Wednesday 19 December 2012
PRONUNCIATION: S vs SH sound
Algunos de vosotros tenéis problemas para distinguir o hacer el sonido de she, shhhhh! y os sale una s
fijaros que no es lo mismo decir :
short que sort
Sue que shoe
Here is a few podcasts and videos to practise the shhhh sound
http://www.engvid.com/english-pronunciation-s-sh/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/sounds/con_voiceless_8.shtml
The one below...este os da vocabulario y expresiones con el shhh sound:
It's vaughan giving words with this sound. He doesn't compare it with s sound, though.
Your problem seems to be that the you produce s in situations where you should say sh
http://www.ivoox.com/pronunciation-of-the-sh-in-english-audios-mp3_rf_1652032_1.html
Enjoy
Tuesday 18 December 2012
conseguir en inglés
El verbo conseguir pone muchos problemas a muchos de vosotros.
I have finally managed to speak to my boss.
I have been able to speak to my boss.
I have succeeded in speaking with my boss (a bit more formal)
La mayoría de vosotros conoceréis el manage como "gestionar" :
I have to learn to manage difficult situations more effectively
Peter will manage a team of 5.
team management, people management, risk management
my manager
Fijaros que manage en el sentido equialente de conseguir va seguido de un TO INFINITIVE
mientras que manage gestionar de un NOMBRE
conseguir algo
significado de alcanzar
muchos usáis el get, pero mejor el reach, achieve, attain, entre otros
i will reach my objectives next year, i haven't reached my target this month
they will achieve their goals
Reach y achieve nunca van seguidos de un TO infinitive
Fijaros en esto:
I have managed to reach my objectives
He conseguido alcanzar (=conseguir) mis objetivos
managed to + verb
Conseguir + verbo = conseguir hacer, conseguir acabar...
al final he conseguido/podido hablar con mi jefe.I have finally managed to speak to my boss.
I have been able to speak to my boss.
I have succeeded in speaking with my boss (a bit more formal)
La mayoría de vosotros conoceréis el manage como "gestionar" :
I have to learn to manage difficult situations more effectively
Peter will manage a team of 5.
team management, people management, risk management
my manager
Fijaros que manage en el sentido equialente de conseguir va seguido de un TO INFINITIVE
mientras que manage gestionar de un NOMBRE
Conseguir + nombre
conseguir mis objetivosconseguir algo
significado de alcanzar
muchos usáis el get, pero mejor el reach, achieve, attain, entre otros
i will reach my objectives next year, i haven't reached my target this month
they will achieve their goals
Reach y achieve nunca van seguidos de un TO infinitive
Fijaros en esto:
I have managed to reach my objectives
He conseguido alcanzar (=conseguir) mis objetivos
managed to + verb
Saturday 25 August 2012
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/8474569/Stay-at-home-kids-a-worldwide-phenomenon.html
stay-at-home kids
from my university book, nexus, downloadable es scribd.com + telegraph
search for video
fer subcricipcio onestopenglish??
stay-at-home kids
from my university book, nexus, downloadable es scribd.com + telegraph
search for video
fer subcricipcio onestopenglish??
PODCASTS
NO TRANSCRIPT
http://www.ivoox.com/listening-exercise-audios-mp3_rf_632151_1.html#
podcast englishfor21st
esl podcast
listen to english
better at english
a cup of english
the english we speak´
upper intermediat (javier aguera)...!!!!! FCE listening
curso de inglés en 34 lecciones
ingles total elemental
VIDEOS
NO TRANSCRIPT
engvid.com
ESLJENNY.COM? (YOUTUBE)
elmenuinglés tb te videos
NO TRANSCRIPT
http://www.ivoox.com/listening-exercise-audios-mp3_rf_632151_1.html#
podcast englishfor21st
esl podcast
listen to english
better at english
a cup of english
the english we speak´
upper intermediat (javier aguera)...!!!!! FCE listening
curso de inglés en 34 lecciones
ingles total elemental
VIDEOS
NO TRANSCRIPT
engvid.com
ESLJENNY.COM? (YOUTUBE)
elmenuinglés tb te videos
I was telling a student something i ve put into words just recently.
The sense of achievement students get when they build a sentence in English in a normal communication situation, just chatting with me for example. Word by word, little by little, slow, conscious production.
