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For / To 

Don’t say: “I’m studying every day for improve my English.” 
Say: “I’m studying every day to improve my English.” 
 
The words to and for are very easy to confuse! Here are some rules: 
 
Use to in these cases: 
1. Destination (We’re going to Paris.) 
2. What time it is (It’s a quarter to 2.) 
3. Distance (It’s about ten miles from my house to the university.) 
4. Comparing (I prefer sleeping to working.) 
5. Giving (I gave the book to my sister.) 
6. Motive/Reason – with verb (I came here to see you.) 
 
Use for in these cases:
1. Benefits (Yogurt is good for your digestion.) 
2. Period of time (We’ve lived here for 2 years.) 
3. Schedule (I made an appointment for May 3.) 
4. Agree with (Are you for or against the development of nuclear weapons?) 
5. Doing something to help someone (Could you carry these books for me?) 
6. Motive/Reason – with noun (Let’s go out for a drink.) 
 
As you can see in #6, to or for can be used for a motive/reason, but to is always with a verb, and for is always with a noun. Here’s a good example: 
I came to New York to work. 
I came to New York for a new job. 
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BUSY OR PRODUCTIVE?

Today I want to ask you a question about how you are studying to improve your English:  Many students believe they are too busy to spend any time studying or learning new words or skills outside of class time.  The question that needs answering is, “Are you being productive, or are you just being busy?” There’s a huge difference between the two!

I want you to imagine busy as being like an octopus with roller-skates. You have eight legs, all of them trying to go in a different direction, but nothing is going anywhere. But productivity looks like a tiger on a mission to catch its prey, just going forward and allowing nothing to distract it from its goal. So one of the key things about being productive is, ‘are you distracted,’ and if so, what is it that you need to stop doing of what you’re doing?

One of the main things that totally distracts most people and wastes too much time, is checking email, or even checking social media first thing in the morning. Now, if that’s your job, like if you’re in customer service, or you’re in social media, that’s something different. But if you’re in bed and you reach over to grab your phone, the first thing you do is check email and check social media, you’re in total reactionary mode. Your mind is being distracted without reason by whatever else is out there.

So what you need to do is get control of your life. What you do is, don’t go look at your phone first. First, be grateful that you’re alive. Meditate or just think about what you are going to do this day, before you get out of bed, and then consciously direct your mind on what you’re going to do. One of the things that have helped me is, I put a plan together of what I’m going to do the night before, for the next day.

I usually plan out just the daily things, maybe one or two days out, maybe a week out.  Just as important as planning your daily activities, you’ve got to prioritize them  as well. Did you know that productive people actually end up having more time, more free time and more time to spend with their loved ones. But if you’re just always being busy, and use it as an excuse and somehow that feeds your ego some way, that’s only going to work for so long. Eventually you’re going to come face to face with yourself and you won’t be happy with the outcome!

If you want to be that high-performer, if you want to be that successful person, if you want to have that higher life design, you really have to determine the difference between busyness and productivity. Also consciously directing your mind of, what am I going to be doing today?  Who am I going to be if I don’t improve my English today?

Once again, think about it. Do you want to be productive, or do you just want to be busy? I assume you want to be productive.   So, in your daily plan, give yourself some time to concentrate on learning something new in English.  Write down the time in your calendar book, just like you have written the time we have a lesson. Maybe you only have 15 minutes in the morning, but still you can do something productive in 15 minutes.  Maybe it will be to read 5 new words and revise them?  Then maybe you have 30 minutes in the evening.  Instead of turning on the television, open up a book. Read an English book…any book that you want to read just for pleasure.  Read that book everyday, even if it is only one or two pages!  Soon, you will see how much of that book you have read.  I always have a book in the bathroom.  I do exactly that; I read one or two pages a day.  It is surprising how much you can read during this time!

If you want to learn English, you must spend some time practicing and reading and studying outside of class.  There is no reason why you should not be able to find some time for this.  You are not too busy; you are just not managing your time in a productive way.  So, slowly and methodically, is often the way to be more productive and reach your goals.  Now, make a plan…

You can learn better English and you can be more productive.

