Improving your English pronunciation

Here are some tips to help you improve your English pronunciation.

First of all, don’t worry about not having a native-English accent. It’s important to be able to speak clearly, so that people can understand you. However, it’s almost impossible to sound exactly like a native English speaker if you are learning English as an adult in a non-English speaking country.

However, there are many things that you can do to improve your pronunciation and speaking skills.

1. Listen to spoken English as often as possible.

Listen to how speakers pronounce various words and phrases and “model” your pronunciation on what you hear.

2. Learn the phonetic alphabet.

Use the phonetic alphabet page (at the beginning of most good dictionaries) as a guide to pronouncing new words.

3. Don’t forget to learn the word stress of a new word.

Every English word has its own stress, or intonation. For example, the word “believe” has two syllables (be and lieve), but only the second syllable is stressed. We say be’lieve and not ‘be lieve. Your dictionary will show the syllable stress by an apostrophe (‘) before the syllable to be stressed.

Word stress is important. In fact, it is more likely that someone misunderstands you because of wrong word stress than because of the wrong pronunciation of a sound.

4. Work out which sounds cause you most problems in English.

Depending on what your first language is, you may have problems with certain sounds. For example, French speakers have difficulties with “th”; speakers of Mandarin have difficulties with “r” or “l”, and Arabic speakers have difficulties with “p” and “b”.

5. Practice the sounds you find difficult.

A useful exercise is a “minimal pair” exercise. For example, if you have difficulty distinguishing between “p” and “b”, try practicing pairs of words which are the same except for the sound “p” and “b”:

For example, “pair” and “bear”; “pond” and “bond”; “pie” and “buy” etc.

6. Be aware of intonation and sentence stress.

Not all words in a sentence have equal stress, and generally only the “information” words (nouns and verbs) are stressed.

‘Where’s the ‘pen I ‘gave you?

‘Where’s the ‘red ‘pen I ‘gave you?

Where’s the ‘red and ‘blue ‘pen I ‘gave you ‘yesterday?

The unstressed words (such as “the”, “I”, “you” and “and”) don’t carry as much “weight” as the stressed words. They become much smaller in length, and are almost abbreviated. For example, “and” becomes “un”.

Changing stress

Sentence stress isn’t “fixed” like word stress. In fact, you can stress words that are normally unstressed in order to highlight different meanings.

For example:

I ‘love you. (Love, rather than just like.)
‘I love you. (With the stress on I to highlight that it’s me rather than another person who loves you.)
I love ‘you. (And nobody else.)

Intonation

There are a couple of easy to remember rules about intonation. Usually our voices go up at the end of the sentence to show a question, and down at the end to show a statement.

Intonation is also important in “tag questions”:

You know him, don’t you? (With rising intonation on “don’t you?” to show it’s a question)
You know him, don’t you. (With falling intonation on “don’t you” to show it’s a statement you expect the other person to agree with.)

7. Learn to recognize spelling patterns.

For example, “tion” on the end of a word is pronounced “shun”, while “sion” can be pronounced “zhun”. There are often many ways to pronounce a particular spelling pattern, but it certainly helps to know what the variations are. For example, the pattern “ough” can be pronounced “uff” as in “enough” and “tough”, or “or” as in “ought” and “bought” or “oh” as in “although” and “dough”.

8. Don’t rush.

If you speak too fast, the danger is that you could skip over some words, fail to pronounce them completely, or mix them up. If you speak too slowly, you might end up sounding unnatural. But it’s better to speak slowly and clearly than too quickly.

Source: http://www.english-at-home.com/speaking/improving-your-pronunciation/

Ten Tips for Learning English as a Second Language

“What’s the best way to learn a language?”

Many students and teachers have asked this question, and the answers are as different as the people asking the question. Here I will give you several tips for learning English. They are based on my own experience in learning languages. These tips helped me when I learned a foreign language, and I hope that they will help you as you work on improving your English.

1. Want to learn.First of all, you must want to learn. If you are not interested in learning English, no class will help you, no book will help you, and no hints will make it easier. If you are not interested, you will find reasons to avoid studying, and whenever you do study, it will be very difficult. So you have to be honest with yourself. Ask yourself, “Do I really want to learn English?” If you can’t answer “yes” to this question, it is better for you to set English aside until you’re ready and willing to learn.

