English As A Second Language
Posted on August 11th, 2011 by Nikol Hasler 848 Comments
Top 5 Free Websites to Learn English
Are you learning English and need help with grammar or verb conjugation? Do you want to learn new vocabulary or slang? No matter if you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced student, you can find help online with these free English as a Second Language websites.
This is a complete website that can help you learn and practice English. You can find tips on using idioms, slang and phrasal verbs. Take quizzes to test your knowledge and practice English-language concepts. You can also post questions and get answers on the help center and student forums.
2- About.com English as a Second Language e-mail courses
Sign up for free English courses from About.com and you’ll get regular e-mails that will help you learn English. Choose from the following:
3- The Classroom by Voice of America
Watch videos and listen to news stories to improve your listening and vocabulary skills. Also, find basic, intermediate and advanced activities to learn English. You can also hear English words and their meaning.
4- Heinle’s Newbury House Dictionary of American English
Do you need to find the definition of a word? Use this online dictionary to find simple and clear definitions, as well as sample sentences and idioms. You can also find cultural facts and figures.
5- Private English Portal on YouTube
Watch this series of videos with subtitles on YouTube designed to help English learners develop their listening and comprehension skills. You can also do a search for “learn English” on YouTube to find other videos.
Don’t forget to visit your local library to find more resources to help you learn English.
* While your comments are welcome, any comments containing your telephone number will be deleted. We need to protect all users.
How to learn vocabulary
Introduction
Learning vocabulary is a very important part of learning a language. The more words you know, the more you will be able to understand what you hear and read; and the better you will be able to say what you want to when speaking or writing.
Which words to learn
Every day you hear or read many new English words. You also find them in your dictionary when you are translating from your own language. You can’t possibly learn all these new words, so your first problem is to decide which ones to concentrate on. Here are some suggestions:
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learn the words that are important to the subjects you are studying
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learn the words that you read or hear again and again
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learn the words that you know you will often want to use yourself
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do not learn words that are rare or not useful (your teacher can help you with this)
How to learn words
Once you have chosen which words to learn, you next have to decide how you are going to learn them. Here are a few ideas:
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write the words in a notebook (with their translations or definitions)
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write the words and definitions on small cards
(advice on how to do this) -
say the words many times (if you have an electronic dictionary you can hear how the word is pronounced)
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put the words into different groups (you could use a graphic organiser)
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write them in a file for use with a computer program
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make associations (in pictures or with other words)
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ask someone to test you
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use the words in your own speaking or writing
Some students put a tick or cross in their dictionary next to every word they look up. The next time they turn to a page with a marked word, they quickly check to see if they remember the meaning of that word.
In all of the above ways, you are doing something with the words. It’s usually not enough to just read through a list of words with their definitions or translations and try to remember them. Most students find that they memorise words better if they do something with them. Even better is to try and learn the word in a typical combination with other words. Learning that to apologize means to say sorry is a good start, but it's much better to learn a whole expression containing the word, e.g. He apologized for being late. Not only is this often easier to remember, but you are also learning some very important information on how the word is used.
Learning vocabulary by reading
The way you learned very many of the words in your own language was by meeting them in the books and magazines you read. The context of a new word in a sentence or story was often enough for you to guess the meaning. Meeting the word again and again in your reading helped you learn it for use in your own speaking and writing. Doing lots of extra reading for pleasure - both fiction and non-fiction - is an excellent way to learn new English words, too. But choose books that you find quite easy to read. Difficult stories or texts that you struggle to understand will not help you to develop your vocabulary the natural way. But remember: to learn new words from reading you have to read A LOT!More on the importance of reading.
More information about learning words
The vocabulary you know can be divided into two groups - passive vocabulary and active vocabulary. Passive vocabulary contains all the words that you understand when you read or listen, but which you do not use (or cannot remember) in your own writing and speaking. Active vocabulary is all the words you understand, plus all the words that you can use yourself. Your active vocabulary, in English and your own language, is probably much smaller than your passive vocabulary.The more you work on learning a word, as suggested above, the more likely it is that it will become part of your active vocabulary.
