ENGLISH TRAINER

Essay Writing CheckList

2012-01-20T21:09:00.000-08:00

The development of a good essay depends on your essay writing check list. If you properly follow the required checklist than you will definitely gain good score in Essay writing.You can check essay check list of students. The Essay Writing checklist used for academic purpose (i.e.IELTS or ESL) or during admission in colleges.The online software's are available for this purpose. Read and follow the following Essay writing check list for better result.

• Title of any essay is very important. Check your title. The title should be appropriate not generic or boring. It must entice the reader.

• The lead sentence should be appropriate. Check whether it introduces the main idea and provide a firm foundation for the sentences that follow it.

• Check your paragraphs it should be uniform. Whether all of the sentences in each paragraph relate to the topic sentence. It is important to use a variety of sentence lengths.

• Elaborate on general ideas by providing details such as descriptions, examples, and explanations.
• Check, identified and eliminated any cliches.

• Check whether any sentences that need to be shifted to a more appropriate paragraph or eliminated entirely.

• Check whether every sentence contain a subject and a predicate.

• Check whether your word choices as appropriate and precise as they could be. Have you looked up any words about which you were uncertain?

• Check whether your thoughts flow smoothly throughout the paper.

• Conclusion is very important. Check whether your conclusion provides a final summary or judgment, or make a future prediction.

• Proofreading is an essential step. So do proofread manually.

• Word processor’s are very good to check your spelling and grammatical errors. Run your word processor’s spellchecker to check your spelling and punctuation errors.

• Read your paper aloud or give your paper to a friend or relative to read it aloud to check your stilted phrasing, sentence fragments, and run-on sentences.

• Check whether all of the sentences in your essay relate to your main idea and topic.

I hope above mentioned checklist helps you to write effective essays which gain an excellent score.

Essay Scoring Criteria

2012-01-05T20:45:00.000-08:00

Use the following scoring guide to score each of your essays. Better yet, have someone else read your essay and use the scoring guide to help you see how well you have done. Sample essays for the first six essay topics follow this scoring guide.

Essay Score “6”

A “6” essay is a highly effective response to the assignment; a few minor errors are allowed. It has the following additional characteristics:
•    Good organization and overall coherence.
•    Clear explanation and/or illustration of main ideas.
•    Variety of sentence syntax.
•    Facility in language usage.
•    General freedom from mechanical mistakes.
•    Errors in word usage and sentence structure.

Essay Score “5”

A “5” essay shows competence in responding to the assigned topic but may have minor errors. It has the following additional characteristics:

•    Competent organization and general coherence.
•    Fairly clear explanation and/or illustration of main ideas.
•    Some variety of sentence syntax.
•    Facility in language usage
•    General freedom from mechanical errors.
•    Errors in word usage and sentence structure.

Essay Score “4”

A “4” essay displays competence in response to the assignment. It has the following additional characteristics:
•    Adequate organization and development.
•    Explanation and illustration of some key ideas.
•    Adequate language usage.
•    Some mechanical but inconsistent errors and
•    Mistakes in usage or sentence structure.

Essay Score “3”

A “3” essay shows some competence but is plainly flawed. Additionally, it has the following characteristics:
•    Inadequate organization or incomplete development.
•    Inadequate explanation or illustration of main ideas.
•    A pattern of mechanical mistakes or errors in usage and sentence structure.

Essay Score “2”

A “2” essay shows limited competence and is severely flawed. Additionally, it has the following characteristics:
•    Poor organization and general lack of development.
•    Little or no supporting detail.
•    Serious mechanical errors and mistakes in usage, sentence structure, and word choice

Essay Score “2”

A “1” essay shows a fundamental lack of writing skill. Additionally, it has the following characteristics:
•    Practically nonexistent organization and general incoherence.
•    Severe and widespread writing errors.

Essay Score “0”

A “0” essay does not address the topic assigned.

Critical Reading strategies and Skills

2012-01-05T20:37:00.000-08:00

Realistically speaking, standardized tests are an important gauge of a student’s academic Achievement and every student should strive to succeed on standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT, GRE, and school entrance exams. The best way to prepare for reading tests and for future reading challenges is to become a critical reader. The kind of active reader reaches to find a deeper meaning beyond the literal.

Active readers interpret a text by analyzing literary devices and by drawing conclusions based on facts and events presented in the text. A well-told fictional story is a joy to read, and active readers experience an even richer reading experience by exploring the meaning beyond the surface. Active readers analyze, scrutinize, and make judgments and connections regarding important elements such as plot, characterization, and the author’s use of setting and literary devices. Armed with the ability to form inferences and draw logical conclusions, the experienced critical reader has little to fear when faced with a standardized test or entrance exam.

Critical Reading Strategies

Here are strategies that will help you to become a more active and successful reader:
• Start by surveying the book’s title, topic sentences, or photo captions for clues about the main idea.

• Read and understand about the ongoing theme? Is there more than one theme? Is the theme stated in the title or in the body of the book? Is it implied? What is the author trying to achieve?

• When you stumble upon a word that is unfamiliar to you, use the context of the surrounding words to clue you in to its meaning. Read difficult paragraphs more than once to be certain that you have grasped the full meaning.

• Analyzing dialogue is an important method of understanding a character’s personality and the manner in which he or she interacts with the other characters. Pay attention to what characters say to one another. Analyze the engagement in conflict of characters. Dialogue also reveals important clues about a character’s educational, regional, social, and economic background and his or her moral character.

• Understand the author’s tone. Analyze the story either it is an optimistic or a pessimistic one. Does the author think that the world is a cruel, harsh place to live in, or does he or she have a positive worldview?

• Every story contains conflict woven into the plot, because without conflict there isn’t usually much of a story. There can be more than one conflict going on, and the conflict can involve individuals, nature, and concepts (man versus nature, man versus man, man versus society). Read carefully and understand about the roots of the conflict. Analyze the consequences or effects of the conflict either conflict ever resolved or not. If so, how?

• Setting details are important and should be analyzed. Historical, scientific, and technological events, climate, economic conditions, occupations, traditions, and religious and cultural customs are important setting details that impact a story and its characters. The racially charged Southern Depression-era setting in the southern Gothic novel to kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is an excellent example of the connection between setting and plot development. The science fiction genre often introduces technology in settings that are vastly different from the present-day world.

• When you are writing a response to a literary text, it is important that you incorporate quotations from the text to support your ideas. Unless you are asked to refer to outside sources, focus on extracting information from the text itself. Use specific quotations to support your analysis. However, don’t let your use of quotations dominate the page or drown out your own voice and ideas.

Fulbright Scholarship

2011-12-23T22:10:00.000-08:00

There are a number of scholarships available for Pakistani students. Most of them cater to post-graduate courses, instead of undergraduate programs. Some popular scholarships are Fulbright (for US universities), Rhodes scholarship (for university of Oxford, UK). The detail of Fulbright scholarship is appended below.

The Fulbright scholarship is offered to students aiming to take up a graduate course in the US, either at Masters Level or doctorate (PhD) level. The scholarship offers full tuition fee, living expenses and a return air ticket for the student. This scholarship opens in February every year, and closes in mid-May. The main requirement is GRE Exam, and the students who qualify for the interview, are required to take TOEFL Exam as well. The condition attached with scholarship is that one has to return to country and serve the country for the period of time this scholarship has been availed in the US.

The application process for the Fulbright scholarship (for entry in fall 2013), began in February 2012. If you are interested in applying in this batch, it is recommended that you take the GRE as soon as possible. The application form can be downloaded from the website (Fulbright.stat.gov), and filled and submitted electronically. A hard copy of this application must be sent to the United States Educational Foundation in your Country. Make sure you obtain the official transcript from your university, and attach three LORs with your application.

Fulbright application form includes an SOP and Study Objectives; a precisely worded document outlining your main academic aims, and the exact program you want to pursue in the US, including the reasons why you wan to apply for the program. It would be helpful to add how a particular program will help you achieve your goals.

I hope above mentioned information helps you to understand the procedure of Fulbright Scholarship but If you need further assistance on this than you must visit its official site for details application form, document checklists, and submission deadline. Furthermore, get instant information about Preparation of TOEFL Exam from 'what is TOEFL test'.

GRE Exam

2011-12-10T22:22:00.001-08:00

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a prerequisite for admission to a graduate program at most US universities. GRE is a comprehensive test given by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), in order to test whether a student (ETS), in order to test whether a student is ready for graduate studies or not. The GRE is divided into two classes: General and Subject. Most US universities require the GRE General Test; only a few require the Subject GRE Test. Currently, in many countries all GRE candidates are required to give the computer-based test.

The GRE General Test is composed of three sections:

Analytical Writing

The analytical writing portion is the first part, followed by an unidentified and un-scored section which may comprise either verbal or quantitative reasoning. A research section (indentified and un-scored) may also be included in the test and is always included at the end of the test.

There are two tasks in the analytical writing portion:

1. Issue task: In this task, you are given two essay topics and are required to write an essay on one of them. You have 45 minutes to do this.

2. Argument Task: Here, a single topic is given, which you have to analyze for logical reasoning and reasoning flaws. You have 30 minutes to do so.

Verbal Reasoning

After analytical writing portion, the verbal and quantitative sections can be tested in any order. The total time allotted for the whole test is three hours. The verbal portion tests your vocabulary and includes sentence completion, reading comprehension, analogies and antonyms. You have 30 questions in the verbal section and 30 minutes to solve them.

Quantitative Reasoning

The quantitative portion includes word problems, quantitative comparison and data interpretation questions. You have a total of 45 minutes to solve 28 such questions.

It is advisable to take the GRE Exam, at the beginning of the final year of your undergraduate program. Ideally it takes three months to prepare for the GRE, so you can easily site down and prepare during the year-end holidays and take the exam immediately before the burden of the final sets in. Some important books for GRE Preparation are available from Kaplan, Barrons and The Princeton Review. Its good idea to read through all the tips and trick mentioned in these books, for each section of the GRE Exam. A score over 1350 is vital for securing admission in some of the top universities in the US.

As said before, you should shortlist universities that you would like to apply before talking the GRE. This is because the ETS has a system of sending GRE scores to the universities of your choice. Note down the universities code from their websites and write/type them in the exam to save yourself the burden of sending scores manually. Some universities require the GRE scores to be sent only through ETS.

GRE Exam Changes

Another important bit of information to retain in that the format of the GRE General Test shall change from August 2011. The major changes are:

1. New user interface, which allows a candidate to change / edit answers and even skip questions within a section (Note: Currently, this is not allowed).

2. An on-screen calculator is allowed.

3. New types of questions.

The ETS is offering a 50 per cent discount on GRE General Test registration (for the new format) scheduled between August 1, 2011 and September 30, 2011. Considering that the test fee is 190 US dollars, a 50 per cent discount makes a significant difference.

How to Apply for Post-Graduate Programs

2011-12-02T22:00:00.001-08:00

Many students wish for a foreign post-graduation degree but are confused as to when they should begin the application process. Finding online resources for post-graduate programs in foreign universities is not difficult, if you what to look for a where. Here some tips to help you determine when to begin the application process and how to secure admission (with scholarship) in the university of your choice.

A ‘Foreign Degree’ is something that garners much attention and stirs excitement among Pakistani students. The very though of a foreign education brings and air of excitement, anxiety (in some cases) and, of course, dreams of ‘making it big’. You can get admission in foreign post-graduate programs available in USA, Ontario, Singapore, Israel, Toronto, Canada and different abroad countries.

Foreign education not only broadens your intellectual and professional horizons, it also gives you the experience of living independently and managing time and resources for studies and work all in one package. You can also establish international contacts, which can be helpful in the future. In a nutshell, studying abroad is an overall exciting deal to go for.

Many students prefer to pursue undergraduate programs at local universities; preferring to save funds for their post-graduate studies abroad. This makes sense, as post-graduate studies are expensive, and compared to undergraduate education they are more crucial to one’s career. Now days, lot of students interested to post graduate programme in management.

A lot of foreign / Pakistani / Indian students prefer universities in North America or the UK, although some students do opt for admissions in European universities. The US / UK option is far more popular among foreign / Pakistani students. It is important to understand that one needs to begin their post-graduate application process well before the completion of their undergraduate degree. If you are starting your final year (fourth year in most cases) of undergraduate studies, now is the time to start researching in order to secure an admission in a high-ranked foreign university.

Prerequisites

University application prerequisites for internal students depend on the study program of choice, as well as region and university. However, there are certain application requirements, which remain the same for most foreign applicants. It is important to acquaint yourself with university admission procedures and requirements, before rushing headlong into your pursuit of a foreign degree. Prior to the application process, you will also be required to take certain test (i.e. GRE, IELTS, TOEFL, GMAT etc.) and send in your scores to your selected universities. Therefore, it is better for you to shortlist universities that you want to apply to as early as possible.

How to Learn the Past Simple Tense

2011-11-26T10:55:00.001-08:00

Many English Learner faces difficulty with the past simple tense. The number of uneven verbs can be demoralizing and the three different sounds of uneven verbs cause problems. But through good practice and tips you can easily understand this tense.

The problem with the past simple tense is due to pronunciation while the regular verbs rule is quite simple and easy. It is not easy to memorize and apply the three different sounds that follow the verb rules. –t, -d, and –id are the different sounds where first two need practice while the last one quite easy to remember. Instead of remembering and applying different rules, the most excellent way to practice each sound from common examples and repeat them over again. Through practice you will become more familiarized to the preceding sounds and will automatically begin to know each sound ending to use.

The uneven verbs cause a different type of difficulty as they don't follow the general rules. You can learn these uneven verbs from different language schools and through course books and different grammar books having table of irregular verbs in the appendix. These uneven verb tables are very important. Through practice and repetitive exercise by using these uneven verbs in different form make it ultimately easier to memorize them. The most common verbs are uneven so keep it in mind because this will greatly helps you to understand and remembering them in no time.

In our daily lives we use simple past tense regularly, so don’t stop practice if you want to expose yourself among English speakers and have frequent conversations. The best ways of practice includes: talking about your past life and university life, writing and speaking about your weekend programs. These are the excellent ways if you don’t have enough opportunity to speak English. This is very rare that you don’t have anyone to practice your speaking, but alternatively you can record your voice and assess yourself.

