Street Talk English Survival Tips

What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

2009-07-03T10:30:00.003-04:00

What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life? Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:

H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K = 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

and

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E = 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But,

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E = 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

One can conclude with mathematical certainty that while Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, Attitude will get you there,

However

B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T = 2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

AND,

A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G = 1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%

it's the Bullshit and Ass kissing that will put you over the top.

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Street Talk Blog URL
http://street-talk-english-survival-tips.blogspot.com/

Incompetent Students have Destructive Habits

2009-06-23T16:31:00.003-04:00

7 Destructive Habits of Incompetent Students

Number 1 - Incompetent students think, say, and do negative things.

Yes Incompetent Students see problems in every opportunity.

Incompetent Students complain that the sun is too hot. They curse the rain for ruining their plans for the day. They blame the wind for messing their hair.

Incompetent Students think that everyone is against them. They see the problems but never the solutions.

Every little bit of difficulty is exaggerated to the point of tragedy. They regard failures as catastrophes. They become discouraged easily instead of learning from their mistakes.

Incompetent Students never seem to move forward because they're always afraid to come out of their comfort zones.

Number 2 - Incompetent Students Act Before They Think.

Incompetent Students act on impulse. When they see something that they like, they buy it at once without a second thought.

When Incompetent Students see something better, they get angry for not able to take advantage of the new bargain.

Incompetent Students spend and spend again until nothing's left. They don't think about the future. They want the pleasure now.

They don't think about the consequences. Those who engage in unsafe drugs, unhealthy practices and criminal activity are included in this group.

Number 3 - Incompetent Students Talk Much More Than They Listen

They want to be the star of the show. Incompetent Students always engage in talks that portray them as heroes, even to the point of lying.

Most times they are not even aware that what they're saying is not making sense.

When other people advise these incompetent students, they close their ears because they're too proud to admit their mistakes.

In their mind they're always correct. Incompetent Students reject outside suggestions because they will make them feel inferior.

Number 4 - Incompetent Students Give Up Easily

Successful students treat failures as stepping stones to success.

Incompetent students call it quits upon recognizing the first signs of failure.

At first, Incompetent Students may be excited to start an endeavor. But then they lose interest fairly quickly, especially when they encounter obstacles.

Then they go and search for a new task or adventure. Same story with the same results. Incompetent students don't have the stamina to go on and fulfill their dreams.

Number 5 - Incompetent Students Try to Bring Others Down To Their Level

Incompetent students envy successful students. Instead of working hard to be like them, these incompetent ones spread rumors and try every dirty trick to bring them down.

They could've asked these successful ones nicely. But no, they're too proud. They don't want to ask advise. Moreover, they're too negative to accomplish anything.

Number 6 - Incompetent Students Waste Their Time

Incompetent Students don't know what to do next. They are content eating, getting drunk, watching TV, or playing video games with no thoughts whatsoever to improve their studies.

It's perfectly fine to enjoy yourself once in a while. But time should be managed efficiently in order to succeed. There should be a proper balance between study and pleasure.

Number 7 - Incompetent Students Take the Easy Way Out

If there are two roads to choose from, incompetent students usually choose the easy road with less rewards than the difficult road with much better rewards at the end.

Incompetent Students don't want any suffering or hardship. They want a good life.

What these students don't know is that what you reap is what you sow. Efforts and action will not go unrewarded.

If only Incompetent Students would be willing to sacrifice a little, they would be much better off.

Successful students make it through effort and sacrifice. They never give up. They are willing to do everything necessary to achieve the highest grades and highest knowledge.

Dont be an Incompetent Student!!!

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Street Talk English Survival Tips Blog URL
http://street-talk-english-survival-tips.blogspot.com/

How to ID Yourself to the Police

2009-01-25T14:18:00.005-05:00

Identification is a real problem for the police.

Teenagers use fake and counterfeit ID to enter adult venues and buy alcohol or cigaretes.

ID theft criminals steal wallets, purses, or personal mail in order to create and sell new identities to criminals or fraudulently purchase goods and services.

Illegal immigrants use fake ID to enter, live, and work illegally in countries.

In Canada the many types of Government-issued Photo ID cards can be used for Identification.

Canada Passport
Provincial Driver's license
Birth certificate
Permanent residence card
Social Insurance Number card
Provincial Health card
Voter registration card

In Canada the information on your identification can include:

address: lists a street, number, apartments, city, region, country

bar code: a series of thick and thin black lines for computer entry

DOB: Date of birth (day/month/year) when the person was born:

Date of Issue: the date the documentation was created

Expiry date: document restriction valid until last date

Eye colour: blue, brown, green, black, grey, hazel

Fingerprints: copy of person's thumb or index finger

Hair colour: blond, black, brown, grey, white, salt and pepper,

Height: vertical measure in centimetres or feet and inches

Hologram: a laser photograph or image that appears three dimensional

Magnetic stripe: a magnetic stripe containing info for computer entry

Maiden name: a woman's surname before marriage

Marital status: single, married, divorced, separated, common law

Name: lists full name includes middle names and hyphenated last names

Resident status: citizen, landed immigrant, permanent resident, refugee

Photograph: recent picture of ID holder

Place of birth: city, region, country

Profession: current occupation doctor, teacher, dentist, retired

Number: can be a specific individual number

Sex: M (male), F (female)

Signature: copy of hand-written name of ID holder

Weight: measured in pounds or kilos

There are others.

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English Street Talk Survival BLOG URL
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Want a Job - Start with a Resume

2009-01-21T09:29:00.007-05:00

Introductions to Resumes

A resume is a tool with one specific purpose.

A resume is a sales document designed for a very precise audience.

A resume is a one or two page summary of your education, skills, accomplishments, and experience.

A very good resume is placed in the short list that survives the first cut.

An excellent resume convinces the employer that you have what it takes to be successful in the position or career.

A superb resume motivates the employer to pick up the phone and ask you to come in for an interview.

Types of Resumes

The chronological resume focuses on the experience section of the resume; each job is listed and described in some detail with sections of skills or accomplishments later in the resume.

The functional resume begins with highlights of major skills and accomplishments and focuses attention on what you can do for them.

A combined resume includes elements of both the chronological and functional formats.

Sections of Resumes

The Summary is sometimes labelled as a profile. - This should be four to six lines of text. This section should indicate the position you are looking for, experience and abilities that will be of interest to your next employer.

