I just wanted to let everybody know that there are now two Key Sentence Transformation videos available on YouTube.
The first one is a general overview of how Key Sentence Transformation works.
The second one focuses specifically on how to do Key Sentence Transformation with one-word verbs and phrasal verbs (and vice-versa.)
I'll be working on more videos this summer, especially the Key Sentence Transformation videos.
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
1.29.2013
Writing isn't easy (but here's how to make it less difficult)
I'm going to start this post by admitting that I always enjoyed writing. I'm not a very verbal person - I listen much better than I talk - and I always find it easier to write my ideas and feelings, rather than talk about them.
Not everyone is this way, however. After fourteen years of teaching, I know that there are a lot of students who don't like writing for many reasons:
- They don't trust a process that is not automatic. Speaking is easy (for some people!) - you open your mouth, you move your tongue, teeth and lips, and you have spoken. Writing well means more preparation, more thinking about language thinking about the person who is going to receive what you're writing...and more steps can mean more possibilities for making mistakes.
- It's a lot of work. Even if the work helps students improve, that still doesn't mean that they like it. There are a lot of students who won't do work, whether they think it helps them - or not.
- They feel self-conscious about writing something down because they think the mistake will be there forever. In contrast, if you say something silly or ridiculous, it only exists as long as the other person hears or remembers the mistake. (And trust me, some people have VERY long memories of mistakes.)
Are you one of those students who doesn't like writing? This video provides a quick review of the seven pieces of advice that I give my students so that they find writing less stressful.
The focus of the video is on things that you do in your own language, anyway - they're universal things that you probably do in your own language, but which take a little longer when you're writing in English. Here are some other things to remember....
- Perfect doesn't exist. "I want to do it perfectly," a student says. There is no perfect. "Perfect" is an excuse that people use so that they don't have to do anything at all. Good enough is fine. Don't put yourself under pressure to create something that is impossible.
- If you don't know what to write, write anything. Keep your pen or pencil moving. Keep typing. It is always easier to fix what you have, instead of trying to fix what doesn't exist. Even if you have to start a writing by writing this is crap, this is crap, this is crap, this is crap....
- Writing is a skill. Like any other skill, such as playing basketball, dancing Argentine tango or surfing, there is only one way to get better: practice more. It's work, not magic, that makes people get better.
1.17.2013
The keys to understanding Key Sentence Transformation
...or something like that. I wasn't going to do this until the weekend, but two people just cancelled class, so I did the audio (and re-did and re-did and re-did the audio, several times) to the latest video.
If you're having problems with Key Sentence Transformation, and you're not exactly sure why, here's a video explaining what NOT to do on that part of that Cambridge exam.
If you're having problems with Key Sentence Transformation, and you're not exactly sure why, here's a video explaining what NOT to do on that part of that Cambridge exam.
Important for FCE: What's the difference between ESTIMATED and DEAR?
It's funny....sometimes, I can go months or years without hearing a problem. Then, all of a sudden, that mistake comes up two or three times in a day. This happened yesterday during a couple of First Certificate preparation classes - two different students had problems with how to start formal letters for the compulsory task of the Writing Paper.
If you've ever had any doubts about whether it's okay to start a letter with "Estimated (name)" or "Dear (name)," this video will explain the difference between the two.
If you've ever had any doubts about whether it's okay to start a letter with "Estimated (name)" or "Dear (name)," this video will explain the difference between the two.
1.04.2013
Writing for Exams: Three things NOT to do
Starting from this month, I'm going to be contributing blog posts to the ClubMBA website (and if I haven't said it before, I'm saying it now - those of you who are doing the TOEFL exam should definitely check out their TOEFL forum - not because I'm contributing to it, but because there are a number of good testimonials from people who have done the exam and what their experiences were like.)
Anyway, one of the topics that I wanted to write about for that blog was how NOT to do the writing part of an exam. I get a lot of students asking for help with writing (especially for TOEFL and FCE), and there are three common mistakes that many students make when doing this part of the exams. Here are the three most common:
a) You don't answer the question that you're asked on the exam. It seems crazy, but, yes, apparently there are still some students who try to memorize an answer and write it down on the exam. This only works if the question they ask you is exactly the same as the question you memorized. (Don't laugh - I've had students who have tried this. The results are exactly as you would expect.)
