Dear Students,
In reading your final papers, I know that you have all come a long way from that first day in grammar class. You have all done very well. However, the study of English grammar must go on because you can never know enough.
It has been my great pleasure to study grammar and to blog with you. This blog will remain available to all of you and to my new students. If you have any questions about grammar or teaching ESL in general, please send them in. If you want to share any experiences with students, please post your comments. I will be starting a Google Groups site soon and will inform you as soon as it is ready. There we can post documents and concerns that we want to share.
Happy Holidays!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
The End of the Semester
It's finals time, and although that means stress and work, it also means that the Christmas and New Year holidays are almost here. For ESL students these holidays may be familiar or unfamiliar, depending upon the culture they are from. How do Americans celebrate Christmas? The answer is hardly simple. They celebrate many types of Christmas traditions, from German to Irish and English, from Italian to Greek and Russian. They celebrate differently in different parts of the country, from eating lobster in Maine to making ice sculptures in Alaska, from a visit from a Cajun Santa in New Orleans to a parade with bagpipers in Virginia. Christmas is a religious holiday, but it has also become a secular celebration that some non-Christians celebrate with tress and presents. Students need to know its origins and some of its popular customs.
As for New Year's, many cultures have some type of New Year's celebration, so they can compare and contrast their celebrations with the American one(s). Students can do research and make presentations on the celebration of the New Year around the world as a class project.
As for New Year's, many cultures have some type of New Year's celebration, so they can compare and contrast their celebrations with the American one(s). Students can do research and make presentations on the celebration of the New Year around the world as a class project.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Incongruity
On Channel 4 there was the Thanksgiving Parade, whereas on Fox News there was ongoing coverage of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, which used to be called Bombay. On the one hand, we were enjoying the giant balloons representing American pop culture float down Broadway past the grandest store of all, Macy's; on the other hand, we were watching in horror the unfolding events in two of the grandest hotels in India, if not the world. On Broadway the spectators were laughing, and the performers were singing and dancing. On the streets of Mumbai, the people were screaming and fleeing from the shooting, and blood was running in the streets and restaurants. In front of Macy's the world laughed, while in front of the Taj the world cried. Alas, the incongruity of human existence!
Places
Mumbai -- Bombay--the financial capital of India, a southern coastal city of 13 million people
India-- the world's second most populous country with over 1 billion people, a subcontinent in Asia
Macy's-- the world's largest department store, with its headquarters in New York City on Broadway and 34th Street
Taj Hotel -- a 4,000-room hotel in Mumbai
Vocabulary
terrorist -- unlawful use of violence to try to force governments to act according to the terrorist political beliefs
giant -- very big
pop culture -- popular culture, such as current music, art, movies, cartoons, and so on
unfolding events -- as something is happening
grandest (grand, grander, grandest) -- majestic
fleeing -- running away
incongruity -- lack of harmony or logic
Vocabulary Exercise
1. The Winter Palace is the ___________________ palace in the world.
2. Madonna once represented part of American ______________________.
3. He was a member of the ________________ group that hijacked the TWA plane.
4. Now you can watch news all night to follow __________________ around the world.
5. There was ______________ between his point of view and his actions; they contradicted each other.
6. The cats were ___________ from the dogs.
Grammar Point--
Handling contrast in your writing: Use whereas, while, on the one hand, on the other hand.
Write a sentence that shows contrast.______________________________
Places
Mumbai -- Bombay--the financial capital of India, a southern coastal city of 13 million people
India-- the world's second most populous country with over 1 billion people, a subcontinent in Asia
Macy's-- the world's largest department store, with its headquarters in New York City on Broadway and 34th Street
Taj Hotel -- a 4,000-room hotel in Mumbai
Vocabulary
terrorist -- unlawful use of violence to try to force governments to act according to the terrorist political beliefs
giant -- very big
pop culture -- popular culture, such as current music, art, movies, cartoons, and so on
unfolding events -- as something is happening
grandest (grand, grander, grandest) -- majestic
fleeing -- running away
incongruity -- lack of harmony or logic
Vocabulary Exercise
1. The Winter Palace is the ___________________ palace in the world.
2. Madonna once represented part of American ______________________.
3. He was a member of the ________________ group that hijacked the TWA plane.
4. Now you can watch news all night to follow __________________ around the world.
5. There was ______________ between his point of view and his actions; they contradicted each other.
6. The cats were ___________ from the dogs.
Grammar Point--
Handling contrast in your writing: Use whereas, while, on the one hand, on the other hand.
