So last night, I was looking around Twitter (as you do, when it's Sunday night and there's nothing good on TV), and I found this blog....
http://30daysofspanish.wordpress.com
It's the story of a guy named James, who shares an apartment in Seattle with a guy named Luis. James has decided that he's going to try learning Spanish. For thirty days, there's no English allowed in their apartment: it's all Spanish.
I think that most of you will be able to relate to what James is going through. I know that when I moved to Spain, I was at about this level...
Don't miss the video where they watch the soap opera together - it's classic.
Showing posts with label speaking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label speaking. Show all posts
7.29.2013
1.02.2013
Memories of Madrid: Please don't eat my doggie
You know how New Year's is...you want to do stuff that brings you into the future, but sometimes you get things that remind you of the past...
About ten years ago, I wrote a story for a website called Tales from a Small Planet, and I described a situation where an exercise from a textbook took an unexpected turn. Thanks to Stefan C. for rescuing it because it's not on the website any more.
=======================
“How say? POA-pee?”
No. PUH-pee. Sounds like “cup”. The inappropriately-named POA-pee was a Spaniel who lived to the ripe old age of sixteen.
Then, over to Icíar, a Basque head banger with a passion for purple blouses and an infectious giggle. Another puppy: Pulgas (“Fleas”, or “Fleabag”) was a Golden Lab with a fear of staircases. Lived to seventeen. Then the ball goes over to Gaspar.
Gaspar, pobre Gaspar. He’s the class’s hanging chad, the Great White Hope. Taciturn, self-conscious, he left school at twelve to become a botones, an errand boy for the Post Office, to support his family. At fifty-three, he’s the head stationery guy. He’s got a thirteen-year-old son he doesn’t understand, a marvellous memory for individual words in English and a hangdog look that intensifies every time he has to say something in English.
Gaspar stares down at his paper and starts to speak in a voice so soft that even Remedios, who’s sitting right beside him, has to tell him to speak up. POA-pee? No. It was a rabbit given to him on his birthday, June 15th. Many Spaniards don’t pronounce the “s” sound of plural nouns: it takes a bit before the class realizes that this wasn’t a one- time rabbit, but a series of them. Some were soft and cuddly, one had sharp teeth and an attitude problem, but all of them were fluffy and cute and, with alarming regularity, would appear in the paella Gaspar’s father cooked to celebrate the holiday for the Assumption of the Virgin on August 15th.
Santiago is the middle child of five.
“How say cariñoso in English? Affectionate, yeah. Was very affectionate and loved when people visited.” Hands out of his armpits, arms outstretched, he stands up and lumbers towards Remedios. “New person visits, Manchita running!”
The others can ́t hide the guilty grins on their faces: Traditional Valencian paellas use chicken as well as rabbit meat.
“How old when died?”
Santiago shrugs. “Dunno. She broke leg behind sofa once so she couldn’t walk. We taught how to fly.”
You what, Santi?
“Yeah! Here, me, this side of sofa, my brother Alvaro there.” He takes the ball and lobs it underhand to Gaspar. “Whoop! Whoop! Back and fort, back and fort and after two hours, Manchita flies! My mudder was cabreá (pissed off)! Feathers everywhere! But Manchita flies.”
“How long did you have Manchita in your house?”
“One year. Too big from eating the garbage, so we gave her to my uncle.”
“She finished [ended up] in paella?”
Remedios laughs so hard that rivulets of eye shadow and mascara run down her cheeks, jagging every so often when she hiccups. Icíar gives herself hiccups, too. Gaspar tries to stifle his laughter and goes red with the effort. Santiago just grins and shrugs.
About ten years ago, I wrote a story for a website called Tales from a Small Planet, and I described a situation where an exercise from a textbook took an unexpected turn. Thanks to Stefan C. for rescuing it because it's not on the website any more.
=======================
The ESL textbook we use in class is called “Cutting Edge” but
the material is purely traditional: Talk about yourself. Tell us a story
about... What would you do if...
It’s the second class after the Cynical Weasel and the Class Meanie drop out, leaving Icíar, Gaspar, Remedios and Santiago, four Spanish civil servants, none of whom are particularly adept at English. The classes are arguably mandatory, even though none of these four will ever use English in their jobs. Television in Spain, even here in Madrid, is never in English. They don’t listen to songs with English lyrics and their exposure to English speakers has been limited to their English teachers, who they see twice a week.
