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

Re: Books

Peaceblinkfriend — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:08:13 GMT

Just to add to my previous post. Since The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is told from the eyes of a child, the vocabulary and sentence constructions used are not awfully difficult or obscure, yet I think the book does serve the purpose of learning English.

PBF

Re: What makes English so difficult to learn?

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:30:34 GMT

As a native English speaker (well perhaps not entirely native, I was born in Russia and immigrated to the U.S. at the tender age of 7) I would have to say that apart from the obviously difficult aspects of the English language such as tenses, an unorthodox phonetic system employed in the language and infuriating exceptions for just about every single rule, the two most puzzling features are the Verb+Participle+Preposition combinations and the sheer vastness of the vocabulary. Observe the former...

come+up+with

come+down+with

come+foward+with

come+out+for

come+down+to

Five different constructions which would be clear as day to any native speaker, are nevertheless mind-boggling to someone who is learning the language. Notice how they all start with "come", and then imagine that sort of illogical word-scrambling applied to every verb. Daunting, isn't it? Don't know how to break it to you folks, but I haven't even scratched the surface.

Now as to the latter, I am more than happy to have dictionary.com present proof of this phenomenon in my stead. Let's take a look at the word "jump". I mean, how many possible synonyms could there be for this word? Well, one simple search can help us find out. Here's the link:

http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/jump

40 entries for the first definition alone. FORTY. Forty different ways to say jump. But when you break it down, do all 40 words have the same meaning? Of course not! Nosedive means to jump into something headfirst, as in a pool of water or (if you're very unfortunate) onto a hardwood floor. To spring is to jump up energetically, with an almost almighty "lurch" (another word for jump right there :P) whereas to "bob" means to make jumping motions without every actually taking your feet off the ground. The list goes on and on. No other language I'm familiar with has such variety when it comes to synonyms, be it for seemingly uncomplicated actions or deep philosophical concepts.

Although English is my native language, I am also a nearly native speaker of Russian (I give credit to my parents for preserving the language of the "motherland" and passing it on to me) and fluent in German. I find Russian to be an incredibly expressive language with just as many (if not more) nuances as English, and its ability to convey feelings of dislike, anger or downright hateful fervor (i.e. swearing) is, in my experience, unmatched. German is an incredibly logical language, and once grammar constructs are mastered, relatively straightforward in its application. Mastering German grammar is a challenge however, and word order is an utter nuisance in some situations.

Just my two cents.

Re: Two question about "where"

Velimir — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:21:28 GMT

Hello Ant 222,

First,thank you for the compliments.It means to me.
Excuse me for misinterpreting your message it was not intentional.I'm glad we agree on this point,but it would also be ok with me if we do not.There is always room for every sort of opinion.I think that a native english-speaking person would say in this context like: "nothing is written in stone".Smiley.Thanks again.
I agree too on "<<<Furthermore, I try to understand things logically and find explanations for every problem so that I won't have to simply memorize things! ",and I would add here that it is exactly what grammarians do.They establish logic i.e regularities in the language to ease memorizing vocabulary.

Hello Goodman,

I agree with your point of view.I specially subscribe to the part "..learners must in time learn to develop a balance in learning." But also I add that the balance is not a clearcut concept and is not universal.What makes optimal balance is dependent on the learning situation.I will cite here my own discerning thought(smiley) from previous post : "So,your learning situation and my learning situation are two different situations".So the balances are different.For example,although we agree on the matter in general,maybe Ant 222 and I disagree whether this question(what is the form of "where"..)is necessary knowledge to strike that optimal balance.
I think that this issue is incredibly complex,have so many different aspects,and is influenced by so many factors,that you can never say to somebody what is the right way like : "Dude,follow the road to the junction and then turn left..".or "scramble three eggs,put a spoonful of sugar and then mix until your arm is numbed..".Maybe closest to the truth would be if we say that everything matters.But one should say as the following to it that it is important to set apart what is consequential from inconsequential(or less consequential),in his/her learning of the language.And that is also a scientific method of acquiring knowledge.That is,grammarians analyze the language and then synthetize it in some convenient chunks and the learner should understand the gist of it and use it as a construction on which he/she will build his/her vocabulary.Still,a learner can be close to mastering that gist of the grammar and find himself in a situation that his vocabulary is awkward,funny or unintelligible,or at least that he leave the listener with the impression of talking with Queen Elizabeth when he wanted to sound like the frontmen of 50 cents or vice versa,or most probably neither of that options,but he wanted just a regular chat.There is a lot sweat until we esl learners grasp the language so well to avoid such things.Besides,there is always question what is his/her learning objective.The question of utilizing is also a broad concept.If you learn because you need to know english only to communicate with your customers on the local market then less will do,i.e:

Buy oranges.Two oranges for twenty cents.I give one free when you buy two.

