<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"><channel><title>Search results for 'tag:Interviews tag:Jokes' matching tags 'Interviews' and 'Jokes'</title><link>http://www.englishforums.com/search/pro.htm?q=tag%3aInterviews+tag%3aJokes</link><description>Search results for 'tag:Interviews tag:Jokes' matching tags 'Interviews' and 'Jokes'</description><dc:language>en-US</dc:language><generator>CSMOD (Build: 3256.36449)</generator><item><title>A Little Help with Capitals </title><link>http://www.englishforums.com/English/ALittleHelpWithCapitals/glpwk/post.htm</link><pubDate>Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:07:10 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:559650</guid><dc:creator>angel_tristan0409</dc:creator><description>&lt;h2&gt;A Little Help with Capitals&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;This handout lists some guidelines for capitalization. If you have a question about whether a specific word should be capitalized that doesn&amp;#39;t fit under one of these rules, try checking a dictionary to see if the word is capitalized there.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Use capital letters in the following ways:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The first words of a sentence&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;When he tells a joke, he sometimes forgets the punch line.&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The pronoun &amp;quot;I&amp;quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;The last time I visited Atlanta was several years ago.&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Proper nouns (the names of specific people, places, organizations, and sometimes things)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;Worrill Fabrication Company&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Golden Gate Bridge&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Supreme Court&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Livingston, Missouri&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Atlantic Ocean&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Mothers Against Drunk Driving&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Family relationships (when used as proper names)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;I sent a thank-you note to Aunt Abigail, but not to my other aunts.&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Here is a present I bought for Mother.&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Did you buy a present for your mother?&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The names of God, specific deities, religious figures, and holy books&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;God the Father&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;the Virgin Mary&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;the Bible&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;the Greek gods&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Moses&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Shiva&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Buddha&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Zeus&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Exception: Do not capitalize the non-specific use of the word &amp;quot;god.&amp;quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;The word &amp;quot;polytheistic&amp;quot; means the worship of more than one god.&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Titles preceding names, but not titles that follow names&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;She worked as the assistant to Mayor Hanolovi.&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;I was able to interview Miriam Moss, mayor of Littonville.&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Directions that are names (North, South, East, and West when used as sections of the country, but not as compass directions)&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;The Patels have moved to the Southwest.&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Jim&amp;#39;s house is two miles north of Otterbein.&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The days of the week, the months of the year, and holidays (but not the seasons used generally)&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;Halloween&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;October&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Friday&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;winter&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;spring&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;fall&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Exception: Seasons are capitalized when used in a title.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;The Fall 1999 semester&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The names of countries, nationalities, and specific languages &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;Costa Rica&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Spanish&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;French&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;English&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The first word in a sentence that is a direct quote&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;Emerson once said, &amp;quot;A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.