Search results for 'tag:Sample tag:Vocabulary' matching tags 'Sample' and 'Vocabulary'

I Teach Online :)

seme — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:17:43 GMT

I saw a few other posts like this in this section so I'm going to assume it's okay.

After working for private businesses for a long time, I've decided to move to teaching exclusively online through EduFire. I know many people here would like to practice their English with a native speaker for free and are disappointed that teachers online charge, but at least with EduFire even a "conversation lesson" is much more than a conversation. The EduFire system allows for video chat like Skype but also allow us to share files. I can upload scenes from movies and TV shows, play them in the virtual "classroom" and go over vocabulary (for example). I can write out notes on a digital whiteboard or scan in activities from textbooks.

Anyway, search for "Marianne" on EduFire or check out my sample lesson on YouTube () ... or send me a message here :)

-Marianne

What we know about music and the brain (Multiple choice quiz)

Tanit — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:58:29 GMT

This quiz is given by the University of Cambridge as a free sample of Paper 3 (Use of English), Part 1 (Selective cloze) of the ESOL Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE).
The format of this exam is currently undergoing major changes, so from the December 2008 session onwards, it will be different.

Anyway, are you ready to challenge your grasp of vocabulary and understanding of (apparently) similar words? Here we are!

_____________________________________________

What we know about music and the brain.

[test]Work on the human brain has "indicated|expressed|directed|guided" how different parts are centres of activity for different skills, feelings, perceptions and so on. It has also been shown that the left and right halves, or hemispheres, of the brain are "responsible|amenable|dependable|reliable" for different functions. While language is processed in the left, or analytical hemisphere, music is processed in the right, or emotional hemisphere. "Aspects|Views|Factors|Pieces" of music like tone, pitch and melody are all probably processed in different parts of the brain. Some features of musical experience are processed not just in the auditory parts of the brain, but in the visual ones. We donât yet fully understand the "implications|expectations|assumptions|propositions" of this.
The tempo of music seems to be "directly|surely|plainly|evidently" related to its emotional impact, with fast music often "felt|endured|encountered|touched" as happier and slower music as sadder. It is the same with the major biological rhythm of the body: our heart "rate|pulse|speed|pace" quickens when weâre happy, but slows when weâre sad. Military music may have "evolved|extended|advanced|elevated" from attempts to get us ready for "battle|fight|quarrel|struggle" by using fast drumming to "stimulate|activate|motivate|animate" our hearts into beating faster. Music is perhaps one of the most complex experiences the brain "copes|manages|bears|holds" with and it has become an absolutely "vital|important|compulsory|dominant" part of our rituals and ceremonies. It has power beyond language to "communicate|notify|report|associate" mood and co-ordinate our emotional states.[/test]

Re: The most common slang words

flamen000 — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:24:36 GMT

slang, vernacular vocabulary not generally acceptable in formal usage. It is notable for its liveliness, humor, emphasis, brevity, novelty, and exaggeration. Most slang is faddish and ephemeral, but some words are retained for long periods and eventually become part of the standard language (e.g., phony, blizzard, movie). On the scale used to indicate a word's status in the language, slang ranks third behind standard and colloquial (or informal) and before cant. Slang often conveys an acerbic, even offensive, no-nonsense attitude and lends itself to poking fun at pretentiousness. Frequently grotesque and fantastic, it is usually spoken with intent to produce a startling or original effect. It is especially well developed in the speaking vocabularies of cultured, sophisticated, linguistically rich languages. Characteristically individual, slang often incorporates elements of the jargons of special-interest groups (e.g., professional, sport, regional, criminal, and drug subcultures). Slang words often come from foreign languages or are of a regional nature. Slang is very old, and the reasons for its development have been much investigated. The following is a small sample of American slang descriptive of a broad range of subjects: of madnessâloony, nuts, psycho; of crimeâheist, gat, hit, heat, grifter; of womenâbabe, chick, squeeze, skirt; of menâdude, hombre, hunk; of drunkennessâsloshed, plastered, stewed, looped, trashed, smashed; of drugsâhorse, high, stoned, tripping; of caressingâneck, fool around, make out; of states of mindâuptight, wired, mellow, laid back; the verb to goâscram, split, scoot, tip; miscellaneous phrasesâyou push his buttons, get it together, chill, she does her number, he does his thing, what's her story, I'm not into that.

