wayzteacher

thank you , My problem is i could"nt understand the dialogues properly without the sub-title turned on.I have been trying really hard to understand them without the sub-titles what should i do? soory for bothering you

I've heard of Grammar Girl and have visited her site several times, but I have never went out of my way to explore it further. I usually get to her site when I'm trying to find some explanation for a grammar question and google would give me a link. So far, most articles that I have read from this site has been very helpful. Now, that you have brought my attention to this site, I might visit it again. Maybe this time I'll explore more and even subscribed to it. As a perennial student of English, I think it is always nice to read well-written explanations of confusing grammar rules. Thank you for sharing.

Yes, i definitely read the book blurb of most books that I buy. I think it is a good way to get some idea what the story is about. I usually do this especially with books with authors I'm not familiar with. It is not always infallible though. There are times when the book blurb is so misleading that after reading the book you find out that the summary or synopsis did not represent the book properly. On the other hand, I have to admit that if i'm in a hurry and I find a book by any of my favorite authors I don't always bother reading the blurb. I just grab it.

get a charley horse - to develop a cramp in the arm or the leg I develop a charley horse after running for too long. This one is memorable to me because the first time I heard someone used it I was all confused and have to ask for clarification. i'm coming down with something - about to get sick(usually use with a cold or flu) I don't feel very well. I think I'm down with a cold. I always share this idiom with my students every time one of them is feeling sick. They sometimes have a hard time expressing themselves.

Hmmm....I'm not really sure how I feel about Taglish. I'm Filipino but my Filipino is horrendous. Coming from a non-Tagalog speaking region, I don't speak Filipino very well and don't have many opportunities to use it. I'm more conversant in English than Filipino. So, in the rare occasions that I have to speak Filipino, I have to admit that certain English words would creep in. I don't really like mixing languages but I can resort to Taglish when I'm desperate. However, when I hear someone speaking Taglish, I have to admit there is a part of me that feels that that person is being pretentious. I guess that makes me a hypocrite.

Let me see if I can add a few more. blue in the face - to be very angry or upset I argued with my mother until I was blue in the face. brown bag it - bring your own lunch from home In order to save some money, I try to brown bag it at least 3-4 times a week. green around the gills - look sick After riding the roller coaster, he looks green around the gills. red-eye - a flight that leaves late at night and arrives early the morning I caught the red-eye last night in order to arrive on time for this meeting. This is fun. I like these types of threads.

My favorite all-time classic book is Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. I love this book and I can't recommend it enough. This book taught me so many lessons and gave me unforgettable characters, including one of my favorite book heroes, Atticus Finch. If you haven't read it yet, I think you are in for a treat. If you already have, maybe this can be an excuse for a reread. Favorite line in the book: "you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them."

No, I don't carry a dictionary with me anymore and I can't remember the last time I opened a paper dictionary. Don't get me wrong. I still use a dictionary all the time, but with the popularity of the internet and dictionary apps in most electronic gadgets, I no longer feel the need to carry around a print dictionary. In fact, I think I use the dictionary more these days. Every time I see a word I don't know or I'm not sure of its meaning, I immediately look it up online. If I'm reading on an e-reader, it takes less than a second to press the word to get a dictionary meaning. So, no more print dictionaries for me, but I'm still using dictionaries as much as, or even more, than I used to when I was using print dictionaries.

For me, it depends on the reviewer. I don't really put a lot of stock on paid reviews or reviews made by professional reviewers. I don't know. I just don't trust their opinion. :wacky: However, I have many online reader friends in sites like Goodreads whose reviews I pay attention. I usually trust the reviews of readers who share the same taste of books with me.

I love goodreads. I have been a member since 2007. For several years, I had been very active in the site, moderating several groups. For people who love to discuss books, it is a great site to meet fellow readers. I made some good friends in the site. Although my participation had dwindled down recently due to real life commitments, I still visit goodreads almost every day. I use it mainly to record the books I've read and to keep track of my ever-expanding to-be-read shelf that I probably need several lifetimes to finish. GR keeps my reading organized.

This story happened within the Philippines and it has more to do with dialects rather than languages but I think the idea is the same. When I was younger, I served a religious mission in another part of the country where I had to learn a new dialect. One day, we were visiting a family but the only one who came out was a little boy. I asked the boy where his mother is, and he answered me in their local dialect. The word he used sounded exactly similar to a word in my own dialect that means 'putting a baby to sleep'. Assuming that the word has the same meaning in this dialect, I proceeded to ask more questions, like how long will his mother will be, how old is the child, etc. It took me a few moments to process that my companion is grinning ear to ear and the little boy had a very puzzled look. Finally, I asked my companion what is funny, and he told me that the word means 'using the bathroom to poop". I turned red, feeling embarrassed. Now, every time I remember this story, I would laugh, thinking how silly our dialects differences can be.

I'm Filipino and I'm married to an American. I guess you can say I fell in love with someone who speaks a foreign language. However, when I met him, I am already proficient in English, so there is not much of a language barrier. There are some moments when cultural differences would arise, but they are pretty rare. Also, there are times when I would mispronounced some unfamiliar words and that is usually good for a few laughs. Right now, we are temporarily staying in the Philippines, and my husband cannot speak our local dialect. He had learned a few 'survival' phrases so he can get around but because most people can speak English, he doesn't feel the need to learn the local language.

