LEARNING TIPS

Cornell’s Note-taking Made Easy: Tips for English Learners

The Cornell Note-Taking Method is a widely used system for taking notes that can be adapted to suit the needs of English learners. Here’s a step-by-step guide to using the Cornell Note-Taking Method:

  1. Start by dividing your paper into three sections: the main notes section on the right-hand side, a smaller section on the left-hand side for questions and keywords, and a summary section at the bottom of the page.
  2. During a class or while reading a text or listening an audio, take notes in the main section on the right-hand side. Write down key points, ideas, and details that you think are important.
  3. Use the left-hand side to write down questions that come to mind as you take your notes. These could be questions about the material you’re learning, or questions that you want to ask your teacher or classmates later on.
  4. In the summary section at the bottom of the page, write a brief summary of the main points you’ve taken notes on. This will help you review and remember the information later.
  5. After the class or reading/listening session is over, review your notes and try to answer the questions you wrote on the left-hand side. This will help you solidify your understanding of the material.
  6. Finally, use the summary section to review the main points of the lecture or reading, and to prepare for future assignments or exams.

Overall, the Cornell Note-Taking Method is a flexible and effective way for English learners to take notes and organize their thoughts. With practice, it can become a valuable tool for academic success.

Now that you know what the Cornell note-taking method is let’s see two examples:

Example 1:

Example 2:

Notes taken from an article about the most common writing mistakes that English learners make

Click the button to download a template for your classes

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WRITING

How to Write a Movie Review

For the B2 FCE Cambridge exam

A movie review is an informal piece of writing that describes and evaluates a movie. Movie reviews are usually written by experts giving their opinion about the movie and published in newspapers, magazines, or blogs.

Parts of a movie review

1. Title

This should include the movie title and an eye-catching heading

2. Introduction

This paragraph should include the name of the movie, the genre, the director, the stars and any prizes they have won. You can also include information about the place and the time the movie is set and filmed. The purpose of this paragraph is that you engage the reader and give them a general idea of the type of movie you are going to review.

3. Summary

This part should include an outline of the main events along with general information about the characters and the plot. Your summary should NOT spoil the film. Therefore, you should not mention anything about the ending of the movie.

4. Analysis

In this section you should share your opinion about the movie. Your review should examine the plot, the actors, the special effects and the soundtrack. You can also compare the movie you are reviewing to a similar film in the same genre. In this section you can also give examples of the good elements and the bad elements in the movie.

5. Conclusion

In this part you should summarize your thoughts on the good and bad elements of the movie. Finally, you should evaluate the movie (give stars ⭐⭐⭐, thumbs up 👍 or thumbs down 👎) and make a recommendation. You should mention why you recommend/ don’t recommend the movie.

Now that you know which parts should be included in a movie review 🎞️🍿, let’s see an example:

Check the movie trailer out to learn more about “Little Boy”

Useful language to describe movies

Movie genre

  • an action movie
  • an animated movie
  • a drama
  • a historical movie
  • a horror movie
  • a musical
  • a romantic comedy
  • a science fiction movie
  • a thriller
  • a war movie
  • a western

People and things in movies

  • audience
  • cast
  • cinematography
  • extra
  • plot
  • review
  • scene
  • script
  • sequel
  • soundtrack
  • special effects
  • star
  • subtitles

Adjectives to describe movies

PositiveNegativeNeutral
funny
hilarious
exciting
interesting
moving
first-rater
original
imaginative
legendary
inspiring
insightful
thought-provoking
flawless
first-rate
suspenseful
riveting
intriguing
heart-warming
stellar
standout
stunning
must-watch
tragic
violent
too boring
too scary
uninteresting
too slow
too long
weak
flawed
second-rate
third-rate
silly
disappointing
bloody
predictable
confusing
ordinary
disgusting
suspenseful
low-budget
big-budget
dramatic
highly-charged
sentimental
romantic
fantasy
slow
romantic
satirical
fast-moving
oddball
picaresque
wacky

Verbs and phrases

  • It was directed by …
  • It was written by…
  • It was dubbed into [languge]
  • The movie explores themes of …
  • The movie shows…
  • [Actor] played the part/role of [character]
  • It is set in…
  • It is based on the book…
  • It was shot on location in [city]
  • It’s about…
  • One of the main storylines is…
  • It stars…
  • In the end…
  • My favourite scene is…
  • I strongly recommend the movie because…

Pro tips for writing a movie review

  • Remember to write the movie’s title.
  • Write an eye-catching heading.
  • Remember to mention the genre of the movie.
  • Don’t forget the audience. Who is the movie for?
  • Don’t forget to include the names of the characters, the year the movie was made and if the movie or the actors have won any awards (For example, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, an MTV Movie Award, etc).
  • Never ever mention the ending!!! You don’t want to spoil the movie.
  • Remember to share your personal opinion and your evaluation.