That's what we don't really want in a way, we want fluency over accuracy, we want them to connect things but i find it hard for them to learn in chunks.
Also the fact that they sometimes stop and seek reassurance or feedback after saying two words, as if waiting for you to approve this before they continue. What they say may be correct or not, depending how they continue the sentence... they don't get that
third is the fact that they sometimes think that we need xyz depending on the tense we use.
that applies to time references/adverbs/time adverb phrases but not to prepositions, ...
The sense of achievement students get when they build a sentence in English in a normal communication situation, just chatting with me for example. Word by word, little by little, slow, conscious production.
That's what we don't really want in a way, we want fluency over accuracy, we want them to connect things but i find it hard for them to learn in chunks.
Also the fact that they sometimes stop and seek reassurance or feedback after saying two words, as if waiting for you to approve this before they continue. What they say may be correct or not, depending how they continue the sentence... they don't get that
third is the fact that they sometimes think that we need xyz depending on the tense we use.
that applies to time references/adverbs/time adverb phrases but not to prepositions, ...
Wednesday 8 August 2012
Teaching adults with
More and more I become aware of how teaching English is changing as we teachers become increasingly aware of how confusing English is for students. Ok, no news but over the past few yearsI have found myself trying to help students gain an awareness of the fact that words in English (or any other language for that matter, i'd dare to say) don't necessarily have a one word equivalent or meaning but rather one or more translations into another language. The way I see it, looking at words as concepts or metaphors should be encouraged when possible.
It is true, however, that not all words lend themselves to this sort of interpretation but many do. Traditionally schools gave a translation of a word, taken as its only meaning, to students and learners only to find themselves confronted to the word in another context and causing confusion. The last decade there's been an emphasis on collocations, great, that was an improvement, and a more real English as opposed to textbook English. Real English is not easy to acquire in places where English is a foreign language with no contribution from the "system" to actually learn it and use it but it's what should be taught.
I have noticed that just like i have been doing, teachers in online videos teach words and collocations and expressions. I think it's the way to go. It doesn't ensure they'll learn and remember all the translations but I hope this will contribute to a more open-minded approach to vocabulary and lexis learning little by little.
The example I often give them is the word meet translated into Spanish: quedar, encontrarse, ir a recojer, conocer (a alguien - primera vez), satisfacer, cumplir, entre otros. And the Catalan/Spanish word "deixar/dejar": leave, let, stop ing, lend, borrow.
There is also the fact that every single adult who studies English in Spain nowadays has studied English in the past, with little success in most cases. This means we don't have to go through teaching English as if they know nothing, our role is to tackle the very well-identified problem areas in their language if necessary and help them retain, activate and create new words. By creating I mean word formation, which luckily for them, just happens to be just like they do in Spanish. Adding prefixes and suffixes to roots. Most are unaware of the potential language they can understand and produce once they develop an understanding and an awareness of this fact.
Again, the example I usually provide in Spanish is acto, actuar, actuación, actor, actriz, activo/a, activamente, acción, accionar, etc. They all have the same root. We should aim at developing their intuition to learn to create adjectives, for examples with lots of input.
So let's all teach the differences but also the similarities...their prejudices, their prior knowledge, often weak but there, force us to have to teach them a different way of looking at language, and teach them based on what they know, which makes teaching English in Spain different from teaching a new language from scratch.
It is true, however, that not all words lend themselves to this sort of interpretation but many do. Traditionally schools gave a translation of a word, taken as its only meaning, to students and learners only to find themselves confronted to the word in another context and causing confusion. The last decade there's been an emphasis on collocations, great, that was an improvement, and a more real English as opposed to textbook English. Real English is not easy to acquire in places where English is a foreign language with no contribution from the "system" to actually learn it and use it but it's what should be taught.
I have noticed that just like i have been doing, teachers in online videos teach words and collocations and expressions. I think it's the way to go. It doesn't ensure they'll learn and remember all the translations but I hope this will contribute to a more open-minded approach to vocabulary and lexis learning little by little.
The example I often give them is the word meet translated into Spanish: quedar, encontrarse, ir a recojer, conocer (a alguien - primera vez), satisfacer, cumplir, entre otros. And the Catalan/Spanish word "deixar/dejar": leave, let, stop ing, lend, borrow.
