This week's pronunciation practice focused on words ending in -ATE. When is it pronounced /eɪt/ and when is it /ət/? Can a word be pronounced both ways, and if so, when? Members learnt to pronounce words like climate, graduate, passionate, and chocolate, so they can sound more natural and speak English with confidence.

In this conversation class, we watched a short video about the increasing use of AI (artificial intelligence) and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of its use. I'd love to know what you all think! Are you a fan of AI? For more opinions on the topic: https://www.ted.com/talks?sort=newest&topics%5B0%5D=ai

Had an interesting conversation with @Vicent Miralles Lluch recently, about Nasa's Artemis II mission to send four astronauts to the Moon. "The Artemis programme has taken years of work, involved thousands of people and is estimated to have cost $93bn to date." Whether it's accessing valuable resources, winning the race for space dominance, creating a pathway to Mars or inspiring the next generation, do the benefits ever truly outweigh the costs? This lesson is also a reading lesson. You can find the link to the article here. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd6wp6xenv0o

I had a fun and interesting conversation last week with @Vicent Miralles Lluch about British etiquette versus Spanish. It seems we're not so different after all! Here is the link to the BBC article that prompted the discussion if you fancy a read!: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260619-what-a-british-etiquette-expert-would-never-do-in-a-hotel

Want to feel more confident when speaking English? Learn to pronounce words like certain, concern, determine, and purchase correctly, so you'll sound clearer and more natural in conversations.