Les Bons Mots is a blog, video series, and podcast for language learners. 

We’re excited to bring you content that will—we trust—provide you with a number of new ways to practice your spoken English, expand your knowledge of English vocabulary, and give you a bit more access to language content and culture. We want this space to be helpful to you as you continue to practice your language skills, but we also hope that this material will be fun, relevant, and intellectually stimulating to you in other ways. A language is always intimately connected to the culture that speaks it. English is a worldwide language that represents a wide variety of cultures, dialects, and accents. Gradually increasing your knowledge of those English-speaking worlds will almost certainly increase your knowledge of, and ease with, English.  

We will make this blog as interactive as possible, giving you the chance to give feedback, use practice exercises in fun ways, and exchange ways to work on your English skills.  Welcome to Les Bons Mots! We hope you enjoy your stay and that you come back to visit often.

Instructional Video: How to Pronounce the /th/ sound

Have you ever wondered how to pronounce /th/ sound in English?  In this lesson we will show you some rules on how to make the /th/ sound in English. 

Meet the team behind Les Bons Mots

Britta Poschenrieder

Britta has been working with ACA since 2018. She holds a Master’s degree in Adult Education from UBC and a TESL Canada Teacher Training Certificate. Her business background and education helps her to deliver relevant and engaging language classes to a diverse group of professional clients using a curriculum that is appropriate to their context. 
“I‘m passionate about languages, whether teaching them or learning them! On the Les Bons Mots podcast, I get to share my enthusiasm and talk to my equally-motivated colleagues about the things we are excited about when it comes to language learning.”

Lauren Heather McIntosh

Lauren has been teaching since 2014 and has taught English as a Second Language for the last three years.  She has a Master's degree in Linguistics from UWO and is currently working on her Ph.D. on communicative disorders in Alzheimer's Disease.  She has a great passion for language teaching and brings a positive energy to every class.
“I've always loved teaching. In Les Bons Mots videos, I get to showcase my dramatic flair as well as my passion for language to reach more students in an engaging way. I hope these videos provide learners with opportunities to perfect their second language skills. Enjoy!" 

Leonie Vatter

Leonie has been working as a Second Language Instructor with ACA since 2019. Currently, she teaches English and German. She holds a Master’s degree in Education for secondary school teaching with a focus on ESL and history from the Christian-Albrechts-Universität in Kiel, Germany. Her cheerful attitude and compelling classes motivate her students to make the most out of their language training.
“I’ve always been fascinated with how languages are our tool for communication and how speaking, reading and writing in another language opens up your world. In Les Bons Mots blog posts, I get to share my view of the English-speaking world as well as provide learners with useful tips and tricks on how to navigate life in English.”