Rabu, 29 Desember 2010

:) :) :) :) :)

Dari milis tetangga:

One day in a language school in Australia.

Teacher: “All right, now I’d like you to make a sentence using the words GREEN, PINK and YELLOW. Who’d like to try?”

A student raised his hand. It was Kukoya from Japan. Kukoya: “Early this morning, I looked out the window, I saw the GREEN grass and PINK roses in the garden. I went outside and I feel the warm YELLOW sunlight around me”.

Teacher: “Not bad. Okay, who’s next?”Another student raised his hand.

It was Ah Beng from Singapore.

Ah Beng: “I try! I try. Can aaah?”

Teacher: “No, no, not you!”Ah Beng: “Aaaiiyaaa… let me try lah… I can do lah… you think I’m stupid meeh…?”

Teacher: “Okay… go ahead…”

Ah Beng: “This morning I heard the phone GREEEEEN… GREEEEEN… I PINK it up and I said : YELLOOOOW?”

Teacher: ????

wasalam
Ahmad Rizali

Just Kidding

Guest         : Can I have a room to night.
Receptionist     : Yes, you can. May I have your name, please!
Guest : Yudono
Receptionist : No, I don't know yet, Sir. Could you please tell me!
Guest               : My name is Yu-do-no. I am Indonesian.
                         Yu-do-no, not you don't know.

Salam
Suhardi

IS THERE ANYONE, PLEASE...?

Caller    : "Hello, can I speak to Annie Wan?"

Operator : "Yes, u can speak to me."

Caller    : "No, I want to speak to Annie Wan...!!"

Operator : "U are talking to someone !! Who is this??"

Caller : "I’m Sam Wan and I need to talk to Annie Wan!! It's urgent.."

Operator : "I know u are someone and u want to talk to anyone. But what's this urgent   matter about?"

Caller : "Well... just tell my sister Annie Wan that our brother Noe Wan was involved in an accident. Noe Wan got injured and now Noe Wan is being sent to the hospital. Right now, Avery Wan is on the way to the hospital."

Operator : "Look if no one was injured and no one was sent to the hospital, then the accident isn't an urgent matter!! U may find this hilarious but I don't have time for this!!"

Caller : "U are so rude..!! Who are u??

"Operator : "I'm Sau Lee..."

Caller : "Yes, you should be sorry... Now give me your name..!!"

wasalam
Ahmad Rizali

Erlangga For Kids

Manfaat Read a Story yakni:                                  The Useful of Read a Story
- Kemampuan berbahasa anak meningkat    ( The ability to speak the child increases )
- Kemampuan mendengar meningkat                  ( The ability to hear increases )
- Kemampuan berkomunikasi verbal meningkat ( Ability to comunicate verbally increased )
- Kemampuan Konseptual meningkat                 ( Ability conceptual increased )
- Kemampuan memecahkan masalah meningkat ( Ability to solve problems to increase )
- Daya Imajinasi dan Kreativitas BERTAMBAH ( Imagination and creativity power increase )
- EQ (Kecerdasan Emosi) NAIK                        ( EQ/ Emotional Intelligence UP )
- Nilai moral BERTAMBAH                               ( Moral values icreases )
- Wawasan BERTAMBAH                                (Insights increase )
- Pengetahuan Ragam Budaya BERTAMBAH    ( Knowledge of Cultural Variety Increase )
- Mendapatkan relaksasi Jiwa dan Raga              ( Getting the relaxation of Soul and Body )
- Keakraban emosi antara Orangtua dan Anak meningkat. ( Emotional intimacy betwee parets and children
                                                                                           INCREASES )

Minggu, 26 Desember 2010

Rabu, 22 Desember 2010

Commonly Confused Word Pairs for ESL Learners

Part I

By Kenneth Beare, About.com Guide

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Here are some of the most commonly confused English word pairs. They have been chosen especially for ESL learners. The list is not complete, if you have any commonly confused words that you feel should be included. Send me an esl.guide@about.com.

beside / besides
beside: preposition meaning 'next to', 'at the side of'
Examples:
I sit beside John in class.
Could you get me that book? It's beside the lamp.
besides: adverb meaning 'also', 'as well'; preposition meaning 'in addition to'
Examples:
(adverb) He's responsible for sales, and a lot more besides.
(preposition) Besides tennis, I play soccer and basketball.

clothes / cloths
clothes: something you wear - jeans, shirts, blouses, etc.
Examples:
Just a moment, let me change my clothes.
Tommy, get your clothes on!
cloths: pieces of material used for cleaning or other purposes.
Examples:
There are some cloths in the closet. Use those to clean the kitchen.
I have a few pieces of cloth that I use.

