Making New Year's resolutions stick

Can you keep a New Year's Resolution beyond the end of January?

Here are a few tips to help you stick to your resolutions.

And more advice here.

What are your resolutions for 2012?

Happy New Year!!!

New Year's superstitions

Are you supertitious? Don't watch this video if you are:

How to follow New Year's supertitions

Do you do anything special on New Year's Eve as to be lucky the New Year?

The most-read 2011 articles

What has made headlines this year? Check the most-read articles in The Independent.

The article 'Prince Philip: Ninety gaffes in 90 years' is a must - do you remember the word 'gaffe' as explained in '6 Minute English?

What is THE 2011 news for you?

Inversion. Key

Find the key here.

Food for thought. Key

1.a - tasty // 2.b - oven // 3.a - exquisite // 4.c - cook // 5.c - tasteless // 6.b - seen // 7.a - order // 8.c - live // 9.c - spent // 10.b - acquired // 11.c - strong // 12.b - spicy // 13.a - idea // 14. a - good

Interjections

Ouch! Gosh! Bother! Yippee! Which word is the right one to use here?
Have a go at this quiz.

Food and cooking

You might find the following links interesting:

BBC Food. Recipes, techniques, seasonal ingredients

Jamie Oliver. Video recipes. Eating habits, Food Revolution and more

NHS Choices. Tips for eating well, food allergy, E numbers and more

Are you a healthy eater?

Find out whether you're a healthy eater or could improve your eating patterns.
Click here.

The day I ate as many E numbers as possible

Are food additives as bad as is often assumed? Read this article.

Brands lost in translation

When Western products are transliterated into Chinese, the results can range from poetic to the metaphysical. Find some interesting examples in this article.

New York snow chaos

Watch this report about the snowstorms that hit New York a few days ago, and learn and practise the vocabulary.

How to argue productively

Arguing is a normal part of any relationship - and can make your relationship stronger. Relationship psychotherapist Paula Hall gives her top tips for having a productive argument.

Step 1: Work out what you're really arguing about
Be self-aware. Are you really arguing about the washing up, or is there a deeper issue under the surface? If so, stop arguing about the washing up and have the discussion.

Step 2: Confront the issue, not each other
Many couples start arguing about an issue but end up arguing about whose fault it is. Keep the initial issue at the forefront of your mind, and don't resort to blaming each other.

Step 3: Always stick to the matter in hand
Don't bring up the past, other issues, or other peoples' opinions. Argue about one thing at a time.

Step 4: Be adult
You might find that you sound like a strict parent or rebellious child when you argue. Imagine having the same conversation with your boss and think about how you would respond. Bring that "adult" self into the conflict with your partner.

Step 5: Check yourself
Be aware of how you're feeling. If you're tired, stressed, ill or irritable, give your partner some warning so that they can give you space.

That English Pronunciation Poem!

Are you one for a challenge? Read and listen to this poem, and why not try to read it aloud?
Poem of English Pronunciation

Adverbs. Key

Click here.

Facebook blunder

A teenager from Hertfordshire who mistakenly posted her address and phone number on Facebook to publicise a birthday party ended up with 21,000 promised guests.
Read the article.

Memories, washed away

Will my family in Japan be as lucky as it was in 1945?

Memories, washed away

Pronunciation: IPA

The International Phonetic Alphabet represents the sounds of spoken language and being familiar with it will help you improve your pronunciation. Besides, you'll be able to say an unknown word correctly just by looking it up in a dictionary with phonetic transcriptions.

Pronunciation

A descriptive article

Don't miss this brilliant portrait of a Turkish celebrity.
Ibrahim Tatlises: Turkey's rags to riches singing star

Japan quake

Japan crisis 'worst since WWII'

International Women's Day: 100th Anniversary

Through the Girls Education Project in Nigeria, barriers are being broken down and an education passed on to girls: The women training to teach in Nigeria. Video

In Malawi the risks of women dying in childbirth are among the highest in the world, and local women need to be empowered to press for change: Malawi's missing midwives

Among those leading the charge for women's rights and education around the world is the organisation Women for Women International. This year they are focusing on the plight of females in Afghanistan. But discrimination against women is still a global issue, and statistics show it: Video.

Equal work, equal pay? Gender pay gap still a reality.

Do placebos work?

Half of all German doctors prescribe placebos. They have been shown to help with depression and stomach complaints – in Bavaria, 88% of doctors have prescribed them.
Read the article.

Both, either, neither

Check you know how to use both, either and neither with this quizz.

23-F: Where were you?

Thirty years ago, Spain's young democracy was shaken when some 200 armed officers burst into the Congress of Deputies in the attempted coup d'état /ˌku: deɪˈtɑ:/ that turned out to be a most fortunate failure.

Where were you in the evening of 23 February 1981?

Iconic Photos: 23-F Coup

El País in English: Secret document provides detailed account of 1981 attempted coup

The Irish Times: Adolfo Suárez, Gutiérrez Mellado and Santiago Carrillo, portrayed by Javier Cercas

New Zealand earthquake strikes Christchurch

Read a report about the disaster and listen to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Mayor of Christchurch and several witnesses.

Author David Haywood describes the earthquake that destroyed his home and killed scores of New Zealanders: 'A moment of silence. Then a wail of sirens.'

Creatures from the Arctic abyss

The Census of Marine Life is bringing to light extraordinary microscopic creatures never before seen by human eyes, dredged from their world of permanent darkness, freezing temperatures and crushing pressure.

How 'OK' took over the world

"OK" is one of the most frequently used and recognised words in the world.
It is also one of the oddest expressions ever invented. But this oddity may in large measure account for its popularity.

Read about the origin and peculiarities of 'OK'.

Listen to Allan Metcalf, author of the book OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word.

14 February - Valentine's Day

Do you want some hints for your next date? Now scientists have their say:
The science behind successful dating

Japan's growing 'rent-a-friend' industry

Lost your job and need a bogus boss to fool your family that you're still in work? Can't think who to have as your best man at your wedding?

The BBC's Tokyo correspondent Roland Buerk investigates Japan's growing 'rent a friend' service sector. Several agencies now rent out fake spouses, best men, relatives, friends, colleagues, boyfriends and girlfriends to help clients get through social functions such as weddings, parents' evenings - and even funerals.

Listen to 'The Friday Documentary' on BBC World Service or download it.

What is your reaction to this story? Do you think a service like this would be successful in Spain?

The 'conTROversy' over changing pronunciations

To language purists they might grate, but new ways of pronouncing words are spreading in Britain thanks to the influence of US culture.

Here's the article.

4 February - World Cancer Day

Here's some information:

Prevention

Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)

Is a haggis still a haggis...?

Scots around the world celebrate the anniversary of the birth of 18th Century poet, Robert Burns, on 25 January, by having a supper of haggis, the Scottish national dish, to which Burns wrote an ode. But Scots living in the USA have a problem...

Read the news story and listen to Richard Lochhead MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament). Notice his accent.

What is a haggis?