They’re all interested, but gun-shy. Why even try to learn English any more, especially after twenty years of failure?
It’s the second class after the Cynical Weasel and the Class Meanie drop out, leaving Icíar, Gaspar, Remedios and Santiago, four Spanish civil servants, none of whom are particularly adept at English. The classes are arguably mandatory, even though none of these four will ever use English in their jobs. Television in Spain, even here in Madrid, is never in English. They don’t listen to songs with English lyrics and their exposure to English speakers has been limited to their English teachers, who they see twice a week.
They’re all interested, but gun-shy. Why even try to learn English any more, especially after twenty years of failure?
Because Human Resources and the Spanish government
have decreed, using European Union funds for language learning,
that these four must gain some kind of competence in spoken and
written English. That’s why. So I am trying to teach them, to be
cutting edge. Or at least different and vaguely interesting, so that
they damn well learn something by the end of the year.
Today’s section seems straightforward: Write about your first... DVD. Boyfriend/girlfriend. Day at college or work. Outfit you bought for yourself. Pet. Time you travelled abroad or by yourself. It seems straightforward enough when they all decide to write about first pets.
Paper out, pens ready, heads down, they crouch over their nut-u-BOOK-es, absorbed in storytelling, which they’re very gradually getting better at. Ten minutes of scribbling, erasing. (“¡Down! How say cachorro en ingliss?” “¿Y mancha? What is mancha in ingliss?")
I bring out the squishy miniature football we use to control speaking in English. Ah, what the hell. If they mess this up like they mess up some of the other writing assignments, there’s only another, what, five weeks of classes?
I toss the football to Remedios. She’s the stereotypical middle- aged Spanish woman given to fighting the aging process with every fibre of her being (and every Euro in her wallet). Her cachorro was called Morito (which translates as “Little Moor” but is closer in intention to “Black Boy” or “Sambo”.)
Today’s section seems straightforward: Write about your first... DVD. Boyfriend/girlfriend. Day at college or work. Outfit you bought for yourself. Pet. Time you travelled abroad or by yourself. It seems straightforward enough when they all decide to write about first pets.
Paper out, pens ready, heads down, they crouch over their nut-u-BOOK-es, absorbed in storytelling, which they’re very gradually getting better at. Ten minutes of scribbling, erasing. (“¡Down! How say cachorro en ingliss?” “¿Y mancha? What is mancha in ingliss?")
I bring out the squishy miniature football we use to control speaking in English. Ah, what the hell. If they mess this up like they mess up some of the other writing assignments, there’s only another, what, five weeks of classes?
I toss the football to Remedios. She’s the stereotypical middle- aged Spanish woman given to fighting the aging process with every fibre of her being (and every Euro in her wallet). Her cachorro was called Morito (which translates as “Little Moor” but is closer in intention to “Black Boy” or “Sambo”.)
“How say? POA-pee?”
No. PUH-pee. Sounds like “cup”. The inappropriately-named POA-pee was a Spaniel who lived to the ripe old age of sixteen.
Then, over to Icíar, a Basque head banger with a passion for purple blouses and an infectious giggle. Another puppy: Pulgas (“Fleas”, or “Fleabag”) was a Golden Lab with a fear of staircases. Lived to seventeen. Then the ball goes over to Gaspar.
Gaspar, pobre Gaspar. He’s the class’s hanging chad, the Great White Hope. Taciturn, self-conscious, he left school at twelve to become a botones, an errand boy for the Post Office, to support his family. At fifty-three, he’s the head stationery guy. He’s got a thirteen-year-old son he doesn’t understand, a marvellous memory for individual words in English and a hangdog look that intensifies every time he has to say something in English.
Gaspar stares down at his paper and starts to speak in a voice so soft that even Remedios, who’s sitting right beside him, has to tell him to speak up. POA-pee? No. It was a rabbit given to him on his birthday, June 15th. Many Spaniards don’t pronounce the “s” sound of plural nouns: it takes a bit before the class realizes that this wasn’t a one- time rabbit, but a series of them. Some were soft and cuddly, one had sharp teeth and an attitude problem, but all of them were fluffy and cute and, with alarming regularity, would appear in the paella Gaspar’s father cooked to celebrate the holiday for the Assumption of the Virgin on August 15th.
How many rabbits, Gaspar?
