Lunes, Oktubre 3, 2011
Accent Reduction
Posted by Teacher Shane | Lunes, Oktubre 3, 2011 | Category:
Speaking Lesson
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Accent SymbolsHere is a basic list of words that often use this sound, but remember that this sound can be found in many words that have unstressed syllables. This communication practice should be of use to you, whether you are studying the language at home for personal enrichment or seeking out other online learning opportunities through Web sites such as elearners. I hope you can learn from it.
Although there are many individual sounds as part of North American English, this Web site will focus on sounds created by word reductions, specifically with the schwa sound (É™) that affects stress and rhythm. This will be the focus of this page. I have compiled a helpful table of words that use the schwa sound that you'll encounter in day-to-day conversations.
Articles
| Word | Reduction | Sample Sentences |
| a | É™ | I bought É™ shirt for my brother. |
| an | ə | There's ən elephant at the zoo. |
| the | thÉ™ | Please talk to thÉ™ teacher about thÉ™ test. |
Prepositions:
| Word | Reduction | Sample Sentences |
| to | tə | I have tə make breakfast təday. I usetə (used to) write her every morning. |
| for | fər | This letter is fər my mom. |
| about | əbout | Tell me əbout your weekend. |
| of | əf or ə | I ate a piece ə pie. |
Conjunctions:
| Word | Reduction | Sample Sentences |
| and | ən or 'n | I really like banana ən apples. |
| or | ər | Would you like water ər juice? |
Pronouns:
| Word | Reduction | Sample Sentences |
| her | ər | Please tell ər I called. |
| him | əm / im | I need to talk to im today. |
| them | əm | How about calling əm today? |
| you | yÉ™ | Did yÉ™ like the movie? |
Modals of Advice or Ability:
| Word | Reduction | Sample Sentences |
| ought to | ought tÉ™ | We ought tÉ™ leave now. |
| have go to | have gottÉ™ | You've gottÉ™ go to bed now. |
| (I/we/they) have to | haftÉ™ | I haftÉ™ study for a test. |
| (he/she) has to | hastÉ™ | She hastÉ™ talk with the teacher. |
| want to | wannÉ™ | I wannÉ™ see a movie. |
| can | kn | She kn speak English very well. |
Modals of Regret of Past Speculation:
| Word | Reduction | Sample Sentences |
| should have | shouldəf | I should əf called her last night. |
| could have | couldəf | He could əf traveled overseas, but he chose to work instead. |
| ought to have | ought tə əf | You ought tə əf checked the used before you bought it. |
Martes, Agosto 9, 2011
Gerunds after Prepositions
Posted by Teacher Shane | Martes, Agosto 9, 2011 | Category:
Grammar Focus
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This is a good rule. It has no exceptions!
If we want to use a verb after a preposition, it must be a gerund. It is impossible to use an infinitive after a preposition. So for example, we say:
- I will call you after arriving at the office.
- Please have a drink before leaving.
- I am looking forward to meeting you.
- Do you object to working late?
- Tara always dreams about going on holiday.
Notice that you could replace all the above gerunds with "real" nouns:
- I will call you after my arrival at the office.
- Please have a drink before your departure.
- I am looking forward to our lunch.
- Do you object to this job?
- Tara always dreams about holidays.
The above rule has no exceptions!
So why is "to" followed by "driving" in 1 and by "drive" in 2?
So why is "to" followed by "driving" in 1 and by "drive" in 2?
- I am used to driving on the left.
- I used to drive on the left.
to as preposition | Preposition | |
I am used | to | driving on the left. |
I am used | to | animals. |
to as infinitive | Infinitive | |
I used | to drive | on the left |
I used | to smoke. |
Source:www.englishclub.com
Gerunds as Subject, Object or Complement
Posted by Teacher Shane | | Category:
Grammar Focus
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Try to think of gerunds as verbs in noun form.
Like nouns, gerunds can be the subject, object or complement of a sentence:
- Smoking costs a lot of money.
- I don't like writing.
- My favourite occupation is reading.
But, like a verb, a gerund can also have an object itself. In this case, the whole expression [gerund + object] can be the subject, object or complement of the sentence.
- Smoking cigarettes costs a lot of money.
- I don't like writing letters.
- My favourite occupation is reading detective stories.
Like nouns, we can use gerunds with adjectives (including articles and other determiners):
- pointless questioning
- a settling of debts
- the making of Titanic
- his drinking of alcohol
But when we use a gerund with an article, it does not usually take a direct object:
- a settling of debts (not a settling debts)
- Making "Titanic" was expensive.
- The making of "Titanic" was expensive.
