We all know that speaking is the most challenging skill of all in a second language. We get nervous and block and cannot get the words out. As a result we lose confidence and give up. But to learn we have to get over our nerves and say what we mean to say even if we get the ending of the verb wrong or we err on the pronunciation. Making mistakes is all part of learning a language.
Being aware of doublespeak is crucial for advanced learners of english to critically analyze information and understand the genuine implications behind the words used in various contexts.
Wherever we go, wherever we look, we are always in a rush! We are either going to work, or dropping the children off at school or both! We never seem to have enough hours in the day to get everything done.
The answer is there is no limit, and in the process, it can be a lot of fun! Why not set yourself a goal of learning two hundred new words a month which is only six words a day.? It may seem an uphill task, but you may be surprised by how easy it is. Use these tips to help you along the way.
What are adverbs of frequency?
These are ways of describing verbs and how often or how infrequently an action happens. Here are some of the basic adverbs of frequency that are commonly used in everyday English
One of the classes I enjoy teaching most is young children. They have boundless energy, and no challenge is too much for them. They arrive to class all smiles and eager to learn. The trick is keeping their attention. With practice I have tweaked my lesson plans around their short attention span. We start with ten minutes vocabulary learning either through a song or video and then we practice with a game such as four in a row. Here the children aim to win four cells in a row by matching the cell´s picture to the correct item of vocabulary in the list. This is a sure guarantee that they retain something.
The Oxford Languages Dictionary explanation of alliteration is using the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. Using alliteration in class is one of the challenges I give my advanced ESL students. I always find it to be a very effective way of extracting vocabulary
Watching series or films in English is an excellent audio-visual means of acquiring new vocabulary. but how much of it do you actually retain? A good memory test would be to ask yourself, how many new words did you learn from that series or film today? If your recall is poor you need to look at other ways of assimilating new lexis
As an English Teacher I find this subject fascinating. I like to bring this theme into my classes often to inspire my students to drink more water and of course to learn more vocabulary! I start off by explaining how water keeps the organs of our bodies operating efficiently.
As tourism is the primary industry in Mallorca, young people are learning languages to increase their career opportunities when they leave school. For that reason, English and German are the second languages on the curriculum. Over the past decade I have seen the demand for German rise exponentially. As Germans are the majority purchasers of property here, Mallorquins have been obliged to learn and speak German proficiently.
When was the last time we really laughed and felt our bellies ache and our jaws sore? Do we give ourselves a chance to forget about the problems of the world albeit climate change, the Ukraine-Russia war, the rise in petrol and gas prices, forest fires caused by aridity and instead take time out to laugh?
A breath of fresh air for English learners are Verb Phrases which are simple to use and very common. The verb is linked to a noun instantaneously giving meaning to the verb. Let´s take the example of the verb to wear. What do we wear usually? Glasses? Automatically glasses (noun) makes an association with wear (verb). Verb + Noun = Verb Phrase. Once we can associate a meaning with the verb, it helps us immediately assimilate and memorise it more easily.
So much has been written on this topic and for very good reason!
To construct a building, we need a sturdy foundation which will support the walls and roof. The same goes for learning a language. We need a structure to build phrases. This structure is comprised of verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and conjunctions. In linguistics this is known as metalanguage. The grammar of a language is its basic framework which allows you to combine a finite number of words in an infinite number of ways and still be understood immediately.
There is a lot of fuss made about phrasal verbs in the classroom. The little words that follow the verb can change its meaning altogether. This can be very frustrating and make students give up before they have even started. And really who can blame them!
Many students ask me if exams are important to measure their level of language. It is a good question and one which I will endeavour to answer. If you have managed to command a language to the extent that you can make yourself understood by a native, you have done well. But notice the word ´well´. Why didn´t I use very well or proficiently? Because making yourself understood doesn´t mean that you speak the language grammatically correct or use the most up to date vocabulary
The aim of this short lesson is to give 6-8-year-olds some picture visuals to match to the parts of the body. When talking about clothes, they use the verb “to wear”. For example “What clothes do you wear to school?”
There is no doubt that learning a new language has its complications. The main one being that we can never directly translate from our native language into the second language. For example, we say in English I am hungry but if we make a direct translation in Spanish Estoy hambre, it doesn´t make any sense as the verb they use is Tener (to have) not Estar (to be) = Tengo hambre.
Learning a second language can slow cognitive ageing (the speed at which the mental activity of the brain ages). Being bilingual could delay the onset of dementia for several years.
A trend signifies a situation that is developing or changing. There are three specific changes I wish to highlight in this blog:
1) Financial (Sales, profits, costs, budgets)
Sales fell slightly last quarter.
Profits have risen 3% year-on-year.
2) Marketing (Market share)
We saw some growth in market share last year
Sales in the Asian market dropped by 10% last year
3) Economy (Inflation, interest rates, unemployment, house prices)
There has been a steady rise in inflation.
Unemployment has increased this year
House prices went up last year
We describe a trend as the way a situation develops or changes. Since COVID-19, Language Schools have had to adapt their styles of teaching. Classroom sizes have become smaller to allow for 2 metre distances between desks and students are obliged to wear masks and frequently wash their hands with hydroalcoholic gel.