2. Identify your motivation.Next, you need to identify your motivation. Ask yourself, “Why do I want to learn English? Why do I want to improve my English?” Some people want to learn English to get a better job, or to be considered for a promotion. Other people may need to learn English to attend university or school. Still other people may want to learn English so they can enjoy life in America more, by being able to understand movies and TV, and make friends with their American neighbors. Each person is different, so their motivations will be different also. If you have identified your motivation, it will be easier for you to learn English, because it will help to encourage you as you learn English.

3. Set goals.Once you have identified your motivation, you can set some goals for learning English. Having goals will help you to remember what areas you want to work on, and it will help you to see your progress.

   Ask yourself, “What are my goals? What areas would I like to improve?” Pronunciation? Listening comprehension? Would you like to increase your vocabulary? Do you want to know what to say when you go to the bank, the doctor, shopping? Think about what your goals are, and review once in a while to see that you are making progress toward your goals.

4. Practice, practice, practice.After you have set your goals, you have a better idea of what you need to practice. Just like the athlete whose goal is the Olympics must train daily, you as a language learner must practice language every day to make progress toward your goal. We say, “Practice makes perfect.” This means the more you practice something, the better you become at it, and the fewer mistakes you will make.

   Specific ways to practice:

   • Speak to Americans as much as possible.
   • Write, write, write – letters, email, notes, etc.
   • Make phone calls to practice your English

5. Expose yourself to English as much as possible.The more you expose yourself to English, the more you get used to it and the more familiar it becomes to you. You will start to recognize what sounds right and what sounds wrong. You will also start to understand why certain words or phrases are used instead of others, and you will start to use them in your own conversations and writing. English will start to become a habit, and little by little you will find it easier to use English.

   Specific ways to increase exposure to English:

   • Watch TV and movies.
   • Listen to the radio.
   • Read as much as possible.

6. Enlarge your vocabulary.Having a large vocabulary is basic to learning any language, and it is especially true in English. Reading is a very good way to learn new words. So is doing puzzles or playing different kinds of word games.

7. Have fun.Having fun increases your ability to remember, so the more you enjoy yourself as you learn English, the easier it will be to remember. Play games and puzzles. Even simple ones, like ones written for children, provide good experience and practice for English. Comic books and newspaper comic strips are also a good way to have fun, and the pictures make it easier to understand than stories.

8. Cultivate friendships with Americans.If you make friends with some Americans, you will find that they can be a very valuable help in your learning English. Having American friends means that you will find yourself in situations where you have no choice but to speak English. Yet since they are your friends, you will be doing things you enjoy together with them. So these situations will probably have little or no stress. Friendships with Americans also means that you’ll have someone whom you can ask questions regarding language, culture, the suburbs, and so on.

9. Make regular study a habit.Regular study is a key to success in learning a language. It is easier to study a little each day instead of trying to study several hours only one day a week. Also, studying a little each day makes it easier to review what you’ve learned and remember new things.

10. Acknowledge the progress you’ve made.

    Finally, it is important to recognize that you will improve as you study English. Sometimes when you set your goals, they seem very difficult. Progress comes little by little, so it’s hard to see if you have grown in your language skills. Think about where you are at today, and where you were last week or last month. Maybe it doesn’t seem like you have come very far. But if you stop and think about where you were six months ago, or even a year ago, then you see that you have made progress. You have improved your English, and that is a reason to celebrate your accomplishment. It gives you hope that as you continue to study and work hard at improving your English, you will reach your goal sooner or later!

Source: http://www.summit-esl.com/ten.tips.html

Which to use: gerund or noun?

Take a look at the following example:
We’re trying to come up with some completely fresh thinking on this subject.

“Thinking” must be singular, the sentence is correct and means not just “new ideas/thoughts” but also “a new approach” (approach is more active than ideas).

For the below example, you could use either the gerund or the noun, depending on what was important in your intended meaning.
The sale of the car was finalized last Friday. (not the action of selling, but the legal agreement, which is a thing, so you use the noun)

Selling the car was easy because it was in great condition. (the process/action of selling is what is important, so you use the gerund)

The sale of the car was easy, because the buyer was in a hurry and he didn’t even read all the fine print in the contract. (not the active process of selling, but the sale agreement, which is a thing)

To summarize, it’s a question of nuance. When action/process is important to your meaning, you are more likely to use the gerund form. When the action/process is not important, you are more likely to use the noun.