He starts counting on his fingers: Seven. Seven revoked rabbits, seven double-duty rabbits: birthday present AND celebratory meal. Given that Spain’s food industry was literally blown to bits by the Civil War, a rabbit was a valuable commodity in a protein-poor nation.
Gaspar smiles wanly and hands the ball to Santiago.
A chicken.
A what?
Santiago looks at me like I’m daft and tucks his hands into his armpits. “You know! Brak-brak-brak-brak-brak!!!!”
Icíar looks at Santiago. “But where you lived? You in a flat lived, ¿no?”
“Yeah. We call her Manchita. Like on your clothes, you know?” Little Stain. He points to his eye. “White here but everywhere else black.”
Remedios: “But was how big the flat?”
Santiago does some quick mental math: “Forty square metres, I think? Two bedrooms.”
He starts counting on his fingers: Seven. Seven revoked rabbits, seven double-duty rabbits: birthday present AND celebratory meal. Given that Spain’s food industry was literally blown to bits by the Civil War, a rabbit was a valuable commodity in a protein-poor nation.
Gaspar smiles wanly and hands the ball to Santiago.
A chicken.
A what?
Santiago looks at me like I’m daft and tucks his hands into his armpits. “You know! Brak-brak-brak-brak-brak!!!!”
Icíar looks at Santiago. “But where you lived? You in a flat lived, ¿no?”
“Yeah. We call her Manchita. Like on your clothes, you know?” Little Stain. He points to his eye. “White here but everywhere else black.”
Remedios: “But was how big the flat?”
Santiago does some quick mental math: “Forty square metres, I think? Two bedrooms.”
Santiago is the middle child of five.
“How say cariñoso in English? Affectionate, yeah. Was very affectionate and loved when people visited.” Hands out of his armpits, arms outstretched, he stands up and lumbers towards Remedios. “New person visits, Manchita running!”
The others can ́t hide the guilty grins on their faces: Traditional Valencian paellas use chicken as well as rabbit meat.
“How old when died?”
Santiago shrugs. “Dunno. She broke leg behind sofa once so she couldn’t walk. We taught how to fly.”
You what, Santi?
“Yeah! Here, me, this side of sofa, my brother Alvaro there.” He takes the ball and lobs it underhand to Gaspar. “Whoop! Whoop! Back and fort, back and fort and after two hours, Manchita flies! My mudder was cabreá (pissed off)! Feathers everywhere! But Manchita flies.”
“How long did you have Manchita in your house?”
“One year. Too big from eating the garbage, so we gave her to my uncle.”
“She finished [ended up] in paella?”
Remedios laughs so hard that rivulets of eye shadow and mascara run down her cheeks, jagging every so often when she hiccups. Icíar gives herself hiccups, too. Gaspar tries to stifle his laughter and goes red with the effort. Santiago just grins and shrugs.
“Next time, it’s boyfriends or girlfriends! No more pets.”
We now have four classes left. The thought has crossed my mind that we should go for paella for the last class. Seafood paella. Squid, mussels and shrimp make pretty lamentable pets.
We now have four classes left. The thought has crossed my mind that we should go for paella for the last class. Seafood paella. Squid, mussels and shrimp make pretty lamentable pets.
6.22.2011
Hey, at least he's trying...
Seen on "Alguna Pregunta Mès"...musician Mario Vaquerizo, giving English his best effort. It may not be very elaborate, but hey! At least he's trying....
5.16.2011
Some more thoughts about students who don't speak in class....
The Atlantic has an interesting article about silent classrooms - classes where students don't speak, either out of fear or boredom.
The piece focuses on American college and university classrooms, but I suspect that this problem also exists in English-language classes. Teachers are taught that the ideal ratio of communication is about 80/20: students talk eighty per cent of the time, teachers 20%.
Is this true in your language classroom? Who does more talking in your class - the teacher or the students?
If you don't participate in your classes.....why?
5.15.2011
Silence is NOT golden.
Courtesy of Sandy Millin and Unshelved...
Ever wonder what teachers think when students refuse to talk in class? This is one thing. Among others.
3.07.2011
The Communication Skills Course is back!!
Back by popular demand...
....the STOP SPANGLISH Communication Skills Course!!
º Does the thought of making small talk in English give you a headache?
º Are you tired of being afraid to speak in English?
º Not sure what grammar and vocabulary you should use in a particular situation?
º Do you want a safe place to practice your social English before your next conference, seminar or meeting?