dead / died
dead: adjective meaning 'not alive'
Examples:
Unfortunately, our dog has been dead for a few months.
Don't touch that bird. It's dead.
died: past tense and past participle of the verb 'to die'
Examples:
His grandfather died two years ago.
A number of people have died in the accident.

experience / experiment
experience: noun meaning something that a person lives through, i.e. something that someone experiences. - also used as an uncountable noun meaning 'knowledge gained by doing something'
Examples:
(first meaning)His experiences in Germany were rather depressing.
(second meaning) I'm afraid I don't have much sales experience.
experiment: noun meaning something that you do to see the result. Often used when speaking about scientists and their studies.
Examples:
They did a number of experiments last week.
Don't worry it's just an experiment. I'm not going to keep my beard.

felt / fell
felt: past tense and past participle of the verb 'to feel'
Examples:
I felt better after I had a good dinner.
He hasn't felt this well for a long time.
fell: past tense of the verb 'to fall'
Examples:
He fell from a tree and broke his leg.
Unfortunately, I fell down and hurt myself.

female / feminine
female: the sex of a woman or animal
Examples:
The female of the species is very aggressive.
The question 'female or male' means 'are you a woman or a man'.
feminine: adjective describing a quality or type of behaviour that is considered typical for a woman
Examples:
He's an excellent boss with a feminine intuition.
The house was decorated in a very feminine manner.

its / it's
its: possessive determiner similar to 'my' or 'your'
Examples:
Its color is red.
The dog didn't eat all of its food.
it's: Short form of 'it is' or 'it has'
Examples:
(it is) It's difficult to understand him.
(it has) It's been a long time since I had a beer.

last / latest last: adjective usually meaning 'final'
Examples:
I took the last train to Memphis.
This is the last test of the semester!
latest: adjective meaning 'most recent' or 'new'
Examples:
His latest book is excellent.
Have you seen his latest painting?

lay / lie
lay: verb meaning 'to put down flat' - past tense - laid, past participle - laid
Examples:
He laid his pencil down and listened to the teacher.
I usually lay my pies on the shelf to cool.
lie: verb meaning 'to be down' - past tense -lay (be careful!), past participle - lain
Examples:
The girl lay on the bed asleep.
At the moment, he's lying on the bed.

lose / loose
lose: verb meaning 'to misplace'
Examples:
I lost my watch!
Have you ever lost anything valuable?
loose: adjective meaning the opposite of 'tight'
Examples:
Your trousers are very loose!
I need to tighten this screw. It's loose.
male / masculine
male: the sex of a man or animal
Examples:
The male of the species is very lazy.
The question 'female or male' means 'are you a woman or a man'.
masculine: adjective describing a quality or type of behaviour that is considered typical for a man
Examples:
She's a very masculine woman.
His opinions are just too masculine for me.

price / prize
price: noun - what you pay for something.
Examples:
The price was very cheap.
What's the price of this book?
prize: noun - an award
Examples:
He won a prize as best actor.
Have you ever won a prize in a competition?

principal / principle
principal: adjective meaning 'the most important'
Examples:
The principal reason for my decision was the money.
What are the principal irregular verbs?
principle: a rule (usually in science but also concerning morals)
Examples:
It's the first principle of aerodynamics.
He has very loose principles.

quite / quiet
quite: adverb of degree meaning 'very' or 'rather'
Examples:
This test is quite difficult.
He was quite exhausted after the long journey.
quiet: adjective meaning the opposite of loud or noisy
Examples:
Could you please be quiet?!
She's a very quiet girl.

sensible / sensitive
sensible: adjective meaning 'having common sense' i.e. 'not stupid'
Examples:
I wish you would be more sensible about things.
I'm afraid you aren't being very sensible.
sensitive: adjective meaning 'to feel very deeply' or 'to hurt easily'
Examples:
You should be careful with David. He's very sensitive.
Mary is a very sensitive woman.

shade / shadow
shade: protection from the sun, a dark area outside on a sunny day.
Examples:
You should sit in the shade for a while.
It's too hot. I'm going to find some shade.
shadow: the dark area created by something else on a sunny day.
Examples:
That tree casts a large shadow.
Have you every noticed your shadow getting longer as it gets later in the day?

some time / sometimes
some time: refers to an indefinite time in the future
Examples:
Let's meet for coffee some time.
I don't know when I'll do it - but I will do it some time.
sometimes: adverb of frequency meaning 'occasionally'
Examples:
He sometimes works late.
Sometimes, I like eating Chinese food.

