at home, or wherever is most convenient for you, and where you have reliable access to the internet. One-to-one online courses are often via Skype. Online English lessons are a financially economical and time saving way to learn because there is no travelling involved, and no travelling expenses.

The advantages of one-to-one English language lessons and courses

♦ Intensive learning: enabling you to learn quickly and effectively, and reach your goals quicker.

♦ Personalized learning: you will have lessons at your level and pace; with content and materials prepared for your learning needs and learning style.

The disadvantages of one-to-one English language lessons and courses

♦ No opportunities for group discussions or pair work: you will only have your teacher to talk to.

♦ One-to-one lessons are very intense, and can be very hard work (for both student and teacher). They require lot of concentration.

General Advice

♦ Expect to pay more per hour for one-to-one lessons than a class – your teacher has to prepare a lot of lesson material for you because the material is covered so much quicker than in a group lesson.

♦ Choose a teacher who will assess your current level of English, and ask about your previous language learning and your goals.  Discuss and agree a learning plan with your teacher.

♦ Make sure your teacher can provide the lessons you require – e.g. if you need intense revision practice for an exam date make sure they will be able to fit in all the lessons you need.

♦ Make sure your teacher has access to the curriculum materials you need, or prefer.

♦ Make sure you agree on a price for your lessons, and how you are going to pay. Your teacher might offer a discount if you pay for a course of lessons in one go. If your teacher has to travel to your work or home for your lesson they will include their travel costs in the cost of the lesson – make sure you know how much this will be.

♦ If you want to learn English quickly it’s tempting to book long lessons – two or three hours – but these are very hard work and one hour is usually enough for both teacher and student. It’s much better to book two or three separate hour-long lessons over the course of a week.

♦ Because of the intensive work involved, one-to-one lessons will be more expensive than group classes so make sure you are getting what you pay for. Your teacher should plan each lesson thoroughly, the lessons should start and end on time, and if you are working in their home your teacher should not use your lesson time to answer the telephone etc.

♦ And last, but not least, because one-to-one work is very intense, working with a teacher who you get on with is extremely important. Have an informal chat with your potential teacher before you book any lessons and this will help you decide if you are going to get on well.

Image by Mrs Logic

If you are learning English I expect you already know that it isn’t easy, and that you need lots of motivation to succeed, and you have to work very hard.

A good English teacher is vital for your success, and a good teacher will provide excellent lesson content and help you with homework, resources, and strategies for learning; however, most students can only manage one or two lessons a week and this on its own isn’t enough to enable you to make real progress over time.

If you have an hour’s lesson a week, and then don’t look at your books or your notes, or do your homework, or use the English you’ve been taught until your next lesson; you’ll make very little progress.

You have to be actively responsible for your own learning and there’s a lot you can do to help yourself learn English: here are some tips to help:

Before your English lessons:

Find a teacher you can get on with – most teachers are happy to have an informal chat about their lessons and how they can help you. Use this time to try and find out whether you and your potential teacher have a good rapport as this can be as important for your progress as having a well qualified and professional teacher.

Have very clear goals and agree these with your teacher. A good English teacher will assess your current level of English, find out about your previous language learning experience, discuss your needs regarding your English lessons, and agree on a course of English for you with clear aims and goals. Make sure you also understand how much your lessons will be, and how long they will last.

Plan your time. Work out when you can make the time for your language learning and create a schedule. Each week, work out when you are going to do your homework and any other activities that are going to help you learn and revise your English.

During your English Lessons:

Be organized and prepared – if you have a good dictionary that you like to use (and you should have), bring it to your lesson. Bring your folder, paper, pens, homework, unfinished work from your last lesson, and anything else you need.

It sounds obvious, but you would be surprised how many students turn up for their lessons with none of these.

Listen carefully to your teacher, but don’t just sit and listen – ask lots of questions and, where you can; participate in dicussions, suggest answers and share your opinions.

Don’t be afraid to speak in English – it doesn’t matter if you make mistakes. Mistakes help you and your teacher to identify where you need to make improvements with your understanding, your pronunciation, your knowledge of grammar and your vocabulary.