As to the sale,this is a quite good level of utilization.Whether the customer will utilize the oranges is up to oranges,some preposition more or less will not make difference.
The opposite extreme of a personal ambition would be to learn with ambition to write bestselers or so.And on that scale of ambition you could line up EFL learners as well.With my "not so good" english I'm able to make a difference between speakers which language is too rich with "and" and with too many "so",along with "uh" every now and then,and those who speak smoothly.The first may ruin the best idea with such language and former can make some stupidity sounds groundbreaking.

Best regards and thanks for the discussions

Velimir

Re: use vocabulary in sentence

Fandorin — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:09:35 GMT

It had better to use simple construction in any sentences, you cannot use tangled phrase because you must achieve it .If you succeed in it you will use more complex construction. it doesn't mean that you ought to avoid interesting and informal phrase, but don't be upset if you cannot use - you aren't bad speaker. More haste, less speed.

Here's that lesson plan.

DWillard — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 03:14:09 GMT

Hello everybody. I'm new here, so take it easy on me.

LESSON 1

Subject: William Shakespeare â History and Plays

Date: Day 1

Objective:

                  ELA.10.LE.3 Use oral, written, and visual texts to research how
                                         individuals have had an impact on people in their
                                         community and their nation.

                  ELA.7.LE.3 Apply new learning by forming questions and
                                       setting learning goals that will aid in self-regulation
                                       and reflection on their developing literacy

                .
                  METS 1.a.6 -Students understand that access to online learning                                                                              increases educational and workplace opportunities.

                  METS 1.b.1 -Students will be provided with the opportunity to learn in a virtual                                                    environment as a strategy to build 21st century learning skills.

Presentation:

             Step 1. Give a PowerPoint Presentation
                             -Give a historical Background on Shakespeareâs life
                                          - First 20 Years
                                          - Life in London
                                          - Later Years
                                          - The Plays
                                                 - Comedies & Histories
                                                 - Tragedies

               Step 2. Introduce students to webquests
                                           - specifically show them the Shakespeare webquest:
                                              http://questgarden.com/10/81/0/070107150712/index.htm
                                           - show the students how to navigate it
                                           - allow them to navigate it themselves

Materials:

             PowerPoint presentation; quizzes; worksheets

Introduction:

                  Read (melodramatically, of course) the famous âTo be, or not to be...â
                  monologue from William Shakespeareâs Hamlet.

Closure:
                Give relevance to Shakespeare and his work. Discuss what times where like in the                          Elizabethan period and how it could have effected his writing. Compare Shakespeare                      to writers of today.

Evaluation:

                Give a five question mini-quiz covering the topics presented in the PowerPoint. (Be                         sure to inform them of the quiz prior to the PowerPoint presentation to encourage                           some note-taking.)

Homework:

                 Have students fill out a purpose question worksheet (10-12 questions) based on                               the Shakespeare webquest:

                 http://questgarden.com/10/81/0/070107150712/index.htm


LESSON 2

Subject: William Shakespeare â Othello: plot

Date: Day 2

Objective:

                     ELA.3.LE.1 Integrate listening, speaking, viewing, reading, and
                                          writing skills for multiple purposes and in varied contexts.

                     ELA.3.LE.6 Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words and
                                           concepts in oral, written, and visual texts by using
                                           a variety of resources, such as prior knowledge,
                                           context, glossaries, and electronic sources.

                      METS 1.b.5 Students identify common graphic, audio, and video
                                           file formats (e.g., jpeg, gif, bmp, mpeg, wav).

Presentation:

                Guided Reading Lesson
                           1. Create background of the story
                                            -Moors in Europe
                                            - Spanish history
                                            - Othello and Shakespeare

                           2. Provide students with vocabulary words from the story. Use posters: at least 3                                 posters per word or use a PowerPoint slide show (at least 3 slides per word).                                    Present 6-8 words.
                                             - define the word
                                             - give proper usage
                                             - Concretize the word through a mini-quiz

                           3. Have students answer purpose words that cover main ideas and details. (10-                                    12 questions)

                           4. Have students answer discussion questions that cover inferences and                                                judgments. (12-15 questions)

              Activity
                      1.Put students in groups.

                      2.Have groups make âWhat if...â scene where Othello does not carry out the                                       murder of Desdemona.

                      3. Have students record their scenes on a digital camcorder and upload them                                        onto the computer.