Communication Skills is an intensive, two-day course that analyzes how we talk in social situations, the kinds of problems can can come up and how to avoid the discomfort and bad feelings that come from being afraid to talk.
Saturday:
Examine the differences between written and spoken English - and how they can help you
Practice the grammar that you need in social situations
Learn techniques that will help you in parties, conferences and receptions
Sunday:
Using the knowledge you gained on Saturday, we will practice ways of using your English to get what you want in social situations, like negotiations, disagreeing with people and trying to find solutions to difficult situations
PRICE: 199€
LOCATION: Metro Tirso de Molina
REGISTRATION CLOSES THURSDAY, 10 MARCH 2011!!
Want more information? Don't hesitate to send us a message at stop (dot) spanglish (at) yahoo (dot) com.
....the STOP SPANGLISH Communication Skills Course!!
º Does the thought of making small talk in English give you a headache?
º Are you tired of being afraid to speak in English?
º Not sure what grammar and vocabulary you should use in a particular situation?
º Do you want a safe place to practice your social English before your next conference, seminar or meeting?
Communication Skills is an intensive, two-day course that analyzes how we talk in social situations, the kinds of problems can can come up and how to avoid the discomfort and bad feelings that come from being afraid to talk.
Saturday:
Examine the differences between written and spoken English - and how they can help you
Practice the grammar that you need in social situations
Learn techniques that will help you in parties, conferences and receptions
Sunday:
Using the knowledge you gained on Saturday, we will practice ways of using your English to get what you want in social situations, like negotiations, disagreeing with people and trying to find solutions to difficult situations
PRICE: 199€
LOCATION: Metro Tirso de Molina
REGISTRATION CLOSES THURSDAY, 10 MARCH 2011!!
Want more information? Don't hesitate to send us a message at stop (dot) spanglish (at) yahoo (dot) com.
2.23.2011
Corrected
Teachers correct students because, well, it's our job. The truth is that we correct you students for a lot of reasons. We have to do it because you need to know when you're doing something which could make you look stupid or prevent people from understanding you.
We don't correct you to humiliate you. We don't correct you to make you feel bad about your English; if we keep correcting you about a mistake you continue to make in class, that's a sign that you need to start paying attention to that word or structure and change what you're doing.
We don't correct you to start a fight. Of course, if you want a fight, I'll give you one:
"That's not how you say that in English."
"But we're not in England!" And you get a smug look on your face because you think you've made yourself look smart at my expense.
And that's when I say something that's really bad in Spanish and ask you, Can I say that? Do you understand what I mean when I say that? Because I know that I can't say that. What do you gain by doing something that you know is wrong?
You pay me to be honest with you. You pay me to give you quality service that is meant to help you improve. Not telling you when you make a mistake isn't just bad service: it's dishonest. It's counterproductive. It's unethical.
I understand that being corrected can be frustrating and, at times, embarrassing. That's why I don't correct every single thing you do wrong. But please, if there's something wrong, pay attention to what we're saying. If you choose to ignore what I tell you, one of two things is going to happen: either you're going to get bored of hearing the same corrections over and over again, and you'll quit; or you'll just stop talking, rather than using the tools you get in class.
It's your choice. I can't choose not to correct you, though. That's not my job.
We don't correct you to humiliate you. We don't correct you to make you feel bad about your English; if we keep correcting you about a mistake you continue to make in class, that's a sign that you need to start paying attention to that word or structure and change what you're doing.
We don't correct you to start a fight. Of course, if you want a fight, I'll give you one:
"That's not how you say that in English."
"But we're not in England!" And you get a smug look on your face because you think you've made yourself look smart at my expense.
And that's when I say something that's really bad in Spanish and ask you, Can I say that? Do you understand what I mean when I say that? Because I know that I can't say that. What do you gain by doing something that you know is wrong?
You pay me to be honest with you. You pay me to give you quality service that is meant to help you improve. Not telling you when you make a mistake isn't just bad service: it's dishonest. It's counterproductive. It's unethical.
I understand that being corrected can be frustrating and, at times, embarrassing. That's why I don't correct every single thing you do wrong. But please, if there's something wrong, pay attention to what we're saying. If you choose to ignore what I tell you, one of two things is going to happen: either you're going to get bored of hearing the same corrections over and over again, and you'll quit; or you'll just stop talking, rather than using the tools you get in class.
It's your choice. I can't choose not to correct you, though. That's not my job.
11.06.2010
Okay, THIS is seriously cool.