Time to practice

You see this announcement in your English school magazine.

Review wanted!
Write a review about a movie you enjoyed or a film that you didn’t like. It could be a recent film or a movie that you watched a long time ago. Explain that is it about, why the main character is interesting/ boring and if you recommend it or not.

Type your answer in the box below, and I’ll give you personalized feedback.

WRITING

Writing tips for Spanish speakers

5 minutes

(En español 🇪🇸)

Si tienes dificultades para escribir de forma coherente en inglés, quizás el problema sea que también tengas problemas para escribir correctamente en español.

Algunas de las causas de este problema pueden ser:

  • Falta de vocabulario: desconoces los sinónimos y antónimos de las palabras.
  • Desconocimiento de la gramática básica: no sabes las conjugaciones básicas ni en qué contextos utilizarlas. No sabes como expresar la misma idea usando diferentes estructuras gramaticales. Tampoco sabes distinguir entre diferentes grupos de palabras, por ejemplo: sustantivos, verbos, adjetivos, adverbios, artículos y preposiciones.
  • Desconoces las reglas básicas de puntuación: no sabes como estructurar una oración simple ni como conectar tus ideas de forma coherente en un párrafo. Tampoco sabes como usar conectores para hilar tus ideas de forma fluida.

Al extrapolar estas deficiencias al inglés, entonces terminas escribiendo frases muy largas e incoherentes que son muy difíciles de entender.

Un consejo que quizás suene aburrido, es que estudies un poquito de gramática básica en español. No tienes que volverte experto en gramática, pero si saber lo más básico. 

Otro consejo que también es de gran ayuda es la lectura. ¡LEE! Generalmente un buen lector, también es un buen escritor. Mientras más leas, más variedad de recursos léxicos (frases, palabras, expresiones) tendrás. Al mismo tiempo, tu cerebro aprenderá de forma natural a organizar y categorizar ideas y pensamientos.

Uno de los errores más comunes al escribir en español es el uso excesivo de las comas. 

Veamos el siguiente ejemplo tomado del blog de Diana P. Morales, escritora española y ganadora del premio Ignotus 2020.

EL LABERINTO DE LAS COMAS

“Aquel era un bonito día de primavera, uno de esos  en los que apetece salir a pasear y  gozar del placer que te brinda la naturaleza, Laura viendo todo esto desde la ventana de su habitación  decidió salir a dar un paseo, poniéndose un calzado, cómodo, salió a la calle dispuesta a caminar por los senderos del monte, contenta, feliz, pensando en sus cosas, el día se estaba terminando, ella seguía caminando sin darse cuenta de las horas que pasaban”

Vamos a analizar por qué este texto es confuso y difícil de leer:

  1. Las frases son muy largas. 
  2. No se puede distinguir en dónde comienza una idea y en dónde termina. 
  3. Este párrafo tiene muchas ideas, pero están todas mezcladas en un solo párrafo.
  4. Este párrafo tiene muchísimas comas.

Truquitos para evitar este error:

Un consejo para darnos cuenta si la información que hemos incluido en un párrafo es confusa, es que leas en voz alta el párrafo. Debes dar una pausa muy breve para las comas y una pausa mucho más larga para los puntos.  

También podemos pedirle a otra persona que lea el texto en voz alta, así nos podremos dar cuenta si nuestras ideas son coherentes y si hemos usado los signos de puntuación correctos.

¿Cómo usar las comas (,) de forma correcta?

Ahora brevemente te explicaré como usar las comas de forma adecuada en español (secreto: el uso de la coma es muy similar en inglés, aunque hay algunos casos un poquito diferentes). Las comas se utilizan para separar frases y hacer pequeñas pausas en una oración o párrafo.

Una frase u oración es un conjunto de palabras que tienen un sentido lógico y están compuestas de:

  • Un sujeto ( el que realiza la acción)
  • Un verbo (la acción realizada)
  • Un complemento (es opcional ). Puede ser:
    • un objeto directo (¿qué?)
    • un objeto indirecto (¿a quién?)
    • un adverbio de lugar y tiempo

Podemos combinar varias frases (oraciones) entre sí para formar una oración compleja. Para poderlo hacer necesitamos un nexo que puede ser:

  • Una conjunción: Palabra que se utiliza para unir dos o más partes de una oración o dos o más oraciones. Ejemplo: María estudiaba mientras su madre cocinaba
  • Una coma (,): María estudiaba, su madre cocinaba y sus hermanos jugaban en el patio.