Things to know about the words you learn
Usually the first things you learn about a new English word are what it means and its translation in your own language. But there are other things you need to find out before you can say that you know a word like a native speaker does. For example, you have to learn:how it is spelled
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how it is pronounced
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how it is inflected (i.e. how it changes if it is a verb, noun or adjective)
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other grammar information about it
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how it collocates (i.e. what other words are often used with it)More on collocation
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if it has a particular style or register
Native speakers learn these things about words by hearing them and reading them again and again. This is the best way for you to learn them, too. Go to this site's vocabulary files
"Most students find that they memorise words better if they do something with them. Even better is to try and learn the word in a typical combination with other words
Tips for using proverbs and idioms in class
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Deal with proverbs and idioms as and when they crop up in their contexts, such as in reading and listening tasks or when you use one naturally in class.
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Group the sayings by topic and introduce in conjunction with other activities around the topic. For example, teach several ‘body idioms’ together. E.g. to be head and shoulders above the rest, to be long in the tooth, to shoot yourself in the foot etc. It will be easier for students to remember some of them if they’re in groups.
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Use visuals and pictures to help learners remember them. For example, draw a bid in the hand and two in the bush.
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Do some matching activities. For example, give students five proverbs that have been cut in half and get them to match them up.
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Ask students if any of the proverbs translate directly into their own language. Most of the time students will know a similar expression in their language and it can help them to remember them if they compare the differences between English and their language.
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Put them into context. Try to use situations when people actually use the expressions and get students to create dialogues or role-play and to use a few of the proverbs to reinforce the meaning.
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Explain to students that it may be more useful for them to be able to understand the expressions when they hear them than to be able to produce them. Ask them how they would react if you used this type of expression in their language. Would they find it a bit strange?
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Don’t overload students with too many at a time. Five is probably a good number for one class.
| Title | Present Perfect - Form | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1. Present Perfect - Form The present perfect of any verb is composed of two elements : the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb to have (present tense), plus the past participle of the main verb. The past participle of a regular verb is base+ed, e.g. played, arrived, looked. For irregular verbs, see the Table of irregular verbs in the section called ''Verbs''.
Example: to walk, present perfect
2. Present perfect, function The Present Perfect is used to indicate a link between the present and the past. The time of the action is before now but not specified, and we are often more interested in the result than in the action itself. BE CAREFUL! There may be a verb tense in your language with a similar form, but the meaning is probably NOT the same. The Present Perfect is used to describe:
Note: When we want to give or ask details about when, where, who, we use the simple past. Example: He read ''War and Peace'' last week. Examples: 1. Actions started in the past and continuing in the present.
2. When the time period referred to has not finished.
3. Actions repeated in an unspecified period between the past and now.
4. Actions completed in the very recent past (+just).
5. When the precise time of the action is not important or not known.
''Never'' means at no time before now, and is the same as not ..... ever:
BE CAREFUL! You must not use never and not together:
Position ''Ever'' and ''never'' are always placed before the main verb (past participle). Already and yet Already refers to an action that has happened at an unspecified time before now. It suggests that there is no need for repetition, e.g. It is also used in questions:
Position already can be placed before the main verb (past participle) or at the end of the sentence:
Yet is used in negative statements and questions, to mean (not) in the period of time between before now and now, (not) up to and including the present. e.g.
Position Yet is usually placed at the end of the sentence How to choose between the Present Perfect and Simple Past Tenses
Compare:
There is also a difference of attitude that is often more important than the time factor.
