Статистика ВК сообщества "CAE Advanced English - готовимся к экзамену"

MINDMAP - ENVIRONMENT

One more 'mindmap' - I hope you'll find it useful.
Hitting the button is a good way to thank me, your feedback means a lot to me 🤗

I use coggle.it

#mindmap@cae_exam

Как организовать повторение лексики: мой опыт (блокноты и система gold list).

Что вы пробовали? Что оказалось самым эффективным? Что совсем не подошло? Можно поделиться ссылками на другие группы и сообщества, я добавлю их в статью.

MIND MAP - Women

Should you need to discuss the issues that women are facing today, here's a collection of phrases to support your argument (or to refute someone else's argument). Enjoy! 🦋

To all girls and women out there: happy women's day! Be yourself, this world needs you! (yes, YOU) You're worthy of love, you can do almost anything! Sending you good vibes and hugs 🤗

#mindmap@cae_exam

Для создания майнд-карт я использую сайт coggle.it

This is why you shouldn't use as many idioms as you can in your speaking test - it just sounds weird

(Maria, thanks for sharing )

PREPOSITIONS - FLASHCARDS

A printable by Cork English Teacher (aka JohnPlusEnglish)
The full version (32 pages) is available in John's telegram - johnplusenglish. You'll find the direct link in the comments below

This is a lengthy and verbose article about my experience with the CPE exam

In it, you'll find:
- details about my preparation process and progress
- my tips for aspiring candidates
- ... and lots of memes :)

Hope you'll enjoy it! If you have any questions, type them in the comments below

My Reading Challenge 2022

It's been a while since I posted an update on my reading journey. Looks like I won't have finished 12 books this year after all 🤣 But I try to live by the adages "it's not over until it's over" and "if you fail, try again, fail BETTER", so here we go again
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5) Us by David Nicholls (aka one of the set texts for CPE 2023-2024)

My impression:

- This book is an absolute gem! No wonder it was singled out for the CPE exam :)
- The story is poignant and, strangely enough, relatable on sooo many levels.
- I really loved the subtle humour and the sublime language! Some pieces were so good that I had to share them with my friends (as you might imagine, I was waxing lyrical about the book all the time I was reading it).
- I'm going to watch the mini-series based on this novel, too.

All in all, I highly recommend this book 🏻

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6) The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)

My impression:

- If you have ADHD, you might find it difficult to focus on the plot: there're many strands, detailed descriptions of the characters and places, and not so much action. If it hadn't been for the fact that I didn't have any other book to read, I wouldn't have finished it.
- Language-wise, however, this novel is a treasure trove of rare C2/literary words: voluble, voluptuous, pugnacious, by dint of, a brief precis, stolid, spurious, litigious, to cadge sth, etc. Way to expand your vocabulary!
- I thouroughly enjoyed the way in which J.K. Rowling conveys different accents on paper

The novel is great as far as detective stories go, but I don't think I'm going to read the next book in this series... not my cup of tea.
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#reading2022@cae_exam

My Reading Challenge 2022

7) Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

A fairy-tale story for grown-up girls: Nora, a divorced mother of two, writes an empowerment story based on her own divorce. It is clear that this story could lend itself to an award-winning movie, so Nora manages to sell the script to a big production company. A part of the movie is then filmed at Nora's house. The leading actor happens to be America's most famous heart-throb, and, quite predictably, he falls in love with Nora because she's genuine and kind. 🥰

My impression:
- well, the story is unrealistic in so many ways
- a predictable plot (again, sooo unrealistic, reminds me of a pleasant dream someone might have, where everything pans out nicely without any effort involved)
- yet the story is very endearing :)

All in all, it's a nice light read Give it a go if you like indulging in the occasional sappy rom-com with a happy ending or if chick lit is your thing.
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8) The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

This book seems to be on everyone's lips these days I decided to give it a shot because I really loved one of Matt's previous books, The Humans.

This story is about a 35-year-old woman who could have become an Olympics winning swimmer / a promising singer / a devoted wife and mother / and so much more, but failed to live up to all the expectations. Now she feels like she has let everyone down, and decides to take her own life. But instead of simply dying, she finds herself in a library where she can read books about her other lives in parallel universes and even experience them from first-person perspective.

My impression:
- This story should help the reader to stop ruminating and pining for all the lives not lived. It's a reminder to focus on here and now.
- I found the story _disturbingly_ relatable. I, too, am the kind of person who seems to have messed up big time, making wrong decisions on multiple occasions. My own book of regrets would be really thick 🤣
- The author himself has suffered from depression - he even wrote a self-help book about it (The Comfort Book). That's why, I imagine, the story is (partly? loosely?) based on his first-hand experience with mental disorders.
- I would recommend this book (with caution, though) to anyone who is struggling with depression or going through a rough patch. That said, some parts of the story might be triggering, so it would be reasonable to read the book with a therapist or some kind of help or emotional support if you feel that you are too vulnerable at the moment.

This book is well worth a read! 🏻

#reading2022@cae_exam

Последняя возможность присоединиться ко второму блоку разговорного клуба по сериалу Adam Ruins Everything! У нас весело и познавательно!