Posted by Mark Spolsky on September 2, 2010
Effective English learning requires focus on English conversation. The most successful students attempt first to master the spoken English before they concentrate on the written language.
All over the world, many students attempt to do the opposite. They make a mistake and learn English with their eyes. Their learning is based on classroom lectures, grammar books and textbooks.
The key to fluency, to speak like a native speaker and to develop a clear accent is listening to easy and understandable English conversation. In order to master the spoken English students must spend more than 80% of their study time on listening activities.
Just listening is not enough – students must use a particular system of listening. First, they must listen to “easy” English. This means that learners should listen to material that they mostly understand. The general rule is that the student should understand 95% of what they hear.
Understanding is not enough. Students must also have a lot of repetitions. If they hear a new word only once, they will soon forget it. If they hear it 5 times, they will still probably forget it! They must hear new words and new grammar many times before they will understand them instantly and absorbs the language into his or her subconscious. In most cases two hours a day of listening is sufficient to achieve English fluency in short time.
Lastly, before attempting formal speech or written English students should first focus on casual “real English conversation”. This kind of English varies from language textbooks and classrooms. Studying this way, students have an opportunity to learn components of real English speech such as slang, idioms, filler words, sentence fragments, and interruptions. These components are very common and necessary for understanding native speakers and for having proper conversations with them.
I came to the conclusion that learning with natural English conversations is the most effective way to achieve language fluency.
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Posted by Paul Travis on August 23, 2010
Writer’s block is the writers worst enemy (at least after you consider the writer’s measly paycheck). It’s the inability to get down to work when it is time.
It’s just like squeezing blood from a rock, sometimes when you can’t come up with anything worth writing about. But, those with experience can say there are some outs that you ca use to get through the blockage.
Sometimes you just need to give your writer’s brain a break and try something else for a bit. Just not writing for a while is a great way to let your mind move around and get flexible enough to write later.
You might even need to use a little bit of sleep, like a nap, to get back to where you want to be mentally speaking. But the sleep is not all. A break is like taking a rest from physical labor. It gives your muscles time to rest and so does your brain. It’s so because of the way that things work so this way is to be true.
Another thing to do is try some simple writing exercises. Instead of writing on topic, just allow yourself to freestyle it. It is a little bit easier to just type away madly about nothing in particular than to produce something brilliant on command.
See, writers are also artists and freedom is a dominant theme of the artist’s life. You can’t always force the good stuff to come out whenever you want it to. Go raw and get it out there. Work on things that aren’t what you should be writing.
You should also work on what food is going into your body. It may seem that you shouldn’t have to worry about physical concerns, but they are important to get the things in you that your body needs to work. Avoid the junk food and get some fruits and vegetables into your body for it to work.
Your brain is a part of your body and it needs good stuff to keep operating at top capacity. You should get some good food and possibly even some vitamins to make it all work properly the way it’s supposed to.
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Posted by Mark Splsky on August 15, 2010
The internet has completely revolutionized the future of learning like never before. Many courses and programs are now diverting from traditional, classroom methods of delivery to semi or completely online modules. As English continues to gain global importance as the worldwide recognized lingua franca, communicative competence in English is extremely important for business, travel, professional and academic purposes. Out of the four linguistic skills, speaking is the only linguistic skill that requires practice with a native or near native speaker for improvement. The rest of the skills, reading, writing, and to a considerable extent listening, can all be learnt and practiced without actual interaction with a native speaker. Thankfully, a wide variety of English speaking course online allow non-native English learners to practice with native speakers.
How Online English Courses Work
Online English speaking courses utilize technology connected to the world wide web. The world is a small global community and the internet offers communication possibilities like never before. Learning and practicing English with an English native speaker can now occur regardless of the learner or speaker’s physical location. Many native speakers offer private speaking conversation classes and tutorial sessions with Skype, using webcams for live interaction with non-native English learners. Many schools employ English speakers to instruct conversation classes utilizing advanced whiteboard software. These companies are usually private language schools, career colleges and sometimes even private instructors themselves.