Simple Past – Present Perfect Simple

Form

Simple Past	Present Perfect Simple
irregular verbs: see 2nd column of irregular verbs   Example: I spoke	irregular verbs: form of ‘have’ + 3rd column of irregular verbs   Example: I / you / we / they have spoken he / she / it has spoken
regular verbs: infinitive + ed   Example: I worked	regular verbs: form of ‘have’ + infinitive + ed   Example: I / you / we / they have worked he / she / it has worked
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding ‘ed’:   a. when the final letter is e, only add d Example: love – loved b. after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled Example: admit – admitted c. final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English) Example: travel – travelled d. after a consonant, final y becomes i (but: not after a vowel) Example: worry – worried but: play – played

Use

In British English, the use of Simple Past and Present Perfect is quite strict. As soon as a time expression in the past is given, you have to use Simple Past. If there are no signal words, you must decide if we just talk about an action in the past or if its consequence in the present is important.

Note that the following explanations and exercises refer to British English only. In American English, you can normally use Simple Past instead of Present Perfect. We cannot accept this in our exercises, however, as this would lead to confusions amongst those who have to learn the differences.

Certain time in the past or just / already / yet?

Do you want to express that an action happened at a certain time in the past (even if it was just a few seconds ago) or that an action has just / already / not yet happened?

Simple Past	Present Perfect Simple
certain time in the past   Example: I phoned Mary 2 minutes ago.	just / already / not yet   Example: I have just phoned Mary.

Certain event in the past or how often so far?

Do you want to express when a certain action took place or whether / how often an action has happened till now?

Simple Past	Present Perfect Simple
certain event in the past   Example: He went to Canada last summer.	whether / how often till now   Example: Have you ever been to Canada? / I have been to Canada twice.

Emphasis on action or result?

Do you just want to express what happened in the past? Or do you want to emphasise the result (a past action’s consequence in the present)?

Simple Past	Present Perfect Simple
Emphasis on action   Example: I bought a new bike. (just telling what I did in the past.)	Emphasis on result   Example: I have bought a new bike. (With this sentence I actually want to express that I have a new bike now.)

Signal Words

Simple Past	Present Perfect Simple
yesterday … ago in 1990 the other day last …	just already up to now until now / till now ever (not) yet so far lately / recently

IN vs. ON vs. AT

IN        ON      AT

IN:
- We use IN when we are not talking about a special place in an area.
- We use IN to talk about a general position within a large area, or something within a larger space.
Ex:
1. I live in HCHC.
2. She looked in her bag for her keys.
3. England is in Western Europe.

ON:
- We use ON when we are talking about a line like a street, road, or river.
-  We also use ON when we talk about a flat surface like the floor or a wall.
Ex:
1. There is a picture of … on the wall.
2. Our classroom is on the 1st floor.
3. They live on North Street.

AT:
- We use AT when we talk about a special place on a line, or at a point where 2 lines meet, like a building.
- We also use AT when we talk about the outside of a building or place.

Ex:
1. He is at the swimming pool (not in the water).
2. I will meet you at McDonalds.
3. The bank is at the corner of North Street and West Street.

More examples:

She wants to play tennis at Wimbledon.	We think of Wimbledon as a special point/place.
Were you at the pool yesterday?	We think of the pool as a place: someone IN the pool (in the water), or AT the pool (next to the pool).
He lives in Manchester.	When we talk about doing something for a long time (like live) we use IN.
We stopped at Milan, Florence and Venice on our way to Rome.	When we use AT we stay only for a short time.
She works at Marks and Spencer’s.	We use AT when we think of the special name of a shop or place.
She works in a shoe shop.	We use IN when we think of the kind of shop.
I read the paper in the taxi on the way here.	We use IN for transport that is near the ground (cars/taxis)
I’ll probably go on the bus.	We use ON when we think of transport that is high off the ground, when we take a step up (trains/planes/buses/bicycles, etc.)

On a street (North Amr.)

At (on) the corner of…

Link: http://jimmyha.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/in-vs-on-vs-at/

Alone vs. Lonely

Alone: (adj. or adv)
Meaning: without other people or on your own.
Ex: He likes living alone.

Lonely: (adj.)
Meaning: you are unhappy because you are not with other people.
Ex: The house feels lonely now that all the children have left home.

