Sunday, January 31, 2010
Study Tip – Learn a New Word Every Day!
Cambridge Dictionary
*The Cambridge Dictionary is a British dictionary, but it lists both the British and American pronunciaton and spelling. Every day there is a new ‘word of the day’:
http://www.dictionary.cambridge.org/wordoftheday.asp
Each ‘word of the day’ is followed by the word used in a sentence.
If you are on twitter, they tweet the word of the day:
http://twitter.com/CambridgeWords
Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary:
*Merriam-Webster is an American dictionary, but it lists both American and British pronunciation. Every day there is a new ‘word of the day’:
http://www.learnersdictionary.com/lwod.php
(If you click on the red speaker icon, you can hear someone say the word.)
The Merriam-Webster Lexicographer also has a twitter profile. He often tweets the most looked-up words of the day:
http://twitter.com/PeterSokolowski
The Word Guy
*On twitter, this person often tweets groups of related words with their definition and etymology (the origin of the word):
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Vocabulary – How to Laugh in English!
Laughing in your language is not the same as laughing in English!
In English, the sound people make when they laugh is written as ha ha ha!
You can use two or more ha in a row to show you are laughing:
Ha ha!
Ha ha ha!
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
However, one ha does not represent laughter. One ha is used when you want to express satisfaction or victory, for example “Ha! I did it. You didn’t think I could do it, but I did!” or “Ha! I told you that would happen.”
Other written forms of laughter:
He he
He he he
hehehehehe
(*Remember, one he is a subject pronoun: He laughs!)
Tee hee
(*this is more of a giggle!)
Internet shorthand:
LOL! = laugh out loud
ROFL = rolling on the floor laughing
LMAO = laughing my a** off (swear word for bum!)
Over the past couple of years, I’ve seen various ways students laugh in their own language:
jejejejeje!
kkkkkkkk!
rrsrsrsrsrsrsrsrs
ejejejejejejejejejeje
jajajajajajaja
These are just letters in English. They have absolutely no meaning in English.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Reading – Hockey in Canada
This Tim Hortons commercial tells you everything you need to know about hockey in Canada:
(Tim Horton was a hockey player. The chain of donut shops he founded has become a national institution.)
Some countries call it ‘ice hockey’ to differentiate it from ‘field hockey’ (a completely different sport that’s played in summer), but in Canada there is only one kind of hockey. Hockey is played on an ice rink (indoor and outdoor) and players wear ice skates to move around the rink. Two teams play against each other in a game and there are 6 players on each team (including the goaltender, who guards the net and tries to prevent the puck from entering the net). Players try to score a goal by hitting the puck with their hockey sticks into the opposing team’s net at the opposite end of the rink. Whichever team scores the most goals wins. It’s fast and it’s physical (and the players are always getting into fights).
Hockey is a part of the Canadian way of life. In the summer when there’s no ice, kids set up their nets and play ball hockey in the streets. In the winter, people of all ages play in hundreds of organized leagues across the country. ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ is the most popular TV show in the country. The most watched TV event in the history of Canadian TV – ever – was the men’s hockey gold medal game at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics between the Americans and the Canadians. We won.
There are only 6 Canadian teams in the NHL (the National Hockey League, the professional hockey league in North America), but more than 50% of the players in the entire league are from Canada. The 6 Canadian teams are: the Vancouver Canucks (a slang word for Canadians), the Calgary Flames, the Edmonton Oilers, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens (French spelling of Canadians).
Toronto is a hockey-mad city! The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in downtown Toronto. The Toronto Maple Leafs were one of the original 6 hockey teams in the NHL. Though they have won 13 Stanley Cup Championships (second in the league only to the Montreal Canadiens, who have won 24), they haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967. This does not deter their fans (who call themselves the “Leafs Nation”) from supporting them!
You can feel the excitement in the air as we get closer to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver! Here’s a Coke commercial that’s playing on TV right now that captures the excitement:
___________________________________________________________________
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Reading – Things to Do in the Snow!
It is unimaginable to me that there are people in this world who have never seen snow! I can’t imagine living without snow.
We have the best of both worlds in Canada. Summers in Canada are nice and warm, so we get to do fun stuff like swimming, hiking, spending time at the beach, camping, etc. Unlike many countries in the world, however, we get to do fun stuff in the winter too!