The Benefits
Because oral skills usually can’t be properly honed without consistent practice with a fluent native speaker, having a native speaking instructor is important. The majority of English learners simply do not have the opportunity to practice with English speakers, so extensive oral fluency practice is impossible. The majority of students must make do with minimal oral interaction with native speakers by speaking to tourists, using English abroad, with visiting professors or foreigners. The solution to this is schedule conversation with an online teacher.
Students can also learn and practice proper pronunciation, syllabification and practice variations of English, especially if exposed to different dialects and variations of English. An online conversation class can also help students learn idioms, cultural customs and expressions that cannot be learnt from textbooks.
What Online Courses Includes
An English speaking course online can be very relaxed and informal or serious and academic. Courses will be centered around discussion of various themes and students will be expected to express opinions and share ideas. Regardless of the type of course, the instructor is expected to adhere to techniques which improve oral fluency; this usually means that student talk times is generally high and teacher talk time is rather low. Students are also expected to interact with each other, making courses fun and motivational. The role of the instructor is reduced to that of facilitator instead of teacher. Still, students should not assume that courses are unstructured; students are generally given a course outline which covers conversational themes and topics that will be developed during the course. Although not a grammar course, the instructor should also review significant grammar points and correct mistakes when required.
How to Enroll in Online English Courses
The world wide web lists thousands of online conversation courses in English that are offered both privately and through academic institutions.
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Posted by Bruce Parker on August 12, 2010
Some father’s think of nightmares when they think about the father of the bride speech. Some would rather have their hair set on fire and put out with a sledge hammer instead. But it’s not as bad as you think if you prepare then it’s downright easy. Read on for seven tips on writing, preparing, and giving your speech.
All wedding speeches should come from the heart. It’s a fact most men don’t like doing the emotional things but this is one time that it’s necessary. You don’t have to start sobbing but you do have to show some feelings while giving your speech. It’s your daughter’s most important day.
Right after your daughter tells you she’s getting married, start making notes. It’s the best way to write your speech. Some of the best father of the bride speeches are made by fathers who wrote down all their feelings during the time working up to the actual wedding day. So don’t put it off – start making notes now!
As your speech will be the first one at the reception, include any special welcomes at the beginning of your speech such as welcoming the groom’s family. Don’t forget to welcome and thank all the guests for helping out and sharing this special day with your daughter.
Highlight a few special moments that you remember from your daughter’s childhood and try to include a favorite moment from the wedding ceremony. Touch on a treasured time of your daughter’s life that you remember and one that will touch her heart.
Include an anecdote about your daughter in your father of the bride speech. Touch on her earlier sentiments about life, her accomplishments, and marriage. Include how she looks on this special day without sounding like it’s the only time she’s looks so beautiful. Something about the groom is also a good idea.
This is your daughter’s special day and you should give her the best good wishes. Share some stories about her without telling her whole life’s story. Show how proud you are of her and what this day means to you.
Make a few comments about your new son in law, if you can. It’s a great time to express a warm welcome of him into your family. Don’t worry if you’re not that thrilled, your daughter is the one who has to live with him. Give her your support and unconditional love with the welcome.
Give a few insights and share your wisdom about marriage in your father of the bride speech. Keep the advice to a minimum. Father of the bride speeches are one of the most important speeches at a wedding. Do your best and be prepared.
If you liked this article on wedding speeches you would also want to check the author’s web site WeddingSpeechDigest.com for more father of the bride speech, best man speech, groom speech and other wedding speech resources.
Posted by Sylvia Meyer on August 10, 2010
Whenever you are in the process of applying for a job, you should always make sure that your resume has been well written and is complete with a good cover letter. You should have this done in a way that grabs the attention of the bosses trying to get you to join their firm. Write them with enthusiasm.
Do not mistake your resume for a biography. Be concise while conveying your message. Time is of the essence.
The whole idea of a cover letter is to indicate the job you are applying and in the process, to represent why you are the right candidate to fit into the slot available.
Why would you want to have a cover letter you may ask. Well, a resume is normally full of chronological events and landmark achievements you have made. These are not enough to point to the kind of personality behind the achievements. There needs to be something that will inform the recruitment officers about you. A cover letter should act as an informer to sell your good sides.
