Written by Shams Bhatti   Click here to listen to the literary opinion essay. Prologue: I have lived long enough in England to realise that grammar is rarely only grammar. It is posture, restraint, confidence, hesitation, politeness, humour and the quiet art of not saying everything at once. I write these pieces because I do not wish to judge, but to support; not to pass verdicts, but to look at the bigger picture. I have learnt not to believe in first impressions. We can all

Written by Shams Bhatti Click here to listen to the article   Author’s note When I came to the UK, my knowledge of Britain mostly came from English literature, films, the Queen, and Monopoly. I could quote a line of poetry more confidently than I could explain who the Prime Minister was, and the phrase “Chancellor of the Exchequer” sounded less like a job title and more like a spell from a fantasy novel. I knew Britain was the mother of modern democracy – or at least that is

The Curious Case of English Conditionals Click here to listen to the article Author’s Note I have always believed that language is not merely a system of rules, structures and vocabulary. It is a living entity. It has moods and tempers, habits and quirks, elegance and stubbornness, strengths and weaknesses, virtues and vices. It carries history in its bones and emotion in its breath. It evolves, rebels, adapts and occasionally refuses to behave. In short, language is profound

Click here to listen to the article. When I first arrived in England, I believed English grammar was a system. I had studied it for years. I could explain the Past Perfect in three languages. I had a Master’s in English Literature. I had a Master’s in Educational Technology and TESOL. I had methodology. I had theory. I had assessment frameworks. I had PowerPoint animations explaining auxiliary verbs. I thought I understood English. Then I met living English. Suddenly, grammar

If you are reading this, you are already braver than you think. You are learning English in a world that changes very quickly, and yet here you are — still learning, still moving forward. That is not small. That is impressive. For thousands of years, people have used tools to share language and ideas: stone tablets, paper, the printing press, radios, language labs, VHS tapes, CDs, DVDs, computers, the Internet and mobile phones. Each new tool arrived, and people panicked for

Author Note Shams Bhatti is an experienced English language educator, assessment writer and quality-assurance practitioner with over two decades of teaching experience across universities, industrial training centres and UK further education colleges. He specialises in ESOL, Functional Skills English and CEFR-aligned assessment design, with extensive experience in producing exam-style materials, diagnostic assessments, item banks and mark schemes aligned with UK awarding bodi

Fifty Ways AI Can Support Learning in ESOL, Functional Skills, EFL and ESP Contexts Author note Shams Bhatti is an English language educator and curriculum specialist based in the UK, with extensive experience across ESOL, EFL, ESP and Functional Skills in further education, universities and industrial training contexts. He works with learners from diverse educational, linguistic and cultural backgrounds and has a professional interest in inclusive, ethically framed uses of e

English Language Education in the Age of Screens, Shortcuts and Spectacle Author Shams Bhatti (English Language Teacher and Educational Consultant) Affiliation: Keystone Academic Consultants Limited   Author note The author is an English language teacher with over twenty-four years of professional experience across universities, industrial training centres, corporate education contexts, including Aramco and further education colleges in the United Kingdom. His work spans ESOL

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