Posts

,

Kung Fu Skills Not Essential

So you love English, love social media, are open to relocating, perhaps to China, specially if you also have a keen interest in Kung Fu, yes? Then we have seen the perfect job opportunity for you!

You know that English has truly become the global language of choice when you see a situations vacant advertisement posted online by an ancient Chinese Buddhist temple seeking a Brand Builder who is fluent in English!
Such is the fame of the 1,500 year old Shoalin temple, where the monks are known for their skills in martial arts such as Kung Fu, that the temple has become an shrine to martial arts lovers from across the globe.
Even though the temple is located in an isolated position, deep inside the mountains of Henan province, visitors are drawn to the site in order to experience for themselves the special form of Kung Fu practiced by the monks. Whilst most of the monks themselves do not speak English, in order to market and secure the temples brand globally, English has been chosen as the preferred language for the position advertised.
It just goes to show that the reach of English as an international language is still growing strong and is reaching even the most unexpected places.
The Guardian newspaper has more on this story. Have a read, it will certainly make you laugh yet they are totally serious. Could you, or someone you know, fit the bill?
/0 Comments/by
,

In/into and on/onto

English prepositions cause a great deal of confusion for non-native speakers. This article is about some of the most common preposition pairs which are easily confused.

In / into

What exactly is the difference between in and into? At least in a few cases, they are both possible. However, there are some differences, too.

Both ‘in’ and ‘into’ refer to three dimensional spaces. In is used to talk about position. Into is used to talk about directions and destinations.

He is not in his office. (NOT He is not into his office.)

She walked into the room. (NOT She walked in the room.)

Into is often used to suggest that people or things move from an outdoor space into an indoor space.

Compare:

She was walking in the garden. (Here in shows position inside the garden.)

Then she walked into her house. (Here into shows movement from the garden to the house.)

She is in her room reading a book.

She ran into the room carrying a paper.

On / onto

The difference between on and onto is similar to the difference between in and into.

On shows position. Onto shows movement or direction.

There is a book on the table. (Position)

He threw the book onto the bed.

The cat is on the roof.

How does it get onto the roof?

Can you get onto the roof without a ladder?

See if you can throw your hat onto the roof.

Into and onto are normally written as single words. On to is also possible in British English.

After some verbs (e.g. throw, jump, push, put) both in and into or on and onto are possible with similar meanings.

Read more at http://www.englishpractice.com/improve/ininto-ononto/#rydrAoed93KSsToX.99

LINDA’S PROFILE

/0 Comments/by
,

Rarely will a person be able to explain such a thing!

Apparently, generally speaking, we invert subject and verb (or DO as auxiliary) when a (near-) negative begins the sentence:

Never/Rarely/Seldom have I seen such a sight.
Rarely/seldom do you see such beauty.

So that is why I have written ‘Rarely will a person…’ (Although in truth, to a native speaker, they won’t know this ‘rule’, it will just sound ‘right’)

 

Contact Rachel today > http://www.italki.com/teacher/1394345

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Reduce reduce reduce!

What am I talking about? – Reductions!

What are reductions? – These are shortened, combined, or ‘reduced’ forms of English words. For example gonna (going to), wanna (want to) and hafta (have to). There aren’t ‘real’ words in English and are not used in writing however they are frequently used in spoken and informal English, especially in movies and music, so it’s a good idea to know about reductions in order to understand these and to sound more natural when you are speaking with native English speakers.

So let’s have a look at some:

gonna – going to
gotta – got to
hafta – have to
hasta – has to
wanna – want to
whaddaya – what do you
howdya – how do you

Have a look to see if you can hear these the next time you listen to some English pop music. 

My favourite is ‘dunno’, which means ‘I don’t know’!

 

Contact Rachel today > http://www.italki.com/teacher/1394345

/0 Comments/by
, ,

“So” or “too”? Know the difference and why it matters!

One of the most common problems I hear with my students every day is the misuse of “so” or “too.” 

Wow, this is so much food!

or

Wow, this is too much food!

Do you know the difference?

Actually, changing that one adverb can make a neutral sentence a negative one. Let me explain 🙂

SO

meaning: to such a great extent.


I drank so much coffee yesterday!
= I drank a lot of coffee yesterday!
= I drank a great amount of coffee yesterday!


She speaks so quickly.
= She speaks very quickly.
= She speaks at a quick speed.

TOO

meaning: more than is desirable, permissible, or possible; excessively.


I drank too much coffee yesterday!
= I drank more coffee than I should have yesterday!
= I drank an unnecessary amount of coffee yesterday.


She speaks too quickly.
= She speaks excessively fast; I can’t understand her.
= She speaks at a quick speed that isn’t understandable.

As you can see, using “so” in a sentence just emphasizes the extent of the adjective you are describing (I drank SO much coffee). But using “too” actually means that it is more than necessary (I drank TOO much coffee). What are some examples in your daily life when you use “so” and “too”?