_got it from Answers.com_

Re: base for this usage

Clive — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 02:55:37 GMT

Hi,

I hesitate to discuss the uses of nouns in such a very theoretical way. I'd just prefer to say that English vocabulary seems to me to be very flexible, and that a very great deal depends on the context.

So, are you saying virtually any word can be used differently (ie. different than typical definitions would indicate) if used grammatically in a general term?

Did I say that? Let's try. horse One horse. Two horses. A horse has four legs. The horse is a noble animal. English people don't like to eat horse. These usages are all fine.

Despite your modesty, you seem to have quitea good understanding of this. Are there any sample sentences that you are not sure of?

Best wishes, Clive

Re: Do/will Standard AE and BE speakers adapt their usage?

MrPedantic — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 01:54:39 GMT

Englishuser wrote:

How do you explain that most learners of English - including those whose English proficiency is very limited - can understand The Queen?

I'd be interested to know where the Queen's Granddaughter's English fits in. You can hear a sample here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/6168191.stm

MrP

PS:

Here's a transcript:

"...Woooo ahh I'm actually shaking it's um people have said to me have you prepared a speech and I was like no I wasn't expecting at all but it's amazing and thank you to all of us as um and it's just amazing to be here um with all these amazing sports people um all just fantastic and I'm sat there in awe of everyone um but to win this is absolutely amazing and thank you so much thank you very much..."

___________

Vocabulary

amazing rather pleasing; top-hole; remarkable; very nice

Re: How can you tell whether someone is a non-native speaker?

julielai — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 22:38:16 GMT

Just out of curiosity, Mr. P, how do you distinguish a native speaker who's learned a non-standard form of English from a decent non-native speaker? (e.g. How can you tell if a speaker born in India, Singapore or other Asian countries is native?)

MrPedantic wrote:

1. Discrepancies of register. A non-native speaker's English may be impeccable, for the most part; but slight failures of tone or register are most noticeable, in impeccable English. For instance, the non-native may use a word which a native speaker of that kind of English would never use in that context. Or a word may be used in a grammatical but unusual way. The commonest words are the most treacherous, in this connection: "quite", "nice", etc.

2. Absence of context. It's very difficult to provide sample sentences or chat for any length of time without revealing something about your background. When non-native speakers are writing naturally, they reveal something of their native background. When they are writing carefully, however, and perhaps do not wish to be taken for a native speaker, they reveal nothing. There may be literary references, for instance; but the little everyday details are missing.

3. Literary echoes. Sometimes non-native speakers use phrases they have come across in Shakespeare, Dickens, etc., or unwittingly catch the rhythm of well known writers.

4. Overly pure or consistent diction. By which I mean the kind of vocabulary we find in e.g. Jowett's translation of Plato. Non-native speakers who have reached a certain proficiency often dislike recent additions to everyday vocabulary, for instance.

5. Rhythm. Non-native speakers often bring a little of their native rhythm into English. The clauses may be not quite the right length; the pauses may sound mannered.

6. Grammatical regularity combined with inappropriate idioms. Grammar is the weakness of native speakers; idiom is the weakness of non-native speakers.

Maybe other members will have other ideas.

MrP

Re: How can you tell whether someone is a non-native speaker?

MrPedantic — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 00:18:41 GMT

Hello EU

Here are some things that occur to me:

1. Discrepancies of register. A non-native speaker's English may be impeccable, for the most part; but slight failures of tone or register are most noticeable, in impeccable English. For instance, the non-native may use a word which a native speaker of that kind of English would never use in that context. Or a word may be used in a grammatical but unusual way. The commonest words are the most treacherous, in this connection: "quite", "nice", etc.

2. Absence of context. It's very difficult to provide sample sentences or chat for any length of time without revealing something about your background. When non-native speakers are writing naturally, they reveal something of their native background. When they are writing carefully, however, and perhaps do not wish to be taken for a native speaker, they reveal nothing. There may be literary references, for instance; but the little everyday details are missing.

3. Literary echoes. Sometimes non-native speakers use phrases they have come across in Shakespeare, Dickens, etc., or unwittingly catch the rhythm of well known writers.