&amp;quot;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The major words in the titles of books, articles, and songs (but not short prepositions or the articles &amp;quot;the,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;a,&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;an,&amp;quot; if they are not the first word of the title)&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;One of Jerry&amp;#39;s favorite books is &lt;em&gt;The Catcher in the Rye&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Members of national, political, racial, social, civic, and athletic groups&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;Green Bay Packers&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;African-Americans&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Anti-Semitic&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Democrats&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Friends of the Wilderness&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Chinese&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Periods and events (but not century numbers)&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;Victorian Era&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Great Depression&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Constitutional Convention&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;sixteenth century&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trademarks&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;Pepsi&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Honda&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;IBM&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;Microsoft Word&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Words and abbreviations of specific names (but not names of things that came from specific things but are now general types)&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;Freudian &lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;NBC&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;pasteurize&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;UN&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;french fries&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;italics&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Re: slip you into self-complacency</title><link>http://www.englishforums.com/English/SlipIntoSelfComplacency/zcbmw/post.htm#427932</link><pubDate>Sat, 06 Oct 2007 15:34:04 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:427932</guid><dc:creator>Feathers</dc:creator><description>Thank you, Bluepalms, for the correction.&amp;nbsp; I agree, it should be "them," not "you."&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;It's from a translation of an interview (in Japanese); a rough context is...&lt;br&gt;___________________________________________________&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font color="#800080"&gt;&lt;b&gt;A.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt; ...So I think it's natural for us to try to show that we're better than
others. That's why we tend to compare our strengths with other people's
weakness.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font color="#800080"&gt;&lt;b&gt;B&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/font&gt;  It's like ... "Men like women who can slip them into self-complacency," as we often say.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font color="#800080"&gt;&lt;b&gt;A.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt; 
     (laughing) I don't know about that, but I guess yes, in a way.&lt;br&gt;___________________________________________________&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;The original expression is highly idiomatic, vague and evasive, and is meant to be a mild joke here.&amp;nbsp; A slightly sarcastic banter on men's mentality -- it has an air of... &lt;i&gt;it's just one of those things that can't be helped&lt;/i&gt;, so to speak...&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;I was not sure how that translation sounds to natives' ear.&amp;nbsp; A friend of mine has just advised me to change "slip" for "lull," if I want a mild humor &lt;img src="/emoticons/emotion-1.gif" alt="Smile [:)]" /&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;</description></item><item><title>Re: None of is/are able vs. none of us was/were able</title><link>http://www.englishforums.com/English/NoneAbleNoneAble/2/dzdvz/Post.htm#276068</link><pubDate>Wed, 04 Oct 2006 15:38:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:276068</guid><dc:creator>Yoong Liat</dc:creator><description>&lt;BLOCKQUOTE&gt;&lt;table width="85%"&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class="txt4"&gt;&lt;img src="/Themes/default/images/icon-quote.gif"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Schetin wrote:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class="quoteTable"&gt;&lt;table width="100%"&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td width="100%" valign="top" class="txt4"&gt; 
&lt;P&gt;&lt;U&gt;"&lt;B&gt;Two of Us&lt;/B&gt;" is&lt;/U&gt; the title of a &lt;A target=_top&gt;1969&lt;/A&gt; song by &lt;A target=_top&gt;The Beatles&lt;/A&gt;, specifically &lt;A target=_top&gt;Paul McCartney&lt;/A&gt;, although &lt;A target=_top&gt;John Lennon&lt;/A&gt; claimed to have written it in a 1980 interview with David Sheff. (a joke)&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;IMO = In My Opinion&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Slava&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/BLOCKQUOTE&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Hi Slava&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Correct me if I am wrong. Are you saying that based on&amp;nbsp; &lt;U&gt;"&lt;B&gt;Two of Us&lt;/B&gt;" &lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;EM&gt;is&lt;/EM&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/U&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;EM&gt; &lt;/EM&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;the title...", you conclude that &lt;EM&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Two of us is...&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/EM&gt;, not &lt;EM&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Two of us are...&amp;nbsp; ?&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/EM&gt; If what I believe is correct , you have to note that &lt;EM&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;"Two of Us"&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/EM&gt; is the title of the song and that's why the verb &lt;STRONG&gt;'is'&lt;/STRONG&gt; is used because &lt;STRONG&gt;'is'&lt;/STRONG&gt; relates to the title&lt;STRONG&gt;.&lt;/STRONG&gt; In other words, the title of the song should be followed by 'is'.