In today’s lesson we had a discussion on the most valuable brands, according to the Marketing consultancy company Interbrand. We had the chance to practice listening (gist, comprehension), grammar (reformulation of the text and grammarising the summary), finding and understading vocabulary connected to the tapescript. As homework I asked you to rewrite the text using the chunks we have learned and some information from the original article. I’m sure some of you might have found the lesson a little bit difficult and that’s the reason why I’ve decided to upload some material connected to what we learnt this afternoon. Here’s a list of some resources you can listen to, read, and practice as homework.
Finally, a video with two business analysts discussing the ingredients Interbrand take into account when ranking the world’s most valuable brands among other things. Take a look.
Well, after a long and deserved break I decided it was about time I resumed production on this blog again. I mean, it was a six-month hiatus where I was able to focus on other projects I had in mind but my students were pestering me to get the blog working again and I kind of missed the blogosphere. So if you liked following this blog I’m sure you’ll enjoy it even more now because I intend to stop procrastinating and get down to work. I realized that If I still wanted this blog I’d better update it more frequently. When I mean frequently I mean at least once a week – if possible!
Take full advantage of this space because it is all yours!
Since I am completely addicted to YouTube and love using videos in my class, I’ve decided to share some cool videos with my students.
Here are some of my favourite ones.
1 – Pumpcast News
What happens when you have a mini-tv with News and a crazy host. Well, watch this video and check it out. By the way, pay to attention to the Grandpa Bandit, the beatles and the moody guy. Hilarious!
2 -World’s Shortest Escalator – certified by the Guinness Book of Records
I’m sure this escalator leads to a fast food restaurant.
3 -747 Landing – St.Maarten
I don’t know how crazy you guys are about airplanes but this airport is right by the beach and you can see how low the airplanes have to go to land.
The place is St. Maarten and there’s a resort beach right there. If you pause the video at 0.21 you can see how close the airplane is to people’s head.
Since this week our topic is music, I’ve decided that our podcast should be somehow connected to music. So, let’s not waste time and get things going by clicking here to listen to the podcast.
Your task is to write about a concert or show you’ve been to recently or a while ago. But, if you haven’t been to a concert you can easily make one up.
Here’s the list of vocabulary and chunks that I might be useful while you are writing your comment.
* venue
* bad seat in the house
* street parking
* snag a spot
* bouncer
* get to the head of sth
* check one’s tickets
* put a wrist band on sb
* roped-off section
* VIP
* groupies
* opening act
* start boo-ing sb
* rowdy
* riot
* headlining band
* cheer
* happy camper
* turn out to be + noun
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Today’s podcast is about books, especially because this week we are going to talk about reading habits and trends.
So, basically all you have to do is click here and you will be redirected to the ESLPODCAST website.
Your work is to listen to it and write about a book you read recently or about books in general. Here’s a list of the chunks you might want to use while writing.
like sth well enough
a glowing recommendation
to start off with a bang
can’t put sth down
relate to sth
plot drags
pull sth off
ending + be (is/was…) + adjective (laughable/brilliant/etc)
that makes + one/two/three + us
can’t wait for + noun (sequel)
Don’t forget to leave your name and email when leaving your comment. Thanks!
Here’s a list of my favourite online dictionaries & thesaurus. They will be of great help while you are studying English online and writing and doing tasks. Check them out by clicking on the links.
Dictionaries
Dictionary.com(My favourite one. It is considered the largest free online dictionary and you can also check out the audio pronunciation feature)
alphaDictionary (This one has a lot of features free English dictionary, grammars for 350 languages, crossword puzzles, word games, language jokes, and the “Word of the Day” kinda thing! worth checking)
Infoplease (Another free dictionary with encyclopedia, almanac, atlas, dictionary and much more)
AllWords.com (English dictionary with multi-lingual search – French, Spanish, German – as well as links for word lovers and crosswords)
Urban Dictionary (by far my favourite one – click here and check out why)
The Compact Oxford English Dictionary(Oxford always has the best dictionaries and this one is not different. Thus, you can check out the writing tips)
Fact Monster (A good free reference site for students, teachers, and parents. It includes other things such as sports, science & math)
Webster’s Online Dictionary(Thisone claims to be Earth’s largest dictionary with 90 modern and 10 ancestral languages. Plus, word of the day, hour & minute)
Rhyme Zone(This one is not only a dictionary and thesaurus but also a thesaurus and it includes the functions of a rhyming dictionary & spelling checker. How cool is that?)
Wiktionary (Wiki dictionary from the Wikimedia Foundation – more of a complement to Wikipedia)
Ultralingua Online Dictionary(What I like about this one is the fact that you can download it to your Iphone, laptop, etc.)
Thesaurus
Thesaurus.com(It is claimed to be the largest free online thesaurus including antonyms)
Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus (Contains more than 5000 synonyms and over 250000 cross-references. Thus, an alphabetical Index list)
Aiksaurus (not one of my favourites but still somehow useful)
yourDictionary.com ( Another free online dictionary/thesaurus that offers definition search from Webster’s dictionary for word meanings and thesaurus. It also has forums and language articles, not mention brain games)
Dictionary – MSN Encarta (It’s a dictionary, thesaurus and also contains a translation section. To my view, it is very limited)
TheFreeDictionary(What I really like about this one here is the fact that you can create your own homepage by adding or removing things such as quotes, words, weather, etc)
Wordsmyth (The only turn off of this one is that you’ve got to create an account)
WordWeb (downloadable dictionary and thesaurus. Can be used offline. Pretty good)
The last dictionary/thesaurus I want to mention is actually my favorite one among all of the other ones I have talked about. It is called VisuWords.It is a graphical dictionary and thesaurus that uses word webs to find meanings and associations with other ideas and concepts. Here’s an example with the word “plausible”
In our lesson today we talked about heroes in general. Some of you mentioned sports heroes, celebrity heroes, history heroes among others. However, we decided to focus on one hero in particular, i.e. Che Guevara.