Selasa, 21 Desember 2010

WebQuests on Verbs: Where the Action Is

Verbs are where the action is. This verb WebQuest is designed to help students learn a fundamental understanding of how verbs should be used in English grammar.

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/86725.aspx#ixzz18g2H9q28

Why a Webquest

WebQuests are an excellent way to integrate computer technology with basic learning. By adding a WebQuest to your curriculum, students are able to spend time online searching for answers related to their studies. This use of the internet is a valuable learning experience on its own, while also adding an interesting interactive learning environment to your students' education. WebQuests such as this verb WebQuest can be done during the school day in a computer lab or as online homework.
WebQuests are designed so that students search for specific information on a given subject in a guided online experience. This guidance is provided through links suggested to the students within the WebQuest. WebQuests can be centered on nearly any subject serving to reinforce or enhance classroom learning.

What's Happening

This verb WebQuest can be used to help students grasp how verbs are used. Students often struggle to keep track of the many different parts of speech used in English. Despite repeated exposure from elementary school through high school English, the various terms and concepts can make students feel lost and confused. This verb webquest is designed to teach the fundamentals to students at any age. The goal is to build a solid foundation on which knowledge can grow.
For this WebQuest, students may benefit from a Verb Webquest Handout including the following information:

Introduction - describing how each word in a sentence has a particular job, giving examples such as subjects and adjectives
Tasks - this should tell the students what they are expected to learn - in this case - understanding the different kinds of verbs as well as their function
Process - this should include specific questions about verbs and some suggested links on where to find the answers. Question might include "What does the verb do?" "What is the job of the helping verb?" and "What are linking verbs?"
Evaluation - this tells the students how the webquest will be graded. For instance, "To complete this webquest you must visit three different websites to answer the questions on this handout and record your answers on a piece of notebook paper."
Conclusion - this should explain how students are to turn in their work, via a handout, or an email or as part of a journal assignment, etc.

Verb Webquest Website Resources

Here are some of the best websites to help students learn about verbs, helping verbs and linking verbs

Verbs, Verbs and More Verbs

When it comes to parts of speech, the verb is one of the most important parts of any sentence, in any language. Whether they are action verbs, helping verbs or linking verbs, sentences would be meaningless without them. It is important to take time to learn how verbs work and to practice using them correctly. Even though learning about verbs may be difficult, communicating through language requires a good use of verbs.

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Internet Safety: Resources for School Curriculums

Interactive Activities for Teaching Nouns in the Classroom

The Noun Sorter

Noun interactive activities don't need to be complicated. In fact, the noun sorter is simple to create and even simpler to use. Just take two shoeboxes or tissue boxes and label one "Nouns" and one "Non-Nouns." Then, let kids break into groups and write random words onto notecards, one on each card. Some of the words should be nouns, and some should be other parts of speech. (If you'd like, you can make these notecards yourself.) Kids can then work together to sort the nouns into the correct boxes. Older students can add another box, labeled, "Sometimes a Noun," in which they can put words like "slide." As students get more and more proficient, they may even realize that most nouns can sometimes be another part of speech. For example, the word "coat" could be used to mean "cover" rather than "winter jacket."

Noun Competition

Do you have a competitive class? If so, gear your noun interactive activities towards them. Choose a topic that catches their interest, such as "movie titles," "football words," "things in a clasroom," or "things that are in style" and have groups compete to come up with as many nouns as they can that fit the category. At the end of each round, count up how many nouns each group got and award points accordingly.
As a variation of the game, give students the chance to read off their answers one by one, and instruct the groups to cross off any that another group has written down. In other words, only the unique words count in their final score.

Double Duty Nouns

This interactive activity can be used to introduce the fact that one word can be both a noun and another part of speech.
To begin, encourage students to take a book or a selection from a reader and to find as many nouns as they can from the first five sentences. (For best results, each student should choose a different story or book.) Small groups of students can then pool their answers and make a master list. Encourage them to go through the list and make two sentences of their own that contain each word - one with the word used as a noun, and one with the same word used as another part of speech. They may be surprised to see just how many nouns can perform "double duty." For example, if the word "activity" were on their list, they could write the sentences, "I would like to do an art activity," and "I opened up my activity book and started doing a crossword puzzle." If you'd like, groups can compete to see how many nouns they can find that do double duty. The group that finds the most of these nouns can share their sentences with the rest of the class.
These noun interactive activities will help get students engaged in learning about parts of speech. They should accompany a basic lesson plan on nouns, as well as other fun noun activities, to make them even more effective.