The documents should at all costs attract attention. You should not be just another job applicant. If your resume and cover letter looks to similar to the next job applicant, you will be at a disadvantage.
You should plan and write your cover letter knowing that it is good enough to get you hired. It will serve like an advertisement that will get you noticed by the employer.
One thing to note about cover letters is that you should crosscheck them for any grammatical errors. Make sure that the thoughts belong there.
You should read the letter over, many times to screen for errors you may not have seen at first. You should verify that the flow of ideas is smooth and makes sense.
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Posted by Matthew Kidman on July 28, 2010
They say practice makes perfect, but this can lead to total success in all that you set your heart on to do be it in the area of studies, career, and even sport. The same is very applicable when you want to learn a new language even as a hobby or so that you can know and understand different cultures of the world.
Learning a new language opens new horizons and broadens your view of people of diverse cultural backgrounds and nationalities all over the world. It also helps to unite people as humanity. In India, the Hindi word for world is “dunia,” which is also used in some major languages in other parts of the world.
Latin for example, has brought forth many other widely used languages in the world like Spanish, Portuguese and Italian; which makes all these language to sound somehow similar. Spanish in turn is used in many Latin American countries except for Brazil where the main language that is used is Portuguese.
Learning these major languages of the world is easy for a start but as you go further with your quest to master these languages, and excel in them, more skills are required. This is the toughest part.
To practice your Spanish well, you need to do proper practice each and every month. Make a proper timetable and practice routine that can enable you to improve your language skills as often as possible. If you are willing to set aside time for constant practice and put it down on a time table, it will mean you are quite serious about the whole thing.
The easiest way to do this is to get a native-speaking person you are familiar with to get you to keep practicing your Spanish. Practicing language speaking with a native speaker is the best way to learn some language skills.
Beginners usually become shy and feel awkward while trying to make their maiden sentences to a native speaker. Mark you, the minute you succeed in making any constructive phrases, you will be well on your way to becoming a great Spanish speaker. Thereafter you can continue to boldly converse and enjoy using the language with no issues at all.
Start by making very simple and short sentences dwelling on things like the weather, time, climate, farm vocabulary and such like daily topics. Keep sharing in conversation with other native speakers. Keep doing this every month and before long you will be a master of the language. You will learn the basic language application that cannot be found in books or tutorials.
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Posted by Harold Lett on May 21, 2010
It is thought and also proven that the art of public speaking has been around for thousands of years. Some public speaking experts believe that this art is a good reason to how the human race has developed through time to be the social things that we are.
In days of old messages and information was often carried down from generation to generation through story tellers. So it is obvious that public speaking is a large part of our history.
You may find it interesting to know that legend has it that the ancient Egyptians even wrote passages on public speaking, you could call it a manual.
Wherever you were on the planet throughout history you would of encountered public speaking.
One of the forefounders of public speaking as we know it was a man who lived in Athens in the period of 300 BC. His name was Demosthenes. His passion was public speaking yet he was sort of held back by the fact he had a speech impediment.
A story about him says that he was so determined to be a public speaker that he places several small stones in his mouth for a couple of weeks to try and cure his problem and when he took the stones out he could talk perfectly normal and went on to be one of the most famous speakers of his time.
Now you may not know this but some experts say that the best way to cure your fear of public speaking is to just get up there and do it. After some time it will become second nature to you and having all those eager ears listening to you will fill you with passion to do it more.
The United States has also had several famous speakers. The two most famous that come to mind are Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King. There have been others but they are the two most notable ones. Martin Luther King is probably the most famous speaker in history with his “I have a dream” speech which almost everyone on the planet knows.
Human existance is full of famous public speakers that have recited amazing speeches. Winston Churchill delivered several great speeches in his time.
A great speech has the ability to make a person a legend that will be remembered forever. Public speaking is history in the making and something that I hope shall continue for a long time to come.