Some people considered him a hero while others though of him as being a ruthless disciplinarian. No matter what people say about him Guevara remains an admired, controversial, and significant historical figure.
Your task is to basically watch this documentary and write an essay based on the documentary. You must support an opinion – Was Che Guevara a hero or an assassin? Watch the documentary and draw you own conclusions.
Here are some more links about Che Guevara to give you some more background information about him.
* Che Guevara – A Web site dedicated to promoting the ideas and accomplishments of Che Guevara.
* Time Magazine – an article that named Guevara one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.
Here’s another post and more links and videos, as requested. I will not stop posting about pronunciation, but the next posts will be about different subjects, including our book club.
If you haven’t tried the BBC Learning English website, you have no idea of what you are missing. The website is complete and has a section entirely devoted to pronunciation. It includes:
The sounds of English – all those weird symbols that I keep teaching in class and students are always complaining about how hard it is to memorize them;
Features of English – lots of information about different elements of English pronunciation;
Quizzes – tons of quizzes to help you improve your knowledge of English;
Programmes – A couple of radio shows that you can download to your computer (all with audio and tapescript)
Another interesting pronunciation video is this one that became a huge hit on YouTube a couple of months ago. Amy Walker, 25, posted a clever video on the Internet of her performing 21 English-language accents not long after moving to Philadelphia recently. In this video, she does a little tour of 21 accents in 2 1/2 minutes. Accents vary from UK to Ireland. Can you spot some of them? (Tip: She does the Torontonian accent)
Finally, a video that will make you laugh (especially if you are into accents and are not easily offended). It features Canuck comedian Russel Peters making fun of different accents. Enjoy!
Today, I’m going to continue the posts about pronunciation. We had our Friday tests today and I noticed that pronunciation still is a big deal in our class. Most students are very fluent whereas others are more accurate, but they all lack good pronunciation. So, as I promised, I will post more videos and tips to improve your pronunciation skills.
These English pronunciation tips will help you get the most out of your Pronunciation Power program.
Tip 1
Do not confuse pronunciation of words with their spelling! For example, “threw” and “through”, although spelled differently, are pronounced the same. Also, identical letters or letter clusters in words do not always produce the same sound. For example, the “ough” in “though” and “through” represents a different sound in each word. Learn to practise what you hear, not what you see.
Tip 2
Imagine a sound in your mind before you say it. Try to visualize the positioning of your mouth and face. Think about how you are going to make the sound.
Tip 3
Listen to and try to imitate the Pronunciation Power instructor. In addition to listening for specific sounds, pay attention to pauses, the intonation of the instructor’s voice and patterns of emphasis. This can be just as important as the pronunciation of sounds.
Tip 4
The English language has many different dialects, and words can be pronounced differently. It is important, however, that you pronounce words clearly to ensure effective communication.
Tip 5
Finally, the Pronunciation Power program is a tool to help you. But you must practice what you are learning! Remember that you are teaching your mouth a new way to move. You are building muscles that you do not use in your own language. It is like going to the gym and exercising your body. Use the program to exercise your mouth a little bit each day.
YouTube Videos
Here’s a list of videos from YouTube that might be of some help to all of you out there.
This video teaches you the five vowels we have in English and the 15 sounds they have altogether. Give it a whirl.
Another interesting video is this one from JenniferESL, who is an ESL/EFL Teacher based in the US, and offers lots of pronunciation tips. Here she teaches the “unvoiced” TH.
If you liked the video, you can subscribe to her Youtube Channel by clicking here.
Everyday I get tons of e-mails from readers, current students, old students, among others asking me how they can improve their pronunciation. They all have something in common. They want to speak English clearly and confidently
I think it is everybody’s dream to be able to speak English like a native speaker, but English pronunciation is always a big problem to ESL/EFL learners. I don’t think you should try to have a native speaker accent, especially because even native speakers have their own accent. I mean, my wife is Canadian from Ottawa and my best friend is Canadian from Toronto and they have slightly different accents. So my question is, why bother?
I think you HAVE TO worry about having bad English pronunciation. I say that because bad English pronunciation may confuse people even if you use the most advanced English grammar. After all, we can always use simple words and simple grammar structures that will make people understand you but we cannot use “simple pronunciation”.
On the other hand, we have good English pronunciation and what I mean by good English pronunciation is being understood by people and people be willing to listen to you!
So, how to speak English clearly and confidently? There are three ways: practice, practice and practice!
I know you must be a little bit disappointed, but the truth of the matter is that there’s no secret to learning and improving your pronunciation. I remember as a student I used to listen to music, practice tongue twisters, repeat individual sounds, among other things.
So, starting now I will publish a series of posts devoted to learning and improving your pronunciation skills. I hope you all enjoy!
Tongue Twisters
According to wikipedia’s definition, “Tongue Twisters” are phrases that are designed to be difficult to articulate properly. Tongue-twisters may rely on similar but distinct phonemes (e.g., s[s] and sh[ʃ]), unfamiliar constructs in loanwords, or other features of a language.
Try practicing the tongue twisters to improve your pronunciation and have fun!
and here’s a funny video about a French guy trying to learn English.