4. Overly pure or consistent diction. By which I mean the kind of vocabulary we find in e.g. Jowett's translation of Plato. Non-native speakers who have reached a certain proficiency often dislike recent additions to everyday vocabulary, for instance.

5. Rhythm. Non-native speakers often bring a little of their native rhythm into English. The clauses may be not quite the right length; the pauses may sound mannered.

6. Grammatical regularity combined with inappropriate idioms. Grammar is the weakness of native speakers; idiom is the weakness of non-native speakers.

Maybe other members will have other ideas.

MrP

Re: Among and Amongst...

Siggy — Tue, 02 May 2006 14:57:20 GMT

As Nona points out, it is not the "standard" form. There is a generational component - some of us older folks use it more than the younger ones!

The LOB corpus (Lancaster-Oslo-Bergen) from the 70's has "while" appearing 590 times in the entire sample and "whilst" appearing 66 times - that's amost ten time more. Contrast that with the Raban corpus (1987) that recorded the spoken vocabulary of 5-year-olds and you'll see that "whilst" doesn't even make an appearance.

So, it looks like "whilst" and the like may be on the way out. The -st will probably be used amongst the oldies only whilst they are still alive.

Siggy

Re: Sentecne questions Thank you.

Bsss10 — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 15:11:15 GMT

Hello Clive

Since the survey just mentions the section of responents, I try to question its validity.

Can you help me check these sentences whether they are awkward? If they are, help me revise them. Thank you very much.

1.The survey does not mention the proportion of non-respondents. The problem is that if the ration of respondents and non-respondents is one to ten, the survey of the result is questionable because its sample size can not be diverse and representative enough.

2. Given that the questionnaireâs questions just provides three choices: most satisfaction, more satisfaction, and satisfaction, the result of this study will be that most people are satisfied.

The other questiona is that when I writer repetition about'' if.'' I mean that

If......, if....... ,if......, main clause

If.....; if........; if......., main clause

Which one is correct?

If you find something wrong in Grammar or vocabulary, help me check them. Thank you again.

If A does not help inhabitants collect old furniture, if A's workers require inhabitants to put their garbage on specific areas and it might take them more than twenty minutes to dump their garbage, the town had better not employ A to collect its garbage.

Book review @

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 03:08:46 GMT

INTRODUCTION

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Professional writing is the most challenging task for the inexperienced student. Above all academic requirements it still ranks top of the list in day to day campus stressors. On average, eighty five percent of the requirements are based upon how well the student is able to express him or self on paper. The content has to meet the standards of the college or university level expectancy and writing must present itself at the bachelor or masters or doctorate level of thinking. Interesting enough, a very large percent of college students are never prepared to take such monumental challenges in todayâs world of academics, therefore modern technology has invented a myriad of ways too assist even the average student in this task. One of those inventions comes in book formânamely A writerâs Reference by Diana Hacker. Her manual is user friendly, practical, analytical, and widely excepted in most university level circles.[1]

The reference is more than a reference in that it motivates the student to a level of excellence by which he has not known before. It prepares the user to write in such a way that it surpasses elementary standards of expression. It teaches areas of: composition style; research techniques; and basic grammar just to name a few. The authorâs dedication to improving the writing ability and standard of expression is notable and is applauded by scholars within the academic circles. One of the accolades she is best appreciated is the teaching tutorial concerning plagiarism, which is the primary focus today.

Plagiarism has been the nightmare that keeps educators awake across millions of college campuses nation wide, yet it took one educatorâDiane Hacker, to put that monster to rest.

Plagiarism the Nightmare

Plagiarism, by definition contains three variables: 1) failing to cite quotations and borrowed ideas, 2) Failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks, and 3) Failing to rephrase summaries and paraphrases. Diana devotes a full section in her book, âA Writerâs Reference,â to alleviate sleepless nights. The title of this section is simply called, âAvoiding Plagiarism.â

The teaching method used consists of formal literary styles particularly for the American Psychological Association (APA) recommendations, as well as the Chicago Manuel Style (CMS) papers. Her teaching tutorials includes: illustrative points, examples and citing problems errors for the reader. Though one on one, hands on models are the most preferred method, the book does a great job in getting the message across. That message addresses Citing quotations and borrowed idea, enclosing borrowed language in quotations, integrating sources and paraphrasing where a few major topics discussed.

