Howdy interested and curious English learners!
Today, I will talk about rhyming as a way to build your pronunciation and vocabulary. (Rhyming is a part of what is called phonics.)
When I was young, my grandma had me do extra rhyming work with her after school. At the time, I did not enjoy it (I wanted to go out and play), but now, I am very glad I did that work. I use rhyming when writing songs and poetry, and even just in normal conversation to think of new words.
Rhyming practice can be done with friends, or by yourself. When you rhyme, you just change the first part of a word, but keep the last part the same. I'll give some examples.
Rat/Cat/Bat/Sat/Fat/Hat/Mat/Gnat/Pat
Here is a kind of fun (but a little childish) video with many more examples.
It's best to start with short words, but you can practice with longer words too.
Elevator/Intimidator/Regulator/Excavator/Instigator
Notice, I kept the last syllable the same, but changed the rest. Give it a try! You can build your vocabulary and help create good pronunciation habits. Also, you can learn to write cute poems for your partner:)
If you need to get creative but don't know how, we can fix that!
Matthew
englishispersonal@gmail.com
Here is link to a rhyming dictionary if you need some help or more examples. Just type in a word and you will get a large list of rhyming words. Enjoy!
Wednesday, 27 September 2017
Wednesday, 20 September 2017
Fun with Newfoundland English!
Howdy again language learners!
Today, let's look at some unique vocabulary from Canada's easternmost province, Newfoundland!
Newfoundland was the last province to join Canada (1949) and it has a unique culture and strange vocabulary.
Try to match some of these words to their proper meanings. Remember, this is Newfoundland slang. It won't be understand by most other people in Canada, but it is fun to know! I'll put the answers at the bottom of this post.
1) Towten a) A newfoundlander (person) who is not from St.John's (the capital city)
2) Bayman b) The time between sundown and sunup
3) Scrunchen c) The stomach of a codfish
4) Neeps d) Crispy fried pork bits
5) Duckish e) A traditional fried bun
6) Gulvin f) A newfoundlander (person) who is from St.John's (the capital city)
7) Townie g) Turnips
I hope you had fun with this matching game! Remember, Canada is very multi-cultural so there are always opportunities to learn new slang and local vocabulary. Enjoy the ongoing challenge!
If you are a little bored with English, we can fix that!
Matthew
englishispersonal@gmail.com
Answers:
1e, 2a, 3d, 4g, 5b, 6c, 7f
Today, let's look at some unique vocabulary from Canada's easternmost province, Newfoundland!
Newfoundland was the last province to join Canada (1949) and it has a unique culture and strange vocabulary.
Try to match some of these words to their proper meanings. Remember, this is Newfoundland slang. It won't be understand by most other people in Canada, but it is fun to know! I'll put the answers at the bottom of this post.
1) Towten a) A newfoundlander (person) who is not from St.John's (the capital city)
2) Bayman b) The time between sundown and sunup
3) Scrunchen c) The stomach of a codfish
4) Neeps d) Crispy fried pork bits
5) Duckish e) A traditional fried bun
6) Gulvin f) A newfoundlander (person) who is from St.John's (the capital city)
7) Townie g) Turnips
I hope you had fun with this matching game! Remember, Canada is very multi-cultural so there are always opportunities to learn new slang and local vocabulary. Enjoy the ongoing challenge!
If you are a little bored with English, we can fix that!
Matthew
englishispersonal@gmail.com
Answers:
1e, 2a, 3d, 4g, 5b, 6c, 7f
Sunday, 17 September 2017
Organize your learning
Happy Sunday Language Learners!
Do you ever get confused when you are studying new vocabulary? I sure do. One way to fix this is to begin organizing your vocabulary.
When you begin learning, it is okay to just learn any possible vocabulary. After a while, this gets disorganized.
When this happens, it's time to learn vocabulary by category. You will discover it is much easier to remember new words this way. Your brain likes to remember things in categories. This method is called 'scaffolding'.
For example, you could learn body vocabulary, kitchen vocabulary, park vocabulary, store vocabulary, etc.
This website might be a good place to start. There are so many possibilities! You could also draw a picture of a space and try to label all the things you know, then look up the others.
Good luck!
If your vocabulary is getting disorganized, we can fix that!
Matthew
englishispersonal@gmail.com
Do you ever get confused when you are studying new vocabulary? I sure do. One way to fix this is to begin organizing your vocabulary.
When you begin learning, it is okay to just learn any possible vocabulary. After a while, this gets disorganized.
When this happens, it's time to learn vocabulary by category. You will discover it is much easier to remember new words this way. Your brain likes to remember things in categories. This method is called 'scaffolding'.
For example, you could learn body vocabulary, kitchen vocabulary, park vocabulary, store vocabulary, etc.
This website might be a good place to start. There are so many possibilities! You could also draw a picture of a space and try to label all the things you know, then look up the others.
Good luck!
If your vocabulary is getting disorganized, we can fix that!
Matthew
englishispersonal@gmail.com
Sunday, 10 September 2017
Translation vs. Interpretation
Happy weekend and hello!
I hope you are all having a great weekend! If the weekend is over where you are, then I hope it was wonderful!
Let's talk about translation and interpretation.
1) Translation: To change the words from one language to another language.
2) Interpretation: To change the words from one language to another while keeping the meaning the same.
For example, if I translate 'chien brun' from French to English, we get 'dog brown'. In French, the adjective goes after the noun, but in English, the adjective goes before the noun.
As you can see, I need to interpret. First I translate, then I interpret so that I can keep the meaning the same or follow the grammar rules of the other language. So, the French 'chien brun' changes into the English 'brown dog'.