Career Summary also called your job history starts with your most recent job and lists backwards in time. Basic career summaries only include the year you started, the year you finished, job title and employer's name.

Career overviews includes job history, brief overview of the companies and responsibilities for each position that you have held.

Achievement differentiates you from anyone else doing your job because what you actually achieved will be a indication of performance.

Education or Academic Qualifications should include recent relevant training.

Personal Details includes your date of birth, marital status, driving licence, languages, volunteer and community groups and interests.

Original Post
http://www.eslincanada.com/englishforresumes.html

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English Street Talk Survival BLOG URL
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ESL in Canada Directory of ESL English schools teachers tutors classes lessons university colleges high schools, Business English, Canadian ESL English as a second language study programs, education coaching and consulting services, homestay, visas, study information and advice across Canada, North America

The Travel Language Culture Network organizes special student education events and activities to help provide visitors with both fun and informative programs. TLC recommendations assists students with schools, visas, travel, language, culture, immigration, employment, shopping, homestay and professional services.

Sentence Master Games helps students write English sentences, practice their English grammar and improve their English writing.

The Complexity and Power of Words

2009-01-14T21:51:00.004-05:00

The interesting thing about words is that they have different meanings to different people, even when using the same language, due to the way we process, filter and finally understand information.

What does a word mean to you? Does it mean the exact same thing to every member of your family, community, country or language group? You see, words have two meanings; denotation and connotation. Denotation is the literal meaning or dictionary meaning of a word. Connotation is the emotional impact a word may have on you. We will talk about denotation first.

If a person does not know what a word means, they can ask a trusted source or simply look it up online or in a resource book, like a standard dictionary. It is very difficult to argue against the denotation of a word, as the meaning is supposed to be standard. Having said that, we must be aware of cultural differences and idiomatic use of words, depending on the region where the word is used. In other words, Spanish is different in the many Spanish-speaking countries, just as English is different in the English-speaking countries, and so goes the rule for many other
languages as well. Denotation just got more complicated! Have no fear, because a good dictionary will indicate the many uses of a single word, and often tell you if it is a regional expression or interpretation. For example, the word `lift' in British English is used as a noun where North Americans would say `elevator', but at the same time, both British and North American English speakers use the verb form of the word lift in the same way: to raise up something, perhaps carry. As most of you know, there are many differences between British and N. American English, and it can be fun and practical to learn them.

Now that we have sorted out denotation, let's talk about connotation. As stated previously, this is the emotional impact a word has on you. It can be positive, negative or neutral. Here is an example: In British English the word `scheme' is typically neutral, and is used like we North Americans use the word `plan'. For example, B.A.'s "Frequent Flights Scheme". But in North American English, the word
`scheme' typically has a negative connotation to it, and is often used to talk about evil plans of villains or the ideas of a bank robber or other criminal, etc. That is why we would use a different phrase, like "Air Miles Reward Plan" instead.

Finally, the connotation of a word can be very personal, not just cultural. For example, in my mind, the word `puppy' is positive, the word `death' is negative and the word `pen' is neutral. Those emotional feelings are based on my childhood, my culture, my language, my life experience up to this point, and other parts of knowledge I may have about those words. However, another person may feel that
`puppy' is a negative word, if they feel puppies are dirty, destructive and always biting people, or simply neutral if they do not care for dogs or pets in general. A person may feel that `death' is a positive word if they are ready to die and are looking forward to the afterlife. Another person may feel neutral about the word death, as it is just part of the life cycle. And finally, the word pen which is neutral to me could be positively charged to someone who loves writing poetry or an author who earns money by writing, or it could be negatively charged by someone who was once stabbed with a pen.

Words are complex and powerful, and carry different meanings and feelings to different people. Choose your words carefully.

For additional articles go to the Speak English Better Blog

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English Street Talk Survival BLOG URL
http://street-talk-english-survival-tips.blogspot.com/

ESL in Canada Directory of ESL English schools teachers tutors classes lessons university colleges high schools, Business English, Canadian ESL English as a second language study programs, education coaching and consulting services, homestay, visas, study information and advice across Canada, North America

The Travel Language Culture Network organizes special student education events and activities to help provide visitors with both fun and informative programs. TLC recommendations assists students with schools, visas, travel, language, culture, immigration, employment, shopping, homestay and professional services.

Sentence Master Games helps students write English sentences, practice their English grammar and improve their English writing.

A Second Language 'changes personality'

2008-12-26T15:38:00.003-05:00

Researchers at the University of Texas made the discovery while studying the personality traits of bilingual English and Spanish speakers in the United States and Mexico. They began by establishing the attributes of native speakers, using the results of personality tests on almost 170,000 people.

The personality changes, however, run deeper than a desire to gesticulate wildly when talking in Italian or to plunge into gloom when speaking Russian. According to research, using different languages alters basic characteristics traits such as extroversion and neuroticism.

Read the full TELEGRAPH article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1493260/A-second-language-changes-personality.html

At Language Log - bunch of geeks. We can't help ourselves. So we couldn't help asking some of our friends to track down the original study. And they did. It's Do bilinguals have two personalities? A special case of cultural frame switching, by Ramirez-Esparza, Gosling, Benet-Martinez, Potter, & Pennebaker, Journal of Research in Personality, 2006.

The first author, Nairan Ramirez-Esparza asked me to post this link to an article which says what they did in their own words. http://www.psychologyuk.co.uk/story.php?article_id=196

And these words are just the slightest little bit different from those in the Telegraph. They don't conclude that English-speaking Americans differ from Mexicans, but rather that along various dimensions bilinguals speaking English score differently on various personality scales than when they are speaking Spanish. It's a careful piece of work, and a cute result.

Read the full Language Log article and comments
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003684.html

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English Street Talk Survival BLOG URL
http://street-talk-english-survival-tips.blogspot.com/

ESL in Canada Directory
Directory of ESL English schools teachers tutors classes lessons university colleges high schools, Canadian ESL English as a second language study programs, education coaching and consulting services, homestay, visas, study information and advice across Canada, North America

The Travel Language Culture Network organizes special student education events and activities to help provide visitors with both fun and informative programs. TLC recommendations assists students with schools, visas, travel, language, culture, immigration, employment, shopping, homestay and professional services.

Sentence Master Games helps students write English sentences, practice their English grammar and improve their English writing.