&lt;/P&gt;</description></item><item><title>Re: None of is/are able vs. none of us was/were able</title><link>http://www.englishforums.com/English/NoneAbleNoneAble/2/dzddm/Post.htm#276058</link><pubDate>Wed, 04 Oct 2006 15:23:33 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:276058</guid><dc:creator>Schetin</dc:creator><description>&lt;P&gt;&lt;U&gt;"&lt;B&gt;Two of Us&lt;/B&gt;" is&lt;/U&gt; the title of a &lt;A target=_top&gt;1969&lt;/A&gt; song by &lt;A target=_top&gt;The Beatles&lt;/A&gt;, specifically &lt;A target=_top&gt;Paul McCartney&lt;/A&gt;, although &lt;A target=_top&gt;John Lennon&lt;/A&gt; claimed to have written it in a 1980 interview with David Sheff. (a joke)&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;IMO = In My Opinion&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Slava&lt;/P&gt;</description></item><item><title>Re: The Arabic Man And Interview</title><link>http://www.englishforums.com/English/TheArabicManAndInterview/cklqp/post.htm#219638</link><pubDate>Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:54:17 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:219638</guid><dc:creator>Anonymous</dc:creator><description>&lt;BLOCKQUOTE&gt;&lt;table width="85%"&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class="txt4"&gt;&lt;img src="/Themes/default/images/icon-quote.gif"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Avatars wrote:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class="quoteTable"&gt;&lt;table width="100%"&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td width="100%" valign="top" class="txt4"&gt;&amp;nbsp; 
&lt;P&gt;&lt;B&gt;&lt;U&gt;The Arabic Man And Interview&lt;/U&gt;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;An Arbic Man &lt;BR&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/BLOCKQUOTE&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;I was hear this joke.Not about arabic man but about jew man &lt;img src="/emoticons/emotion-11.gif" alt="Cool [H]" /&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;see yaa&lt;/P&gt;</description></item><item><title>Re: :::::: HOW TO SPEAK AND LEARN EGNLISH ::::</title><link>http://www.englishforums.com/English/SpeakLearnEnglishLanguage/2/chvhl/Post.htm#202719</link><pubDate>Fri, 03 Mar 2006 04:40:42 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:202719</guid><dc:creator>Exclusive</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font color="#ff0000"&gt;How To Learn English ?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font color="#ff0000"&gt;PART 2 &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Learning a language is mainly based upon self-struggle. Maybe the only thing to be done by the teachers on this subject is to advise a method. Because, in a sense, language cannot be taught but learned. So, itâs suitable that the students are shown ways to increase their capabilities and advised methods that give path to discoveries, instead of being obliged to memorize piles of information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In language learning process, a target should be made clear at first. What can be expected from a student who cannot answer the question âWhy are you learning this language?â. This point should not be forgotten: Language itself is used to reach some certain aims, to make some certain plans real in the real world. Therefore, one should have a target while s/he study a language.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Under the light of these facts, what must your target be? The decision seems to depend on you.&lt;br&gt;Success in learning a foreign language is closely related to the studentâs knowledge of his/her native language (But, unfortunately, because of the variety of materials in ELT, English is taught in better ways than the native language). A student adds the information s/he knows about his/her native language to the language s/heâs learning at present. Sometimes just the opposite is also possible. A foreign language can make understanding of the native language easy. The student realizes that his/her native language is another language among the others and becomes much more aware about the activities s/he carries out about his/her native language. As Goethe says âOne cannot know his/her native language if s/he does not know his/her native language.â&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Repetitions and using the language are vital in language learning. Itâs very easy to learn something if you really need it. Therefore, âmotivation,â which has a main role in learning, should not be ignored.&lt;br&gt;A language seems to be a pile of infinite rules, but you do not have to know all of them. Once you learn the basic rules, you start to analyze and realize the other rules with ease. The important thing is to understand where these rules are applied, not to memorize them, anyway. Using a language sufficiently is more important than knowing a lot about it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Learning a language requires talent as well as knowledge; and talent is gained only through practice. You may know how to drive a car, but you have to have much practice to be a good driver.&lt;br&gt;Practicing with simple examples is not a good idea. Everybody should try to use the language in complexity to gain the ability to think and express him/herself fast.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Memory&lt;br&gt;Repititio est mater studiorum. (Repetition is the basis of learning.)&lt;br&gt;The things you remember are the ones to which you pay attention to. Itâs vital to repeat in order not to forget. The secret in not being able to forget the things of great importance to us is repeating them.&lt;br&gt;The more you know about something, the easier it is to remember it. The more you know about somebody you have met recently (i.e., his/her country, fatherâs name, occupation, school, etc.), the easier it is to remember his/her name, for instance. Addressing him with his name several times, establishing connections between his attributes and the others you have known already makes remembering his name easy. Because, if newly learned information is based upon the old ones, they will not be forgotten with ease.