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Posted by qpen on April 21, 2010
“Speaking in the Past Tense participates in an expanding critical dialogue on the writing of historical fiction, providing a series of reflections on the process from the perspective of those souls intrepid enough to step onto what is, practically by definition, contested territory.” — Herb Wyile, from the Introduction The extermination of the Beothuk … the exploration of the Arctic … the experiences of soldiers in the trenches during World War I … the foibles of Ca (more…)
Posted by Traci M. Sosa on March 14, 2010
A copywriter’s job is to play with words. If you want to be a successful copywriter, it is vital that you know the tricks and trades of the game. Here are some simple tips that can help you master the art of copy writing and become a successful copywriter.
The most important factor for a copywriter to think about is the target audience. Your job is half complete after you truly understand your audience and their requirements. It is vital for any writer to realize the audience they’re catering to and the topic as well as the writing style that should be applied according to their preferences and tastes. Do remember at each point, that you’re writing for your audience and not yourself.
Write to an individual. Instead of talking to huge audience, speak to one individual at a time. This may make your write up more customized. Make note that individualized write-ups find more audiences as compared to the generic ones. The person reading the write up should feel as if the article was written for him and not for any one else. Stop using phrases like some of you. This could take away the non-public appeal and reduce the interest of the reader.
Many copywriters make the common mistake of writing ‘down’ to make their copy more comprehensible. However, this must be completely dodged. Of course, you require to make your copy comprehensible and easy-to-read but this does not mean that you need to bring down your writing levels. Write in a style that is inherent to you, while attempting to keep it easy at the same time. More than often, the standard of the copy suffers if the copywriter makes an effort to write it down.
Don’t overuse words. Most people have a tendency of fitting in words they like everywhere whether needed or not. To be a successful copywriter, you have to desist from using particular words every now and then without need. Having to read the same word over and over can seriously put off your readers.
Focus on the first sentences. It is the first sentence that makes or breaks your copy. Your copy may possibly not be that engaging but if the initial sentence is captivating enough, possibility is that the reader will go through the whole copy. On the other hand, if you have written a decent enough copy but the first sentence is loose, you may not be in a position to hold your audience for long.
So, put aside all your troubles. Simply make use of the given tips and rest assured that you will soon climb up the ladder of copy writing.
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Posted by Adriana Noton on February 10, 2010
There are many reasons to look for online English lessons. You may be traveling to the U. S. For the first time, or you might need to improve your own native English skills to prepare for college or a job. Many options exist when it comes to where to look for these classes including local and national colleges, companies, language institutes, and even private tutors. There are even blogs to help you out.
Some options are either free, or at least very reasonably priced. Before deciding to commit to any particular company or school, be certain you have a thorough understanding of your personal goals. This will help you choose the precise course and the appropriate syllabus to suit your needs.
The purpose of each course will defer, of course. There is a big difference between a quick 10 week course that will teach you conversation English, and a course lasting a few years where you learn to decline nouns and conjugate verbs. If you are heading to New York City for a vacation and just need to get around town, choose restaurants, find bathrooms, and get on the right subway, that quickie ten week course might be perfect.
Online English lessons will all use different methodologies to help you in learning English. Some use nothing more than tables to memorize, usually reminiscent of our early years in school when we had to memorize vocabulary, poetry, spelling and even math equations. Others will use formal language lessons where you take it one step at a time, much as you’d learn back in high school. Here’s a verb, here’s a noun, put together a sentence.
Many of the courses provide feedback in the form of sound and pronunciations. You can click on word or even an icon and hear someone pronounce the word, or translate the idea. Many of the college programs actually force you to have a computer with a microphone so that you can speak and get graded on your accent.
Homework hasn’t been neglected, either. If you are using a self paced study course or you have enrolled in a college level accredited program, you should be given at least assignments to study and work to complete. You may also be told to memorize vocabulary, etc. Even though testing is done using the open book method, don’t take advantage of this on a regular basis. In a regular classroom environment this would be considered cheating. You aren’t going to learn anything if you keep looking up the answers.