Write a sentence that shows contrast.______________________________
Friday, October 31, 2008
Shopping
As we head into the biggest shopping season of the year, the economy's woes loom large. Our dollars don't seem to stretch as far because the prices on everything have gone up. Gas prices, thankfully, are on their way down. I like to hunt for bargains and shop the sales. This year many stores are advertising their layaway plans and instituting ones if they didn't have them before.
We like to go shopping at Marshalls, where lovely clothes and household items can be found for reasonable prices. For example, I love English porcelain, so I always search for pretty teacups and saucers. And then there are tablecloths and towels and kitchen utensils, holiday decorations, and even furniture. I sometimes find fine woolen sweaters made in Ireland or Scotland and stylish blouses for work.
Vocabulary
woes -- problems, troubles
hunt for bargains -- look for cheaper goods
shop the sales -- go to the stores where there are good sales
layaway -- a plan to help shoppers buy things that cost more money than they have. The store holds the item for them until they pay it off.
instituting -- starting, establishing
go shopping -- to go to the stores
reasonable -- inexpensive
Vocabulary exercise
1. My mother _________________ every day to buy fresh food.
2. The meat was not expensive; it was very ________________.
3. The American economy has many ______________.
4. Department stores send sales circulars home to help us ___________________.
5. At our local grocery store, the manager _____________ home delivery for the first time.
6. On Saturdays I go to yard sales to ___________________ . I usually find porcelain at much cheaper prices.
7. Sue didn't have enough money to pay for the coat, so she put it on ________________ and will finish paying for it at the end of the month.
Grammar point:
Idioms with go
go shopping, go skiing, go hiking
go home
Idioms with go to
go to church
We like to go shopping at Marshalls, where lovely clothes and household items can be found for reasonable prices. For example, I love English porcelain, so I always search for pretty teacups and saucers. And then there are tablecloths and towels and kitchen utensils, holiday decorations, and even furniture. I sometimes find fine woolen sweaters made in Ireland or Scotland and stylish blouses for work.
Vocabulary
woes -- problems, troubles
hunt for bargains -- look for cheaper goods
shop the sales -- go to the stores where there are good sales
layaway -- a plan to help shoppers buy things that cost more money than they have. The store holds the item for them until they pay it off.
instituting -- starting, establishing
go shopping -- to go to the stores
reasonable -- inexpensive
Vocabulary exercise
1. My mother _________________ every day to buy fresh food.
2. The meat was not expensive; it was very ________________.
3. The American economy has many ______________.
4. Department stores send sales circulars home to help us ___________________.
5. At our local grocery store, the manager _____________ home delivery for the first time.
6. On Saturdays I go to yard sales to ___________________ . I usually find porcelain at much cheaper prices.
7. Sue didn't have enough money to pay for the coat, so she put it on ________________ and will finish paying for it at the end of the month.
Grammar point:
Idioms with go
go shopping, go skiing, go hiking
go home
Idioms with go to
go to church
Saturday, October 25, 2008
My Family and Halloween
We don't celebrate Halloween because we are Orthodox Christians. My house is not decorated for Halloween, but I do give out candy to children who are trick or treating. I allow my son to dress up but never in any costumes that represent evil and then only because I understand that the celebration for most Americans is benign. For us, the struggle against evil is real and palpable, and decorations and costumes that consist of devils, witches, and other such representatives of evil are offensive. Our priests admonish us to refrain from participating in Halloween events.
In our Faith, saints, the Virgin Mary, and Jesus Christ are represented on icons, before which we pray to those depicted thereon, as to Heavenly intercessors. The images of Halloween and what they represent are an antithesis to these icons.