PRESENT PERFECT + for, since Using the present perfect, we can define a period of time before now by considering its duration, with for + a period of time, or by considering its starting point, with since + a point in time. For + a period of time
Since + a point in time
present perfect with for
present perfect with since
Note:
Past Perfect Continuous Form The past perfect continuous is composed of two elements - the past perfect of the verb to be (=had been) + the present participle (base+ing). Examples
Example: to buy, past perfect continuous
Past Perfect Continuous: Function The past perfect continuous corresponds to the present perfect continuous, but with reference to a time earlier than ''before now''. Again, we are more interested in the process. Examples
This form is also used in reported speech. It is the equivalent of the past continuous and the present perfect continuous in direct speech:
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| Title | The Man Booker Prize |
The Man Booker PrizeThe Man Booker Prize for Fiction is awarded every year for a novel written by a writer from the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland and it aims to represent the very best in contemporary fiction. The prize was originally called the Booker-McConnell Prize, which was the name of the company that sponsored it, though it was better-known as simply the ''Booker Prize''. In 2002, the Man Group became the sponsor and they chose the new name, keeping ''Booker''. Publishers can submit books for consideration for the prize, but the judges can also ask for books to be submitted they think should be included. Firstly, the Advisory Committee give advice if there have been any changes to the rules for the prize and selects the people who will judge the books. The judging panel changes every year and usually a person is only a judge once. Great efforts are made to ensure that the judging panel is balanced in terms of gender and professions within the industry, so that a writer, a critic, an editor and an academic are chosen along with a well-known person from wider society. However, when the panel of judges has been finalized, they are left to make their own decisions without any further involvement or interference from the prize sponsor. The Man Booker judges include critics, writers and academics to maintain the consistent quality of the prize and its influence is such that the winner will almost certainly see the sales increase considerably , in addition to the £50,000 that comes with the prize. | |
I wish you
Comfort on difficult days ’’
Smile when sadness intrudes ’’
Rainbows to follow the clouds’’
Sunset to warm your heart’’
Gentle hugs when sprits sag’’
Friendship to brighten your being’’
Beauty for your eyes to see’’
Confidence for when you doubt’’
Faith so that you can believe’’
Courage to know yourself ’’
Patient to accept the truth ’’
And love to complete your life’’
I wish you all these things and more
Narges Bahreini
U-Shape classroom
By: N.Bahreini
Introduction
Effective classroom training is not something that magically happens when a trainer spends several hours or days in front of a class of participants. Effective training requires coordinating many elements of instruction, engaging each participant in a way that promotes learning, and facilitating sharing of ideas between participants. This paper will discuss various ways you can go about increasing the effectiveness of classroom training through good preparation and the development and usage of strategies which promote group participation and learning.
Seating arrangement is critical
Turn your attention to the setting arrangement . Obviously the first consideration is to be sure that all students have unhindered sight lines to any place you expect them to look.
Don’t stop there,though .Are the students too close or too far apart?Close seating encourages side conversations,and may make some students feel cramped.Distant seating discourages collaboration.
Can you ,the instructor ,move freely about the room ?You need to be able to walk behind and beside every student easily and unobtrusively.If there is a place in the room that you can’t reach , be assured that your most needy and/or disruptive student will still there.
It’s a fact that the farther students from the instructor ,the less attention they are likely to play in class.If you have a room of,say,five rows ,you must be able to move to the back of the room while teaching to neutralize this problem.
The physical setting-the room layout-has a huge impact on how your speech will be received.Pick the wrong seating arrangement and your speech starts out in enemy territory.So,what should it be?’’U’’ shape?”Classroom” rows,or a conference table? A U-shape can be ideal ,in that all students are on the front row,but this seating arrangement takes the most space. With a small audience-15to25people- the best seating arrangement is a ‘U’.
The worst is the traditional’’classroom’’(row after row) or one l-o-o-o-ng conference table.
A U-shape is ideal if participants need to see the front of the room and work in small groups.Because this style is conductive to both formal presantation and collaborative work.
· A ‘’U’’ (horseshoe) permits the speaker to move ,literally creating greater closeness and encouraging audience participation.
· It also makes it easier for audience members to establish frequent eye contact with the speaker and with each other.
· Some teachers configure students seats in U-shape instead of rows,for easier monitoring of computer screens.
· Cooperation takes place easier in U-shape classroom setting.
· Teachers should arrange students in a circle or in a U-shape so that they will be able to see all students at all times .
· U-shape is very useful since students feel they are important as an individual.
· The teacher can see and easily move close to students.
Some teachers want their students in a "U" shape because rows are "boring" and too"traditional." Rows also apparently promote individualism, which would-be teachers learn is bad, rather than cooperation, which encourages students to talk and work together.
Many teachers have abandoned the 6x5 row and column arrangement, preferring a circular or U shape. They do this not because rows are "boring" and "traditional". They do it because a circular format is much more appropriate for classroom discussions. Such an arrangement requires that students look at each other when they argue or debate, rather than at the teacher.