For the college programs, most of these are ‘attended’, meaning you need to log on at specified times and you will be online with a virtual class with whom you might be able to communicate via online white boards. You will also have an instructor giving you the lesson, discussing progress, and answering questions. He might even hand out future homework assignments. These classes are identical to being in school except you are probably at home in the kitchen.
Tuition and payments for online courses vary greatly. Some are free, others cost thousands of dollars. Whatever you choose, make a commitment and stick with it.
Find an online English school that offers students the unique chance to improve their English skills anywhere. Learning English online is convenient and cost effective. They have business english courses online and online english course.
Posted by Scott A. Dennison on October 19, 2009
When you look back on this year, will you say that your public speaking business was undergoing a boom or a bust? If you are like so many other speakers, this has been a trying year; one where the recession really took a bite out of the meetings marketplace and made speaking engagements difficult to find.
A study of businesses started in recessions shows that many of them go on to have unusual levels of success in years when the economy is growing well. The good news is that with a few minor changes to your business model and your public speaking business can be positioned for greatness in years to come.
First is to understand that your real client is not the meeting planner, it is the attendee in your meeting. Perhaps more important is that with the power of the Internet, you can find people who want and need your unique message and build relationships with them, no matter where on earth they may be. Those relationships can lead to the sale of your books, audios, videos, seminars or whatever you create based on your message. Isn’t that exciting?
Second is you should realize that “content is king” and that from this day forward you should never give a talk without recording it. You never know when the opportunity to monetize that recording will come your way. If you did not record it then those who were in attendance who wanted to hear it again or share you with friends are out of luck. You may even want to offer the recording to audience members in exchange for their email address.
Finally, in today’s market, your Internet presence can be the thing that separates you from the masses of people who call themselves speakers. The largest potential audience for any speaker is going to be found online and the way they’ll find you is through your website. It must be alive with fresh content, online video, a blog and you’ll also want to be skilled in social media marketing.
In summary, even though there are less speaking engagements than ever, there are massive opportunities to find, attract and build relationships with consumers of your unique message all over the world. When you learn to properly market your public speaking business online, you can earn more money, travel less and sleep in your own bed more often.
Want to find out about the future of public speaking, then visit Scott Dennison’s site to get my free report and some great public speaking tips to help you become a more profitable speaker – no matter the economy!
Posted by Amy Bartlett on October 18, 2009
A wedding toast is an integral part of today’s wedding structure, and there are a lot of people who just can’t face the task of giving a toast in front of a room full of people without having some kind of cue card in front of them or some notes of some kind. For anyone in that predicament, there is the saving grace that you can find any kind of wedding toast free online if you just browse around a little.
The biggest problem for most toast givers at weddings, other than the sheer fright of standing in front of a group of people and having to say something that sounds intelligent without passing out; is that they don’t know what the drill is—-in other words, when the toast should be given and who says what when. The more formal the wedding, the stricter the rules, usually—and the toasting, from the rehearsal dinner to the reception, follow a certain order.
Let’s take a look at the reception where almost all of the toasting will take place. You are armed with your speech, part of which you downloaded from a site in the Internet that offered examples of a free wedding toast; and now we are reviewing the order that most toasting follows for the average wedding. The best man starts the whole thing off by toasting the happy couple; then the groom follows suit and stands up and delivers a toast to his new wife and her family. Now it is the two fathers’ turns; his father and hers, each toasting the couple with good wishes. The next order of business, if desired; is that the couple would raise a toast to each other, and then it would be your turn, or anyone else’s in the audience who wanted or was asked to give a toast.
Now that you have done your online search, found the free wedding toast that suits your needs—-now you need to know a few particulars about giving the toast—–what and what not to say, time constraints, and how to end it effectively. You can include humor, which is usually well received by the guests and family members alike, as long as it applies to the situation and is in good taste—the last thing you want to do at a wedding reception is to be a boor and be crude. Keep the toast within 3-5 min long and stand while speaking keeping eye contact with the couple; include some little anecdotes about them, who you are in relation to them (some people may not know who you are); and end the toast with a blessing, or congratulations, or “Cheers!”.