I hope you above mentioned tips would be helpful to improve your past simple tense although the past simple tense has some complicated features but through practice and regular use in writing and speaking makes you free and comfortable.

Toeic Listening Test

2011-11-26T10:38:00.001-08:00

Listening is a difficult skill to practice for many students. Until recently, there has not been much quality listening material available. The Toeic test requires a specific type of practice. Movies and TV will not assist you more than enough because they designed for native peoples so you would be unable to practice your vocabulary as required by Toeic test through them. Here I am giving you few tips to improve your Toeic Listening practice and enhance your chance for getting high score in Toeic Test.

1. ESL podcasts are an interactive show designed for an intermediate to advanced level students. Practice your listening through this and learn the use of new vocabulary being used in different sentences. It contains explanation from different examples from beginning to advance level which would be definitely helpful for Toeic test. Practice through ESL podcasts more and more if you feel that it’s improve your performance. I hope this tip will greatly help to enhance your skill.

2. One of the best ways to increase your vocabulary through reading. Arrange and Practice list of vocabulary that is specific for TOEIC test. Memorize the vocabularies constantly use in Toeic while you hear and try to understand these words. Learn the speed of words while native speakers usually speak to use them.

3. Consistently practice before the actual exam because it takes time to learn set of vocabulary. Many students leave practice and presume themselves prepared for the test. It’s not important how difficult to study because there is no quick way to learn all of them. This is particularly correct with Toeic listening practice. When you hear new words its quite irritating to memorize and understand them. Only daily practice can reduce your stress of learning. Learn 4 or 5 new words daily and practice these words in writing and speaking. Through this practice method gradually adds up. Practice and practice until these words become your part of your own vocabulary.

I hope above mentioned Toeic Listening tips definitely help you to get high score. Good Luck !

Count and Non-Count Nouns Quantifiers

2011-10-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

The words that describe the amount of something are called Quantifiers. These are the amount of words that precedes and modify the nouns. How to choose correct quantifier mostly depends on noun, either Count noun or Non-count Noun. The quality of English writing and speech depend on the choice of quantifier and in case of wrong quantifier quality may be detrimental. Let us take a brief look on both count and Non-count Nouns.

Count Nouns

Count noun has simply the same properties as noun that includes name, place, things and unit of measurements i.e. a book, a litter, a mile, an elephant, a house. Count noun can be singular or plural i.e. boy or boys.

In singular form of Count nouns use either "a" or "an" called indefinite articles. The count noun can be made as plural i.e. miles, liters, books, aeroplanes, elephants, managers. You can not use indefinite articles with plural nouns for example, “a managers”, “a elephants” etc.

You can as many compatible quantifiers with count nouns. The examples of compatible count nouns are as under:

A few, few, these, those, many, none of, a couple of, several, a number of,

A number of houses, many officers, a few books, a couple of litres, and so on.

Now read the non-count or uncountable noun details.

Non-Count Nouns

These are also called uncountable nouns. You cannot make plural of non-count nouns by adding an “s” as it is not in a plural form. However, they frequently take in the idea of including a plural quantity of something. These nouns contain essences, such as rice, iron, water, gold, plastic, glass, iron, ice etc. It is also used in abstract ideas, such as equality, freedom, safety, health, progress. It also contains verbal nouns – insurance, brainstorming, information, dancing, shopping, advice, training, shopping, information and restructuring. There are many other non-count nouns: money, research, traffic, work, employment, cash, software, weather, and so on.

“a” or “a” can never be use before non-count words.

There are different quantifiers are compatible with non-count nouns, some are following:

A bit of, a little, great deal of, no, a good deal of, some, much not, a bit of freedom, much research , some advice, not much money and so on.

There are other quantifiers compatible with count and non-count nouns. Some are following:

All of the, plenty of, most of the, some, a lack of, a lot of, enough, lots of, enough money , lots of work, some houses, lot of miles, some traffic, enough books, all of the information.

Subject And Object Pronouns

2011-08-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

Pronouns are words used instead of a name in the English language. They are divided into pronouns subject and object, in accordance with their investment and their association with the meaning of a sentence. Instead of saying "Bill has taken Bill car to the garage in the District of Bill", you can replace the noun "Bill" with pronouns so that the sentence is easier to say and read. The new sentence would therefore "Bill took his car to a garage in his neighborhood.

The difference between the subject and object of pronouns, that those who are used as objects in a sentence are used instead of the names of the object. Now, this may seem confusing, especially if you have not covered a lesson on object names. Subject pronouns are used at the beginning of a sentence and after all conjugations of the verb "to be". There is a specific list of pronouns used as objects in a sentence: me, him, her, them, you, she and we. These are the only ones that can be used in this way, which should make it a little more simple.

See how some of these words are used in the sentences.

"I visited my aunt today." "I like him really." In this sentence, aunt is the subject of the first sentence. When you replace it this name by a pronoun, you use it, it is still an object in the second sentence.

You can also consider a pronoun subject as indicating that has been the recipient of an action in a sentence. In the following sentence: "I have seen of Pete today and your message with him", the word "him;" is the object because he was the person who receives your action of passing along a message.

When you take a course of English online, this topic is covered in depth and in terms you can understand. Initially you watch and hear a sequence of dialogues using the words where suitable in a sentence. Will with learn on these pronouns, the lesson also introduce you to the other key vocabulary, which is listed at the bottom of the first screen containing dialogues. Therefore, you are exposed to more than the rules for the use of these pronouns correctly.

Then you will proceed to the instruction and when you are comfortable with this, you go to practical exercises. In the first series of practical exercises, you will read a sentence in which there is a name used in the position of the object. The second sentence will be omitted noun and you must type in the correct to use pronoun.

Once you complete the practice, and are satisfied with your answers, you can have the page calibrated to see how you did. You then have the choice to return to dialogue and education or to proceed to the next series of practical exercises. Finally, there is a page of exercises using dialogue instead of simple sentences so that you have to fill the correct pronoun to complete each short conversation.

How to Talk English Easily

2011-08-09T08:43:00.000-07:00

If you want to learn to speak English, it is important that you do so by listening and talking to those for whom English is the language. The best and easy way to become fluent in English Speaking is to immerse you in the language. It means residing in a society where people speak English. For example, if you go shopping all the sales staff and to speak English so you can speak with them, you need to be able to say a few words. Many non-English speakers who want to learn the English language does not change to a location English speaking school, but in many cases, this is not always possible. For these people, there are online courses they can take and stay at home while they learn.

You should be aware that when you start to learn English, you will make mistakes. Making mistakes is an important part of learning in all cases. You learn from your mistakes, especially if you have good support from those around you. English-speaking children make mistakes when they first start talking and the parents and people around them correct when they say words incorrectly or use them correctly. The same is true of adults who are learning the language so when someone does not correct your speech, you need to accept it as constructive criticism and we know they are trying to help.

One way to learn to speak English is to watch English television. If you use subtitles in your own language, then you can understand the thread of the history of cinema. However, some aspects of discourse, such as using sarcasm does not translate well when using closed captioning because the language is translated literally.

While visiting an English speaking Country you need Language dictionaries that translate words and phrases in your native language to English which is very useful to teach you the vocabulary for communicate. You need to practice the speech in order to be able to say words correctly. The essential part of learning English is learning the alphabet and how letters are pronounced. When the first children start school they learn letter sounds and then learn to combine them into words. If you start to read books for children begins, these books have pictures for words and books that tell stories, pictures match the story. Most of these books are available as audio books so you can read along as you listen to your own history being played.

In an English course online audio, you listen to the English reading passages that begin relatively simple and gradually progress to more difficult subjects. The themes are what you need for conversational English and those who read passages from the stories and passages of information. These passages also have comprehension exercises, you can complete to ensure that you understand the meaning of what you have heard and read on your own. With these passages, you can listen to the passage being read and practice reading it on your own.

Importance of English Composition

2011-07-30T22:22:00.000-07:00

English Composition is a essential subject for all college majors because it develops analytical thinking by students tempting to think beyond the obvious and use critically to explore other possibilities. The views expressed are articulated and expressed in the format of composition. One of the methods used to develop these skills is reflected by the reading of short stories.

English composition is not different from when you were in elementary school and learned to read stories and break them down into sections to understand the story as a whole. The same basic elements of the story plot, theme, characters, setting, and the views are used to help students develop their critical thinking and writing skills.

The plot is the basis of history. One aspect of the plot is argument. The argument is used to continue stress for the reader remains involved. English composition students learn to recognize different forms of argument and write how the argument is used - between a character and nature, character and society, between the characters, or a character.

The people who involved in the story are the characters and are supposed the most important as the story revolves around the character. Personality characterizes the character, and a composition student of good English would be able to classify four ways in which a character is developed: the appearance, action, dialogue and monologue, and write compositions of descriptive how each feature was shown. Infer the trait of a character is an important part of reading.

In most stories, setting is an integral part of the effectiveness of the story. Therefore, students in English composition must be able to recognize the types of parameters are used and what connection they have plots and characters. The four dimensions of context are location, weather, time, and time of day. Identification of specific parameters and understanding of their roles in history requires a thorough analysis and survey, as many writers intended to make the establishment of a viable character.

All stories are written from an exact point of view. The point of view has important impact on learning the characters and event of history and English Composition helps students to recognize it. The four points of view are first person, omniscient, limited omniscient and objective point of view. The first person is told through the eyes of a character. Is an omniscient narrator as GOD? Limited omniscient is said in the third person. Objective point of view focuses on what is instantly noticeable and easy to hear.

The last element of a story is the theme. This ingredient requires thinking more critically than any other story element, because the theme is the deep sense of history, and explores the general truths about human nature. Themes can be explicit, clear and open in history, or implicit, which means implied or inferred. Some stories may have multidimensional issues. Analytical skills necessary to explore and make conclusions theme, and good writing skills are required to articulate in writing.

English Composition is an excellent way to develop critical thinking, strengthening articulation and expressive communication, and improving writing skills. In reading the various forms of literature and understanding of the history of the role playing elements, students learn to effectively analyze and compelling works written to express their views in the format of composition. Students enrolled in online will also have to participate in this course, they should be sure to make the best of the class interact with the teacher and classmates.

How to Learn English Using Grammar Books

2011-06-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

Grammar is one of the most essential things you need to know when you learn to write in proper English. It discusses the forms and structures of words and phrases. You must know the proper use of these words. The best way to learn English grammar is not using the dictionary, but using English grammar books.

It is best to learn English grammar at school where a teacher will really help you on a daily basis but if you do not have time and money, simply to use English grammar books. Besides the fact that they are inexpensive compared to going to school, they are very reliable over the Internet.

The first thing you need to do is choose the best book for you. Find one that's easy to read and understand. You can ask for help from the assistant bookstore. Do not buy a single book, but you can buy a number of books like books all have the same points. It is better to compare with each other.

Second, make sure to read and of course, understand the rules of writing proper English. Test yourself by writing several paragraphs and audit the books you bought for errors and correct them if necessary.

Finally, try to write an entire article or essay and read everything. Make sure you are not a means to verify your work. Do the necessary corrections and write some comments. Read different articles and works of popular writers and understand them thoroughly. Learn what they do and for sure you'll make a good writer.

English grammar books can really enhance not only your writing skills in English, but your speaking skills as well. If you are good at writing, it does not necessarily mean that you are as good at talking, but you can be good in both if you are determined to be. By reading these books, you expand your knowledge and you can make good writing and, possibly, be a famous writer and a good speaker as well.

When you talk in your native language, the phrases seem to come correct you.

Teaching English as a Foreing Language (TEFL)

2011-05-07T20:45:00.000-07:00

Prepare lesson plans to teach English as a second language needs of your students. There are several effective ways to do so, including a standard TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) structure, and focus on tests taken in the goals and practical approaches.

Structure of TEFL

You can use the method to create TEFL lesson plans for all occasions, including work books, test preparation and more abstract creative leisure. TEFL preparation lesson plan includes a multitude of factors, which may be useful if they are registered to while you create a lesson plan. They include: Purpose, which is a statement explaining why you have chosen a specific plan, Purpose, explains that the goal you want to achieve; elements of language such as "grammar" of lexical items such as new words vocabulary, phonology, which describes how you will focus on pronunciation; materials, such as flash cards or a game, and the procedure that will map out how you incorporate the above elements and objectives in your plan .

In general, you should focus for your students to learn one or two specific objectives in each lesson plan. For example, you could learn the second conditional tense, and latest vocabulary words, a sample sentence writing on the card, such as, "If I were a pop star, I ___________." This sentence teaches students how to use the second condition, and the meaning of "pop star".

Test Preparation

Most important objective of students in an English course is often the preparation for exams, or for a visa or other educational activities. In this case, it is essential to be familiar with the actual tests which are preparing your students, and what section or sections of this test, you focus on your lesson plan. English tests are usually reading, writing, listening and speaking sections. The most common standardized international English tests are IELTS (International English Language Testing System), Cambridge, TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication). When preparing a lesson plan for these tests, it is best to find a sample test you can do online, and look over to get a good idea of exactly what your students are going to the meeting. Richard Gresswell recommends that IELTS "Test Preparation" lesson plan to start the conversation among the students to discover what they know or do not know about a specific test. The lesson should then proceed to more details about the test, such as the duration of each unit and the time allotted to complete. Subsequently, the lesson should focus on a particular aspect of the event, such as reading or listening, and finish with an activity in class time using this aspect of the test.

Creative

Often, especially in the more advanced English courses, you'll have a group of students who do not follow exercises book, wants more familiar phrases having to do with the country where you are, or simply need a break from the rigid structures inside the classroom. Some ideas of how to integrate the originality in your classroom include: printing the transcript of a television program, read it over with your students and watch it in class, acting on a book or play, play a game, or just go to the park.

Writing Exercises for Advanced ESL Students

2011-05-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

Advanced ESL students may be exposed to a wide variety of real-world reading materials in English. This gives them access to more topics to write about. In addition, students are prepared to present practice and to justify their opinions about what they read. They are also able to describe the evidence and facts to support their ideas in writing. These skills are important in a wide range of activities, including essay writing and academic writing letters of complaint or opinion to companies or politicians.