Differences between “goal” and “objective”

The words Goal and Objective are often confused with each other. They both describe things that a person may want to achieve or attain but in relative terms may mean different things. Both are desired outcomes of work done by a person but what sets them apart is the time frame, attributes they’re set for and the effect they inflict.

About goals and objectives

Both the terms imply the target that one’s efforts is desired to accomplish. Goals are generically for an achievement or accomplishment for which certain efforts are put. Objectives are specifically for targets within the general goal. Objectives are time related to achieve a certain task.

A Goal is defined as

1. The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed.

2. The result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end

An Objective is defined as something that one’s efforts or actions are intended to attain or accomplish; purpose; target.

Attributes of goals vs. objectives

Differences in scope of goals vs. objectives

Goals are broader than Objectives in the sense that goals are general intentions and are not specific enough to be measured. Objectives are narrow and are set for certain tasks in particular.

Specificity of goals vs. objectives

Goals are general while Objectives are specific. Goals are just general intentions towards the attainment of something while objective are precise actions for accomplishment of a specific task.

Tangibility of goals vs. objectives

Goals may be intangible while Objectives may be tangible. Goals may be directed at achieving non measurable things while objectives may be targeted at getting measurable things or tasks.

Differences in time frame

Both have a certain time frame. Goals usually have a longer time frame than objectives. Objectives are usually precise targets set for a short term. Goals may be set for a longer term but many objectives may be set within that goal for specific aimed at achieving that goal.

Measuring goals and objectives

Goals cannot be measured in most cases while objectives can be measured.

Example of goals and objectives

“I want to achieve success in the field of genetic research and do what no one has ever done.” This is one’s Gosal. “I want to give you the thesis on genetic research within this month.” This is one’s objective.

Differences Between American and British English

While there are certainly many more varieties of English, American and British English are the two varieties that are taught in most ESL/EFL programs. Generally, it is agreed that no one version is “correct” however, there are certainly preferences in use. The most important rule of thumb is to try to be consistent in your usage. If you decide that you want to use American English spellings then be consistent in your spelling (i.e. The color of the orange is also its flavour – color is American spelling and flavour is British), this is of course not always easy – or possible. The following guide is meant to point out the principal differences between these two varieties of English.

Use of the Present Perfect

In British English the present perfect is used to express an action that has occurred in the recent past that has an effect on the present moment. For example:

I’ve lost my key. Can you help me look for it?
In American English the following is also possible:
I lost my key. Can you help me look for it?

In British English the above would be considered incorrect. However, both forms are generally accepted in standard American English. Other differences involving the use of the present perfect in British English and simple past in American English include already, just and yet.

British English:

I’ve just had lunch
I’ve already seen that film
Have you finished your homework yet?

American English:

I just had lunch OR I’ve just had lunch
I’ve already seen that film OR I already saw that film.
Have you finished your homework yet? OR Did you finish your homework yet?

Possession

There are two forms to express possession in English. Have or Have got

Do you have a car?
Have you got a car?
He hasn’t got any friends.
He doesn’t have any friends.
She has a beautiful new home.
She’s got a beautiful new home.

While both forms are correct (and accepted in both British and American English), have got (have you got, he hasn’t got, etc.) is generally the preferred form in British English while most speakers of American English employ the have (do you have, he doesn’t have etc.)

The Verb Get

The past participle of the verb get is gotten in American English. Example He’s gotten much better at playing tennis. British English – He’s got much better at playing tennis.

Vocabulary

Probably the major differences between British and American English lies in the choice of vocabulary. Some words mean different things in the two varieties for example:

Mean: (American English – angry, bad humored, British English – not generous, tight fisted)

Rubber: (American English – condom, British English – tool used to erase pencil markings)

There are many more examples (too many for me to list here). If there is a difference in usage, your dictionary will note the different meanings in its definition of the term. Many vocabulary items are also used in one form and not in the other. One of the best examples of this is the terminology used for automobiles.

• American English – hood (mui xe)
  British English – bonnet
• American English – trunk
  British English – boot
• American English – truck
  British English – lorry

Once again, your dictionary should list whether the term is used in British English or American English.

For a more complete list of the vocabulary differences between British and American English use this British vs. American English vocabulary tool.

Prepositions

There are also a few differences in preposition use including the following:

• American English – on the weekend
  British English – at the weekend
• American English – on a team
  British English – in a team
• American English – please write me soon
  British English – please write to me soon

Past Simple/Past Participles

The following verbs have two acceptable forms of the past simple/past participle in both American and British English, however, the irregular form is generally more common in British English (the first form of the two) and the regular form is more common to American English.