Halloween is not the only holiday that causes problems for our ESL students. What might some others be?
In our Faith, saints, the Virgin Mary, and Jesus Christ are represented on icons, before which we pray to those depicted thereon, as to Heavenly intercessors. The images of Halloween and what they represent are an antithesis to these icons.
Halloween is not the only holiday that causes problems for our ESL students. What might some others be?
Monday, October 20, 2008
What about Halloween?
I want to respond to some of your comments. First of all, Halloween is just one holiday that can pose a problem, so some of my comments can be generalized to include other holidays.
Here are some suggestions:
1. Find out about your students' religious and cultural beliefs.
2. Research them.
3. Speak to parents if feasible.
4. Explain the holiday. In the case of Halloween, explain the history of the holiday and the current practice. What do the symbols of Halloween (pumpkins, witches, devils, scarecrows, etc.) represent? What does "trick or treat" mean? Why do people wear costumes? Ask the students if these symbols mean anything in their cultures? Are there any analogous holidays in their culture?
5. If you are decorating your room for Halloween, use pumpkins, harvest horns of plenty, benign-looking scarcrows, which most students will recognize as familiar from farms, autumn leaves, apples, and cornstalks. These will likely not have a negative meaning in anyone's culture.
6. Avoid using devils, witches, skeletons, and other evil creatures. These represent evil and are offensive to many Christians, not just immigrant ones.
7. Think of positive activities, for example, bobbing for apples and dipping apples in caramel.
Here are some suggestions:
1. Find out about your students' religious and cultural beliefs.
2. Research them.
3. Speak to parents if feasible.
4. Explain the holiday. In the case of Halloween, explain the history of the holiday and the current practice. What do the symbols of Halloween (pumpkins, witches, devils, scarecrows, etc.) represent? What does "trick or treat" mean? Why do people wear costumes? Ask the students if these symbols mean anything in their cultures? Are there any analogous holidays in their culture?
5. If you are decorating your room for Halloween, use pumpkins, harvest horns of plenty, benign-looking scarcrows, which most students will recognize as familiar from farms, autumn leaves, apples, and cornstalks. These will likely not have a negative meaning in anyone's culture.
6. Avoid using devils, witches, skeletons, and other evil creatures. These represent evil and are offensive to many Christians, not just immigrant ones.
7. Think of positive activities, for example, bobbing for apples and dipping apples in caramel.
What to Do about Halloween
I hope to address some of your questions and comments about celebrating Halloween with your ESL class. Here are a few suggestions:
1. If you are a pull-out teacher, you can probably avoid celebrating it with your ESL students altogether.
2. If you are a push-in teacher, the celebration may also be out of your hands.
3. If you have a self-contained class, then you have to face the issue full on.
4. In any of the three cases, you should explain the holiday. There are some questions that you might want to answer: What are the origins of the holiday? How is it celebrated today? Who celebrates it? What do the various symbols associated with the holiday mean (pumpkins, witches, goblins, skeletons, scarecrows, the devil, and so on)? What does "trick or treat" mean? Why do people dress up in costumes? What are some popular Halloween treats?
1. If you are a pull-out teacher, you can probably avoid celebrating it with your ESL students altogether.
2. If you are a push-in teacher, the celebration may also be out of your hands.
3. If you have a self-contained class, then you have to face the issue full on.
4. In any of the three cases, you should explain the holiday. There are some questions that you might want to answer: What are the origins of the holiday? How is it celebrated today? Who celebrates it? What do the various symbols associated with the holiday mean (pumpkins, witches, goblins, skeletons, scarecrows, the devil, and so on)? What does "trick or treat" mean? Why do people dress up in costumes? What are some popular Halloween treats?
Monday, October 6, 2008
Halloween Celebrations and ESL Students
Reading your blogs brought to mind a common occurrence in adult ESL classes and some immigrant communities -- new immigrants upset over the celebration of Halloween.
