New video!

A couple of months ago, I described the sticky note method of practicing and recycling vocabulary. I got working yesterday and created this video to show you how to do it...

And yes, that is my toothbrush!

This should go without saying. However....

...."NO IS" is not proper English.

Repeat after me:

It is not...

It is not...

It is not...

It is not...

It is not...

It is not...

It is not...

I'm not usually this sarcastic about class notes, but, c'mon, guys....this is basic. "NO IS" is totally Spanglish. It doesn't matter how many times you say it -- it will never be correct.

Money and mouths....

So....today's collocation is "to put your money where your mouth is:" to support what you say by doing something practical; to show by your actions that you really mean something.

I just picked up the DELE Superior C2 book at FNAC. I'm not surprised that I don't know a lot of the vocabulary in it, but I'm very happy that I have six or seven months to prepare for the exam.

The big day comes at the beginning of November. After all the hell I put you guys through, now is your chance to laugh at me. :)

Vocabulary notes - "TRUST"

Just a quick note about "TRUST": Generally, TRUST is something you do, not something you have:

I trust this car. (NOT: *I don't have trust of this car.)

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary gives us some useful notes on how to use this word:

You can trust a person, but not a thing or system. You can trust somebody's judgement or advice, but not their support. You can depend on someone's support, but not their judgement or advice.

Practise what you preach...

Okay. I know that I'm always going on about the importance of setting goals and making sure that you have motivation. You guys also know that I try to show empathy as a teacher, too! So here's the plan: I am going to do the DELE this fall - the C1 level, which is probably a little lower than I should aim for, but probably realistic (since I learnt most of my Spanish by reading El Jueves and listening to Raimundo Amador.)

I'm going to do the exam some time before Christmas, probably November. Part of it is because I want to have a certification in Spanish (I need to know what, exactly, I AM able to do) and part of it is because I think teachers are better if they remember what it was like to be a student....so....here we go. Goals are important! Look at me - I've set myself two important goals this year: I'm going to run a 10K run and I'm going to pass the DELE. I should be capable of meeting at least ONE of those goals.

I wasn't kidding about the thing about Raimundo Amador, by the way.

Great help with listening and employment English

Elllo.org (yes, with three L's) has started something new and interesting - a Flash game that helps you practice your English listening skills and your problem-solving skills.

Here's a great listening exercise that helps you think and practice your "employment English."

Is he...? No he isn't. (Part 1 of....)

Just one note (I thought of this as I was working on a new exercise:) do not use "sportsman" to talk about someone (male or female) who plays a sport.

If you're speaking about sports in general, you can call someone an "athlete" (it's not just for athletics), use "player" with the name of the sport (volleyball player, tennis player, hockey player) or use the noun that goes with the sport (cyclist, jockey, runner).

"Sportman" (singular) does not exist in any dictionary that I consulted.

Bilingual and looking for a job?

Just saw this on Twitter and thought it might it be interesting for anyone who's a fluent English speaker and is also looking for a job: BilingualPeople.es is having a job fair this weekend in Barcelona.

Comma karma

Another example, this time from The Grammar Nazi, about why punctuation matters.

Business phrasal verbs!

Here you go - 64 phrasal verbs related to business! (Note that they're not exclusively for business - you could use quite a number of these in regular social situations, too.)

Remember to write down the ones you need the most (or the ones that give you most trouble), and practice them as often as you can!