I'm Filipino and English is a second language to me. Currently, I'm an online English tutor teaching Koreans. So, you can say, I got this job because I know how to speak a second language. In the past, I was recruited from the Philippines to be a language teacher in an American public school So, due to my ability to speak English, I was able to work in the US. However, I also need credentials to make it official. I have a degree in education, major in English and a teacher's license. I think being able to speak a second language can be an advantage but it really depends on what job you are targeting.

:angel: Thank you for the welcome and looking forward to the discussions. : )

I think the decision to teach private lessons is a good one. Teaching individuals or small groups privately removes the challenge of classroom management and discipline -- things you will have to worry about if you decide to go towards classroom teaching. Furthermore, I think you will find one-on-one classes more rewarding. You will be able to really focus on your student and on your lesson. I think it will be a less stressful environment for a new teacher. However, once you get the hang of teaching an ESL student, then you can reevaluate your choices and try other forms of classes. Congratulations on your choice and good luck in finishing your course. : )

There are some pretty good advice in this thread, and I'm going to add my own two cents. I think the first thing you need to do is make your student feel comfortable. Language learning can be embarrassing for most students, especially adults. They have to make a lot of mistakes and if they don't feel safe to make mistakes, they will stop trying. So be sure to tell your student that it's okay to make mistakes and that nobody will make fun of them in your class. Another thing is to be patient. When you ask a question, pause and give your student time to answer. Sometimes, when we ask something and the student is slow to respond, we immediately rephrase the question thinking that the student did not understand the question. The problem is sometimes the student is still trying to understand your original question//or is trying to form his answer and by rephrasing it immediately you are giving him more words to decipher. Personally, I feel it best to just repeat the original question and give the student the chance to figure it out and come up with his answer. Only when it becomes really obvious that he did not understand will I try to rephrase the question or ask more questions to find out where the breakdown. Hope these help. Good luck to you teaching.

I'm Filipino. My native tongue is one of our local dialects, but I could never write with it. Any writing that I do is in English. I don't know if it is weird but I don't really know how to write in my native tongue. When I try, I have a hard time with spelling because I don't read any material in this dialect. I feel awkward and totally unsure if I try to write anything down in my native tongue. English, on the other hand, is my favorite medium. I write essays, stories, and poor attempts of poetry in English. I find it easier to express myself in English when it comes to writing. Isn't that a weird conundrum?

I can totally relate with your experience, although this is more with dialects than with languages. I live in the Philippines and the country has many different dialects, that are quite linguistically distinctive from each other. There was a time that I lived in a different part of the country where I had to learn and speak a different dialect. It took me over 2 months to learn the new dialect. When I came home, after being away for almost two years, I had a hard time switching back to my mother tongue. I kept talking to other people in the other dialect which is totally different than my language. It took me almost a month before I was solidly back speaking my native dialect.

To add a new word into our vocabulary, you need to be able to understand it and use it. When talking to a native speaker and you hear an unfamiliar word or expression, if the situation allows it, try to ask immediately what it means. Usually, if they know you are not a native speaker, most native speakers don't mind explaining. Once you understand the word, try using it immediately. You can anchor the word in your memory by remembering this incident or relating it to some familiar concept. Remembering how you learned it is actually a good memory tool. If you are not able to ask the speaker about the word, then you might want to write it down and look it up in a dictionary later or ask someone else. Try to use the new word as often as you can until it becomes part of your active vocabulary. Good luck.

I'm an English teacher, even though English is not my native tongue. My husband is American and a native speaker. There was one time when we had the same student. After having classes with my husband and I, my student felt that I'm a better teacher than my husband who is a native speaker. He felt I can explain grammatical concepts and differences in vocabulary meanings better. Even though my husband has used English all of his life, I have a better understanding of the English language because I studied it in school. As an English major, I feel like I have a better grasp of English grammar and as a trained teacher, I can definitely instruct an ESL student better. That's why I'm of the belief that just because someone is a native speaker, it doesn't automatically mean he can teach that language. Most native speakers don't think much about their language. They just use it; it doesn't always mean they can explain better.

Hello! I'm a new member in this site and I'm excited to be here. Right now, I'm an online English tutor teaching Korean nationals. I had been a regular classroom teacher for several years, teaching language arts and reading, in my country Philippines and in the US. Language teaching and learning is something I have always been interested in. Looking forward to chatting and learning with you guys.

I think there are several ways you can help your partner improve his English. First, expose him to English as much as possible. You can find some English resources online that has daily lessons. You can study these things together. Look for ones that introduces new vocabulary. Then you can practice these words in your daily conversation. Second, you can try to have an English-speaking home for a while. Communicate with him in English only as much as possible. This is your way of 'forcing' him to think and speak in English. Of course, nothing beats attending an English course or having an English tutor, but I think these are simple ways you can support your partner in his language goals. Good luck!