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Activities for Teaching Silent Letters

Minggu, 19 Desember 2010

Family and Relationships – The Family Page

at Bibliotheque de Toulouse

The Nuclear Family

-How many people are there in your family?
- There are four people in my family.
- Who are they?
- They are my mother, my father, my brother and me.

Another Nuclear Family

- How many people are there in your family?
- There are five people in my family.
- Who are they?
- They are my husband, my son, my daughter and myself.

An Extended Family

- How many people are there in your family?
- There are seven people in my family.
- Who are they?
- They are my parents, my wife, my two children, my grandmother and my grandfather.

Another Extended Family

- How many people are there in your family?
- There are lots of people in my family. I am not sure how many. There are maybe twenty people.
- Who are they?
- They are my grandparents, my parents, my two brothers and my two sisters, my uncle and his wife and their two children. Then next door is my other uncle and his wife and his wife’s parents and his four children. That makes about twenty people.

What is the difference between a nuclear family and an extended family?

Answer the question.
Say your answer.
Say it aloud.
Do not whisper.
Say it out loud.
Say it out loud now.
Say it aloud.
Say it now.
Say it!

What is the difference between a nuclear family and an extended family?

Is it difficult? Is it difficult to find an answer? Do you need more time to think? Think for a minute and mentally prepare your answer then say your answer aloud:
After you have said your answer aloud, write an answer in the comments section below.

Now tell us about your family. Who do you live with? Do you live in a nuclear family or with an extended family? How many people are there are in your family? Who are they? Where do they live? How do they spend their time? What do they do?
Download audio file (family.mp3)
After you have said your answer aloud, write an answer in the comments section below.

Do you want to talk about your family? Do you want to talk to a live person? Use the English Conversations Student Linkup Service and talk about family and relationships with another English Conversations Student.
Here are some topics to talk about: (click the link to go to the page)

Family and Relationships
Family Vocabulary
Family History
Family Tree
Academic English Task
The Wicked Stepmother
Discussion Topic – Family
Interactive Story – The Family Problem

Click the links for lessons, vocabulary and sound.

English for Beginners

(help your friends and family)
Do you come from a big family? Do you have a lot of friends? Do they want to learn English? Does anyone want to learn English?
There is a special page for beginners. Do you know somebody who is a beginner? Help your friend to get set up. Tell your friend or family member about the beginner’s page.
Do you have a brother? What is his job?
Do you have a sister? What is her job?

Things You Have to Do – The Work Page

Carpenter at work on Douglas Dam, Tennessee

at Library of Congress

What do you do?

What do you do?
means:
What is your job?
or
What do you do for a crust?

“Right now” or “Monday to Friday”?

“What do you do?”
means:
“What do you do from Monday to Friday?”
and
“What are you doing?”
means:
“What are you doing right now at this minute?”
What are you doing right now?

The Employment Page

Positions Vacant
Are you looking for a job?
Work Wanted
Do you need staff?

Work Vocabulary

Have you ever worked as a taxi driver?
Have you ever worked as … ?

Work Discussion

Let’s talk about work.
Work Discussion Topics

Tell us about your job!

“Have to” and “want to”

I want to go out but I can’t because I have to go to bed early because I have to get up early and go to work tomorrow morning.

I want to watch television but I can’t because I have a test tomorrow and I have to study for it.

“Have to” and “need to”

They are used pretty much interchangeably:

I have to find a job.
I need to find a job.

“Need to” is a bit stronger.
Be aware of verb combination:
Sometimes we think we have to do something but we don’t really need to do it.
We need to breathe. We need to eat. We need to drink.
We think we need to buy expensive things but we don’t really have to. We just like to.
Here are some more ways to describe things you have to do:

have to
ought to
should
must

I have to go to work.
I must go to work.
I ought to go to work.
I should go to work.

We have to work to make a living but we get used to it and we develop a routine.
Positions Vacant
Work Wanted
The Obligation Page (coming soon)

Techniques – Talking to Yourself

Have you ever tried talking to yourself as a way to study English?

If you talk to yourself, you will identify the areas where you have a vocabulary weakness.

If you talk to yourself, you will practice your pronunciation. You will also relax and unwind.

If you talk to yourself in another language, you will become more comfortable with that language.

irp

Talking to Yourself with Rube Hayworth

The legendary Mosquito City country and western singer Rube Hayworth is also known for being something of a polyglot. He is able to speak several languages. Many musicians have a good ear for language but Rube claims he doesn’t learn languages using his musical ability. He uses another technique. He just talks to himself.

