takibari

I have to say so myself. The examples given are truly remarkable. It really helped me understand the differences between the two. But gratitude must be extended to you, too, harris. I mean, I didn't even know that there is such a thing as extended metaphor! like snowfairy, i learned something new today, too. thank you.

All the other advice are excellent. I go with the above advice, too! It's really important to know who you are dealing with to know how you should act before them. Thus, it's important to be flexible with your methods. Each language learner has their own weaknesses/strengths. So, avoid comparing your students. Another very simplistic advice is to remove your own bias regarding simpleness/difficulty of lessons. While lessons you think might be simple in your mind, your learner might still find it difficult. Thus, it's highly important to have preparations so you'll have something to pull out of your sleeve in case things don't work out.

Etymology does help in learning a new language easier. I remember in high school that we have lessons which require us to memorize Latin/Greek [i forgot the term - root word?] to help us easily understand certain English words. It helped us understand the word better, and also made us appreciate how existing English words were formed. Although in my mind, those whose interest in learning a language is purely to get by with conversations, then, they won't appreciate the value of etymology. It'd be more confusing for them as they'll be more interested in learning key expressions than word origins.

No problem about bringing it up. My boss is Korean so preference is TOEFL and TOIEC. But we also once had a Japanese partner whose preference was Versant and IELTS. In my limited mind, however I look at it, English is the same wherever you are in the world (slight difference with English/Brit). But yeah, this just might be preference/purpose issue as different countries have their own bias as to which should constitute as the "standard" so they get to pick which exam to use to test non-native English speaker.

hello admin! I'm not sure if this is the relevant sub-forum to post this poll. But if it isn't, simply remove it or move it. thanks. === am just curious about the different standardized exams available to test one's english proficiency. i know the above tests were developed for a certain purpose (TOEFL for university/TOEIC for work (Japan)/IELTS for work (Europe)) but barring that, what do you think is the best exam to take to test your english proficiency? generally, the exam that you believe if you take it and receive a high mark, you're likely to have a higher score in the other exams too.

Having a teacher in learning a language is definitely most helpful. Whether it's important or not, it's really up to the learner. Does the learner want to learn more and fast? Then, having a teacher is definitely most important as the learner will have someone to talk to, allowing interaction. Language is highly interactive. Sure, you can learn by yourself, but having a teacher gives one more focus.

haha, i never even realized that cursive writing is a thing of the past. i'm not even really sure if it's still being taught in our schools to this day. honestly, it has never occurred to me to think about it until now, and now i'm also starting to wonder :grin: but just my opinion, i don't find any relevance in teaching cursive writing. with technology, writing on traditional pen and paper way is fast disappearing. after graduating from school, i just stopped writing in cursive. i think it's something that a hobbyist (crafting cards etc.) will enjoy more.

i have never really consciously thought of what i would do if i encounter a problem like that. so every time i hear someone mispronounce a word, i either just let it slide or i immediately blurt out the 'word'. it's just automatic that i repeat the word again. i'm also assuming that i accompany it with a confused look as the other person would also just repeat my word, but this time following my pronunciation. but i think 'letting things slide' is the norm for me. but it is not an issue of me being afraid of offending the other party. but more so of an understanding that it will be difficult for that person to perfect the pronunciation especially if their exposure to the new language is not very extensive and it's practically a second language to them.

When I'm not familiar with the author, I do read the book's synopsis/summaries. However, if someone recommends me a title, what I usually end up doing is visiting Amazon and reading the preview of the first few chapters. With a recommendation, one often already has a general idea of what the book is about. So, what I want to find out next is if the author writes with fluidity (and humor). If I dig the author's writing style, I readily buy a copy.

User raytalks started a previous thread introducing 4 common expressions, and asking others to translate them in any language that they know. I find it to be a good thread and thought that it'd be fun to continue what he started. Rules are the same: Translate the expression, specify the language, and if possible the pronunciation. Happy learning a new language, everyone! Good afternoon. ----> Where do you live? ---> What is your nationality? ---> What is your job? --->

Hi! I found the concept very interesting. I readily went to Play Store to check it out. But my bad, I didn't read clearly that version is for phones, hehe. I got a 'not compatible with your device' message as I was using a tablet, and not a phone, hehe.

I love this app! While I'm no English native speaker, I've considered myself fairly good with my English vocabulary. This app just made me learn humility, haha! Indeed there are entries that are difficult to solve. I highly recommend this app, too.

I agree with most of what the others had previously said. Use apps with caution. While it's true that new BIG words can easily be introduced by apps, one has to pay close attention to contexts. Using big words out of context might make listeners roll their eyes. As for reading, I find journals to be the material that frequently uses big words.