The ancient celebration of Halloween originates in the British Isles. You can read about it here -- http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/TLresources/units/Byrnes-celebrations/halloween.html
Many Christians from other countries, especially countries in Eastern Europe, find the images associated with Halloween to be anti-Christian, for example, witches, wizards, devils, skeletons, and goblins. They do not decorate their homes here, and they do not want their children to take part in Halloween celebrations. As a result, they may even keep their young children home from school on Halloween. if they send them, they may not allow them to wear costumes, especially
those with evil connotations.
As ESL teachers, we may explain the history of the holiday, but we should not get involved in trying to convince parents to allow their children to celebrate the holiday. It is important to respect the beliefs of our students and their parents and to avoid judging them.
Place:
Eastern Europe consists of many nations east of Germany and Austria, including Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and so on.
Vocabulary
occurrence-- (noun) happening (occur-- verb)
Halloween-- (noun) a holiday celebrated in the USA on October 31 (All Hallow's Eve is the full name, which means the evening before All Saints' Day, a Christian holiday celebrated on November 1st.)
decorate-- (verb) to make beautiful (decoration--noun)
originate--(verb) come from (origin-- noun meaning source; original --adjective meaning first)
connotation--(noun) meaning (connote -- verb)
respect-- (noun) honor
1. Cocoa _______________ in South America.
2. The attack on the World Trade Center on 9-11-01 was a terrible ____________.
3. On ______________ children dress in costumes and go "trick or treating."
4. The children _____________ their father.
5. At Christmas people _______________ their homes with Christmas trees and garland.
6. The word "power" has several _______________.
Grammar Point: To negate a verb in the present tense, you have to use the helping verb "do" and "not."
They do not celebrate Halloween.
Can you write three negative sentences using do?
The ancient celebration of Halloween originates in the British Isles. You can read about it here -- http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/TLresources/units/Byrnes-celebrations/halloween.html
Many Christians from other countries, especially countries in Eastern Europe, find the images associated with Halloween to be anti-Christian, for example, witches, wizards, devils, skeletons, and goblins. They do not decorate their homes here, and they do not want their children to take part in Halloween celebrations. As a result, they may even keep their young children home from school on Halloween. if they send them, they may not allow them to wear costumes, especially
those with evil connotations.
As ESL teachers, we may explain the history of the holiday, but we should not get involved in trying to convince parents to allow their children to celebrate the holiday. It is important to respect the beliefs of our students and their parents and to avoid judging them.
Place:
Eastern Europe consists of many nations east of Germany and Austria, including Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and so on.
Vocabulary
occurrence-- (noun) happening (occur-- verb)
Halloween-- (noun) a holiday celebrated in the USA on October 31 (All Hallow's Eve is the full name, which means the evening before All Saints' Day, a Christian holiday celebrated on November 1st.)
decorate-- (verb) to make beautiful (decoration--noun)
originate--(verb) come from (origin-- noun meaning source; original --adjective meaning first)
connotation--(noun) meaning (connote -- verb)
respect-- (noun) honor
1. Cocoa _______________ in South America.
2. The attack on the World Trade Center on 9-11-01 was a terrible ____________.
3. On ______________ children dress in costumes and go "trick or treating."
4. The children _____________ their father.
5. At Christmas people _______________ their homes with Christmas trees and garland.
6. The word "power" has several _______________.
Grammar Point: To negate a verb in the present tense, you have to use the helping verb "do" and "not."
They do not celebrate Halloween.
Can you write three negative sentences using do?
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Wild and Wacky Squirrels
When my husband first came to America from the Soviet Union, I was living in Manhattan. On his first morning there, he decided to go for a walk in Central Park. He got lost, and his pleas for help in very limited English were met by people hightailing it away from the sounds of his distress. Finally, he happened upon a Ukrainian American, who recognized his accent and set him on the right path.
When he arrived at the place where I worked, he was very excited not only because he had managed to get back, but also because he had seen so many squirrels along the way. I was a bit confounded by his excitement over the squirrels until he explained that there weren't many squirrels left in his country because people had hunted and eaten most of them. Though squirrels feature prominently in many Russian children's books, it seems that children rarely have the opportunity to see them in person.