I talk to myself when I am in my room
I talk to myself when I am by myself
You might think I am crazy.
You might think I am mad
I talk to myself in my room
And I speak pretty good English

Talking to Yourself as a Technique

Rube Hayworth says:

If you want to learn English you will find that the greatest technique of all is waiting here for you inside yourself.
If you could just talk to yourself alone in your room you will find the greatest technique of all; talking to yourself at home alone in your room will make your English … better.

Rube says:
You will find that the greatest technique that you will ever find …
The one that you can always use …
The one that will never let you down …
The one that will always stand by you …
The one that will always be there for you …
The greatest technique of all … learning to talk to yourself … alone in a room.
Talk to yourself alone in a room!

I am not crazy.
I was just talking to myself.

Do you talk to yourself?
Do you sing to yourself?
I like to talk to myself all night.
Do you talk to yourself?
Tell us about it. write your answer in the comments section.
Coming Links
The Reflexive Verb Page
The Rube Hayworth Page
The Eddie Buchholz Page
The Self Page
The Relative Clauses Page
The Room Page

Techniques for Learning Languages – The Tip Page

irp

There are many different learning styles and there are many different techniques for learning languages.

Learning Style

What is your learning style?

Are you a visual person?
Do you remember things better if you see them?
Do you have a photographic memory?

How do you learn best?

Do you learn by listening and hearing?
Are you able to learn just by listening?
Do you learn by moving and doing?
Do you learn by seeing?
Do you learn by writing?

How do you learn?
What different learning styles do you know about?
Write your answer in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Techniques

What is your technique?
Which technique do you prefer?
Are you able to use multiple techniques?

Learn by Speaking
Learn by Listening
Learn by Learning Grammar Rules
Learn by Buying Books
Learn by Reading
Learn by Memorising Vocabulary
Learn by Studying Grammar
Learn by Doing a Language Exchange
Learn by Studying Phonetics
Learn by Living in a Foreign Country
Learn by Doing
Learn by Talking about Learning
Learning by Talking to Yourself
Learn by Doing Practice Tests

Learner Profile

How old are you?
When did you start to learn English?
How many years did you study?
How did you do? (How successful were you?)
How long have you been learning now?
What technique did you use?

Where are We? – The Space Page

at quimpg

Do you have enough room?
means
Do you have enough space?
Are you sitting in a chair?
Are you sitting on the floor?
Are you sitting in a confined space?
Do you have enough room?
Say your answer then write it in the comments section below.

Room and Space

The word “room” has two meanings. One meaning is “room” as in “bedroom“, “bathroom“, “kitchen” etc. The other meaning is “room” as in “space”.

Time and Space

Time and space are basic concepts. Events take place in space over a period of time. Time is expressed in periods or points. Space is expressed by long detailed descriptions and with short phrases that show location:

1. Short Phrases That Show Location

in the corner
on the desk
at the window
by the window
next to the window
under the bed
between the bed and the desk
through the window
above the window
over the bed

2. Long Detailed Descriptions

Tell us about the room where you live. Write your answer in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
Describe it. Tell us what is there. Look at these examples:

My room is about 2.4 by 3.0 metres in area and there is a little adjacent area, about one and a half metres by three metres, which is the cooking area. There is no bed. I sleep on a rolled up mattress. I take it out at night.
In one corner there is a shrine. There is one window.It is in the east wall. Through the window I can see a pumpkin vine. It is growing in a window box.
There is a wardrobe in one corner of my room. I keep all of my clothes in it. It is an old wardrobe. It belonged to my mother. There are some books on the top of the wardrobe. There are also some boxes with clothes in them. I have a lot of clothes. I need them for work.
When I am alone in my room, I feel good.

Here is another one:

I share a room with my brother. It is about three metres by two metres in area. Before my whole family lived in this room. My parents have moved away.
Like any room, my room has four walls. They are yellow. I like yellow. It is a good color. It makes me feel good.
There is a music system in the corner of my room. There is a table and there is a television set on top of it.

Where are you?

Where are you? Add your location to the map below and describe the area where you live. See the examples already added to the map.
Note: you will need a Google account to participate. Once you are logged in, just click the edit button, choose a placemark, and add your description.

View Where in the World Are You? in a larger map

Links

Describing a City
Phrasal Verbs Page
Prepositions Page
Space and the Planets – The Planet Page

World English Course

There are lots of things you can learn in the World English Course. There is a place where you can talk about work and there is also a place where you can find a job and a place where you can find staff. There is a place where you can have fun and there is a place where you can talk about food or family. There is also a place where you can talk about money or love or philosophy. You can study anything you want anytime you want. You can do it once a week or every day or any time you like. Have fun! Work hard! Tell your friends and family members! Enjoy!