Exclamations used by English Speakers

2008-10-30T09:54:00.008-04:00

Exclamations used by English speakers are usually spontaneous, creative and can be unique to individuals, groups, cities, regions or countries.

Sometimes the exclamation is a single word. Sometimes the single word is given a prefix or suffix or even part of a phrase or fuller expression.

The exclamations can indicate conditions from "as expected" up to "joyous rapture".

You can rate the exclamations as indications from "mild surprise" to "heart attack central".

You can rate the exclamations as expressions of "mild annoyance" up to "homicidal anger".

It is practical to know what emotion and the intensity of the emotion is being expressed by the English exclamation.

Some Example English Exclamations

alright!
I agree or that is wonderful

bastard! considered a swear word
bitch! considered a swear word
Extreme anger about someone or something not performing or causing damages.

bejesus!
Twist of the swear word to express surprise or annoyance

Blimey!
British exclamation of surprise.

Bloody Hell!
British exclamation of surprise and frustration. considered a swear word

Bugger!
British expression of surprise or annoyance. considered a swear word

I'll be buggered if...
There's no way something will happen or be allowed to happen.

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English Street Talk Survival BLOG URL
http://street-talk-english-survival-tips.blogspot.com/

ESL in Canada Directory
Directory of ESL English schools teachers tutors classes lessons university colleges high schools, Canadian ESL English as a second language study programs, education coaching and consulting services, homestay, visas, study information and advice across Canada, North America

The Travel Language Culture Network organizes special student education events and activities to help provide visitors with both fun and informative programs. TLC recommendations assists students with schools, visas, travel, language, culture, immigration, employment, shopping, homestay and professional services.

Sentence Master Games helps students write English sentences, practice their English grammar and improve their English writing.

How to Say your Fly is Open

2008-05-15T13:25:00.002-04:00

20. Your cucumber has left the salad.
19. I can see the gun of Navarone.
18. Someone tore down the wall, and your Pink Floyd is hanging out.
17. You've got Windows on your laptop.
16. Sailor Ned's trying to take a little shore leave.
15. Your soldier is not unknown.
14. Quasimodo needs to go back in the tower and tend to his bells.
13. You need to bring your tray table to the upright and locked position.
12. Paging Mr. Johnson... Paging Mr. Johnson...
11. Your pod bay door is open, Hal.
10. Elvis Junior has LEFT the building!
9. Mini Me is making a break for the escape pod.
8. Ensign Hanes is reporting a hull breach on the lower deck, Sir!
7. The Buick is not all the way in the garage.
6. Dr. Kimble has escaped!
5. You've got your fly set for "Monica" instead of "Hillary."
4. Our next guest is someone who needs no introduction...
3. You've got a security breach at Los Pantalones.
2. I'm talking about Shaft, can you dig it?
1. I thought you were crazy, now I can clearly see your nuts.

(list sent by a student - origin unknown)

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GENERAL SPELLING RULES FOR UK AND USA ENGLISH

2008-04-27T15:47:00.003-04:00

Many American spellings differ from English spellings. American spellings are now becoming more universal as Microsoft software defaults to American spellings and often does not recognise British spellings.

GENERAL SPELLING RULES FOR UK AND USA ENGLISH

Words ending in OUR have been changed to OR in America

Words ending in IOUR have been changed to IOR in America

Many words ending in YSE or ISE have been changed to YZE or IZE in America
see: analyse, categorise, standardise
Exceptions: ARISE, DEVISE

Many words ending in YSED or I SED have been changed to YZED or IZED in America
see: categorised, standardised

Many words ending in ISATION have been changed to IZATION in America
see: categorisation, standardisation

Words ending in RE have been changed to ER in America
see: centre, metre

Words containing the silent letters OUGH have been changed to in America so they are spelt phonetically
see: doughnut, hiccough

Words containing a double consonant before ING and ED have been changed to one consonant
see: travelling

Words which vary in spelling according to whether they are nouns or verbs have been standardised in some cases.
example: verbs: practise, license

SPELLING EXAMPLES

aeroplane (1 word) [UK] = airplane, aero plane [US]
analyse, analyze [UK] = analyze [US]
analysed, analyzed [UK] = analyzed [US]
behaviour [UK] = behavior [US]
catalogue [UK] = catalog [US]
categorise, categorize [UK] = categorize [US]
categorisation, categorization [UK] = categorization [US]
categorised, categorized [UK] = categorized [US]
centre [UK] = center [US]
cheque [UK] = check [US]
colour [UK] = color [US]
doughnut [UK] = donut [US]
earnt, earned [UK] = earned [US]
equalling [UK] = equaling [US]
favour [UK] = favor [US]
gaol, jail [UK] = jail [US]
grey [UK] = gray {US}
hiccough, hiccup [UK] = hiccup [US]
inharmonious/unharmonious [UK] = inharmonious [US]
labour [UK] = labor [US]
license (verb), licence (noun) [UK] = license [US]
liquorice [UK] = licorice [US]
manoeuvre [UK] = maneuver [US]
metre [UK] = meter [US]
minimalised, minimalized [UK] = minimalized [US]
neighbour [UK] = neighbor [US]
TV programme/computer program [UK] = TV/computer program [US]
pyjamas [UK] = pajamas [US]
practise (verb), practice (noun) [UK] = practice [US]
recognise, recognize [UK] = recognize [US]
specialised, specialized [UK] = specialized [US]
specialising, specializing [UK] = specializing [US]
standardise, standardize [UK] = standardize [US]
standardised, standardized [UK] = standardized [US]
tyres [UK] = tires [US]
travelled [UK] = traveled [US]
travelling [UK] = traveling [US]

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Use Spelling to be Understood or Understand English

2008-04-10T13:21:00.002-04:00

Use Spelling to be Understood or Understand English

When speaking over the phone or using the VOIP internet services sometimes there are line noises or interferrence that distorts the words making it difficult or impossible to understand what was said.

When it is too difficult to understand a particular word - spell it out in full so that your other party can know the exact word and then understand the context.

The most universal spelling is the Police or Radio Call letters with word references.

This is the list of English letters and reference words

A ...ALPHA
B ...BRAVO
C ...CHARLIE
D ...DELTA
E ...ECHO
F ...FOXTROT
G ...GOLF
H ...HOTEL
I ...INDIA
J ...JULIET
K ...KILO
L ...LIMA
M ...MIKE
N ...NOVEMBER
O ...OSCAR
P ...PAPA
Q ...QUEBEC
R ...ROMEO
S ...SIERRA
T ...TANGO
U ...UNIFORM
V ...VICTOR
W ...WHISKY
X ...X-RAY
Y ...YANKEE
Z ...ZULU

When spelling out the word say the letter then the reference word.