b) You don't organize your ideas inside your writing exercise. When we talk, we're thinking and producing language in the moment. Since we have direct contact with the person we're speaking to, we can fix and adjust the language we use, and the way we present ideas. However, when we write, we don't have that luxury. We have to remember that we can't clarify AFTER ideas are on the page (or on the computer screen). Therefore, it's important to make sure that your ideas and arguments are easy to understand - because if they aren't, that makes it harder for the person marking your exam to understand what you're talking about. An essay that is hard to understand is an essay that won't get a good mark - it's the marker's job to figure out what you're trying to say.
c) You use a lot of the same tired, uninteresting words to express ideas. As I explain in this video about verbs, using "boring" verbs like say, tell, do and get are fine when you first start learning English. As your English gets better, however, your vocabulary should expand so that you're using more precise verbs (and more precise adjectives, adverbs that modify adjectives, etc.). Obviously, you shouldn't use complicated words if you can't use them properly, or you don't know what they mean. You should also aim for maximum clarity in your writing. Your writing needs to have a certain amount of sophistication; if you're doing the TOEFL, you cannot get a good mark if you sound like you have the vocabulary of a ten-year-old child.
If you'd like more information on writing classes and coaching to improve your writing, click here.
Anyway, one of the topics that I wanted to write about for that blog was how NOT to do the writing part of an exam. I get a lot of students asking for help with writing (especially for TOEFL and FCE), and there are three common mistakes that many students make when doing this part of the exams. Here are the three most common:
a) You don't answer the question that you're asked on the exam. It seems crazy, but, yes, apparently there are still some students who try to memorize an answer and write it down on the exam. This only works if the question they ask you is exactly the same as the question you memorized. (Don't laugh - I've had students who have tried this. The results are exactly as you would expect.)
b) You don't organize your ideas inside your writing exercise. When we talk, we're thinking and producing language in the moment. Since we have direct contact with the person we're speaking to, we can fix and adjust the language we use, and the way we present ideas. However, when we write, we don't have that luxury. We have to remember that we can't clarify AFTER ideas are on the page (or on the computer screen). Therefore, it's important to make sure that your ideas and arguments are easy to understand - because if they aren't, that makes it harder for the person marking your exam to understand what you're talking about. An essay that is hard to understand is an essay that won't get a good mark - it's the marker's job to figure out what you're trying to say.
c) You use a lot of the same tired, uninteresting words to express ideas. As I explain in this video about verbs, using "boring" verbs like say, tell, do and get are fine when you first start learning English. As your English gets better, however, your vocabulary should expand so that you're using more precise verbs (and more precise adjectives, adverbs that modify adjectives, etc.). Obviously, you shouldn't use complicated words if you can't use them properly, or you don't know what they mean. You should also aim for maximum clarity in your writing. Your writing needs to have a certain amount of sophistication; if you're doing the TOEFL, you cannot get a good mark if you sound like you have the vocabulary of a ten-year-old child.
If you'd like more information on writing classes and coaching to improve your writing, click here.
7.25.2011
Why write?
Good question. Why do students hate writing?
- It takes time to learn how to do well.
- It's not something that comes easily to most people. We grow up learning how to talk, but we have to learn how to write. We can make sounds as soon as we're born, but we can't write anything until we have an idea of how language works, and we can make our hands and eyes work together.
- There's the idea that you can't take the mistake back. If you make a mistake when you speak, the mistakes only exist as long as other people remember it. When there's a mistake on paper, it's there, and feels more permanent.
- Anthropologists think that humans have been using spoken communication for over 100,000 years, but we've only had writing for something like 6,000 years. It's not something that we just automatically DO. (Thank you, David Crystal.)
- Writing is hard for everyone. It's hard for native speakers of English, too.
- Avoiding things you hate doesn't make them easier to do. If you avoid writing, you're just making the problem worse.
- No amount of excuses will ever make writing go away. Even if you hate writing with a passion, complaining and moaning and whining and belly-aching and bitching and crying and sulking will never, ever make writing disappear.
- It's all right if you don't write as well as a native speaker does. You just need to know how to write to get what you need. (Remember the key: Language is a tool to get what you want.)
- Writing may not be spontaneous, but that's good, because it means that you have more time and opportunity to say exactly what you want.
- If you make a mistake when you're speaking, you can't take it back and make it perfect. When you write, you DO have a chance to fix what you created.
1.07.2011
Now THIS is how you write a letter of complaint...