IELTS Writing

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is an English test that is standard around the world to perfectly determine the capabilities of test takers' English language. You can download a range of exercises and writing materials planned to help students practice the test. However, the skills tested include organizing logic testing, evaluation and description of graphs, and give and justify opinions. Two writing tasks are tested in academic writing and general sections of IELTS. Choose a theme most relevant to the needs of your students to help them learn to organize their thoughts and communicate effectively in English.

Breaking News English

Download one of thousands of new topics and related activities on the ESL site Breaking News Section. The topics are arranged by month. Read the topic title to find the one you think your students would enjoy. These resources are freely available. At the end of each packet of activity, with a section of writing exercises offer students many ways to practice their writing. They can write a magazine article, write a letter to a politician or a number of other creative writing exercises related to the topic of news.

Persuasive Essays

After reading about how to write a persuasive essay on the ESL website Bee, ask your students to write their own five-paragraph persuasive essay on a topic of their choice. Ask students to put their first-class projects, work in pairs to correct each other documents, focusing first on the organization and flow, then the sentence structure and word choice. Students then revise their essays and rewrite their papers.

Stories Magazine Group

Put your students into small groups. Give each group a folder with a collection of magazine pictures inside. Students then take a few pictures they like and want to write a story. Each student contributes to the story with his own ideas. Students write the story, revise it and present it to the class when they are done.

Teaching English to Children

2011-04-17T06:03:00.000-07:00

Teaching English to children are not as simple as it sounds, but it is not impossible. The great challenge for all teachers is to ensure, as educators, they are able to keep them captivated. Once you do that, you have 70% of the battle won. Thank you to the Internet, most subjects in English can be found online for teachers and students. New media has added value to teaching from images to audio to video. English courses for children are available online, with lesson plans available for teachers to follow. You can find songs in English for children to sing and singing in the class who make the classes lively and exciting for students. There are even many types of online English dictionaries ranging from American to British English.

The four simple ways to teach English to children are listed below:

1. First of all increase the interest to your children and best way is to keep closer to your children; the more they will be interested to learn from you. Always Speak English and English only. Do not take Pronunciation lightly as it is a very important factor, when you introduce a new vocabulary for students. First, write on the white board. Pronounce each word clearly. Then have them repeat the words aloud and say, look it up in a dictionary to know what that means. At first they might be reluctant. Once you encourage them to do, it will become part of their routine. As educators, the most important thing is to ensure that children can identify, read and above all speak the word clearly and learn the meanings of new words. When they come back for the next class. Enhance the game playing, word on who can spell and remember the meaning of the word. For every word spelled right to give them a star. This would make their day.

2. Identify how each child learns to be sensitive to their style. This is certainly not easy to teach and control of a class of 20 to 30 students. There are different types of learners, whether a child learns quickly, notably through "audio". This means that the particular child is an audio learner. Try to teach them through music by having them perform a song in a sing-along. If you can afford why not use video clips or even animation. You can even get interesting songs in English for children from CDs, stores music or a book. For example, if your kids like Barney, then get your children to participate in a Barney sing.

3. You can also let your child mix with children who are their peers who are native speakers of English. How? Well, during the hours of play, you can let your children experience this group of children who will always be in the park. Ask your child bring a toy on which he can share with children as well. Please continue to check that your child is comfortable being around these children.

4. For children who are most at hand, you are advised to seek activities that involve movement therewith. Make them dance shake their bodies to an Englishman. Barney sing the same songs are very good examples. This is because, generally, by observing the movements Barney fact, most children are attracted to follow and sing too. You can also have your children write what they see or perhaps an interesting story short. Make it resemble a game so they feel more interested in playing with you. Praise your child when they do well and encourage them.

English Language Games for Kids

2011-04-17T05:42:00.000-07:00

I think one of the failures in English speaking countries when it comes to second language teaching is that we are not amused. I remember starting French at age 7 and repeat sentences over and over again. I remember the boredom of my mind and while squirming in his chair.

So how do we learn English the fun of a second language for most of the language games kids.English.

Remember when you were young, what do you like most? Reading a book aloud to your embarrassment terrible accent and stumbling through the words, or jump, sing, dance and play! I do not think I'd be alone in saying that I prefer the latter! So how do you teach children ESL? Do you want to repeat sentences in English after you, or use a method that receives 100% of their attention and gets them to remember an incredible 80% of their learning? This is not really much choice, it is!

But what kind of games are the best English language to teach ESL beginners? It's the great thing about the English game, there are so many choices. One of my favorites is called the Rainbow Road, or the way Magic. You can also call Do not swim with the fishes!

I love him so much that he crafts a time before the match begins. I think it helps kids motivated and energy levels on how the class now!

1. The first stage of this game is to get sheets of different colors and get the kids to cut out shapes. By age class, you can help with this or give them stencils to use.

2. The next step is to place the colored shapes in a path, making sure to create different color patters. This path is your deck and the stress I used to create water the size using paper or fabric and even put fish or crab inside.

3. Each child has a turn in crossing the bridge, you call the colors and the kids at the stage of forming the right color. If they err, they fall into the water. I'm overreacting to this situation and record sounds of splashing onto a CD. I like the fact that you are teaching kids that it's OK to laugh at their mistakes - they do not need to be embarrassed because this is all part of the game if you want you can give a small rewards to children who are at the end of the road, you can.

This game is perfect because it bond with children on special levels of learning. They learn to move, which is always a must. Many Kids like the models which connect with kids and you can even add songs to the children who respond well to music. For me, it consists of the two most essential English language games, laughter and accessories! So try these games in English with your children. I guarantee you they will appreciate it! Also, keep an eye on other online games. There are so many games to choose who can make the experience of your child's learning interesting and fun.

English Conversation Class Ideas

2011-03-23T03:10:00.000-07:00

Speaking is one of the most difficult skills in English teaching. Because students can get so easily embarrassed or nervous, conversation exercises need to be mindful of just over numerous other activities. The most important thing to remember when running a course of conversation, is to always make the student feel as comfortable as possible. Give plenty of positive encouragement and not get caught up in correcting minor errors.

Role Play

Perhaps the year's most frequently taught speaking is the role play. This technique is useful in a class because it allows students to practice skills and words that should not normally be used in the classroom or in everyday situations. The idea behind the role play is simply to act. Two other students over to meet and pretend they are in a specific situation, as two tourists try to rent a hotel room, or someone who tries to make a good impression in a job interview .

Class Discussion

Class discussion is also useful when the conversation class teaching, but the trick is to choose a subject engaging. Selecting something that is in the interest of your students is key. Possible topics include: some countries, foods, cultures, laws, health, grammar and many others. Once you've chosen a topic, prepare specific questions about it to initiate and maintain discussion. For example, if your choice of bread. What is the bread? How can you do? Is white or brown better and why? How important is yeast? These types of questions help students reflect on the topic in detail and respond using the specialized vocabulary.

Bridging Gaps

The idea behind this exercise is that students have different information to match a number of categories. For example, categories could be: the films name, occupation, date of birth, hobbies and favorites. Each category contains information on at least five different people, but each student can have one third or one fourth of this information. The student must then ask my colleagues: "Who has a birthday on that date?" Or "What is John's favorite movie?" This encourages conversation in a small low pressure environment where students do not talk to the class.

Questionnaires

Questionnaires are just like they sound. They usually contain a list of questions centered around a different category such as sports or recreation. Students must then go around the room and ask questions to a number of his peers and then note the answers. It is a good exercise to combine speaking, listening and writing. When finished, each student can choose one interviewee and read his answers to the class.

Essay Writing Exercises

2011-03-23T02:54:00.000-07:00

"Essay" The word comes from "exigere, the Latin word which means to test or hunt. This gives an overview of what teachers expect of high school and college newspapers. Tests are a means of assessment that allows teachers to assess a student's ability to critically examine and present their ideas on a given topic. Essay writing exercises should help students in both writing and critical analysis.

Pre-writing

Pre-writing exercises help students to formulate their concept and start the analysis of their ideas. Pre-writing is to choose a topic, generate ideas, gathering information, narrow your focus and organize your main ideas. Use brainstorming and pre-writing exercises emphasizing that. Give students a topic and ask them to write all the ideas they may imagine. This allows them to test their current knowledge and reflect on their subjects. So, let them make a plan that includes a thesis, at least three main points and supporting evidence.

Describing exercises help your students learn to structure their ideas into a coherent whole. They use a graphic organizer or a traditional pattern structure, each section of their plan should take account of paragraph structure, with a main point and sufficient development. It teaches them to think logically and will save them time when they write and revise their essays.

Thesis

A lot of student’s effort to write a thesis, as it involves analysis, synthesis and relationship. An excellent thesis is generally given in the introduction answers the unspecified question behind the subject of the essay. It gives the main argument, organizes ideas and provides the reader with a general guide for the test. Students need practice to properly convey this information in a succinct sentence or two.

Help your students to practice writing theses by providing a list of topics. Ask them to find ideas in silence on the subject, then write two or three arguments for each topic. Ask them to review their list of arguments, noting in the margin beside each argument if it contains their main argument, and briefly mentions their support points in the order they are to follow when writing the test. Collect these exercises and provide written comments, helping to identify theses have been more effective and why.

Introductions and Conclusions

The most essential parts of the test are the introduction and conclusion, as they connect readers to the subject. The introduction is the very important to make an impression to the readers to decide whether or not they continue to read. The conclusion that the last expression, determines the impression they leave with and whether or not it will control their thoughts and events. Because these items are so important, your students need to practice regularly and learn to integrate basic information with techniques that engage readers.

Take a topic that your students have already considered and outlined. Ask them to write several listings on the same subject using different LADES, or "hook" to attract the attention of their readers. They can experiment with statistics, questions, quotes, anecdotes and descriptions. Ask them to choose the introduction they think is most effective. Have them practice writing different conclusions for the same subject and choose which is most effective. Read some of their introductions and conclusions aloud and discuss what makes them effective and how they might be improved.

Revision

Students must learn to revise and edit their essays. It helps them improve their ideas, be sure to test them effectively treats the subject and eliminate grammatical errors or stylistic. Identify errors and weaknesses of his own test is more difficult than identifying someone else's test. Many textbooks and resource sites online to provide samples for testing students revise. Either give one of these sample tests to your students for them to revise, or cause to revise documents and test a classmate. After they reviewed the work and someone else's editing, publishing have their own practice.

Basics of Phonetics

2011-02-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

Phonetic Definition

Phonetics is the study of speech sounds, and involves the creation and production of sound by the human voice. There are several elements that combine to produce speech sounds. These include articulators, or mouth movements. organs of speech, such as the respiratory system, assist in the production of speech and auditory phonetics. The human voice can create speech sounds of many, that vary by language. The English language has 13 vowels and 24 consonants, which vary depending on the dialect.The Phonetic dictionary can also be download over the internet.

Articulatory System

Articulatory system consist of mouth,nose, teeth,tongue,roof of the mouth and lips. These compositions work collectively to generate the phonetic. Air streaming through the nose and the tongue touching behind the front teeth, creates the sound of the alphabet "n" closed lips producing sounds like "p" by pushing air. Specific movements and placements of these components to create different sounds.

Respiratory System

Organs of speech also work in cooperation with the articulators to produce sounds. An example is the respiratory system or lungs, chest muscles and the trachea that works with the larynx. The larynx above the trachea has two vocal cords or ropes, which operate like lips. The air in the lungs, coordination with the muscles of the chest opens and closes the vocal cords vibrate, producing phonetic sounds. The respiratory system is complex, containing many structures that work in coordination to produce the phonetic.

Auditory System

The auditory system includes the perception or understanding of the phonetic sounds. As a baby begins to recognize sounds, she began to babble. Babies babble first vowel sounds like "a" or "e" As a mother repeats the child's sounds, phonetics grow and develop. In general, the production of intelligible speech begins between 18 and 48 months. As children develop speech sounds, they will string sounds into words and eventually spelling sentences.

Caution

If your child unable to produce phonetic sounds, or sounds that are meaningless or unaccented, this may show a speech impairment or delay.It is better to contact a health professional for testing.

Increase Your Vocabulary

2011-02-07T06:56:00.000-08:00

A superb vocabulary is not something that can be easily reached. You must be patient, determined and always ready to learn and grow.Vocabulary is tested not only on the SAT, but in everyday life. People size each other professionals based on context and the words used in conversation. Vocabulary is certainly a direct correlation to the overall intelligence. Appropriate vocabulary allows you to express yourself in the most clear and concise.

Read as many books as possible in as many areas as diverse available that will increase your vocabulary. People now a days play most of their information from the Internet. This is a problem because the Internet writers learn to be short and sweet, with their equipment. Most articles on the Internet are extended abstracts of all piece.Books allow you to reflect on what the author really meant. The use of words deep and diverse allows you to paint a picture of what's happening in the chapter and what the characters are actually feeling and thinking.The more books you read, the better your vocabulary will become general . Anyway, reading is fun, so why do not you better while enjoying the new bestselling novel?

This is the best way to play words game in the newspaper, online or in books of puzzles. These games keep your speech clear and precise. Try a few puns on a beginner level. Do not let the difficulty of the puzzle you get off, because the game is very difficult at first.Anything that forces you to think about and articulate more descriptive word available for use is extremely helpful in building your vocabulary.

Read the New York Times every days. When I was in high school, my history teacher brought in an article in the class who cited research that was conducted that showed a direct correlation between students who read the paper, and high verbal scores Sat . The New York Times journalists who employs the most talented and creative in the world. They share information with journalists to the public in a way that puts the reader right in light of what actually happened, and the issues that are involved in what happened.

Write Stories With SAT Vocabulary

2011-02-07T06:31:00.000-08:00

When you are learning a new vocabulary SAT, you can try to memorize lists of words or you can have fun with new words by writing stories. The advantage for learning new vocabulary in this way is that pleasurable you manipulate words in the context of dynamic environment. When we try to memorize definitions, in particular the definitions of vocabulary unfamiliar Sat, words are devoid of all human experience and we are forced to imagine how these words fit in real life. Develop a story you will SAT vocabulary in motion to make a lasting impression on your memory.

Write a story as soon as you learn new vocabulary. Writing even a simple story that puts your new words in context is a great way to remember the definitions. Your story should not be based on real life situations.Clarify each definition in your own mind before writing. The last thing you want to do is learn to use your vocabulary Sat evil. The first order of business is to look up the definitions in the dictionary that you can use the words correctly in your story.