JANET’S PROFILE

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10 Fun & Easy Ways to Learn English Faster

We’ve all heard a thousand times that the only way to really learn English is to be totally immersed in the language, completely surrounded by it everywhere you go. But we wanted to go deeperthan that and find quick and easy ways to start getting immersed. So our research team put together 10 steps that you can follow, in this order, to make learning English faster and a whole lot more fun.
#1: Find some English radio stations and podcasts in iTunes
There are tons of podcasts about all topics imaginable these days: entertainment, politics, news. A good way to find one is to look for a podcast from a TV channel you usually watch in your cable TV. Look for one that interests you and listen to it in your car while driving. You’ll train your ear that way!
#2: Check out the Top Videos on YouTube and watch for at least a few minutes
Most of them are hilarious! It will be so worth it. Try looking at the comments to pick up some words and sentences you aren’t familiar with, but be careful there is all kinds of bizarre stuff in YouTube comments.
#3: Talk and sing to yourself in English
When you are alone at home, or of course in the shower, start talking! Sing a song in English the way it sounds to you, talk about the weather or any other topic. Do this frequently and your pronunciation will drastically improve – guaranteed!
4#: Do you have an English-speaking idol? Go to YouTube and watch all of his/her interviews in English
You can spend hours doing that listening to interviews and it sure won’t feel like studying. But it is! It helps you a great deal.
5#: Sit near people who are speaking English on the bus or in the park. Listen in…
Okay now don’t be a creepy eavesdropper! But, see what words you can pick up and listen to the flow of the conversation. How much did you understand? What general topic were they talking about? Did you hear an interesting word you might want to look up after?
#6: Pay attention to billboards, signs, advertisements, magazine stands and establishment names
Look and think about what these ads mean. How many words do you recognize? Did you see that same word elsewhere? Make up sentences about what you’re seeing.
#7: Love music? Try figuring out the words/lyrics of your favorite songs
Watch video clips with lyrics on YouTube and sing along. Read the translation and build up your vocabulary. Listen to “clean” versions of songs and try to figure out what dirty words were taken out. It’s fun!
#8: Watch TV clips, episodes or soap operas in English
It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand what they’re saying, watch anyway! Try to understand why something is funny or sad . If the joke is related to the word itself, then maybe that is why the joke does not make sense in your native language. What would be the best translation into your language then?
#9: Engage in a conversation on Facebook with friends who post in English
When you have English speakers in your timeline, you see their posts daily and get inside information about news and viral videos in English. Your friends can be your teachers! Their timeline basically sort out the best material for you to study.
#10: Produce, produce, produce. No matter how shy you are or how much you don’t “get” English, force yourself to speak
Help out a tourist who looks lost. They won’t mind you struggling with the language while you’re doing them a favor! After class, talk to your teacher about how things are going and what you need help with in English. When traveling, ask around for directions in English, even if you don’t need them! Try purchasing things online and by phone, or using customer support in English.
It does not matter if you talk slowly, you are learning, that’s only natural!
BONUS TIP: When seeing a new movie look up the original title on IMDB.com
The translation sometimes does not correspond directly to the original. Find out what the original title really means. Ask yourself how the translation makes sense.  What is the relation to the movie? You will never forget a new word that once it’s associated with an unforgettable movie. Works every time!
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Education meets overseas travel with the spirit of Eurovision

The above description represents how many young learners felt about the European Unions Erasmus program, and up until quite recently there was still a hint of youthful idealism about the scheme, albeit mixed with some essential life skills for the next generation.
More recently however, the newly branded Erasmus+ appears to have a more clearly defined strategic purpose. With youth unemployment throughout Europe at record levels, around 6 million young people out of work, it is one of the European Union’s toughest challenges. It is probably no wonder then, that the budget for Erasmus+ has been increased by 40% in order to help fight youth unemployment. The main problem, according to some sources, is the fact that skills held by the young and unemployed do not match the jobs available. According to European Union sources, there are currently 2 million job vacancies within the EU where employers cannot find people with the right skills.
In countries where youth unemployment is low, such as Germany and Austria, there are vocational training places available for every young person who wants one. The new Erasmus+ scheme also includes apprenticeship exchanges.
Less is more
In my view there are far too many soft courses for students nowadays. Many University campuses have grow huge on the back of providing these soft degree courses such as media studies or humanities, while failing to equip graduates with the skills they require to become productive in the workplace. This is probably one reason why there are so many immigrants moving to the UK to do work that nobody else will do.
What we are failing to do is prepare the next generation for the harsh realities of life. There are only so many jobs available in the media at any one time, so why not limit the number of students studying such degrees and increase the places available for courses that teach transferable skills? We are also failing to equip students of all ages with skills in languages, an extremely transferable skill that could be useful in any sector.