If you need to communicate the word "bat" then you would say the following.

B as in BRAVO
A as in ALPHA
T as in TANGO

Your listener will not mix up this spelling so they will understand "bat" and not mistake it for pat, phat, hat, sat, cat, mat, or another word.

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Five Levels of Bad Words

2008-03-19T14:52:00.005-04:00

Street talk has five levels of bad words - you have to use them properly. You cannot speak too politely to your buddies - they may think you have lost your mind. You can not speak too rudely to your minister - he may think you have lost your manners.

Here are some examples:
Testicles
buttocks

1. kids
Don't use these unless you are five or under 5.
things
bottom

2. polite
These expressions when you feel too uncomfortable to say the real word. Even ministers can use these.
family jewels
behind

3. OK
These are words most people would say to their friends, but maybe not to their grandmother or teacher.
nuts, balls
butt

4. almost bad
These words may be acceptable with friends, but some people think they are rude. You can hear these words on broadcast TV.
nads
ass

5. bad
Many people think these words are rude so you will not hear these on broadcast TV, but you can hear some of them on cable TV or in movies.
too many to list !!!
sh-- hole

Remember to use the correct level of bad words for street talk.

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Second Life Lingo

2008-03-09T11:13:00.004-04:00

Introducing Second Life Lingo

To participate in Second Life - the participants have to know, understand and use a wide range of English Technical words specific to the virtual community.

This website aims to highlight language used on various platforms related to the virtual world of Second Life. It is primarily intended to be a reference for language facilitators in Second Life.

The page URL
http://secondlifelingo.com/

Example Words
3D content
3D modeling
age verification
api programs
application under process
architect
avatar
avatar behavior
avatar characters
background in-world footage
basic
basic support options
.....

Second Life English Background Info:

Second Life English has been active as a group since 2006. Its initial ESL related activities primarily consisted of experimental team-teaching events which were held for a little over a year at the English Village. The group's founder, Kip Yellowjacket, also played a role in the development of the English Village.

About Second Life English
The ultimate aim of Second Life English is to assist foreign language teachers in their efforts to use the virtual world of Second Life as an instructional medium. Moreover, we seek to help empower language learners with the English language (and other languages) by providing various opportunities to participate in learning activities. Team-teaching events are offered to allow teachers a chance to collaboratively explore various approaches to facilitating language acquisition in a 3D environment.

To read more go to:
http://esl-secondlife.blogspot.com/2008/03/take-break_08.html

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Do Jokes Have Any Therapeutic Value?

2008-02-01T22:33:00.003-05:00

Do Jokes Have Any Therapeutic Value?

Jokes:

Making jokes, making funny things, making funny cartoons, funny pictures and funny stuff in general is not an easy task, it is a very serious job. It takes a person who is able to communicate effectively with the psyche of the potential viewers, readers or listeners. A person who has to identify what appeals to them, what makes them laugh, and sometimes cry.

You can, sometimes hear or see jokes that are about sad things presented in such a manner that they can be read and interpreted as funny. That is why jokes where people "fall, break a leg or die" can be funny.

Humor:

Humor and medicine were related long before the word humor meant fun stuff. Greeks and early Romans believed that mood was related to substances that circulated through the body, substances they called humors.

Four humors were described in Hippocratic medicine:

Blood (Spring, air)
Black bile (Autumn, earth)
yellow bile (Summer, fire)
phlegm (Winter, water).

These humors were related to personality (melancholic, choleric, phlegmatic, sanguine). That is where the relation of humor with mood starts... From that point, the meaning of the word kept evolving up to this day when humor does not usually refer to a liquid substance that circulates through our bodies (although the meaning is still valid), but a state of mind characteristically related to the things that cause laughter and fun (humorous).

Laughter: "...does the body good"

Jokes and their effects are considered by some experts as a good co-adjuvant therapy for stress related diseases such as irritable bowel disease, heart burn, anxiety, cancer, etc. Some of these ideas were exploited in a movie called "Patch Adams" where Robin Williams portraits a real life medical student who shows "the power" of humor laughter and jokes.

Jokes are a part of our nature, a life without laughter and funny things is not life, it is suffering. We need fun, we need jokes, we need funny pictures, otherwise we get bored..... and sick too!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Francisco_Santander

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LIFE IN THE 1500'S

2008-02-01T15:21:00.004-05:00

Greetings from the Cayman Islands,

How are you? I received this email from a friend and thought it would make a great lesson plan about idioms. Pretty interesting stuff. Hope all is well and it isn't too cold there. The weather here is beautiful here and every time I see snow on tv I am shocked that it is winter somewhere in the world!! Take care, Geni xo

LIFE IN THE 1500'S

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500's.

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water.

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying . It's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house.. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a thresh hold.

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a ...dead ringer.. And that's the truth...

Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !

Educate someone. Share these facts with a friend.

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STROKE IDENTIFICATION

2008-01-25T11:16:00.002-05:00

If everyone can remember something this simple: remember the '3' steps "STR" we could save many lives.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Sometimes the symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.

The stroke victim could exhibit, dizzyness, awkwardness, stumble, lose balance, fumble, lose muscle control and any combination of these.

The stroke victim usually suffers severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S * Ask the person to SMILE.

T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today)

R * Ask the person to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, in Canada call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

Another Sign of a Stroke -- Ask the person to 'stick' out his/her tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

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Understanding Rhetorical Questions

2007-11-22T12:31:00.002-05:00

A rhetorical question is a figure of speech using the form of a question and stated for rhetorical effect rather than to receive an answer.

Commonly used rhetorical questions using slang may be sometimes confusing to people who may be fluent in English but unfamiliar with the localized meaning and who may attempt to answer the rhetorical question.

For example: "Are you pulling my leg?"

These are rhetorical questions that are actually a form of epiplexis which is a specific kind of rhetorical question used to mean "Are you kidding me?".

In general we can say a rhetorical question is one that requires no answer because the answer is obvious and doesn't need to be stated . The speaker is not looking for an answer to the rhetorical question but is making some kind of a point or focusing attention on a situation. Rhetorical questions are used to encourage the listener to reflect on what the implied answer to the question must be.

