Advanced English and Exams (B2, C1, C2)

Today we've prepared two Use of English tasks based on the article Bad to the Bone we shared a couple of days ago. Answer keys: Open close: 1 one 2 to 3 as 4 longer 5 myself 6 from 7 to 8 by Word formation: 1 boundaries 2 dubious 3 societal 4 imbalances 5 inequality 6 symbolize 7 complexities 8 unpredictability

Yet another essential skill 😉

Today's article opens a series of follow-up publications on how to work with vocabulary, which was the topic of our most recent webinar. This bit touches upon investigating a word beyond its dictionary definition, including tools that can help you with that.

This will hardly come as much of a surprise: I love complex female characters. You know, the ones who make reading about them slightly uncomfortable — they may be messy, contradictory, selfish, difficult, or morally ambiguous. But what they also are is unapologetically human, and that is exactly what makes them so irresistible to me. Today I've read a brilliant article by Lisa Harding about writing these complex — and quite unlikeable — women. According to Harding, such heroines often represent a shadow side of the writer: something they feel they have to hide from the rest of the world, repress, and constantly apologise for. Now, I don’t know what it feels like to write these characters — I’m not an author myself. But I do know what it feels like to read about them. And it can be… different. Frustrating, annoying, uncomfortable, fun, cathartic, deeply entertaining, and most importantly — inexpicably liberating. So do not miss this article. It’s a fascinating read on character psychology, emotional honesty, and what it really means to create women who feel alive rather than merely likable. The vocabulary in the piece is superb, so I very predictably compiled a 👩‍🏫 Quizlet set for you. P.S. Our Admission campaign is in full swing — yet another thing you definitely shouldn’t be missing!

View the available groups, schedules, fees and remaining places: https://c2pavlovich.com/apply You can also apply through our bots: Telegram: https://t.me/AEE_c2pavlovich_bot?start=apply VK: https://vk.me/aee_edu?ref=apply&ref_source=site_apply

Hello, language enthusiasts! As promised, we’re sharing the recording of our free webinar How to Make New Vocabulary Stick. The webinar was held on 9 August by our wonderful teacher, Karina Tumasyan. In the webinar, Karina not only sheds light on why learners often recognise advanced words but struggle to use them in speaking and writing, but also explains what can be done to overcome these challenges — and what we do at our school to help our students turn passive vocabulary into active vocabulary. We’ll also be publishing additional materials from the webinar soon, including the articles used in its preparation and a few other useful resources. So, stay tuned!

Thank you for joining us for How to Make New Vocabulary Stick! 💛 A huge thank-you to everyone who tuned in, took part in the activities, shared their ideas and asked such thought-provoking questions. We hope you left with a few new ideas for making vocabulary learning more effective. And thank you for these lovely comments at the end of the webinar:

“Karina, thanks a million! Your speaking was music to my ears!” — Kate

“Thank you so much for reminding us how diligent and thorough the job of learning new words is. Truly inspiring!” — Natalia

“Thanks a lot! Very informative and motivating!” — Gulnara

“Thanks a lot! That was really motivating!” — Anna

“Thank you, Karina! You're a legend!” — Andrew

If you couldn't make it live, don't worry — the recording will be shared tomorrow. And this is not quite the end of our vocabulary-learning series: stay tuned for a few follow-up articles where we'll explore some of the ideas from the webinar in more detail. Finally, here are the podcasts we mentioned during the webinar — a great way to get some extra exposure to natural English: 🪼Hidden Brain 🪼Science Weekly by TheGuardian 🪼Huberman Lab 🪼Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal 🪼The Diary of a CEO 🪼The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos 🪼How to Money

It’s tomorrow! Our free webinar How to Make New Vocabulary Stick, hosted by Karina Tumasyan, kicks off on 9 August at 14:00 sharp. Karina will examine why some words become part of your working vocabulary while others disappear soon after you first encounter them. The session will combine research-informed principles with practical techniques that can easily be incorporated into independent study. The webinar will be held on Zoom and can accommodate up to 100 people. So, if you want to attend live, make sure you join early to secure your place. A recording will also be available: we plan to publish it on VK a few days later. However, there’s nothing quite like a good old live session where you can ask questions and interact with like-minded people. To join the webinar, you can use our bot or register through our website. Both work splendidly well. See you tomorrow!