I'm often been told that I'm from a really old generation. :grin: Practically because it annoys me a lot as I truly have difficulty understanding them. Among friends who fairly have complete comprehension, I understand why they resort to this. In my mind, as SMS is a limited communication tool, jejemon is just a tool by avid users to express themselves differently. People, I notice, really has this need to be different from the pack. Jejemon i believe is one such attempt.

Hmmm, interestingly I couldn't bring myself to enjoy listening to audio books. I tried it before only to fell asleep. It's not that the book I was listening to had poor speakers. In fact, the speakers' voice were so good that instead of listening to the contents of what they were narrating, I was lulled instead by the lilt of the sound of their voices to sleep.

Anyone here interested to learn the Filipino language? I can help you with basic conversations just enough to help you get by in case you are planning to visit our country. Of course, a lot of us know English. But just in case you want to endear yourself more with the locals, speaking a few Tagalog or Cebuano words can surely bring out a smile from us locals. Let me know. Shoot me an e-mail: [email protected] for YM schedule.

Interesting observation! I share the same sentiment about not knowing most of the grammar rules, yet knowing how to formulate correct sentence structures. There was a part in our work where we had to correct students' writings by pointing out to them the errors they made. I definitely had no problems identifying their errors. But for the love of me, I had to google the explanations as I don't know the 'labels' (complement, subjunctive, and the like stuff.) of the words/phrases. Immersion is indeed a big help as you expose yourself to the language day in and day out, that usage becomes familiar to you, without you realizing what rules of grammar you have already applied. Live interactions force you to speak, especially if no one in the group shares your native language. The only limitation is if your exposure is with the wrong ones.

For me, there really is no perfect formula to improving grammar as there are as many ways you can try. From there, you can best gauge which method works best for you. Memorizing rules while helpful discourages me, and it sometimes makes me more confused. thus, i agree with everyone who said that constantly exposing yourself to language materials (movies, comics, etc.) can help a lot as you become more familiar with usage and syntax, that eventually you just know something is 'off' when you are writing something. However, if your goal is to gain technical knowledge, knowing how to explain why such and such is wrong and whatnot, then memorizing rules is key.

I completely agree that the words listed are often confused with each other. I also agree with someone who pointed out that mostly native speakers commit this for the reason that they first learned of these words through hearing and all of them sound so similar that it's pretty understandable that misspelling them occur unintentionally. But careful with #7's affect. This one will have to depend on the context. This word can also be a 'noun' which means = the conscious subjective aspect of an emotion considered apart from bodily changes; also : a set of observable manifestations of a subjectively experienced emotion <patients … showed perfectly normal reactions and affects — Oliver Sacks> (taken from Merriam Webster)

These two words are often confused with each other, and I agree with thewakeupcall that it's EVERY DAY. How often are you celebrating Fire Prevention? = Every Day (adverb of frequency). Use 'everyday' when describing a noun, and you're right it's an adjective. It often comes before a noun. How will you describe your 'everyday' life? The police said that gambling is an 'everyday' occurrence in that part of town.

I remember my Psychology of Language professor saying this same thing. To get the natural feel of a certain language, one must think in the target language. In any case, my mind is a bit confused as to how to answer the question on getting the best way to accurate translations. This question is applicable only to someone who is fluent in the language pair, right? (Sorry, not really trying to be sarcastic or what - just a bit confused :confused:). In my mind, the only way one can best gauge if something is translated accurately is if one is truly knowledgeable in both languages. Otherwise, one will just have to trust in the translator that you are being given an accurate translation. For a beginner learner, you'll just have to accept the translation given is correct. Sorry, now getting it (I hope).. It's where second opinion through fora or translator tools come in, right? Because without them, you are really at the mercy of the translator. [here's hoping I'm making sense, if not - just consider something's lost in translation, :grin:

hello! thank you for the list. just a basic question. how does one go about reading it? i guess what i'm asking is a pronunciation guide of sort.

Could the reason be intimidation? With Native Speakers as teachers, we students sometimes feel a bit inferior and intimidated by the Native Speaker's language level. That is, we can't help compare our own proficiency (or lack thereof when just starting) and that somehow paralyzes our learning? As with non-native speakers, teaching method is a bit toned-down as the NNS teacher somehow tries to go down to the level of the student, instead of forcing student to meet the teacher's level. At least, that's how I see NS teachers. There is the expectation that student try to achieve the speaker's level. So it becomes harder for the student.

it appears that everyone is all in agreement that what you suggested is indeed a marvelous idea. i couldn't agree more with the rest. i remember my boss instructing me to teach his daughter in a similar manner. in fact, he wants a lot of 'make a story' exercises done. he said his daughter is able to learn faster through this combination of creative thinking and 'action' english.

this is my first time to hear about Linguee Translator. I usually just rely on Google Translate or Babel Fish. And from everyone's comments, it appears to be a highly recommended language translation tool. Thank you for sharing. Will soon check it out. Thank you once again for the recommendation.