I love the Massachusetts Institute of Technology! Not only are they one of the best schools in the States...a lot of their past courses are now available free, gratis and open...online!
Check this one out:
http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/foreign-languages-and-literatures/21f-223-listening-speaking-and-pronunciation-fall-2004/#description
This is a great course for those of you who want to practice your listening and speaking skills for TOEFL...
Check this one out:
http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/foreign-languages-and-literatures/21f-223-listening-speaking-and-pronunciation-fall-2004/#description
This is a great course for those of you who want to practice your listening and speaking skills for TOEFL...
6.16.2010
Five for free!
Not taking an English class this summer? Not sure how to practice in your spare time?
Here are five ideas that Paloma, Alicia, Concha, Vero and I came up with in class on Monday morning:
Send a company an e-mail. Pick a hotel, a famous British restaurant and an American department store, and ask them questions. You don't have to ask for really complicated information; you could write to ask about prices, opening hours, locations...
Listen to a podcast. If you use iTunes, go to the iTunes store and look up the subject "English language podcast" or "ESL podcast." I just did this, and I got a dozen different downloadable podcasts, all of which were free.
Learn a complete CD of music by heart. Personal suggestions: Amy Winehouse's "Black in Black" (OK, you may not like her, personally, but the songs are easy to sing); soundtracks to musicals like "Hairspray" or "Chicago" (be sure to write down and practice the phrasal verbs and set phrases you hear!). Try to avoid techno-pop or anything like New Order - yes, the songs are fun, but they don't make any sense!
Get a penfriend, or find someone you can practice your written English with! Try these sites:
http://www.englishjet.com/english_courses_files/people.htm
http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/meeting/index.pl
http://esl-group.com/list1f.html
Speaking of penfriends...here's a free online reading comprehension exercise you can try: http://esl.about.com/od/beginningreadingskills/a/pen_pal.htm
Help tourists who are lost around Madrid. This is helpful for both you and the tourist: The tourist doesn't have to feel ashamed about not speaking enough Spanish to find where he or she wants to go, and you get five minutes of free English practice! But be reasonable; don't harrass the tourist too much or insist that he talk to you for, like, an hour or something.
There are lots of free websites with exercises and advice. My personal favourites include www.esl.about.com (the pen friends exercise above is from there), the BBC World Service Learning English site (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/index.shtml - check out the photo page that has a picture taken in Toledo!) and www.dictionary.com - especially useful if you want to learn more about the vocabulary you learned in class this year.
Good luck!
Here are five ideas that Paloma, Alicia, Concha, Vero and I came up with in class on Monday morning:
Send a company an e-mail. Pick a hotel, a famous British restaurant and an American department store, and ask them questions. You don't have to ask for really complicated information; you could write to ask about prices, opening hours, locations...
Listen to a podcast. If you use iTunes, go to the iTunes store and look up the subject "English language podcast" or "ESL podcast." I just did this, and I got a dozen different downloadable podcasts, all of which were free.
Learn a complete CD of music by heart. Personal suggestions: Amy Winehouse's "Black in Black" (OK, you may not like her, personally, but the songs are easy to sing); soundtracks to musicals like "Hairspray" or "Chicago" (be sure to write down and practice the phrasal verbs and set phrases you hear!). Try to avoid techno-pop or anything like New Order - yes, the songs are fun, but they don't make any sense!
Get a penfriend, or find someone you can practice your written English with! Try these sites:
http://www.englishjet.com/english_courses_files/people.htm
http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/meeting/index.pl
http://esl-group.com/list1f.html
Speaking of penfriends...here's a free online reading comprehension exercise you can try: http://esl.about.com/od/beginningreadingskills/a/pen_pal.htm
Help tourists who are lost around Madrid. This is helpful for both you and the tourist: The tourist doesn't have to feel ashamed about not speaking enough Spanish to find where he or she wants to go, and you get five minutes of free English practice! But be reasonable; don't harrass the tourist too much or insist that he talk to you for, like, an hour or something.
There are lots of free websites with exercises and advice. My personal favourites include www.esl.about.com (the pen friends exercise above is from there), the BBC World Service Learning English site (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/index.shtml - check out the photo page that has a picture taken in Toledo!) and www.dictionary.com - especially useful if you want to learn more about the vocabulary you learned in class this year.
Good luck!
5.19.2010
One more thought about exam techniques...