Well, this weekend I was nearly driven to hunting them myself. Our neighborhood squirrels seem to have gone crazy. In the front of the house, they have been hiding in our bushes eating berries. Next door they have eaten my neighbors' only pumpkin and all the figs on their fig tree. All of that is normal, but on Saturday one squirrel decided he wanted to come into my house. First, he jumped on my back screen door. I heard him and thought it was my cat, so I nearly let him in! Luckily, I took a good look and realized that it wasn't Sassy. Next, he climbed up on the dining room window ledge, where the cats usually sit, but as the screen had fallen out a little while earlier, he couldn't gnaw at it, and the window was tightly shut. When I banged on the window to chase him from there, he jumped across the back stoop and up to the screen of my kitchen window, but lost his grip because his front paws ended up on the outer glass pane. Finally, he ran away. I sent Mr. Paws out to chase him, but my spoiled cat wasn't too happy with me because of the nasty weather.
What caused the squirrel's mad behavior? I can't be sure, but I was making chocolate chip cookies at the time.
Vocabulary
hightail (it) (verb, idiom --"it" does not refer to anything)-- get away as fast as you can (refers to what some animals, such as rabbits, do when they run away)
distress (noun)-- anxiety, suffering (distressing -- adjective, distress - verb)
to be confounded by (verb+past participle) -- to be confused or puzzled by
prominently (adverb)-- widely known (prominent-- adjective)
take a good look (idiom)-- to view carefully
stoop (noun)-- steps in front or back of your house, mostly used in New York (origin: Dutch)
(stoop -- verb meaning to bend over)
1. The Statue of Liberty stands _____________ in New York Harbor.
2. After the car accident, Karl was in ______________.
3. When Sue came home and saw that her house had been broken into, she __________________________ around to see if anything had been stolen.
4. As I sat on the front _________, the squirrels came up to me looking for food.
5. When the cat came, the squirrels, ______________________ away from me.
6. The cat ___________________ the behavior of the squirrels because he just wanted to play.
Grammar Point:
When he arrived at the place where I worked, he was very excited not only because he had managed to get back, but also because he had seen so many squirrels along the way. I was a bit confounded by his excitement over the squirrels until he explained that there weren't many squirrels left in his country because people had hunted and eaten most of them. Though squirrels feature prominently in many Russian children's books, it seems that children rarely have the opportunity to see them in person.
Well, this weekend I was nearly driven to hunting them myself. Our neighborhood squirrels seem to have gone crazy. In the front of the house, they have been hiding in our bushes eating berries. Next door they have eaten my neighbors' only pumpkin and all the figs on their fig tree. All of that is normal, but on Saturday one squirrel decided he wanted to come into my house. First, he jumped on my back screen door. I heard him and thought it was my cat, so I nearly let him in! Luckily, I took a good look and realized that it wasn't Sassy. Next, he climbed up on the dining room window ledge, where the cats usually sit, but as the screen had fallen out a little while earlier, he couldn't gnaw at it, and the window was tightly shut. When I banged on the window to chase him from there, he jumped across the back stoop and up to the screen of my kitchen window, but lost his grip because his front paws ended up on the outer glass pane. Finally, he ran away. I sent Mr. Paws out to chase him, but my spoiled cat wasn't too happy with me because of the nasty weather.
What caused the squirrel's mad behavior? I can't be sure, but I was making chocolate chip cookies at the time.
Vocabulary
hightail (it) (verb, idiom --"it" does not refer to anything)-- get away as fast as you can (refers to what some animals, such as rabbits, do when they run away)
distress (noun)-- anxiety, suffering (distressing -- adjective, distress - verb)
to be confounded by (verb+past participle) -- to be confused or puzzled by
prominently (adverb)-- widely known (prominent-- adjective)
take a good look (idiom)-- to view carefully
stoop (noun)-- steps in front or back of your house, mostly used in New York (origin: Dutch)
(stoop -- verb meaning to bend over)
1. The Statue of Liberty stands _____________ in New York Harbor.
2. After the car accident, Karl was in ______________.
3. When Sue came home and saw that her house had been broken into, she __________________________ around to see if anything had been stolen.