For those of you who have never had the opportunity to play in the snow, here is a list of fun things you can do in the snow!
Warning! Before you go out in the snow, be sure to put on your snowsuit (so your clothes don’t get wet and you stay warm), your hat (so your head doesn’t get cold) and your mittens or gloves (so your hands don’t get cold)!
1) Make snow angels
Lie down in the snow on your back with your legs together and arms at your side. Keep your arms straight and drag them through the snow until your hands are above your head. At the same time, keep your legs straight and open them as far as you can. Repeat until you get tired. When you get up, you’ll see the shape of an angel in the snow!
2) Throw a snowball and start a snowball fight!Pick up as much snow as possible in your hands (not your bare hands, that’s too cold – make sure you have gloves or mittens on!) and pack it into a tight ball. Throw the snowball at the closest person. Repeat.
3) Build a snowman
You actually need a lot of snow for this if you want a big snowman! Sometimes I ended up using all the snow on the front lawn. Gather as much snow as possible into a big ball. Roll it around in the snow to make it bigger and rounder. Repeat this two more times until you have 3 giant snowballs (2 will do if you don’t have enough snow), then stack them one on top of the other. The largest snowball should be on the bottom. You can use twigs for arms, a carrot for the nose and rocks (if you can find any) or something dark for the eyes.
3) Dig tunnels and make slides
If enough snow falls, you can actually dig tunnels in the snow! As well, after a big snowfall someone has to go out and shovel the snow off the driveway. When this is done, there are usually huge piles of snow on the front lawn which are perfect for digging more tunnels and making slides (be careful – you should slide onto the driveway, not the road)!
4) Go tobogganing
Grab your toboggan and head for the biggest hill you can find! Sliding down a hill as fast as you can on a toboggan is quite possibly the best part of winter. You don’t even need a toboggan, you can use anything as long as it is flat – even a flattened box!
5) Build a fort
This is an all-afternoon endeavor and requires a lot of snow. As you can see in the picture above, I was very serious about building my fort. I was devastated when some older kids knocked it down in the middle of the night. I should have built it in the backyard instead of in the front yard. Remember to leave an opening to your fort so you can get out!
6) Go ice skating
Build your own skating rink in your backyard! My old primary school used to build its own rink every winter. All you need is snow, water, and freezing temperatures. Make sure the snow is packed down and you have a flat surface. Turn the garden hose on (used in summer to water the lawn and the flowers) and cover the entire surface with water. Make sure you flood it! Then, leave it overnight to freeze. It’s great for figure skating and playing hockey! If you don’t have enough room in your backyard, every town (no matter how small) will have a public rink where you can go skating!
While there are many, many more winter sports (which we will see during the Winter Olympics in February), these are all things you can do on your own property!
Another great thing about winter is the snow day. If there is a bad snowstorm and there is so much snow that it becomes too dangerous to drive a car – you don’t have to go to school or work and you can spend all day playing in the snow!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Pronunciation – How to Say the English Alphabet!
In this video I say the letter, show you both the upper case (capital) and lower case form of the letter, and show you two things that begin with that letter.
More Pronunciation Videos:
Numbers I – How to Say English Numbers 0-99
Numbers II – How to Say English Numbers 100 – 1 trillion
Numbers III – Time, Sports Scores, Money, Years, Population
7 Commonly Mispronounced English Words
5 More Commonly Mispronounced Words
11 English Words with Silent Letters
Words That Look the Same but Are Pronounced Differently
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Grammar – Using The Present Simple To Talk About The Future
Tomorrow is Friday.
The train to Ottawa leaves at 11:30 a.m.
What time does the movie begin tonight?
What time do you finish work tomorrow?
When do you leave for NYC?
What time does the store open tomorrow?
Final exams start next week.
The concert begins at 6:30 p.m.
The plane departs at 8 p.m.
Her train arrives at 8:35 a.m. tomorrow morning.
The Monet exhibit closes on Sunday.
The sale ends next week.
*Only the verbs below can be used in the simple present to talk about a future scheduled event:
arrive
be
begin
close
depart
end
finish
leave
open
start
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Vocabulary – Using the verb ‘explain’
No, I cannot explain YOU anything nor can you explain ME anything because that is NOT the correct use of explain!
The definition of explain is to make something clear or easy to understand by describing or giving information about it; to give reasons for something.