Imagine the premise of your story while watching your vocabulary words and connect the dots. If your words are all to do with education, your story can follow the adventures of a classroom teacher distracted. A list of vocabulary words full of emotion can lead you naturally to a cop show or a visit to the psychologist. Place a list of your vocabulary words next to you while writing. Without a list, you can forget to include certain vocabulary words and that would defeat your purpose of learning all the words.

Add vocabulary naturally.The list of Sat Vocabulary 2011 is available over the internet. Do not set the order to use each vocabulary word before you write the story. Every glance at your list from time to time to remember the words. You can check and test each word in your list that you use in history.

Use the same vocabulary repeatedly. Analyzing latest vocabularies is very essential if you truly want to memorize the words you have learned.Play quiz and practice your vocabulary. The stories that you can easily create and repeat every Sat naturally your vocabulary at least twice. If you feel you need more practice on the same words, you can write a different story using the same vocabulary. This reinforcement strengthens your ability to remember the words because you have more experience using them in context.

English Essay Writing Tips

2011-01-07T10:13:00.000-08:00

If you were writing for a while you know that English may be one of the most difficult languages to write When you consider that you have words that sound the same but have completely different meanings without count the fact that you have several different styles of English to fight, from American, British, Canadian and everything else, you know it can be quite a challenge to communicate effectively. essay in English is no exception.

However, there are a few tips you should consider when you start writing your next essay or creative writing piece. The first council to consider is that although there are different styles of writing in English from what I saw, the dominant style is American spelling. Of course, you must remember that this will vary depending on your situation. After all, if you are in Canada, you must make sure that you use the Canadian spelling of words such as "center" and not the Americanized version of "center". This is something that can go up to even the best writers in particular when one considers that word processors come with the American model of spelling by default. So a tip of the key is to always consider your locale that you write.

Another thing to consider is the language itself is complex, there is no shame in using a reference grammar and punctuation, either online or, better yet your local bookstore. Of course, you want to make sure it is and the date of reference you can refer to regularly. It's something I can not live without because of the amount of writing I do on a daily basis. And it is almost impossible to remember all the rules of grammar or punctuation that you need to create a piece of effective writing. Good English writing, writing about, you need good reference material as well.

A final point to remember regarding the essay in English is that eventually all spell check automated assistance can listen to your time of replay, you'll still need to ensure the manually read and reread your paper before Although you have returned to spell check is quite advanced, there is not replace the human brain when it comes to this task, the best idea is to use both.

English Writing Skills

2011-01-07T10:03:00.000-08:00

To develop good writing skills in English, you should know that a personal essay, which is remarkable, whatever its length, could be the deciding factor for a prospective writer. However, only the written words are not enough to show the level of competence. The personal essays today must turn around the feeling of a personal observation and style to decipher each sentence, and the writer's responsibility to ensure that these elements are not over looked.

The writer must always concerned about the reduction before beginning his essay to have good writing skills in English should not continue to write his own story. Precautions must be taken so that the subject is kept smaller. The point of the article should be put into writing it in a sentence and the sentence must be supported by a single paragraph. We must try not to be very high with its concept and must find the points and stick to it.

Always be careful to refine the opening of his article the first few paragraphs are very important because they are the first chance to attract the attention of readers, to write an introduction negligent on the topic of discussion is not desirable of English writing practice, it must be very lively in its writing and be clear as well as providing original questions and poignant stories to get readers hooked. The introduction of the article should be made so fascinating and mysterious it evokes curiosity. It should make the reader want to read more. Since the first paragraph is the most important, much time and thought must be devoted to articulate.

The writer must know how to reveal his personality through his writings.Do not be too formal and complex grammar which removes the personal touch of the article. It is advised to forget the big words and sometimes loft.

Writing skills in English are not only show your vocabulary although it might seem that the instant ticket to success. Personality and readability is ruined if you use the thesaurus for each word or a phrase in the article. Using words that you use in conversation, is wise in an article. Big words can be used but they are meaningless in the context could be avoided.

To have good writing skills in English, you should know that it is unnecessary to conclude your article with a paragraph summary. A beautiful impression in the end must be created in the concluding paragraph. Is there a wider problem within which your topic for? What were the experiences written by you, taught you? Is it possible to integrate a poignant quote that relate to your topic? It is not necessary to conclude in the style of television, but you must end with a note that appears as a very strong. If the first paragraph of your article is the first opportunity to draw attention to the last paragraph, of course, is the last chance.

Proven English Learning Tips Part 3

2011-01-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

Do not be self-conscious

There are some methods to the former, which may seem odd, but may work:

Improve your pronunciation: Use a mirror to practice makes it difficult English sounds; record speaks English and even listen to the rest, paying attention to phonemes accent, intonation and the problem.

Think in English: Have an imaginary conversation in English. Think about what you say.

Talk to your friends in English: encourage you to practice speaking with each other. This should not be limited to the classroom. Try talking to your classmates or friends in English. Do not worry about picking up bad habits of pronunciation for language more regularly will give you a much higher level of confidence and you will certainly improve faster.

For Parents

Kid's whose parents are actively involved in their child's education is probably much more likely to become successful language learners. Let them know you care by communicating regularly with them on what they learn:

• Check homework and help them as much as you can.

• If they join an English course, make sure they are actually using these bands you've paid at the beginning of the course. Too many children not remove the cellophane on their tapes. Your child can learn much from the physical examination of each unit on the tapes.

• If you can speak a little English, do not be afraid to use it with your child. Do not be afraid that your child will learn bad pronunciation - is one reason why you want your child to learn English! But the more exposure they have the language, the better they will be in English.

• Encourage your child to read as much as possible in English. It is important to select appropriate materials for your child. However, there is a wide variety of materials available in local bookstores, which will be suitable for your child.

• Let them watch cartoons and movies in English. Children love cartoons and see them in English will increase their desire to learn.

One of the best ways to help educate your child to take part yourself. Why not sign up for an English course yourself. Come to an English school with your child and learn English together.

Proven English Learning Tips Part 2

2010-12-28T10:44:00.000-08:00

Reading

Reading is a great way to learn a new vocabulary. Try to read short stories rather than long novels. These are often broken into short chapters that can be read and analyzed for language. Do not think you have to understand every word. Try to get the general sense. Underline unfamiliar words and try to guess their meaning from context. You can use your dictionary to check later and see if you were right. Use ranked players. These issues tend to be designed to test understanding of what you just read.

Use the Internet

The Internet is a fantastic invention that changed the way we live our lives. While it is fantastic to be able to read the People's Daily or chat with friends online, it's a waste if we do not use the environment to learn English. Many English schools offer a full range of mixing applications online training - but, besides that, there is much you can do yourself.

Go to English Corners

Public places such as libraries often tend to have free English corners. Do not be shy. Go beside and take part. Ask questions. Communicate with people like you who are interested in learning English.

Read English Newspapers

There are many newspapers that provide a rich source of reading material interesting and varied. It is a great way to improve your reading.

Chat

You can use Yahoo, MSN, Skype and other chatting Applications to chat in English. Try to find some of your English-speaking friends. If you have Skype, encourage your friends to it too and call them for free use of your computer.

Listen to Radio

Practically all radio station in the world is at stake with the Internet. Do not just settle for the VOA or BBC World Service. There are many other interesting alternatives. Try to listen to radio from around the English speaking world.

Learn English By Skype

2010-12-18T22:54:00.000-08:00

Skype has developed a short time between the start-up of the famous network technology program billions of registered users. VO-IP services are also known as Voice over Internet Protocol offers Skype is a great service for technology development. This service will not only replace traditional phone lines, but also helped entrepreneurs to use business to make money. Voice over Internet Protocol or IP-VO is mostly a talk format on the Internet and mobile phones used in connection with wireless connections.

Skype is free and you can download it manually via the internet since Skype can be installed on all operating systems including XP, Vista, Linux, Mac, etc. Many companies and individuals are finding ways to make money from this freely available services, international calls for mobile phones to pay a few dollars, but it makes sense to compare prices for mobile calls. Skype to Skype calls are 100% free and can be used in a number of options to generate money online.

Well-known politicians, and also use Skype to make money online with Skype provides an educational tool to learn or improve their knowledge. Millions of Skype users are beginning to teach various subjects of business consultancy to study languages. Let's talk about learning English with Skype many English teacher available for a reasonable price. They learn English online and allows students to fluently and English skills in a short time, you will be very fluent in English, and even a native English speaker.

English teaching jobs usually happens to English speaking is very easy to explain in detail the errors in grammar and vocabulary of students. It is not just learning English online, but you can also learn other languages like French, German, Swedish, etc. So far the most popular language to learn English online, there are people all over the world are looking for English speakers who can serve them and let them speak fluent English. Online language programs are not for any company or person they come unique challenges and opportunities.

Anyone will be able to teach English, can not start a program for learning English online, it should be on the computer and the Internet. Training program on the Internet, it should have a broadband Internet connection, your computer will be able to manipulate the instruction.

English Schools in England

2010-12-18T22:25:00.000-08:00

England is proud of its education system, particularly because of its world-famous Oxford and Cambridge. We must also recognize this, and with great care as we build the centers for the whole of England. Currently we have a series of English language schools in England.

Schools bath saunas language school in Wels. This school is situated in the city and is very close to the main market. The building is a building from the 18 spacious and very modern facilities like internet and free access to the library is offered to all students in this school in English in England.

English Schools in Bristol this fascinating city, we are in the middle of Bristol Language Centre. Then there is the language of the project is located in Clifton, and reminds us of the history of Britain.

Schools, Cambridge: CE Eurocentres school. Two schools have good English in England. There is another school is located is called Embassy CES.

Schools, Brighton city is not the enthusiasm of young people to learn English. Language school BSC is a recognized expert. Other good schools in England is an English language schools and the Community of Saint-Gilles.

Schools in Liverpool: We have a first class school in Liverpool called Liverpool School English LSE. The building is designed to allow any kind of disturbance is visible everywhere, even though it is full of cracks. He is one of the best English schools in England.

Hastings Schools: Here we have created Embassy CES. It is located near the market so that students do not meet any problems. Modes of entertainment are a stone's throw away from the English schools in England.

Schools in London Bloomsbury: St Giles International School is proud of what we bury the flowers to London. It is actually located in a century-old building was completely modernized to meet modern needs. Architecture of this place and fill you with surprise and joy not let you leave without a complete look at it.

In addition to the above locations, we have schools and training centers in central London, Manchester, Newcastle, London Highgate, London, Covent Garden, London Greenwich, London, Wimbledon, Oxford, Torbay, Margate, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, etc. All these English schools England is proud of technology in language teaching and located sites to give you peace of mind. You can focus on their own course and do not know the border from the rest of the world.

How to Learn English Online

2010-12-12T12:37:00.000-08:00

Learning English can be a tricky and intimidating task. Luckily, hi-tech advancements have currently made learning the English language much more simple, fun, and suitable. One hi-tech sophisticated method that has enhanced the method people learns English is the Internet. This up to date form of communication has opened the world to an entire new way of learning the English language. The huge stuffs on the web makes learning English a fewer daunting undertaking.

When an individual embarks on the development of learning English, they need various learning materials such as text books, videos, and audio tapes. Usually, it was tricky to find all of the suitable educational materials. It took a bunch of time to find out the most suitable learning tools. Nowadays, with a simple click of the mouse, individual has a world completed with materials that they have right to use. For example, sites such as Youtube have numerous learn english free videos lessons on learning to speak English.

They are so many English language learning sites where you can discover every material required to learn the language. These particular English languages learning sites are developed for those individual who wants to learn the language online easily at own home. These sites offer learning material in such areas as grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary, fun learning games, English books, articles, quizzes, magazines to read online, English chat forums that give a place where an individual can talk other learners and practice everyday English, lessons for beginners, as well as a place to share English tales and poetry. In spite of buying plenty of newspaper, books, and magazines and then sort through in sequence that does not interest you, you can discover anything that interests you. The Internet has presently about every medium that uses English. These are English newspapers, journals, magazines, e-books, video, music, radio and online news networks. You can locate just about any topic online. It is a great deal, additional fun to learn English with a topic that is interesting.

There are so many online English learning sites that offer teachers who provide lesson procedure that include tests, live conversation with students, or email correspondence with them. Lessons can be getting any time and any where. All that one need is access to a computer and the Internet. People with busy life, students have the capability to learn at their own tempo. These programs are planned to meet the students' requirements and have top local English speaking teachers.

The Internet also has sites where learners can develop skills of learning such as internet voice communication tools,like learn english online skype to practice their language speaking ability. People can speak with others sequentially to practice and even make some good friends. It is always helpful to have good support system that will assist motivate you to keep learning. There are also chat boards, chat rooms, and email, where people can practice how to speak and write .English suitable Sites like Facebook and Twitter are a big way to meet and interact with English speakers.

Learning the English language will get better job opportunities and unlock up the doors to career development. Because the Internet has become a huge part of most people's lives, the affluence of information posted from worldwide makes it a precious tool when learning to speak and write the English language.

Best English Learning Tips Part 1

2010-12-12T11:12:00.000-08:00

These are some best english learning tips that educate you to turn into a booming English language learner. A number of it sounds idiosyncratic but it does in actuality work. So it’s importance a shot!

Set Targets

It’s a lot much easier to encourage yourself to work if you have something to seek for. Targets can be short or long term. A short term target in learning English might be to learn sufficient to be capable to book a hotel room. A longer term aim could be to attend a University in an overseas country, or get a 6.5 on the IELTS exam.

Be ready to Work Hard

Learning a language is normally not easy. The majority of people have other stuff to do in their lives to one side from learning English. You need to understand this to be tolerant with regard to your growth. But you won’t accomplish much if you don’t put in the attempt. Your progress depends a lot on you.

Make Time

A lot of of us having busy lives and get it hard to fit new things into an already reputable routine. Learning English can be necessitating discipline. You require setting away time for your learning and being ready to study throughout that time. Putting things off as you’re too tired is OK every now and then, but it shouldn’t turn into a habit. Make English an essential part of your schedule.

Ask Questions

YOU ARE NOT DAB! You can’t anticipate yourself to understand everything and not have any questions to ask. Don’t be frightened to ask questions to your instructors and/or friends.

