This is another amazing opportunity for students to experience the once-in-a-lifetime London Olympic celebrations.

1. ALL Bucksmore students on Bucksmore Cambridge at Churchill will visit the Ricoh Arena in Coventry to watch JAPAN v SWEDEN and CANADA v SOUTH AFRICA.
2. ALL Bucksmore students on Bucksmore Oxford at St Hilda’s will visit the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to watch GREAT BRITAIN v CAMEROON and NEW ZEALAND v BRAZIL.

We still have availability for both courses so DON’T MISS this chance to book a summer programme which involves the 2012 London Olympics.

Students in Oxford and Cambridge at the beginning of July will also have the chance to become involved with the Olympic Torch Relay. See here for more details.

Please vote Bucksmore in the STM Star Junior Course for Under 18s. We will be eternally grateful and it will be a fantastic reward for sacrificing our summer months!

Click here and fill in the correct section like this:

Thank you all very much in advance! Much appreciated by all the Bucksmore team.

Rory, Matt, Ben, Jess & Pete

3. “a second wind”

A few weeks ago, London held its annual marathon, a task which I’m sure you’ll all agree requires a substantial amount of energy.  One of my friends ran the 26 mile race.  He told me he was starting to feel really tired at around 18 miles, but then he “got a second wind” and managed to finish the marathon in just over four hours.

The idiom “to get a second wind” is used very often in English in exactly this context.  It means to get more energy in order to complete a task, and the renewed energy always comes after you have already started to feel tired.  The saying is a little strange, but the majority of English-speakers know its meaning and how to use it.  So where did it come from?

The idiom actually originates from jogging, as in the example above.  When runners do a long distance race, there is a phenomenon where, when they feel as if all their strength has gone, their breathing straightens out and they can keep on going to victory.  There are different hypotheses about why this might happen.  It could be psychological, stemming from the confidence felt when finishing a race, or it could come from the release of endorphins, the chemical released in the brain during exercise which makes you feel happy.  Our phrase has been around for about 100 years, since this running phenomenon was first identified and discussed by scientists.

We now use the idiom “to get a second wind” to apply to all tasks in which we start to lack energy and then start to feel a renewed determination to complete.  For example, you are likely to hear a British secondary school student say, “I got really tired when I was doing my maths homework last night, but then I got a second wind and managed to finish it before I went to bed.”

So, if you want to sound like a more natural, native speaker of English, adopt this phrase and use it whenever you feel this phenomenon in your daily life.  Studying English sometimes feels like a marathon, especially when you reach higher levels; it takes a lot longer to improve and perfect your English when you can already communicate your ideas clearly and effectively.  Stay positive, focussed and motivated – your second wind will come and you’ll get renewed energy to achieve your goals.  Learning how to use idioms well is one way to help you improve, so keep reading the Academic Corner for more tips and advice.  Good luck!

Next time…“a blessing in disguise.”

2. “a piece of cake”

If something is “a piece of cake,” it is said to be an uncomplicated task that can be accomplished very easily.  Many English textbooks teach this phrase in the context of examinations, for example:

A: How was your English test?
B: It was a piece of cake, I’m sure I passed!

Where did this idiom come from?  How have ‘cake’ and ‘simplicity’ come to be synonymous?

According to The Dictionary of Clichés (Rogers: 1985), the writer Ogden Nash first used this phrase in his poem, ‘Primrose Path’: “Her picture’s in the papers now, and life’s a piece of cake.”  The idea is that most people think that eating a piece of cake is both simple to do and pleasurable.  If this really was the first usage of our idiom, then it began in American English.  However, it was quickly adopted by British soldiers during World War Two and used to describe missions that were very easy to accomplish.

With World War Two having ended 67 years ago, people don’t really tend to speak like they did then anymore.  We probably all use different words and phrases compared to our grandparents’ generation.  Therefore, while “a piece of cake” may still be used by some people, you are much more likely to hear a British person describe a simple task as “a doddle” or just “easy” with a qualifier such as “really”, “very” or “so”.

 The term, “a doddle”, is very British, and native speakers are likely to be surprised that you know this.  So, if you want to sound more native and natural when you speak, your exam wasn’t a piece of cake, it was a doddle.  Using idioms naturally is also a doddle when you know how, so check out the next Academic Corner when I’ll give you more information on the very strange idiom, “to get a second wind”.