&lt;br&gt;To learn a new word is similar to meeting a new person. To have information about this new&amp;nbsp; word in detail (itâs written form, pronunciation, word type, base, affixes, etc.), using it orally and in written form several times, establishing links between our past and present knowledge can make remembering easy. This fact must always be on your mind: To remember something, you must recall a clue about that invoke your feelings.&lt;br&gt;Systematic information may easily be acquired. The opportunity to make a comparison among the arranged sections gives strength to the message and meaning of the text. Only the meaningful things can be remembered.&lt;br&gt;Another obstacle waiting for the students is to digest the unfamiliar information getting familiar with them in time. Itâs the teacherâs duty to arrange this unfamiliar information and present it to the students.&lt;br&gt;â¢&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Knowledge about language can be divided into three main groups:&lt;br&gt;1. Knowledge of Vocabulary&lt;br&gt;Words in target language may be divided into two:&lt;br&gt;a. Words we recognize: They are the ones we understand passively as if we work out their codes while reading or listening.&lt;br&gt;b. Words we use: They are the ones we produce actively as if we write a code for them.&lt;br&gt;(A warning: Communication mustnât be understood that simple. The network of concepts in the brain is in a very complex relationship.)&lt;br&gt;In understanding process, we follow a way that is from sounds and images to meanings. In oral or written forms, this way is from meanings to sounds and images. Perception is based upon analysis, recall and memorization. Usage is related to synthesis and reproduction. In language learning, perception must precede using the language. If the studies are directed to writing in the target language, learning should take place from a word in the source language to its equivalent in the target language; if directed to reading, this should happen from a word in the target language to its equivalent in the source language.&lt;br&gt;Researches about memory have shown that words are memorized by connotations. There is also a close relationship between recognizing a word in different texts and using it sufficiently. Therefore, to comprehend the word, it should be put in the middle of a firm network of connotations knitted by preliminary knowledge.&lt;br&gt;Words in our memory are in a relationship with each other not only in the viewpoint of sound, part of speech and meaning but also in the viewpoint of âshapeâ. We link the words alike in our memory. This link also exists among the words in a text. Coherence, that is the relationship between the concepts, reinforces the connection of meaning. For that reason, reading on a specific subject systematically, that is to say directed to a specific aim, increases the knowledge of vocabulary.&lt;br&gt;Fries, a linguist, divides knowledge of vocabulary into four:&lt;br&gt;1. Fundamental words necessary for recognition the structure of the language.&lt;br&gt;2. Words necessary for forming new words.&lt;br&gt;3. Words necessary for recognition while reading or listening.&lt;br&gt;4. Words necessary for special.&lt;br&gt;Essential points that must be focused on in choosing words for memorizing can be summarized as:&lt;br&gt;1. Frequency&lt;br&gt;2. Extensivity&lt;br&gt;3. Usability&lt;br&gt;4. Suitability for learning&lt;br&gt;Continuous listening and reading are the best ways to increase the knowledge of vocabulary. In more contexts you meet a new word the more it is easy to digest it. However, it is possible to make use of some methods before proceeding into this condense reading phase.&lt;br&gt;You can find the most appropriate method for you trying the ones about memorizing words below:&lt;br&gt;a. Try to use the newly learned word not only in one sentence but also in a context formed by several sentences. You may use some new words together and even write a short story with them. So, the number of links in your ânetwork of connotationsâ will be increased. This network of connotations is very important in improving the talent of communication.&lt;br&gt;People think with the help of frames of&amp;nbsp; concepts. For instance, there is a mental frame of Lincoln in an Americanâs mind, and inside the frame are full of information piles. As an example, pronoun âheâ is used&amp;nbsp; when heâs mentioned for that heâs male, he was the sixteenth president, he was assassinated and killed, etc. These piles of information differ accordingly with experiences. The frames in a new studentâs mind are not full at the beginning. Then, as the experiences increase, the frames get filled. These frames are not in an order as one after the other, but they are in a complex network. This complex network, formed by the frames of concepts in relationships, plays a great role in comprehending the multi-directional and delicate meanings in texts.&lt;br&gt;b. Record the words and their meanings on a cassette and listen to them.&lt;br&gt;c. Write the difficult words in another color so that it draws your attention.&lt;br&gt;d. One of the biggest problems of vocabulary is memorizing the abstract words. Therefore, start with the concrete ones.&lt;br&gt;e. Make use of the words borrowed from the target language. (e.g. system, method, information etc.). But be careful with the change of meaning on some words.&lt;br&gt;f. Try to remember the words with the resemblance of the sounds with your native language.&lt;br&gt;g. Memorize the words dividing them into classes. (e. g. colors, fruits, vegetables, etc.)&lt;br&gt;h. The connotations increase if you memorize the words that are similar in written forms together. (e.g. stationary - stationery)&lt;br&gt;i. You can use some mnemonics while memorizing words. E.g. in the above-mentioned example, âstationaryâ is an adjective. The only difference between the two words is on the last third letter. The one with this last third letter âaâ is the adjective. (That is âstationaryâ)&lt;br&gt;j. Words starting with the same letters (or sounds) can be memorized together (e.g. when, which, who, where, what, etc.)