Sometimes, the difference between translation and interpretation is more extreme.
For example, if I directly translate 'I'm hungry' from Japanese to English, the English will be 'My stomach is empty'. Notice how the meaning is different and a little strange in English.
So, we must again first translate, but then think about how this is said in English. When we interpret into English, we get 'I'm hungry'.
Next time you are having trouble understanding a translation, try to think about how you can interpret it. Good luck!
If you're frustrated about interpretation, we can fix that!
Matthew
englishispersonal@gmail.com
I hope you are all having a great weekend! If the weekend is over where you are, then I hope it was wonderful!
Let's talk about translation and interpretation.
1) Translation: To change the words from one language to another language.
2) Interpretation: To change the words from one language to another while keeping the meaning the same.
For example, if I translate 'chien brun' from French to English, we get 'dog brown'. In French, the adjective goes after the noun, but in English, the adjective goes before the noun.
As you can see, I need to interpret. First I translate, then I interpret so that I can keep the meaning the same or follow the grammar rules of the other language. So, the French 'chien brun' changes into the English 'brown dog'.
Sometimes, the difference between translation and interpretation is more extreme.
For example, if I directly translate 'I'm hungry' from Japanese to English, the English will be 'My stomach is empty'. Notice how the meaning is different and a little strange in English.
So, we must again first translate, but then think about how this is said in English. When we interpret into English, we get 'I'm hungry'.
Next time you are having trouble understanding a translation, try to think about how you can interpret it. Good luck!
If you're frustrated about interpretation, we can fix that!
Matthew
englishispersonal@gmail.com
Wednesday, 6 September 2017
Scanning for English
Hello all you curious English learners!
Do you think that the best way to study English is to use textbooks? Can you only become a good speaker by attending a class? The answer to both questions is, "Nope".
You can use a method I (and probably other people too) call 'Overheard'. This method helps you to discover vocabulary that you didn't know, but that is very useful. If native speakers use the vocabulary, then it must be useful!
It's pretty simple to do. If you are in an English speaking country, you can:
1) Listen to people on public transit. Don't listen to music for a while. Instead, listen to people having conversations.
2) Read advertisements. Ads often use idioms, phrasal verbs, and slang. Sometimes they even invent new English.
If you don't live in an English speaking country, that is okay. You can:
3) Use YouTube or Vimeo to watch English language videos.
4) Visit English language websites.
5) Borrow English language books from the library.
Whatever method you use, just listen or read and write down (or type into your phone) some words or phrases that interest you, but that you don't know the meaning of. Don't worry about spelling. When you get home, look the words or phrases up on the internet or ask an English speaker (like me) to help you.
Here are some examples that some of my students have found.
1) Idiom: To pitch in - This means to help do a job or some type of work.
Example: You look really busy cleaning the kitchen. Let me pitch in.
2) Idiom: To catch a break - This means to get lucky. If you can't catch a break, then you have no luck. If you finally catch a break, then you have gotten some luck after a long time without luck.
Example: A) "Have you found a job yet?"
B) "No. I've been to many interviews, but I can't catch a break."
If you are using an online dictionary, I suggest that you use a learners dictionary like the Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary. It gives definitions using much easier language.
For slang, it's best to use The Urban Dictionary. However, be careful. The Urban Dictionary has a lot of bad language as it is written by internet users and not professionals. It is very useful, but it can be insulting. It is not good for young children.
If you are losing motivation, we can fix that!
Matthew
englishispersonal@gmail.com
Do you think that the best way to study English is to use textbooks? Can you only become a good speaker by attending a class? The answer to both questions is, "Nope".
You can use a method I (and probably other people too) call 'Overheard'. This method helps you to discover vocabulary that you didn't know, but that is very useful. If native speakers use the vocabulary, then it must be useful!
It's pretty simple to do. If you are in an English speaking country, you can:
1) Listen to people on public transit. Don't listen to music for a while. Instead, listen to people having conversations.
2) Read advertisements. Ads often use idioms, phrasal verbs, and slang. Sometimes they even invent new English.
If you don't live in an English speaking country, that is okay. You can:
3) Use YouTube or Vimeo to watch English language videos.
4) Visit English language websites.
5) Borrow English language books from the library.
Whatever method you use, just listen or read and write down (or type into your phone) some words or phrases that interest you, but that you don't know the meaning of. Don't worry about spelling. When you get home, look the words or phrases up on the internet or ask an English speaker (like me) to help you.
Here are some examples that some of my students have found.
1) Idiom: To pitch in - This means to help do a job or some type of work.
Example: You look really busy cleaning the kitchen. Let me pitch in.
2) Idiom: To catch a break - This means to get lucky. If you can't catch a break, then you have no luck. If you finally catch a break, then you have gotten some luck after a long time without luck.
Example: A) "Have you found a job yet?"
B) "No. I've been to many interviews, but I can't catch a break."
If you are using an online dictionary, I suggest that you use a learners dictionary like the Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary. It gives definitions using much easier language.
For slang, it's best to use The Urban Dictionary. However, be careful. The Urban Dictionary has a lot of bad language as it is written by internet users and not professionals. It is very useful, but it can be insulting. It is not good for young children.
If you are losing motivation, we can fix that!
Matthew
englishispersonal@gmail.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
Hello and happy cherry blossom season here in Toronto, Yup. There are cherry blossom trees here in Toronto. It's true. Now, let...
-
Howdy Folks! Here is part two of the animal idiom/vocabulary adventure. This time, we have ducks! The idioms/phrases you will see are: ...
-
Howdy and hello to all you readers out there! Let's get right to the point. Are you beating a dead horse when you study? This is an ...