Do Some Extra-curricular Work

Having an instructor to teach and guide you is very important. However, you can also study by yourself in fact; this will be more likely to make you a booming language learner. Don’t wait until it’s time for class to pull out your English books.

Watch English Movies

This is a good way to choose up informal English and put into practice listening. You don’t require being able to know every word to understand what is incident in a movie. Concentrate on the English Subtitles to assist with understanding - this is a big way to perform reading also. Prefer movies that you are more likely to be capable to follow. Movies with short dialogue, alienated by long sequences of no dialogue are perfect, as they permit time to understand the language. Passionate movies tend to fall into this category.

Listening English Music

Music can be an entertaining way to learn English. The next occasion you’re at a karaoke bar or maybe at home singing in face of your TV, attempt singing an English song. This is a good way to put into practice some sentiment into your English and will truly develop the way other people recognize your meaning when you’re speaking English to them.

TOEIC Test

2010-11-13T23:51:00.000-08:00

The TOEIC is the test of English for International Communication.It is a very common test among professionals and people in the business world.The test measures the ability of a non-native English speaking person related to everyday workplace conversations and situations.The test helps recruitment / HR department to quickly and efficiently find elite candidates who meet language requirements and helps other employees to establish a good foundation for follow-up training. TOEIC scores are used by 10,000 companies,Government Agencies , and English language programs in 120 Countries.

The TOEIC is a useful tool given to managers around the world to test workers on their abilities in the correct use of the English language.It give job seekers and Employees a competitive edge. The test enables universities to better prepare students for the International Workplace.

The TOEIC is a multiple-choice test consists of 200 questions simulate real life situations, organized in two sections: listening and reading.It is the standard place at the workplace and if you plan to work for any important company you will probably have to take this test.The test score report provide accurate,meaning full feedback about test takers strength and weakness along with the description of the English Language Strengths typical of test takers performing at various score level.

The most important thing to do in order to have good results is to practice practice a lot.In this post we would like to share an online sample Listening and Reading test of the TOEIC test. It is a great way to practice and to evaluate yourself.

TOEIC SAMPLE Listening and Reading Test Paper

Oxford Guide To Style

2010-11-13T22:46:00.000-08:00

Oxford Guide to style is a completely rewritten edition of Hart's Rules for Compositors and Readers, which is currently in its revised thirty-ninth edition.The Oxford Guide to Style has been expanded to encompass modern issues in preparing copy for publication. Hart's Rules is a classic text in printing and publishing houses, and this successor to it is also sure to become a classic. The book consists of 16 topic-based chapters giving advice on how to present the written word. It incorporates the most recent changes in citing electronic media, and details on submission of materials for publication electronically. The text is full of examples,explanations, and lists on, for example, abbreviations,capitalization and mathematical symbols, and there is exhaustive information for editors on foreign languages and how to demonstrate them on the page. There is also tips on how to use quotations, references and notes, specialist subjects, and indexing.

As well as giving suggestion on the traditional skills needed in the preparation of copy and proofs, there is further information for editors on issues such as copyright laws and legal references. This really is the ultimate guide for all printers magazine,book, and Internet publishers on the preparation and presentation of the written word.

What Is TOEFL Test

2010-11-12T12:14:00.000-08:00

TOEFL is the test of English as a Foreign Language.It is designed to evaluate the English proficiency of people whose native language is not English.It is the most widely respected English language test, highly recognized by more than 7,500 colleges, universities and agencies in more than 130 countries.You can take the TOEFL test at your choice of more than 4,500 convenient test places around the world.The Entire test is given in one day without loosing your valuable time and money.TOEFL test basically helps to improve your English for use an academic needs in Classroom.

The test is is offered in two formats:

Paper-Based Test (PBT)

The Paper-Based TOEFL (IBT) assesses the language skills in the following areas: Reading Comprehension,Listening Comprehension and Structure and Written Expression.

TOEFL (PBT) scores are valid for two years from the administration date. During this period you can send your test score report to the institutions of your choice.

Paper based version of TOEFL test is offered in those areas where IBT is not yet available.In Nepal both versions are available.

Internet-Based Test (IBT).

The Internet-Based Test (IBT) assesses four basic language skills:

Listening
Reading
Writing
Speaking.

TOEFL IBT scores are valid for two years from the administration date. During this period you can send your test score report to the institutions of your choice.

In reading compression of this test you may read a passage from text book and listen to a lecture and then speak or write in response, just like you would in classroom.During TOEFL Speaking test your response recorded and evaluated by three to six ETS raters.

By sending your TOEFL score to selected university you will be proving that you are ready for academic success.For more information on TOELF visit official site.

Learn To Speak English Deluxe 10

2010-10-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

Learn to Speak English Deluxe 10 is interactive tutorial.If you are trying to learn English than Learn to Speak English 10 software is an all inclusive language program that uses a wealth of instructional techniques to help you learn English. This English tutorial includes lessons in vocabulary, grammar, and conversation (both verbal and written), and provides plenty of practice, drill and review in each of these areas:

The Best Way to Learn English is that you must learn to do four things about English Language:

Learn English Grammar
Learn English Vocabulary
Be able to listen to and comprehend the English Language
To be understood by others when you Speak English

LEARN TO SPEAK ENGLISH DELUXE 10 FEATURES:

40 Lessons
Speech Recognition
Games & Crossword Puzzles
Audio Course
IPOD and MP3 Lessons
Printed Reference Book
Personalized Lesson Plans
Diagnostic Pre test
Practice Workshops
Advanced Online Courses
Online Cultural Resources
PDA Dictionary
Printable exercises
1 convenient DVD-ROM
Bonus MP3 Audio Tour

Learn to Speak English Deluxe 10 includes a workbook of 115 pages for practicing away from the computer.

New Lets Learn English 3

2010-10-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

New Lets Learn English 3 by Don Dallas and Linda Pelham published by Longman, takes a communicative and topic based approach to language learning over six levels.

This English learning book combines a clear three-3 step methodology with clear language focus and motivating activities that get students using English confidently. Students learn through a variety of tasks including pair work, projects, games, acting and songs.

English In 20 Minutes A Day

2010-10-08T06:49:00.000-07:00

English in 20 minutes a day is a great book for english learning and you can learn English without interrupting your everyday schedule. It is conformed with your individual abilities for independent study in dynamic and stressful days of the week.

All you need is the lesson for the day, resource book and audio files to listen to them and learn the material, when and where you want. Just 20 minutes a day.Overall it is a best english learning book.

Writing To Communicate 2:Paragraphs And Essays

2010-09-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

Writing to Communicate 2: Paragraphs and essays is a Intermediate Level Book. With a combined process and product approach to academic writing, this Second Edition (formerly title You're in Charge!) helps students progress from the basics of paragraph writing to full-length essays.

The text's new models and exercises are centered around three main themes-milestones, ecology and relations- to help students generate content and build vocabulary for their writing.

Writing in Paragraphs

2010-09-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

Writing in Paragraph is a book for students who are just starting out on essay writing. Writing in Paragraphs takes students from sentence formation to paragraph writing through a process approach. It develops students’ paragraph writing skills and encourages them to become independent and creative writers. The back of the Student’s Book contains peer review forms and a grammar reference section.When students begin writing assignments in English, they need to be able to: find ideas for their writing and put them into sentences logically organize their sentences into paragraphs review and revise their paragraphs to make them even stronger.

Some of the strengths of this book:

Focus on particular aspects of paragraph writing, such as topics, style, and development.
Writing support to help students with brainstorming, organizing ideas, writing topic sentences, and supporting their ideas.
Language support to help them with vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation.
Guidance on reviewing their own and their classmates’ writing in order to make revisions.
Structured writing assignments at the end of each unit .

Easy English Vocabulary ESL

2010-08-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

Easy English Vocabulary ESL improve your English Vocabulary with hundreds of essential words and Phrases is master all of the words and phrases you need to know to get by in everyday English conversation.
Learn on the go with this audio only course.No reading or writing necessary.

Easy English Vocabulary includes:

Eleven lessons on two CDs
Useful topics like Computers and the Shopping and Money, and Law and Government
Realistic conversations, easy definitions, and lots of examples
Three bonus audio lessons online
Online glossary with all of the words and definitions

Easy English Vocabulary is a basic/intermediate ESL program for speakers of any language.

Focus On Vocabulary Mastering The Academic Word List

2010-08-31T07:47:00.000-07:00

Focus on vocabulary Mastering the academic world list by Diane Schmitt and Norbert Schmitt gives high-intermediate to advanced / gymnasium students the vocabulary skills they need to succeed in academic environments. Through excerpts from college texts and well-crafted exercises, English learners study the Academic Word List -- the most frequently used words in academic texts. Each chapter provides a series of exercises on word meaning and word families. In addition, collocations exercises develop students' ability to form natural partnerships between the target vocabulary and other words.
Level: Gymnasium students planning a course of English-language higher education

24 words in each chapter are featured first in an authentic academic text, then in exercises to reinforce meaning, usage and collocations.
Seven units focus on areas, such as social change, consumer behavior, natural resources, and music.
Each chapter recycles the target vocabulary four times in reading passages and exercises.
Collocation exercises train how academic words are used in real contexts.
Strategy Practice chapters offer tips for dictionary usage and methods for expanding word knowledge.
Expansion sections provide additional reading, discussion, and writing activities.

Oxford New English File Series

2010-08-19T22:51:00.000-07:00

Oxford New English File Series (Complete) is a Interactive tutorial including Audio Books.The English File series is one of the best available and the new Elementary level is and improvement over the original. The student’s book is well laid out, well illustrated and has vocabulary and grammar sections.

100% new lessons that work, that are fun, and get the students talking. An expanded Vocabulary Bank. Includes AUDIO FILES, E-BOOKS, EXERCISES and CD ROM.

It takes learners from the verb to be to the present perfect. Perhaps the book tries to cover too much too quickly; the past simple is reached very quickly and slower students would benefit from additional exercises using the present simple. The teacher’s book has also been improved and the workbook includes a useful CD ROM.

A new Grammar Bank section with rules and exercises. Practical English lessons, a focus on functional language supported by the New English File Study Link Videos.

The same unequaled level of teacher support. More photo copyable materials for teachers, with an extra grammar and communicative activity for every lesson.

The are 4 Levels:

Elementary
Pre-Intermediate
Intermediate
Upper-Intermediate

How to Write Effective Business English-Essential toolkit for composing powerful letters

2010-08-19T22:40:00.000-07:00

How to Write Effective Business English: Essential Toolkit for composing powerful letter in English, teaches the non-native reader how to create clear, concise messages and avoid verbosity. Assuming an intermediate knowledge of English, this book provides guidelines for further development, deals with real life scenarios and gives readers answers that even their bosses might not know.

Focusing on emails, letters, resumes or job applications, it gives reader an easy system for writing clearly, quickly and easily. It will also appeal to native English speakers who feel that their written business English needs practice.

Oxford Business English Dictionary For Learners Of English

2010-08-19T22:31:00.000-07:00

Oxford Business English Dictionary for learners of English is a new up-to-date Business English dictionary, that gives learners all the help and information they need to do business in English.A dictionary designed for learners who need to understand, speak, read and write English for business.Key features of Oxford English Dictionary: Vocabulary from the main areas of business, including: accounting,banking, computing, finance, import and export, international trade,law, management, sales, shipping and the stock exchange. Clear explanations of over 4,000 business words and phrases that are easy to understand but contain enough detail to make them useful for both students of business and experienced business people.

Specially designed for quick and easy access. On the left-hand side of every page there are definitions and examples of words or phrases; on the right there is a separate language information column containing abbreviations, pronunciation, collocations (words commonly used with the headword), American variants, and notes on grammar and usage. Over5,000 authentic examples, invaluable in helping learners with the English needed in real business situations. Many are based on the British National Corpus.Comprehensive cross-reference system leading learners to information about related words and helping with vocabulary building.

The Online English Grammar

2010-08-19T22:12:00.000-07:00

The Online English Grammar by Anthony Huges is a full PDF version of the Online English Grammar which has a number of advantages over the version that you can find online online for public viewing:

It covers more grammar topics than the online online version
You can view it on your desktop as an easy reference guide
It is easy to print out pages from this version using any standard Printer
You can access regular updates to the Online English Grammar now that you have purchased this copy. All that is required is that you supply your username and password to begin the download. You will receive regular emails when new updates are available. The update subscription is valid for one year from the date you purchased the item from us.

Learning With English Connection

2010-08-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

Learning with English Connection is a software that teaches you English by listening and watching. The Connections series is a world leader for English and foreign language learning in both the business and education markets.

All of the courses cover a wide range of topics providing comprehensive training in the language of business and travel. The language is presented using extensive video footage and sound files, then practiced and tested using a variety of role of role-plays and exercises. This product is highly versatile and is suitable for use as a quick revision aid, for topic-based learning, or as a complete self-study course.Learning with English Connection torrent is also available on internet.

Each course is built in the following steps:

Rapid English
Grammar
How to say and speak (giving advice, order, opinion…)
Role Play (Practice)
and Comprehension

The CD Number 9 is the famous software “ PRONUNCIATION POWER” I have found it in the same collection.

Focus On Grammar 5 Advanced 3rd Edition

2010-08-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

Focus on Grammar 5 advanced 3rd edition, an integrated skills approach includes Book , 2 Supplements, 4 CDs material.It contain Known for its focus on English grammar through contextualized listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities, this lively integrated skills course helps students bridge the gap between comprehending grammatical structures and actually using them.

Each unit progresses through four steps: Grammar in Context, Grammar Presentation, Focused Practice, and Communication Practice, using a new color-coded format that makes the program easy for students to understand and for teachers to implement.

Academic Writing Course

2010-08-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

Academic Writing Course,In the future you must give your students more specific study preparatory skills, not least the ability to acquire material in English in various disciplines: This book deals with all aspects of academic writing, through advice and exercises based on a wide range of material.

Easy to select what you need. Chapters such as: Structure and Cohesion; Narrative; Definitions; Comparison and Contrast, generalization, Qualification and Caution; Interpretation of Data; Discussion; Academic Style. Appendices (eg Basic Framework for a Research Report). Key to Exercises.

Types of Sentences

2010-06-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

Simple Sentences

A simple sentence contains a subject and a main verb; it contains one independent clause.