KELSEY’S PROFILE

 

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Do you know your colloquial pairs?

Many of my IELTS students make a point of studying their idioms and phrasal verbs, mostly as it’s a clear cut way to show fluency and develop a more natural and advanced way of speaking English. However, there is something else which can also help here. This is the use of colloquial pairs. You will surely all now about ‘pros and cons’  from learning how to speak about advantages and disadvantages, and this is indeed a colloquial pair, however what about others? 

What is a colloquial pair? Well these are pairs of words that have a special significance, such as idioms or slang. You must take care not to put them in the wrong order however, as while these pairs may be understood in a reversed order, they will sound incorrect to a native speaker.

  • prim and proper
  • to and fro
  • odds and ends
  • hard and fast
  • tooth and nail
  • pros and cons
  • by and large
  • down and out
  • length and breadth
  • safe and sound

So, can I give you some examples? Well, I’m very ‘prim and proper’ about my colloquial pairs so I must make sure I use them correctly! I believe that ‘by and large’ these are phrases which are essential to add to your vocabulary if you want to speak like a native, and there is nothing we can do to change that! I’m afraid these rules are set ‘hard and fast’ and we can’t make any exceptions. 

Why not look the other pairs up online and see if you can use them?

 

RACHEL’S PROFILE

/0 Comments/by
, ,

The Word Detectives

In the Scripps National Spelling Bee championship held in the USA, the joint teenage champions had to spell words such assdrucciola, holluschick, thymelici, encaenia, terreplein and stichomythia in order to win. Whether or not they understood the meanings of the words, it is an impressive feat indeed that they managed to spell words such as these correctly upon hearing them used only once.
 
Traditionally, especially when I was at school, spelling was taught by our teachers giving us a list of words on Monday, which was followed by a spelling test on Friday. This has been the case with spelling for many years, but I bet the teenage champions at the 2014 National Spelling Bee learned spelling in a completely different way.
Most spelling follows expected patterns, teaching how and why certain patterns are used helps you to develop your spelling. For example, various words containing the /ay/ sound are grouped by their spelling pattern into lists:
List 1 would contain the ‘ai’ words (rain, bait, brain, wait, grain, aim, aid…).
List 2 would give the ‘ay’ words (play, away, stay, pay, pray…).
List 3 would give the a-consonant-e spelling pattern (gate, trade, game, make, grade…).
List 4 would contain the single vowel ‘a’ spellings (rang, bank, thank, sang…).
List 5 would contain the ‘unexpected’ spellings of /ay/ (eight, weigh, great …).
 
Another way to investigate and understand the patterns is to group words beginning with the same letter. For example, the letter ‘C’ would contain words beginning with a ‘hard-c’ such as cat, or a ‘soft-c’ as in cell, and once these words are grouped together you will start to discover that ‘c’ is usually hard when followed by consonants and the vowels ‘a, o & u’ (cat, cot, cut etc…), whilst it is usually soft when followed by ‘i. e & y’ (circus, celery, cycle etc.).
 
There are always exceptions to these rules, but it’s a good way to learn spelling patterns which will eventually help amplify your vocabulary and improve your English!
/0 Comments/by
,

Don’t recommend it, suggest it instead

I recently had a query from one of my students which went a bit like this…
“I have understood all the corrections you’ve made, but I have a doubt with the verb “recommend”. I thought it could be used as I did in the writing “I recommend you to read this book” now I know that I have to say “I recommend that you read this book” but my doubt is: in which cases can it be used with the form “recommend+object+to+infinitive”?
Ah ha…  good question I thought.  This is a perfect example of why I recommend (!) that my students avoid using the verb ‘to recommend’, at least at certain levels of their understanding.  I suggest that they use ‘to suggest’ or even advise them to use ‘advise’ as alternatives.
Why?
The student had written…
“For all the aforementioned reasons I strongly recommend you to read this masterpiece, so if you have the chance, don’t hesitate to read it!”
I had subsequently corrected it to…
“For all the aforementioned reasons I strongly recommend that you read this masterpiece, so if you have the chance, don’t hesitate to read it!”
So when they queried this my response was that the error was not with `recommend`, it was actually with `to read`. Whilst it is sometimes suggested that ‘recommend’ can be followed by ‘to + infinitive’, it really shouldn’t.

We recommend you use our new software.
not:
We recommend you to use our new software.

Whilst the following structures related to the verb recommend are often noted as grammatically correct….

(1) verb + object + to-infinitive –> I recommend you to use 
(2) verb + -ing form (without object) –> I recommend using
(3) verb + present subjunctive –> I recommend *(that) you use
(4) verb + should + bare infinitive –> I recommend (that) you should use

* that is optional in this case

… my opinion is  that “I recommend you to read” is bad English. We say “I advise you to…”. With “recommend” it just sounds wrong (to me).