And there is nothing more or less individualistic about rows over circles. It is true, in a circle, students actually have to interact with each other. However it is arguable that requiring a student to interact promotes individuality, since it promotes one's capacity to hold one's own in a fair and equal exchange. If anything, by contrast, rows subsume individuality, because they teach that conformity and subservience to the master at the front of the room is all that matters.
To the students:
Verbal is one of the important segments in any language.
This article introduces some important verbal in English language to students who want to know more about them.
It shows the important verbal and the usage of them.
By studying this article and practicing it students can learn how to use the word verbs ,the prepositional verbs, the gerunds and the infinitives.
VERBAL
Have you ever seen two verbs following each other?
Do you know how can a verb follow another one?
A verb which is following another one should be in a special form, that we call (VERBAL).
This paper introduces: verbal& the four kinds of verbal that are: Infinitives, gerunds, verb words & present participles.
At first we should know that Verbs must be followed by the correct verbal.
INFINITIVES
Infinitives are used in the following ways:
1- To complete the meaning of the verb.
The child started to cry.
They agreed not to leave before 5:00 P.M.
2- To complete the meaning of adjectives.
Stewart seems anxious to leave.
Maggy was careful not to upset her parents.
3-to show purpose and reason. (the full expression is in order to.)
He works overtime to earn extra money.
They studied hard in order to pan the test.
4-After expressions with too.
We arrived too late to see the first-act.
She may be too tired to go
5-After expressions with enough.
She wasn't strong enough to lift the box.
He had enough patience to help every one.
6-To describe skill ability with the verb know.
Hamid knows how to make beautiful kites. (Note: knows to make)
Celia has learned now to know (or: has learned to know).
7-After information words (what, which, how, etc) Infinitives instead of noun clauses may be used.
Compare the first two sentences below.
I don't know which road I should take.
I don't know which road to take.
She can't decide how many people to invite.
Do you know where to register?
She couldn't make up her mind what to wear.
8-As a subject or as an object. Words that are combined with the infinitives form an infinitives phrase.
To get eight hours sleep each night isn't always possible.
To tease animals is cruel.
Not to speak more than one language can be a disadvantage.
Bob's job is to lock the windows and the doors.
9- Sentences with it as a subject- refers to infinitive compare the first two sentences below.
To get eight hours sleep each night is not always possible.
It is not always possible to get eight hours sleep each night.
It has taken along time to finish the project.
It's good idea to review the material.
Gerunds
A gerund functions as a noun and may be used as a Subject, an object, or an object of a preposition.
Think of a gerund as a "noun activity". Gerunds have an-ing ending.
Gerund subject: Fishing is a pleasant activity.
Gerund object: My husband enjoys finishing.
Gerund object of a preposition: The family is interested in finishing.
NOTE: A gerund subject is often used instead of an infinitive construction.
To fly a kite is fun.
It is fun to fly a kite.
Flying a kite is fun. (Additional words can be added to the gerund to form a gerund phrase).
Since a gerund function as a noun, the possessive form of a noun or a pronoun must be used with a gerund. Compare:
Unfortunately, we missed his speech about Early Man.
Unfortunately, we missed his speaking about Early Man.
Gerunds followed by Verbs.
The following verbs are followed by a gerund.
Admit finish regret
Anticipate imagine remember
Appreciate mention resent
Avoid miss resist
Consider postpone risk
Delay practice stop
Deny quit suggest
Discuss recall tolerate
Enjoy recommend understand
Practice the verb above as in the following example. (Notice is some of the example, the verb or express on is separated.)
1- The supervisor appreciated Rona's finishing the job before she went home.
2- Heads of the firm are considering, if indeed it is feasible, installing newly- developed robots.
The officer suggested their not walking alone in remote areas of the park.
3- The professor recommends every one's reserving seats for the concerts.
4- Can you imagine living in the American frontier?
5- Why don't you quit, once & far all, smoking cigarettes?
6- Mr. Chapman can't tolerate her living late so frequently.
7- She tries to avoid, if she possibly can, discussing controversial subjects.
The following verbs can be followed by either a gerund or infinitive:
Advise forget prefer
Attempt hate remember
Begin hesitate start
Continue intent stop
Dislike like try
Forbid need
NOTE: the following examples, the verbs differ in meaning, depending on the form of the verbal.