* I like coffee

This is a simple sentence with one subject and one verb forming an independent clause. Naturally, a simple sentence can include other things:

* I like a couple of cups of coffee first thing in the morning.

Compound Sentences

A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses, often joined by a co-ordinator.

* I like coffee, but my partner prefers tea.

Complex Sentences

A complex sentence contains an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.

* Because I have trouble waking up, I have coffee first thing in the morning. (The dependent clause is in bold and the independent clause is italicized)

The dependent clause cannot exist on its own; it requires the independent clause to make sense.

Compound-Complex Sentences

A compound-complex sentence contains at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.

* Some people say that the best coffee comes from Brazil, but others say that the best coffee comes from the Blue Mountains in Jamaica.

Adjectives that look like adverbs

2010-06-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of adjectives that end in -ly and sometimes get mistaken for adverbs:

    * Beastly
    * Brotherly
    * Comely
    * Costly
    * Cowardly
    * Daily (Can also be an adverb)
    * Deadly
    * Elderly
    * Fatherly
    * Fortnightly (Can also be an adverb)
    * Friendly
    * Gentlemanly
    * Gentlewomanly
    * Ghastly
    * Ghostly
    * Godly
    * Goodly
    * Holy
    * Homely
    * Humanly
    * Kingly
    * Leisurely
    * Likely
    * Lively
    * Lonely
    * Lovely
    * Lowly
    * Maidenly
    * Manly
    * Masterly
    * Matronly
    * Miserly
    * Monthly (Can also be an adverb)
    * Motherly
    * Nightly
    * Painterly
    * Priestly
    * Princely
    * Saintly
    * Scholarly
    * Shapely
    * Silly
    * Sisterly
    * Timely
    * Ugly
    * Ungainly
    * Unruly
    * Unsightly
    * Unseemly
    * Unworldly
    * Weekly (Can also be an adverb)
    * Womanly
    * Worldly
    * Yearly (Can also be an adverb)

Academic Writing From Paragraph To Essay

2010-06-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay course takes students from paragraph structuring to essay writing through a process approach. It teaches learners how to order and link paragraphs into cohesive and coherent essays, and to create the various paragraph types that are used in writing assignments. Academic Writing includes work on how to generate ideas, organize material, draft, review and revise written work.

There are additional sample and reference materials at the back of the book, including models of essay development and a punctuation guide.

Academic Vocabulary In Use

2010-06-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

Academic Vocabulary in Use is a practice and reference Book for anyone using, or planning to use, English for their academic work. Ideal for students of any discipline, from engineers or social scientists to business students or lawyers, it covers the key vocabulary they will come across in academic textbooks, articles, lectures and seminars. Authors: Michael McCarthy and Felicity O'Dell.

Level: Designed for students at good intermediate level and above (2.g/3.g of the gymnasium).

50 Units: such as: Systems compared: the US and the UK; Sources; Talking about ideas; Organizing your writing; Reporting what others say.
Presents new words and expressions in real-life academic contexts including extracts from lectures, presentations, essays, tables and graphs.
Includes an extra Reading and vocabulary section with longer texts to give you more practice of key vocabulary.
Comprehensive Answer Key and an Index with phonetic transcription of key words.
Handy Reference section with notes on formal and informal usage, British, Irish and North American vocabulary differences and spelling variations.

How to use abbreviations

2010-06-22T01:03:00.000-07:00

When we speak, we often abbreviate words. We also shorten words when we write text messages (SMS). Here's a handy guide to some of the more common abbreviations.

Speaking

gonna = is / am going to (do something)

"I'm gonna call him now."

wanna = want to

"I wanna speak to you."

gotta = has / have got to (or have got)

"I gotta go!"

innit = isn't it

"It's cold, innit?"

ain't = isn't / haven't / hasn't

"He ain't finished yet."

"I ain't seen him today."

ya = you

"Do ya now what I mean?"

lemme = let me

"Lemme see … tomorrow's a good time."

whadd'ya = what do you …

"Whadd'ya mean, you don't want to watch the game?"

dunno = don't / doesn't know

"I dunno. Whadd'ya think?"

Text messaging abbreviations

Numbers

2 = to / two

4 = for / four

8 = ate

Letters

U = you

C = see

B = be

CU L8r = see you later

msg – message

pls = please

cld = could

gd = good

vgd = very good

abt = about

ths = this

asap = as soon as possible

tks = thanks

txt = text

LOL = lots of love / laugh out loud

x = a kiss!

Improving your English punctuation

2010-06-22T00:54:00.000-07:00

It's important to know the rules of English punctuation when you write, as using the wrong punctuation may lead to misunderstandings. Using the correct punctuation is especially important when you are writing to impress, such as when you are applying for a new job, or when you are writing to a customer.

Here is a guide to the rules for using the more common punctuation marks in English.

When to use capital letters :

1. At the beginning of the sentence

It's cold today.

2. For the personal pronoun "I"

I live in a big city.

3. For "proper nouns"

- names and titles: Sarah, Mr Stevens, Doctor Roberts

- places and countries: London, England,

- nationalities and languages: He is French, She speaks Italian

- companies, products and brands: Microsoft, Coca Cola

- institutions: The Ashmolean Museum, The Department of Trade

- religions and religious festivals: Christianity, Ramadan

- abbreviated names: The BBC

4. For books, television and radio programmes, newspapers and magazines

The Simpsons, The Times.

5. Days of the week and months of the year

Wednesday, August 10th.

6. Historical periods or events

The Russian Revolution

7. Rivers, mountains and lakes and geographical regions

The Amazon, The Middle East

8. In addresses

Flat 2, 16 London Road.

When to use commas in English :

1. To separate items in a list

We need coffee, tea, sugar and milk.

British English writers do not normally put a comma before "and", although in American

English, a comma can be used.

"We need coffee, tea, sugar, and milk."

2. To separate clauses which are related in meaning

Do you know the answer, or should I ask Tony?

Where the clauses are short, commas are not used:

"I was tired so I went home."

3. After introductory phrases

Unfortunately, I cannot send you the information.

4. Before and after a word or phrase that interrupts the main clause

Some children,if they are gifted, attend special schools.

5. Before and after non-defining clauses

The factory workers, who were in a meeting, decided to accept the pay offer.

= All the factory workers were in a meeting.

Compare with a defining clause (which restricts the noun).

The factory workers who were in a meeting decided to accept the pay offer.

= Only the factory workers who were in a meeting decided to accept the offer: those workers who were not in the meeting didn't decide to accept the offer.

6. To show millions, thousands and hundreds

5, 890, 2811

10, 050

When to use a full stop :

(or "period" in American English)

1. At the end of the sentence

Thank you for your letter.

2. After initials in American English

Mr. G. Hoover. (The British English version is â€œMr G Hooverâ€)

3. As a decimal point

2.5%, $9.99.

When to use a colon :

1. To introduce a list

You will need to bring the following: a waterproof jacket, a change of clothes, a battery-operated torch and some matches.

2. To introduce explanations

There is one thing to remember: the nights can get cold, so bring a warm jacket.

3. To write the time

The 10:40 train to London is late.

4. Between the title and subtitle of a book

Shakespeare: The Complete Works

When to use a semi-colon in English :

Semi-colons show a pause which is longer than a comma, but not as long as a full stop. Short clauses which are related in meaning can be separated by a comma. However, if the clauses are longer, you will probably need a semi-colon:

We'll need to hold some meetings abroad with our suppliers; please could you check your availability in April.

1. To separate long items in a list

Our writing course includes several components: correspondence, including

letters and emails; style and vocabulary choice; punctuation; layout and planning.

2. To give balance to sentences, or to link parallel sentences

We went out for the day; they stayed in.

When to use an apostrophe in English :

1. With an s to show possession

The company's profits.

The 's comes after singular nouns and after irregular plural nouns (those which do not end in s).

The company's staff, the children's shoes.

But the apostrophe follows the swhen the noun is plural and regular.

Compare:

The boy's school (school of one boy) and the boys' school (school of many boys.)

With nouns which end in y in the singular, but end in ies in the plural (like company) the apostrophe follows the s when it is plural.

The company's profits (profits of one company) and the companies' profits (profits of more than one company.)

With hyphenated nouns, the 's comes at the end of the word.

My brother-in-law's FerrarÃ¬.

2. To show abbreviation

I don't like smoking. (= do not)

3. In time references

In two weeks' time.

Be careful!

1. Apostrophes are not used for possessive pronouns.

Whose is this pen? (Not "Who's this pen" as "who's" = who is.

That pen is hers. (Not "That pen is her's.")

Its also exists as a possessive pronoun:

Its market has grown. (The market of the company).

(Not â€œIt's marketâ€ as "it's" = it is or it has.)

2. Apostrophes are not used to make a plural of nouns that end in a vowel.

For example, "two memos" (not "two memo's").

Dynamic Verbs

2010-06-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

Verbs that relate to activity or charge are called dynamic verbs.

Dynamic verbs - durative (continous act)
Verbs such as live, work, rain, stay, talk, sleep, study, sing, teach are durative because they give no indication of their duration/termination. This property becomes most noticeable when the difference between the present perfect simple and continuous is almost neutralised by the aspect of continuity within the verb itself.

1. We have lived here for 10 years
2. We have been living here for 10 years
What is the difference in meaning, if any, between two sentences above?
Typically (with durative verbs) the perfect simple conveys finality or achievement, e.g. in the first sentence the speaker may well be about to move house. It is also often used to focus on the person rather than activity. The perfect continuous, on the other hand, is more often employed for focussing on the duration and the activity itself, and implies future continuity.

Dynamic verbs – punctual (single/repetitive act)
Verbs such as jump, slam, throw, kick, nod, and stab, depict momentary events.
Used in the continuous aspect they indicate repetition,
e.g. Robbie was kicking the ball.
The simple form requires context to convey once-off or repetitive action,
e.g. Robbie kicked the ball to David; Robby kicked the ball around.
Explain the two errors using grammatical terminology and suggesting a reason for student’s writing below.
Also, in Spain I was working 2 years as a tour guide after finish my tourism studies. Later I…
The past continuous has been used erroneously; there is no simultaneous or background event so the past simple is required. The first language would appear to have an imperfect tense, which the student thinks approximates to the past continuous in English. After is a preposition and therefore must be followed by a noun or phrase, or in this case a gerund (-ing form used a noun), finishing. (After could also be a conjunction in a time clause, e.g. after I finished my studies.)

References:
A concise grammar for English Language Teachers (ELT G 0055)
Oxford Practice Grammar (ELT G 0035)
English Grammar in Use (ELT G 0052)

Statics Verbs

2010-06-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

When verbs have a stative sense it usually cannot occur in a continuous tense.

The lists of verbs that have or can have a stative sense are shown below.

1. Mental and emotional states
Believe, doubt, feel (opine), imagine, know, like, love, hate, prefer, realize, remember, see (understand), think (opine), want, wish
2. Senses
Appear, hear, look (seem), see, smell, sound, taste
3. Reactions etc.
(dis)agree, deny, impress, mean, promise, satisfy, surprise
4. Description, possessions, etc.
Be, belong, concern, consist, contain, depend, deserve, fit, include, involve, lack, matter, need, owe, own, possess, weigh (have weight)

The examples below show that the verb like is always stative, but think can be used statively or dynamically

1. I am liking you (X)
2. I am thinking you are nice (X)
3. I think you are nice
4. I am thinking about it

The sentence “He is being cold” may or may not be acceptable, why?
In this case it’s really the adjective cold that has a stative or dynamic meaning, linked with be.
If it refers to temperature or sensation then the sentence is unacceptable because with that sense be is also stative and may not be used in the continuous aspect.
If cold means unfriendly, in fact showing unfriendliness through some activity, then be is dynamic and is correctly used in the continuous aspect.

Appropriate use of "An" instead of "A"

2010-06-16T02:31:00.000-07:00

In American English, there are several instances where you would use “an” instead of “a” to speak or write correctly. Both “an” and “a” are called indefinite articles because they don't tend to be as specific as other forms of articles like “the.” If you say, “I was talking to a dog,” it’s not quite the same as saying, “ I was talking to the dog.” “I want a sandwich” is equally not as specific as “I want the sandwich you are holding.”

Lots of people are taught the rule that it is important to use “an” instead of “a” when words begin with a vowel. This is not exactly accurate. Some words beginning with a vowel are best proceeded by “a” instead of “an”. Actually the difference lies in how the word sounds, not the letter with which it begins. If the initial sound of the word sounds like a consonant but begins with a vowel, paying attention to that sound can help you decide that words like the following take “an” instead of “a.” Here are some words where it is easy to determine that “an” is the appropriate choice: An apple, an orange, an only child, an Italian, an early start, an eel, an unusual situation.

The vowel sounds produced in the first sound of each word in the above examples are classic vowel sounds, like short A, long O, short I, short E, long E and short U. These words, when they begin with such sounds, will tend to take “an” instead of “a”. Furthermore, words with a silent “h” like “herb” and “heir” often take “an” instead of “a”. In British English, you’ll find a few more words that drop the h sound and take “an” than you will in American English.

There are words that begin with vowels that will take “a” instead of “an”. The long U sound in words like ukulele, usual, useful, actually produces a “y” sound at the beginning comparable to the opening sounds in words like youthful. Though it would seem to make sense to use “an” instead of “a” since these words begin with a vowel, it isn’t just about the letter, but the sound. You would use “a” before ukulele, useful or usual. Furthermore, a few words with an “o” like one and once, make a beginning “W” sound and take an “a.” Examples include: a once in a lifetime opportunity, a useful tool, and a ukulele.

Lastly, you might be using an indefinite article before a number or a letter. Here, be directed by the opening sound of the number or letter. An H, an 8, an O, an A, and an S are correct, as are a 1, a 7, a T, a U, and a 2. Make sure that the opening sound is pure vowel, not a hidden consonant sound, when you plan on using “an” instead of “a”.

What Are Vowels?

2010-06-16T02:26:00.000-07:00

A vowel is a type of sound for which there is no closure of the throat or mouth at any point where vocalization occurs. Vowels can be contrasted with consonants, which are sounds for which there are one or more points where air is stopped. In nearly all languages, words must contain at least one vowel. While a word can be formed without any consonants – such as the English words I or way – no word may consist of only consonants, without a vowel.