4. As I sat on the front _________, the squirrels came up to me looking for food.
5. When the cat came, the squirrels, ______________________ away from me.
6. The cat ___________________ the behavior of the squirrels because he just wanted to play.
Grammar Point:
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Sunday Evening
Sunday evening is my favorite time of the weekend. After a busy Saturday, church on Sunday morning, an afternoon of cooking and baking, our Sunday afternoon movie on DVD (Today's film was The Last of the Mohicans), and a fine Sunday dinner, I look forward to Sunday evening, when I can relax, read, watch Masterpiece Theater, and blog.
This evening, instead of Masterpiece Theatre, I am watching the annual Emmy Awards, which honors the best accomplishments in television. I am terribly disappointed that the inimitable Michael Emerson, an actor on the program Lost, did not win the Best Supporting Actor Award. He plays the most sinister villain since Peter Lorre in M and is unequaled in his ability to give his role as Ben Linus depth, pathos, and enough ambiguity to make viewers wonder if he really is the evil man he seems to be. Award or not, he will doubtlessly be nominated again, and even if he is not, he will long be remembered for his performance on Lost.
I think watching television on Sunday evening is a good diversion because I can escape reality by getting involved in the mysteries or literary dramas, but on the Emmy Awards tonight everyone seems to want to bring us back to the political realities of an election year. If I wanted that, I'd watch the news.
Vocabulary
Sunday dinner (noun) -- Traditionally, a special weekly family meal with meat on Sunday afternoon or early evening
inimitable (adjective) -- impossible to emulate (from the word imitate)
sinister (adjective) -- threatening evil
pathos (noun)-- a quality that arouses pity
ambiguity (noun) -- a doubtful meaning
nominate (verb) -- to propose as a candidate for an award
Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word:
1. The house was dark and creepy;its atmosphere was _______________.
2. Even though the orphan had commited a crime, there was a certain _________ about him that made us feel sorry for him.
3. Many American families look forward to ___________ _____________, when they gather around the table to tals to each other and enjoy good food.
4. Alexander Solzhenitsyn was ______________ for the Nobel Prize for Literature.
5. There is no one like him. He is ________________.
6. It was hard to tell if the speaker was sincere because there was ___________ in his voice.
TV Shows: Masterpiece Theater, Lost, Emmy Awards
Fims: The Last of the Mohicans, M
Grammar Point: Using Adjectives
Adjectives modify nouns. That means that they change and refine the meanings of the nouns. They make your writing more interesting.
For example, it is much more interesting to read about a "sinister villain" than just a "villain," and about the "inimitable Michael Emerson" than just Michael Emerson.
Now you try it: Think of an actor you like. What adjectives can you use to describe him or her?
This evening, instead of Masterpiece Theatre, I am watching the annual Emmy Awards, which honors the best accomplishments in television. I am terribly disappointed that the inimitable Michael Emerson, an actor on the program Lost, did not win the Best Supporting Actor Award. He plays the most sinister villain since Peter Lorre in M and is unequaled in his ability to give his role as Ben Linus depth, pathos, and enough ambiguity to make viewers wonder if he really is the evil man he seems to be. Award or not, he will doubtlessly be nominated again, and even if he is not, he will long be remembered for his performance on Lost.
I think watching television on Sunday evening is a good diversion because I can escape reality by getting involved in the mysteries or literary dramas, but on the Emmy Awards tonight everyone seems to want to bring us back to the political realities of an election year. If I wanted that, I'd watch the news.
Vocabulary
Sunday dinner (noun) -- Traditionally, a special weekly family meal with meat on Sunday afternoon or early evening
inimitable (adjective) -- impossible to emulate (from the word imitate)
sinister (adjective) -- threatening evil
pathos (noun)-- a quality that arouses pity
ambiguity (noun) -- a doubtful meaning
nominate (verb) -- to propose as a candidate for an award
Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word:
1. The house was dark and creepy;its atmosphere was _______________.
2. Even though the orphan had commited a crime, there was a certain _________ about him that made us feel sorry for him.
3. Many American families look forward to ___________ _____________, when they gather around the table to tals to each other and enjoy good food.