Materials:

                      An Othello (Lawrence Fishburn version) highlight DVD, poster materials                                        (construction paper, markers, magazine clippings, glue, etc.), worksheet,
                      digital camcorder

Introduction:

                      Show highlight clips from the movie Othello form a burned DVD compilation.

Closure:
                       Go around the room and ask each student their favorite part of the story.

Evaluation:

                       Have students complete a matching style worksheet. They must match the                                       character to the specific event in Othelloâs plot that they did.
                       (Ex. -   _A__ 1. Iago        A. Convinced Othello to murder Desdemona.)

Homework:

                       Have students keep a journal (on a word processor is fine for students with mild                              learning and behavioral disorders ). Each entry is a summary of the plot by each                             act. Five acts = five summaries.

LESSON 3

Subject: William Shakespeare â Othello: themes

Date: Day 3

Objective:

                 ELA.3.LE.5 Employ multiple strategies to construct meaning
                                            while reading, listening to, viewing or creating text.

                        ELA.3.LE.8 Express their responses to visual, written, and electronic
                                             texts, and compare their responses to those of others.

                        METS 3.a.3 Students have access to and utilize assistive technology
                                             tools.

                        METS 4.a.4 Students collaborate in content-related projects that integrate a                                                         variety of media (e.g., print, audio, video, graphic, simulations, and                                                  models) with presentation, word processing, publishing, database,                                                    graphics design, or spreadsheet applications.

Presentation:

              Step 1. Have a discussion about theme in stories.
                                   - How theme works under genre
                                   - How theme provokes inferences judgement in the reader
                                   - How to read between the lines to understand theme

              Step 2. Have a discussion about theme in Othello.
                                   - Jealousy
                                   - Deception/truth
                                   - love vs. blind rage

              Step 3. Put students into groups for a quick study session before the quiz. Group them                              together my mixing ability levels.

Materials:

                     Overhead projector, quiz sheets

Introduction:

                       Provide a short summary/discussion on the previous dayâs material.

Closure:

                       Give a short statement on Othello, and how it resonates in real life to help                                        concretize the lesson for students.

Evaluation:
                       Have students complete a small multiple choice test covering the past three daysâ                            material. (12 - 16 questions)

Homework:

                       Have students write a five paragraph essay on one or more of the themes found in                          Othello. Themes to choose from: jealousy, leadership, deception & truth, tragedy,                            guilt & innocence.
                       Have students create their essay outlines with the instructional software application                         Inspiration.

Adaptations For Special Needs Students

             1.) Include optical character recognition (OCR) software covering Othello for students                        with visual impairments. Be sure that it includes the play itself, and that it points out                       issues of plot and theme.

              2.) Provide the opportunity for students with mild learning and behavioral disorders to                         use technologies such as word processors to help strengthen and quicken the                                   communication process when note-taking.

              3.) Caption materials (such as the Othello highlight DVD) whenever possible for                                  students with hearing impairments.

               4.) Let students who have speech and language impairments employ augmentative and                       alternative communication (AAC) devices in the classroom. Doing so would better                        include them in the group work the lesson demands.

Re: The sentence construction, grammar, vocabulary of this sentence

CalifJim — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 17:54:15 GMT

Following up in agreement with Clive, it's rather like having a heartfelt devotion to gravel.

CJ

Re: The sentence construction, grammar, vocabulary of this sentence

Clive — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:13:20 GMT

Hi,

"All these kindled an eternal flame for learning more and more about computer networking."

Is this sentence grammatically correct? Does the choice of words make sense and appropriate? Does the sentence as a whole sounds funny or impressive (please rate)? How this sentence can be made better?

To be truthful, it sounds rather funny, in the sense of odd, to me. The red part is very poetic, very literary, very hyperbolic. On the other hand, the topic of computer networking is not at all poetic, etc., at least to most people. So, the two parts of the sentence don't fit together well. My advice is to reword the red part, eg

All these made me very interested in / enthusiastic about . . .

Best wishes, Clive

Re: The sentence construction, grammar, vocabulary of this sentence

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:47:59 GMT

Thanks for the response.

I was trying to mean that a desire that never vanished and has been continuing to exist from that moment onwards and probably will continue in the future.

does "undying flame" make sense?

Re: The sentence construction, grammar, vocabulary of this sentence

nona the brit — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:06:33 GMT

It's the eternal that sounds odd. Do you mean 'internal' - that would make a lot more sense.

The sentence construction, grammar, vocabulary of this sentence

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:16:01 GMT

"All these kindled an eternal flame for learning more and more about computer networking."

Please help I would be very grateful to you.

Thanks in advance.