One of the biggest problems many language learners have is remembering and retaining new vocabulary. Students often talk to me about keeping notebooks and lists of new vocabulary they come across and yet finding it very difficult to remember or to use these new words or expressions. If this is a problem you’re having then this link may be very helpful for you. As always, with language acquisition, the more you can personalise it, make it relevant to you, the more you can relate things to your life and your interests the easier it will be to remember and to use them. http://www.strategiesinlanguagelearning.com/improve-your-language-learning/
http://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/homer_remembering-1.gif438335Annahttp://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SE4U2-2-4.jpgAnna2014-03-10 14:52:022014-03-10 14:52:02More on Remembering New Vocabulary
Knowing English and having the vocabulary learned from a textbook is very important at some work places. But what about the things that the textbooks don’t teach you? Have you heard a phrase that totally confuses you and then you lose your train of thought and all of the sudden are totally lost? Usually when this happens when the person that you are speaking with uses an idiom that you are not familiar with. Native speakers can even be confused by idioms! Especially when speaking with people from a different area.
someone’s TRAIN OF THOUGHT
Fig. someone’s pattern of thinking or sequence of ideas; what one was just thinking about.
If native speakers can be confused by these, how can an English learner even start to take on idioms?
TAKE ON
Phrasal verb a: to begin to perform or deal with b: to contend with as an opponent
You can follow the steps found in the link above and focus on your industry. That is the best way to improve your business English and let’s not forget the power of Google! If you work in a hotel, google ‘hotel idioms’.
Try this quiz and see how you do >
Business English Idioms: Idioms Test
I am always available to answer any questions you have about idioms 🙂 Comment on this blog post and I will reply!
http://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/i-need-english-for-my-work-1.jpg320220Jessicahttp://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SE4U2-2-4.jpgJessica2014-02-16 08:35:462014-02-16 08:35:46I need English for work
I have been teaching online since 2010 and I have probably said ‘surround yourself with English’ over 1,000 times! I guess it is my catchphrase
You MUST surround yourself with everyday English as much as possible.The first time that you hear or read a word/idiom/phrase that you don’t know, write it down and look it up or better yet,ask someone (sometimes the dictionary can confuse you with idioms or phrasal verbs). When you take the time to do a little research, the word/idiom/phrase is more likely to stick in your mind. Then the next time you come across it, it will become reinforced and more of a part of your active vocabulary. The more you hear or see something the more likely you are to remember it, right? And that, my friends, is why you need to listen and read English whenever you can!
The next step is to be able to actively use the word/idiom/phrase in your daily interactions. This is where difficulties can arise. Anyone can LEARN a word/idiom/phrase by using a book or the internet, but it is much more difficult to get that word/idiom/phrase into your active vocabulary and be able to easily use it yourself. This is where PRACTICE comes in. PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE! (another catchphrase of mine). Once you learn the word, you need to use it!
Speaking with a native speaker is an excellent way to practice, but that may not be possible for everyone. I am always posting on facebook, twitter, pinterest and tumblr to help students surround themselves with English as much as possible. I hope that you will take advantage of it and spend a little time everyday to improve your English.
#EngVocab
catchphrase(noun) a word or expression that is used repeatedly and conveniently to represent or characterize a person, group, idea, or point of view
come across(phrasal verb) to find or encounter, especially by chance
http://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/better-word-cloud-curriculum-aims-v2-1.jpg6841592Jessicahttp://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SE4U2-2-4.jpgJessica2014-02-16 08:26:282014-02-16 08:26:28Surround Yourself with English
“Much” and “many” are used so many times in English! It takes much effort to learn the difference between them. Students should spend a lot of time studying if they want to speak fluent English.
There are many great websites that help with this subject. Here are some resources that you can use to learn more:
http://englishlanguagehelp.info/esl/much-vs-many/
http://stickyball.net/esl-grammar.html?id=394
And here is a quiz for practice.
Do you feel confident with using “much” and “many?” Try to describe the following words using either “much” or “many” for practice:
_______ cars
_______ books
_______ rain
_______ snow
_______ love
_______ coffee
_______ people
_______ groups
_______ time
_______ English!
How did you do? If you are still having trouble, try the websites to learn more. I wish you much luck and many good answers!
http://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Screen-Shot-2014-01-21-at-8.50.14-AM-1.png153656Kelseyhttp://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SE4U2-2-4.jpgKelsey2014-01-21 09:24:022014-01-21 09:24:02Much and Many
We all know that asking questions is important when you learn a new language, but how important?
As an ESL teacher, I am always looking for new ways to help my students learn. One of the best ways I can do that is by knowing my student’s interests and any QUESTIONS they may have.
When a student asks a question, it not only gives them good practice and new information, but it allows the teacher to understand what the student needs to learn! So, I encourage you, students, to ask ask ask! It is so important to always be asking questions, no matter how small or silly they may seem.
