This is my all-time favourite poem, written by Sheenagh Pugh. I first saw it on a poster in the Underground in London in 1989 and it's stayed with me since.
http://www.biancaday.com/sometimes.htm
Good night, everyone!
9.22.2010
But what does it MEAN?
If you think you've got it rough, speaking English at work, spare a thought for the United Nations interpreters who have to translate politicians...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11377609
It's another great article from the BBC World Service!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11377609
It's another great article from the BBC World Service!
9.21.2010
(Not entirely original) Thought of the Day:
"Don't be scared - just be prepared."
Thanks to the Canadian Hurricane Centre for that one!
http://tinyurl.com/pcny7v
Thanks to the Canadian Hurricane Centre for that one!
http://tinyurl.com/pcny7v
9.20.2010
Phrasal Verb Thought of the Day
If you don't stand up for something, you'll fall for anything.
What do the phrasal verbs "stand up" and "fall for" mean?
What do the phrasal verbs "stand up" and "fall for" mean?
9.14.2010
Sticky vocabulary!!
"You know what I mean... it's a... you know... it's kind of a thingy that...."
b) Write it out..again and again and again and again.... We described this technique back in August, when we were talking about motivation, but it's worth repeating over and over: the more times you use it, the easier it'll be to remember it. This is something they do in English-speaking public schools (at least they do in Canada!) when students have problems remembering how to spell: if you get a word wrong on a spelling test, you have to write the correct spelling twenty-five to fifty times. Why? Because it WORKS!
c) Break longer words into smaller pieces. Think about the base form of a word (REG-ju-lar), then add the suffixes and prefixes on individually. (Don't forget that suffixes and prefixes can change the meaning of a word, but only certain suffixes change the stress in a word: for example, 'REG-ju-lar but reg ju 'LA tion.)
d) Work with the sound, not the spelling. Irregular past simple words like thought, bought and taught are tough for Spanish speakers of English because, to the eyes of Spanish speakers, there's little connection between the spelling and the pronunciation of the word. Some students find it useful to make a list of words with similar sounds, because they know that there's a limited number of
combinations of sounds in English. So a student who wants to remember those three irregular verbs might make a list that looks like this: caught, taught, not, slot, ought, bought, daughter, flop, knot, because the /au/ sound is more common than the spelling.
e) Think in pictures. If you're not a big American football fan, the idea of to tackle something probably isn't an idea or a saying you use a lot. But if I give you a picture like this, and ask you how to tackle your vocabulary, you get the sense: to attack, to confront; not to hide or to avoid. Students who like to think in images find that this is a useful method.
True story: When I started learning Spanish years ago, I could not remember the difference between techo (ceiling) and suelo (floor). No word of a lie. Now, if you're an English speaker living in Canada, those words are probably not very important to your daily life, but just knowing that you're having problems can make you feel frustrated (and make you wonder if you're suffering some kind of mental problems!)
Have you got vocabulary that won't stay in your brain? Try these four tricks:
a) Use sticky notes. They don't have to be fancy, really colourful or cut into unusual shapes (though it's a nice touch...). If you want, you can recycle old pieces of office paper and adhesive tape. Then, put the note on the article in question (see photo) or somewhere where you're going to see it quite frequently. Repeat the word. Use it in a sentence. Once you know that you know the word - what it means, how to pronounce it, how to describe it - throw the note away or store it in your notebook (to test yourself later.)
b) Write it out..again and again and again and again.... We described this technique back in August, when we were talking about motivation, but it's worth repeating over and over: the more times you use it, the easier it'll be to remember it. This is something they do in English-speaking public schools (at least they do in Canada!) when students have problems remembering how to spell: if you get a word wrong on a spelling test, you have to write the correct spelling twenty-five to fifty times. Why? Because it WORKS!
c) Break longer words into smaller pieces. Think about the base form of a word (REG-ju-lar), then add the suffixes and prefixes on individually. (Don't forget that suffixes and prefixes can change the meaning of a word, but only certain suffixes change the stress in a word: for example, 'REG-ju-lar but reg ju 'LA tion.)
d) Work with the sound, not the spelling. Irregular past simple words like thought, bought and taught are tough for Spanish speakers of English because, to the eyes of Spanish speakers, there's little connection between the spelling and the pronunciation of the word. Some students find it useful to make a list of words with similar sounds, because they know that there's a limited number of
combinations of sounds in English. So a student who wants to remember those three irregular verbs might make a list that looks like this: caught, taught, not, slot, ought, bought, daughter, flop, knot, because the /au/ sound is more common than the spelling.e) Think in pictures. If you're not a big American football fan, the idea of to tackle something probably isn't an idea or a saying you use a lot. But if I give you a picture like this, and ask you how to tackle your vocabulary, you get the sense: to attack, to confront; not to hide or to avoid. Students who like to think in images find that this is a useful method.
9.11.2010
How do YOU learn?
Don't panic - that's not an existential question, I promise!
When you become a teacher, one of the most difficult things to learn is that everybody learns a different way. Activities, games and ideas that worked in one class may fail spectacularly in another class. Or maybe you'll find a way to make them more relevant and interesting.
This is especially true if students are aware of their learning styles. Not everyone learns the same way; not every trick and every piece of advice works equally well for everyone! I'm not an expert on the topic, so I won't talk in detail about the theory, but if you'd like to learn more - or even if you'd just like to get an idea of what your strengths are - take a look at the link below. The language is a little advanced, but it's worth the trouble.
http://www.businessballs.com/kolblearningstyles.htm
When you become a teacher, one of the most difficult things to learn is that everybody learns a different way. Activities, games and ideas that worked in one class may fail spectacularly in another class. Or maybe you'll find a way to make them more relevant and interesting.