Rhetorical questions could also be defined as any question asked for a purpose other than to obtain the information the question asks. Rhetorical questions include an emotional dimension, expressing wonder, indignation, sarcasm or pleasure.

For example: "Why are you so smart?"

This rhetorical questions is likely to be a statement regarding the opinion of the person addressed rather than a genuine request to know the answer.

What are not Rhetorical questions?

Nonsensical questions which cannot be answered can not be called a rhetorical question.

For example: “Who let the dogs out?”

Sometimes speakers ask questions as a speaking technique so that they can then proceed to answer them. The question asked is not a rhetorical question in the technical sense. This is a mock-dialogue with the speaker filling both roles in a portrayed conversation.

For example: “Do we have enough troops to win the war against terror? It all depends on how you define victory.”

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Toronto Sports Talk November 4th 2007

2007-11-04T16:37:00.002-05:00

It is a nice quiet Sunday in Toronto. Sports fans are glowing with the Toronto Maple Leafs win in Montreal last night and the Toronto Argos beating Saskatchewan in the last regular season CFL football game.

Even with the two Toronto wins all the big talk is about the NFL Patriots Colts game on Sunday afternoon.

Never in the NFL history have two teams with 7 an 0 and 8 and 0 winning records met during the regular season.

I am taking the Patriots even though they are playing at the Colts home field.

Here are some Football terms you will need to know if you are watching the game.

audible: verbal commands shouted by the quarterback to his teammates at the line of scrimmage to change a play on short notice.

blitz: a play where the defensive team sends players rushing as soon as the ball is snapped to try to sack the quarterback.

blocking: preventing a defensive player from getting to the ball carrier

bump-and-run: a pass defenders technique, where they hit a receiver within 5 yards to slow him down and then shadow the receiver.

completed pass: a forward pass to a teammate who catches it in the air with both feet inbounds.

cut back: a sudden change in direction taken by a ball carrier to make it more difficult for defenders to tackle him.

down: one of 4 chances a team on offense has to gain 10 yards and another first down.

drive: a series of plays the offense puts together in an attempt march down the field and then score.

drop back: pass technique used by the quarterback who takes a few steps backward into an area called the pocket to get set to pass.

end zone: the goal line bounded by the sidelines and end line, where a team on offense tries to score a touchdown.

extra points: after a team has scored a touchdown, either by a 1 point kick or a 2-point conversion.

field goal: a 3 point place kick that passes between the goalpost uprights.

forward progress: the location to which a ball carrier or pass receiver has advanced the ball.

fumble: when a ball carrier or receiver loses possession of the ball before the play ends.

hand-off: an offense running play where the quarterback hands the ball to a back.

incomplete pass: a lateral or forward pass that touches the ground before being caught.

interception: a pass caught in the air by a defender whose team gains possession of the ball and immediately becomes the offense.

kickoff: To start the game, the second half and after each score the change of possession occurs when a player kicks the ball from his own 30-yard line to the opposing team.

man-in-motion: an offense player who is permitted to move prior to the snap.

offside: a foul when a player crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped.

pass patterns: set paths receivers run to help the quarterback get them the ball.

play-action pass: an offense play where the quarterback has faked a hand-off and then passes to a receiver.

return: when a player has just caught an interception, punt or kickoff advances the ball by running.

tackling: technique of hitting the ball carrier or receiver to stop his forward progress and knock him down ending the play.

touchdown: a 6 point scoring play when a team crosses the opponent’s goal line with the ball, catches a pass or recovers a loose ball in the opponent’s end zone.

turnover: the loss of ball possession during a play, either by a fumble or when the quarterback throws an interception.

More later - enjoy the game!

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English Vocabulary for Drama and Dance

2007-11-02T20:16:00.003-04:00

Free ESL in Canada English lessons for international students to study Drama & Dance in Canada or USA during an exchange program. Drama & Dance vocabulary is necessary for exchange students to succeed during an exchange program in the USA or Canada. Other grammar topics include vocabulary, parts of speech, sentence structure, punctuation, tenses, verbals, conditionals and writing.

Vocabulary for Drama and Dance Exchange Students

Choral speaking, chanting. The reading or reciting of text by a group. This involves experimentation, interpretation, and rehearsal of a piece of text, such as a poem or riddle. The students experiment with the use of language, rhythm, volume, and pace.

"Corridor of voices." A formation used for exploring the inner life of a character in drama. The character moves through the "corridor", which is made up of others who represent his or her thoughts or conscience. As the character passes through the corridor, the voices of those in the corridor express a range of thoughts and feelings. Moving through a corridor of voices can also be useful in exploring the thoughts of a character who is facing a difficult task or decision. In this case, the voices are external and give advice and warnings.

Dance drama. A drama enacted through dance. The objective is to interpret a story, theme, or piece of music through movement.

Drama anthology. A collection of materials (e.g., letters, songs, poems, speeches, monologues, diaries, photographs) that represent aspects of life in a certain historical period or aspects of the life of a person, real or fictional.

Elements of dance. Fundamental components of dance. They include space, shape, time (rhythm), and energy.

Elements of drama. Fundamental components of drama. They include character, suspense, conflict, and structure.

Forum theatre. A technique in drama that involves the improvisational exploration of a dramatic situation by a group. Although only a small group does the improvisation, the rest of the group observes, and all group members participate in creating the scene through discussion. Members of the group may also stop the action in order to make suggestions or to take over a role.

Improvisation. Generally, a spontaneous response to a dramatic situation that involves verbal and non-verbal activity. The improviser acts in the role of a specific character. Sometimes, however, some preparation is involved, as in the improvisation of a key moment in a drama. In such cases, the improvisers need to do a certain amount of planning and collaboration - for example, they need to choose carefully the moment to be enacted and the dialogue to be spoken. Various techniques may be used. For example, students may experiment with making transitions between still shapes (that is, moving from one tableau to another), or they may select a word relevant to the drama and explore aspects of its meaning through movement and role playing.

"Inner and outer circle." The name of an activity in drama. In this activity, the students first divide themselves into two groups. One group forms a circle to represent a character from the drama, and the other group forms a circle around the first circle to represent another character. The students share, in role, their thoughts and feelings at a significant point in the drama. Students may speak spontaneously or read from the source material being used.