&lt;br&gt;k. Remembering becomes easy if a relationship is established between the word and its physical attributes such as color, sound, smell, etc. (E.g. fruits)&lt;br&gt;l. Some other relationships such as the words and their functions are also useful. (E.g. furniture that is used for sitting, sleeping, etc.)&lt;br&gt;m. Memorizing the words with their pronunciation makes remembering easy.&lt;br&gt;n. Words with the same roots can be memorized together. (E.g. white, whiten, whitish)&lt;br&gt;o. Connections between the words and the texts can be established.&lt;br&gt;p. Practicing on texts with some words excluded, guessing the words not written or written partly are also good study for learning the words in context.&lt;br&gt;The elements causing connotations between words can be ordered as:&lt;br&gt;a. Synonyms (e.g. flower = blossom)&lt;br&gt;b. Antonyms (e.g. wet X dry)&lt;br&gt;c. Classifying as sub-groups (plant &amp;gt; rose)&lt;br&gt;d. Classifying as upper-groups (spinach &amp;lt; vegetable)&lt;br&gt;Or: Some other links may be organized between a word against two words.&lt;br&gt;giving X receiving&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; = taking&lt;br&gt;old X new &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; = young&lt;br&gt;good X bad&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; = poor&lt;br&gt;Elements helpful for guessing the meanings from the context are:&lt;br&gt;a. Title: Calls up the words related to the subject since it determines the subject&lt;br&gt;b. Repetition: It is easy to guess the meaning of the word that is repeated in different sentences.&lt;br&gt;c. Logical correlation: To guess the meaning of a word you can look for logical correlations such as the cause and result relations of the word with the other words.&lt;br&gt;d. Definitions&lt;br&gt;e. Examples&lt;br&gt;f. Similarities&lt;br&gt;g. Synonym and antonyms&lt;br&gt;h. Summary: The summary of a text may have clues about meanings of words since itâs a repetition in a sense.&lt;br&gt;2. Pronunciation&lt;br&gt;a. Repeat a word carefully after hearing it.&lt;br&gt;b. Record your own voice on a cassette and compare it with a native speaker.&lt;br&gt;c. Try to say a sound first on its own, then in words or even in tongue twisters.&lt;br&gt;d. Make a list of âdifficultâ words for you and study them more carefully.&lt;br&gt;e. Choose a dictionary and try to get familiar with its transcription system.&lt;br&gt;3. Grammar&lt;br&gt;a. Decide on which areas are you successful at, such as changing the tenses of sentences, filling in the blanks, translations, answering the questions, writing a composition etc.&lt;br&gt;b. Use the tenses not in different sentences but in the same one.&lt;br&gt;c. Make sure if you are good at oral or written exercises.&lt;br&gt;d. Decide if an exercise is more useful with rules given beforehand or after.&lt;br&gt;e. You can notice the exceptions if you put every new grammar rule into an empty grammar table in an orderly fashion. Do not forget to add extra information for unclear points while repeating.&lt;br&gt;Basic Skills&lt;br&gt;1. Listening&lt;br&gt;One learns to understand and speak the target language imitating and listening to a native speaker. Listening to the target language not only improves your reasoning but also helps your pronunciation and speaking.&lt;br&gt;Choose the listening material according to your aim. If you have started recently you may improve your memory by listening to the cassettes of a text and your pronunciation by repeating what you listen to. Further on, you may increase your perception, grammar and vocabulary by listening to cassettes of conferences, stories and interviews.&lt;br&gt;The obstacles while listening to something in the target language are:&lt;br&gt;a. Not being able to remember the long texts&lt;br&gt;b. Fast speaking of native speakers&lt;br&gt;c. Unknown vocabulary&lt;br&gt;The biggest mistake of a student while listening is that s/he tries to understand each and every word. On the other hand, as it is the same in our own language, we usually understand someone not according to what s/he says but according to his/her intention. (Thatâs why we listen to him/her as nothing happened when s/he says something wrong not on purpose). Once we understand his/her intention we do not pay much attention to every word s/he says. Hence, we hear what we hope to hear in a sense. Because, we face with familiar structures and expressions continuously. (Even the ones we are surprised at are within a limit of familiarity, but when this limit is exceeded we react. For instance, we laugh when we hear a child talking like an adult, or an adult talking like a child.) Perception requires choosing the âimportantâ; but if we try to concentrate on every word we hear we cannot talk about perception because of the weight-load of the mind. We need time to get used not to pay attention to the extra information.&lt;br&gt;A successful communication depends on understanding the person you are speaking to by reasoning with the help of his/her sayings. Besides, talent of communication improves not only with being expertized in language but also with the increase of experiences in society. It is hard to keep the sentences in mind in a foreign language. So, it is suitable to classify them briefly in order to remember them.&lt;br&gt;Repeating what you listen both reinforces the memory and helps you comprehend the logic of that language listening to something to talk about it later helps you concentrate on that subject. Gestures and mimes also make understanding easy. Body movements, facial expressions, instant changes in breathing, stress and duration of pauses are âbeyond languageâ clues of that kind.&lt;br&gt;2. Speaking&lt;br&gt;Speaking about a subject requires some conditions.&lt;br&gt;a. Meaning&lt;br&gt;b. A correct grammar&lt;br&gt;c. Correct pronunciation&lt;br&gt;d. Suitable words&lt;br&gt;Mistakes in speaking tend to increase since you have to express yourself faster than in writing. Other conditions are not usually so distinct because meaning is important. Few mistakes of the speaker are accepted because examining each sentence of his/her is too hard for the one s/he is speaking to. The important thing is to notice the repeated mistakes. There is a âtolerance of mistakesâ in each language. Knowing the limit of this assures you speak in a more comfortable way.