NOTA: La coma se usa solamente para separar ideas que ocurren al mismo tiempo. (He ahí la importancia de saber un poquito de gramática y tiempos verbales). Un error muy común que cometen los estudiantes es usar comas para separar ideas que ocurren en tiempos diferentes.

Ejemplo: María estudiaba, su hermano fue al parque, su madre lava la ropa, son una familia feliz.

Truquitos para evitar este error:

1. Reemplazar las comas por conjunciones

Si tienes duda si poner una coma o no, intenta remplazar la coma por una conjunción (y, mientras, ni etc.)

Ejemplo: María estudiaba mientras su hermano fue al parque y su madre lava la ropa y son una familia feliz.

Como te puedes dar cuenta, la oración anterior es incoherente. Es decir, carece de sentido y es muy confusa.

Si la coma no se puede sustituir por una conjunción, entonces será necesario que reestructures tus oraciones.

2. Usar frases breves

  • Las frases breves son claras y concisas. Evitan la confusión.
  • Las frases breves llaman la atención y son fáciles de leer.

Una vez que hayas dominado la escritura de frases breves, notarás que poco a poco podrás escribir frases más largas que sean elocuentes y muy interesantes.

Aquí te comparto un ejemplo ilustrativo sobre como suena un párrafo compuesto solo de frases breves y otro que tiene una combinación de frases breves y frases largas pero coherentes.

esta-frase-tiene-cinco-palabras-traduccion-autorquia El peligro de las frases muy largas... (y la magia de las breves)

Espero que esta explicación te ayude a visualizar y organizar tus ideas al momento de escribir.

WRITING

How to Write an Article for the Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET)

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An article is an informal/ neutral piece of writing that is written for a specific audience. The purpose of an article is to share an opinion, or knowledge on a particular topic, or offer suggestions and pieces of advice to the readers. Newspapers, magazines, and journals usually publish articles. For that reason, articles have to be easy to read.

Parts of an Article
  • Title: It should be short and informative. Try to choose an interesting title, so the reader wants to read your article to learn more about the topic.
  • Author’s name: A line having the name of the person who wrote the article (optional)
  • Main paragraphs: This is the main part of your article, it should include the following parts:
    • Introductory paragraph: Here you introduce the topic. The introduction should be short, catching, and interesting.
    • Descriptive paragraph: Here you give examples and reasons.
    • Additional information: only if needed.
  • Conclusion: This is the ending paragraph of the article that should be a summary of your article.
Steps to write an article

1 Think of the topic that you are going to write about carefully.

2 Identify the target audience. Who are going to read your article: students, young people, adults, elderly people, or professionals?

3 Find the objective of writing the article. Do you want to give advice? Are you going to give some useful tips? Do you want to teach your readers how to do something?

4 Identify the details that are more significant and think of some examples.

5 Organize your ideas and arrange the information and the facts in a coherent and logical way.

Now that you know the parts of an article and the steps to follow, let’s see an article sample for the B1 Cambridge writing test.

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You see this announcement in your English school magazine.

Articles wanted!

Write an article telling us how to make your home safer when children visit you.
What are the most dangerous places in a house for children? Why?
The best articles answering this question will be published next month.
Useful language for writing an article

For the introductory paragraph:

  • Have you ever thought about …?
  • What would you do if …?
  • Do you like + verb+ing …?
  • How important is it for you to …?
  • What would life be like if …?

Giving your opinion:

  • In my opinion, …
  • From my point of view, …
  • As far as I’m concerned, …
  • I guess that …
  • I’m under the impression that …
  • I have no doubt that …
  • I have the feeling that…

Giving advice:

  • Don’t forget to …
  • Remember to…
  • Make sure you…
  • You should + base form
  • You should have + past participle
  • Never + base form
  • What about if …?
  • Let’s consider…
  • Why don’t you …?

Adding more details and examples:

  • Above all…
  • In addition, …
  • Above all, …
  • On top of that, …
  • Moreover, …
  • Another advantage/ disadvantage of …

Reasons:

  • … in case
  • … so (that)
  • … because it might + base form
  • The evidence shows (that) …
  • The facts suggest (that) …

Writing Practice 1

You are going to write an opinion article for a school magazine about the best places to visit in your city.