Heads up, First Certificate candidates. If you're looking for inspiration and ideas for the Letter of Complaint task on the writing paper, check THIS out:
http://tinyurl.com/2uasv7j
http://tinyurl.com/2uasv7j
10.26.2010
Note-Taking for TOEFL: 9 November 2010
It's a fact: Students who learn how to take effective, comprehensive notes have a better chance of scoring higher on the TOEFL iBT exam. But how do you manage all that information that comes at you? How do you practice and use the transition vocabulary that shows you how the information is organized? What are the best ways of keeping track of the most important points, so that you can use them on the tasks?
If the TOEFL iBT has got you worried, we have the solution. On Tuesday, November 9th, STOP SPANGLISH will be holding its Introduction to Note-Taking for TOEFL workshop.
In five hours, you'll learn the techniques which will get you through the exam and teach you how to deal with what you'll read and hear:
º Mental warm-ups: How to anticipate what's coming at you
º Ten efficient ways to practice your listening skills
º How to listen for important information - and eliminate what doesn't matter
º The five most effective ways of organizing notes
º Refine your notes to score high on the speaking and writing papers
Cost: €129 (€99 for current STOP SPANGLISH students)
Time: 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
REGISTER BEFORE 1 NOVEMBER AND RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF "THE ENGLISH LEARNER NOTEBOOK"!
Remember: Failing to prepare is the same as preparing to fail. Don't let it happen to you!
If the TOEFL iBT has got you worried, we have the solution. On Tuesday, November 9th, STOP SPANGLISH will be holding its Introduction to Note-Taking for TOEFL workshop.
In five hours, you'll learn the techniques which will get you through the exam and teach you how to deal with what you'll read and hear:
º Mental warm-ups: How to anticipate what's coming at you
º Ten efficient ways to practice your listening skills
º How to listen for important information - and eliminate what doesn't matter
º The five most effective ways of organizing notes
º Refine your notes to score high on the speaking and writing papers
Cost: €129 (€99 for current STOP SPANGLISH students)
Time: 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
REGISTER BEFORE 1 NOVEMBER AND RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF "THE ENGLISH LEARNER NOTEBOOK"!
Remember: Failing to prepare is the same as preparing to fail. Don't let it happen to you!
10.08.2010
Exam writing tasks: Don't Do This
One thing I've noticed over the last couple of weeks....If you're doing an English exam this fall, be it IELTS, TOEFL or FCE, make sure you understand the task before you start it.
That seems obvious, right? It should be. But one common mistake that students make is that they don't think about what kind of information they're expect to write down. Writing tasks always test your ability to manipulate different kinds of information for different audiences. That means that when you do an exam, you need to understand the following information:
How do they want me to present the information? Is this a personal essay, a letter, an article or a short story?
What kind of language do I need to do this? How formal does the text have to be? What specialized vocabulary do I need to describe people, equipment, ideas?
Who's going to read this? Is the task designed so that I give information to people who I do know? Or will I be creating something more formal - closer to tone to usted - because I don't know who the end reader will be?
How can I filter my mistakes so that I don't repeat them? When I did these tasks in practice, what were the problems (spelling, grammar, syntax) that I had before? How do I stop them from happening again?
The fastest way to fail a writing task is to adapt the task to your needs...and totally ignore what the examiners want to do. If you don't do the task as it's described, you take an enormous risk of failing. Examiners cannot tell the difference between someone who didn't like the task and decided to adapt it, and someone who didn't understand what the question was.
I'm not trying to scare you, but you need to understand the risks you take when you don't do what they ask you to do!
How do you stop this from happening?
a) As you practice (and you should practice as much as you can), anticipate the kinds of tasks you will be asked to do.
b) Review the language (words, verb tenses and collocations) you need to do this task.
c) Analyze your previous mistakes. Make a list of the kinds of mistakes you tend to make and if you're not sure why you're having problems, talk to your teacher about what kind of practice you can do to eliminate those mistakes.
d) Remember that a BIG part of writing exams is knowing what isn't important, not just what you need.
And if you have any questions, please feel free to comment here!
b
That seems obvious, right? It should be. But one common mistake that students make is that they don't think about what kind of information they're expect to write down. Writing tasks always test your ability to manipulate different kinds of information for different audiences. That means that when you do an exam, you need to understand the following information:
How do they want me to present the information? Is this a personal essay, a letter, an article or a short story?
What kind of language do I need to do this? How formal does the text have to be? What specialized vocabulary do I need to describe people, equipment, ideas?
Who's going to read this? Is the task designed so that I give information to people who I do know? Or will I be creating something more formal - closer to tone to usted - because I don't know who the end reader will be?