4. Alexander Solzhenitsyn was ______________ for the Nobel Prize for Literature.
5. There is no one like him. He is ________________.
6. It was hard to tell if the speaker was sincere because there was ___________ in his voice.
TV Shows: Masterpiece Theater, Lost, Emmy Awards
Fims: The Last of the Mohicans, M
Grammar Point: Using Adjectives
Adjectives modify nouns. That means that they change and refine the meanings of the nouns. They make your writing more interesting.
For example, it is much more interesting to read about a "sinister villain" than just a "villain," and about the "inimitable Michael Emerson" than just Michael Emerson.
Now you try it: Think of an actor you like. What adjectives can you use to describe him or her?
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Welcome!
Dear Readers,
Welcome to my ESL Blogspot! I hope you will enjoy your visit.
I developed an interest in blogging when one of my classmates in my Applied Linguistics doctoral program told me about his blog on LiveJournal. I started my own personal blog there too, but I don't set aside enough time to post entries, so there isn't much on my blog. My classmate writes about his move with his wife to New Zealand, where they are experiencing a pleasant geographical and cultural adjustment to life there.
Lately, I have been thinking about blogging as a way of reflecting on the disseratation process, which I am just starting. I have to write 80,000 words, including three studies, each of which has to be published. It is a challenging task, but I am looking forward to it. In fact, it is hard to think of anything else.
Grammar class has begun, so my students will be blogging with me. Perhaps everyone will fancy it. In any case, I am modeling the blog assignment for them, so they will have a basic example to follow.
Vocabulary
develop (verb + particle "in") an interest (article & noun) in - become interested in
Applied Linguistics (noun) - the study of linguistics as it applies to another field, typically education
blog (noun or verb) - web log, an online journal
post (verb)- to put on a website or blog
challenging (adjective) - difficult
fancy (verb) - like
Place names are in bold.
Vocabulary Cloze Practice
Fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary word.
1. I __________ chocolate because it is delicious.
2. Every day we _________________ entries on our Google _______________, our online journal.
3. The mother of the young basketball player _________________ ____ ________ in basketball.
4. Winning a gold medal in the Olympics is _____________________.
5. ____________ ___________________ is a field of study that involves language and teaching.
Grammar: List the verbs from the first paragraph. Which verbs are in the past tense? How do you know? When do you use the past tense?
Welcome to my ESL Blogspot! I hope you will enjoy your visit.
I developed an interest in blogging when one of my classmates in my Applied Linguistics doctoral program told me about his blog on LiveJournal. I started my own personal blog there too, but I don't set aside enough time to post entries, so there isn't much on my blog. My classmate writes about his move with his wife to New Zealand, where they are experiencing a pleasant geographical and cultural adjustment to life there.
Lately, I have been thinking about blogging as a way of reflecting on the disseratation process, which I am just starting. I have to write 80,000 words, including three studies, each of which has to be published. It is a challenging task, but I am looking forward to it. In fact, it is hard to think of anything else.
Grammar class has begun, so my students will be blogging with me. Perhaps everyone will fancy it. In any case, I am modeling the blog assignment for them, so they will have a basic example to follow.
Vocabulary
develop (verb + particle "in") an interest (article & noun) in - become interested in
Applied Linguistics (noun) - the study of linguistics as it applies to another field, typically education
blog (noun or verb) - web log, an online journal
post (verb)- to put on a website or blog
challenging (adjective) - difficult
fancy (verb) - like
Place Name
New Zealand - island country
Vocabulary words are in italics.Place names are in bold.
Vocabulary Cloze Practice
Fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary word.
1. I __________ chocolate because it is delicious.
2. Every day we _________________ entries on our Google _______________, our online journal.
3. The mother of the young basketball player _________________ ____ ________ in basketball.
4. Winning a gold medal in the Olympics is _____________________.
5. ____________ ___________________ is a field of study that involves language and teaching.
Grammar: List the verbs from the first paragraph. Which verbs are in the past tense? How do you know? When do you use the past tense?
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