I'mma
Most students are familiar with the shortening of 'I am going to' to 'I'm gonna', but did you know that many speakers shorten it even further to 'I'mma'?
So 'I am going to tell him' becomes 'I'mma tell'im'.
As far as I know, this is not in any textbook, but it is becoming widely used. Just another way spoken English is different from written English.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Weekend Tefl?!?
If you wished to learn a foreign language, would you have confidence in a teacher who had been certified after taking a 2-day course?
This site: weekendtefl.com offers two day certification for TEFL teachers. Judging by the blurb on the site, it is clearly targetted at people who just want to travel and find some way of financing it. Teaching English is better than washing dishes, right?
This kind of course and mentality cheapens our profession.
If you wished to learn a foreign language, would you have confidence in a teacher who had been certified after taking a 2-day course?
This site: weekendtefl.com offers two day certification for TEFL teachers. Judging by the blurb on the site, it is clearly targetted at people who just want to travel and find some way of financing it. Teaching English is better than washing dishes, right?
This kind of course and mentality cheapens our profession.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Big and Small
When people learn a new language, they think that it is the big words that are difficult. But what I’ve noticed from my students is that it is actually the small words that are the hardest. Which words do students always get wrong? ‘a’, ‘the’, ‘make’ and ‘do’, for instance. A word like ‘get’ has about 20 distinct meanings if you check the dictionary, but ‘globalization’ has only one.
So my tip of the day is this: don’t worry about the big words; worry about the small ones!
When people learn a new language, they think that it is the big words that are difficult. But what I’ve noticed from my students is that it is actually the small words that are the hardest. Which words do students always get wrong? ‘a’, ‘the’, ‘make’ and ‘do’, for instance. A word like ‘get’ has about 20 distinct meanings if you check the dictionary, but ‘globalization’ has only one.
So my tip of the day is this: don’t worry about the big words; worry about the small ones!
Saturday, September 02, 2006
When Black meant White
English is such an odd language, but did you know that the word 'black' once meant 'white'?
In Middle English, blac, blak or blake technically meant 'lacking in colour'. Of course, if something lacks colour, it could be said to be black or it could be said to be white. During the Middle Ages, both these definitions existed side by side.
Finally, in England, the modern meaning of black, as in dark, won out. In France, however, the opposite held true and the word blanc (white) in French is actually derived from the same root as black in English. Compare this with the word blank in English. Are blanks usually black or white?
Check http://www.etymonline.com/ for more interesting word histories.
R2G
English is such an odd language, but did you know that the word 'black' once meant 'white'?In Middle English, blac, blak or blake technically meant 'lacking in colour'. Of course, if something lacks colour, it could be said to be black or it could be said to be white. During the Middle Ages, both these definitions existed side by side.
Finally, in England, the modern meaning of black, as in dark, won out. In France, however, the opposite held true and the word blanc (white) in French is actually derived from the same root as black in English. Compare this with the word blank in English. Are blanks usually black or white?Check http://www.etymonline.com/ for more interesting word histories.
R2G
R2G2
The R2G2 blog is an extension of the Road to Grammar (R2G) website for ESL learners and instructors.
Road to Grammar is found here: www.roadtogrammar.com
The R2G2 blog is an extension of the Road to Grammar (R2G) website for ESL learners and instructors.
Road to Grammar is found here: www.roadtogrammar.com
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