Plan the content

1 Think of at least 2 interesting/ touristic places

2 Think of an interesting introductory paragraph

3 Write your introduction

4 Write your descriptive paragraphs. Write one paragraph per place

5 Write your conclusion

6 Type your answer in the box below, and I’ll give you personalized feedback.

Checklist

  1. Introduction:
    • Did you write a clear introduction that introduces the purpose of the opinion article?
    • Does the introduction include a sentence with your opinion on the best places to visit?
  2. Body paragraphs:
    • Have you included separate paragraphs for each recommended place?
    • Did you provide detailed descriptions of each place, highlighting their attractions and unique features?
    • Have you supported your opinion with specific examples or personal experiences for each place?
  3. Conclusion:
    • Does the conclusion summarize the main points discussed in the body paragraphs?
    • Does it restate your opinion on the best places to visit in the city?
    • Does it provide a strong closing statement or call to action?

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Writing Practice 2

You are going to write an article for a school magazine. Choose one of the titles below>

  • How to stay safe if you are hiking in the mountains.
  • How to stay safe on a day at the beach.
  • How to stay safe online.

Plan the content

1 Think of at least 3 useful tips

2 Think of an interesting introductory paragraph

3 Write your introduction

4 Write your descriptive paragraphs. Write one paragraph per tip.

5 Write your conclusion

6 Type your answer in the box below, and I’ll give you personalized feedback.

WRITING

How to Write a Formal Email for the B1 Preliminary Test or IELTS General Training

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Formal emails are the ones that people write to people they don’t know well. The language used in these types of emails is more formal and polite.

informal emailformal email
friends
family members
people we know well
people we don’t know
bosses or managers
doctors, teachers and professors

Formal emails have a standard format, so they must include the following parts:

  1. Greetings

We say hi to the other person. Depending on the kind of relationship we have with the person we are writing to, we can use the following greetings:

  • Dear Mr./Mrs./ Ms. + Last name,

For example: Dear Mr. Smith,

  • Dear Sir/ Madam,

If you don’t know the name and last name of the recipient

  • To whom it may concern

This is a more generic formulaic expression.

2. Introduction

In this part, we must indicate briefly and clearly the reason for writing. It should be consistent with the subject of the email. We can use the following introductory phrases:

  • I’m writing with regard to … (email subject)
  • I’m writing to … (ask, inform, request, send, confirm, etc)
  • I’m writing in reference to … (email subject, e.g. a job post, an advertisement, a website, etc)

3. Body

There are no formulaic expressions or conventional formulas for the body of the text because the information that we share in the body of the email varies according to what you need to communicate.

There is one general rule for this part: it should be divided into short paragraphs.

4. Closing paragraph

There are various ways to end your email. The most common formulaic expressions are the following:

  • I look forward to hearing from you soon / at your earliest convenient time.
  • Thank you in advance.
  • Thank you for your attention.
  • If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
  • For further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
  • Please let me know if you have any questions.

5. Goodbye

Here you can find a list of the most common phrases to end a formal email:

  • Sincerely,
  • Kind regards,
  • Best regards,
  • Yours faithfully, (only if you began your email with ‘Dear Sir/Madam’)
  • Yours sincerely, (only if began your email with ‘Dear Mr./Mrs./ Ms. + Last name)
  • Regards,

6. Signature

We write our full name (name + last name)

Now that you know which parts should be included in a formal email, let’s see an example:

Ana has read an ad about some English courses on a school website.

  • She is 23 years old. She has graduated from college.
  • She wants to take an IELTS course in July.
  • She needs to get information about dates and prices.
  • She wants to stay with a host family.
  • She wants a room for her and her friend.
Language School

Come and study English at our school!
Summer and winter intensive courses
Highly experienced teachers
One month courses for all levels
Reasonable prices
Accommodation with host families
Pro tips for writing formal emails
  • Use the standard format that English speakers use to write formal emails.
  • Use formulaic expressions.
  • DO NOT use contractions (I’m, I’ve, I’d, don’t, can’t, won’t, etc.).
  • Use formal words and indirect questions (e.g. I was wondering if …/ I would be grateful if you …)
  • Don’t forget to START your email by saying why are you writing or what you are

Time to practice

The best way to improve your writing is to practice. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Remember that practice makes progress.