Everything broke, but we fixed it! A wise man once told me (yes, that was me): “If it works, don’t touch it.” Naturally, I ignored those words of wisdom and decided to upgrade, optimize, refactor, and generally “make things better.” The result was predictable: the website went down. And, of course, you usually find out about these things only when someone sends you a DM with a screenshot and the very informative words: “It doesn’t work.” But there is some good news. The VK and Telegram bots are now fully operational, and, most importantly, the website is back online: https://c2pavlovich.com/apply The application links are working again. I checked the server logs and discovered that the site had actually stopped working several days ago. Today alone, seven applications never reached us. If any of those people are reading this — thank you. Ironically, the failed application logs gave me exactly what I needed to find the bug and fix the code. So: everything broke, we learned something, and now everything works again. Until the next time I decide to “improve” something that already works.

Today I’m sharing my stream of consciousness — and it happens to be about Dramione. This article is based on the webinar I gave on the pairing, but I’ve reworked and condensed it into a more concise written version (so you don’t have to sit through an hour of me overthinking fictional characters). If you enjoy Dramione, literary analysis, and going unnecessarily deep into fictional characters, this one is for you.

Dear language enthusiasts, You can also register for the upcoming webinar, using our bot: @AEE_c2pavlovich_bot See you on Sunday!

Learning new vocabulary and making it stick is definitely not something only beginners grapple with. Once you've reached the point where you can comfortably express everyday ideas, a new challenge emerges: making your language more precise, more natural and more vivid. That's when you realise that expanding your vocabulary isn't a phase—it's a lifelong process. But why do some words become part of your active vocabulary while others disappear the moment you close your notebook? And is there a better way to learn than simply memorising long lists of words? Join us for our webinar "How to Make New Vocabulary Stick", where we'll explore practical, research-informed strategies for working with vocabulary as well as share a few insights into what has helped us. 📅 Sunday, 9 August 🕑 14:00 Registration is now open via our website. If you're looking for ways to make your vocabulary learning more effective—and finally start using those words you've "known" for months—we'd love to see you there!

Admissions for the 2026/27 academic year are now open at AEE. AEE is a language school and a community for motivated learners working at B2–C2+. We help students develop a stronger command of English, prepare systematically for Cambridge examinations and continue progressing after the exam is over. Applications are now open for: • General English at B2 and C1 • Exam Preparation for B2 First, C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency • Beyond C2, our post-Proficiency language development course Classes are held live online once or twice a week in mini-groups of no more than six students. The new groups begin in September 2026. Admission includes a placement test and a short interview with an AEE teacher. This allows us to confirm your current level, discuss your goals and recommend the most suitable course and study format. No payment is required when you submit an application. All AEE teachers have achieved Grade A in C2 Proficiency and hold international teaching qualifications such as CELTA or TESOL. Our team also works academically in linguistics, education and literary studies. View the available groups, schedules, fees and remaining places: https://c2pavlovich.com/apply You can also apply through our bots: Telegram: https://t.me/AEE_c2pavlovich_bot?start=apply VK: https://vk.me/aee_edu?ref=apply&ref_source=site_apply

Today, our wonderful friend and colleague, Victoria Gracheva, is celebrating her birthday. Victoria is our much-loved methodologist and leads our TESOL courses. Her passion for teaching is truly commendable, and her thoughtful methodological guidance has shaped and inspired many aspiring teachers who have joined our school. We are proud to work with you and incredibly lucky to have you with us. Happy birthday, Victoria!