• Burn
  Burnt OR burned
• Dream
  dreamt OR dreamed
• Lean
  leant OR leaned
• Learn
  learnt OR learned
• Smell
  smelt OR smelled
• Spell
  spelt OR spelled
• Spill
  spilt OR spilled

Spoil
spoilt OR spoiled

Spelling

Here are some general differences between British and American spellings:

Words ending in -or (American) -our (British) color, colour, humor, humour, flavor, flavour etc.
Words ending in -ize (American) -ise (British) recognize, recognise, patronize, patronise etc.

The best way to make sure that you are being consistent in your spelling is to use the spell check on your word processor (if you are using the computer of course) and choose which variety of English you would like. As you can see, there are really very few differences between standard British English and standard American English. However, the largest difference is probably that of the choice of vocabulary and pronunciation.

English Communication Class-English Grammar Revision Class

English Communication Class

A decision makes your life changed…

Do you want to be successful?

Objective:

After 1 month, you will:

a. be able to pronounce a completely new word correctly via its phonetic symbols
b. find out that learning English is enjoyable  and simpler than ever.
c. know how to improve your American Accent.
e. be able to study by yourself in a right way.

Don’t waste your time. JOIN US NOW FOR QUICK IMPROVEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Curriculum:

1. WEEK 1:  Pronunciation (phát âm)
2. WEEK 2: Intonation (ngữ điệu)
3. WEEK 3: Liaison (liên kết từ)
4. WEEK 4: Idioms (thành ngữ) + Slang (tiếng lóng) + Everyday Conversation (đàm thoại hàng ngày)

Additional sections: Common mistakes, Differences between British English and American English, Imagineering way, Mind Map, Interview tips…

Lecturer: JIMMY Ha.
Location: to be informed later.
Time: negotiated.
Materials: to be provided by the lecturer.

Contact:
+ YM: thanhtructg2002@yahoo.com
+ Email: thanhtructg2002@yahoo.com
+ Cell phone: +84 919 313 010

Note: English Grammar Revision class may also be held to support those who are about to take TOEIC, TOEFL, IELTS… exams.

About me

Onsite experience:
- many times of working in California, US.
- working in Taiwan.
- working in Nuremberg, Germany.
- traveling to Paris, France.

Background
- Certificate (score: 4/4) of completing The business plan course by Lynn Hunsaker at  Mission College, CA, USA.
- Bachelor of Computer Science-HCM University of Technology.
- National Certificate C of English language.
- Award for the best student of English at national level (3rd award).
- 3 Certificates from the Provincial People’s Committee.
- Candidate for 3 top Universities (HCM University of Technology, HCM University of Pedagogy, HCM Foreign Trade University).
- Chairman/leader of English Clubs and Toastmasters (http://www.toastmasters.org/) Clubs at TMA, Sunrise Software Solutions.

Teaching experience:
- Aug 10, 2009-present:
+ Title: English teacher for graduates and university lecturers.
+ Program: English Communication.
- Apr-Jul, 2007:
+ Title: English teacher.
+ Organization: International English School NEW ORIENTAL.
+ Program: General English and English for kids.
- 2002-2007:
+ Tutor for a student studying at Le Hong Phong school and majoring in English language.
- Aug 1 – Aug 31, 06:
+ Title: teacher’s assistant.
+ School: VATC (Vietnamese American Training College).

British culture

Hi all,

What came first: language or culture? On the one hand, language seems to be woven into the very fabric of every human culture; and to such an extent that it is hard to imagine what human culture would be like without language. Indeed, most myths about the origin of humanity – whether religious or otherwise – seem to suggest that humans had language from the very beginning. On the other hand, what use would humans have for language if they didn’t have something to talk about? Living in groups governed by highly intricate social interactions would seem to provide an endless amount of possible discussion material. Yet, many other primate species also live in complex social groups – but notably without the benefit of human-like language. Some sort of shared culture would seem to be a plausible additional component as a necessary pre-requisite for language.

In order to master English, you have to know a little bit about British culture. Otherwise, we can only use English in Vietnamese way. That’s the reason why we should learn more about British culture. If you have any information on British culture, please share with us. Thank you very much for your paying attention. Have a nice time!