(*from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)
*Explain is used in a specific pattern:
Example Sentences:
Could you explain the meaning of the word ‘disaster’ to me?
Can you explain to me the difference between ‘borrow’ and lend’?
The teacher explained the rules to the children.
I explained my problems to my friends.
I understand now. She explained it to me very clearly.
I was disappointed with the way she explained the cutbacks.
After she explained her actions, everyone understood.
We asked him to explain his reason for leaving to us.
I don’t know how to explain her strange behavior.
No one has been able to explain crop circles.
How do you explain such horrible news to young children?
*Something could also be a clause with a wh- question:
Can you explain what ‘a harbour’ is?
Would you mind explaining why you’re so late?
We let her inside the house after she explained who she was.
He tried to explain how to play cricket to me, but I still don’t get it.
As soon as we got off the bus, our tour guide explained where the toilets were.
I will attempt to explain when to use the present perfect and when to use the simple past.
My mom explained to us how to use the washing machine.
*Something could also be a clause with that:
They explained that they were separating temporarily.
The trainer explained that your body needs to rest after each workout.
I explained to everyone that I would be checking my email while I was on vacation.
I explained to him it was a waste of my time to teach him if he wasn’t going to try!
(*that can be left out of the sentence)
*Or, if you are NOT explaining anything to anyone, then explain can be used by itself:
As I explained in my recent blog post, not everyone in Canada is bilingual!
Please, let me explain. / Give me a chance to explain.
If you’re still confused, I’ll be happy to explain further.
*You can also explain yourself (explain your behaviour/why you did something, or say something more clearly.)
You said what? Explain yourself!
It’s OK, I understand. You don’t have to explain yourself.
I don’t have to explain myself to you – you’re not my mother!
Let me try to explain myself more clearly.
Listen to me! I’m trying to explain myself!
He disappeared for two weeks with no explanation. I’m waiting for him to explain himself.
*Always remember:
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Reading – Do All Canadians Speak English and French?
Canada is officially a bilingual country. Everyone has to learn French in school. All government services are available in English or French. All our packaging, from clothing to cereal boxes, must be in English and French. Most people, however, can barely put a sentence together in French.
We’re missing one of the key factors in successfully learning a language: motivation. We don’t have to learn French. There are small communities across Canada that speak French, but mostly the French-speaking people are located in one place – the province of Quebec. Most Canadians rarely, if ever, come into contact with a French speaker or need to speak French. English is the dominant language around the world so, unless someone wants to work for the Canadian government or in Quebec, we don’t need to learn French. It’s nice to learn a language, but we don’t really need to.
For most people, it’s another boring subject they have to struggle through to finish school (although students who are highly motivated can go to a ‘French immersion’ school, where every subject is taught in French!). Most Canadians speak a dialect jokingly called “shampoo-bottle French” or “cereal-box French” because for most Canadians those are the only places they see French – on a shampoo bottle in the shower or on a cereal box at breakfast!
Canada has been a bilingual country since its founding. The country was colonized by both the English and the French (it’s a
big country, so there’s lots of room for everyone!). French and English settlements grew up side by side. Eventually the French were defeated in a series of wars and the British took control of all of Canada. The French were allowed to keep their language and traditions, however. It even says in our Constitution (from 1867) that English and French are the official languages of the Canadian Parliament and the courts. Later, the Official Languages Act declared French and English the official languages of the entire country.I read somewhere once that the French spoken in Quebec is very close to the language spoken by the original French explorers and settlers. Being part of country that is predominantly English, however, has led to the French spoken in Quebec being anglicized. To some French people (in France) it’s considered a lesser form of French. When I was studying French in Paris, my teacher said that a TV documentary about Quebec singer Celine Dion and her family had to be subtitled – so people in France could understand what they were saying!
So no, the entire country is not bilingual. It’s nice that we try though!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Grammar – So or Too?
This post was inspired by a student who asked:“Which sentence is correct?”
Let’s examine so and too in more detail!
* Note that so is used BEFORE the adjective or adverb.
So + adjective / adverb (no noun)
She is so skinny.
Her new boyfriend is so handsome.
Don’t be so naïve!
He drives so fast.
Her new outfit is so lovely.
The cake she made for my birthday is so beautiful!
This movie is so long.