How can I filter my mistakes so that I don't repeat them? When I did these tasks in practice, what were the problems (spelling, grammar, syntax) that I had before? How do I stop them from happening again?
The fastest way to fail a writing task is to adapt the task to your needs...and totally ignore what the examiners want to do. If you don't do the task as it's described, you take an enormous risk of failing. Examiners cannot tell the difference between someone who didn't like the task and decided to adapt it, and someone who didn't understand what the question was.
I'm not trying to scare you, but you need to understand the risks you take when you don't do what they ask you to do!
How do you stop this from happening?
a) As you practice (and you should practice as much as you can), anticipate the kinds of tasks you will be asked to do.
b) Review the language (words, verb tenses and collocations) you need to do this task.
c) Analyze your previous mistakes. Make a list of the kinds of mistakes you tend to make and if you're not sure why you're having problems, talk to your teacher about what kind of practice you can do to eliminate those mistakes.
d) Remember that a BIG part of writing exams is knowing what isn't important, not just what you need.
And if you have any questions, please feel free to comment here!
b
8.24.2010
What it's like for us...
There's another great essay on the "Facts and Arguments" page of today's The Globe and Mail. This one talks about a Canadian woman who went to Zurich, Switzerland, six years ago, and how she deals with the language barrier -- and people's attitudes about what living in another country should be.
http://tinyurl.com/33kklnc
This essay also includes audio, so you can listen to the essay while you read it, or before/after.
Enjoy!
http://tinyurl.com/33kklnc
This essay also includes audio, so you can listen to the essay while you read it, or before/after.
Enjoy!
8.12.2010
FREE!! ESL Writing Checklist
In the time that I've been teaching English, both in Spain and in other countries, I've found that almost all of my students hate writing. It's easy to understand why. Effective writing (not just spelling, but constructing arguments and convincing people) isn't easy to do. Students also don't like to spend lots of time trying to write something that sounds intelligent...and then get a paper back that's full of mistakes.
One of the best ways you can avoid the disappointment of getting a (heavily) corrected essay back is to check for mistakes before you submit your text to your teacher. Many (if not almost all) mistakes are easily avoidable, and if you go back and look at the kind of corrections your teacher made on your essays, you'll probably find that you're not making a lot of different kinds of mistakes...you're making the same mistakes over and over and over again.
If this is the case, here's a downloadable writing checklist that can help you revise your writing before you submit it.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/35772510/Writing-Checklist
This isn't a list of every possible thing that students do wrong, but it does cover the most common (and the most easily prevented) mistakes that teachers tend to see. If you're writing the First Certificate exam, these are the kinds of silly mistakes that make students lose points and risk failing.
One of the best ways you can avoid the disappointment of getting a (heavily) corrected essay back is to check for mistakes before you submit your text to your teacher. Many (if not almost all) mistakes are easily avoidable, and if you go back and look at the kind of corrections your teacher made on your essays, you'll probably find that you're not making a lot of different kinds of mistakes...you're making the same mistakes over and over and over again.
If this is the case, here's a downloadable writing checklist that can help you revise your writing before you submit it.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/35772510/Writing-Checklist
This isn't a list of every possible thing that students do wrong, but it does cover the most common (and the most easily prevented) mistakes that teachers tend to see. If you're writing the First Certificate exam, these are the kinds of silly mistakes that make students lose points and risk failing.
8.02.2010
TOEFL Students: Why paraphrasing is important
One of the most serious mistakes that students make on the TOEFL Writing exam is not paraphrasing properly. It may seem ridiculous (why say it in your own words if it's already been said?), but it's important to remember that students in American and Canadian universities do a LOT more writing than in Spanish universities. The ability to write clear, accurate prose is fundamental, and part of that ability is to be able to say someone else's words in a different way - which allows you to compare and contrast ideas, thoughts and possibilities.
Problem is, a lot of students now think that it's acceptable to avoid this and to copy information directly from the Internet. This story from The New York Times explains how widespread (=common) the problem is, and why it's such a serious problem for universities.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/education/02cheat.html?_r=1&hp
(Of course, TOEFL students who are well-prepared won't have this problem!)
Problem is, a lot of students now think that it's acceptable to avoid this and to copy information directly from the Internet. This story from The New York Times explains how widespread (=common) the problem is, and why it's such a serious problem for universities.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/education/02cheat.html?_r=1&hp
(Of course, TOEFL students who are well-prepared won't have this problem!)
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)