In Episode 218 we covered how to review your year, this is an important step, don't miss it. I know it can feel frustrating or even cringy to review the year, but we need to understand what worked and what didn't so we can improve next year.

So here we are, 2025, or almost. Happy New Year! 🥳🥂

Take some time over the next couple of weeks to figure out what worked well last year and how you want to move forward with your English in 2025. Are you going to change your textbook? Find some new reading material? Or perhaps get a teacher?

Check out episodes 152, 164, 181 and 183 for more tips on tests, goal setting and planning.

Work out some priorities and some achievable goals and get them down on paper.

I'm taking January off so I'll be back in February to see how you get on.

Any questions, just put them in the comments.

Good luck!

#emmaseslenglish

This week I have something a little different for you. Last year my family and I went to Castle Howard. This is an English country home in Yorkshire that puts on a special Christmas display every year. They take a story and decorate the house with that theme. Last year the story was JM Barrie's Peter Pan. I'll show you the dramatic road in to Castle Howard using Google Maps, and then some of the pictures and footage I got last year. Castle Howard was built between 1701 and 1811 by the Carlisle branch of the Howard family. The gardens were designed by George London in 1699. While you can't see a lot of the normal house behind the decorations, this will definitely give you an idea of the size and luxury of these big English houses. I visited with my family and my niece, who didn't know anything about Peter Pan. Luckily we were able to go at a quieter time, usually there would be many more people at this place because families come from all over the country for this experience. As far as I understand Castle Howard still belongs to and is lived in by the Howard family. #emmaseslenglish #englishlisteningpractice #englishchristmas

Wow! Here we are again, at the end of the year!

For those of you who have been with me for a while, you will know what's coming, review and plan.

In this episode I'll give you some tips and thoughts on how to review your year in English.

This is an important step. So many language learners feel like they're not making any progress. It's important to take a little time to recognise how much work you've put in and any progress you've made. Honestly, even if you feel like you haven't made any progress, take time to recognise all the hard work you've put in (and yes, I'm counting watching TV shows and movies with subtitles as hard work 😉).

Let me know how you get on in the comments.