As has been said before, the sites online that promote the availability of a free wedding toast will also list many of them that can be downloaded easily without signing up for anything, or procuring a membership on the site. Here are a few examples of what is available: To the Bride and Groom: “May the roof above you never fall in, and may you both never fall out.” Another: “May we all be invited to your Golden Wedding celebrations.” And a final example: “May you both live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.”
Here are a few examples of a free wedding toast that could be used for other folks rather than the bride and groom; for example, From the bride and groom: “To our best friends, who know the most about us, but refuse to believe it.” And, again, from the bride and groom: “May our children be blessed with rich parents.” A toast to the Bride alone: “May you share everything with your husband, including the housework.” And to the Groom alone: “To the man who has conquered the bride’s heart, and her mother’s.”
The examples are many and the choices numerous, so the ability to find a free wedding toast online is limited by your perseverance only. It won’t take much of your time to browse up some online sites on the Internet that offer free wedding toasts for the taking, and you will have all the inspiration you need at your fingertips; to write the toast yourself, or use the one you’ve downloaded just as it is—the choice is yours.
Amy Bartlett writes articles and publishes information regarding Wedding Etiquette. For more information on Wedding Humor visit our site.
Posted by Patrick John on September 14, 2009
Are you one of those unfortunates who sweat and stammer and become undone when asked to stand up in front of a crowd and say something? What about at a wedding, when your good friend is getting married and you have been invited to “say a few words” at the reception? Same reaction? Well, here’s good news—-first, it’s not the end of the world; and second, there are lots of free wedding speech samples out there for the taking—–all you have to do is look.
Truly, if you are honest in what you want to say to the wedding couple and their families and friends, and you are telling the truth; then there is no reason to be sick or unsettled about speaking at the reception. You just want to voice your feelings to them and who cares if 400 people are listening to you. But if you are of the burgeoning throng of ” oh my God, I will pass out if I have to get up and speak in front of all those people” folks, then go the tried and true route that all the “scaredy-cats” use and look for free wedding speech samples that someone else has already created.
Get over the fact that you are like everyone else when it comes to speaking in public—-namely that annihilation by a bus is more welcome——and go to the Internet to start your search for something to say to the wedding couple. You’ll be amazed just how much traffic there is to these sites that offer free wedding speech samples and a lot of them are complete little speeches where you can use them as is; or there are some that are outlines designed so you can put in your own words and just use them as a template.
There is another option for those of you who must use a template, or are just too nervous to try to wing it without a little help; you can find sites on the internet that deal with wedding paraphernalia and some of these sites have blogs or places to post helpful tidbits for others, and there you can find free wedding speech samples, or whole speeches—-that have been used by other folks. These are there for the taking and you can use them as they are, or use just parts of them to write your own speech. Lots of folks find these bits and pieces very helpful in putting together a speech.
You will find as you are searching these sites that have free wedding speech samples, that there is just about anything you would need to put together a speech. The offerings range from simple toasts, to longer speeches to family or friends, little asides to grandmothers, jokes and funny stories, and even poetry. Depending on the ambient mood of the wedding you are going to, formal or not; the mood will determine what you want to include in your speech, or how “funny” or “jokesy” you want to be. Some of the offerings can give you a real good head start on your own speech.
Once you find some good free wedding speech samples that you can work with, then start molding them into something that sounds like you wrote it and use your sample as a template. Remember the best wedding speeches are those that do not sound contrived, they sound sincere and from the heart. Keep it simple, keep it clean—never be vulgar—give thanks to those that you feel deserve it, and just go with the flow. Most of all, wish the happy couple well and mean it. You will do just fine.
When you go to give your awaited wedding speech, just go with the flow and remember that you are surrounded by friends and family for the most part, who all know you—–so, just be you, laugh a little, tell a joke or a funny story, don’t let your nerves undo you—-you are not in front of a firing squad. All you are doing is giving your best wishes to the newly married couple in your own words, in your own inimitable way; and so what if there happens to be a couple of hundred people in the room also.
Amy Bartlett has a bevy of information on topics such as Irish Wedding Blessing. For more information on Irish Wedding Toasts visit our site.