Languages are the lifeblood of Europe, and as Language teachers we should be encouraging all students to learn at least one foreign language, and of course, English is the best!
You can find information about the Erasmus+ programme here:http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/index_en.htm
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Good news for all single students

According to a recent European Commission study, you are more likely to be able to improve your employment and career prospects by studying a foreign language. What is more, you are even more likely to get the job you desire if you have studied a foreign language such as English in England. The same applies for Spanish in Spain, German in Germany etc. The study examined the lives of more than 80,000 people who had participated in the Erasmus program and suggests that the experience of studying abroad has far reaching influences, such as giving people an international outlook. They also found that around 40% of people also went to live and work abroad. However it’s appreciated that it’s difficult to just drop everything and go to live and study abroad, so that’s why Skype lessons with a native speaker are the next best thing!
Studying via Skype is easy, fun and convenient. It fits with your time schedule, there are no travel requirements and you don’t need to take a break from work. What’s more, even if you do plan to visit foreign shores for language study purposes it’s a great way to prepare, then you can go and visit the UK and perhaps stay there for an extended time period in order to really start using your language skills.
You can read more about the impact of the Erasmus program and the opinions of the European commissioner for education & multilingualism Androulla Vassiliou on the BBC news website, but what really excited me about this story was the impact that learning a foreign language can apparently have on your love life!

Yes, it is true. According to the European Commission, statistics show that people who study a second language for any length of time are significantly more likely to settle down with a partner of a different nationality, around a third of Erasmus participants had met a long-term partner while abroad. Great news for all of my young, single students of whom there are many.

I can’t wait to share the good news with them that by learning English with me, they are also increasing their chances of finding love in the future.
I won’t hold my breath waiting for the wedding invitations to arrive though just yet.

 

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

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“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

 

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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!
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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

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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!
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The 3 best ways to learn new vocabulary

Flashcards

Flashcards can be very effective as long as you are aware of their limitations and don’t overdo it so that it becomes a chore. Of course they work best with pairs of words that have a close correspondence between languages, typically basic nouns.  Single word flashcards will get you quickly up and running with some basic vocabulary, although in the longer term you will want to use whole sentences so that you understand how the words are used in context. Of course as you read, and listen, eventually you will just naturally absorb words after you have encountered them enough times. This is probably the best way, but is a bit more of a long term method. Also over time you learn to recognise parts of words with common meanings and patterns that make it easier to remember.

Notebook

1- Get a notebook and draw columns in it.
2- Write new words in the first column so every row starts with a new word.
3- Title the remaining columns as “day 1, day 2, day 3, week 1, week 2, month 1” etc, that indicates when you saw the word last time, for example “day 3” on 15/04/14, “week 1” will be on 22/04/14.
4- On the next page, write the meaning of each word.
5- In front of every word there will be 6 blank rows, if you remember the meaning of that word, fill in the blank with a ‘+’ sign, if not fill in the blank with a ‘-‘ sign.
6- You can refer to the next page if you don’t remember a word’s meaning and see its meaning again
7- You can also use a part of notebook for the grammar.

If you can remember the meaning of the word in “month 1” then you have memorised the word forever!

Post-it Notes

Use a wall to cover with word stickers! You may want to buy stickers of different colours (one colour for one part of speech, for example, of even one colour for one word, if you need to memorise the forms of one word, or phrases). You can then also play with it, creating sentences! You may even put stickers on objects, such as pieces of furniture to memorise the words for them. Although remember that in the long run you need to memorise not words but phrases, to find out how words ‘behave’ in different contexts. It’s particularly true for English because of the quirkiness of spelling verses pronunciation.

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