It was so good to talk to you today!
When did he get so fat?
That’s so cool!
*So CANNOT be used before an adjective + noun
X: She is so a beautiful woman. / She is a so beautiful woman
Instead, before a noun use such:
She is such a beautiful woman!
I love my new boyfriend. He’s such a great person!
You live in such a nice neighbourhood.
He is such a great singer!
We had such a great day today! The weather was so nice.
He tells such awful jokes.
I love listening to them sing. They have such beautiful voices!
*So much and so many can be used when you want a stronger way of saying a lot!
With an uncountable noun, use so much:
I have so much studying to do before the test tomorrow!
Have you ever seen so much food?
There is so much work to be done before the house is clean!
What a great day for skiing! There is so much snow!
So much to do, so little time!
With a plural noun, use so many:
I’ve never seen so many people in one place!
It was a great party last night. I met so many new people!
She’s really popular. She has so many friends!
There are so many cards to choose from.
I took so many pictures when I was on vacation!
So many books to read, so little time!
There are so many people to thank for this award!
The cake was so good (that) we couldn’t stop eating it!
She looks so different (that) I hardly recognize her!
We got to the station so late we missed the train!
I have so much studying to do (that) I won’t be able to go to the party tonight!
Like so, too is used BEFORE an adjective or adverb with NO noun.
We don’t see her very often. She lives too far away.
Turn the music down. It’s too loud!
She drives too fast.
Don’t work too hard!
Don’t stay out too late. You have to get up early tomorrow!
She tried memorizing the textbook the night before the exam, but it was too little, too late.
*However,in two circumstances, ‘too’ can be used in a positive statement:
You are too funny! = You are so funny! = You are very funny!
You are too kind! = You are so kind! = You are very kind!
*Sometimes another intensifier can be added in front of too:
These pants are way too big on me.
She is way too skinny!
She is far too young to be wearing that kind of outfit!
It’s much too late to do anything about global warming.(*not to be confused with too much!)
*Too CANNOT be used before an adjective + noun
X: She is too a fat woman.
X: She is a too fat woman.
*There is no similar word as such to use before adjective + noun
*Too much and too many have a similar meaning as too.
With an uncountable noun, use too much:
I feel sick. I drank too much (alcohol) last night!
I ate too much chocolate.
It takes up too much time.
If he has that much time to play video games, then he has way too much time on his hands!
She was a famous singer by the time she was 15! The fame was too much, too soon.
[*Sometimes students say to me, “Teacher, I love your class too much!” This is not a good thing to say! It’s better to say, “I like your class a lot” or “I really like your class!”]
With a plural noun, use too many:
Is it possible to have too many friends?
She’s fooled me one too many times.
How many TVs are too many?
There are way too many cars on the road.
My son is so spoiled. He has far too many toys!
I’m being pulled in too many directions!
I’m too tired to go out tonight
This soup is too hot to eat.
She is too young to drive a car!
This box is too heavy to carry.
I don’t want to go to bed yet! It’s too early (to go to bed).
We’re far too young to get married.
It’s too dangerous to walk around this neighbourhood at night.
There’s no use getting upset. It’s too late to do anything about it now.
It’s too good to be true!
I can’t go to her party tonight, I have too much work to do!
The house was too expensive to buy.
Her offer was too good to refuse.
This sweater is too big for me to wear.
We can’t go on this roller coaster. Alice is too short for this ride!
I’m too old for dolls! = I’m too old to play with dolls!
This box is too heavy for me to carry.
*Adverbs can also be used:
She drove too slowly to arrive on time.
We got home too late to see the beginning of the TV show.
*Too many and too much can also be used:
There were too many people at the picnic to count.
I had too much work to do yesterday.
Back to our first question:
Which sentence is correct? (answer below)
Quiz:
1. The soup was ______ hot that I couldn’t eat it.
2. The soup was ______ hot to drink.
3. It’s _______ cold to go outside.
4. There were far ________ people at the party for me to meet them all!
5. Susan Boyle’s CD was _____ good that I rushed out and bought it right away!
6. Did you buy that new car? No, I didn’t. It cost _______.
7. He’s _______ a nice guy!
8. We are _______ far away that I don’t think we’re going to be on time for the concert.
9. I can’t stand spending time with her – she is ______ rude!
10. He’s _______ intelligent for his class – he’s not learning anything.
answers:
You’ve got to tell him that he’s getting too old to drive a car.