&lt;br&gt;Social English (How do you do, see you around, etc.) is also necessary for a fluent and sufficient speaking.&lt;br&gt;Memory plays a great role in dialogs. Responding the one you are speaking to depends on using the memory adequately. Answering a question of someone relies on comprehending the intention of him/her and guessing his/her allusions.&lt;br&gt;The importance of knowledge of vocabulary is unquestionable in fluent speaking. But, it is wiser to reach the level of talking about what you mean briefly instead of trying to memorize every word you meet. Because language is for communication. A parrot repeats words but it cannot speak.&lt;br&gt;3. Reading&lt;br&gt;Do not look up&amp;nbsp; each word you meet in a text, so be careful while choosing the texts you will read. Look up the words you do not understand after reading the text several times. Do not lose time with the ones you are able to guess. Increase the number of pages and the level of texts as days pass. Choose texts on your favorite subjects. Do not forget to study the magazines and newspapers as well as books. Pictured materials are more comprehensive with the clues they contain. âWho,â âwhere,â âhow,â questions are very useful to perceive the flow of the events and the gist of the text. If you do not understand some words do not give up. Go on reading. Some ambiguity prevails in our native language as well, but we do not give up reading hoping the text will be clearer after a while. This is the same for a foreign language.&lt;br&gt;Dialogs are easy to remember since they contain real communication among people and are social units. Therefore, they are more important than written texts; and the best way is to stay in the country in which the target language is spoken.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;4. Writing&lt;br&gt;Writing helps us make established to expressions we learn In the target language more lively and remember them. Keeping a diary, writing a short story, summarizing the daily news can contribute to us in acquiring a writing habit. Writing about your ideas of a book you have read, extracting some passages, taking notes on some aphorisms may be beneficial.&lt;br&gt;5. Translation.&lt;br&gt;Though it seems as an outdated method, translation is a helpful element that helps students improve their basic skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking). Especially, students can acquire conscience about language through the knowledge of Text-linguistics which studies the elements of a text. Besides, students will have a general information about the subjects they translate. While making a literal translation a method mentioned below may be used. First you read the text several times. You can talk about the ambiguous points in consultation with others. The unknown words are looked up in a dictionary. Then, with the help of a Thesaurus you find these words in the target language that draws the border of the semantic field of the one in the source language. After learning this frame of concept of the word you can find the exact word in an English to English dictionary (if you are making a translation into English). Using a dictionary that gives details about the conceptual fields of a word and its usage is very helpful. (e.g. Collins Cobuild Dictionary.) You choose the best word with the aid of your intuition. Then, you may check which verbs, objects, adverbs, etc. to use with the word in a dictionary such as BBI Combinatory dictionary of English.&lt;br&gt;Translating on technical fields is also attractive for students; and in that way they can memorize the terminology of a specific field.&lt;br&gt;Practice is essential&lt;br&gt;Language should not be a pile of rules but a skill. The points mentioned below may be some of the exercises in the target language.&lt;br&gt;a. Grammar exercises&lt;br&gt;Students generally accept a rule as it is and do not try to use it in a different way. The rules should be used as flexible as possible.&lt;br&gt;b. Vocabulary exercises&lt;br&gt;When you hear a word try to use it with different objects (E.g. to finish, to finish a school, to finish a work, etc.)&lt;br&gt;c. Exercises on suffixes, affixes and prefixes&lt;br&gt;If you know the suffixes, affixes and prefixes in forming words you may memorize words very easily (E.g. reader, rider, teacher, etc.)&lt;br&gt;d. Speaking exercises&lt;br&gt;The easiest way to practice is to make repetitions silently, because there is no need for a specific place, time and book. For instance, you can try to say the names of things around, or translate the dialogs during shopping, etc.&lt;br&gt;e. You can make use of word games, puzzles, etc.&lt;br&gt;Conclusion&lt;br&gt;The ability of understanding and using a language is improved not only by learning the meanings of words but also with social experiences, different relations initiated with several people and with continuous studying. As your ability is improved you start to think in the target language. Meanwhile, understanding the jokes and dreaming in the target language are proofs of your progress.&lt;br&gt;While learning a foreign language a successful student does not claim that he does not know anything about that language. On the contrary, s/he tries to save time finding the similarities and differences between the two languages in the fields of vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar. With constant practice he tries to acquire a firm thinking and an effective communication ability.&lt;br&gt;Do not forget:&lt;br&gt;âPractIce makes perfectâ&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>90 ADVANTAGES OF BEING A MALE</title><link>http://www.englishforums.com/English/90AdvantagesOfBeingAMale/cbcrr/post.htm</link><pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:01:58 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:172533</guid><dc:creator>Matress</dc:creator><description>&lt;P&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;FONT color=#ff0000&gt;&lt;B&gt;90 ADVANTAGES OF BEING A MALE &lt;/B&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
1. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. 
