Last ENGLISH SPEAKING CLUB ONLINE
we talked not only about jungles and mountains, but also about small victories: changing jobs, moving to a new city, or even having the courage to speak English without any preparation.

Thank you to everyone for your honesty!👋

Learning English is an Adventure and we're on this journey together. 😀
#EnglishSpeakingClubOnline #Adventure #LanguageLearning #SpeakingPractice #LifeBegins

Are you a daredevil person? 😉
Let's discuss it today!

We are meeting at 12.00 Moscow time/at 9.00 am UTC/GMT

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/73920759103?pwd=TEk5VjBGdHNWenVxT2dxNm5lSHNxZz09

Today at Speaking Club we discussed the topic "escapade" .

It’s not just a holiday or vacation, but a spontaneous adventure with a hint of mischief — an escape from routine.

We shared memories of our craziest trips and favorite routes for quick getaways.

What was your last escapade? A night walk through an empty city or a full day of digital detox?

Share your stories in the comments! And tell us where you feel like escaping to right now — let’s build a map of spontaneous journeys ✈️

#SpeakingClubOnline #EnglishLanguageonline #escapade #spontaneity #adventure

Ain't" is
a casual contraction that primarily replaces "am not," "is not," "are not," "have not," and "has not"

🔹 "I ain't going." (I am not going)

🔹 "That ain't right." (That is not right)

🔹 "They ain't finished yet." (They have not finished yet

Hey everyone!

This time we're talking about something that drives everyone crazy — and that everyone is guilty of at least once.

What we'll discuss:

🕒 Why some people are always late and others can't stand waiting

🕒 Who "time benders" are — and whether you're one of them

🕒 Is being late disrespectful, or just a cultural thing?

🕒 Traffic jams, "I'm on my way" and other great excuses

📚 Preparation (optional)

1. Audio — BBC 6 Minute English "Is punctuality important?"
🔗 https://www.stage.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/burmese/features/6-minute-english/ep-201119
Listen and note down 3 reasons why people are late.

2. Video — BBC REEL "Why some people are always late"
🔗 https://www.bbc.co.uk/videos/c0dm2jxkl79o

3. Reading — BBC "What makes us late?"
🔗 https://learningenglish.rti.org.tw/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/bbc_tae_what_makes_us_late.pdf
Read it and find 1 reason you disagree with.

4. Reading — BBC "How late is too late?"
🔗 https://learningenglish.rti.org.tw/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/bbc_tae_late.pdf
A short text about cultural differences: in Latin America, Rwanda and Sri Lanka people are relaxed about lateness, while in Germany and Japan it's taken seriously. Read it and decide: which culture is closer to you?

5. Reading — BBC Capital "Why some people are always running late"
🔗 https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20170209-why-some-people-are-always-running-late
A bit longer, but written in lively language. Find out which personality traits are typical for chronically late people — and whether you have any of them.

Great session was last Sunday! Thanks to everyone who came — and yes, we started on time 😄

Top excuses from the participants:

💠 "I lost track of time" — the classic
💠 "Google Maps said 15 minutes, it took 40"
💠 "I was already leaving, but then..."
💠 "My cat sat on my lap and I couldn't move"

Funniest insight:

One member said he's always early — and it turns out he's just as stressed as the people who are always late. The group agreed: nobody wins the time game.

Thanks again — see you next time! 🕐

This time we're talking about the one thing we all do — and hate ourselves for. Procrastination. The art of cleaning your entire flat when you have a deadline.

What we'll discuss:

🔷 Why we put things off even when we know it's bad for us

🔷 Is it laziness, or something deeper? (Spoiler: science says it's emotional)

🔷 "I work better under pressure" — truth or lie?

🔷 The creative excuses we tell ourselves

🔷 What actually helps (and what doesn't)

📚 Prep (optional) :

1. Audio — BBC 6 Minute English "Why do we procrastinate?"
🔗 https://www.bbc.com/learningenglish/tigrinya/features/6-minute-english_2023/ep-230216
Listen and note down 3 reasons why people procrastinate. The episode mentions "working better under pressure" and "emotional gratification" — which one is you?

2. Reading — BBC "Why we procrastinate"
🔗 https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/tae/bbc_tae_why_we_procrastinate.pdf
A short text (≈350 words) with a glossary. It explains the battle between the "reward" and "threat" systems in our brain: if the fear of failure is stronger than the reward, we put things off.

3. Reading — Psychological Science "Why Wait? The Science Behind Procrastination"
🔗 http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/why-wait-the-science-behind-procrastination
A bit more serious, but written in lively language. Main idea: procrastination is not a time-management problem — it's an emotion regulation problem. We delay tasks to avoid unpleasant feelings, and then feel guilt and shame.

4. Podcast — Easy English "Why We Procrastinate — The Psychology of Putting Things Off" (B1–B2)
🔗 https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/why-we-procrastinate-the-psychology-of-putting/id1520690072?i=1000790869940
22 minutes, with vocabulary workbook. Covers the "mood problem" theory.

5. Podcast — "I'll Do It Later": Procrastination and Lying to Yourself? (Intermediate)
🔗 https://podcasts.apple.com/sa/podcast/ill-do-it-later-procrastination-and-lying-to-yourself/id1797739162?i=1000711196987
10 minutes. The host admits he procrastinated while making the episode. Funny and relatable.

Great session! Thanks to everyone who came — especially those who almost didn't 😄

Takeaway of meeting:

🔹 Almost everyone admitted to procrastinating, but nobody called themselves lazy

🔹 Procrastination isn't about time — it's about feelings. And judging yourself for it only makes it worse.

See you next time — and start that thing you've been putting off😉

Hey everyone! This time we're talking about the things we love — but don't always admit. Reality TV, cheesy pop, midnight fast food, scrolling cat videos at 2 a.m.

What we'll discuss:

🔹 What counts as a "guilty pleasure" — and why some pleasures feel guilty and others don't
🔹 Who decides what's "embarrassing" — society, family, social media?
🔹 Are guilty pleasures harmless fun or a way to avoid problems?
🔹 Do men and women feel ashamed of different things? Do cultures?
🔹 Can a pleasure ever really be "guilty"?

📚 Prep (optional):

1. The New York Times — “‘Guilty’ Pleasures? No Such Thing
🔗 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/smarter-living/guilty-pleasures-no-such-thing.html

2. BBC 6 Minute English — “Can you keep a secret?” (6 мин)
🔗 https://www.bbc.com/learningenglish/thai/features/6-minute-english_2024/ep-240516