Monologue. A scene in drama in which a person speaks alone. The speech is usually long. It may be composed by the speaker or it may be taken from source material. Its dramatic purpose is to provide insight into the character.

Reader's theatre. A means of performing a play, story, or poem that consists solely of reading. Meaning is conveyed only through the use of the voice; props, costumes, sets, or music cannot be used.

Role playing. A technique in drama that involves the adopting of the point of view of a character in an imaginary situation. The aim of the exercise is to try to understand through imagination what that character feels and how that character thinks. When someone is playing the role of a character, he or she is said to be speaking or writing "in role". Speaking in role is not confined to acting in a dramatic scene, but can be done out of the scene; that is, someone could still be playing the part of a character, for purposes of study, during a discussion of the motives or personality of that character.

Soundscape, sound collage. The combination of sounds, which may include vocal and instrumental sounds, to create a specific atmosphere or to accompany important moments of a scene.

Tableau. A silent group of people frozen in time to represent a scene, abstract idea (e.g., peace, joy), or theme.

Voice. In written work, style or character revealed through the use of vocabulary, sentence structure, and imagery, for example, as well as the rhythm of the prose and the mood of the piece as a whole. In spoken drama, style or character revealed mainly through the use of vocabulary, as well as through tone of voice and pace of speech.

Writing in role. Writing as a character from a drama in order to sharpen understanding of that character and develop further scenes on the basis of this understanding. Some examples of forms that may be used are diaries, letters, and reports on specific events that indicate the character's responses to those events.

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English Idioms are words, phrases, or expressions with a meaning that cannot be derived from the literal translations of the individual words. English Idioms are used in everyday life, work, school, the arts, business, activities, events and sports.

Vocabulary for Visual Arts

2007-11-01T08:17:00.001-04:00

Abstract art. A style of art that achieves its effect by simplifying or altering the visual elements (e.g., line, shape, colour), rather than by representing recognizable things or people.

Abstraction. The process of making art work abstract.

Asymmetry. A type of balance in which the parts are unequal in size, shape, etc., but still produce a balanced visual effect.

Background. The part of a composition that appears to be farthest from
the viewer.

Balance. A principle of design. A feeling of balance results when the elements of design are arranged to create the impression of equality in weight or importance.

Collage. A form of art in which a variety of materials (e.g.,photographs, fabric, objects) are glued to a flat background.

Colour. An element of design. Colour is the particular hue that is seen when light is reflected off an object.

Colour wheel. A tool for organizing colours and representing relationships among colours.

Complementary colours. Colours that are directly opposite each other on the colour wheel (e.g., red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple).

Composition. The organization of the elements of design in an art work, following certain principles of design.

Contemporary art. Art created in the present day.

Cool colours. Colours that suggest coolness (e.g., blue, green, purple).

Dimension. A term used to describe an object's extent in space. A two-dimensional object is one that has length and width. A three-dimensional object is one that has length, width, and depth.

Elements of design. Fundamental components of art works. They include colour, line, texture, shape, form, and space.

Emphasis. A principle of design. Emphasis may be defined as the special attention or importance given to one part or element in an art work. Emphasis can be achieved through placement, contrast, size, etc.

Focal point. The element or object in a work of art on which the viewer's attention is focused.

Foreground. The area of a picture that appears closest to the viewer. It is often at the bottom of the picture plane.

Form. An element of design. Form is sculptural or three-dimensional
shape (e.g., cube, pyramid, sphere).

Geometric shape. A shape that is based on geometric figures (e.g., square, circle, triangle).

Horizon line. The "line" at which the sky and the earth appear to meet.

Hue. The common name of a colour (e.g., red).

Impressionistic art. Art in the Impressionist style, a characteristic of which is the depiction of the effect of light on objects.

Line. An element of design. A line may be defined as the visual path left by a moving point.

Logo. A symbolic form that identifies organizations, products, etc.

Medium. Any material used by an artist to produce a work of art.

Middle ground. Area in the picture between the foreground and the background.

Mixed media. Any art work in which more than one medium is used.

Monochromatic colour scheme. A colour scheme in which only one hue is used, along with its tints (i.e., hue plus white) and shades (i.e., hue plus black).

Movement. A principle of design. Movement is the way in which the elements of design are organized so that the viewer's eye is led through the work of art in a systematic way.

Negative space. The void or open areas around an object or form.

Perspective. A technique for creating the illusion of depth on a two-dimensional surface. There are three types of perspective: - linear
perspective, which involves the use of parallel lines that appear to converge as
their distance from the viewer increases; - diminishing perspective, in which
objects appear to diminish in size as their distance from the viewer increases;
- atmospheric perspective, which is produced by the gradual lessening of the
intensity of colour and the reducing of detail as the distance between an object
and the viewer increases.

Organic shapes or forms. Shapes or forms that are non-geometric or free- flowing, and that are based on natural objects.

Positive space. Shapes or forms on a two-dimensional surface.

Principles of design. Principles or guidelines used by artists to organize the visual elements of an art work. They include balance, emphasis, rhythm, unity, movement, variety, harmony, and proportion.

Primary colours. Colours that cannot be created by mixing other colours, but that can be mixed to produce all the other colours (red, yellow, and blue).

Proportion. A principle of design. Proportion may be described as the relationship between objects with respect to size, number, etc.

Representational art. Art whose subject matter contains recognizable images from real life.

Rhythm. A principle of design. Rhythm involves the repetition of elements to create the illusion of movement.

Sculpture. A work of art in three dimensions (i.e., with height, width, and depth) that is meant to be seen from all sides.

Secondary colours. Colours that are created by mixing the primary colours (orange, green, and purple). Shade. A colour with a certain amount of black added.

Space. An element of design. Space is the area around, within, or between images or elements. Space can be created on a two-dimensional surface by using such techniques as overlapping of objects, varying of object size or placement, varying of colour intensity and value, and use of detail and diagonal lines.

Style. The artist's way of representing something. The choice and use of materials, methods of work, subject matter, etc., reflect the style of an individual, a culture, or a historical period.

Symmetry. A type of balance in which parts or elements are equal in
size or shape, or in some other attribute.

Technique. A method or procedure used in producing a work of art.

Texture. An element of design. Texture is the feel or appearance of an object or material.

Tint. A colour with a certain amount of white added.

Unity. A principle of design. Unity is the coherence of a work that gives the viewer the feeling that all the parts of the piece are working together.