2. Movie nudity is virtually always female. 
3. You know stuff about tanks. 
4. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. 
5. You don't have to monitor your friends' sex lives. 
6. Your bathroom lines are 80% shorter. 
7. You can open all your own jars. 
8. Old friends don't give you crap if you've lost or gained weight. 
9. Dry cleaners and haircutters don't rob you blind. 
10. When clicking through the channels, you don't have to stall on every shot of someone crying. 
11. Your ass is never a factor in a job interview. 
12. All your orgasms are real. 
13. A beer gut does not make you invisible to the opposite sex. 
14. Guys in hockey masks don't attack you. 
15. You don't have to lug a bag of useful stuff around everywhere you go. 
16. You understand why "Stripes" is funny. 
17. You can go to the bathroom with out a support group. 
18. Your last name stays put. 
19. You can leave a hotel bed unmade. 
20. When your work is criticized, you don't have to panic that everyone secretly hates you. 
21. You can kill your own food. 
22. The garage is all yours. 
23. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. 
24. You see the humor in Terms of Endearment. 
25. Nobody secretly wonders if you swallow. 
26. You never have to clean the toilet. 
27. You can be showered and ready in 10 minutes. 
28. Sex means never worrying about your reputation: the more partners, the better. 
29. Wedding plans take care of themselves. 
30. If someone forgets to invite you to something, he or she can still be you friend. 
31. Your underwear is $10 for a three pack. 
32. The National College Cheerleading Championship 
33. None of your co-workers have the power to make you cry. 
34. You don't have to shave below your neck. 
35. You don't have to curl up next to a hairy ass every nite. 
36. If you're 34 and single nobody notices. 
37. You can write your name in the snow. 
38. You can get into a nontrivial pissing contest. 
39. Everything on your face stays its original color. 
40. Chocolate is just another snack. 
41. You can be president. 
42. You can quietly enjoy a car ride from the passenger seat. 
43. Flowers fix everything. 
44. You never have to worry about other people's feelings. 
45. You get to think about sex 90% of your waking hours. 
46. You can wear a white shirt to a water park. 
47. Three pair of shoes are more than enough. 
48. You can eat a banana in a hardware store. 
49. You can say anything and not worry about what people think. 
50. Foreplay is optional. 
51. Michael Bolton doesn't live in your universe and you don't know what Kalvin Klein is. 
52. Nobody stops telling a good dirty joke when you walk into the room. 
53. You can whip your shirt off on a hot day. 
54. You don't have to clean your apartment if the meter reader is coming by. 
55. You never feel compelled to waste an evening trying to stop a pal from getting laid. 
56. Car mechanics tell you the truth. 
57. You don't give a rat's ass if someone notices your new haircut. 
58. You can watch a game in silence with your buddy for hours without even thinking: He must be mad at me. 
59. The world is your urinal (You can pee anywhere). 
60. You never misconstrue innocuous statements to mean your lover is about to leave you. 
61. Hot wax never comes near your pubic area. 
62. One mood, all the time. 
63. You can admire Clint Eastwood without starving yourself to look like him. 
64. You know at least 20 ways to open a beer bottle. 
65. You can sit with your knees apart no matter what you are wearing. 
66. Same work....more pay. 
67. Gray hair and wrinkles add character. 
68. You don't have to leave the room to make an emergency crotch adjustment. 
69. Wedding Dress $2000; Tux rental $100. 
70. You don't care if someone is talking about you behind your back. 
71. With 400 million sperm per shot, you could double the earth's population in 15 tries, at least in theory. 
72. People never glance at your chest when your talking to them. 
73. You can drop by to see a friend without bringing a little gift. 
74. Bachelor parties whomp ass over bridal showers. 
75. You can have a normal and healthy relationship with your mother. 
76. You can buy condoms without the shopkeeper imagining you naked. 
77. You needn't pretend you're "freshening up" to go to the bathroom. 
78. If you don't call your buddy when you say you will, he won't tell your friends you've changed. 