Make notes – you will need to go over them after your lesson. They will help you remember what you have been taught, and to practise your English at home. Have a look at this post for some advice on making and keeping notes

After your English lessons: Write out your notes properly and file them. Make a note of anything you are not sure of and would like to ask your teacher about in your next lesson. Do your homework!

Between your English lessons In between your lessons you need to find as many ways as possible to practise and develop your English skills. There are many ways you can do this and here are a few suggestions:

• Watch TV and films in English – you can either watch for enjoyment and use it as an opportunity to test your understanding, or you can make notes of any unfamiliar words, and listen carefully to the speakers’ pronunciation, grammar etc.
• Listen to English language radio – you can listen to many radio programmes online, and some even have transcripts that you can read while you’re listening.
• Read English language newspapers and magazines – use your dictionary.
• Find some books or short stories written in English that are at a suitable level for you – these can be ebooks if you have access to the internet. Look up any unfamiliar words in your dictionary. If time is short, prop a book on the windowsill and read it while washing the dishes. 
• Listen to audio books.
• Prepare a meal using a recipe written in English.
• Write a diary in English
• Write poetry, songs, shopping lists, letters, emails (find a pen pal), anything you can think of, in English.
• Keep a small notebook in your bag or pocket – write down any unfamiliar words you hear and then look them up later.
• Listen to music / songs in English – see if you can find the words and read along. Many CDs come with the song words included.
• Listen to tapes or CDs of English in the car, on the train, while doing housework, or at the gym.
• Stick labels around the home with the English words for your furniture and other objects
• Record yourself speaking English and listen to your pronunciation. How do you sound? How could you improve?
• Try teaching a friend what you’ve learned in your lessons.One of the best ways to really learn and understand something is to try and explain it to someone else
• It’s easier to learn English if you have a positive attitude towards the language, the country where it’s spoken and its people, so learn about the history and culture as well as the language.

If you can, live in a country where English is spoken for a month or two (or longer) – or go on holiday and use every opportunity to use English.

If you have made an English speaking country your home use English at work, in the shops, wherever you can – don’t be afraid to use what you know and practise, practise, practise!

So, don't forget: hard work, and lots of practise. Try and write, read, speak, and listen to English whenever you can. The more time you make to surround yourself with English, the quicker you will learn, and the quicker you will reach your goals.

Do you have any favourite tips for learning English?

Image by krossbow

A soap opera is a television or radio programme about the lives of a group of people that is shown every week, or sometimes several times a week. Soap operas are usually quite sentimental and melodramatic accounts of a permanent cast of characters’ daily and personal lives.

They are also known as ‘soaps‘.

The term was first used around 1935 and they are referred to as soap operas because the original sponsors were soap manufacturers.

sponsor (noun) an organization or person that pays towards the cost of an event or activity.

Two very popular English television soap operas are Eastenders and Coronation Street

Image by dailyinvention

Everyone who applies to become a British citizen, or who applies for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom, must demonstrate their knowledge of English language and of life in the UK, in one of two ways:

• they can take a special English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) course which includes learning about citizenship;
• or they can take the Life in the UK test.

The test is written at ESOL Entry Level 3, and proves your understanding of English at Entry Level 3, as well as your knowledge of life in the UK. If you pass the citizenship test there is no need to take a separate test to prove your understanding of English.

The Life in the UK test is normally taken in English but if you take your test in Wales or Scotland it’s also possible to take it in Welsh or Scottish Gaelic.

The test covers topics such as:

• migration to Britain
• the changing role of women
• religion
• customs and traditions
• British constitution
• The UK in Europe and the World
• housing
• money
• health
• education
• leisure
• and employment.

There are 24 randomly selected questions. You have 45 minutes to take the test, and the pass mark is 75%.