Citing Quotations

Dianna, suggest the student be able to cite properly[2]. This is the first step toward a restful beginning. She gives one, and only one exception to the ruleâcommon knowledge is the exception key that unlocks your brain, while releasing the information that belongs to another. In other words you are free to express your personal knowledge in the document that may be familiar to others; however you are not free to omit quotation-source information from the text. This information maybe already listed within the document itself and need not be repeated. For instance if facts and data are cited within the text proper you are free to leave it in place. Citing quotations are as easy as one, two, and three. The sample APA documents provided in the tutorials are he standard of practice at the graduate level. Most universities favor that particular style.

Enclosing Borrowed Language

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The second way to a peaceful rest is enclosing exact phrases or sentences from an original source. The phrase itself must be written in a way to give all the credit to its originator. To avoid plagiarism use quotations as you indent the message borrowed. Students unanimously agree that this section is the most difficult to master, especially if vocabulary poses and issue in verbal expression-writing will as well. Dianna has covered the basis in that area by understanding the requirements that the professional writer may face. So, plan to brain-storm thoughts ideas and make a word list prior to starting the paperâThesaurus works well in unclogging written expressions. The Writerâs Guide has a section on word selection that may stimulate the thoughts.

Summaries and Paraphrases

Diana Hacker explains,

> >

âA summary condenses information; a paraphrase reports information in about the same

number of words. When you summarize or paraphrase, you must restate the sources

meaning using your own language. You are guilty of plagiarism if you half-copy the

authorâs sentencesâeither by mixing the authorâs well chosen phrases without quotation

marks or by plugging your own sentence structure.â[3]

The ongoing message provided had to do with the strategies given that introduces a

standard of excellence in the way the student expresses himself in the academic world. In other words it is the spirit of excellence or ethical standards of behavior gained through teaching methodology. Professionalism in writing does involve ethical standards of behavior and Diana Hacker is living proof that standards; like good home training can be taught. It is really true that practice makes perfect, but knowledge prevents perfect mistakes >>

Integrating sources>>

Integrating sources is like showering before bed time; it stirs all of the information gained throughout the day, and settles it down with ease. It allows the delineation of facts within the text, giving credit to source information and credit to personal knowledge of the student and the reader will be able to decipher which is which. In comparison, integration is bridging the research data in the framework of the document giving it clarity, so the reader may visualize your ideas. This visualization produces free flowing materials as one thought at a timeâone transitional though at a time. >>

Paraphrasing

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Paraphrasing is like hugging a stuffed pillow at nightâembracing its substance as your

own. This is where your comprehension of the authorâs intent is the critical element in passing the knowledge gained to the reader. How well the message flows depends upon how well the documentation is executed. Paraphrasing keeps everyone honest and it give integrity to the full document. A perfect example for clarity is found in section APA-4a under documenting sources it says, â basic format for a summary or paraphrase includes,: the authorâs last name and the date, either in a signal phrase introducing the material or parenthesis in it.â No matter if the paper has multiple authors, quotes, paraphrasing and properly citing the source are honest brokers in helping the student avoid acts of plagiarism thus producing a work of professional art in writing.

Conclusion

Professional writing is the most challenging task for the inexperienced student. Above all academic requirements, writing assignments ranks top of the list in day to day campus stressors, however, after the student becomes thoroughly versed in citing quotations and borrowed ideas, and so on, he or she will experience fewer sleepless nights. Proper utilization of the Writerâs Reference will ensure a more polished written paper, as well as an informed student. Though the final analysis of the well written paper, ultimately lies in the professors pin, the student will rest on a bed of ease knowing that the confidence lies in the skillful execution of a well documented, graduate level, thesis or dissertation.

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[1] Dianna, Hacker, A Writerâs Reference, 5th edition, Boston Ma. (2003):383.

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[2] Diana Hacker A Writerâs Reference by, 5th edition chemas-microsoft-com:officemarttags" />t="on">lace wt="on">Bostonlace>, Ma. (2003), 383.

[3] Dianna, Hacker A Writerâs Reference, 5^TH Edition, lace wt="on">t="on">Bostonlace>< Ma.(2003)391.