Write an email to get more information about the following course:

Computer courses in Canada
One -or two-week courses in different parts of Canada (Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Halifax)
Professional instructors
Morning and afternoon classes
All levels, beginners to advanced
Small groups or private lessons

For more information email Robert Anderson at info@academy.com

Don’t forget to explain why you are writing and give some personal information

Ask your questions, and ask them to send you information

WRITING

Advantages and Disadvantages Essay

for B1 Preliminary Cambridge Test/ IELTS

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An essay is a written piece where you can present an idea, propose an argument, express your emotions or initiate a debate.

In an advantages and disadvantages essay your task is to describe the positive and the negative sides of a specific topic. You must include examples and reasons to support your ideas. Sometimes you will also be asked to give your opinion. You can include your personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion of the essay.

The typical structure for an advantages and disadvantages essay is the following:

Paragraph 1: Introduction
  • Start your introduction with a sentence that paraphrases the question you were given
  • Add a sentence where you include the main ideas that you will talk about
  • Give your opinion (if required)
Paragraph 2: Advantages
  • Write a sentence where you summarize the main idea of the paragraph. In this paragraph you must mention the advantages.
  • Next write a sentence where you explain the advantages.
  • Finally you explain the consequence or result of advantages by giving an example.
Paragraph 3: Disadvantages

(This paragraph is similar to paragraph 2, but here you will talk about the disadvantages)

  • Write a sentence where you summarize the main idea of the paragraph. In this paragraph you must mention the disadvantages.
  • Explain the disadvantages.
  • Give examples of the disadvantages.
Paragraph 4: Conclusion
  • Summarize your ideas
  • Paraphrase your opinion (if required)
Example:

Advantages and disadvantages of traveling by plane

Nowadays, a lot of people prefer to travel by plane when they go to another country. However, air travel has both pros and drawbacks. Let’s examine some of these here.

One of the main advantages of traveling by plane is that it is much faster than any other form of transport. For example, you can fly from Toronto to New York in 2 hours, whereas by car, it would take more than 7 hours. Another advantage is that flying is more comfortable and less tiring because you can sleep on a long flight. You can also watch movies or read. Finally, it is safer. More people die in car accidents than in the air.

On the other hand, traveling by plane also has some disadvantages. To start with, it can be quite expensive, especially if you want to travel in the comfort of First Class or Business Class. What is more, flights are often delayed, and this means you may have to spend a long time waiting in the airport or miss connecting flights. In addition, you may arrive in New York while your suitcase has gone to Paris.

To sum up, the airplane is a great invention, but it does have some drawbacks. If it was cheaper, it would be better. Still, in my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons. If we didn’t have planes, it would be very difficult to travel to distant places.

Below there is a template that can help you write your advantages and disadvantages essays.
Template for an advantages and disadvantages essay

Useful language: Linking phrases

To list advantages/ disadvantages
  • the main advantage is…
  • the main disadvantage is …
  • another advantage is …
To add more point to the same topic
  • In addition, …
  • Furthermore, …
  • What is more …
To introduce an example:
  • For instance …
  • For example …
To make contrasting points
  • However, …
  • In spite (of the fact) …
  • Although …
  • On the other hand …
To give a reason
  • Because + clause …
  • Because of + noun …
To introduce the conclusion
  • In conclusion, …
  • To sum up, …
Watch the following video to learn more vocabulary to talk about advantages and disadvantages

WRITING

Phrasal Verbs in Research Papers

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Have you been told that phrasal verbs are informal words?

Have you been told that you should avoid using phrasal verbs in formal/ academic writing?

Many English learners and international grad students often think that phrasal verbs are informal and not appropriate for a manuscript, a research paper or an essay.

Phrasal verbs, in fact, are neutral and there are many that are widely used in academia, research and other formal settings.

In this post I will share with you a list of common phrasal verbs that are commonly used when writing a research paper.