Example questions / things you need to show knowledge of:

• What are the differences between the Council of Europe, the European Union, the European Commission and the European Parliament?
• In the European Parliament, how many seats are available for representatives from the UK?
• How many people in the UK belong to an ethnic minority and which are the largest minority groups?
• How many people say they have a religion and how many attend religious services? What are the largest religious groups?
• What and when are the Patron Saints’ Days of the four countries of the UK?
• What are the ages of compulsory education? How does this differ in Northern Ireland?
• At what age do children go to secondary school? How does this differ in Scotland?
• How long can overseas driving licences be used for in the UK?
• What types of jobs can children NOT do? What are the limits on working hours and times for children?

How many could you answer correctly?

The free official practice citizenship test closely resembles the sort of questions you could expect in the actual test, and at the end of the practice test you’re awarded a Pass or Fail grade.

The official test handbook from the Home Office, Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship, contains all the information you need to know for the test and also has a useful glossary of keywords and phrases. There’s also an accompanying study guide, and question and answer book.

For more information on how to apply for naturalisation, or on how to apply for indefinite leave to remain, visit the Home Office UK Border Agency web site.

Image of Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, London by **Maurice**

To eat humble pie means to apologize humbly or to submit to humiliation.

‘Humble pie’ was made from the offal (or humbles) of a deer killed in a hunt. This food would be eaten by those of a lower rank in a household.

Example of use:
After showing off to his friends while driving his mother’s car too fast, he had to eat humble pie when he crashed the car into a tree.

humble – (adjective) if you are humble you don’t believe you are important, or you have a low opinion of yourself > humbly (adverb).

humiliate – (verb) to make somebody feel worthless and without dignity or self-respect > humiliation (noun).

offal - (noun) the liver, heart, kidneys etc of an animal.

pie – (noun) a type of food made of fruit, vegetables or meat covered in pastry and baked. Example: apple pie, as in the photo above.

Image by net_efekt

Haiku is a form of Japanese unryhmed poetry.

Each poem has three lines and 17 syllables: five syllables in the first line, seven in the second and five again in the last line.

A haiku verse is meant to paint a picture of a moment with words, and to bring to mind emotions or senses through images of nature.

You can find lots of information about haiku on the In The Moonlight A Worm web site.

Here is my first attempt at writing a haiku – a haiku for Remembrance Day

Red poppy, fallen
on dry autumn leaves, blowing
in chill autumn wind

Why not practise your English and try writing one too?

Image by ricardo_pereira

Remembrance Day is held every year on the 11th November.

The Great War, or World War One, came to an end on the Western Front on the 11th November 1918 when the Armistice (a suspension of hostilities or truce) was signed between Germany and the allies of WW1; although fighting continued in other areas.

At 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month a two minute silence is held as a sign of respect. People remember and think about the people who died during WW1 and all the wars since.

This mark of respect was started by King George V, and the first two minute silence was held in November 1919.

Ceremonies of remembrance are held across the UK, with the national ceremony held at The Cenotaph war memorial in London. The national ceremony is attended by the Queen, and other members of the Royal Family, with representatives from the Royal Air Force (RAF), Army, Royal Navy and Merchant Navy, and politicians.

War veterans parade past the Cenotaph and wreaths of poppies are laid on the memorial.

A poem by Laurence Binyon, For the Fallen, is often read out during remembrance ceremonies. The fourth stanza is the most famous:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

Remembrance Day is sometimes called Poppy Day. In the days leading up to Remembrance Day people wear poppies to commemorate those who died in war. Fields of poppies were the only thing to grow on the devastation of the battle fields of the Western Front during WW1. The sight of them blooming in abundance at Flanders, Belgium, inspired Canadian soldier John McCrae to write his poem In Flanders Fields:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

In response to McCrae's poem, American Moira Michael started the tradition of wearing and selling poppies as a sign of remembrance. The first Poppy Day in the UK was held on November 11th 1921.

The poppies are sold to raise money for the Royal British Legion's charitable work to provide care and support for service and ex-service people, and their families.

See this BBC News article for the Dos and don'ts of poppy etiquette; including when to start wearing one, what colour to wear, and where to pin it.

Try this Remembrance Day word search

Image of poppies by david.nikonvscanon

Image of Cenotaph by Matt From London