Value. The lightness or darkness of a colour.

Vanishing point. In perspective drawing, the point on the horizon line
where the converging parallel lines appear to meet.

Variety. A principle of design. Achieving variety involves the use of differences or contrasts.

Warm colours. Colours that suggest warmth (e.g., red, yellow, orange).

English Idioms are words, phrases, or expressions with a meaning that cannot be derived from the literal translations of the individual words. English Idioms are used in everyday life, work, school, the arts, business, activities, events and sports.
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Glossary of Computer and Internet Terms

2007-10-28T14:06:00.002-04:00

The e-word's "Glossary of Computer and Internet Terms" is an excellent resource site for internet jargon, names and terms.

There are 23 categories for the terms used and what they mean.

When I clicked on the category PC - I got a sitemap diagram with 15 subcategories.

The subcategories contain terms which can be clicked on for their individual explanation and meaning.

For example I clicked on OEM - part of the answer:

OEM is to produce products sold in partner’s brand name, or the producing company. The company asked to provide products from OEM companies sells the products with their own brand name. The company asked to produce can improve their productivity by using the partner’s brand name and marketing.

The e-words site also has a search function so you can type in the abbreviation, acronym or entire word and go directly to the definition.

You have two methods of finding definitions by category or by searching for the term.

They also have a top 100 list which tracks the number of site surfers who view the definitions. It has a seven day history so you can compare.

Here are some of the categories and top five viewed terms.

You can test your own vocabulary for the following categories.

Top 5 by Category
PC
1st UEFI Forum
2nd Mother Board
3rd Alt key
4th Desktop
5th Keyboard

Imaging
1st Resolution
2nd liquid crystal
3rd Toner
4th CMYK
5th pixel

Storage
1st Blu-ray Disc
2nd Floppy disk
3rd defrag
4th BD-R
5th DLT

Software
1st encode
2nd parameter
3rd EULA
4th DDL
5th Microsoft Front Page

OS
1st Directory
2nd OS
3rd kernel
4th Ekiga
5th Palm OS

Windows
1st Windows
2nd FAT
3rd VB.NET
4th IIS
5thS tart Button

Programming
1st CGI
2nd FORTRAN
3rd J2EE
4th JavaScript
5th VB.NET

Multimedia
1st JPEG
2nd DirectX
3rd Nintendo DS
4th Helix Project
5th MPEG

WWW
1stWeb 2.0
2ndThread
3rdSNS
4thblog
5thSemantic Web

To go to the e-words "Glossary of Computer and Internet Terms"
http://e-words.us/

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Twitter users have created some twitter talk

2007-10-20T15:46:00.002-04:00

Twitter is an online posting social network.

This is just like street talk only called network jargon.

Twaiting - Twittering while waiting

Twaffic - Twitter traffic

Tweekend - Spending your entire weekend reading and posting via Twitter

Tweepish - Feeling sheepish or regretful about something you tweeted

Tweeps - Twitterites that following each other

Tweet-back - reference back into the current conversation

Tweet-dropping - Eavesdropping With Friends mode

Tweetaholism - Twitter as an addiction that is difficult to control

Tweeterboxes - Twitterers who tweet too much

Tweetheart - that special someone who makes your heart skip a beat

TweetIn - twitterers agree to get together at a set time to twitter

Tweet(ing) - The act of posting to Twitter

Tweets - Posts on Twitter by twitterers

TweetUp - When twitterers meet in person

Twittercal mass - A community that has achieved a critical mass of twitterers

Twitosphere - Community of twitterers

Twittastic - Fantastic, wonderful, superb

Twittcrastination - Twittering as a form of procrastination

Twitterer - A user of Twitter

Twittering - To send a Twitter message

Twitterish - Erractic behavior with short outbursts

Twitteritas - Women who play with their twitters

Twitterfly - Being a social butterfly on Twitter

Twitterject - Interject your tweet into an existing conversation

Twitterlooing - Twittering from a bathroom

Twitterloop - To be caught up with friend tweets and up on the conversation

Twitterpated - To be overwhelmed with Twitter messages

Twitterphoria - The elation you feel when a friend adds you back

Twitterrhea - The act of sending too many Twitter messages

Twitterstream - the twitter timeline

Twittertude - Bad Twitter attitude

Twittfessional - A confession made on Twitter

Twitticisms - Witty tweets

Twittish - Too skittish to twitter

Twittsomnia - Twittering due to inability to sleep

Twittworking - Networking with Twitterites using Twitter

Twopsies - When you drop things because you are twittering

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Movie Vocabulary for Weirdsville

2007-10-13T18:29:00.002-04:00

director: person who manages the cast, film crew and action to be included in the movie.

producer: in Canada the man who walks on water and duct tapes everything together.

DP: person who manages the camera crew and coordinates locations.

writer: person who pens the actual story on which the movie is based.

screen play: the story formated for the movie.

cast: the talent who play the characters.

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pre-view hints about the movie:

Weirdsville is set in a small Northern town and crammed with dope-filled slackers, freaky oddballs, strange occurrences and the comic affects of karma.

Weirdsville features a Satanic cult who, in the midst of performing a ritual sacrifice, manages to wake an OD from her coma.

Weirdsville features Omar, the local drug kingpin who throws good money after bad, fronting a stash to the slackers and orders broken legs between curling matches.

Weirdsville features the eccentric icicle-crippled millionaire who is punished for life, condemned to work with the dope-filled slackers turned inventors.

Weirdsville is funny and smart. They make fun of everybody as they parody everyone, and everything. Even the midgets win. See the movie at Scotiabank Theater, Toronto, at Richmond & John - and enjoy the laughs.

Weirdsville URL
http://www.weirdsville-the-movie.com/

director: Allan Moyle
producer: Nick Tabarrok
writer: Will Wennekers

Cast: Scott Speedman, Wes Bentley , Taryn Manning, Greg Bryk, Dax Ravina, Maggie Castle, Raoul Bhaneja

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English Language Vocabulary for Resumes

2007-10-04T14:51:00.001-04:00

Introductions to Resumes

A resume is a tool with one specific purpose

A resume is a sales document designed for a very precise audience.

A resume is a one or two page summary of your education, skills, accomplishments, and experience.

A very good resume is placed in the short list that survives the first cut.

An excellent resume convinces the employer that you have what it takes to be successful in the position or career.