Therefore I always think it is best for some levels of ESL students to actually use ‘advise’ or ‘suggest’ than ‘recommend’ in the their writing and so you avoid the problem! Yes I know that some teachers would say that you should ‘resolve’ the problem but I really cannot explain how ‘it just sounds wrong’. So best, for now, to work around it! (Until I find a better explanation!)
/0 Comments/by
,

5 Common Grammar Mistakes

Error #1: Run-on Sentence or Comma Splice

A run-on sentence is a sentence that joins two independent clauses without punctuation or the appropriate conjunction. A comma splice is similar to a run-on sentence, but it uses a comma to join two clauses that have no appropriate conjunction.

Fixing a run-on sentence or a comma splice can be accomplished in one of five different ways:

  • Separate the clauses into two sentences.
  • Replace the comma with a semi-colon.
  • Replace the comma with a coordinating conjunction–and, but, for, yet, nor, so.
  • Replace the comma with a subordinating conjunction–after, although, before, unless, as, because, even though, if, since, until, when, while.
  • Replace the comma with a semi-colon and transitional word–however, moreover, on the other hand, nevertheless, instead, also, therefore, consequently, otherwise, as a result.

For example:

  • Incorrect: Rachel is very smart, she began reading when she was three years old.
  • Correct: Rachel is very smart. She began reading when she was three years old.
  • Correct: Rachel is very smart; she began reading when she was three years old.
  • Correct: Rachel is very smart, and she began reading when she was three years old.
  • Correct: Because Rachel is very smart, she began reading when she was three years old.
  • Correct: Rachel is very smart; as a result, she began reading when she was three years old.

Error #2: Pronoun Errors

Pronoun errors occur when pronouns do not agree in number with the nouns to which they refer. If the noun is singular, the pronoun must be singular. If the noun is plural, however, the pronoun must be plural as well. For example:

  • Incorrect: Everybody must bring their own lunch.
  • Correct: Everybody must bring his or her own lunch.

Many people believe that pronoun errors are the result of writers who are trying to avoid the implication of sexist language. Although this is an admirable goal, correct grammar is still important.

Error #3: Mistakes in Apostrophe Usage

Apostrophes are used to show possession. However, you do not use an apostrophe after a possessive pronoun such as my, mine, our, ours, his, hers, its, their, or theirs. For example:

  • Incorrect: My mothers cabin is next to his’ cabin.
  • Correct: My mother’s cabin is next to his cabin.

In the case of it’s, the apostrophe is used to indicate a contraction for it is. For example:

  • Incorrect: Its a cold day in October.
  • Correct: It’s a cold day in October.

Error #4: Lack of Subject/Verb Agreement

When speaking or writing in the present tense, a sentence must have subjects and verbs that agree in number. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural as well. For example:

  • Incorrect: The recipes is good for beginning chefs.
  • Correct: The recipes are good for beginning chefs.

Error #5: Misplaced Modifiers

To communicate your ideas clearly, you must place a modifier directly next to the word it is supposed to modify. The modifier should clearly refer to a specific word in the sentence. For example:

  • Incorrect: At eight years old, my father gave me a pony for Christmas.

Correct: When I was eight years old, my father gave me a pony for Christmas.

LINDA’S PROFILE

/0 Comments/by
,

IELTS

I have a lot of students who are studying for the IELTS exams, both Academic and General. A lot of them come to me after they have already taken it once and only scored 5.5 when they really want 6.5 or 7 for visa requirements to go to other countries.

They don’t understand why they only got 5.5 last time.

So we talk, and I listen, and we discuss the last exam, I test them on their grammar and vocabulary and then confirm to them that they speak very good English. However what most them don’t realise is that the IELTS is so much more than a normal English test when it comes to the speaking. There are extra marks that you can pick up quite easily, and if you browse thoroughly through all the online IELTS advice they will confirm what I am telling you here. It is not the quality of the grammar, but the fluency and cohesion of your response, the style and essence of your argument, the ability to hold a discourse at a deeper level. Ok, you say. So what do I need to do? Easy, I reply. Show them that you know how to use 4 things;

  • Phrasal verbs – often seen as the poor relative of the posher and more intellectual Latin derived verbs in English, they are nonetheless essential to show true levels of fluency in English.
  • Idioms – an absolute must to be able to converse like a native.
  • Paraphrasing – to show the examiner that you not only understand but can explain in another way
  • Give examples in 3s – 3 adjectives, 3 verbs, 3 nouns, 3 anything… as long as you always talk in three. It shows that you can not only give an example, but in fact have lots of ideas.

IELTS candidates can also score highly by…

  •  Getting straight to the point
  • Using a range of tenses – past simple, present simple and present perfect – with great accuracy
  • Using a wide range of grammatical forms such as a conditional sentence (If I…) and a cleft sentence (All I need now is…)
  • Answering all parts of the question
  • Avoiding over-formality and using expressions such as actually and pretty that are appropriate to conversational style
  • Providing a summarising sentence to wrap up the response
Finally, what does it take to achieve this? Practice! Just practice!
/0 Comments/by