Source: www.englishclub.com
- b and b
bed and breakfast - book in advance
to make a reservation - booked solid
to be completely full - bust one's ass
to work really hard - catch some rays
to suntan - get away for a few days
to leave a bit city and go somewhere peaceful - get away from it all
to leave a big city and go somewhere peaceful - guidebook
a book with tourist information about a place - have a lot on one's plate
to have a lot of things to do - head for
go in the direction of - hit the town
to go out and have fun - kick back
to relax - line something up
to organize - pale
to be very white - put someone up
to allow someone to stay in your home - put together
to organize - road trip
a driving vacation - run down
to be tired from working too much - soak up some sun
to suntan - stoked
very excited and full of energy - swamped
(adjective) very busy Example Sentence: I’m sorry I didn’t answer your email. I’m really swamped with work right now. The lawyer was swamped at the office, so he couldn’t go to his son’s birthday party. Media and Links: Techs swamped with broken furnaces - swamped
to be overwhelmed with work - take a dip
to swim - wear someone out
to make someone tired - wiped
to be tired
Exercise: Fill in the blanks with the correct adverb of place.
1. Mother's visitors are having tea (downstairs, away).
2. We live (near, upstairs) the bakery.
3. Don't go (there, nowhere), it's not a safe place.
4. Our car is waiting (nearby, upstairs).
5. She stayed (here, nowhere) for two days.
Source:First English Book
Practice Conversation
Steven : I think I need to clean my camera. The pictures are starting to look unclear.
Tom : That's a good idea, but you have to do it carefully.
Steven : My uncle taught me how to clean my camera properly. He's a photographer.
He said I should use a soft piece of cloth and gently wipe the dirt from the
lens.
Tom : I have some pieces of flannel. Can you use that?
Steven : That's going to work perfectly. Thanks!
Exercise:
Pick out the adverbs of manner in the sentences:
1. Jaymie happily opened his birthday presents.
2. My teacher sadly told me that I failed the exam.
3. You have to run quickly if you want to catch the train!
4. Let's talk softly so that Anna will not hear us.
5. This was painted beautifully!
6. You have to hold the baby carefully.
7. Eat your food slowly; you don't have to hurry.
Source:Let's Go book
-ible -able
If the root is not a complete word, add ..-ible
If the root is a complete word, add ..-able
aud+ ible =
audible
accept+ able = acceptable
Examples:
Examples:
visible
fashionable
horrible
laughable
terrible
suitablet
possible
dependable
incredible
comfortable
If the root is a complete word ending in -e, drop the
final -e and add -able
excuse - e+ able = excusable
advise - e+ able = advisable
Examples:
desirable
valuable
Some exceptions:
contemptible
digestible
flexible
responsible
irritable
Spelling Exercise:
In the following sentences, the final four letters are omitted from each -ible or -able word. Complete each word with the appropriate ending.
1. Last night's movie about the invis____ man was so incred____ that it was laugh____.
2. My irrespons____ little brother is usually kept away from anything break____.
3. Are these new clothes really comfort____, or do people only wear them because they are fashion____?
4. I think I would be less irrit____ if my professors were more flex____.
5. I don't think voting twice in national elections is permiss____.
6. It's always valu____ to have a friend who is depend____.
7. My employer said that it isn't suit____ to have a secretary whose handwriting is illeg____.
Lunes, Agosto 8, 2011
A or AN before H?!
Posted by Teacher Shane | Lunes, Agosto 8, 2011 | Category:
Sample Lesson
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Use an only if the h is silent: an hour, an heir, an honourable man, an honest woman;
Use a when you pronounce the h: a hero, a hotel, a historian
(Writing tip: don’t change a direct quote if the speaker says, for example, “an historic”)
It happens to us all - we receive a rude email and we get angry! Easy enough to deal with in your own language, but what about in English? When at work, it is important to keep things cool because you represent your company, and using the wrong words can hurt future business and also your reputation. So instead of responding to a rude email in anger, what can you do?
1. Do Not Answer Immediately
Take time away from the message if there's not an urgent response deadline. Sleep on it and think about how to react in a way that will show that you are professional. If you need to write something right away, you could write: "Thanks for your message; I'll get back to you shortly" - that way you have acknowledged the email, but not said anything that you will regret later.
2. Start The Email Politely
Polite does not mean the same as friendly or happy! A simple, "Thank you for your message" can set the right tone. Let the person know that you appreciate the feedback.
3. Offer a Solution
Say that you understand the issue, but then restate your objective. For example:
"I'm sorry to hear that you don't agree with our new strategy, but our goal is to help the overall organization. I would be happy to discuss things further in order to resolve the problem"
Again, you may be so angry that you want to shout at this person, but remember that you are at work and the best thing to do is to be professional.
4. Stand Your Ground
If someone has been rude to you, you do not have to take it! You can be direct and set down boundaries in your message without sounding rude. Saying something as simple as, "I appreciate your feedback, but think it may be more effective if presented in a more constructive manner," does the trick. It's important to let the person know that while you accept constructive feedback, you are on the job and things need to stay professional. There's nothing wrong with reminding him or her of that. Kindly, of course!
*This article has been re-written to target people who use English as a foreign language. For the original version see: How to Respond to Rude Email at Work | eHow.com
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