Here is a link to some good information on how to ask questions in English. I hope it helps, and don’t forget: ASK QUESTIONS!
Student: Why is the first one correct and not the second?
The kids work well at school.
The kids work at school well.
Teacher:The first one is correct because there is a ‘rule of order’ of words in a sentence. Basic English sentences, until you are at an advanced level of English, is: Subject, Verb, Object.
Then, we usually, put the modifying adjectives, before the noun they are talking about. The kids (subject) Or the smart (adjective) kids… AND THE ADVERB comes after the verb…work well….we put the adverb right after the verb to avoid misunderstanding as to which word the adverb is modifying.
Here’s another example…
The dog barked loudly at the postman.
If you move ‘loudly’ to the end of the sentence, you are actually putting the most emphasis on the fact that the dog barked at the postman. By putting ‘loudly’ at the end…it is almost as if you were saying something as an ‘afterthought.’ When in fact, what you really want to say, is that the dog BARKED LOUDLY…not just barked…so the location of the adverb gives more emphasis.
How difficult was that sentence to say? If you are like most ESL learners, it wasn’t so easy. Below are some of my favorite resources on how to pronounce the English *L*.
Start with this lesson from pronuncian.com. It will explain in detail the mechanics, or step-by-step movements, of how to move your mouth in the sound of an L.
order essays
Next- I have a really fun video to watch. This is Amy Walker, who is not an English teacher but a professional actress who has excellent accent skills. In this video she clearly explains how to practice the L sound, and also does a warm-up for the first minute or two. It may seem silly, but warm-ups and practice are the key to mastering English!
http://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Screen-Shot-2013-10-21-at-10.50.39-PM-2.png177710Kelseyhttp://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SE4U2-2-4.jpgKelsey2013-10-21 22:17:262013-10-21 22:17:26Lets Learn aLL about *L’s*
Here is a really excellent blog on language acquisition. This post makes some very useful suggestions about how to remember new vocabulary…..it’s all about context!!!! Have a look at this: http://www.lingholic.com/how-to-remember-words-when-learning-a-language/
http://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SE4U2-2-4.jpg00Annahttp://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SE4U2-2-4.jpgAnna2013-09-17 10:04:592013-09-17 10:04:59Remembering New Vocabulary
I have been ‘pinning’ for a few years now and thought it was really a great way to waste time… until now. Thanks to ESL Hip Hop, I have now found an actual use for Pinterest.
Most people use Pinterest to ‘pin’ (share) recipes, pictures of their dream house, internet memes, and basically anything you can think of. It is a virtual pin-board for you to organize into categories as you wish. I am a victim of the food boards, the vacation dream spot boards and drifting off into the land of make-believe as I pin away. The other day something on twitter caught my eye. ESL Hip Hop posted about a Pinterest picture dictionary. EUREKA! What a great idea! He has a ‘board’ dedicated to vocabulary from a particular song.
I am a very visual person, so seeing the picture in real life context really hits home with me. Let’s face it, we’ve all had enough of the lame illustrated furniture vocabulary in books written in 1972.
hit home – refer to or be relevant or familiar to; “I hope this message hits home!”
What should you do about this? Sign up to Pinterest and follow my boards and ‘pin’ words that you do not know to your own boards and study them daily. Once you feel that you know a word, you can move it to a different board. You can name it ‘Words I Know’ and only glance at that one once in awhile. As I mentioned earlier, it is a great way to waste time– BUT, if you are browsing around and reading the captions in English, you are learning at the same time!
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I would love to hear what you think about this method of learning vocabulary. Leave me a comment below!
http://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/pinterest-2.jpg300400Jessicahttp://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SE4U2-2-4.jpgJessica2013-06-14 23:26:522013-06-14 23:26:52Using Pinterest to improve your English
Another difficult area, for many non native speakers, is working out when to use make or do. The problem is that they have very similar meanings, but they do have very different uses. Do is used when we are talking about general and daily activities and when no physical object is produced.
What are you doing? I’m doing the housework.
I really hate doing the ironing.
I wish I didn’t have to do it.
Examples: Do the washing up
Do my homework
Do our jobs
We also often use do with, nothing, everything, anything, something.
It’s my day off tomorrow, would you like to do something?
Does anything really matter?
I’ve done everything you asked me to do
Make, on the other hand, is very often used when we are talking about creating, building or constructing something that we can actually touch or see.
I am makingbreakfast/lunch/supper
He made a really beautiful box in his woodwork class
My grandmother used to make her own clothes.
Do and make are also used with a large number of set expressions, (collocations) the problem is (rather like a lot of things in English!!!) there are no rules to help you decide and so these just have to be learnt.
Follow this link to see a list of set expressions and to try out some exercises.
http://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SE4U2-2-4.jpg00Annahttp://skypenglish4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SE4U2-2-4.jpgAnna2013-06-14 08:06:132013-06-14 08:06:13Frequently Confused Words #2 Make or Do?