1- Kurt remembered (didn't forget to do some thing) to give Kay the message.
2- Brian remembered (recalled from the past) seeing the painting a few years ago.
3- Florence stopped (halted) to look in the store window.
4- Connie had stopped (ceased) cutting her nails when I saw her last week.
5- She promised that she wouldn't forget (would remember to do sth) to living the music the next day.
6- I'll never forget (or: I'll always recall) my spilling wine on the Hostess’ white dress.
NOTE: the verb (need) may be followed by a gerund or passive infinitive.
The gerund in this sense had the same meaning as the passive infinitive.
1- This type write needs repairing.
2- These types write needs to be repaired.
VERB WORD
A verb word is an infinitive without to "the infinitive to walk, the verb word is walk". A verb word is often called the simple base or root form of the verb.
A verb word follows modals & expressions such as the following:
Can shall must would rather
Could should had better
Would (you) please?
Will may
Would might
Practice as in the following examples. Notice that the modal or expression may be separated from the verb word.
1- Would you please, if you have time, come to my office today?
2- She must, before she drives any where, buy automobile insurance.
3- You had better not visit him until the doctor tells you to.
4- Chan would rather, if it's all right with everyone, look dinner than go out.
The verbs listed below are followed by a verb word or a present participle.
Hear feel see watch notice observe
1-.The speaker could hear the audience whisper/ whispering.
2- When they were at the seashore, they saw artists paint/ painting.
3- It's interesting to watch construction workers build/ building a foundation.
4- As they sat on the desk, they felt the wind blow/blowing on their faces.
5- Janet spent hours observing the children play/ playing.
6- While he was exploring the area, he happened to notice workmen install/ installing a microware transmitter.
NOTE: Some times a present participle, instead of a verb word, is used to emphasize a continuing action over a period of time.
1- The drama coach had the cast of the play rehearing all morning.
2- By the time the bell rang, the teacher had had her student writing sentences for three hours.
References;
1- A Practical English grammar, Fifth edition
By: A.J. Thomson& A.V. Martinet Oxford university press 2004
2- English sentence structure,
By: Robert Krohn the university of Michigan press 2006
3- English Grammar in Use
By: Raymond Murphy Cambridge University Press 2004
4-concepts and comments
By: Patricia Ackert University of Arizona press 2004
5-
اولین روز دبستان
اولین روز دبستان بازگرد
کودکیها شاد و خندان بازگرد
بازگرد ای خاطرات کودکی
بر سوار اسبهای چوبکی
خاطرات کودکی زیبا ترند
یادگاران کهن مانا ترند
درسهای سال اول ساده بود
آب را بابا به سارا داده بود
درس پند آموز روباه و خروس
روبه مکار و دزد چاپلوس
کاکلی گنجشککی باهوش بود
فیل نادانی برایش موش بود
روز مهمانی کوکب خانم است
سفره پر از بوی نان گندم است
با وجود سوز و سرمای شدید
ریز علی پیراهن از تن میدرید
تا درون نیمکت جا میشدیم
ما پر از تصمیم کبرا میشدیم
پاککنهایی ز پاکی داشتیم
یک تراش سرخ لاکی داشتیم
کیفمان چفتی به رنگ زرد داشت
دوشمان از حلقههایش درد داشت
گرمی دستانمان از آه بود
برگ دفترهامان به رنگ کاه بود
مانده در گوشم صدایی چون تگرگ
خش خش جاروی بابا روی برگ
همکلاسیهای من یادم کنید
باز هم در کوچه فریادم کنید
همکلاسیهای درس و رنج و کار
بچههای جامههای وصلهدار
کاش هرگز زنگ تفریحی نبود
جمع بودن بود و تفریقی نبود
کاش میشد باز کوچک میشدیم
لااقل یک روز کودک میشدیم
یاد آن آموزگار ساده پوش
یاد آن گچها که بودش روی دوش
ای معلم نام و هم یادت به خیر
یاد درس آب و بابایت به خیر
ای دبستانیترین احساس من
باز گرد این مشقها را خط بزن
شعر از :
محمد علی حریری جهرمی