One thing I forgot to mention in my earlier post about exam techniques:
If you have to do an oral exam (and almost everyone has to do some kind of speaking task), whatever you do....DON'T BE QUIET. It's fundamentally important to try to do the task as best you can, even if you think you're going to sound like a fool.
Why? Examiners cannot tell the difference between someone who's too scared to talk and someone who doesn't understand the task. In the end, a silent candidate is someone who is not doing what he or she was asked to do, and that means guaranteed failure.
So...take a deep breath. Smile. Talk, talk and talk some more, and if you're doing the exam with a partner, be sure to talk to your partner, too. After all, your failure is NOT guaranteed (unless you stay quiet, of course...)
If you have to do an oral exam (and almost everyone has to do some kind of speaking task), whatever you do....DON'T BE QUIET. It's fundamentally important to try to do the task as best you can, even if you think you're going to sound like a fool.
Why? Examiners cannot tell the difference between someone who's too scared to talk and someone who doesn't understand the task. In the end, a silent candidate is someone who is not doing what he or she was asked to do, and that means guaranteed failure.
So...take a deep breath. Smile. Talk, talk and talk some more, and if you're doing the exam with a partner, be sure to talk to your partner, too. After all, your failure is NOT guaranteed (unless you stay quiet, of course...)
5.14.2010
Matthew WHO?
Have you ever wondered why English has those double letters (like double "T") in the middle, or at the ends, of words?
I was watching the Giro d'Italia today on VEO7, and one of the announcers kept mispronouncing the name of Matthew Lloyd, the Australian cyclist. "Lloyd" is one of several last names which begin with double "L" (almost all of them are from Wales), and one of the only cases when you would see a double consonant at the beginning of words in English. This is different from Spanish, where "LL" and "RR" aren't really common at the beginning of words, but you can see them in some words (like Lleida).
So why do we have double consonants in English, if they don't represent a different sound?
Double consonants that are in the middle of words are where you separate syllables. Think of these two-syllable adjectives: fun·ny, sil·ly, hap·py, Fin·nish, com·mon: In each case, you would break the word in between the double consonants.
The same is true if the word has more than two syllables. This is especially true of words that are formed with suffixes: hap·pi·ness, in·suf·fer·able, bar·ris·ter, con·som·mé (meat broth), cor·res·pon·dence.
Double consonants (especially -ss) also happen frequently at the ends of words: kiss, miss, bliss. They're also extremely common at the ends of surnames: Pratt, Raitt, Schnurr, Flynn, Dunn.
And don't forget that if you need to put a suffix on the end of a verb that ends in a noun/consonant combination, you need to double the final consonant, too:
stop: stopped, stopping
counsel: counselled, counselling
travel: travelled, travelling
kid (=joke with someone): kidded, kidding
(**Note that the double -l only happens in British spelling, not American spelling.)
So if you're pronouncing a name like "Lloyd" or "Llewellyn, it's pronounced "loid", not "zloid."
I was watching the Giro d'Italia today on VEO7, and one of the announcers kept mispronouncing the name of Matthew Lloyd, the Australian cyclist. "Lloyd" is one of several last names which begin with double "L" (almost all of them are from Wales), and one of the only cases when you would see a double consonant at the beginning of words in English. This is different from Spanish, where "LL" and "RR" aren't really common at the beginning of words, but you can see them in some words (like Lleida).
So why do we have double consonants in English, if they don't represent a different sound?
Double consonants that are in the middle of words are where you separate syllables. Think of these two-syllable adjectives: fun·ny, sil·ly, hap·py, Fin·nish, com·mon: In each case, you would break the word in between the double consonants.
The same is true if the word has more than two syllables. This is especially true of words that are formed with suffixes: hap·pi·ness, in·suf·fer·able, bar·ris·ter, con·som·mé (meat broth), cor·res·pon·dence.
Double consonants (especially -ss) also happen frequently at the ends of words: kiss, miss, bliss. They're also extremely common at the ends of surnames: Pratt, Raitt, Schnurr, Flynn, Dunn.
And don't forget that if you need to put a suffix on the end of a verb that ends in a noun/consonant combination, you need to double the final consonant, too:
stop: stopped, stopping
counsel: counselled, counselling
travel: travelled, travelling
kid (=joke with someone): kidded, kidding
(**Note that the double -l only happens in British spelling, not American spelling.)
So if you're pronouncing a name like "Lloyd" or "Llewellyn, it's pronounced "loid", not "zloid."
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