79. Someday you'll be a dirty old man. 
80. You can rationalize any behavior with the handy phrase &lt;EM&gt;"*** it!"&lt;/EM&gt; 
81. If another guy shows up at the party in the same outfit, you might become lifelong buddies. 
82. Princess Di's death was almost just another obituary. 
83. You don't mind being a sexual object. 
84. You never have to miss a sexual opportunity because your not in the mood. 
85. If something mechanical doesn't work, you can fix it or bash it with a hammer and throw it across the room. 
86. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet. 
87. Porn movies are designed with your mind in mind. 
88. You don't have to remember everyone's birthdays and anniversaries. 
89. Not liking certain people does not preclude having great sex with them. 
90. Your pals can be trusted never to trap you with: &lt;EM&gt;"So...notice anything different?" &lt;/EM&gt;

&lt;FONT color=#ff0000&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt; 
&lt;FONT color=#ff0000&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&amp;nbsp;
&lt;FONT color=#ff0000&gt;DO YOU STILL&amp;nbsp; HAVE DOUBTS THAT TO BE A MAN IS BETTER? &lt;/FONT&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;B&gt;&lt;FONT size=2&gt;&lt;FONT face=Verdana&gt;&lt;img src="/emoticons/emotion-46.gif" alt="Drinks [D]" /&gt; or &lt;img src="/emoticons/emotion-46.gif" alt="Drinks [D]" /&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/P&gt;</description></item><item><title>Re: Stupid rapper words.</title><link>http://www.englishforums.com/English/StupidRapperWords/2/xjrm/Post.htm#71395</link><pubDate>Tue, 01 Feb 2005 04:08:49 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:71395</guid><dc:creator>Guest</dc:creator><description>wow.....are you serious? those words that they make up are just stuff that they think is funny to say. seriously, how many of you have stupid words or phrases that u say with your friends? i do! its funny, but i agree, they do take it too far. alot of the time, they realize that they can get people to say these things just because they here some celebrity say it. (ex: lil' jon said in some interview that he was going to start the next new big thing: saying "to the white meat" , meaning that you were goin to get hit so hard that your wound will go down to the white meat, your brain. a few weeks later when his crunk juice cd came out, theres a whole song deicated to that phrase. isnt that stupid? all these mainstream "rappers"  worry about is material gain, their own egos and making stupid people say stupid things.  by the way, dont think that all rap is about killing, sex, drugs and money. theres alot more out there then most people realize. if people would just turn off the radio and mtv, then they would see that theres more to hiphop as a culture then that mainstream crap. (haha, hiphop in itself is just another one of those funny words that started out as a joke, now look where its at).</description></item><item><title>Re: Everyday jokes from Deepblue  :-)</title><link>http://www.englishforums.com/English/EverydayJokesFromDeepblue/4/dzcw/Post.htm#16226</link><pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2003 21:50:07 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:16226</guid><dc:creator>deepa</dc:creator><description>A "Mallu" female (from the heart of Kerala) went for a job interview for the post of a SECRETARY. When the manager saw the Mallu's colourful attire and gold and well oiled uncombed jet black hair, his mind was screaming "NOT THIS WOMAN." Nevertheless, he still had to entertain the Mallu. So he told her "If you could form a sentence using the words that I give you, then may be I will give you a chance." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; The words are GREEN, PINK, YELLOW, BLUE, WHITE, PURPLE and BLACK." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; The enthusiastic Mallu lady thought for a while and said : "I hear the phone GREEN GREEN GREEN, then I go and PINK up the phone, I say YELLOW......BLUE's that? WHITE did you say? Aiye, Wrong number ...........Don't PURPLELY disturb people and don't call BLACK, ok? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Thankyou." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; The Manager fainted.......&lt;br /&gt;</description></item></channel></rss>