1. “It’s raining cats and dogs”

An idiom is a group of words or a phrase common in most of the world’s languages.  When learning English, idioms can be difficult because you can’t guess the overall meaning of the phrase by understanding the individual words; it requires a wider, cultural understanding of the language and the people who use it.

“It’s raining cats and dogs” is one of the first idioms students of English learn.  If it is raining cats and dogs, it is raining very heavily.  This idiom seems very strange.  Where did it come from?  Have dogs and cats really fallen from the sky during a thunderstorm?

To be honest, nobody really knows for sure where this idiom came from, although there are a few theories about its origin.  We know that this phrase originates from the 17^th century, and at this time, drainage systems in most European cities were very poor.  Therefore, after a heavy rainstorm, gutters would often overflow with rubbish and dead animals.  Others believe that a thunderstorm sounds like cats and dogs fighting.  In Northern European mythology, it is believed that cats control the weather and dogs represent wind.

Although we can’t be sure why people started saying this phrase, we can be sure that it is not very commonly used today.  It is probably the most famous English idiom, as most people have heard it before, but few people actually say this phrase nowadays.  So, next time it’s raining very heavily and you want to comment on it in natural, native English, you can say:

“It’s throwing it down” or “It’s chucking it down”

Both mean the same as “It’s raining cats and dogs,” but are much more commonly used in British English.

Next time… “a piece of cake.”

It’s a great way to use your new English skills; share your experiences; and become famous on the internet! You can talk about Bucksmore or any other language school you have been to in the UK.

They would love to chat with you on the phone and publish a picture of you on their website. Here are some of the typical questions they will ask:

• What is your name?
• How old are you?
• Where do you come from?
• Where are you studying? Which course are you taking? How long is it, and when did you arrive?
• Why did you choose to come to the UK?
• What made you choose the language school and town?
• Are you enjoying your time in the UK? What do you like most? Has anything surprised you – good or bad?
• How will learning English change your life?
• Would you recommend learning English in the UK to your friends?

“Hi Everyone!  I’m very excited to be working with Bucksmore as the new Academic Manager.  I gained most of my teaching experience in China, where I lived for four years.  I really enjoyed my time in the cities of Wuhan and Beijing, but decided to come back to England in Summer 2011.  I worked at Bucksmore Summer (King Edward’s Centre) as the Director of Studies.  My time as “Miss Jess” was fantastic and rewarding – I loved helping our students with their English and preparing them for the Trinity examination.  I have both the CELTA and DELTA teaching qualifications and my professional passion is to develop students’ English abilities and help them achieve their goals.  In my free time I like cooking, studying Mandarin Chinese and spending time with my friends.  I’m looking forward to meeting with as many of you as possible in Summer 2012 and beyond!”

We’ve had loads of entries and the draw has been made. We’re delighted to announce the winners of the special 10% discount for February:

Rita Cacciotti
Denisa Krcova
Nvard (no surname supplied!)

The winners have all been notified and we look forward to welcoming all of them to Bucksmore next summer.

For everyone who entered and didn’t win, please keep checking our website for more competitions, scholarships and discounts over the next few months. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email us.

In July and August, it will be one of six boroughs used to host the London Olympic Games, making 2012 a very important year for Greenwich! Buildings in Greenwich linked to royalty include: Greenwich Palace (now the Old Royal Naval College); Eltham Palace; the Royal Observatory; and the National Maritime Museum.

Bucksmore’s Head Office is therefore now officially royally approved! Over the summer, our London excursions will also allow students to visit the new royal borough and to see the Royal Naval College, Royal Observatory & the National Maritime Museum. It’s just one of many exciting days out during a Bucksmore summer!

Bucksmore is a great opportunity to make new friends from all over the world. A lot of our students go to stay with their new friends after the summer so it’s also a brilliant way to vistit new countries and to go on holiday with your friends!

Have a look at the flags in the picture – how many countries can you name? If you don’t know, ask someone because you might meet someone from that country in the summer!

Theme: YOUR HOME TOWN. At Bucksmore we are always interested in where our students come from. We welcome people from all over the world and we want to find out as much as possible about the international Bucksmore community. Send us the photo you think best shows your home town and why it is such a special place. Please send your photo with your name, where the photo was taken and a short caption explaining what your photo shows.

Deadline: 29th Februrary 2012. The winner and other highly commended entries will be told within 48 hours and will be posted on our website. All entries will be posted on Flickr.

Prize: £25 iTunes voucher plus immortal fame on the Bucksmore website and Flickr site!

Photos will be judged by an independent panel based on the most interesting, unusual and artistic interpretations of your home town.