A superb resume motivates the employer to pick up the phone and ask you to come in for an interview.

Types of Resumes

The chronological resume focuses on the experience section of the resume; each job is listed and described in some detail with sections of skills or accomplishments later in the resume.

The functional resume begins with highlights of major skills and accomplishments and focuses attention on what you can do for them.

A combined resume includes elements of both the chronological and functional formats.

Sections of Resumes

The Summary is sometimes labelled as a profile. - This should be four to six lines of text. This section should indicate the position you are looking for, experience and abilities that will be of interest to your next employer.

Career Summary also called your job history starts with your most recent job and lists backwards in time. Basic career summaries only include the year you started, the year you finished, job title and employer's name.

Career overviews includes job history, brief overview of the companies and responsibilities for each position that you have held.

Achievement differentiates you from anyone else doing your job because what you actually achieved will be a indication of performance.

Education or Academic Qualifications should include recent relevant training.

Personal Details includes your date of birth, marital status, driving licence, languages, volunteer and community groups and interests.

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Link to Executive Business English Tutor in Toronto Ontario Canada who will help with resume writing and job interview skills.
http://www.eslincanada.ca/jamesrosstutor.html

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English Language Vocabulary for Business Letters

2007-10-01T17:42:00.001-04:00

English Language Vocabulary for Business Letters

attachment: extra document or image that is added to an email

block format: most common business letter format, single spaced, all paragraphs begin at the left margin

body: the content of the letter; between the salutation and signature

bullets: dots used to set off items in an unnumbered list

certified mail: sender pays extra postage in order to receive a notice of receipt

coherent: logical and easy to understand

concise: summary illustrates points quickly

confidential: for personal or specific company use only

diplomacy: demonstrating consideration and kindness

double space format: one blank line is left between lines of text

enclosure: extra document, pages or image included with a letter

formal style: set formatting and business language, opposite of casual

format: the organization of the letter

heading: a word or phrase that indicates what the text below will be about

indent: 1 tab or 5 extra spaces at the beginning of a paragraph

informal: casual formatting and business language, opposite of formal

inside address: recipient's mailing information

justified margins: straight and even text, always begins at the same place

letterhead: specialized paper with a company logo, name and address printed at the top

logo: symbol or image that identifies a specific organization

margin: a blank space that borders the edge of the text

memorandum: (memo) internal document sent within a company

modified block format: left justified as block format, but date and closing are centered

on arrival notation: notice to recipient that appears on an envelope (ie. "rush")

postage: the cost of sending a letter through the Post Office

proofread: read through a finished document to check for mistakes

recipient: the person who receives the letter

salutation: the greeting in a business letter (e.g. "Dear Mr Jones")

semi-block format: paragraphs are indented, not left-justified

single spaced format where no blanks lines are left in-between lines of text

spacing blank area between words or lines of text

tone: the feeling created by the language
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Link to Executive Business English Tutor in Toronto Ontario Canada who will help with Business Letters and resume writing and job interview skills.

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Learning the First 1000 English Words

2007-08-12T10:23:00.001-04:00

Understanding the Rational for Vocabulary Learning Strategies

The mathematicians that study language and have lots of computing power are forming English language databases. These databases can be used for machine language translation, formulas to rank collocation, most used priority word lists, word grouping tendencies and other linguistics research.

These frequency-based wordlists contain the words that are most used in English. Frequency-based wordlists can help you target specific English vocabulary by indicating which words you should try to learn first.

Vocabulary analysis and summaries from the "Brown Corpus 1990".

Table 1

Words - Percent of words in average text
86,741 - 99.99%
43,831 - 99.0%
15,851 - 97.8%
6,000 - 89.9%
5,000 - 88.6%
4,000 - 86.7%
3,000 - 84.0%
2,000 - 79.7%
1,000 - 72.0%
10 - 23.7%

Table 1 shows us that in most written English just a few word types account for most of the English words in any text. Ten words account for 23.7 % of the words on any page and just 1000 words account for more than 70% of the words used.

The ESL in Canada English Immersion camps experimented with the 1000 word lists and used them for the core vocabulary for spelling, poetry writing and public speaking contests. The constant reinforcement and repetition with variable context was quickly absorbed by the beginner students and greatly increased their confidence when speaking or writing.

Altavista's Babelfish or Google by Systran machine translation performs with an error rate of 20 to 30 percent. The large error rate is due to how a word's meaning varies with context. One example: "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" translated from English to Russian and back again only to yield "The vodka is good but the meat is rotten." So far Babelfish has 19 language pairs available and it has taken decades to develop language-pair rules for each of the 9,900 language word pairs.

Some observations for language students and language teachers is the translation pool for just average translations is 9900 words. The big variable is context, which means that a word can be used in various formats: "formal, industry specific jargon, slang, idioms, act a different part of speech performing a different function within that particular meaning. If every word has an average of five context variables then the student really has to learn 50,000 items.

As final conclusions: second language learning takes time and effort and there should be plenty of translation jobs for the next 20 years if you are willing to invest the seven to nine years to be proficient.

In the following example the word "weather" can be used in about eight different contexts and be used to mean, define or explain about thirty different situations or conditions. To properly study vocabulary students require background information and context.

"Weather"
As a Noun

Definition 1. the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time as characterized by sunshine, moisture, temperature, precipitation, and other variables.
Similar Words: elements, climate

Definition 2. unpleasant, turbulent, or violent atmospheric conditions.
Example: We needed shelter from the weather.
Similar Words: gale, blow, windstorm , storm

As a Transitive Verb
Inflected Forms: weathered, weathering, weathers

Definition 1. to modify by exposing to weather.
Similar Words: season , dry, wear

Definition 2. to discolor, deteriorate, or harm by exposing to weather.
Similar Words: fade, bleach, wash , rot, erode, deteriorate

Definition 3. to endure past the end of an event or conditions ie. survive.
Example: Their marriage weathered the hard times.
Synonyms: withstand , survive, stand, outlast, ride out
Similar Words: overcome, surmount, outlive, sustain, brave

As an Intransitive Verb
Definition 1. to resist deterioration when exposed to weather.
Example: The colour has been able to weather the intense sun shine.

Definition 2. to display the effects of exposure (deterioration or change in color)
Similar Words: rot, corrode, fade, deteriorate

As part of Idiomatic Expressions

Phrase used as an idiom: "under the weather" = sick or not well

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