Phrasal verbMeaning*Example
account forto form the total of something…that coding RNA accounted for the largest proportion
allude toto mention someone or something without talking about them directlyFinally, we allude to potential interventions…
arrive atto reach an agreement about somethingThe emphasis is on the convoluted pathway that was actually used by immunologists to arrive at understanding compared to the direct pathway that could have been used given the knowledge at that time. ..
attribute toto think that someone or something has a particular quality or featureThe participants attributed as little blame as to the environmental factors.
base onif you base something on facts or ideas, you use those facts or ideas to develop itMost definitions of quality are based on products….
bear outto support the truth of somethingStudies bear out early reports of mexiletine…
bring aboutto cause something to happenThis receptor is required for calcitrol to bring about its action…
build onto use a success or achievement as a base from which to achieve more successPapers that build on very recent ideas are NIH funded less often than are papers that build on ideas that have had a chance to mature for at least 7 years
carry outto do or complete somethingNursing research is usually carried out by registered nurses…
come aboutto happen or to start to happenThe current theme issue came about by chance.
compare to/withto consider how things or people are similar and how they are differentResults demonstrate massage therapy is effective for treating pain compared to no treatment/ The effect of adding glargine was compared with intensification of lifestyle
consist ofto be formed or made from two or more thingsEach light chain consist of one variable domain…
contribute toto be one of the cause of an event or a situation… genetics contributes significantly to the weight-gain susceptibility
devote (something)toto use time, energy or resources for a particular purposeDevoting time to teaching even the most basic management skills…
dispense withto stop using something or someone, or to get rid of something or someone, usually because you don’t need themCould Psychiatry Dispense with Involuntary Medication?
expands onto give more details about something that you have said or written… the authors expand on the frequency occurrence proportions of handwritten features.
factor into include something when you are doing a calculation, or when you are trying to understand something… studies related to immunosuppressive factors in response to stress…
find outto discover information or a factStatistical Analysis to Find out the Optimal Locations for Non Invasive Brain Stimulation
focus onto give a lot of attention to one particular person, subject, or thingForensic Psychiatry: Focus on Malpractice and Risk Management
follow upto try to find out more about something, or to do something more to deal with it… a cohort of 123 individuals; 82 (67%) were followed up by audiology.
narrow downto make a number or list of things smaller, by removing the things that are least important, necessary, or suitable… reactive changes serves to narrow down the various potential causes…
point outto tell someone about information, often because you believe they don’t know or have forgotten it… in order to point out its possible diagnostic limitations
point towardto show that something is true or probably trueThis points toward this bacterial consortium as a mediator between early lifestyle …
put forwardto offer an idea, opinion, reason etc, especially so that people can discuss it and make a decision… investigators have put forward a number of possible causes
rule outto stop considering something as a possibility
… we should suspect those fractures and rule out associated injuries, fractures in other vertebral segments, and acute spinal cord injury.
result into cause something, or to produce somethingIn the United States alone, approximately 1.7 million people suffer a TBI each year, with 275,000 being hospitalized and 52,000 cases resulting in death.
set upto make a piece of equipment ready for use… government has set up central isolation sites for all people entering the country from abroad to be placed under medical observation.
subject todependent on something else to happen or be trueAll organizations are subject to risk and uncertainty.
sum upto tell (information) again using fewer wordsTo sum up, miR-149 silencing promoted osteogenic differentiation of MSCs …
*Examples were found using the PubMed.gov data base (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).
PubMed® comprises more than 33 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books.

Practice time

Choose 3 phrasal verbs and write three sentences using them.

WRITING

What to write in a Christmas Card

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Let’s write some Christmas cards!

Writing Christmas cards is a tradition in many many English speaking countries. The tradition of sending Christmas cards started in the mid 1800’s in the UK when a British artist created a greeting card for Sir Henry Cole to send forth to his family and friends. Sir Henry Cole thought that sending Christmas cards to his family and friends would be a nice way to convey happy sentiments while wishing them a joyful holiday.

Queen Victoria started sending seasonal greeting in the 1840’s.

The White House traditionally sends Christmas cards every year.

In spite diverse in culture and religion, Canadians also partake in the tradition. Christmas cards are sent to wish people peace and joy.

Writing a Christmas card can be a bit challenging, especially if you don’t know what to include in your card.

Here I have made a list of common Christmas messages that you can include in your Christmas cards:

Wishing you and your family health, happiness, peace and prosperity this Christmas and in the coming New Year.

Merry Christmas! May you get chance to take in the beauty and true meaning of the season.

Happy Holidays! I hope all of your Christmas wishes come true.

May your holidays be filled with love and rejoice. May you have a great time with your friends and family this Christmas! Sending my best wishes to you.

May your holidays be filled with happiness and good cheer!

It’s people like you that make Christmas a sacred, meaningful occasion. Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! This coming year, may you be gifted with countless blessings.

Gifts come and go, what really matters are the people who light up our lives all year long. Thank you!

The past year has been anything but cheerful and bright. Wishing you love, light and a prosperous year ahead.

Wishing you nothing but the best this holiday season.

Practice time

Write a Christmas card

Christmas postcard