Vowels in many languages are not crucial to the general meaning of the word. Rather, a vowel in these languages – of which many are Semitic languages – acts more to give a specific inflection than to differentiate the word from other distinct words. A parallel of this in English can be seen in the example of dive and dove or lay and lie, in which the core word is the same, but the changed vowel denotes tense. Languages that have this type of structure often do not even mark all of their vowels in written text. Both Arabic and Hebrew are good examples of this, where the marking of many vowels is unnecessary in writing.

Since a vowel refers to a specific type of sound, orthographically some letters may represent a consonant in some circumstances, and a vowel in others. In English we can see this with the letters y and w which are most often used to make consonant sounds, but can also be used to represent vowels. In the case of y, for example, we can compare its use in the words yonder and day. In the word yonder, it acts distinctly as a consonant, with the center of the tongue blocking the flow of air on one side by touching the palette of the mouth – as what is called a palatal approximate. In the word day, on the other hand, it is forming a vowel sound akin to if the word were written in English as dei.

In the case of w, we could look at the words woo and how. In the word woo, the letter is acting as a consonant, with the back of the tongue blocking the flow of air on one side by touching the palette of the mouth – what is called a labiovelar approximate. In the word how, it serves as a vowel, which could be represented in English writing as how.

In English, there are five letters which always represent a vowel when written: a, e, i, o, and u. These five letters represent more than five vowel sounds, however, depending on the word, or if they are combined with other vowels. Compare the letter a in the words hat and hate as one of many examples.

Planning English Sentences

2010-06-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

Planning English Sentences is an investigation into the problems of generating natural language utterances to satisfy specific goals the speaker has in mind. It is thus an ambitious and significant contribution to research on language generation in artificial intelligence, which has previously concentrated the main on the problem of translation from an internal semantic representation into the target language.

Dr. Appelt's approach, based on a possible worlds semantics of an intensional logic of knowledge and action, enables him to develop a formal representation of the effects of illocutionary acts and the speaker's beliefs about the hearer's knowledge of the world.

The theory is embodied and illustrated in a computer system, KAMP (Knowledge and Modalities Planner), described in the book. Dr. Appelt's work thus has important applications to the design of interactive computer systems, multi agent planning systems and the planning of knowledge acquisition.

ENGLISH WORDS HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

2010-06-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

English Words History and Structure 2nd Edition is concerned primarily with the learned vocabulary of English - the words borrowed from the classical languages. It surveys the historical events that define the layers of vocabulary in English, introduces some of the basic principles of linguistic analysis, and is a helpful manual for vocabulary discernment and enrichment.

The new edition has been updated with a discussion of the most recent trends of blending and shortening associated with texting and other forms of electronic communication and includes a new classification of the types of allomorphy. It discusses important topics such as segment sonority and the historical shifting of long vowels in English, and includes a new section on Grimm's law, explaining some of the more obscure links between Germanic and Latinate cognates. Exercises accompany each chapter and an online workbook contains readings and exercises to strengthen knowledge acquired in the classroom.

What is English Preposition?

2010-06-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

A preposition links nouns,pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. The word or phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of the preposition. A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence as in the following examples.

She held the book over the table.She read the book during class.

The book is on the table.

The book is beneath the table.

The book is leaning against the table.

The book is beside the table.

In each of the preceding sentences,a preposition locates the noun "Book" in space or in time.

A prepositional phrase is made up of the preposition, its object and any associated adjectives or adverbs. A prepositional phrase can function as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. The most common prepositions are "about," "above," "across," "after," "against," "along," "among," "around," "at," "before," "behind," "below," "beneath," "beside," "between," "beyond," "but," "by," "despite," "down," "during," "except," "for," "from," "in," "inside," "into," "like," "near," "of," "off," "on," "onto," "out," "outside," "over," "past," "since," "through," "throughout," "till," "to," "toward," "under," "underneath," "until," "up," "upon," "with," "within," and "without."

Each of the highlighted words in the following sentences is a preposition:

The children climbed the mountain without fear.

In this sentence, the preposition "without" introduces the noun "fear." The prepositional phrase "without fear" functions as an adverb describing how the children climbed.

There was rejoicing throughout the land when the government was defeated.

Here, the preposition "throughout" introduces the noun phrase "the land." The prepositional phrase acts as an adverb describing the location of the rejoicing.

Difference Between British and American English

2010-06-13T04:39:00.000-07:00

The list below highlights the difference between British English and American English.

Apart from the spelling differences - you can see those by clicking on the USA - UK differences at the left hand side of this page - there are a number of differences in vocabulary listed below.

I suggest you look them over because you never know when you may run into an American after studying British English, or when you may run into a Brit after having studied American English.

Having been to England a number of times now myself, I can assure you that the differences between American and British vocabulary are just enough to cause a few laughs.

Well, maybe a few... misunderstandings. ;-)

What's important to remember?

That both British English and American English are accepted on the examinations as long as you consistently use either one or the other. In other words, don't mix!

Common Differences

English American English
all right all right, alright (disputed)
analyse analyze
centre center
cheque check
colour color
counsellor counselor

criticise, criticize criticize

defence defense

doughnut donut

favour favor

fibre fiber

flavour flavor

fulfil fulfill

grey gray

honour honor

humour humor

jewellery jewellery, jewelry

judgement, judgment judgment

kerb curb

labour labor

license, licence (verb)

licence (noun) license (verb)

license (noun)

litre liter

metre meter

mould mold

neighbour neighbor

offence offense

practise (verb)

practice (noun) practice (verb)

practice (noun)

pretence pretense

programme program

pyjamas pajamas

realise, realize realize

savour savor

speciality specialty

theatre theater

travelled

travelling travelled, traveled

travelling, traveling

tyre tire

valour valor

Common Mistakes in Spoken and Written English

2010-06-13T04:38:00.000-07:00

An exhaustive list of common mistakes,followed by relevant reasons for correction, are given. It served as an analysis of the error most commonly made in spoken and written English. It also presents clear explanations of how to correct these errors. Most of the terminology used here is traditional, so that the task of the student should not be made more difficult by the introduction of new grammatical terms which would need a lot of explanation. Our explanations are based on British usage.

These notes will be of immense value to the students appearing for the various public examinations including those conducted by the various universities, Banks, the UPSC and the State Services.In attempting to master standards of usage ,one should begin with the realization that one is engaging in a fascinating study, writes Prof. T.S Berry in his book. “The Most Common Mistakes in English Usage.” In studying canons of usage, one should also recognize, of course, the far-reading utility involved. We must respect principles of usage in order to move effectively in any circle where correct language is a requisite. Finally, it should be realized that rules for usage are necessary to maintain the uniformity of meaning that language has had across the years. Guidelines for usage are usually one of society’s most important safeguards.
We are aware of the fact that a living language like English is always in a state of flux. What is a common error today may not be in the list of errors after a decade. “By the mere law of numbers, errors committed by a bulk of the population are apt to be admitted into elite circles, and into dictionaries in due course”. So, One should be in constant touch with the latest trends in English. Here as attempt has been made to show long established grammatical rules coming under pressure from the current usage of educated speakers of English. The explanatory matter has been made as concise and simple as possible.

For English Grammar, We learners to consult books such as:

1. Current English Usage by F.T.Wood,

2. A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum,

3. A Remedial English Grammar for Foreign Students by F.T. Wood,

4 A Practical English Grammar by Thomson and Martinet,

5.Practical English Usage by Michael Swan, and

6. A Guide to Correct English by L. L. Hill.

Tips for Teachers of English

2010-06-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some tips to help you on your teaching experience.

1. Dress right. Jeans, sneakers, and just-out-of-bed hair may be okay for teachers in the U.S., but in many parts of the world, a neat appearance counts far more than credentials. In Korea dark clothes lend an air of authority. Red is to be avoided at all costs. In Morocco female teachers don’t wear pants, sleeveless blouses, or short skirts.

2. Behave appropriately. When it asked 250 students at the Sichuan Institute of Foreign Languages in China what they liked and disliked about native speaker English teachers, the students’ main gripe was the informality of foreign teachers, who often seem to undermine their own authority by acting in undignified ways. In the U.S. teachers go on a first-name basis with students, sit on their desks, sip coffee, and even bounce off the walls without causing student discomfort or losing prestige. But these behaviors don’t export well.

3. Don’t worry if students seem unresponsive at first. Americans are used to participatory classrooms with plenty of teacher-student dialogue. Elsewhere, students are often trained to be silent, good listeners, and memorizers. It’s disconcerting to stand in front of a sea of blank faces, but expecting it reduces the shock. Introduce new concepts, such as discussion and role-play gradually. You’ll be surprised at how students will come to embrace the change.

4. Choose topics carefully. There are still many countries in the world where people are hesitant to voice opinions because of a fear of reprisal. If you’re conducting a classroom debate, remember that there’s a distaste for Western-style argumentation in Middle-Eastern societies, and in Japan it’s offensive for an individual to urge others to accept his opinion.
Certain topics may be taboo for cultural reasons: Most Americans don’t want to discuss their salaries or religious beliefs; Japanese may be disinclined to talk about their inner feelings; the French think questions about their family life are rude.

5. Don’t ask, “Do you understand?” In China and Japan, students will nod yes, even if they’re totally lost, in an attempt to save face for the teacher. Even in a country as far west as Turkey, yes often means no.

6. Avoid singling students out. Our society fosters a competitive individualism which is clearly manifested in our classrooms. American students are not shy about displaying their knowledge. In classrooms outside the U.S., however, showing solidarity with classmates and conforming to the status quo is often more important than looking good for the teacher. In Turkey and Montenegro students told me they disliked volunteering answers too often because it made them look like show-offs and attracted the evil eye of envy. If you want to play a game, make the competition among groups rather than among individuals. If you need to discipline a student, do so in private.

7. Be aware of cross-cultural communication styles. French students appreciate wit. Venezuelan students like boisterous rapid-fire exchanges. In Japan, where debate is not as valued as in the U.S., students appreciate long pauses in discussions and silent “think time” after you ask a question. “Hollow drums make the most noise” goes a Japanese proverb, and Japanese students are uncomfortable blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. American teachers, who are uncomfortable with silence, tend to anticipate the student’s words or repeat their original question—both irritating interruptions for the Japanese student.

8. Present a rationale for what you do in class. Your pedagogy is going to be very different from what students are used to. They’ll conform much more eagerly to new classroom content and procedures if they understand the benefits.

9. Expect the best of your students. They’ll be serious about learning English because their economic advancement often depends upon mastering it.

10. Relax and enjoy yourself. Happiness in the classroom is contagious.

The Part Of Speech Defined-Noun,Pronoun,Verb,Adverb,Adjective,Preposition,Conjunction,Interjection.

2010-06-10T23:44:00.000-07:00

The English language consists of the parts of speech listed below. Every word you will ever say or write falls into one of these categories (with the exception of the articles “a,” “an,” and “the”). Some words fall into more than one category depending upon their use in a sentence.

Noun–is a word used to name a person, place, thing, or idea. A noun can be a proper noun or a common noun.
Examples:
George Washington, Charlotte Bronte (people, proper nouns)
man, woman (people, common nouns)
Maplewood Park, Chicago, Illinois (places, proper nouns)
playground, town (places, common nouns)
baseball bat, tennis ball (things)
independence, freedom (ideas)

Pronoun–is a word that replaces a person, place, thing, or idea. Pronouns can act as subjects or objects, and some can show possession.
Examples:
I, you, he, she, it, we, they (nominative case acts as subject)
me, you, him, her, it, us, them (objective case acts as object)
my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, theirs (possessive case shows possession)

Adjective–is a word used to describe, or modify, a noun or a pronoun. An adjective describes “what kind,” “which one,” “how many,” or “how much.”
Examples:
the brown dog (Which dog?)
the colonial house (What kind of house?)
the two cars (How many cars?)
She is blonde. (What kind of hair?)
He is tall. (What kind of height?)

Verb–is a word that shows action or that indicates a condition or a state of being.
Examples:
I run. Polly talks. The boys eat.
I am sick. She is tired. The people are free.

Adverb–is a word used to describe, or modify, a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. An adverb describes how, when, where, or to what extent the verb performs.
Examples:
I run fast. (How fast do I run?) The boys are eating now. (When are the boys eating?)
I am very sick. She is extremely tired. The people are finally free. (These examples all show to what extent the verb performs.)

Preposition–is a word used to show a relationship between a noun or a pronoun and some other word in the sentence. Prepositions often show direction, location, or time.
Examples:
in the morning, up in the sky, down south, in a minute, at 2:00 p.m., before bed, by my side, without a doubt, over the hill, after school, through the door, across the street, around the world

Conjunction–is a word that connects other words or groups of words to each other. There are three types of conjunctions: coordinating, subordinating, and correlative.
Examples:
Steve and Sally are going to the store. (coordinating)
Sally is going to the store because she likes Steve. (subordinating)
Sally likes Steve whether he likes her or not. (correlative)

Interjection–is a word used to express emotion that has no grammatical relationship to other words in the sentence. Interjections should be used sparingly and usually only belong in narrative dialogue.
Examples:
Uh oh, I made a mistake!
Oh no, I forgot to call Jane!
Well, what are you going to do?

English as a Political tool

2010-06-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

In a brief analysis of the "European Question and National Interest" , Professor Jeremy Black makes an interesting comment about 100 year long war between France and England.
In the 1330s, as France and England drifted towards war it became rather awkward for the aristocracy to continue with what we would now call international and francophile outlook and behaviour.
In particular, the question of the language became acute. The use of English as it had developed from mixed Anglo-Saxon and Norman roots became a matter of patriotic political tool.

“In 1344, it was claimed before the House of Commons, an important and indicative choice of location, that Philip VI of France was ‘fully resolved … to destroy the English language, and to occupy the land of England’. As the lower classes spoke English anyway, it was only a shift by the upper classes that was at issue.”
There is but a short step from that to the first two great literary works in English:ohn Gower’s Confessio Amantis and, above all, Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

The Charm of Non-Perfect English Pronunciation

2010-06-06T01:32:00.000-07:00

Many learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) worry about their pronunciation. Surely developing one's pronunciation skill to the point where they are readily understandable is very important. However , many students need not worry about completely completely eliminating their accent.In western countries,especially in multicultural cities like Toronto, accents are largely seen as charming.If you don't believe this, just look at the following list of super successful Hollywood stars with foreign accents.