There is also the fact that every single adult who studies English in Spain nowadays has studied English in the past, with little success in most cases. This means we don't have to go through teaching English as if they know nothing, our role is to tackle the very well-identified problem areas in their language if necessary and help them retain, activate and create new words. By creating I mean word formation, which luckily for them, just happens to be just like they do in Spanish. Adding prefixes and suffixes to roots. Most are unaware of the potential language they can understand and produce once they develop an understanding and an awareness of this fact.
Again, the example I usually provide in Spanish is acto, actuar, actuación, actor, actriz, activo/a, activamente, acción, accionar, etc. They all have the same root. We should aim at developing their intuition to learn to create adjectives, for examples with lots of input.
So let's all teach the differences but also the similarities...their prejudices, their prior knowledge, often weak but there, force us to have to teach them a different way of looking at language, and teach them based on what they know, which makes teaching English in Spain different from teaching a new language from scratch.
Friday 10 February 2012
If you want to learn English on the go, here are ideas of apps for smartphone users:
Search through for them, pay for them or wait and see until they are downloadable for free and have fun! I don’t have a smartphone yet, so I can’t give you first hand info about them.
Please feel free to add and/or suggest other you might know as well. Let's make the list longer!
http://www.happycatstefl.com/general-advice/learn-english/
English grammar in use has itunes apps
Brainscape
Translators
Longman
The bbc has also apps for smartphones
These Pages Are Designed for Small Devices Such As the iPhone, not sure if they also work for android
• English Vocabulary Study on Web-Capable Cell Phones
www.manythings.org/i
(We've had this one online for a long time.)
• Some of Our Favorite Podcasts (iPhone Only)
www.manythings.org/ip
(This will not work on a regular computer.)
This Works on an iPad
The iPad can access videos from YouTube that are embedded in web pages.
• ESL Videos (A Blog of Videos on YouTube)
Listen and Read Along - Optimized for iPadThese will also work on an iPhone, but the MP3 player's "play" button is very difficult to click.
• Animals - About Animals
• America - This is America
• Health (Also For Medical Workers)
• How - How to Do Things / How Things Are Done
• History - American History
• Mosaic - American Mosaic
• People - Stories about People / Biographies
• Places - From Explorations, This Is America, ...
• Space - Explorations, Science in the News, ...
• Sports - About Sports
• Stories - American Stories
• Studying - From The Education Report
• Things - About Things
• Words - Words and Their Stories
• Selected MP3 Files for ESL Students - Currently Featuring "ESLpod"
• The Most Recent VOA 30-minute Special English Program - No Text
Search through for them, pay for them or wait and see until they are downloadable for free and have fun! I don’t have a smartphone yet, so I can’t give you first hand info about them.
Please feel free to add and/or suggest other you might know as well. Let's make the list longer!
http://www.happycatstefl.com/general-advice/learn-english/
English grammar in use has itunes apps
Brainscape
Translators
Longman
The bbc has also apps for smartphones
These Pages Are Designed for Small Devices Such As the iPhone, not sure if they also work for android
• English Vocabulary Study on Web-Capable Cell Phones
www.manythings.org/i
(We've had this one online for a long time.)
• Some of Our Favorite Podcasts (iPhone Only)
www.manythings.org/ip
(This will not work on a regular computer.)
This Works on an iPad
The iPad can access videos from YouTube that are embedded in web pages.
• ESL Videos (A Blog of Videos on YouTube)
Listen and Read Along - Optimized for iPadThese will also work on an iPhone, but the MP3 player's "play" button is very difficult to click.
• Animals - About Animals
• America - This is America
• Health (Also For Medical Workers)
• How - How to Do Things / How Things Are Done
• History - American History
• Mosaic - American Mosaic
• People - Stories about People / Biographies
• Places - From Explorations, This Is America, ...
• Space - Explorations, Science in the News, ...
• Sports - About Sports
• Stories - American Stories
• Studying - From The Education Report
• Things - About Things
• Words - Words and Their Stories
• Selected MP3 Files for ESL Students - Currently Featuring "ESLpod"
• The Most Recent VOA 30-minute Special English Program - No Text
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