This is especially true if students are aware of their learning styles. Not everyone learns the same way; not every trick and every piece of advice works equally well for everyone! I'm not an expert on the topic, so I won't talk in detail about the theory, but if you'd like to learn more - or even if you'd just like to get an idea of what your strengths are - take a look at the link below. The language is a little advanced, but it's worth the trouble.
http://www.businessballs.com/kolblearningstyles.htm
9.10.2010
Another FREE TOEFL resource
Here's one for you students who will be doing the TOEFL this year - a free online practice page, courtesy of The Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper:
http://toefl.testprep.globecampus.ca/
http://toefl.testprep.globecampus.ca/
CRISIS: What is it, exactly?
crisis: c.1425, from Greek krisis "turning point in a disease" (used as such by Hippocrates and Galen), lit. "judgment," from krinein "to separate, decide, judge," from PIE base *krei- "to sieve, discriminate, distinguish" (cf. Gk. krinesthai "to explain;" O.E. hriddel "sieve". Transferred non-medical sense is 1627.
Don't fall into the trap of thinking that all Greek and Latin words mean the same in English as they do in Spanish!
It's true that the economic troubles we're currently experiencing can be described as a crisis. Dictionary.com defines a crisis as:
1. a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, esp. for better or for worse, is determined; turning point.
2. a condition of instability or danger, as in social, economic, political, or international affairs, leading to a decisive change.
Both of those are good descriptions of what's happening in the economy now!
Recession, however, is a much more accurate word. A recession is defined as "a period of an economic contraction, sometimes limited in scope or duration", and when you think about it, this is a better way of describing what's happening because it is very specific to the economy. People understand that "crisis" means something negative, but it could be anything - it doesn't specifically refer to the economy.
If the economy gets much worse, then we need to use a totally different word: depression ("a period during which business, employment, and stock-market values decline severely or remain at a very low level of activity.")
Sources:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/crisis
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/recession
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/depression
Don't fall into the trap of thinking that all Greek and Latin words mean the same in English as they do in Spanish!
It's true that the economic troubles we're currently experiencing can be described as a crisis. Dictionary.com defines a crisis as:
1. a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, esp. for better or for worse, is determined; turning point.
2. a condition of instability or danger, as in social, economic, political, or international affairs, leading to a decisive change.
Both of those are good descriptions of what's happening in the economy now!
Recession, however, is a much more accurate word. A recession is defined as "a period of an economic contraction, sometimes limited in scope or duration", and when you think about it, this is a better way of describing what's happening because it is very specific to the economy. People understand that "crisis" means something negative, but it could be anything - it doesn't specifically refer to the economy.
If the economy gets much worse, then we need to use a totally different word: depression ("a period during which business, employment, and stock-market values decline severely or remain at a very low level of activity.")
Sources:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/crisis
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/recession
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/depression
9.07.2010
Why studying doesn't work.
"I have to study more."
How many times do you hear yourself saying that? How much studying do you actually do during the academic year?
Instead of studying, think about practice. Why? First of all, most people say that they feel that they should study.... but they actually don't do anything at all. Maybe they buy some books or maybe they have lists of vocabulary, but I'll tell you from experience - 90% of students don't even go that far.
Can you imagine what would happen if Alberto Contador wanted to win the Tour de France, but never got on his bicycle? Or if Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to win the World Cup for Portugal, but never put his shoes on? If you say that you want to study, but you don't do anything, all you do is guarantee that you will fail.
Here's an easier idea: Don't study - practice. Use your English every way you can. Listen to music. Write a journal. Watch short videos on YouTube. After all, you're learning English so that you can use it in the real world. The best way to use it in real situations is to practice in controlled situations, and to make it as diverse as possible.
If you think this advice is ridiculous, read this article from The New York Times: http://tinyurl.com/353qvzo.
Remember: You are the boss of your learning. Teachers are there to help you, but they cannot do your work for you.
How many times do you hear yourself saying that? How much studying do you actually do during the academic year?
Instead of studying, think about practice. Why? First of all, most people say that they feel that they should study.... but they actually don't do anything at all. Maybe they buy some books or maybe they have lists of vocabulary, but I'll tell you from experience - 90% of students don't even go that far.
Can you imagine what would happen if Alberto Contador wanted to win the Tour de France, but never got on his bicycle? Or if Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to win the World Cup for Portugal, but never put his shoes on? If you say that you want to study, but you don't do anything, all you do is guarantee that you will fail.
Here's an easier idea: Don't study - practice. Use your English every way you can. Listen to music. Write a journal. Watch short videos on YouTube. After all, you're learning English so that you can use it in the real world. The best way to use it in real situations is to practice in controlled situations, and to make it as diverse as possible.
If you think this advice is ridiculous, read this article from The New York Times: http://tinyurl.com/353qvzo.
Remember: You are the boss of your learning. Teachers are there to help you, but they cannot do your work for you.
How high can a dead cat bounce?
Here's one for you advanced-level business students: Today's "Guardian" has an amusing piece about how English business newspapers and television often use animals to provide imagery when they talk about the stock market. Sometimes, it's easy to understand what they mean; sometimes, it's confusing even for English speakers.
http://tinyurl.com/277xmfp
FYI: A dead cat bounce is the idea that anything (a stock market, a dead cat) will bounce (=come back into the air) if it hits the ground hard enough, and from a high place.
http://tinyurl.com/277xmfp
FYI: A dead cat bounce is the idea that anything (a stock market, a dead cat) will bounce (=come back into the air) if it hits the ground hard enough, and from a high place.
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