However Asian people are very capable of learning the intricacies and grammar of a language. However,past the critical stages of lingual learning (1-7 year old, peoples have to cope with not being able to pronounce words in other languages, especially English,correctly. This is true of nearly all Asians that arrive in the United States after the age of 15,when the human brain begins to lose its plasticity.

“What!?” Is this a boring bio lesson on Stuff Asian People Like?!

(Heck no.) Asians have a way with languages. When words come out of asian mouths, they are more refined and articulate. However, this is only true to the eye of the asian. Take Fried Rice for example. Asians are known to say, “Flied Lice.” This holds true only in some asian languages where the L and R are non-present consonant sounds (when they are in the beginning of words). These languages, such as Japanese, usually carry the L or R sound in the middle. In the same category are words like “flo (for)” and “larely (rarely).”

Other asians learn simply by listening. These asians will wind up cursing by saying things like “mother-father” and “thuck you” or “shamit!” 1st Generation Asian parents are the best at mispronunciation because they have probably just heard the new word and want to show their mad skills to their children. Asian children know when their parents have just talked to their salon friends when they are asked about if they want to apply to “Habard (Harvard), Yeild (Yale), Pu-rini-ston (Princeton), or Stamfurt (Stanford).”

Understanding English Language Contractions

2010-06-05T01:55:00.000-07:00

As if English wasn’t complicated enough already, you’ll eventually be faced with the challenge of throwing in contractions. These grammatical devices allow English speakers to combine two words into one, leading to more natural sounding speech and writing. If you aren’t yet comfortable with these words, read on for more tips on popular contractions and when to use them.

The following is a list of some of the most popular contractions used in English speech and writing, as well as the two words that they are intended to combine:

Popular contraction Combined words

Isn’t Is not
Aren’t Are not
Weren’t Were not
Wasn’t Was not
They’re They are
It’s It is
That’s That is
Can’t Can not
Would’ve Would have
Should’ve Should have
Wouldn’t Would not
Shouldn’t Should not
Didn’t Did not
Doesn’t Does not
He’d/She’d He had/She had
He’ll/She’ll He will/She will
How’d How did
How’ll How will
I’m I am
I’ll I will
I’d I would
I’m I am
Ain’t Am not

As you can see from the above table, the two words that form a contraction are always set apart with an apostrophe, and some letters are subtracted from the two words. In all cases, these word combinations are intended to mimic popular speaking patterns. Very rarely will you hear someone say, “I will have a muffin” with each word clearly enunciated. Instead, the speaker will tend to blur some of these words together, leading to the pronunciation “I’ll have a muffin.” Contractions make it easier to speak quickly and to convey a realistic representation of English speech patterns in writing.

Of course, there are a few special details to be aware of when working with contractions. “It’s” is a tricky contraction that’s often confused with the possessive form of the word “it”. Possessive words are typically indicated by adding an apostrophe and the letter “s” to the ending of the word. For example, the phrase “Sarah’s ball” indicates that the ball belongs to Sarah, even though the word “Sarah’s” isn’t a combination of two words. However, when the word “it” is used in a possessive situation – for example, “its bed” – the “apostrophe+s” ending isn’t used. The word “it’s” is only used in instances where it is intended to be a contraction of the phrase “it is”. The contraction “ain’t” presents another interesting situation. Although the term is widely used in some English dialects, it isn’t accepted as proper English by most authorities on the language.

The general school of thought on contractions is that they are an essential part of the English language, although they aren’t always appropriate for things like educational journals or school assignments. English speaking children are currently taught to not use these words in graded projects, including each of the two complete words instead of the contraction. Stemming from this rule, most adults feel it prudent to use the separate words in more formal situations, like job interviews, resumes or professional situations and publications. However, contractions are acceptable for speaking with friends or in personal communications, like email messages.

How to Practise your English Speaking

2010-06-05T01:29:00.000-07:00

If you don't live in an English-speaking country, and you don't have friends or family to speak English with, where can you practice your English speaking skills?

It's easier to have a conversation if you have a reason to speak – something to talk about. These ideas all give you a reason to speak with another person.

Start a film or book club

Invite people to discuss a film that you all watch together, or a book that you are all reading. Prepare questions before, to help people talk about specific aspects.

Volunteer to help other people

Does your town or company often welcome foreign guests? Can you offer to translate for them? Or perhaps you can offer to help children or students with their English homework.

Take part in a film conversation

Watch a film on DVD, and decide in which part you can speak with the film character. Listen to what the character says (and the reply) then rewind, and either mute or pause the DVD after the film character speaks. Take the other character's role, and reply to the first character. You can also find film scripts on the imsdb site. Print it out, then practise taking a role in the film.

Use skype

Chat with other people in the penpal forum via skype. You can get to know them first by writing to them, then invite them for a conversation.

Take English lessons

This is the most expensive option, but paying for private or group lessons is a good way to regularly practise your English. If you have a job, maybe your company can also arrange lessons for you.

Before you start speaking

Try to plan what you want to say. Make sure you know the most important words or technical terms that you'll need.

Practice standard expressions. For example, "Pleased to meet you", or "How are you?" Getting these expressions right makes you feel more confident to continue the conversation.

As well as concentrating on what you want to say, also concentrate on listening to the other person. Give your full attention, and make sure you understand by using clarifying expressions such as "Sorry, do you mean…" or "I'm sorry, but I don't understand. Can you repeat thet please?" Don't forget: being a good speaker also means being a good listener. People will want to have conversations with you if they know you're interested in what they say.

ENGLISH TRAINING - BASIC ADVICES

2010-06-04T23:11:00.000-07:00

General

Decide why you want to study English. Keep this in mind when studying gets tough.Regular study is important. Try to study a little and often, 30 minutes a day is better than 3 1/2 hours once a week.Motivate yourself by studying for an exam eg TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication).

Listening

Try watching movies and TV programmes, and listening to the radio, in English. Don't be discouraged if you can't understand everything first time, the more you listen the more you will understand. With movies on video, if you find it difficult, don't try to watch everything at once; watch a little at a time, checking any new words in your dictionary.

Tape record English radio programmes, listen to them several times.Listen to songs. Follow the lyrics sheet that often comes with a CD. Try to write the lyrics of a song only by listening to it; you'll probably need to listen several times with many pauses. (The lyrics of many songs can be found on the Internet, try starting with a search engine such as Google, Yahoo or AltaVista.)

Speaking

Practice introducing yourself in English.

Prepare a 5 minute presentation on a subject that interests you. Give it to your friends.

Speak to as many English people as possible; if you see English people in your country, say hello and ask if they need any help.

Have an "English Only" party with your friends. Have English food, beer and conversation!

Reading

Read newspaper and magazine articles that interest you.

Subscribe to an English newspaper or magazine or read one regularly on the Internet; see the links page.

When you find new words try to guess their meaning before looking at them in the dictionary.

Practice reading quickly, without re-reading, to see how much you can understand (this can also help your listening).

Practice different kinds of reading:

Scanning is reading for specific information, eg reading some adverts to find the ones that interest you.

Skimming (or reading for gist) is reading to get the main point of a piece of text, e.g you might do this with a newspaper or magazine to decide which articles to read in full.

Writing

Keep a diary. For each day consider the "WH"-questions (what, where, who, when, why, how).

Write reviews of movies you've seen, restaurants you've eaten at etc. Describe them and say what you liked - and didn't like about them.

Find some English speaking penpals or email friends to practice real English communication with. Our International Friendship page has lots of links to free penpal sites on the Web.

Write letters to newspapers and magazines on subjects that interest you.

Would you like to have your resume, cv, letter, essay, report or other document checked by a graduate native English speaker? right English will check your writing for spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity and style.

Vocabulary

Read newspaper and magazine articles that interest you. Write down any new or difficult words. Try to guess what you think they mean from how they are used. Check the meanings in a dictionary.

Try using an English-English dictionary before looking at the translation of new words. Try the Oxford Elementary Learner's Dictionary of English, or Collins COBUILD Advanced Learners English Dictionary.

Write down and check new words or expressions you hear in movies, songs etc.

Do crossword puzzles and other word games.

Set yourself targets for learning new words - eg try to learn 10 new words a week.

Grammar

Most native speakers NEVER learn rules of grammar.

English grammar rules are complex and have many exceptions. It is best to learn grammar by hearing and reading as much natural English as you can.

English Learning Tips

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Learning any new language takes a lot of dedication, practice and time. But all of that pays off when you are able to express yourself in an exciting new way. Learning English has limitless advantages. Job markets increase, grades go up and new friends are made. You will benefit greatly from learning English simply because so many people speak the English language. New horizons and opportunities will expand before your eyes. Use the following tips to help you in your language learning process.

Have desire –Want to learn a new language. Learning English requires a lot of study and dedication. Only true desire will keep you motivated.

Know your motive –Why do you want to learn English? Is it to help you in school, your business or something else? Identify your reason and remember it when you are having a hard time.

Set goals –Set goals for yourself whether it be learning twenty words a week or giving a presentation in English at work next month. Goals will keep you motivated.

Study a little each day –Studying formally for at least 30–60 minutes a day will help you retain what you learn. At the beginning of each study session, review what you learned in the lesson before.

Make a set study schedule –Set aside a specific time for study each day. That way you are less likely to skip your lessons.

Study out loud –Pronounce the words out loud to yourself as you study. You will remember them more easily and you will be able to practice your pronunciation at the same time.

Use different learning methods –Language can be learned through different activities such as speaking, reading, writing, and associating pictures with words. Find out which method works best for you and use a variety of other methods for practice.

Practice speaking –Practice the language you have learned as much as possible.

Don't be afraid –Never be afraid to try speaking to other people even if you don’t know everything. They will appreciate your efforts.

Surround Yourself –Surround yourself with English. Read it, listen to it, watch it and speak it with others.

Listen to native speakers –Pay careful attention to native speakers using English. Observe the way they pronounce the words and how they use them.

Pronunciation is key –Imitate native English sounds as closely as you can. The more closely you pronounce words like native speakers, the better you will be understood.

Use good resources –Use dictionaries, workbooks, software and any other resource that will allow you to practice and expand your language.

Use what you know –Even if you know relatively little English, you should use what you know. You will be surprised at how much you can communicate with a few words or phrases.

Speed it up –Get used to listening to the language at normal speed. It will seem fast at first, but the more you know, the more it will sound normal.

Don't get stuck –If you don’t know a certain word, work your way around it. Use different words and actions to explain it, but don’t give up.

Have fun! –Learning a new language is fun and exciting. Recognize your progress and use your language for ultimate enjoyment.

Importance Of English Language

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Nowadays everyone knows the importance of English language in today's world, importance of English language in our society and importance of English in daily life.The importance of English language in non spoken countries as well importance of English language in Pakistan increases day by day.As we know importance of English in communication is become very important day by day.As the second language we could never ask for questions why even the kids are already learned with the English language. Since elementary to college, most of the universities worldwide includes English as one of their major subject clearly shows the importance of English language literature.English language has been widely used and considered as the universal language. English is very powerful that it has been used when negotiating with very prominent personalities. With regards to worldwide meeting, the language of English is officially the language being spoken.

The language of English is also known as the first language of the countries of Australia, Canada, the Commonwealth Caribbean, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom as well as the United States of America.Now English language used as the second language Worldwide commonly considered as the universal language.Especially from the Commonwealth countries like India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South Africa as well as the other international organizations. The modern English is quite described as global lingua France, and it is the major communication tool for science events, business, aviation, entertainment and diplomacy. The British Empire is the main reason that influences the fast pace spread of English language beyond the British Isles. Since the English Language has been appointed as the universal language, a number of people nowadays had been rushed to some English schools,English Language Institute or English Language centers to learn the latter language; most are those who have been studied from there school where English subject was not included. Even some of the elite personalities chose to learn an English language because some of them planning to venture businesses in other countries, and the English language could be their gear as well as tool when flocking abroad for the business purposes. Without universal language which is English, people until now would find life being empty and less fortunate. Every countries will never experience being progressive and luxurious because without the presence of English dialect things is impossible to happen.So we should consider the importance of English language in daily life.

Introduction of English Language

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This is small introduction of English or you can say an Introduction of English Essay. English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian and Lower Saxon dialects brought to Britain by Germanic settlers and Roman auxiliary troops from various parts of what is now northwest Germany and the northern Netherlands in the 5th century. One of these Germanic tribes were the Angles,who may have come from Angeln, and Bede wrote that their whole nation came to Britain,leaving their former land empty. The names ’England’(or ’Aenglaland’) and English are derived from the name of this tribe.

The Anglo Saxons began invading around 449 AD from the regions of Denmark and Jutland,Before the Anglo-Saxons arrived in England the native population spoke Brythonic, a Celtic language.Although the most significant changes in dialect occurred after the Norman invasion of 1066, the language retained its name and the Pre-Norman invasion dialect is now known as Old English.Initially, Old English was a diverse group of dialects, reflecting the varied origins of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms of Great Britain.One of these dialects, Late West Saxon, eventually came to Dominate. The Original Old English language was then influenced by two waves of invasion. The first was by language speakers of the Scandinavian branch of the Germanic family; they conquered and colonized part of the British Isles in the 8th and 9th centuries. The second was the Normans in the 11th century, who spoke Old Norman and Developed an English variety of this called Anglo-Norman. (Over the centuries, this lost the specifically Norman element under the influence of Parisian French and, later, of English, eventually turning into a distinctive dialect of Anglo-French.). These two invasions caused English to become "mixed" to some degree (though it was never a truly mixed language in the strict linguistic sense of the word mixed languages arise from the cohabitation of speakers of different languages, who develop a hybrid tongue for basic communication).Cohabitation with the Scandinavians resulted in a significant grammatical simplification and lexical supplementation of the Anglo-Frisian core of English; the later Norman occupationled to the grafting onto that Germanic core of a more elaborate layer of words from the Italic branch of the European languages. This Norman influence entered English largely through the courts and government. Thus, English Developed into a "borrowing" language of great flexibility and with a huge vocabulary. The emergence and spread of the British Empire as well as the emergence of the United States as a Superpower helped to spreed English Language around the world.