1. so 2. too 3. too 4. too many 5. so 6. too much 7. such 8. so 9. so 10. too
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Vocabulary Explained – 911 and 9/11
You may hear or see both of these numbers when you watch American TV and movies, read American magazines or books, or when you listen to American music. In the listening lesson “Thor to the Rescue!” I mentioned that a neighbour “sprang into action. He called 911 on his cell phone…”
There is an important difference between these two numbers and it is important not to get them confused!
911
This number is said nine one one. It’s the emergency phone number in North America. This is the number to call in an emergency if you need the police, the fire department or an ambulance.
This number is said nine eleven. It represents the date September 11th. On September 11, 2001, a group of terrorists hijacked 4 airplanes and crashed them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City, as well as the Pentagon in Washington D.C. (The 4th plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.) Almost 3000 people were killed.
When writing the date numerically, the numbers are separated with a backslash: / . This is what separates 9/11 from 911.
In Canada and America, there is no set form for writing the date numerically. However, most of the time the month is first: September 11, 2001 = 09/11/01.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Reading – O Canada!
The southernmost point in Canada is just south of the northern Californian border! It’s called Point Pelee and it juts out into Lake Erie (one of the five Great Lakes that separate Ontario from the U.S.).
Our national anthem is O Canada!
People think Canada is cold all year round. It is cold – in the winter. In the summer it actually gets quite warm! We can go from 30 degrees Celsius in the summer to -30 degrees Celsius in the winter. We get all four seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall. Unfortunately, winter is the longest season – it begins in later November or early December and continues until March, sometimes even April!
The symbol on our flag is the maple leaf (the leaf of the maple tree). The maple leaf has been a symbol of Canada ever since the first Europeans settled here. The maple tree grows all over Canada, and Native Americans learned how to harvest the sap every spring and showed the European settlers how to do it. Have you ever tried maple syrup (the sap from the maple tree)? It is so delicious! I love maple syrup on pancakes, Tim Horton’s maple donuts, and especially maple sugar candies!
Native Americans are the people who lived here before the Europeans arrived. They are native or indigenous to the Americas. Sometimes they are called Indians, Aboriginals, or First Nations people. Most indigenous people in Canada prefer to be called ‘First Nations.’ They are different from the Inuit (Eskimos) who live in the northern part of the country.
Canadian towns and cities are often named after British places or people (Richmond, Victoria, Newmarket, Stratford, Churchill), European cities (London, Waterloo, Paris – yes, there is a Paris, Canada!) or are Native American words (Petawawa, Kapuskasing, Toronto, Ottawa). We also have some very unique place names: Moose Jaw, Yellowknife, Snowball, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, and Whitehorse, to name a few! There used to be a city called Berlin, but its name was changed to Kitchener after the First World War.
Most people think Toronto is the capital city of Canada, but the capital is actually Ottawa! It is named after the Odawa people who were Algonquian Indians and lived in the area. It is said to mean ‘traders.’
Canada is also a native word – it was the Huron-Iroquois (a native tribe) word for village or settlement. This was the subject of a “Heritage Moments” commercial that was on TV a few years ago. It shows the French explorer Jacques Cartier meeting the natives in 1534:
The easternmost provinces – New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, and P.E.I. (Prince Edward Island) – are called The Maritimes. The provinces in the middle and in the west – Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta – are called The Prairies.
We don’t really have any national cuisine – we’ll eat anything! Canadians love food from around the world – Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Indian – and we love to drink beer! If you come to Canada you must try: Tim Horton’s coffee, a beavertail (no, not an actual beaver tail – it’s a dessert!) and poutine (a concoction that originated in Quebec and consists of french fries, gravy and cheese curds!).
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Pronunciation – 7 Commonly Mispronounced English Words
Here are 6 words that are commonly mispronounced and some tips on how to pronounce them correctly:
More Pronunciation Videos:
The Alphabet
Numbers I – How to Say English Numbers 0-99
Numbers II – How to Say English Numbers 100 – 1 trillion
Numbers III – Time, Sports Scores, Money, Years, Population
11 English Words with Silent Letters
Words That Look the Same but Are Pronounced Differently
5 More Commonly Mispronounced English Words
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